The goal of this contest for the Ohrrpgce engine was to make a terrible game. The games are terrible, intentionally, but interesting. The creator of the Ohrrpgce, James `SPAM Man’ Paige, posted great video reviews of all the entries. I thought these videos were very entertaining to watch, even if you don’t play any of the “terrible” games.
Among others the games include a game where the fate of various people are determined by a random button push, an RTS where babies face off against robots, a randomly generated bacon dungeon, the Village People: The Videogame (which is exactly what it sounds like), and a game which was so terrible it wasn’t even released, even though it too is an entry in this contest (see video above).
You can find the rest of the video reviews of each game after the “jump”.
BREAKING KOTAKU EXCLUSIVE! Natural Selection 2, the sequel to the popular multiplayer Half-Life mod, is slated for a Fall release on Steam, according to its developers. The original game blended FPS and RTS mechanics and featured two very different playable teams – the alien Kharaa and the human Frontiersmen. NS2 will maintain the same basic mechanics, but with some new features (and obviously much prettier). It’s now running on an unnamed proprietary engine, with Valve’s Source engine having been dropped due to the cost of licensing.
This is great news, as the development has been through some rough times, with its creators selling a Sudoku puzzle game to make ends meet at one point.
Posted by Guest Reviewer
Tue, 26 May 2009 18:35:00 GMT
[This is a guest review by Craig Stern. Submit your own reviews to TIGSource here (forum membership required).]
Word has it that Blossomsoft has confirmed a sequel to its well-received indie RPG Eternal Eden, creatively named Eternal Eden 2.
The original Eternal Eden is a JRPG take on the Eden myth from (you guessed it) the Bible. Although a straightforward RPG Maker game in many respects, Eternal Eden stands out largely because it encourages player exploration. There are no randomized battles – you can walk around to your heart’s content without fear of being attacked, provided you’re nimble enough. Enemies are visible as clouds of smoke wandering somewhat aimlessly across each area. So long as you don’t walk into them, they will leave you alone. Additionally, items and loot are hidden in nooks and crannies all over the place, discoverable only by walking over them and pressing the space bar. The game informs you that it is essential to gather these in order to survive, and given how difficult some of the in-game battles are, I reckon that’s correct. Between avoiding enemies and searching for pick-ups, Eternal Eden occasionally feels more like a slow-paced game of Pac-Man than it does a JRPG. This is a good thing – it helps keep Eternal Eden from feeling too same-y. (The game does encourage you to fight monsters, however, via special treasure areas that open up only when you’ve cleared an area of enemies.)
Eternal Eden is not without its flaws. It relies heavily on pre-packaged RPG Maker graphics, and the in-game writing is sometimes quite clumsy. For instance, while searching for someone you know near the beginning of the game, one of your companions helpfully suggests that you kill every monster in the area in order to make her appear. Why a person in the world of Eternal Eden (who, come to think of it, has never even seen monster-containing smoke clouds before) would think those two things are related, much less announce it aloud without prompting, is beyond me. Presumably, this dialog is in the game because no rational player would ever make that connection either.
In spite of its flaws, Eternal Eden is on the whole a well-produced game with some innovative features and an interesting premise. It seems that the sequel is going to have its share of twists as well. Blossomsoft has described the forthcoming EE2 thusly:
Eternal Eden 2 will focus on Japhee, a female protagonist who possess a mysterious clairvoyance gift. Thanks to her special ability, the player will be allowed to influence parts of the game by reading the future through special artifacts.
Influencing the course of future events by learning of them in advance could make for a really interesting gameplay mechanic. The way I imagine it, however, it would take some strong non-linear writing to make it interesting and non-gimmicky. I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see how Blossomsoft makes it work. In the meantime, you can decide for yourself whether the original Eternal Eden is worth your $19.99 by downloading the demo, which lets you get as far into the game as you can in the span of an hour.
Chup is a new Flash platformer from DrPetter, the creator of the fantastic music tools SFXR and Musagi. Use the keyboard to move and the mouse to launch yourself into the air. The goal is to reach the exit in each of the 16 levels. You get more points for time, gems, and number of launches used.
DrPetter makes some quality stuff, and Chup is no exception – it’s a challenging game with slick graphics and music.
The Gutter is a recently released “interactive piece of art” by Jan Willem Nijman and Robin Rodrigo Ramirez Rodriquez. I realise their full names weren’t neccessary, but writing that 2nd name was just such a joy.
Saying anymore would be spoiling things, just be sure to give it a try and post back your impressions. Interestingly you can donate $5 to the creators via email and they will add the feature of ‘Death’ to this “Interactive piece of art”. If you can’t afford the full version however the demo version does still feature the functions VOMIT and FEEL ASLEEP, as well as a number of hidden extras. Happy hunting, TIGobos!
Posted by Brandon "BMcC" McCartin
Wed, 20 May 2009 22:12:00 GMT
A quick one, for all you Apple eaters: Award winning, time-bending puzzle-platformer Braid has been released for the Mac! You can find it here, at Greenhouse, with a free demo and everything.
A lot has been said about this fine little game, but I thought I’d throw in my two cents, before it’s too late. (After the jump.)
Uberleben was actually released at the end of last year, but it must have passed me by. At 100mph. Plummeting into the centre of the earth.
Uberleben is a multiplayer survival game, where each player takes the role of a suicidal power ranger equipped with a parachute. The aim is to survive the fall longer than your peers, ultimately trying to reach the safe drop zone at the bottom which will be a set distance away depending on the difficulty (including a possible ENDLESS setting). Same screen multiplayer has always been a special kind of fun, and Uberleben spreads this kind of enjoyment by allowing SEVEN players at once. Of course you’re going to require a few controllers to get the full compliment of people in game but ultimately it’s worth it as the ‘FIGHT’ option can mean contact with another player will punch them in a certain direction. This of course allows for a heavy emphasis on foul play, which combined with same-screen multiplayer will probably cause many games to end in bitter rivalries and hopefully one or two TIGDuels. Alone it may not seem like much, but with enough people it turns into a suprisingly compelling distraction. At least until someone makes a new Marshmallow Duel.
Oddbob’s insane arena shooter SYNSO!:SH has been released for the public in beta form, with a more complete version being released sometime during the week with an extra world and a more thematised soundtrack. What’s here though is damn fun, and pretty simple to get to grips with. Simply plug in your controller of choice, or use the typical ‘Arrows + Z Key’ to move and fire as I’m sure you’ve done before. There’s nothing specifically different about SYNSO compared to other arena shooters, but its pretty damn enjoyable all the same. The visuals seem intent in blowing whatever grey matter you’ve been invested in saving these past years right out your ear canals, and the same goes for most everything else about the game.
You have a single life and a choice between four worlds as 1-4 Minute long survival challenges. The goal is simply to score as much as you can within the space of time without causing Squidageddon. What’s quite refreshing is the complete lack of any power ups, as your ship is outfitted with a large auto-firing cannon anyways so the instant you start playing everything becomes a fight to survive, rather than slowly warming up as you have to rebuild your arsenal each time. Also there are plenty of options available so you’re free to lower the challenge by eliminating pesky collisions or up it by including heavy motion blur and attempting to get your own upchuck out of the keyboard as you try to comprehend the smorgasbord of colour you have unleashed upon your own monitor. And once your keys have dried out and any bile has been carefully chipped off, the full release will probably be out and it’ll be time to do it all over again! Fun times!
(Source: That IndieGames site what writes about indie games.)
Swords and Soldiers, the 2d side-scrolling RTS from the creators of de Blob, is now available in Europe and Australia via WiiWare (1000 points), with a U.S. release forthcoming (no date set). In the game you can pick from one of three factions – the Vikings, the Chinese, and the Aztecs – which each have their own unique units, spells, and abilities. The game features a singleplayer mode and an offline multiplayer mode.
I’m not anywhere near a Wii, a Europe, or an Australia, so I can’t tell you how it is, but Edge gave it a favorable review. When comes out here, though, you can bet I’ll be playing as the Chinese! “HERROW!”
