Weekly Xbox Indies - 7/3/09
Kodu is finally here! And honestly, it's everything it was promised to be. But this isn't just a one game show here, we've got a whole week's worth of games to cover. Although it looks like the release of Kodu intimidated a few developers, because there really wasn't a lot else offered this week.
Yay
Kodu - 400 MS points. I've spent several hours with Kodu building levels, tweaking gameplay, building games, and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of what can be made with it. For starting you out there a a number of pre-made "games" which serve as a tutorial of sorts to teach you about some of the gameplay possibilities that you can create, but behind the simplified interface and commands is a great deal of depth to makes some great games of your own. Kodu was designed to bring game development to those who don't actually know how to program, and on that front it succeeds completely. But, because Kodu is so easy to use, even those that are pros in programming languages might find a lot of value in Kodu since they can test out a gameplay idea in Kodu before spending the time building a game from the ground up around an idea. If you've ever played a game and thought "I could do better," well here's your chance.
Gravity Bounce - 200 MS points. This game is a little hard to explain, but trust me, it makes a lot more sense when you play it. You control a little red ball amid a screen of bouncing balls, each with its own gravitational pull. Using only the A button, you charge the other balls with electricity and use their gravity fields to make charged balls collide. A highly addictive game that's also fresh and original? Yes please.
Ay?
Sketch - 200 MS points. Kudos to Sketch for accurately recreating the experience of playing with an etch-a-sketch using the two analog sticks on the 360 controller. That also means that you get all of the frustration of an etch-a-sketch along with it. Don't expect to be making any circles anytime soon. It's a fun toy to play around with, especially using the "advanced" controls that have you rotating the analog sticks like you would nobs on the real thing, but your mileage with Sketch will depend most on your level of nostalgia.
Nay
Meet UR Match - 200 MS points. This is your typical card-flipping memory matching game. The big draw for this one is that it supports the Scene It "Big Button" controller to give it more of a party game feel. It works well enough, but ultimately the experience is the same no matter which controller you use. There's also a hangman mode, which I feel is the real star of the game, but it's not quite fleshed out enough to warrant a purchase.
Shaitsu Massage - 200 MS points. Really, another massage app for the Xbox? I imagine that everyone that is going to get one of these apps has already done so by now since there are about a dozen already out there. This one tries to distinguish itself by having recommended positions for the rumbling controller to get different effects, like concentration or memory. Maybe it's just me though, but putting an Xbox controller on my face does not stimulate my concentration.
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NaviFairy
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games on 3 July 2009
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