Weekly Xbox Indies - 10/16/09

Yay
- Ninja Bros. - 80 MS points. Ninja Bros can best be described as a single-player co-op puzzle/platformer. Confused? You control between one and four adorable pixel ninjas with the left analog stick, which is to say they all move at the same time when you press the stick. Each of the ninjas are also color-coded to one of the 360's face buttons for jumping, and with those abilities it's your job to get all of the ninjas to the end of the level. Oh, and did I mention that each ninja is in their own segmented level on-screen, so no two ninjas will be facing the same obstacles as each other. In truth, Ninja Bros was actually released last week, but was taken down from the marketplace before the end of the week so it wasn't included in the weekly update. Thankfully it has returned this week, because it is one of the top that the indie games channel has to offer.
- Dark - 80 MS points. Dark is a unique platformer in which everything is, well, dark. Scattered around each level are a few lights that reveal just enough so that you can see where you are going, but never enough so that you actually feel like you know where you are going. It may sound frustrating on paper, but thanks to smart level design, the lack of visibility actually makes the game more fun with a feeling of discovery as you move along. I would complain that the game is too short, which it is clocking in at just under an hour to finish, but I also can't ignore the fact that as soon as I was done I started the game right back up again to play through again. That doesn't happen with me very often. In some respects it reminds me of another indie game, A Fading Melody, as a game with basic gameplay mechanics that are enhanced by the game's atmosphere to make it an experience everyone should play.
- Colosseum: Hammerball - 80 MS points. Colosseum: Hammerball, misspelled as it is, might just be the closest thing we get to a new Mutant League sports game. Teams of either 2 or 3 players go at each other trying to shoot the ball into the other team's goal, or smash the crap out of each other with giant hammers. Just make sure you have people to play this one with, because the game only really gets exciting when the hammers are involved and the AI is pretty tame in that respect.
Ay?
- IncaBlocks - 80 MS points. IncaBlocks is an interesting competitive puzzle game for up to 4 players. Each player takes turns placing tetris-like blocks on a 3D grid, building on top of and around one another . The object of the game is to have as many of your colored blocks on the top layer as possible by the end of the game. There are lots of strategic options and opportunities to mess up your opponents with your block placements, making it an excellent competitive game. And in a unique twist, this is a game that caters to lefties for a change with the right stick used for movement and the left for camera rotation. This also means that the game might be a bit awkward to play for those of us that are right-handed, which is the only thing keeping this game from the Yay category.
- Ura Kaiten Pattisier - 80 MS points. Last week I said that Kaiten Pattisier was joy concentrated into digital form. This week we get that game's evil twin with Ura Kaiten Pattisier. Containing 50 levels that were deemed too hard for the original game, this version is very difficult. How difficult? I've spent about 2 days so far on just the third level and still can't get past it. Ura Kaiten Pattisier has the same great gameplay as the first release, so it's still fun to play, just know that this game is one tough cookie.
- Capture the Oong - 80 MS points. Capture the Oong is a cross between a space shooter and classic capture the flag. There are several ships to choose from, each with their own advantages and customizable weapons. There are also tiny AI ships flying around each level that fire on either team indiscriminately, and occasionally with steal a flag just to mess with you, that add a welcome level of spontaneity and variety to the game. The game's biggest downside is its reliance on multiplayer, but if you can find a group to play it with then it can be a lot of fun.
- Movipas - 80 MS points. Movipas is a tile-swapping puzzle game. The board is made up of several animated squares that are part of short animated movies. when you match 4 squares together that complete the picture for one of the movies then all tiles associated with that movie vanish from the board. The game can get pretty frantic on the higher difficulty settings as you try and match together pieces from 5 movies at a time. Recommended for Bejeweled fans, though the animated tiles might make the game a bit too confusing for some.
- Hangman - 80 MS points. I'll admit, I went into Hangman expecting to write it off because Hangman is a game best played with another person with pen and paper. And for the most part, it is. But then I saw the trophies, and the addiction began. Guess the 5 most common letters in order? Thank you, don't mind if I do.
- Dark Skies: Messier - 240 MS points. Dark Skies is like a where's Waldo for stars, and with the Messier edition the focus has been put on galaxies, nebulae, and star formations. It's the kind of edutainment that I can really get behind, mostly because there's a nice hint radar system in place so that you can still play even if you know nothing about stars going into it.
- Trippin' Alien - 80 MS points. Trippin' Alien is a version of the popular Copter game. Your ship is constantly falling as it goes, and by pressing either up on the analog stick or the right trigger you can give your ship a boost to get around obstacles. Trippin' Alien adds power-ups, as well as power-downs, to the mix to make the game more interesting, but for purists it also includes a retro mode with pixilated graphics and no power-ups to be found.
Nay
- A-Maze!-ING - 80 MS points. Oddly, despite what the title may suggest, there isn't really a maze in this game at all. You constantly move your character up while avoiding enemies and obstacles in your path. The enemies always fly across the screen in waves that always seem to be about the same in terms of enemy placement, so it won't take long to figure out easy ways to avoid them. There is also a timer at the top of the screen adding a sense of urgency, but it gives you more than enough time so it's really a false urgency.
- Aimeroids - 80 MS points. Aimeroids is a good looking Asteroids clone, except for one glaring issue. Like Asteroids you can fly off the screen and appear on the opposite side of the screen, but unlike Asteroids your bullets do not have the same capability. This leads to frequent unintentional deaths because an asteroid was too close to the edge of the screen and you were unable to shoot directly in front of you. It's a shame too, because there's a nice mode with power-ups in Aimeroids that could be fun if the fundamental gameplay didn't lead to so much needless frustration.
- Galleries: World Cities - 80 MS points. Galleries: World Cities is a collection of 250 photos from 6 locations like Rome, Paris, New York, and Sydney. If you enjoy looking at other people's vacation pictures than you'll be in heaven here, but most people should just pass this one by.
Updates
StarPilot - price drop to 240 MS points.
Minesweeper Mayhem - price increase to 240 MS points.
Get the Ball - price drop to 80 MS points.
Fireworks HD - price drop to 80 MS points.
Aceball - price drop to 80 MS points.
Pellmell - price drop to 240 MS points.
Gum Drop Celestial Frontier
Pop Quiz - price drop to 80 MS points.
Slime Volleyball 2.5D
Let's Draw a Picture Together - price drop to 80 MS points.
Pixel Man - level password system added
Colosseum - price drop to 240 MS points,
Electron Defense
Weapon of Choice - price drop to 240 MS points.
Mind's Eye of Jupiter 01
Tic Tac Toe
Ping Time - price drop to 80 MS points.
Pwned - price drop to 80 MS points.
Battle-X - price drop to 400 MS points.
Button Memory - price drop to 80 MS points.
Solar
SLAM - price drop to 240 MS points.
Gallery: Landscapes - price drop to 80 MS points.
Roid Riot - price drop to 80 MS points.
Bennu - price drop to 240 MS points.








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