So February is fast approaching, which means GDC, and the IGF are coming up FAST. A week long event for game lovers, and game developers celebrating the progress of the industry, and the interactive medium we all love. Here's a few games I'm looking forward to checking out at the Independent Games Festival. (There's plenty more on the IGF site, so check them out.
Style and substance. The first thing I noticed about these games was their unique visual styles. Artwork that sets itself apart from the other games, while showing a bit of the personality of it's developers.
Nominated at this years Independent Games Festival in San Francisco, the following games are from independent studios, and game schools (technical, and universities). Some are available for online download, while others won't be ready until the festival itself. Luckily, there's plenty of screenshots and video on their respective site. Which of these games will appear on the XBLA or PSN? One? Maybe none? It's always interesting to see what happens with these indie developers after making an appearance in the festival. I remember seeing Jon Mak of Everyday Shooter at the festival the next day after his game won a bunch of awards, he was overwhelmed by the German media clamoring to talk to him.
The Path from Tale of Tales on Vimeo.
The Path by Tale of Tales
The Path is a short horror game inspired by Little Red Ridinghood. There is only one rule, and you must not follow it. There is only one goal, but if you attain it, you lose.
Nominations: Excellence In Visual Arts
FEZ by KOKOROMI
Fez is a game about a 2D character exploring a 3D world.
In Fez you play as Gomez, a 2-dimensional being who finds out his world has an extra dimension and sets out to explore it.
Nominations: Design Innovation Award Excellence In Visual Arts
World of Goo by 2D Boy, LLC
World of Goo is a physics based puzzle / construction game. But the millions of Goo Balls that live in the beautiful World of Goo don't know that they are in a game, or that they are extremely delicious.
Nominations:
Seumas McNally Game Of The Year Design Innovation Award Technical Excellence
The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom by University of Southern California- School of Cinematic Arts- Interactive Media Program
The Misadventures of P.B Winterbottom is a game set in an early silent film world that plays with temporal space. Through exploration of non-conventional time mechanics, players will experience gameplay in an entirely new way. The game gives the player the ability to record and playback their actions multiple times. An experiment in exploring layered gameplay and altering physical reality, the games gives the player the ability to create time paradoxes.
Synaesthete by Rolling Without Slipping, DigiPen Institute of Technology
Synaesthesia - noun. A sensation produced in one modality when a stimulus is applied to another modality, as when the hearing of a certain sound induces the visualization of a certain color.
Flipside (Half-Life 2 Modification) by Team 3, National Academy of Digital, Interactive Entertainment, Denmark
You have just escaped from a mental institution. You're on the run. The sun is shining, the birds are singing. You are jumping happily from cloud to cloud. You know that the only way to freedom is by reaching the ship at the end of the level. A cute bunny is jumping towards you, blocking your path. By the push of a button the whole world flips around and shows its dark side. The bunny is now an evil nurse who is trying to stop you from getting away. You headbutt her, clearing your path. With a push of the button the world flips back and shows its light side again.
Gesundheit! by Underwater Base, Sheridan Institute
Evil booger-eating monsters have invaded the land, and their only weakness is their love for delicious nasal discharges. While keeping out of sight, you must bounce boogers off walls, across holes, and through teleporters to lure your enemies into traps in each level.
Gesundheit! features painstakingly hand-drawn 2D graphics, an original instrumental soundtrack, and lots and lots of snot.
No comments:
Post a Comment