The Chick’s Monthly Top 10 Update: September 2011

Another month and thousands of Microsoft Points later, it’s time to update the Indie Gamer Chick’s All-Time Top 10.  In the spirit that I have four developer challenges pending, I shall get to the list without further delay.

#10: Wizorb (Tribute Games)

Yes, I sort of assassinated Wizorb in my review of it, but I did it out of love.  People ask me why I’m so negative in my reviews, ignoring the fact that I said it was the best brick breaker on the Xbox 360.  Jesus, why do you guys focus on the negative?  Yeeesh.

#9: Andromium (Red Crest Studios)

Andromium was apparently savaged by those nincompoops who only review demos, and that’s a crying shame.  It’s unique take on the space shooter, IE removing the shooting part and replacing it with Hot Potato, is one of the most clever ways a tired genre has been salvaged that I’ve seen on the Xbox Live Indie Game marketplace thus far.  Next up I want to see a brawler that utilizes the game Red Rover.

#8: Johnny Platform Saves Christmas (Ishisoft Games)

My Twitter friends really came through on this one.  I put out a call asking for an older Xbox Live Indie Game that could realistically land a spot on the leaderboard.  Everyone seemed to agree that Johnny Platform Saves Christmas would be that game.  And they were right.

#7: Blocks That Matter (Swing Swing Submarine)

The winner of Dream-Build-Play 2011 has added some extra challenge levels that owners can already download for free.  And if you don’t already own this, come here so I can give you a nice gentle slap across the face for being a twit.  Blocks That Matter is far and away the best puzzler on the Indie marketplace.

#6: Star Ninja (Bounding Box Games)

If I had to pick just one Xbox Live Indie Game that I thought could be a breakout world-wide hit, it would be Star Ninja.  Despite its use of the insanely tired, way overused ninjas vs. pirates theme, Star Ninja has “it.”  That undefinable quality that leads me to believe it could be a time sink on the level of Angry Birds.  Bounding Box Games really needs to get it’s rear in gear and get this thing on iPhone.

#5: TIC Part 1 (RedCandy Games)

On September 13, Red Candy Games announced on their Facebook page that they were, quote, “up to something.”  And then, nothing.  You bastards.  TIC: Part 1 still dazzles with its amazing graphics and lighthearted platforming.  So that “something” better involve the number “2” and the word “part” (not in that order) or we’ll have to dust off that BFG 3000 that I threatened them with in my review.

#4: Chester (BBG Games)

Honestly, when I played Chester the first time, I thought it was awesome.  And it is.  It was clearly the star of the Indie Game Summer Uprising, with its clever use of different graphical skins to highlight a traditional action-platformer.  And yet, I’m deeply concerned about the status of the game.  Developer BBG Games is continuing to work on various tweaks and upgrades that sound like they will drastically alter the way it plays.  This could be a case of “one brushstroke too many.”

#3: LaserCat (MonsterJail Games)

Yep, it happened.  LaserCat has lost its title as the #1 game at Indie Gamer Chick.  But that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying its awesome take on platforming and exploration.  I recently gave it another play-through just to make sure that my love for it wasn’t the result of some kind of temporary chemical imbalance.  Nope, that’s not the case.  LaserCat is just fucking awesome, and you should own it.

#2: Antipole (Saturnine Games)

Antipole was already one of the best games on the scene.  Their recent patch that eliminated the issues of slowdown on certain stages cemented that status, making it the first game to actually climb up the chart after having already earned a spot.  Antipole’s update came one month too late to land it in the (anti)Pole Position, but it’s still the best platformer your Indie dollars can buy.

#1 Dead Pixels (CSR Studios)

The new champion at IndieGamerChick.com is one of my favorite Xbox 360 games.  Notice the lack of “Indie” in that last sentence.  Well unless you count “IndieGamerChick.”  Sigh, I mean that it’s not just good for an Indie game.  Got it?  Good.  Dead Pixels is an absolute joy to play.  It’s repetitive, clichéd, has too many “wink wink” moments to count, and it’s still the very best game the Indie scene has ever seen.  I enjoyed it more than any of the Summer of Arcade titles, or really pretty much any Xbox 360 game I’ve played this year, and there have been some real good ones.  Dead Pixels should have been a Live Arcade game.  It would have been a bona-fide hit had it been.  At $1, I feel like I committed an act of petty larceny when I played it.  And yet the dude behind this game is planning on piling on a lot more DLC for it.  If you don’t already own this, slam your head into a brick wall, dust yourself off, and then go fucking buy it already.  I expect this will remain the king of the hill for quite a while.

And thus we say goodbye to the month of September.  I have four pending developer challenges lined up already, along with a few other titles that look neato.  Indies in Due Time should be back next week, and maybe I’ll interview a developer or two at some point in October.  Until then, I want to once again thank my readers for making this month even more successful than the last.  Now go buy the games listed here.  You won’t regret it.