Indies In Due Time IS BACK! April 3, 2012 Edition

Welcome back to Indies in Due Time.  It been a few months but we’re back.  For those new to the format, my boyfriend and I sarcastically comment on upcoming Xbox Live Indie Games.  Not really all that complicated.  Hard to believe this is the most popular feature on my site ever.  We gave up on getting enough people to contribute so we just scoured Youtube for trailers on our own, and we found eight pretty good ones.  Let’s roll.

48 Chambers

Kairi: Pac-Man as a punisher?

Brian: I don’t really see Pac-Man in this.

Kairi: Yea, you’re right.  Going through a maze and eating dots, that’s nothing at all like Pac-Man.

Brian: I think it’s a stretch.  I would say it might be a punisher, but otherwise I don’t get the Pac-Man vibe.  I hope the controls are really good, because it looks like it could be a serious bitch otherwise.

Kairi: This is by Discord Games, the guy behind Take Arms.

Brian: Whatever happened to DLC levels in that?

Kairi: They got spawn-killed.

Dot Dash: Episode 1

Brian: I’m not sure why a game like this needs an episode 1 part.

Kairi: Maybe it’s an origin story for Darth Red Block.

Brian: Back when Obi Won was a Padawan Block?

Kairi: Exactly.

Brian: That’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard, Kairi.

Kairi: Seriously though, looks fun.  Been a while since I’ve played a game that’s entirely dexterity based.

Brian: Once again, a game that will live and die on its controls.  Good trailer, this is what we look for.

Kairi: Except the music.

Brian: Yea, music at the end is castrating-the-cat bad.

Stock Car Racer

Kairi: Had to sneak a racing trailer in there, didn’t you?

Brian: Tee hee.

Kairi: Well, it looks like Hard Drivin’, the classic 1989 coin-op by Atari.

Brian: And the second coolest thing to be born in 1989.

Kairi: Awwwww, Brian, I love you.

Brian: What?  I’m talking about the Batman film franchise.

Kairi: You suck.

Brian: Your car has a bit too much bounce when you hit an AI car, but other cars don’t have that bounce.

Kairi: At least it doesn’t look like the bounce is too intense when you hit the wall.  No rubber banding either.

Brian: AI cars seem to behave moderately realistically too.  This might be one to keep an eye out for.

Insane Zombie Carnage

Brian: Wait, zombies on Xbox Live Indie Games?  Can they do that?

Kairi: It’s brave new world Brian, one in which few would dare to push such limits.

Brian: Takes balls, I’ll give them that.

Kairi: It looks like the original 1983 Mario Bros. mixed with zombies and guns.

Brian: Graphics aren’t bad.  Jumping looks floaty.

Kairi: Yep, floaty jumping could be a problem.  I also noticed the lack of co-op.  Zombie games should have co-op, if only to find out which of your friends has the weakest survival potential in the event of the zombie apocalypse.

Brian: Well Kairi, no offense, but that would be you.

Kairi: Why’s that?

Brian: Well, because you’re a girl and because you’re more brittle than a wafer.

Kairi: Yea, but I have, like, money and stuff.

Brian: What the hell are you going to do to zombies with money?  Bribe them?

Kairi: Why not?

Brian: Zombies can’t be bribed.

Kairi: Anyone can be bribed.  This is America.  We’re all capitalists here.

Brian: Zombies aren’t capitalists.

Kairi: Damn commie brain eaters.

Brian: Zombies aren’t communists or capitalists.  They’re fucking zombies!

Kairi: So they’re too big of pussies to pick sides?

Brian: They have a side!  It’s the zombie side!

Kairi: And they don’t want money, so they’re communists.

Brian:  Sigh.

Cast of the Seven Godsends

Brian: This looks cool.

Kairi: Yep.  Early Playstation-era 2D graphics.  Heavy on the action.

Brian: Multiple weapons, different special attacks, spectacular backdrops.

Kairi: You know what this is?

Brian: What?

Kairi: Perhaps the first true Ghouls & Ghosts tribute on XBLIG.

Brian: I think you might be right.

Kairi: Jumping physics do appear to be heavy on the gravity though.

Evaporated: Episode 1

Kairi: Dollar store Limbo?

Brian: Dollar store Limbo.

Kairi: Gotcha.  Next!

Chompy Chomp Chomp

Brian: Probably the best Xbox Live Indie Game trailer ever.  Certainly among the most professional looking.  Good use of gameplay footage, good use of non-gameplay graphics, catchy music, and most importantly, you get what the game is about.  It’s really that simple.

Kairi: Totally agree.  This is a developer that has its shit together.  The trailer shows everything you need to know about the game to make a decision on whether to download it or not.  And it links to their website, Twitter, and Facebook.

Brian: Good name for it too.  Catchy.

Kairi: Of course, online multiplayer games on XBLIG often launch glitchy and need some clean up time before they hit their stride.

Brian: Here’s hoping they buck that trend.

Compromised

Kairi: Wow.

Brian: Yep, told you this was the right one to go out on.

Kairi: It looks almost like a more intense version of Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, only without the art-house pretentiousness.

Brian: If the gameplay is as good as the trailer, this might be a leaderboard contender.

Kairi: Yes, but one should never get hyped by a trailer. I’m still butt-hurt over Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City.

Brian: Heh.

Kairi: What?

Brian: You actually thought that looked good?

Kairi: Yea.

Brian: Weirdo.

That’s it this week, folks.  Send those trailers to me on Twitter.  Trailers should have at least 50% actual gameplay footage, and the video should include links to your Twitter.