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With the boom in download gaming and the crossover successes of the likes of Braid and Flower, indie showcases like the Eurogamer Expo's Indie Games Arcade have turned into the games industry equivalent of the Sundance film festival. Just as Hollywood power-players go hunting for edgy young talent to suck dry in Utah, Nintendo's been spotted scouring the likes of IndieCade and the Independent Games Festival for titles to add quantity, quality and a touch of arty credibility to WiiWare.
It's reassuring, then, that all the attention hasn't gone to the heads of the indie community or of show organisers like Pixel-Lab, who put together this year's line-up for the Expo. It was the classic indie mix, in the classic proportions: pretentious puzzle platformers, eye-melting retro throwbacks, cute puzzle games, aesthetic experiments, and contemporary art installations rubbing shoulders with one or two games with mainstream commercial aspirations.
Those in the latter category should be already familiar to you, so I won't spend much time on them here. Darwinia+ is finally heading to Xbox Live Arcade and is but the latest chapter in the long tale of indie champions Introversion.The kamikaze multiplayer Mario Galaxy of Plain Sight from Beatnik Games we previewed back in January, and you can finally expect a release soon.
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With the boom in download gaming and the crossover successes of the likes of Braid and Flower, indie showcases like the Eurogamer Expo's Indie Games Arcade have turned into the games industry equivalent of the Sundance film festival. Just as Hollywood power-players go hunting for edgy young talent to suck dry in Utah, Nintendo's been spotted scouring the likes of IndieCade and the Independent Games Festival for titles to add quantity, quality and a touch of arty credibility to WiiWare.
It's reassuring, then, that all the attention hasn't gone to the heads of the indie community or of show organisers like Pixel-Lab, who put together this year's line-up for the Expo. It was the classic indie mix, in the classic proportions: pretentious puzzle platformers, eye-melting retro throwbacks, cute puzzle games, aesthetic experiments, and contemporary art installations rubbing shoulders with one or two games with mainstream commercial aspirations.
Those in the latter category should be already familiar to you, so I won't spend much time on them here. Darwinia+ is finally heading to Xbox Live Arcade and is but the latest chapter in the long tale of indie champions Introversion.The kamikaze multiplayer Mario Galaxy of Plain Sight from Beatnik Games we previewed back in January, and you can finally expect a release soon.
Read more...
More...