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[More_Badass]

Voting thread up!
Link to the Voting Thread: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=734961

In short:
Rank your top 20 PC Indie Games you played last year (check the previous monthly threads if you want to remember what we played here), feel free to give the same rank to multiple games, like:

1. Game XY
2. Game ÖZ
2. Game GA
2. Game XD
5. Game XT
6. Game HT

Feel free to include a second list with the ranks 21-50 in the same manner, but the second list is not needed for the voting.

Also, make sure to post about why you think certain games deserve the votes, to convince others to try a game or to remind them of a certain game. We covered ~500 games last year, so its easy to miss one or two great ones. I would also suggest subscribing to the voting thread to be informed about others writing up their impressions/why this game was awesome-posts.

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Better correct the link before Toma gets all snarkypants about it.

I remember not particularly enjoying this one. The "Dream Man" narration doesn't do it for me and it's in desperate need of a rewind mechanic.

Done, thanks for the save. That's what...3 times, in like a week? lol

 

[arcanadei]

I don't remember if this was bought up here or in the Steam thread, but have any Early Access games progressed to full release? I can't think of any

Desktop Dungeons, only took 3 years too!

For all the people that loved A Dark Room, Candy Box, and Candy Box 2: Electric Boogaloo, The Gold Factory is now out and is even more ASCII goodness. Really digging that these guys have resurrected the essence of some classic games for folks who may have missed it the first time around. These games are much more accessible to those who wouldn't bother with Dwarf Fortress for example, and that's a good thing to me.

Wayback Wednesday

Sorry for lack of screenshots here, but they just would never do the game justice. Mono and Duo by Binary Zoo are the two games that first got me into indie gaming. They are so simple, so fun, challenging, great music, and just nice folks. One time I was about to go on a trip for work, and knowing I would be stuck some places without internet and a laptop I decided to take them with me. The download was broken, and desperately I emailed the contact address expecting no response. Within 30 min or so, they emailed me a copy and alternate download links. Completely made my day and trip. Highly recommend checking those two out, and others they have made since as well.

 

[Toma]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=94074874&postcount=131

Thetrin just posted 100 free keys for One Way Heroics over in the thread :-O

Go grab a copy guys!

 

[thetrin]

Hey Toma, thanks for the link!

And, just because I love GAF, I'm posting another 100 codes in this thread

These coupons will net you a free copy of One Way Heroics on Playism.

Quote for coupons!

 

[Toma]

Hey Toma, thanks for the link!

And, just because I love GAF, I'm posting another 100 codes in this thread

These coupons will net you a free copy of One Way Heroics on Playism.

Quote for coupons!

No problem, posted it over in the Steam thread too, most people saw the link there probably.

 

[charlequin]

This is becoming a disgusting trend (Sonic Transformed is another example) and nothing less than insulting to the console userbase. I'm not blaming the devs for this. At least not entirely.

This is already pretty normal (look at any Valve game on console) and it's gonna get increasingly common as long as console updates aren't as easy to push out as they are on PC. I don't blame devs even a little bit.

 

[Toma]

This is already pretty normal (look at any Valve game on console) and it's gonna get increasingly common as long as console updates aren't as easy to push out as they are on PC. I don't blame devs even a little bit.

Why arent they as easy to push though?

 

[BudokaiMR2]

Why arent they as easy to push though?

The quality control is technically just higher on consoles. On Steam you don't really need to go through any sort of QA process to update a game. That is necessary for both PSN and Xbox Live.
This is why we see problems with certain indie games like Skullgirls where the patch gets caught up in bureaucratic bullshit.

I really wish Reverge Labs would have taken my offer for publishing
I can basically guarantee they wouldn't be stuck in their current bullshit situation, although we wouldn't have had the marketing budget which Konami probably(?) gave them.

 

[PandaPedinte]

Why arent they as easy to push though?

I remember reading in some place that the patches on xbox live had a size limit plus a fee to submit it, I don't know how it works with Sony.

 

[daydream]

This is already pretty normal (look at any Valve game on console) and it's gonna get increasingly common as long as console updates aren't as easy to push out as they are on PC. I don't blame devs even a little bit.

Well, I'm sorry, but 'not as easy' doesn't cut it in my eyes when there are people that supported you and a) bought your game several months earlier and b) happily paid double the price (or more), knowing that it'll end up on five Humble Bundles and several Steam sales sooner than later.

That said, I know that companies like MS have been pretty terrible about that stuff in the past, but even they don't charge a fee for title updates anymore, right? What I'm getting at is that the developer isn't _always_ entirely innocent and I _suspect_ that this would be closer to the exception rather than the rule if the devs were a bit more perseverant.
Even if it is not as easy as on the PC.

Maybe I'm just subconsciously bitter about the digital present we live in and games relying on post-release support all the time (whether it's DLC or patches)..

 

[fappenmeister]

Thanks so much Thetrin!

 

[charlequin]

Why arent they as easy to push though?

Cost (this past generation title updates cost money), time (passing an update through the platform-holder lotcheck process), and general bureaucracy (even with a fast process and no price per patch it's still more work if you can't manage updates 100% by yourself.)

Well, I'm sorry, but 'not as easy' doesn't cut it in my eyes when there are people that supported you and a) bought your game several months earlier and b) happily paid double the price (or more), knowing that it'll end up on five Humble Bundles and several Steam sales sooner than later.

This kind of raises the question of... why people are buying a worse version of said hypothetical developer's game for more money.

In general, I hold indie devs to lower standards on this than big companies; it's usually a matter of one guy's personal time to get this stuff taken care of and I understand that's very much a limited resource. (I really want the Thomas Was Alone DLC to come out on Steam so it wouldn't cost me $20 to play it, but I can be patient, really!) When platform holders give people a good incentive to make this stuff happen, it tends to result in more benefits for the customers: Sony's done a good job with their cross-buy/cross-save stuff, for example. With luck, we'll see more content updates be matched to the PC versions as XBone and PS4 (both of which I believe streamline this process significantly for devs) become more prominent console targets.

Maybe I'm just subconsciously bitter about the digital present we live in and games relying on post-release support all the time (whether it's DLC or patches)..

Maybe.

 

[Wok]

These coupons will net you a free copy of One Way Heroics on Playism.

Thanks!

 

[Chainsawkitten]

Tale of Tales just released a whole bunch of prototypes in a pay-what-you-want bundle.

 

[Hofmann]

Tale of Tales just released a whole bunch of prototypes in a pay-what-you-want bundle.

Thanks for the heads-up.

And Luxuria Superbia is free on iTunes today. I was a bit bitter about it before, poking it with dualshock sticks, so I'm looking forward to give it a go again in a more analogue fashion.

 

[Nabs]

Starbound is the devil. Approach with caution. It will steal all of your free time.

 

[Hofmann]

Starbound is the devil. Approach with caution. It will steal all of your free time.

A propos life sucking games, most of you probably have heard of GeoGuessr - it's a simple game based on Google Street captures, where you have to guess where the shot was taken. Played this leech extensively few moths ago almost to a point of addiction, so beware.

 

[Nabs]

Man, I forgot all about that. I forgot to get my friends into it, so it only lasted a day for me. ffff.

 

[One Foul Note]

Starbound is the devil. Approach with caution. It will steal all of your free time.

The only thing currently saving me from Starbound is the knowledge that my character is still in the 'likely to be wiped' stage. Once we hit the more stable levels I know I'm gonna end up devoting unhealthy levels of game time to it.

 

[Makai]

Not too far in, but very impressed with Westerado so far. It feels like a real detective story.

 

[PandaPedinte]

Not too far in, but very impressed with Westerado so far. It feels like a real detective story.

It's really good, just don't forget to get new hats before you go to a new mission.

 

[arcanadei]

One Way Heroics

Thanks a lot for this.

 

[rybrad]

Ghost Control is on Greeenlight now, it is essentially turn-based Ghost Busters. I backed the Kickstarter for this but haven't actually played the game yet since the hoops to jump through to get your cd key are annoying at the moment.

If anyone wants to be Steam bros you can add me. I wouldn't mind getting some more people playing/buying/reviewing indie games on my friends list. It is especially helpful during the sales since you can see friend activity and find gems you might have missed otherwise. I think the Godfather himself (Toma) is the only indiegaf person I have at the moment.

 

[More_Badass]

Christmas Sale is live
http://store.steampowered.com/

Finally got Kairo

If anyone wants to be Steam bros you can add me. I wouldn't mind getting some more people playing/buying/reviewing indie games on my friends list. It is especially helpful during the sales since you can see friend activity and find gems you might have missed otherwise. I think the Godfather himself (Toma) is the only indiegaf person I have at the moment.

Invite sent

 

[Gazoinks]

Man, One Way Heroics is really fun and super addicting. Haven't even beat the demon king yet!

 

[One Foul Note]

If anyone wants to be Steam bros you can add me. I wouldn't mind getting some more people playing/buying/reviewing indie games on my friends list. It is especially helpful during the sales since you can see friend activity and find gems you might have missed otherwise. I think the Godfather himself (Toma) is the only indiegaf person I have at the moment.

I added you, also I got a mate who is a mad Binding of Issac fan so he'll approve of your backdrop.

 

[JakeD]

looks like $2.37 gets you Fistful Of Gun, Under The Garden, Happy Little Murder Friends, and Skydiving Academy at Indiegamestand

any feedback on these?

 

[More_Badass]

Anyone have issues with Hotline Miami? I start it, the initial loading screen pops up ("This icon is displayed...") and the game freezes there
Edit: nvm, that was just with the updated version. Selected the original version and it runs fine

 

[rybrad]

Accepted everyone that added me, yay for more indie friends!

I added you, also I got a mate who is a mad Binding of Issac fan so he'll approve of your backdrop.

You should tell him to check out Our Darker Purpose when it comes out. It is similar enough to Isaac that I think most fans will enjoy it while still getting a unique experience. Although, now that I think about, a better description is probably the combat and unique drops of BoI with the progression of Rogue Legacy.

Anyone have issues with Hotline Miami? I start it, the initial loading screen pops up ("This icon is displayed...") and the game freezes there

I just tried this and it launched fine for me. I did try switching it to the original version in the launcher to see if that worked too but that gave me an error.

Edit: Ha! Just saw your edit and we had the complete opposite experience.

 

[phantomspiker]

Accepted everyone that added me, yay for more indie friends!

Added! Here is my profile if anyone wants to add me too.

Playing through Shadow Warrior right now, I'm diggin' it so far...the guns are a little weak though.

 

[More_Badass]

So good to be playing Hotline Miami again. I got it on PSN when it came out there, but never finished it and don't really play PS3 anymore.

Wrote this back in June on my IGN blog, before I got into the Indie Threads here:

Hotline Miami is badass. Cathartic. Insane. It's like if David Lynch was inspired by Drive to make a game.

With its Super Meat Boy-style of lightning fast gameplay and instant restarts, every death is not frustrating but a learning process, a way to hone your skills. A lot has been made of the violence, which is both gratuitous and meaningful, but the blood splatter and gore is just a cathartic veneer over the game's perfectly tuned mechanics.

The controls are simple but it all combines into slick bursts of violence. Knock an a guy down with a door slam, stun the armed enemy with a thrown pipe, punch a third to death, bash the other two's heads on the floor, pick up a shotgun and spin around in time to splatter the three other enemies entering the room....

But for every moment like that, you will die. Your reflexes won't be fast enough, you'll overlook an enemy and be blown in half. One hit kills, but like in Super Meat Boy, each death is a learning experience, another opportunity to improve your skills. Levels where you died dozens of times will eventually be cleared in a single smooth combo of door slams. thrown weapons, booming gunshots, and spraying blood and gore.

The story is subtle, but surprisingly deep, touching upon the nature of violence and the role of the player in the onscreen carnage. Outside of maybe Spec Ops The Line, it's one of the few games that make the player question in-game actions and emotions towards what they do onscreen.

I especially like that there is a sense of progression. You don't upgrade your character or earn new skills, but actually progress as a player. You get better scores and more points not because you unlocked the best moves but because you actually play the game better.

Hotline Miami is more than just a murder simulator, it's a game that challenges the player to learn from their mistakes and actually get better

 

[phantomspiker]

Eldritch's new expansion Mountains of Madness is out.

http://steamcommunity.com/app/252630/discussions/0/648814841630302305/

I'll check it out in a bit.

 

[More_Badass]

What do you guys think? Get Super House of Dead Ninjas + DLC or wait for a sale on Vector?

 

[phantomspiker]

Wait for a sale on Super House of Dead Ninjas.

 

[rybrad]

As a backer of Defense Grid 2, Hidden Path has given me a Windborne Steam beta key that lasts from now until the beginning of the new year. I played the last time they gave me a key and am not really interested in checking it out again. If anyone is interested in playing it, I will happily give you my key. All I would ask is that you actually play it and post some impressions for others.

If you are interested, just quote me and first person gets it.

Edit: And gone.

 

[Toma]

Okay, so I am planning to have longer write ups for the GOTY thread winners, maybe even down to the top 20. Two things though:

1. I will not be able to write all of them myself, so I need some help. If anyone feels like helping to write a longer post about 1 or more games, please write me a PM, include all the games you would be fine writing about and I'll contact you once I have a plan who writes about which games (so we dont have 3 people write about the same game).

2. We sort of need a common structure to these writeups. Any suggestions? I liked Badasses idea in the GOTY voting thread with the Defining Moment, so Game descriptions/impressions (they dont need to be "objective" as its supposed to celebrate these games anyway) should be in, screenshots/preferably gifs and the defining moment. Any comments? Just ran through my head, so its not perfectly thought out yet, sorry if its still rather messy.

 

[daydream]

Don't forget to give some exposure to your favourite Indie soundtracks in the Game Soundtrack of the Year thread.

I honourably mentioned some. Three votes is really not enough to do justice to all those beautiful compositions we get every year.

 

[More_Badass]

Don't forget to give some exposure to your favourite Indie soundtracks in the Game Soundtrack of the Year thread.

I honourably mentioned some. Three votes is really not enough to do justice to all those beautiful compositions we get every year.

Sadly my knowledge of indies doesn't extend to soundtracks and composers (yet). I need to pay more attention to that aspect.

 

[More_Badass]

Thanks to the genorsity of Salsa and Noogy over in the Steam thread, finally got to play Dust and from the 20 or so minutes I've played, I think it already has a place on my Indie GOTY list for the art style and animations alone.

The visuals and the animations are so beautiful and smooth, amazing that it's the work of one guy. The combat is extremely satisfying and for a hack-slash, the KB/M controls work very well

 

[daydream]

Thanks to the genorsity of Salsa and Noggy over in the Steam thread, finally got to play Dust and from the 20 or so minutes I've played, I think it already has a place on my Indie GOTY list for the art style and animations alone.

The visuals and the animations are so beautiful and smooth, amazing that it's the work of one guy. The combat is extremely satisfying and for a hack-slash, the KB/M controls work very well

I beat it on XBLA and had a good time.

It drags on for a bit too long and the character design is not that appealing to me, but other than that, great game. Love flying through the air and doing crazy combos.

 

[PandaPedinte]

Sadly my knowledge of indies doesn't extend to soundtracks and composers (yet). I need to pay more attention to that aspect.

Listen to the Meta Vendetta podcast, it's great to know composers.

 

[Toma]

I updated the prices for the Steam Sale Indie Games thread:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=621131

Made it for the summer sale, had it renamed and now repurposed for the current sale. If anyone has new entries for that list that he recommends (since tons of games released since summer), make sure to post it over there (see OP for how to format).

 

[More_Badass]

I updated the prices for the Steam Sale Indie Games thread:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=621131

Made it for the summer sale, had it renamed and now repurposed for the current sale. If anyone has new entries for that list that he recommends (since tons of games released since summer), make sure to post it over there (see OP for how to format).

It's funny. I was going to suggest this, but thought with the voting and everything, it might be too much. Thanks for taking the time to update the list.

 

[Toma]

It's funny. I was going to suggest this, but thought with the voting and everything, it might be too much. Thanks for taking the time to update the list.

Yeah, I had the same thought and wasnt planning on not updating it initially because I have other stuff on my plate, but I couldnt help it.

 

[More_Badass]

Team Strike has started beta sign ups for Strike Vector. Beta is coming in 2014 through Steam
http://www.strikevector.net/
Beta trailer

You sign up by...emailing them and asking. That's it

 

[Deputy Dangle]

Team Strike has started beta sign ups for Strike Vector. Beta is coming in 2014 through Steam
http://www.strikevector.net/
Beta trailer


You sign up by...emailing them and asking. That's it

Sent them an email. The trailer made it look a blast.

 

[More_Badass]

IGN of all places has a really nice article about Dungeon of the Endless
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/12/20/embrace-dungeon-of-the-endless-unpredictable-chaos

One more door. Just one more door. Again and again, that’s what I found myself thinking as I explored the uncharted halls of [genre adjective here] Dungeon of the Endless. That’s not simply meant to describe its addictive nature though. Pushing just a little bit farther is an act of greed – a roll of the dice that risks the permanent death of your characters in exchange for a shot at greater riches, and new technology that could prove to be the difference between life and death the next level down. And yet, no matter how many times these gambles got the best of me, they only had to pay off every now and again to convince me it was a good idea.

Even in its alpha stage, Dungeon of the Endless has the psychology of the roguelike figured out. Players get tossed into a randomly generated dungeon with randomly generated characters trying to defend their crashed ship’s power supply against randomly generated waves of ravenous space horrors. The overall structure is tough to describe in simple terms, as it’s more or less a pastiche of dungeon management, tower defense, and RPG elements with multiple resources to manage. Your main goal is to parse the surrounding corridors for the exit and bring your power supply to it safely. But once you find it, you’re faced with a tough choice: do you cash out, or do you explore your surroundings more and build up more resources to tackle the next level with?

With every opened door comes a surprise. There could be a new build site for you to construct resource-generating structures on, or a pack of monsters too powerful for you and your party to handle, or maybe even a blueprint for a new defensive module…unless there is, in fact, nothing at all. One minute you’re in complete control of a situation with tons of resources and a full crew of well-equipped explorers, and then before you know it you’re panicking as your defenses crumble and your best party members push up daisies. It’s tense, brutal, and unbelievably fun, despite the fact that many features have yet to be implemented in the early access version I played.

 

[More_Badass]

And stuff like this is why indies are awesome

Not Quite Black & White - 2014 (PC, Mac, Linux, IOS)

http://notquiteblackandwhite.com/nqbw1

Not Quite Black And White is set on a planet that is a lot like earth, but isn't. Said planet is being torn apart by huge creatures warring on the planet's surface. They are gods. Yes, gods.
You play a woman, perhaps the last human left on this planet, and your mission is to escape. The task may prove impossible as the huge deities battle against one another around you. Alas, you've got no other choice but to try.
The gameplay here has been compared to Another World's. The game's maker has confirmed that Not Quite Black And White will boast "an inventory menu, more puzzles, and running".

 

[More_Badass]

From the IGF thread:

Our game is Cuphead - Site | IGF

Cuphead is a run 'n gun - but instead of individual levels - you play bosses only (influenced by Contra III/HC & Gunstar Heroes). The visuals and audio are heavily inspired by the 1930's cartoon era.

They nailed the look IMO

 

[More_Badass]

12 minutes of super early Hyper Light Drifter
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7e03eb8lJUQ