More_Badass
Member
Well I missed the NES/retro era as well. My first console was a PS1 and by the time I really developed a love for gaming, my library was Tekken 3, Gran Turismo, Resident Evil 2, etc. Said it before, but I didn't get interested in PC games until the 2000s, because of Facade, and from there, my interest in under the radar games slow grew into the passion I have for indies todayAlso..
(and feel free to tell me to stop rambling)
The trend of games to go for popular styles..
It's inevitable given the popularity of certain games for others to emulate a similar visual style (not to mention stuff may be in development for years and take too long to start over from scratch)..
For me, two things that will grab my attention with an indie game are:
1) Visual presentation (unique looking -- Kentucky Route 0, Binding of Isaac, Mark of the Ninja, etc)
2) Experiencing something different from other games (be it playing a role not usually presented -- Surgeon Simulator, something not possible to experience normally -- PSN's Flower, etc)
Basically, my ideal game is one that is quick to pick up and play, immersive enough to encourage long term play but capable of short sessions (Rogue Legacy, Binding of Isaac, etc), something with a unique visual style and something that hasn't been done before (various simulation games)
I'd also venture to say that people's gaming history has a lot to do with their indie preferences. I grew up with a Telstar/Atari 2600 and skipped out on the NES era opting for the c64 scene. As such, a lot of the top down shooter/platformers don't necessarily have the same impact for me. With the 2600 and c64 there were thousands of games competing and when something like Countdown to Shutdown appeared with different gameplay, unique visual styles and repeated gameplay I latched onto it.
Having missed out on that NES era, I'm finding myself gravitate towards a lot of voxel/pixel games, especially if there's some modern effects added to them (Really Big Sky, Space Invaders Extreme, etc)
Ok, babbled enough.. off to bed!
I prefer high difficulty games like SMB, Super Hexagon, roguelikes; expansive emergent nonscripted games; anything with a nice physics system; minimalist designs (mainly due to playing Mirror's Edge), and now pixel art graphics thanks to Gunpoint and Superbrothers