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[RowdyReverb]

It's not hard at all, if you follow the PS blog, their FB site, or just google what's said about the new additions to the PSN store.

That's pretty much the same as saying it was hard to find good games to play on the PS2, due to the amount of games available.

But won't everything on their blog be skewed positively? Is there an indie review site or thread here that gives more objective reviews?

 

[outunderthestars]

Looking at the list, my first thought is that it is great to see so !any indie games coming to consoles.

 

[Melchiah]

But won't everything on their blog be skewed positively? Is there an indie review site or thread here that gives more objective reviews?

You learn about the upcoming games there. Nothing stops you from looking what other sources say, like this forum for example.

EDIT.2: There's a monthly indie thread here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1120064


EDIT:

Looking at the list, my first thought is that it is great to see so !any indie games coming to consoles.

My thoughts as well. I don't need to look longingly to the PC side anymore, or to play them on my laptop. SOMA and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter coming to the PS4 was a dream come true for me.

 

[nib95]

But won't everything on their blog be skewed positively? Is there an indie review site or thread here that gives more objective reviews?

The games usually have user reviews and ratings on Steam, PSN etc. Then there's the GAF threads and Metacritic too. YouTube impressions and play throughs too.

 

[greenegt]

Very informative thread. I'm an XB1 owner and I hope MS continues to improve their relationship with indie devs. I have to commend Sony for their approach.

 

[RowdyReverb]

You learn about the upcoming games there. Nothing stops you from looking what other sources say, like this forum for example.

EDIT.2: There's a monthly indie thread here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1120064

The games usually have user reviews and ratings on Steam, PSN etc. Then there's the GAF threads and Metacritic too. YouTube impressions and play throughs too.

Thanks, both. I want to try and get a better idea of what games are coming out, but it seemed a bit overwhelming.

 

[Melchiah]

Thanks, both. I want to try and get a better idea of what games are coming out, but it seemed a bit overwhelming.

shinobi602 also makes monthly threads about released console games, which include indies: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1116872

 

[TheKeyPit]

Let me just say that from the recently released indie games on the Xbox One 2/3 are garbage(based on the ratings in the store). More games don't equal more quality games to care for.

 

[walltowall]

As a long time Xbox owner and only having an Xbox One this generation, I can absolutely say indies are not getting the same attention as they did with the Xbox 360, let alone this gen against the PS4. PS4 is getting more indie exclusives, and Sony is promoting them much better, than Microsoft is currently. The PS Blog really focuses on indies with guest developer posts, and emphasizes new releases by consistently releasing every Tuesday. Microsoft really has no similar showcase, and indies get released seemingly randomly throughout the week with little or no fanfare. In many cases where there is indie parity, I know about the release through the PS Blog rather than from Microsoft. Sometimes it even seems like it's a Sony exclusive because of how it's promoted when it's not.

So, that.

I mentioned this before, but if you are looking for indie games on XB1, this is a great resource. They often have devs stream new titles as well so you can get a good feel.

http://www.idatxbox.com/

If you're on the console itself, Major Nelson does a weekly show where he runs down all of the new releases or you can go to the store where the new releases are the first thing that pops up.

 

[Jacksinthe]

Let me just say that from the recently released indie games on the Xbox One 2/3 are garbage(based on the ratings in the store). More games don't equal more quality games to care for.

Law of averages. It does mean more quality games. The larger the pool, the more good and bad games. Ratio might stay the same but more is more.

I'd rather have more choices than fewer.

 

[Ray Down]

Let me just say that from the recently released indie games on the Xbox One 2/3 are garbage(based on the ratings in the store). More games don't equal more quality games to care for.

Law of averages. It does mean more quality games. The larger the pool, the more good and bad games. Ratio might stay the same but more is more.

I'd rather have more choices than fewer.

Pretty much.

 

[acklame]

The troll posts in this thread precisely demonstrated why: when you have that negative and dismissive attitude towards indie games in general, you aren't going to foster a strong ecosystem. It's self reinforcing and will continue.

 

[Tapejara]

This is exactly what came to my mind as well. I also recall most every other IGC schedule post attracting such comments as well. In those cases, you could say they're just customers voicing their displeasure with a service they're paying for, but it still shows that community has some closed-minded members just like any other.

Yeah, it was quite ridiculous.

I'm willing to bet a lot of those commentators from the PS Blog don't actually own PS4's. No point complaining about a quality new release that you are not even compelled to buy.

It's certainly possible.

Unfortunately these days indie games have in themselves become targets in the 'console wars'. I feel for the indie devs who must read some of the tripe that gets posted about them, as if all digital games fell under the same umbrella and didn't cover a massive range of different genres.

Worse still is the fact that it's people like us posting on these forums that are more likely to benefit from a resurgence in indies, partly because if we ever did decide to make a game, it's likely going to be how we start.

The vitrol that gets directed towards indies is just shameful. It must be awful for devs to show off their game, only to receive responses like "why is Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo wasting resources on this?" - as if a platform holder giving an indie a dev kit actually prevents first party titles from being released.

 

[BokehKing]

Let me just say that from the recently released indie games on the Xbox One 2/3 are garbage(based on the ratings in the store). More games don't equal more quality games to care for.

That could simply mean the people playing the games have poor taste

How do the reviews compare to their PC/ps4 counterparts

Could just be the community over there on that console.

 

[Head.spawn]

Law of averages. It does mean more quality games. The larger the pool, the more good and bad games. Ratio might stay the same but more is more.

I'd rather have more choices than fewer.

So, is yours still cancelled on Xbox?

 

[The 8-Bit Raider]

That could simply mean the people playing the games have poor taste

How do the reviews compare to their PC/ps4 counterparts

Could just be the community over there on that console.

Very good observation, this may very well be the case with regard to that platform. This is definitely worth researching.

Edit: I'm not saying that they have poor taste, just different tastes.

 

[D3VI0US]

I think this is somewhat overblown at this point. I mean don't get me wrong, Microsoft still has its head up its ass when it comes to indies and stuff like the Shovel Knight retail version being cancelled. However PS4 and Xbox 1 are rapidly turning into Steam or the App Stores, there's just so many shitty little games that I could give a fuck about popping up that having more isn't necessarily an advantage. It's actually more annoying to have to scroll through all that garbage.

This is a situation that's only gonna get worse too. I assume once Windows 10 hits Xbox One they'll have universal apps and follow through with their every console is a dev kit which will really open the floodgates. When there are hundreds of titles releasing every day is OP gonna make a thread saying PS4 is lagging behind Xbox? Does that even matter? Having more volume of shovelware games isn't a feather is your cap.

I'm aware there are some great indies too but they are few and far between and without curation they are only going to be harder to find.

 

[Jacksinthe]

The vitrol that gets directed towards indies is just shameful. It must be awful for devs to show off their game, only to receive responses like "why is Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo wasting resources on this?" - as if a platform holder giving an indie a dev kit actually prevents first party titles from being released.

Looking at our recently announced game...

A quick google search and only showing negative comments - from all Xbox related sites:

8bit again. Great..

interesting? how is what? Crap crap crap. Xbox one shouldn't even let this on it tit! Crap crap crap

^I was rolling reading this. I, apparently, make a lot of crap

Doesn't even look 8 bit. More Atari than anything else

Everything is an inspiration from something else... This however reminds me of Centipede, I can barely understand what I'm looking at. Its not 8 bit.

Yeah, that's not full 8 bit....it's like Atari sprites with 8 bit backgrounds. I'm all for retro, but this is a bit much. Next we'll get monochrome Pong and somebody will call it ground breaking.

Hahaha "inspiration". Try "we replaced Mega Man's left hand with a claw and called it a day". How pathetic.

^That one is amazing since they apparently never looked at footage.

Seriously. This is Colecovision level trash. Bayou Billy looked better than this.

I SAID DAMN! XD

Yawn!
There's a constant flow of these early 80's style games coming out since the launch of the One.
How is a step forward into more innovative game play and style?
This is the sort of thing that was dated both in terms of style and gameplay 25 years ago.

And now a look at the PlayStation specific comments leveled at my game found across the web:

Because PS4 does not have enough NES graphics games so far.

There were a few others in a GAF thread about my game but I won't post those here. I am finding a lot more negative comments coming from a single demographic. Unsure why - I know both platforms have people who outright dismiss indies but there's a lot more on one side than another. I don't know how much of a bearing this has on developers but I'm not the only one to notice. I had a lot of people on both sides say very good things so this is not the majority. Purely anecdotal.

EDIT: I should put some of these quotes on the game's site: "What people are saying!" I can put those right after Fenjamin Branklin's "I've stopped flying kites for this?" Comment

So, is yours still cancelled on Xbox?

For the time being. If I can hire someone else to help me build for other platforms that would be great. As it is we are nixing Mac and Linux builds until after release. If I can find someone to help with conversion that would be stellar. As it is - I have a day job and need to pay bills. The likelihood of me hiring someone to help with Box/Nix/X builds is slim at the moment.

 

[Bolivar687]

I think this is somewhat overblown at this point. I mean don't get me wrong, Microsoft still has its head up its ass when it comes to indies and stuff like the Shovel Knight retail version being cancelled. However PS4 and Xbox 1 are rapidly turning into Steam or the App Stores, there's just so many shitty little games that I could give a fuck about popping up that having more isn't necessarily an advantage. It's actually more annoying to have to scroll through all that garbage.

This is a situation that's only gonna get worse too. I assume once Windows 10 hits Xbox One they'll have universal apps and follow through with their every console is a dev kit which will really open the floodgates. When there are hundreds of titles releasing every day is OP gonna make a thread saying PS4 is lagging behind Xbox? Does that even matter? Having more volume of shovelware games isn't a feather is your cap.

I'm aware there are some great indies too but they are few and far between and without curation they are only going to be harder to find.

There already is curation.

 

[justsomeguy]

You need to call platform specific systems. Even if you use switches or if statements, that code is still compiled - meaning, you can't compile with those lines of code in from one platform to the next because the compiler still looks at it and wonders why, even if you never use it, you are calling PS4 systems for an Xbox version - throwing errors and not compiling. They need to be removed or commented out.

This is why we use version control. But now you have 3 different versions of your game you need to constantly merge and fork only specific changes for multiple builds. It doesn't work like you think.

Sorry to labour the point - this may be a limitation of unity vs. an out and out native dev environment, but the whole purpose of #if (as opposed to a regular 'if') is to have code that *doesnt* get compiled if the predicate isn't met. I'll have a tinker with unity when I get a chance and see what can/cant be done; in my mind you'd define a generic interface (say, IOnlineManager with generic methods such as Connect, GetUserProfile, etc.), use a factory to instantiate the relevant one for your platform (say LiveOnlineManager or PSNOnlineManager) (IOnlineManager myManager = PlatformFactory.GetOnlineManager()), then in the implementations of the psnonlinemanager and liveonlinemanager use #if to insert empty implementation for the platform you're not compiling for, to avoid those errors. All that pre-amble, my point/question really being with universal apps do you need one fewer concrete implementation because Xbox and pc have the exact same code, whereas with a non universal app you'd have a pconlinemanager in addition to the liveonlinemanager. Apologies again for lack of paragraphs... Beta browser! Edit: This should really be in the dev thread , sorry for the geeky derailing!

 

[Head.spawn]

For the time being. If I can hire someone else to help me build for other platforms that would be great. As it is we are nixing Mac and Linux builds until after release. If I can find someone to help with conversion that would be stellar. As it is - I have a day job and need to pay bills. The likelihood of me hiring someone to help with Box/Nix/X builds is slim at the moment.

Gotcha. Looking forward to it either way.

 

[Jacksinthe]

Sorry to labour the point - this may be a limitation of unity vs. an out and out native dev environment, but the whole purpose of #if (as opposed to a regular 'if') is to have code that *doesnt* get compiled if the predicate isn't met. I'll have a tinker with unity when I get a chance and see what can/cant be done; in my mind you'd define a generic interface (say, IOnlineManager with generic methods such as Connect, GetUserProfile, etc.), use a factory to instantiate the relevant one for your platform (say LiveOnlineManager or PSNOnlineManager) (IOnlineManager myManager = PlatformFactory.GetOnlineManager()), then in the implementations of the psnonlinemanager and liveonlinemanager use #if to insert empty implementation for the platform you're not compiling for, to avoid those errors. All that pre-amble, my point/question really being with universal apps do you need one fewer concrete implementation because Xbox and pc have the exact same code, whereas with a non universal app you'd have a pconlinemanager in addition to the liveonlinemanager. Apologies again for lack of paragraphs... Beta browser! Edit: This should really be in the dev thread , sorry for the geeky derailing!

There are addons for console compile and those need to be switched whenever you compile to a different platform or you won't be able to compile. I can't keep the PS4 libraries up when compiling for Xbox - I have to remove them. PS4/Xbox have their own libraries and you can't mix them when building. Only one can be active at any one time similar to iOS, Android, Mac, PC, Linux, etc. There is no "one size fits all" compile and it is handled by Unity, not code.

Hope that clears it up.

Gotcha. Looking forward to it either way.

Thanks!

 

[nynt9]

Thanks OP for the effort you made in compiling the list. Too bad indie games have been "weaponized" in the console war as a result of this, like you said in the OP, and posts in this very thread prove it. I'm talking about this part of your post:

the Xbox community really is something else. I even heard from them when I announced my game for PS4/Steam only...not so much because they wanted to know why my game wasn't announced for XB1, but to let me know my game wasn't welcomed on their platform. Fun stuff.

 

[justsomeguy]

There are addons for console compile and those need to be switched whenever you compile to a different platform or you won't be able to compile. I can't keep the PS4 libraries up when compiling for Xbox - I have to remove them. PS4/Xbox have their own libraries and you can't mix them when building. Only one can be active at any one time similar to iOS, Android, Mac, PC, Linux, etc. There is no "one size fits all" compile and it is handled by Unity, not code.

Hope that clears it up.

Yes it does, thanks very much for taking the time to reply, it's fascinating. Sounds like the "universal windows platform" target available in unity 5.2 does what I'm suggesting then. Unity still sounds a bit clunky for multi plat development/compile, what a faff.

 

[Jacksinthe]

Yes it does, thanks very much for taking the time to reply, it's fascinating.

No probs! Version control is a must, anyhow but forking and merging and all that can be a pain. If I didn't have a day job I'd be golden but I gotta eat XD

 

[Rymuth]

Thanks OP for the effort you made in compiling the list. Too bad indie games have been "weaponized" in the console war as a result of this, like you said in the OP, and posts in this very thread prove it. I'm talking about this part of your post:

I don't think it's 'weaponized' as much simply one demographic being more inherently repellant towards indie games. As noted by Absinthegames above, whether it be GAF or somewhere else, the negative comments are more apparent on one side of the fence.

Funny thing is, and Chubigans is aware of this, I wanted to create a thread titled -What made the Xbox community hostile towards indie devs - but I didn't go through with it for a couple of reasons~

Some quotes from a few devs I can share-

I've proposed a few games that incorporate less combat and more struggling, hiding or running, and those seem to get less favorable reactions from the Xbox crowd <..> 2D seems to be a big turn off in the Xbox groups I speak to. I've seen it called a dead fad more than once.

the sales of indie games on Xbox One does seem to indicate that the audience for indies isn't really there, and they're really only looking for AAA games.

and here is one from our very own Abdiel

In store, I have had customers purchasing XB1 games/hardware talk about how the Playstation has so many 'crappy indie games' or 'too many small games'. I can't really lecture customers, but I've tried to gently point out that the 360 was the system with the indie boon last generation. At least one of them replied with surprise, that they didn't know that at all. This isn't some kind of majority, as most of the customers buying those games don't talk about playstation at all, but the fact that I've had it expressed away from the polarizing effect of the internet, still stands out.

 

[KANYE WEST]

As far as I can tell, the XB1 is basically losing by 1 (Rocket League).

Everything else is digital indie cannon fodder that no reasonable person would miss. This is just "is console x better than console y? #clickbait."

This guy is right but he made so many people mad lol

 

[Head.spawn]

and here is one from our very own Abdiel

And on this very forum you have PS customers complaining about indie games.

Anecdotal evidence is pretty useless.

Where are the sales numbers?

 

[PanicFreak]

That could simply mean the people playing the games have poor taste

How do the reviews compare to their PC/ps4 counterparts

Could just be the community over there on that console.

I did a quick search for a couple titles and found the following:

Thomas Was Alone is 5 stars on PS4, 3.5 on Xbox One and Overwhelmingly positive on Steam

Velocity 2X is 4 stars on PS4, 3 on Xbox One and Positive on Steam.

Super Time Force is 4 stars on PS4, 3 on Xbox One and Very Positive on Steam.

Shovel Knight is 5 stars on PS4, 4.5 on Xbox One and Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam.

Based on this extremely limited set, it seems like the user reviews are generally lower for indie games on Xbox than on PS4 or Steam. That said, there are a lot of Indie games that are rated very highly (4 stars and above) on the Xbox Store.

Some of them include Outlast (4.5), Terraria (4.5), The Escapists (4.5), The Long Dark (4.5), The Zombie Army Trilogy (4.5), Limbo (4.5), Life is Strange (4.5), Castle Crashers (4.5), Oddworld New and Tasty (4.5), Rebirth of Issac (4.5), Don't Starve (4.5), Elite Dangerous (4.0), Happy Wars (4.0), Slender the Arrival (4.0), Pinball FX 2 (4.0), among others.

Not included in that list are "indie" games like Ori and the Blind Forest (4.5), Valiant Hearts (4.5), Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 1 (4.0) and 2 (4.5), State of Decay (4.5), D4 (4.0), and Child of Light (4.0), among others.

As such, I'm not sure it's fair to say that the people playing games on Xbox have poor taste or that the community doesn't like indie games because there are a bunch of indie and "indie" games that are highly regarded.

 

[Apathy]

This guy is right but he made so many people mad lol

Cause he's not right and people are correcting him. You seem to be confusing anger with education of ignorance.

 

[Cripshay]

This guy is right but he made so many people mad lol

Actually, he isn't right.

 

[Ray Down]

This guy is right but he made so many people mad lol

But he is not right, he is ignorant.

And looking through your post history your not much better

 

[The 8-Bit Raider]

I did a quick search for a couple titles and found the following:

Thomas Was Alone is 5 stars on PS4, 3.5 on Xbox One and Overwhelmingly positive on Steam

Velocity 2X is 4 stars on PS4, 3 on Xbox One and Positive on Steam.

Super Time Force is 4 stars on PS4, 3 on Xbox One and Very Positive on Steam.

Shovel Knight is 5 stars on PS4, 4.5 on Xbox One and Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam.

Based on this extremely limited set, it seems like the user reviews are generally lower for indie games on Xbox than on PS4 or Steam. That said, there are a lot of Indie games that are rated very highly (4 stars and above) on the Xbox Store.

Some of them include Outlast (4.5), Terraria (4.5), The Escapists (4.5), The Long Dark (4.5), The Zombie Army Trilogy (4.5), Limbo (4.5), Life is Strange (4.5), Castle Crashers (4.5), Oddworld New and Tasty (4.5), Rebirth of Issac (4.5), Don't Starve (4.5), Elite Dangerous (4.0), Happy Wars (4.0), Slender the Arrival (4.0), Pinball FX 2 (4.0), among others.

Not included in that list are "indie" games like Ori and the Blind Forest (4.5), Valiant Hearts (4.5), Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 1 (4.0) and 2 (4.5), State of Decay (4.5), D4 (4.0), and Child of Light (4.0), among others.

As such, I'm not sure it's fair to say that the people playing games on Xbox have poor taste or that the community doesn't like indie games because there are a bunch of indie and "indie" games that are highly regarded.

Hmmm...I guess it all comes down to sales figures then.

 

[twobear]

I do have a few theories on why the gap between PS4 and XB1 remains a bit larger than I'm sure MS would like.

The other obvious thing here that you don't mention (although it's covered in 'indifference' to some extent) is that PS4 and Steam have by far the lion's share of the market, and PS4 as a system has been sold at least in part on the promise of more and better indie games, so the audience is primed to look out for them.

 

[PanicFreak]

Hmmm...I guess it all comes down to sales figures then.

Personally, I think the issue is two fold. First, the PS4 is the leader in sales and the obvious target for indie developers to target. Second, the odds that an Xbox One in the wild being a "secondary console" is much higher, especially for enthusiasts, who are the target consumers for such games. As such, people who own a PS4 and would buy a certain indie game are likely to have already purchased it on the PS4 and will not purchase it when it is released on the Xbox One at a later date. So not only is it the smaller market but the percentage of consumers who are likely to purchase indie games is probably smaller on the Xbox One.

If I were an indie developer, constrained by limited resources, I would likely target PS4 and PC too.

 

[KANYE WEST]

Cause he's not right and people are correcting him. You seem to be confusing anger with education of ignorance.

Apparently "education of ignorance" on neogaf is responding to people with popular gifs

 

[KANYE WEST]

Actually, he isn't right.

Nah, he is right. Go into detail about your favorite indie titles buddy. You been itching for Deer God 2?

 

[LewieP]

Not included in that list are "indie" games like Ori and the Blind Forest (4.5), Valiant Hearts (4.5), Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 1 (4.0) and 2 (4.5), State of Decay (4.5), D4 (4.0), and Child of Light (4.0), among others.

EA and Ubisoft are my favourite indie developers.

 

[Prototype Viktor]

I like Indies, I like I stumbled upon Ziggurat (even if the final boss a cheap son of a gun). I rarely buy AAA third parties

 

[Apathy]

Apparently "education of ignorance" on neogaf is responding to people with popular gifs

You mean the 1 animated gif someone used to reply to him, conveniently ignoring the many subsequent post on offering him titles of indies that he ignores and also ignoring the post calling out his shit post on why games hes never heard about are not irrelevant ? Hummm, yes, I would says educating ignorance.

 

[TBiddy]

Funny thing is, and Chubigans is aware of this, I wanted to create a thread titled -What made the Xbox community hostile towards indie devs - but I didn't go through with it for a couple of reasons~

That would be incredibly generalizing.

 

[mrklaw]

Even if the parity clause is dead (hope so), the die is basically cast for this gen. Devs ar set up to develop on PS4 first, and now - if the clause has changed - Xbox later. So the Xbox won't be lacking games as much, but it'll still be lagging games. I don't see that changing other than the odd developer here and there.

I thnk the downplaying of indie in this thread (and giantbomb said it too? Shame) is disappointing for anyone interested in games. While many of the titles might not be interesting to you, the overall effect is one of much greater choice, and of more niches being explored. some of those will definitely be somethin close to your interests so everyone should value indie games as a collective whole IMO.

 

[mrklaw]

Let me just say that from the recently released indie games on the Xbox One 2/3 are garbage(based on the ratings in the store). More games don't equal more quality games to care for.

And if there are two other people similar to you that think a different 2/3 is junk? Oh look, all the games are adding value to some of you.

 

[RexNovis]

The denigration of indie games as some sort of video game refuse unworthy of attention or support continues to appall me. So many of you willing to brush off games just because it has a few less 0s in its budget. If you actually bothered to check some of these games out there is no doubt in my mind you would find something you enjoy. That's the advantage of having such a wide variety of games: there's something for everyone.

Those of you taking this thread as an opportunity to downplay the importance of indies in the current video game market why don't you just try broadening your horizons for a change. You might just find something you well and truly love. It's not like an indie game will be any more of a waste of time than the by the numbers cookie cutter AAA games. yet so many of you are more than happy to plop down $60 on the next assassins creed. At least indies are offering new experiences and ideas and not just yearly retreads with a different backdrop.

Once again Chubigans thanks for all your hard work compiling the OP. It is certainly appreciated and I sincerely hope it's able to reach the right ears so to speak.

 

[EGM1966]

Not really surprised. In business as consumer market perception matters and MS created a certain perception early on that continues to linger.

Add to that comments from indies that MS have improved a lot but still trail Sony in seeming open and welcoming and it's a no-brainier PS4 will see more indie titles than XB1 (although good to see XB1 situation improving).

If MS felt this was super urgent they'd be working to be more inviting than Sony but seems they're not. This may be right move for them or not but it will allow Sony to gather up more titles.

Like others I have to note my surprise as some of the views/comments on indies though. Who knew variety or choice was "bad" or that you could be so locked into a view of your branded console you'd actually look down on or dismiss certain games.

Wow but actually I guess fools are everywhere.

 

[le.phat]

First off, the term 'indie' game doesn't reflect on the quality whatsoever. In today's climate, everything that isn't getting that AAA money injection is deemed 'indie'.

Secondly, as pointed out before: the law of averages mean that more games means more good game as well as more bad games. The WII and the PS2 were loaded with shovel ware, but also with the best the industry had to offer at the time. Same goes for these 'indie' games.

Lastly, i've spent way way more time on 'indie' games as opposed to AAA games so far this gen, and Sony is doing an incredible job in doing so. We are getting a monthly selection of games that range from decent to incredible, month in month out.
My most played games on ps4 right now ? Don't starve, Galak-Z, Broken age, transistor.

And then there is still stuff like , everybody's gone to rapture, rocket league, Journey, Soma and so much more that i still need to dive into.

Finally, i just want to point out that to me, indies have become invaluable in the homogeneous world that is AAA gaming, and without it, i would get bored far more easily of my favourite hobby. People talk about Indie games like they're a genre, but truth is, if you somehow dismiss the scene, or act like you don't miss it, you talk from ignorance. You simply don't know what you're missing.

 

[mrklaw]

Not really surprised. In business as consumer market perception matters and MS created a certain perception early on that optimise to linger.

Add to that comments from indies that MS have improved a lot but still trail Sony in seeming open and welcoming and it's a no-brainier PS4 will see more indie titles than XB1 (although good to see XB1 situation improving).

If MS felt this was super urgent they'd be working to be more inviting than Sony but seems they're not. This may be right move for them or not but it will allow Sony to gather up more titles.

Like others I have to note my surprise as some of the views/comments on indies though. Who knew variety or choice was "bad" or that you could be so locked into a view of your branded console you'd actually look down on or dismiss certain games.

Wow but actually I guess fools are everywhere.

Good post but especially the bolded. MS are second choice for many devs because of what they've had as policy up to now. They've used a stick and it hasn't worked. If they do nothing, they'll get more games but probably still after PS4. If they really want to change that, then they need to try a carrot.

 

[Cripshay]

Nah, he is right. Go into detail about your favorite indie titles buddy. You been itching for Deer God 2?

v

You mean the 1 animated gif someone used to reply to him, conveniently ignoring the many subsequent post on offering him titles of indies that he ignores and also ignoring the post calling out his shit post on why games hes never heard about are not irrelevant ? Hummm, yes, I would says educating ignorance.

All there needs to be said.

 

[TheKeyPit]

Law of averages. It does mean more quality games. The larger the pool, the more good and bad games. Ratio might stay the same but more is more.

I'd rather have more choices than fewer.

That's correct, but I think that too much choice isn't good either. I'd better have more selected quality games than a flood of bad games.

I'm still waiting for the good games to finally hit the Xbox One. I want more stuff like "Ori and the blind Forest". Especially waiting for Ashen, Below, Cuphead, Tacoma.

That could simply mean the people playing the games have poor taste

How do the reviews compare to their PC/ps4 counterparts

Could just be the community over there on that console.

Trust me. If something has a bad review on Xbox Live, it's not good.

And if there are two other people similar to you that think a different 2/3 is junk? Oh look, all the games are adding value to some of you.

Then it's good for those other two. I mean, those games wouldn't exist if there wasn't an audience for them to enjoy.

Edit:

I did a quick search for a couple titles and found the following:

Thomas Was Alone is 5 stars on PS4, 3.5 on Xbox One and Overwhelmingly positive on Steam

Velocity 2X is 4 stars on PS4, 3 on Xbox One and Positive on Steam.

Super Time Force is 4 stars on PS4, 3 on Xbox One and Very Positive on Steam.

Shovel Knight is 5 stars on PS4, 4.5 on Xbox One and Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam.

Based on this extremely limited set, it seems like the user reviews are generally lower for indie games on Xbox than on PS4 or Steam. That said, there are a lot of Indie games that are rated very highly (4 stars and above) on the Xbox Store.

Some of them include Outlast (4.5), Terraria (4.5), The Escapists (4.5), The Long Dark (4.5), The Zombie Army Trilogy (4.5), Limbo (4.5), Life is Strange (4.5), Castle Crashers (4.5), Oddworld New and Tasty (4.5), Rebirth of Issac (4.5), Don't Starve (4.5), Elite Dangerous (4.0), Happy Wars (4.0), Slender the Arrival (4.0), Pinball FX 2 (4.0), among others.

Not included in that list are "indie" games like Ori and the Blind Forest (4.5), Valiant Hearts (4.5), Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 1 (4.0) and 2 (4.5), State of Decay (4.5), D4 (4.0), and Child of Light (4.0), among others.

As such, I'm not sure it's fair to say that the people playing games on Xbox have poor taste or that the community doesn't like indie games because there are a bunch of indie and "indie" games that are highly regarded.

I want to add to that the following: There is no 5 star ratings on Xbox Live, because if 1000 rate it 5 stars and 1 person rates it 1/2/3/4 stars, the result will be 4.5. There was one game I inspected recently that had 5 stars and dropped to 4.5 over night. I can't believe that the ps4 games got only positive ratings, there is always a black sheep.

 

[LewieP]

That's correct, but I think that too much choice isn't good either. I'd better have more selected quality games than a flood of bad games.

I'm still waiting for the good games to finally hit the Xbox One. I want more stuff like "Ori and the blind Forest". Especially waiting for Ashen, Below, Cuphead, Tacoma.

How would Microsoft denying games you are not interested in a release on Xbox create more games that you are interested in?