Microsoft can't help themselves from segmenting Xbox Live Indie games of from the rest of the pack. Worse still using the default marketplace layout you are more likely to come across the latest fireplace simulator or lol cat’s slide show rather than the likes of weapon of choice or I made a game with zombies in it.
I have to be honest and say until recently when I took a deeper look into indie games I didn't think much of the offering on Xbox Live and that right there is the problem. We have more shelf space than all the gamespots in the world and great games still get hidden away. You have to go in several layers to find the good stuff and a lot of the older gems will just be hidden in the A-Z list. And while this isn't going to change any time soon, and things have improved with the introduction of ratings, here are a few titles you really should check out. They all have a free demo after all.
I Made A Game With Zombies In It
Developer: SKA Studios
From the guy who brought you The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai it’s easy to dismiss I made a game with zombies in it as a little graphically uninteresting and quite generic gameplay wise. Yes it has all the basic makings of the twin stick shooter you have played on XBLA before, but I bet you have not tried one with zombies, great music and awesome effects.
The music almost acts like a narrative as you move through the levels ramping up with disco effects to spawn extra creeps every so often. It’s hard to describe I made a game with Zombies in it or do it any credit with screenshots so I won’t, just go try it and then buy the full version for 80 Points as you will want it.
Miner Dig Deep
Developer: Robir
Dig Deep is one of those titles that looks a little simple on the outside but has a lot of depth to it. The basic goal is to mine deeper and deeper, uncovering more valuable gems, metals and what not. You will be required to make regular returns to the surface in order to buy better equipment and refill the fuel for your torch. In a lot of ways it feels like a few games I played on miniclip as a kid, but this one “digs” a little deeper.
Ezmuze+ Hamst3r edition
Developer: madninjaskillz
I am not going to pretend to quite understand this one but it’s more an example of the lengths people will go to and what’s possible with the XNA tool kit. Simply put it’s a music creation tool with hundreds of loops and load’s of controls to play around with. But what’s very cool is the ability to send your songs to friends over live. I have not tried it myself as no one else I know uses it, but it’s a throw back to E3 2006 when Microsoft told us we would all be modding Forza cars on our phones and sending them to each other.
Colosseum
Developer: Shortfuse Games
As far as indie games go in general Colosseum is a dam fine looking game. It has a very borderlands/infamous cell shaded style that still surprises me as to how good it looks. The game its self is a straight up arena combat game that does feel a little slow and enemy’s tend to back away from you a lot, but despite this it’s fun combat game with a really cool art style.
I could talk more about games like weapon of choice or fishing girl which are just as worthy of your time. But the point I am trying to make is that you should wade waste high though the firework HD sims and digital fireplaces to find some of the really, really cool stuff on xbox live arcade indie games.
