This week we wanted to honor some phenomenal Indie games that cost a mere dollar on Xbox LIVE Arcade, and a few honorable mentions of Co-op Indie games that were very enjoyable. Everything in this episode is on the cheap, so if you've got 80 or so lying around, you should check some of these awesome titles out.
The first game that I'd like to simply mention is I MAED A GAM3 W1TH ZOMB1ES 1N IT!!!1 A lot of people have enjoyed this dual stick, top-down shooter with loads of zombies, explosions, co-op, and insane music. If you haven't checked it out, it's a dual stick shooter with loads of zombies, explosions, co-op, and insane music - and you should check it out. The title was made by the awesome James Silva of Ska Studios, who you may remember from Dishwasher: Dead Samurai.
And now, it is my pleasure to recommend one of the most attractive Shmups I've ever played, complete with very unique, well - everything. Join me on this quest for glory, upgrades, and Shoot 1UP.
On a cold and cloudy Saturday morning, I approach my trusty Xbox 360 controller and browse the Indie titles for giggles. I stumble across a title I recognized from PAX East, which I was unable to play at the time due to controller issues of their own. Now, however, the attractive price tag of a mere dollar (80 ) gave me the opportunity to embark on an adventure I'd never forget.
I buckle my seatbelt in my sturdy Caduceus ship, and launch to battle. Hordes of enemies from every direction assault my fleet. Oh, did I mention, I control more than one ship at a time. In fact, players control up to 60 ships in various formations to crank up that high-score. Defeating waves of enemies to collect 1UP tokens to increase my fleet size, and the scores distributed by defeated ships keeps this Shmup pilot satisfied when flying vertically, horizontally, or wherever the game sends me.
4 hours later, I had to pry myself away from the addictive game to attend to real-life issues - but, I still strap in for some awesome fun times with my sister and co-op buddy, destroying enemies and stealing one-anothers ships. See, if one of us runs out of ships and dies, we can hijack the other persons ships to come back to play. Quite an enjoyable experience, and it's only a dollar! Sometime in the near future, PSN users can look forward to experiencing Shoot 1UP and you better believe I'll be buying an additional copy to play.
Now for my honorable mentions, Indie games that I enjoyed and were still relatively inexpensive (the most expensive was $5 or 400):
Creed Arena - Play as a futuristic gladiator along side your best buddy in an arena full of hordes of enemies, earn the crowds favor and unlock a variety of excellent weapons. Play either 3rd person over-the-shoulder view, or top-down dual stick shooter style.
Square Off - Play as one of four colored genetically engineered squares against an invading force of aliens. Side-scrolling dual stick shooter with a lot of oomph.
Quad Force - A unique dual stick shooter with a top-down perspective, and realistic line-of-sight to your enemies. Blow away the competition with up to four local players in awesome hoover ship thingies.
Support the little-guys, go buy these games.
New in Download/DLC
Bionic Commando: Rearmed 2 swinging into action.
This past few weeks has had quite a few new release titles, upcoming news, and DLC news. Left 4 Dead 2 is getting a DLC pack titled "The Passing," complete with the original survivors of Left 4 Dead in beautiful crossover. This DLC has revealed its achievements, complete with a lot of giggles in the titles.
Trine has some new free DLC called "Path To A New Dawn" available on Steam/PC, which will update automatically when you pop on to play.
In new announcements, Bionic Commando: Rearmed 2 has been revealed. The sequel to the successful co-op side-scrolling shooter, Bionic Commando looks to be following in its predecessors footsteps with graphics style and gameplay. Kick-Ass is also getting a co-op game on the PSN, we're not sure what to expect from it - but we hear the movie was pretty good, so we'll see what happens.
And finally, Splinter Cell: Conviction, which we really enjoyed from a co-op standpoint, has unleashed its own free DLC pack, as well as patching in some stat tracking for the main game.
Free For You
For the sake of variety, we've got The Warriors: Street Brawl trial game on the Xbox LIVE arcade and Playstation network. This game comes action packed with the characters from the classic gang film "The Warriors," in beat-em-up for. 4 player local co-op, shared screen, brutal action. Oh, and it's a free trial that's actually fairly long for a trial.
Oh, and all the aforementioned free DLC stuff (Trine, and Splinter Cell: Conviction)
As usual, let me know if you have any downloadable games you think need to be checked out, given attention, etc.