the2bears.com

Omium

the2bears — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:06:37 +0000

This Omium video has been out awhile, and I’ve been meaning to post about it for awhile. I really like how the game takes full advantage of the iPad hardware, specifically the multi-touch capable screen. I personally do not buy into the idea that Apple is somehow competing in games now, as the iOS devices are clearly targeting different markets than say Nintendo products do. They’re too high-end, and rely too much on the Cult of Jobs

What I do see, though, is the start of some interesting game ideas. These ideas will come about through dedicated hardware differences, not through trying to program for what are (or were, at least until recently) generic commodity machines like the PS3 and XBox360. Remember when Arcade machines were custom hardware? I do. But I’m part Luddite.

Good on NimbleBit for trying out an some interesting things. Extra points for Conway’s Life in the background.

BIT.TRIP FATE

the2bears — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:38:16 +0000

BIT.TRIP FATE looks very interesting. It’s a horizontal shmup “on rails”, with forward and reverse movement along the rail. Gaijin‘s previous offering, BIT.TRIP RUNNER, was very good. Its level design, derived from a few simple mechanics, is something that every shmup designer should take note of.

Gigantic Army

the2bears — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:12:15 +0000

Astro Port have a 2-level demo of Gigantic Army available now. It’s really quite good, though a little easy. I’m glad to see their style go back to the grittier look of their older games. Except for the mecha presence, I have expect to see the Tyrell Corporation building rise up in the background. Love the colours, love the parallax.

Game play is standard run ‘n gun, move, jump, and shoot. Your primary weapon fires based on aiming with the movement keys, but can be locked in one direction by holding the fire button down. You can hold down the jump button for an extra boost, you can dash by double-tapping the arrows, plus you have a shield and a secondary weapon.

The download link is a Vector download, and it seems they’re constantly changing the process. Find the green “Go to the Download Page” button near the bottom of the page, and press it 2-3 times. It’ll eventually change to a green “Download Now” button, and then you’re set.

Jamestown

the2bears — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:53:30 +0000

Jamestown is a great looking vertical that is going to support 4-player co-op. Great premise, too, Colonial British on Mars. Hopefully a playable soon?

Akai Katana

the2bears — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 17:54:05 +0000

Cave‘s Akai Katana is undergoing location testing at the moment. I really like the looks of this. Reminds me a lot of Progear, and others are mentioning Ketsui influences as well (though I’ve only played Ketsui Death Label).

Giga War

the2bears — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:16:18 +0000

X-Out‘s latest, officially titled Giga War, is coming along. The route through the first level has been defined and X-Out put up a video of the fly through. Very impressive. I’m getting a good feeling here, a mix of Einhänder and R-Type Delta.

Hydorah

the2bears — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:13:22 +0000

Hydorah has finally been released. A very impressive Gradius style horizontal by Locomalito. I haven’t had a chance to play it yet, but there are positive impressions over at the Shmups forums.

Doppelganger

the2bears — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:48:12 +0000

Doppelganger has just been released by Pumpkin Games on the XBox 360 Indie Games channel. I love the idea behind this, an extension of Defender type gameplay. The aesthetics have really improved since I first saw this game. Any chance of a PC version?

Dynastorm

the2bears — Fri, 07 May 2010 05:44:49 +0000

Dynastorm is a little shmup that Squirrelsquid has put together and posted at Shmup-dev. It has great pixel work, as expected, but the difficulty ramps up very quickly. It is, dare I say, far too… challenging

Update: Squirrelsquid has updated the game, worked on the difficulty level a bit, and added a boss. The above link has been fixed to the new download.

Smiley’s Shooty Adventure – Pay Whatever You Want Sale

the2bears — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 02:28:16 +0000

Smiley’s Shooty Adventure, which I looked at here, is available now for whatever price you want to pay. Don’t be a jerk, either

As SiN says:

Smiley’s Shooty Adventure is a shoot-em-up packed with frantic action, an eccentric cast of enemies, and trippy retro graphics.

The trailer, demo, screenshots, and more info, can be found on the game page:
http://www.caffeinemonstersoftware.com/smiley/

The sale follows the now-familiar format: hit up the Smiley site, click “Buy Now”, fill in any price, and away you go! An email with a serial key will be sent your way. The offer is valid until May 12th, two weeks from now.

The game has a demo available, and comes in both PC and Mac flavours.