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  When was the last time you played a game that could best be described as "interactive art"? If you have, then odds are there wasn't much "game" there, just some controls to convey the meaning the creator wanted to get accross. The Tiny Bang Story, a game where you are tasked with putting a tiny planet back together, could definetely be described as "interactive art," but there's enough game here to call it a hidden object/puzzle game.
    Let me get this out first: This game's artwork is fantastic, some of the best art I have seen in any game (not techically, but artistically). It has 60 hand drawn screens, and they are all beautiful. Take a look at the picture; that's the kind of art that fills this game and gives it life. The artwork alone almost justifies the $15 price tag.
    Then there's the gameplay. This game is casual gameplay personified. Most of the game is spent scouring the landscapes for puzzle pieces, and pieces of puzzles (if that makes sense). For example, say you need nine lightbulbs to solve a puzzle. First, you need to go find nine lightbulbs, and the item hunting takes the form of a hidden object game. Usually I don't like hidden object games all that much, but I'm willing to make an exception for this game, purely because of the art. Then, once you have all nine lightbulbs, you go back to where you were assigned to find nine lightbulbs, and you solve a little puzzle, Proffesor Layton style. The puzzles themselves aren't very difficult (except for one near the end that isn't explained very well), so most people will have no problem whatsoever making it through the game.
    The sound for the most part is okay. The music is unobtrusive, and goes perfectly with this strange little world you're trying to put back together. The sound effects are fitting, but I think it would've been nice to have more than one fly collection noise, it gets annoying after a while.
    On the replayability side of things, there's not much. You play through the game in a little over two hours, a very short time considering the price, and then you're pretty much done. You can replay all the puzzles, but that's about it. There's really nothing left once you finish the game once, unless you want to look at all the artwork again, which i would definetely do.
    All told, The Tiny Bang Story is mostly eye candy, but with just the right amount of gameplay to complement the artwork perfectly. Exploring this world is a joy, even if you just do it for the art. Sure the price tag is a little (okay, very) steep at $15 for two hours of gameplay, but it's worth it to support this budding game developer. Try the demo on Steam. If you're wowed by the art, buy it, even if it's just so these people keep making games. You'll be glad you did.

          There are two things that I love to see in games; floating islands and Amanita Design's cool art style. Put'em together and BAM-- you get Samorost. The Samorost series is another point-and-click adventure game from Amantia Design, which challenges you to help a little space gnome through a variety of puzzles to reach a main goal. The Samorost series encompasses Samorost One, (Which is really insubstantial) and Samorost Two (Which you have to buy to play the full version). 

          The art style in Samorost is the best part, because it just looks so good. the art is the same surreal style that Amanita Design is famous for, with amazingly drawn art and nice visuals. Even with out names,the characters are memorable in their own sense. From weird aliens to your little space gnome, both Samorost one and two will have you saying, "It would be cool to live there for a day..." the puzzles complement the games surreal art style, because they involve looking around the scene and looking at all the cool surreal art.

        The game play in the Samorost series is great and fun as well, and follows the tried and tested Point-and-click adventure game style. You dont actually play as the little space gnome, but rather a weird god force that can click on things to make things happen, as if an invisible person were standing there. If that key is lieing there on the ground, you could click on it and it would rise up, instert itself into the lock and turn. 

        The sound and music in the Samorost series is well done, but necessarily catchy. No one speaks, exept for when your little space gnome says, "Oh, No!" in a similar way you would say, "Oh, no, Mr. Bill!".

        The replayability in the Samorost series is limited, as are all point-and-click adventure games. The games are also very short, so the replayability is lower than most point-and-click games. However, the art style may cause you to play through the game again.
    All in all the Samorost Series is something everyone should try, even if you don't like point-and-click adventure games.

Hey everybody, this is Giant Bearded Face here just to let you know that the VVVVVV guide is 100% complete and that the Minecraft one shall be completed soon. :D

     Lugaru, made by Wolfire Games, is a 3-D, 3rd person fighting game with flexible fighting moves and animations that can be easily linked together to create your own style of fighting. In Lugaru, you play as Turner the ninja rabbit, who's village is slaughtered at the hands of raiders. As you travel about your island seeking revenge, you soon uncover that all is not as it seems...

     At first glance you'll probably think, "oh, man those graphics are HORRIBLE!" and your right. (If you want to see a game like Lugaru with incredible graphics, see Wolfire games' next game, Overgrowth, which is Lugaru's sequel.) As you play through Lugaru, you'll understand that the graphics are not the point of the game and the real fun is the combat system.

     Lugaru is one of those games that will have you replaying it over and over again just for the gameplay. the simplistic control layout (W,A,S,D, E, Q, C, and SHIFT) allow you to create a your own style of fighting, whether it be stealth, hand-to-hand, weapons, or acrobat, or even your own. I personally played through all the challenge missions using different play styles because the game is so addictive. after a while, the controls become so smooth that you'll be cranking up the difficulty and stringing together moves and feel like a true ninja rabbit.

     The music changes based on the alertness of the enemies, which is a real life-saver, because half the game is sneaking around and based on the music you can tell if your noticed or not. However, most of the music gets annoying and repetitive and can get on your nerves.

     Lugaru is extremely fun to play due to its rapid combat, rag-doll physics, smooth controls, and creating your own combination of reversals, round-house kicks, punches, leg-swipes and leg cannons. The addition of three weapons adds variety to the game, as they can be used to create powerful attacks, but can be stolen and used against you. For a list of weapons and their strengths and weaknesses, see below. 

• Knife-- The knife is small and hard to disarm. It does low damage, but makes up for its speed and its ability to be thrown for high damage. However, throwing your knife is risky, because it can be dodged and picked up by an enemy. Knife is bladed, so the damage you inflict is permanent and causes blood loss, which causes damage over time.
• Sword-- The Sword is a weapon that does tremendous damage, is easy to disarm causes blood loss, and has a long reach. The sword is extremely hard to use if your a new player, because it is so easy to disarm (this is why the sword is introduced later on in the game.) However, in the hands of a veteran the sword can end a one-on-one combat in a few seconds. (SLASH *dodge* SLASH *dead)
• Staff-- The staff is the, "Noob" weapon. It is lightning fast and does tons of damage. This is why the staff is favored by many people. The staff has two attacks, the quick smack, and the heavy hit. the quick smack is extremely hard to dodge and block, yet it does not do much damage, while the heavy hit can deal almost one hit kills but is extremely easy to block and dodge and should only be used on knocked-over opponents. However, with all the benefits the staff has, the staff usually brakes after about two kills. This is why I dislike the staff.

     The replayability of Lugaru is high, due to the addictive nature and quick play abilities. you can start Lugaru up and start a match in about 10 seconds. in addition to the actual game, Lugaru has a map editor, which is very hard to work and use, but rewarding all the same. (Its fun to make a map filled to the brim with enemies and campfires and challenge yourself to leg-cannon the enemies in to the fires.) All in all, Lugaru is defiantly a game worth taking a look at, and you should at least play the free demo. (the full game is a little over-priced at $20.00) This is a game you'll have fun playing for weeks.

In fact, here's a video of Lugaru...

And remember that I talked about Overgrowth? Here's a video. Keep in mind that the game is NOT complete yet. It's still in alpha, and you can only play it if you pre-order (which I plan to do soon.) Overgrowth also boasts EXTREMELY innovative editing tools, which allow you to edit the sky, the players animations, the fighting moves, your own stats, everything you can possibly think of editing. In fact you can have C++ prompt open and change things in real time. This looks like a game to play no matter what.

    There are two genres of computer games that I hold near and dear to my heart: adventure games a la LucasArts, and ridiculously difficult platformers, a la Super Meat Boy. As you've probably guessed, Super Meat Boy is a tougher than nails platformer, and it is one of my most played games of all time. It started as a flash game, and evolved into this critically acclaimed indie phenomenon.
    In Super Meat Boy, you play as (you guessed it), Meat Boy, in his eternal attempt to rescue his girlfriend Bandage Girl (I guess Band-Aid Girl would infringe copyrights) from the evil Dr. Fetus. Your eternal adventure will see you through 260+ levels of jumping onto tiny platforms, through series of razor saw blades, and homing missile launchers, all magnificently designed, and just under half of those are borderline impossible. Many people would see this as a bad thing, but with the ridiculous challenge comes an unprecedented feeling of accomplishment when you finally win after spending four hours on a single level.
    From a control standpoint, Super Meat Boy is one of the best games I have ever played. The controls are tight and responsive, and it's child's play to maneuver Meat Boy through tiny gaps in dozens of giant spinning saw blades. Well, not quite child's play, you still need the precision of a surgeon to be able to beat any of the end game levels.
    The graphics are pretty good too, but I have seen better. They are clean and crisp, and they really get the point across. They also convey the brutality of a boy without skin falling into a razorblade quite well. The retro warp zones' pixel art graphics convey a feeling of nostalgia from the eras of arcade boxes and the SNES.
    The music is another strong point for the game. The catchy chiptune melodies in the forest and the hospital (especially the hospital) will stick in your head and never, ever, ever let go. The driving rock music in rapture and hell emphasizes the excitement and intensity of what's going on on screen.
    Replayability is one of the games strongest points. I've played for 21 hours, and I'm less than halfway done. Then again, my progress was wiped when I was at about 8 hours of time, but that didn't slow me down much. Once you get into the later levels that take ~20 minutes each to finish, and there's 80 of them, you get an idea of how long the game will last. Add in the bandages that you can collect in game to unlock characters, and secret levels that also can unlock characters, you have a game that will last a long, long time.
    Let me make this clear: if (and when) you play Super Meat Boy, you will die. Many, many, many times. But don't let that deter you, the only punishment for death is to restart the level, and most levels are around 30 seconds long. Super Meat Boy may be frustratingly difficult, but it's not punishingly difficult. The brilliant level design and instantaneous respawn time let you keep trying and trying until you finally beat that level, and then you get to a level that's even harder. 
    It should be abundantly clear by now that Super Meat Boy is a must buy if you've ever enjoyed a platforming game. For only $15, you get what will probably end up being 30 hours or more of game time. Add to that the catchy music and nostalgic graphics and you get a game that should be bought by anyone who's looking for a challenge.    

     Made by Amanita Design, (which by the way is based in the Czech republic) Machinarium is a point-and-click adventure game about robots, crime, and thwarting terrorist attacks. I'm not kidding, but going into more detail would spoil it for you. you start in a junk yard, where the game teaches you how to play. As you progress throughout the game, the learning curve becomes steadily more difficult, requiring you to solve strange puzzles and tasks.

        the art is the same surreal style that Amanita Design is famous for, with amazingly drawn art and nice visuals. Even with out names,the characters are memorable in their own sense (you'll probably remember the characters under names like "Saxophone guy,The police man, Fat guy, and the terrorist" this is part of the fun, and complements the games surreal art style.

      The game play is great and fun as well, and follows the tried and tested Point-and-click adventure game style. However, one crucial difference sets Machinarium apart from other point-and-click adventure games :  X,Y,Z, position requirements. Basically, your little robot, Josef, must be near enough to grab, catch or interact with it. this puts a twist on game play, as puzzles also require you to be standing next to or near the place you need to be*.

    No one ever speaks in Machinarium, but their needs and thoughts are expressed though thought-bubbles that reveal glimpses of the history of the city that you are in. That being said, the music is awesome as well, and it perfectly complements the art style.

Machinarium is very fun to play through, with its funny characters and cool art. the puzzles (sometimes logical, yet sometimes "what the heck?!" moments) are satisfying to solve and work through, however, they can be rather difficult. The fun of the game is solving the puzzles and exploring the city.

Yet however fun Machinarium is the first play through, it has little to no re-playability, as is the problem with most puzzle games. you'll probably find yourself wanting more at the end of the game. the only possible answer to this problem is to not play it for long-enough to forget all about it and re-discover it.

 Over all, Machinarium's art really sells the game. the amazingly drawn buildings and environments make this one of those rare games were you stop just to look at everything. if you need an example look at the pictures. 

You should play Machinarium. Now.


*If that makes any sense.

    Hello there! This is yet another new reviewer; going by the name Alucard. If you know where that name is from, leave a comment, I want to give you a cookie.

  Anyway. If you read the title, you'd know what I'm reviewing today... the game that is ever increasing in popularity; Minecraft. Now, both me and the website owner(get a name!) have played minecraft almost since day one... a very long time ago. At least I have. I've seen Minecraft go from a simple engine that generates a small level which you can build in to what it is today-- an intense survival game. All of this done by just one developer, too! If even for this, Notch deserves enormous credit for creating such a game all by himself. Of course, after a while, he set up his own company; but he still does the majority of the work.
    For those of you who still don't know what Minecraft is, seriously, what are you waiting for? Go play it! Minecraft is a game where you are plonked down on a sandy beach, then left to survive. Simple, right? Wrong. To survive, you need shelter, light, and a weapon. For what, you say? For the monsters that come out at night. From skeletal archers to creepy zombies, at the night or in caves you have to be always on alert. When you're not fighting, you're either mining or crafting. There are over 140 crafting recipes to discover, with a very easy to use GUI to go with it. The developer was even kind enough to include a tutorial on the main site, so if you're having trouble, start there.
    Minecraft is a really great game. The gameplay and controls in itself are very well thought out; and when you first play it you think "Wow. How can a game that appears so simple be so complex?" ...And that's one thing I commend it for. Minecraft is so much more than meets the eye, and what meets the eye usually isn't that appealing to most people. It took many months for me and all of his friends to convince him to play before my brother actually tried it. Now he's addicted.
    The sounds in Minecraft compliment the game very well, from the peaceful music on the overworld to the terrifying 'ambient' cave noises. Notch did the sounds superbly, and they fit the blocky theme of Minecraft so well. The 16-bit textures that cover the Minecraft world complement the theme excellently and the GUI is perfectly simple.
    However, while everything about Minecraft at first look seems totally amazing, it has one huge problem that completely turned me away from it. It has absolutely no replayability. Now, you may argue "But the world is different every time!", and that's what I thought at first. But upon playing it for hours on end, I began to realize something. Every time I made a new world, every time I went mining, every time I died, I just went and did the same thing that I'd done a million times before. You start a new world. Oh, look, a slightly new terrain then your last world. Time to go chop trees, then make a base, then go mining, then find diamond, then build. Every new world. You go mining. Place torches, mine ore, avoid lava, fight monsters. What's new?
    Just the absolute repetitiveness of Minecraft is what made me stop wanting to play it. Why do the same thing over and over? When you first play it, there's so many things to discover, so many places to explore, so many things to learn. However, once that's all done with, there's nothing left but to do it again. And again. Then again. That is why Minecraft, though an excellent game, no longer appeals to me. It simply has nothing left for me, that is, until Notch releases new content. But nothing game-changing; simply a new block or a new mob.
    In short, Minecraft is only fun for a while. Notch did a truly amazing job with the game, and it is very fun to play, but after you play it for around a month it just loses appeal. However, for just 15 bucks, it is very much worth playing. For 15 dollars you get the game and (hopefully) all the updates that come with it. You'll even be getting it at a discount: for the duration of the beta stage, the game is 25% off!
    If you don't want to pay, there's also the 'classic' version. This was the first stage of Minecraft, when all you could do was build with infinite materials. The community has even developed mods for the servers, so it's definitely worth trying out.

Play Minecraft here.

Hello! This is (well I guess I need some sort of fake name like notch too...) but yeah. I guess I'm the assistant of >>Insert Generic alias here<<. I'll be writing reviews as well, and just generally helping out around the site. We both have no experience at this, remain tolerant of our obviously |\| 0 0 B posts and reviews. well, I'm thinking of reviewing Machinarium first, so... yeah.

    Why hello there internets, it's me (I really need an alias...), here to provide you with reviews of, well, indie games (if it's not, please hang up and please dial your operator). What you must realize is, well, I have no experience (and I mean NO experience) with this kind of thing, so... here's hoping nothing goes awry. For anyone (I'm looking at you, random troll) who's actually reading this, you can expect reviews of the most popular indie games out there, from Super Meat Boy to (gasp) Minecraft, as well as lesser known reviews such as Jolly Rover (+10 points if you've heard of it) and Desktop Dungeons (yes, it's free). So, stay tuned...