The relationship between developers and publishers in the video game industry has always been awkward. Many great game developers such as Bizzare Creations, Clover Studio, and Bullfrog Productions have been disbanded due to corporate shenanigans involving their publishers and owners. The indie game movement has risen largely as a response to this.
Most of the oddest games in the world are free web games. They may not always be well made, but low budgets (and consequently low risk) allow them to be as weird as they fancy. That's a big part of why they are so interesting. Prime examples such as Don't Take It Personally, Babe, It Just Ain't Your Story and Lesbian Spider Queens of Mars have graced these pages previously, and both are great games. But the quality of the games hasn't stopped mysterious Glorious Trainwrecks user snapman (else...
For a long time, video games manuals were serious business. Especially for strategy games and RPGs on the PC, the manuals would often run to a hundred or more full-color pages in length. They explained in vivid and well-written detail the history of the game world and every facet of the gameplay system. There were pages upon pages of appendices explaining the statistics of every unit, faction, and terrain type. They were majestic, and I would spend an hour or more poring over each one before ...
Video games and movies have a history of interaction dogged by failure. Video game movies and movie video games both tend to be terrible. There has never been a good feature film based on a video game franchise. Even documentaries about games, which should be rife given the rapid rise of games on the cultural stage over the last thirty years, have been few and far between. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is by far the best, and for several years now has been the only really stirring f...
Without Japan, video games would not be very fun. Atari's early work was important, but Japanese developers, publishers, and hardware makers were responsible for almost every major advance in video games for the first 25 years of their mainstream existence. In recent years, it has often been said that they have become less relevant than Western developers. In the indie games movement— (our area of greatest interest here at Indie Games Ichiban)—Japan does not have anywhere near the presence th...
Xe Systems, the Private-Defense-Contractor-Formerly-Known-As-Blackwater, has been busy attempting to re-brand themselves. They have a new name, several new sub-names, and have at least titularly shifted their focus to training rather than mercenary work. Controversial founder Erik Prince is no longer with the company, which is now owned by a large investment consortium.
Every Friday here at Indie Games Ichiban, I will feature a sampling of reviews from the mountains of indie and vintage games that have crossed my internet connection in the past week. Each week will have some sort of theme, this week being old school turn-based strategy games available on Steam.
Most employed in the game industry have two-word job titles that start with “game”—game designer, game producer, game critic, game tester, etc. Usually, they’re one or the other, even though some can be both a game designer and a game tester or game critic and game tester. And rarely does one person get to call themselves a “game everything”. Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw is the exception.
One of the biggest advantages iOS has over Android as a mobile platform is how readily and fully it has embraced mobile gaming. There are over 200,000 games available in the Apple store, compared to approximately 100,000 in the Android Marketplace. As an Android-using gamer, this has always bothered me.
Do you love video games? Would you devote your free time to creating your own game—one superior to the games you already have? Or at least one that has more Neil Patrick Harris jokes?
Like the press covering film and many other specialized fields, video game journalists use all sorts of jargon to convey to their knowledgable readers as much information about a game as quickly as possible. For non or newbie gamers, this can be extremely confusing.
Angry Birds might be the most visible video game franchise in the world today. It has sold 100 million units, as many as all the Sims games put together. It has been incorporated into board games, birthday cakes, and Israeli sketch comedy shows. And yet, this piece of seeming mass-media whoredom is an indie game. Wha?
In the mid '90s, there was no such thing as a widely available indie video game. Brick-and-mortar stores were the only places for consumers to buy games, and magazines were the only outlets to hear about them. For video game creators, the need for a publisher to market and distribute was logistically essential to attract players.
Following in the footsteps of great historical figures is a great way to learn about them. Michael Wood famously did so in the 1980's for his PBS documentary and book In The Footsteps of Alexander The Great. This March, UK-based marketing director Chris Worth completed a similar endeavor—not by tracing the path of a real-life emperor or explorer, but a humble video game character. One known simply as "The Courier".
In case you haven't noticed, I absolutely adore video games. Most of my friends don't, so to get my fix of knowledgable video game conversation I have turned to podcasts. They're free, they feature the smartest people in games journalism, and can be enjoyed while doing just about anything. Working. Walking the dog. Crying yourself to sleep. Whatever you're into.
Dual nurses? Random transformer shirt guy? White collar fighter? Fatso macho man? Super Mario? Ah, you must be playing Dong Dong Never Die!
The days of having to pay for video games are over. Generally, retail games are better because they're made with more effort and care than their free counterparts. But free browser-based game sites are insanely popular, specifically Kongregate, Armor Games, and the grandaddy of them all—NewGrounds. Despite not receiving funds directly from the players, they’ve become a profitable niche in the games industry. And that popularity has attracted more talent and money to the production of web game...
I am the sort of man whom game companies fall all over themselves to seduce. I'm sweaty, pale, awkward, and spend too much money on video games. There are many of us, especially among XBox 360 owners. We are the most stereotypically "gamer" group of console owners. The XBox 360 doesn't have motion control like the Wii or a blu-ray player like the Playstation 3. It just plays games really well. That's why hardcore gamers like me prefer it amongst all the consoles, and probably why Silver Dolla...
This has been something a few people have been messaging me about on my Youtube account so this tutorial shows you how to download Flash games. It is really easy and requires no coding. Just follow the steps and you will be on your way.
Today we pay homage to a phenomenon. One as diffuse and amusing as the internet itself, and as pointless as dog Halloween costumes. I'm speaking, of course, of giant games.
Introduction In the competitive world of today's video game scene, PC gamers are known to squeeze out the best possible visuals in their games. Every few months a new video card rolls out, and RAM is ever increasing; constant upgrading is the norm of staying ahead the curve. One of the most important things a PC gamer looks at is how many FPS (frames per second) he gets. It defines his gaming experience.
I will be adding the weekly mystery game/box/chest contents here with the newest on top for quick reference.
Not being much of a video game buff, I haven't been in the loop when it comes to the enormously popular game Red Dead Redemption. Apparently the game is completely dominant in video game sales. Since it's May 18 release, over 5 million units have sold, making it the most popular game since Modern Warfare.
Ni no Kuni is a gorgeous hand drawn and animated game coming to the PS3 and Nintendo DS. The story is about Oliver, a 13 year old who has lost his mother. Wishing for her to come back, a magical toy tells him that this might be possible and they set off on a journey in a parallel magical world. In the trailer above, the PS3 is able to almost match the visual quality of the cartoon animations originally made for cut scenes in the DS game.
From the makers of Bayonetta (Platinum Games) comes Vanquish, their Japanese version of Halo. Not quite sure if this is good or bad, but since they made Bayonetta, this might turn out to be a really good game game play wise. The story already looks juvenile from the video. I like the dash and cover system in the video, something I wish Halo, MW, and BF2 had in their games.
Good commentary can make anything interesting.
Learn one of the most popular drinking games: Quarters. All you need is beer, cups or shot glasses, and quarters. It's great for couples and groups. Play the drinking game "quarters".
How to build a multiplayer game using FPS Creator. Build a multiplayer game with FPS Creator.
Learn how to play the improve game "Lines from a Hat" at your next party in this free video that will keep your party guests entertained and thinking on their feet.
Learn how to play the improve game "Interrogation" at your next party in this free video that will keep your party guests entertained and thinking on their feet.
Learn how to play the improve game "Psychiatrist" at your next party in this free video that will keep your party guests entertained and thinking on their feet.
Learn how to play the improve game charades at your next party in this free video that will keep your party guests entertained and thinking on their feet.
Learn how to play the improv game "Slideshow" at your next party in this free video that will keep your party guests entertained and thinking on their feet.
Learn how to play the improve game "Throw the Story" at your next party in this free video that will keep your party guests entertained and thinking on their feet.
Learn how to play the improve game "Dress the Mummy" at your next party in this free video that will keep your party guests entertained and thinking on their feet.
Learn how to play the improve game "The Wind Blows For" at your next party in this free video that will keep your party guests entertained and thinking on their feet.
The most successful video game packaged with almost all Windows PC's is probably Minesweeper, so it was just a matter of time before someone figured out how to beat the system and detect all of those mines without getting blown to smithereens. This video shows you the trick to cheating at Minesweeper. It claims that all you have to do is open up the Minesweeper game and press "xyzzy" and then hold the "shift" button until a white pixel appears in the top left corner of your the blocks. Move t...
Mass Effect 2 may have been around for a whole year... but not on the PlayStation 3. And last Tuesday, January 18th, PS3 gamers finally got their hands on a copy of the critically acclaimed RPG. Actually, this is the first time any Mass Effect game has been available on the PS3, making this a historical event for BioWare.
Dominoes are a simple game to play with any number of players. This instructional video shows the steps of setting up and playing a game of dominoes. Watch this gaming how to video and learn how to play dominoes. Play dominoes wtih multiple players.
Have you ever heard of Jamaica? Of course you have. It's that island right next to Cuba and Haiti. Well, that's not really what I'm talking about though. I'm talking about the board game Jamaica. This video series will show you how to play the board game with a presentation of the playing cards, the game round, the action types, combat, cost of spaces, penury, treasures, and the end of the game.
