Favorite "Indie" Games

hEad · #1 June 18th, 2009, 10:04 AM

Seeing the recent fav game thread and the Rogue one that was floating around awhile ago, I would like to hear about some of your favourite indi games.

In my later game playing years I have struggled to find a good game to play down at the local EB games shop, hell, it’s even getting to the point where the PC section is a small segment tucked up the back, flanked by the acreage of console offerings.

Digital download or ordering online is now my only means of buying a game. I've played a fair bit of Armageddon Empires and crazy amounts of Dom3 in the last 12 months but am now ready to have a look at some else.

Something in the strategy / sim genre, any topic - space, historic, fantasy, but I would prefer titles that are secret gems, you know, those games you stumble across and wonder how they escaped you for so long.

Baalz · #2 June 18th, 2009, 10:16 AM

Wierd worlds (another shrapnel game) was pretty fun.
http://www.shrapnelgames.com/Digital...W/WW_page.html

There's also several people from the dominions community who play starchamber:
http://starchamber.station.sony.com/

thejeff · #3 June 18th, 2009, 10:24 AM

Mandatory plug for Dwarf Fortress.

Agema · #4 June 18th, 2009, 10:36 AM

Great for fun although it's not hugely difficult, try Plants vs. Zombies by Popcap.

Plenty of free online games too. I know several people who play Ogame (www.ogame.org) which is about building a space empire. There's the old classic Urban Dead where you get to be a zombie or survivor (www.urbandead.com), there's a more detailed and rather superior game along similar lines called Nexus War (www.nexuswar.com) although membership is in precipitous decline. There are always also fun little online games like Desktop Tower Defenc(/s)e, or Spin The Black Circle, all easily Googleable.

Illuminated One · #5 June 18th, 2009, 11:06 AM

Soldat. Name says everything - except that it has Chainsaws and Jetpacks and Tactical Trenchwar, Dodge the Knife and other fun game modes.

http://www.soldat.pl/en/

edit: Oops, not really a strategy title...

Sombre · #6 June 18th, 2009, 11:38 AM

So does it have to be for the PC?

Gandalf Parker · #7 June 18th, 2009, 09:20 PM

Rising Star
Different little time killer. No blood and gore. You create a garage band and try to make it big. I get a kick out of creating themed bands. The genre, the outfits, the name of the band, the names of songs. I love having the whole thing fit a specific theme.

VGA Planets 4
The ultimate game for spreadsheet gamers. More numbers and statistics than anyone can keep track of. Its been in beta since 2001 when I bought my pre-purchase serial for it. Steady development but they keep adding features. I think it will never be finished because it is now too complicated for anyone but the most insane gamer to ever try and learn it. Therefore worth mentioning to the Dom3 crowd.

Brain Pipe
Available here. A game for the wired people. Strange graphics, interesting music. Played more by mood than mind.

Tranquility
Also a very different type of game. The description would be much like Brain Pipe but the mood is the exact opposite. If you try to play it wound up you will fail. Very relaxing. Almost feels like bio-feedback. It always brings to mind that line from Start Trek "Do you know the secret of playing it? Dont fight it. It almost plays itself"

Gandalf Parker
--
Get a life? No thanks. Just had one.
Im retired now and get to play games all day. (envy me)

S.R. Krol · #8 June 18th, 2009, 10:18 PM

With links in the titles...

Battleship Chess (Apezone)

I haven't played in a while but when this first came out I was hopelessly addicted. WWI-era naval combat with card play and power ups/bonuses. Pretty much all Apezone games are good, though for some reason I just couldn't get too into Starship Kingdoms. Will have to play it again to see if it clicks more for me now.

Lexaloffe Games

More puzzle games than strategy but highly addictive. Chocolate Castle is a great game, one of those that you keep thinking about long after you close it down. Just when you think you're stuck suddenly you're at lunch and the "ah ha!" moment hits and you can't wait to get back into the game.

Battle of Tiles (Bimboosoft)

Odd fantasy strategy game where you create an army of tile based units and march across the board, hopefully annihilating everything in your path. While not a game you'll play forever it's cheap enough and unique enough to keep you entertained off and on.

Wings Over France (RooGames)

Only have played the demo, been meaning to purchase the whole shebang. Basically a cross between Dawn Patrol and the old SSI game Eagles. It's based on a boardgame though I'm not familiar with the source material. Essentially a turn based WWI flying RPG set during Bloody April. Primitive graphics but gameplay up the yin yang.

People's General WW2

Free total conversions using the People's General engine. You have WW2 mods, ACW, WWI, and even Napoleonic warfare. Mileage and quality of scenarios vary (I couldn't get the WWI one to work and the Nappy one leaves something to be desired). All free and standalone.

sansanjuan · #9 June 18th, 2009, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hEad

Seeing the recent fav game thread and the Rogue one that was floating around awhile ago, I would like to hear about some of your favourite indi games.

In my later game playing years I have struggled to find a good game to play down at the local EB games shop, hell, it’s even getting to the point where the PC section is a small segment tucked up the back, flanked by the acreage of console offerings.

Digital download or ordering online is now my only means of buying a game. I've played a fair bit of Armageddon Empires and crazy amounts of Dom3 in the last 12 months but am now ready to have a look at some else.

Something in the strategy / sim genre, any topic - space, historic, fantasy, but I would prefer titles that are secret gems, you know, those games you stumble across and wonder how they escaped you for so long.

Don't let the name throw you.... "Bookworm Adventures" by Popcap games. Free trial for an hour. It's Scrabble with hammers.

http://www.popcap.com/games/bookworm...0_5_A_07_01_08

-ssj

the Vanishag · #10 June 19th, 2009, 01:11 AM

Here are a few of my "hidden gems," expanded from my post to the "favorite games" thread.

1. Laser Squad Nemesis - from the Gollup brothers, who created X-Com. Free demo, cheap to try, continuing requires a subscription but it's $40 for a year, not $30/month.

2. Battle for Wesnoth - open source (therefore, free!) Fantasy TBS: not like Dom 3, it's played in skirmishes or campaigns on hex maps and no "world map" or research.

3. Endgame: Singularity - also open source. It's like X-Com without the squad combat - you play as a spontaneous AI, trying to self-realize before paranoid humans wipe you off the net. A much smaller and shorter game than LSN and Wesnoth, but all the more a must-play for that.

I mostly find out about new indie games from Play This Thing! and I;m not just plugging it because my review of Dom 3 will be going up sometime soon (I offered to review Dom 3 for them because it was the only really cool "new" computer game I've found in the past two years that they haven't reviewed).

For retro/abandonware, I've given up on Home of the Underdogs and have found http://www.abandonia.com/">Abandonia to be great. I'll play Nobunga's Ambition someday, I really will.

Ok, that's enough from me.

I need to go to sleep.