There seems to be a never ending list of indie and arcade games on Xbox Live. This means that there are many games of a questionable quality; games with such titles as ‘Procrastinating Squirrel’, ‘Candies Vs Hypno Deer’ and ‘FAT’. I also came across two which appealed to my slightly lurid sense of humour; ‘The Fantastic Fivesome’ and ‘Depth Attack’, which to be honest sound like old corny X-rated films. These games might be brilliant with a magnificent gaming experience… But if I am to be honest I did not take the time to download the trials, never mind the full game.
Ther are some little gems hiding between these games, you just have to rifle through the terrible remakes of old retro games and the Minecraft but not Minecraft, Minecraft-y games (now say that five times quickly). I know some people may disagree with the following games that I am about to show, but I am relatively new to Xbox and these are my personal favourites that I have found over the past few months. If you know of better then let me know! For I shall have a gander at them!
Phantom Breaker: Battlegrounds
Phantom Breaker: BG is a side-scrolling game with a similar feel to the Scott Pilgrim side-scroller, though I found it all the more enjoyable to play. As you level up your character you are awarded points to spend on various powers. Some of these powers are a little crazy towards the end of the skill tree, but this is all good as it enables your cute little Chibi character to become super kick ass!
I found the gameplay to be a little hectic at times and I spent the majority of the game in a fog of confusion as to what I was attacking and where I was on the screen but this, rather than casting a shadow over the game, seems to add to the whole experience. Another great addition is you unlock various characters as you go; this means that the game play doesn’t get old.
The Black Knight Sword
Well, I don’t think words could ever describe The Black Knight Sword. I honestly just recommend that you stop reading this blog and you download the trial. This game is, in my opinion, entirely unique; I have never seen or experienced anything like it and I honestly don’t know quite where to start in explaining it.
You play as a man who takes on the role of the Black Knight to defeat the White Princess, and the backdrop takes on the feel of the theatre. The game is difficult at times but its quirky nature and abundance of blood make up for its difficulty- I am currently having a hard time defeating a giant egg-shaped head with wings while my character rides a chicken that shoots eggs and fruit out of its mouth. Oh you also collect ‘cat head grass’ which serves no purpose other than to dance when you select the ‘cat head grass’ option in the main screen.
The Undergarden
Normally games contain some ounce of destruction, there are bosses or bad guys to defeat and normally we get frustrated at those annoying levels that we just cannot beat, but this game is one of pure beautiful, relaxing creation. A game of Zen.
You play as a floating creature that pollinates flowers in his Undergarden world, the flowers contrast with the dark tones of the game by being bright and neon-coloured, and the puzzles offer a slight challenge.
It might sound a bit… boring? But this game just has something about it which makes it an absolute pleasure to play and is something that I would recommend to anyone who is experiencing game rage.
Escape Goat
Well… I came across this the other week, it’s only a short game and easy to complete but the journey is just brilliant. From the music to the story line I just adored this game. It was just quirky and quaint. You play as a purple goat who has been imprisoned for witchcraft. Yup! And aiding your escape is your sidekick: a magical mouse, who, if you find a magic hat, can teleport places with you.
Your mission? To conquer the puzzles and save at least seven brothers of a sheep in order to make your escape!
This game is magical and charming and I was kinda disappointed it ended so soon.
Limbo
A massive F-T-W of a game! I loved the unique art style and dark evil feel of the game. My partner’s way of selling it to me was “You’ll love it. It’s so depressing to play!” SOOOO I jumped right on that and begun playing it!
This dark, grey toned, screen cap is the basic feel of the whole game. You play a boy who has set off to find his missing sister. First you get chased by a giant spider and then you come across other children that want to kill you. You take fall damage, can be electrocuted, can’t swim, get impaled regularly, trapped in deadly bear traps and see all manner of horrors.
The game was amazing, addictive and intense; you die fairly regularly but the game has regular checkpoints. The only thing that let it down was the ending. No spoilers.
Fez
Fez’s are cool you know?
The Doctor would love this game, you play as a skinny Adipose wearing a fez! No? Well really you play as Gomez who lives in a 2D world when a magical artefact gives him a magical Fez that allows him to perceive the 3D world. This is where it gets confusing: you see a 2D screen but when you press one of the action buttons your world rotates and you view another 2D side of the 3D world.
This screen shot shows the world in mid turn. It’s a cleverly made game with a lot to do! I never managed to figure everything out in this game. There are some really complex puzzles that I never managed to get through!
Warp
Finally, a game I found immensely amusing because I am a sick, sick person…
You play as a cute little alien that has been trapped by the humans in a government complex. In order to escape you can do one of two things! You can either warp through everything, leave everyone alive and prove yourself to be better than the humans that imprison and torture innocent aliens or you can do the amusing thing and go through the levels warping into humans and making them explode. With bloody consequences. I chose the latter and my partner was highly freaked out by the amount of giggling I did while I went on a mass rampage of carnage!
Finally if you have made your way through this blog post, well done! Instead of cookies I think you deserve to log onto your Xbox and download ‘The Most Addicting Sheep Game’. This is your reward. =D
*Leaves the blog giggling evily.*
