Something that bothers me about XBLIG is that too few good games get the spotlight. For some reason, some really good games get passed over in favor of games like "Z0MBIES" (which anyone who knows me knows I'm not a huge fan of) and "Missile Escape." The front channel even advertises crap games like "Try Not To Fart." And this angers me. These games aren't interesting. In many cases, they're one off jokes, and they don't interest me in the slightest.
So, I'm going to quickly go over some XBLIG games that I have enjoyed a lot and have been passed over in Top Rated and in the news.
Lumi
Lumi is actually the reason I'm writing this post, as I feel as it's being completely overlooked and underrated. The first thing that stuck me about Lumi is that it's really pretty. The second thing that struck me is that it has a really interesting movement mechanic which makes up most (not all) of the gameplay. You move by attaching yourself to spinning disks, and then launching yourself out. You're attracted to disks by using the same color (one of the triggers) and repelled by using the opposite. You move around like this, collecting fireflies to relight the world, attacking evil bosses along the way.
The only reason that I feel that Lumi is anything short of a 5 star game (it's certainly better than "Missile Escape") is that people are rating it low because it has the highest price point available on XBLIG. But I've played Arcade games less pretty, less polished, and more frustrating than Lumi. I feel like it deserves a bit more recognition.
Ninja Bros
Ninja Bros was recommended to me by friend and former colleague Darius, and it's actually really awesome. The gameplay is simple: you have a ninja that you can move around, and he jumps with a given button. Get him to the exit. What makes the game interesting is when you're controlling multiple ninjas. Each of them is controlled by the same thumbstick, but each has a separate jump button. In harder levels, you have to coordinate each ninja, when they jump and when they move, to try to get everyone to the exit in a reasonable about of time.
The game is surprisingly complex for something so simple, and it gets to be very hard. It's definitely worth paying for and playing through.
Miner Dig Deep and Soul Caster
Both of these games are on the Top Rated, so I won't take too much time going over them.
Miner Dig Deep isn't that interesting except in its polish. The game is the definition of grind, but it does it very well, and thus deserves a mention.
Soul Caster is an interesting twist on the RPG / Tower Defense genre. I hate tower defense games, but I enjoyed Soul Caster, which is saying something.
Others?
What to others think? What XBLIG games aren't getting their fare share? Have I missed something I actually might enjoy?
I’ve been playing a couple XBLIG games recently.
Breath of Death VII is a perfectly decent, streamlined, fast-paced Dragon Quest I clone. Not normally my thing but they’ve streamlined the mechanics enough that it’s actually kind of fun, and the story is pretty humorous.
Aah Little Atlantis is a fun strategy game about indirectly influencing islanders to move around a map while the water level rises.
I played BoD VII, and it was going to make the list, but I realized that it wasn’t fun enough for me. It was too much of a Dragon Quest clone and I never felt quite drawn in enough to play it past the first town.
I’ll have to check out Aah Little Atlantis.
Hello Jeff, this is Maximinus, the creator of Missile Escape.
I understand that Missile Escape is not your favorite game
. Fair enough. Could you explain us what is it you don’t like about it?
Have a good day,
Hey Maximinus,
I’m not saying Missile Escape is a bad game. Far from it. It’s way better than probably 90% of games on the service. There’s just nothing to it. Same as Z0MBIES, in my opinion. Granted, I only played the trial so maybe I missed something, a level of complexity that occurs later in the game?
What’s upsetting isn’t the recognition Missle Escape is getting, which may be will deserved, but more the recognition other games aren’t getting. Can you honestly tell me, personal feelings aside (which, I know, when talking about your own game is hard to do) that Missile Escape is better and /or more interesting than Lumi or Ninja Bros?
Hi, I’m happy to have a healthy debate here. I’ve not tried Lumi nor Ninja Bros, so I can’t speak about them. I’ve seen their trailers, and Lumi looks to have great graphics.
As regards Missile Escape, I hope the trial is a good representation of the whole game, there’s nothing more complex not included in the trial. I can send you a redeem code if you want the full version. Its gameplay is quite radical and if you don’t like it to begin with, you’ll certainly find it repetitive and boring. However, if you like this type of gameplay, I dare say there is depth into it, and if you want to defeat the highest levels, you’ll have to think about some dodging strategies.
Finally, rather than trying to rate Lumi or Ninja Bros against my own game, I’d like to share with you my favorite games on Xbox Indies :
- Pixel Boarder
- Qoccer
- Your Doodles Are Bugged!
- Minigolf Mania
- Motor Heat
There are some great games, and most of them are made by very small teams (1-3 persons).
Bye,
(send me an email @ games@maximinus.fr if you want a redeem code)
Hey Maximinus,
Thanks for the offer, but as you said I’ll almost certainly find it repetitive and boring
I will definitely check out the listed games. I know of Your Doodles Are Bugged! and it’s definitely a cool game, and, again, it makes me sad that it’s so far down on the list of top rated games.
It’s not exclusive to XBLIG, but Floatilla is fantastic.
And while the concept is a bit better than the execution, I still adore Moon Taxi.
Whoops, let’s try that Floatilla link again.