Today I have for you what is most likely the largest review I have ever done, and last count I am close to 250 of them, this thing is huge with 31 pages in it. For review today I have independent Games Vol2 from Moondance Games. The indie game festival recently ended and these games are the best of the bunch deemed so by a panel of judges. There are a lot of them here over 20 actually,I have tons of screenshots and in game movies for you to check out. This collection literally has something for everyone. If you are a gamer I would highly suggest you go out and get this collection, every game on here might not be for you but you will find quite a few that are highly enjoyable. The price of this collection is very low, and affordable for most anyone, considering all that you do get, seeing that most single games these days cost upwards of fifty dollars or more. Sit back, relax and enjoy the review…

Independent Games Vol2

Reviewed by: Kristofer Brozio AkA Dracos

Sponsor: Moondance Games

Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:

Independent Games: Volume 2

The second annual compilation of innovative games from the Independent Games Festival, the Sundance of the game world! With 21 games, all created by independent development studios, this is a fresh compilation for all types of gamers!

Ok, this is going to be a huge review, so grab a cup of coffee or whatever, sit back and relax and enjoy. I’ve got tons of screenshots and in game movies for you, essentially each page will be for one game, and yes I did sit and play every game on here!

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There are some very cool and very fun games in this collection, and there are a few where I have to ask HUH? Or WHY are they be included in this collection.. Overall there are more good games than bad ones… and some are over the top exceptionally fun and innovative.

This is all essentially a whole lot of mini reviews, some are long and some are short, I’ve included my own comments where needed.

A Better Look at Things

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First off we of course check out the box, or the packaging. The packaging is very professionally done, very colorful and informative.

Inside the box we find a single disc and installation instructions.

The front of the box is a tri-panel type box, it folds out to give you lots more information about what is contained on the disc.

The back of the box has more screenshots and some basic information.

Once you install the disc, and click the desktop icon you are greeted with a very nice and informative menu screen to select the games you wish to play. On the main menu you can see screenshots of the games, and all sorts of information about them.

That’s the packaging, cool looking, informative and very well done. Let’s jump right into this shall we?

The Games:

I’m doing this in sort of alphabetical order just to make things a bit easier, and it also kind of that way on the disc as well. First up we have: Acamar Campaign from Beteo game

Acamar Campaign Beteo Games

Description: Destroy asteroids and eliminate the alien threat in Acamar, in this modern 3d first person space shooter. As the captain, it is up to you to ensure the safety of the space stations in Acamar. Watch out for the alien motherships. Destroy them or be destroyed!

URL: http://www.beteogames.com 

Acamar is an interesting space flight simulation game that should keep you busy for many hours.

The game is very small in size but the graphics are very good, better than what I would have expected them to be.

Here are three in game movies for you to check out, these are the beginning of the game and a little into it.

Cool little game really, lots of fun if you like space sim games.

The Games:

Next up is:

Bubble Chamber

Description: Bubble Chamber is a logic/strategy game where the player clears the game area of circles by matching circles of the same color. However, if the circle you moved happens to overlap circles of a different color, more circles appear.

URL: http://www.cerebragames.com

Bubble Chamber is a fun, stylish, and addictive game that both children and adults can enjoy. The rules are simple: Get rid of all the circles by matching (overlapping) circles of the same color. The catch: If you overlap circles of different colors, new circles appear! Four levels of play with increasingly difficult rule additions will give you hours of challenging fun. 

Hardware and operating system requirements:

233 Mhz or greater CPU

256 MB of RAM

150 MB of hard drive space or greater

SVGA monitor with a screen resolution of 800×600 or greater

Video card with 256 colors

Mouse and keyboard

Windows 98,98SE, ME, NT, 2000, or XP (for Windows version)

MacOS 8 or better (for Macintosh version)

Speakers

http://members.cox.net/~jasontolbert/about.htm

No movies for this one, just a few screenshots…

The only drawback is that the game won’t go into full screen mode, when it does it only takes up a quarter of the screen.

the game is actually really cool, the idea is to pick up a colored ring and set it on top of another of the same color without touching any other rings. Harder than it sounds actually, if you do touch another ring, more rings appear.

The Games:

Camtankara is next, I can’t tell you to much about this game as I just could not get it to work for me. It loaded and I pressed every button and key. But nothing would happen. It sounds like a cool game though:

Description: CamTANKera – A combination of the words Tank and Camera, emphasizing the equal importance they have in the game. Pilot a tank through a dizzying network of cameras and view windows. Adapt to the interface faster than your opponents, for the lost are quickly dispatched by the found.

Here is the one and only screenshot I could get, the opening screen.

The Games:

Complements

Description: Complements is a puzzle game for two players in a realistic physics environment. It was created as an experiment in puzzle design. Complements represents my vision of what the future of puzzle games may look like. I hope that it will inspire others to create many new and interesting games.

URL: http://www.3d2k.com/complements/

Complements uses physics very well, it is very colorful, but kind of weird in that there is not much of a point to it… Here’s a screenshot and a couple movies for you to check out to judge for yourself.

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The Games:

Cute Knight Kishi Kawaii

Description: A casual role-playing and simulation game. Train in jobs and classes to raise skills, make friends, and find romance – then use those skills to conquer the monsters in the dungeon. Design and dress your unique character to reach one of fifty storybook endings. Can you make her a princess?

URL: http://www.hanakogames.com/knight.shtml

Cute Knight is an RPG type game with some pretty awful graphics or artistry in it, if you can get over that then you might actually enjoy the game. It is a very basic RPG, but you play a girl who is essentially lost, an orphan, and is trying to find herself and true place in life. Guys may not care for this game to much, but girls will like it.

Here’s a couple screenshots and the opening intro movie for you to check out.

The Games:

The next game I have is Dodge that Anvil, this game is just awesome, it’s fun, innovative and it’s like starring in your own cartoon. Yeah it might seem like just a lot of stuff re-hashed from other games and cartoons, but for what it is, it is excellent…

Description: Enter a unique cartoon world as the intrepid Harvester of Eastwarren! Collect enough carrots to survive the winter while avoiding the ever-increasing perils of the mysterious anvil storm. Make use of an assortment of wacky tools, from umbrellas to dynamite to watches that stop time!

URL: http://www.rabidlab.com/

Of course in the beginning you can enter your name, this will let you continue from where you left off if need be. This game is a really addictive little game.

It even features an option to enable ‘Toon Mode’ where it is just like a cartoon in that you really can’t be killed, just stunned a bit…

When you start up you get a little map screen to help track your progress.

The graphics are cartoonish but yet very well done, a whole lot of work went into this game. If for one game I would recommend buying this collection it would be this one, but there are more great games here as well.

And here is a movie clip of the intro from Dodge that Anvil:

The Games:

Next up we have Flatspace, which is sort of a space simulation game, RPG in some respects and RTS in others. It is a very good combination or a few different genres of games.

Description: Flatspace II is a 3D space trading game with a top down perspective. An open ended experience, players can trade, scavenge, bounty hunt, play space pirates and explore with the spaceship they command. Flatspace II is the long awaited sequel to the 2003 game Flatspace.

URL: http://www.lostinflatspace.com

I have two movies for Flatspace for you, the first is the intro:

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The second is in game, you have a little tiny ship on the screen with the ability to maneuver with thrusters and you also have guns, but you can pull up the map and warp to other places as well.

A lot of the games in this collection could be a full sized review in themselves, and this is one of those games. There are many aspects to it that I just can’t fit into this review. Be sure to visit the link above to check out the game some more. It is a game that many people will enjoy quite a bit.

The Games:

The Goat in the Grey Fedora

Description: "The Goat in the Grey Fedora" is the follow up to the award winning Point & Click adventure, "A Case of the Crabs". This time, detective Nick Bounty sets out to find a missing ceramic goat for the niece of a recently deceased lawyer. He soon finds out, however, that he isn’t the only one looking for it!

URL: http://www.otterarchives.com/bounty2

Developer: Pinhead Games (Pittsburgh, PA , United States)

The graphics of this game remind me a little of playing games on my old Commodore 64, they are very basic and could be a lot better with a bit more development. ‘Goat’ is a point and click style game that puts you as the detective Nick Bounty solving the latest case. The game is fun, and easy to play, while the graphics are not great, the game itself is worth playing.

The Games:

The next game I have is G-Spot Tornado, no doubt the name is a sort of tribute to the great Frank Zappa. Remember Tempest, it was one of my all time favorites games when arcades where the big things. G-Spot Tornado resembles Tempest but it is an improved version of it and just as much fun. (I’m really curious to see what my Google ads pull for this game title…..)

No movies for you, just a couple screenshots. The graphics aren’t great but they are forgivable as the game is a lot of fun to play.

The Games:

The next game would be Hot Potato Online.. Well it’s an online game, but I couldn’t find anyone online to play it with me.. so here are a few screenshots and some information about the game.

Description: Hot Potato Online is a fast paced arena sport game where players try to explode the opposition using a short-fused potato bomb. Think dodgeball with a grenade!

URL: http://www.hotpotatoonline.com

The Games:

Now we have Impulse:

Description: The player must place bombs and adjust their timers to make a ball hit the goal field. Obstacles, special elements and force fields provide varied levels. An interactive time line helps controlling the game by jumping to specific times and guarantees a flexible and unique gameplay.

URL: http://www.cerberos.de/impulse/

No movies here, more screenshots. Impulse is a very basic game, fun for a little bit but not much more than that. You put a bomb near a ball and try to get it to hit the target, that’s about it. Interesting, but not much replay value…

The Games:

Invadazoid is next up in our list, and as the title suggests it is similar to Space Invaders, it is actually a combination of Arknoid and Space Invaders with some cool graphics.

Description: Dive right into the action-packed, ball-slinging, alien-busting world of Invadazoid. Invadazoid combines the classic game of Space Invaders with the brick-busting fun of Arkanoid. You are sure to get addicted to at least one of the 4 exciting modes and over 70 levels of non-stop action.

URL: http://www.invadazoid.com

The main menu has buttons to change the options, check the high scores etc.

What makes this different is the numerous ways to play the game, there are several different modes of play to choose from, including ‘classic’ mode.

And I have two in-game movies for you to view.

The Games:

Kosumi is next, this might be considered another RTS type game as well, but it is set is feudal medieval Japan, and it is played online.

Description: Kosumi is an online TBS game for the busy Professional Adult. Game-play is relaxed, focusing on contemplating strategy and communicating with other players. Richard Garriott (aka Lord British) is an avid Kosumi player. He says Kosumi is the perfect way for busy professionals to play online. See if you agree!

Overview: Execute your best strategy in medieval Japan.

URL: http://www.kosumi.com

There are many aspects to the game and it can get very involved, you have to manage your kingdom, warriors etc.

The Games:

Mornings Wrath is a type of RPG game, it’s a 3D type game with quite a few aspects to it. The graphics are fairly well done, nothing groundbreaking but a lot of attention was paid to the details. Very nice looking and pretty fun to play.

Description: Morning’s Wrath is a Classic Adventure / RPG fusion. It combines rich story and puzzles with intense melee and spell-casting combat. Assume the role of Princess Morning of the Leowyn Kingdom and guide her on a quest to master the ways of magic and save her kingdom from invasion.

URL: www.MorningsWrath.com

Here’s a couple screenshots and in-game movies for you again:

The first movie is the game intro:

(mornings wrath intro)

and here are two in-game

The Games:

Mudcraft is up next, another RTS type game, but with a twist it’s made to be a non-violent game. It’s interesting to say the least….

Description: Mudcraft is a web-based, real-time strategy (RTS) game that challenges you to work with Mother Nature as you build a strong mud community while foregoing the violence associated with most RTS games. Mudcraft is a lighthearted game designed to be enjoyable to male and female players of all ages.

URL: http://www.mudcraft.com

The Games:

Next up we have NERO, this is a cool AI based RTS game, it’s a bit hard to get the hang of at first, but once you play it for a while it does get to be fun and interesting.

Description: In NERO, the player assumes the role of a drill sergeant and trains a team of robots in real time by adding level elements, interacting with the robots, and specifying overall team behaviors. Once the player is satisfied with his team, he can battle against other teams over the internet.

URL: www.nerogame.org

Neuro-Evolving Robotic Operatives (NERO)

I have two in-game movies for you showing the basics of the game.

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The Games:

Now we have Ocular Ink, it’s a very innovative and interesting game. The graphics are pretty good and gameplay is fun and very easy to learn.

Description: In a strange and twisted land where evil dismembered body parts roam the countryside, you play the role of a young paintbrush-wielding eyeball that is determined to free his home town from the fearsome clutches of the evil eye-pirate known far and wide as Patches Deadlights.

URL: www.pistachioproductions.com

And a couple quick in game movies for you to check out…

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The Games:

The next game is called Palette, it’s hard to describe, except that if you like making stained glass then you will really enjoy this game. Seriously though, this game fits into the puzzle genre of games, but it’s boring really. It’s innovative and imaginative yes, but slow and boring. It’s fun to check out and play for a bit but then the fun is over…

Description: Color is the essence of the gameplay in this game. The players will experience the simulation of mixing real paint. This game is not for brain but for eyes.

URL: www.HandMadeGame.com

The Games:

Pogo Sticker is up next, and this game is just goofy, plain and simple just goofy. You bounce your character around trying not to smash his head to hard or the game is over. Fun to play for a little bit but not really…

Description: Unique platformer where you must pogo to the goal as fast as possible.

URL: http://www.skinflake.com

Here’s a couple in game movies for you to see what I mean…

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The Games:

Puff Bomb is actually a cool and fun little game, it reminds me of a kids game, but it is kind of violent. The main character looks like a Pokemon character actually and you need to make him hit the target with the use of bombs. It’s actually really fun to blow the little guy across the screen, think of it as cruelty to Pikachu!

Description: An experimental puzzle/strategy/tweak game where you use the force of explosives to propel characters towards a goal.

URL: http://www.puffbomb.com

The Games:

Next up is Puppy Love and it’s terrible, honestly terrible… Just a very stupid and annoying little game…  Although it might make a great childrens game, but for adults, no.. I’d stay away from it…

Description: Puppy love is a puzzle game where you try to collect hearts of the same color one after the other. Your combo grows with every heart that matches the same color heart that was just collected. There are also multiple modes to increase the game play.

URL: http://puppylove.ebsgaming.com/

The Games:

Now we have Sharko from a company called Sleazysoft, with a company name like that you can expect a great game right?! Sort of..Sharko is a fun little game really, with graphics that are a combination of CG and real pictures. The ides is to eat or be eaten, it’s an addictive little game actually.

Description: Sharko is a fun and addictive fish fighting game where you must eat smaller fish to grow. As you grow you can eat larger and larger fish. A modern version of a classic addiction. If you eat them fast enough you can fill up the feeding frenzy bar and become a voracious eating machine! Be on the look out for helpful jellyfish and see if you can beat your high score! Upload your highest scores to see how you compete on a global scoreboard.

URL: http://www.sleazysoft.com

And here are a couple movies for you:

The Games:

Stomping Grounds is next, this game might not be cutting edge, but it is innovative and very fun to play. It sort of reminds me of The Lion King, but there is quite a bit of violence in here. Stomping Grounds is a combination of RTS and RPG games, and is a whole lot of fun to play.

http://www.mind-control.com/stompinggrounds/

The herd needs your leadership and skill to survive! Pick your animals and fight! Collect food to sustain, grow and upgrade your herd. Battle for the ancient totems. Play single player skirmish and campaign modes and battle other herds across the Internet for food and new recruits.

Stomping Grounds is a casual action-strategy game for the PC.

System Requirements

Minimum:

Supported OS: Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP (Stomping Grounds does not officially support Windows NT)

Tested Service Packs: Win XP – Service Packs 1 & 2

Processor: Pentium III 600 MHz

RAM: 128 MB

Minimum Screen Resolution: 800×600

Sound Card: recommended

DirectX Version: DirectX 7.0

Hard Drive Space: 12 MB

Recommended:

Processor: Pentium III 700 MHz

RAM: 256MB recommended for 2000/XP

Video Card: 3D Video Card with at least 4 MB Video RAM

DirectX Version: DirectX 8.0 or higher

I have a bunch of screenshots for you and a couple movies.

The Games:

Stunt Bike Island is a BMS type simulator game with some pretty cool graphics and excellent gameplay. If you are into these types of games then you will very much enjoy Stunt Island.

Description: Outrageous real-time 3D stunt-biking in a lush tropical setting! Spend a little quiet time on the islands launching yourself hundreds of feet into the air while pulling backflips, yahoos, deathboxes, tail whips and a boat-load of other insane stunts. Collect speed-boosts and other power-ups and jump over entire mountain ranges.

URL: http://www.StuntIsland.com

The Games:

Do any of you remember the Populous? I do and I still play it from time to time actually, the next game I have is called tribal Trouble and is similar to that. It is an RTS game that you can play against the computer or even online. It actually has aspects of Civilization in it it as well, kinds cool and fun to play. The graphics are well done too.

Description: Tribal Trouble is a fast paced realtime strategy game where you will find yourself pitted against your computer or online players. Your job is to lead your somewhat clueless kinsmen to new discoveries and victories as the tribal clashes rage across a group of tropical islands.

URL: http://tribaltrouble.com

And here’s a quick movie for you as well…

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The Games:

The next game up is Tube Twist, it is very cool and an unusual puzzle game that is very addictive and fun to play. Another great reason to buy this collection and this is one that could also be a full review in itself…

Description: Professor Jaymour, the renowned scientist working on Project TubeTwist, has gone missing! Reconstruct her experiments by building machines that will safely guide unstable Macroton particles through a maze of tubes, spirals, switches, and more. Can you solve the mystery of the professors disappearance before its too late?

URL: http://www.tubetwist.com

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I’ve got four movies for you for this one…

The first movie is the opening scene or intro.

The next three movies are just in-game stuff to check out…

Overall TubeTwist is very cool and very playable!

The Games:

The next game is called Unipong, I never knew there was such as thing a Unipong, but I found there is a whole organization dedicated to playing ping pong with yourself.. that being said, the game is just weird, I think you have to be an avid Unipong player to actually enjoy it… The characters remind me of Beevis and Butthead actually..

Unipong: The Road to Budokan

This is the official IUA sanctioned video game based on world’s fastest growing sport. Perform stunts and rack up points just like the Pros do. The game follows the career of Unipong’s fastest rising star Orlo Ansley. Real world physics and outrageous tricks make this the only Unipong video game to own. Download Unipong: The Road to Budokan from these great distributors:

http://www.unipong.com/merchandise.html#game

Here’s some screenshots…

The Games:

Wrestling Encore would be the last game to cover, and well it’s actually a pretty good game except the graphics are just horrible, something one might expect to see on the original NES system maybe. The soundtrack is really cool though…

Following the cult success of 2004’s Wrestling empire, the world’s biggest and most innovative wrestling simulator is back and better than ever for a Wrestling Encore! It takes the same revolutionary contract-driven career mode and fulfills its potential with improved graphics, animation, sound, and gameplay. Create your own wrestling wannabe from scratch, and then immerse them in a gigantic universe of over 200 wrestlers spread across 6 major promotions. Negotiate the big-money deals that will make you rich, win the high-profile matches that will make your name, and develop the backstage relationships that will determine your fate – as you play through an endless schedule of possibilities. Or simply blow off steam with the wildest in-ring action that a PC can handle – featuring up to 30 characters on screen, and up to 100 fully interactive items and weapons!

Here’s three movies for you…

The first movie is the opening introduction…

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The next two are in-game movies:

Overall it could be a great game, it brings back memories of when I was younger (a lot younger) watching WWF and all those on TV…

Summary:

Ok, so you made it through all that? Or did you just skip to the Summary? Anyway, overall this collection is excellent, yes there are a few games that I would be happy if I never played, but the good ones more than make up for the bad ones. You’ll find some excellent games in this collection that more than make up for the bad ones. Go and get it, you’ll be very happy you did.

DragonSteelMods gives Independent Games Vol2 a 5 out of 5 score and our Recommended Award as well.

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Pros:

-Lots of great games

-Cool innovative titles

-Many hours of fun

-Something for everyone in the family to enjoy

-Low Price

Cons:

-Some of these games are just downright bad….

DIGG IT to get the word out about Independent Games

I would like to thank Moondance Games for the chance to review Independent Games Vol2.

I also wanted to mention that all my YouTube game moves and other review movies are on my YouTube site HERE so stop by if you want to check them out, and be sure to subscribe to my channel as I post the movies before the review so you can get a sneak peek at what is coming next!!!!