Posts tagged with “xbox”

Got an XBox 360, and want a fun old school platform puzzler for $3? Then go onto the indies channel (XBLIG) and download Escape Goat, the latest offering by Magical Time Bean.

In escape goat you star as an inexplicably purple colored goat who has been imprisoned for witchcraft. Teaming up with a small mouse with a taste for magic hats you have to navigate and escape from 64 puzzle rooms using a relatively simple rule set of jump, dash, push button, avoid fireball. The game shines because the level design is fairly tight and most of the levels are fun and interesting to play, and the few bits of dialog you encounter are relatively amusing.

My gripes with the game are few; the graphics aren’t very impressive, some of the critical elements blend into the background too much, and the game elements all have a similar look and feel (for instance, keys and magic hats look almost identical). However none of these points are damning, and we found ourselves coming back to this for more on a regular basis until we beat the game. The title even comes with a level editor that is surprisingly easy to use and fun to make your own levels.

If you are an indie fan and want a puzzler then this is certainly one to get. And for $3 it’s pretty damn cheap. Go on XBLIG and grab it now!

Oh yeah, and if you like the game’s music (composed by the dev, mixed by Chainsaw of Twisted Pixel fame) then you can grab it for whatever you want here.

Ever feel like your video games don’t have enough consipracy theories, secret illuminati like societes, meditating aliens, or insane “spiritual” rambling? Well never fear, because Esoterica America has got you covered. YEAH!

I’ve never seen a video game that has managed to continually surprise us as much as Esoterica America. Here’s a partial list of the things you’ll do in the game:

• Meditate through various underground societies scattered throughout Washington DC
• Talk to your dead father
• Listen to a space fetus pontificate on life
• Help a stuttering former soccer superstar get over his past shame for missing an important goal
• View a picture of Jesus riding a velociraptor, with the caption “Never Forget”
• Tell a man that he should stop being so racist and should love his gay son
• Enjoy some hilariously over the top voice acting
• Ride on a public transit bus that sounds like a jet
• Communicate with aliens via crystal ball
• See several frames of animation
• Sing Bob Marley songs

Really, I don’t think any review of the game can do it justice. If you play this you will find yourself constantly surprised and, most likely, frequenly laughing (especially if you play with friends). The game costs $3 on Xbox Live Indie Games and is definitely worth checking out.

Score: 4 out of 5 masonic hieroglyphics. Buy it and play it if you really want to see something different.

Conventional wisdom is that the XBox Live Indie Games channel (XBLIG) is generally a grab bag of crap. The games there tend to be lower quality, have worse production value, have short gameplay experiences with little or no replay value, and frequently either lack in originality or are so far off the deep end in terms of creativity that they aren’t even fun. Don’t get me wrong – it’s great that Microsoft made a channel where anyone can create and post games (though I’m annoyed at them co-opting the phrase “indie games” for their own use), and I think that it can be a terrific learning experience for new developers to have to opportunity to commercially release a game to the masses through the channel. But the unfortunate upshot is that most users tend to regard XBLIG as home to garbage.

But there are good games there, if you know where to look! Recently we’ve been playing Ninja Bros at the office. It’s a short and fun puzzle platformer in which you control 2 to 4 ninja brothers in their never ending quest to push buttons, open doors, and then exit the level. The game is quite tricky though, as all the brothers move in unison whenever the left joystick is moved, and all have separate jump buttons. From this simple premise the game developers have crafted some incredibly fun levels that really explore the mechanic, and completing each level is quite rewarding. Add in some simple yet polished and appealing pixel art and you’ve got a real winner of a game.

Ninja Bros cost $1 (only!) and is a real steal. I strongly recommend picking it up and seeing what one of the best games on XBLIG looks like. You’ll have a great time playing!

Tired of working for a big studio that doesn’t appreciate the work that you do? Were you caught in one of the recent rounds of layoffs? Do you know you could be a terrific leader given the chance? Do you want to join the indie revolution and make awesome games that are a ton of fun and not just some run-of-the-mill shooter?

Then apply to us! We’ve got an opening for an art director and we want to get a new superstar to join our team. Want the details? HERE THEY ARE MY FRIEND.

We’re looking for an artist with 3+ years of experience making console video games, specifically with the PS3 and/or Xbox 360. Strong proficiency with 3DS Max, Photoshop, and Illustrator required (bonus if you know Maya, After Effects, and of course MS Paint). Animation, 3D modeling, and character skills should be exceptional. We would prefer if you’re also great at environmental work and 2D illustrating/concepting, but the 3D stuff is more important. Moreover we need someone who can manage a small 2-3 person art team and make sure that everyone is producing shipping quality assets and working efficiently.

Compensation and Benefits

- Competitive start up wages
- Super generous stock options – you’re getting in on the ground floor of an up and coming studio
- Kickass health care
- 3-4 weeks vacation time, and sick time on top of that
- We only work ~45 hours/week. Really! You can have a life outside of work!
- An environment where you’re part of a small team and get to make real design and creative decisions. You’ll no longer be a cog in the machine!
- Lots of yummy food, snacks, and drinks in the office

To apply, please send your resume and portfolio to jobs [at] firehosegames dot com.