Bytten "Ernie" Awards: 2006 - My Choices

Throughout the last year, I've had the opportunity to play and review a great many independantly developed PC games. Smiling all the while like Wonderland's smug feline, playful and bouyant with nary a worrisome thought... and then, Seattle's heavily-leaden January snow-clouds transition into bothersome rain. Time marches through the puddles of March and - bright rays of radiant sunshine herald a brilliant artist's pallete of Spring blooms. Animals leap and dance joyously with garlands of flowers in expectation! April is upon us all!

And I must choose those games that merit an Ernie.

I'm most sure I've suffered many a restless night in tormented thought, pulled at tufts of hair in frustration (after all, something is thinning the noggin rug), and someone must be gnawing at my fingernails whilst I've been dilemma-bound (now that's just plain wierd!). But I have chosen. The two award-winners offered here are games that evoked a "Whoa! Like... huh, that's way cool, dude!" in me. Enough. Here they are:

Virtual Marbles - Most Original Game.

I have seen many games involving marbles (Marble Madness, etc.), and I've not run into a game that is just a straightforward game of marbles. I would tend to think that any developer attempting to render a game of marbles would be fearful of creating a game that could be considered, er, "boring". However, Icon games provides the player with three "classic" games of marbles to choose from and a variety of settings to play in.
Furthermore, the player will hear not just one but numerous music tracks, an opportunity to play with realistic marbles, and if your looking for human opponents there is an online multiplayer option available or all of you can share the same keyboard (I've not seen that since M.U.L.E.!). When all of these elements are blended together with an artistic touch, you suddenly have an original PC game experience that transcends age and gender. I would never have guessed that a game of Marbles played on a PC would be a good idea- but this is a refreshingly darn good game!



RIP - Most "More-fun-than-a-barrel-of-Monkeys" Game.

Every year I see a great many games made by independent developers. Whether these games are those that I read about and see, try-out due to curiosity, or those that I review, it is always an exciting experience when I am taken completely off-guard by a game. For myself, when I am surprised by a game's playability and fun-factor, it is something to cheer about when so many games come close to the mark, but miss because the developer failed to take a game-genera and make it uniquely their own. White Elephant Games has taken the tried-and-true game environment (the top-down shooter) and cranked-out something both astonishingly unique and terrifyingly fun in the form of their game, RIP.
Had I not have had to review this game, I'd never have played this game, so I am grateful for my chance encounter with RIP. White Elephant molded a game that combines a good and funny sound environment, a whole-bunch of gameplay options, a healthy dose of light-hearted violence (?!?) and non-stop action. I have not run into a game this furious and funny in a long time, hence this game has dutifly earned the "More-fun-than-a-barrel-of-Monkeys" award. Well done!


When all is said and done, I want to give a sincere THANKS! to all of the Independant Game developers that have put thier dreams, hard-work, and talent into creating the games that I have played, still play, and will play (somewhen or another). Thanks for all of the FUN!

Like, Dude... huh... you're in space, man!

So, when I am not at work toiling away, reviewing games, and cleaning-up after animals, I like to take a few moments and play games of my own choosing. There are so many game choices from the Indie Community to... well, uh... to choose from, but choose I do. Fact is, I have not bought a game from Commercial developers in quite some time! Nevertheless, like many gamers, I've a favorite niche that I stick to in the game world and it is difficult to choose sometimes when a great many game titles are so good. Now, from time-to-time I stray from my niche, but not too often. Oh yeah, the niche. Space games- I adore open-ended freeform space games. So, along with game previews, gaming news, and the annual "Ernie" awards (my choices for 2006 will be up soon!), I think this blog is a great place to occasionally provide favorable mention to some of the Indie Game Communities' tastier offerings in the above-mentioned niche.

First up, a very busy Independent developer- Starwraith 3D Games. This indie developer has made several first-person space-games ranging from mission-specific military-based games (currently Starwraith 3 and Starwraith 4 are available) to more open-ended with missions available, mercenary/trader games (currently Riftspace and Evochron Alliance represent this category). Folk that know me well know that the open-ended with mission category is my favorite, but I've had a great time with Starwraith 3 as well. With so many game choices about in this genera, allow me get a bit more focused and further describe what sets these Indie space games apart from the pack.

Riftspace is a game wherein you play a mercenary. You have the ability to travel from star-system to star-system picking and choosing missions as you please- and there are many systems to travel to. You start alone, but can buy ships as you earn cash and hire pilots to fly with you- manage them well, for you will then step into the world of being a consummate businessman/mercenary- and there are many ways to have your pilots make money for you. There are of course several ships to choose from as well as a good selection of outfits for them as well. There is an ultimate goal to the game of hunting for alien artifacts, but I will not tell more- go check out the game for yourselves. The game is fun, and fun is everything in a game.

Next up, Evochron Alliance. In a nutshell, Evochron Alliance is seat-of-your-pants starship piloting like Riftspace. Offering the player multi-player and single-player campaign/free-form options, you'll be kept plenty busy for a long time. As with Riftspace, you have many star-systems to travel to and buy/sell commodities, explore, battle, and take on many different mission-types. Feeling the need to explore even more? Wel,l this game allows the player to create his/her own star-systems or you can download fan-made systems. As a player, I could ramble on-and-on about the depth and complexity of this title but instead I'll just point you in the appropriate direction and let you explore the rich gameplay of these titles yourself.

'Nuff said. Go have some fun!

Drumroll Please!

With this being the first entry on this blog, I cannot think of a better way to start than by providing none other than some gaming news for everyone!!! So, for those that regularly frequent Bytten, you will recall that on the twelfth of March (yes, you guessed it- 2006!) I previewed a game from White Elephant Games- one RIP: Strike Back. For those fans of the first game that are eagerly awaiting this release, well, wait no more. RIP: Strike Back was officially released March 31, 2006- so head on over to White Elephant Games and go satisfy your need for destruction and mayhem.


AND since there is a great deal of house-keeping and dust settling happening both here and at good 'ol Bytten.com you'll now find that which I've written under the heading of "Previews & Articles" here- right here. Actually, it (since I've only one article at Bytten I can get away with the singular "it") is down there, below this line... scroll please... cool.

RIP: Strike Back
Preview

No peace, no rest
Those frequenting Bytten may recall White Elephant's game RIP (Rest In Peace) was recently reviewed here. Well, it seems that RIP won favor among game-players as well - in what seems a short span of time, White Elephant has announced it is soon to release an over-the-top sequel to their game called RIP: Strike Back.

Back with a vengence
I have recently had the opportunity to give the pre-release version of the sequel a mighty workout- here is a glimpse at what I found... . At first, I felt as though I had returned to a familiar realm- the graphics are similar to the first game, the same three playable characters are here, and the game continues to offer a "story" and "rush" mode. However, this is where the similarities end.

This time around, your character can move in four directions on a scrolling battlefield with the ability to use the terrain to your advantage. Some levels offer the opportunity for your character to transition from walking to sitting in a stationary gun-platform or other moving vehicles in order to create more chaos among the hordes of enemies.

RIP: Strike Back is more attentive to visual details adding more "spice" to the gameplay. As levels progress, the game you'll find many other goodies in the form of spells, power-ups, and creatures. As with the first game, the enemies are relentless and the gameplay can be very intense, leaving you breathless.

If you found yourself a fan of the first game, you will certainly have fun with the sequel. Take some time and head over to White Elephant Games website and keep tabs on this game- you may find yourself blown-away. In the meantime, get your rest 'cause a battle is just over the horizon!

Come back regularly! I'll do my best to be the Eyes 'n Ears of the World and serve 'ya up a Heaping Scoop of Indie Game STUFF! Until next time... .