Side View Generator

This game is a bit strange, but very straight forward at the same time. All you do, is type in a name, object, or anything random, and the results you get from the generator can either be funny, confusing, or, it doesn't make sense. Depending on subjects to think about, it will never run out of things to say (although you do get the occasional same word)

The screenshot may not look fascinating, but I promise you'll have fun with this.

Play The Side View Generator

Super Meat Boy! (New Site & Blog)

Remember that post I made a while back about Meat Boy on Wii Ware? Well, I was right! Edmund Mcmillen, Tommy Refenes, and Jon Mcentee are in development with their latest game, now titled, Super Meat Boy. The game will be released on both the Wii and PC. Until recently, the team has released a new site, and a new development blog, so check them out already!

Original Meat Boy (Flash)

Super Meat Boy Official Site

Super Meat Boy Development Blog

Interview: Banov

Today, I had the honor of interviewing Banov (Of Assassin Blue fame)
Here's how it went:

David: Just for people that don't know about you, can you explain a little bit about yourself?

Banov: I'm Banov. I'm a cool attractive guy who makes kickass games.

David: Why and when did you start making games?

Banov: I started making games in 2005... As I remember, I had a web comic, and I wanted to make a game using the characters in it. I searched around for a program to do it with, and found Game Maker. I dropped the web comic game and started working on other things, and bam... Now I'm here today, ignoring my web comics and doing nothing but game design.

David: What are some of your favorite indie game developers?

Banov: Hmmm. You know, I hate to sound like everyone else, but I really like cactus.

He has some bad games. But when he's good, he's good. Usually when I find a good game by someone, I'll check out their other stuff and find that it's less impressive. So it's rare I follow a game developer. I have my game making buddies, though. Watch out for brod, LeonsBuddyDave, bear1991... you might see them at the top of the featured list someday.

David: How did you get the idea for Assassin Blue?

Banov: I had the character Blue in my head for a few years. I'd planned to put him in a bunch of games--including Wolf--but he always ended up getting cut. So I decided to make a game just for him. Around the same time I was getting into platformers again, and so I thought I'd just make it happen.

David: Were you inspired by other games at the time of development?

Banov: When it came to game's basic concept, I drew from No More Heroes, Mario games, and Fancy Pants Adventure.
I wanted a game where the main character was just really, really badass. And when you played as him, you felt really, really badass. So, everything was made with "This is going to be awesome!" in mind.

David: How long it take to make Assassin Blue?

Banov: I made the basic engine in about 2 weeks, and I spent a lot of time trying to get a background artist, and I actually had one(See Snapshot), but then he decided to disappear for a few months, and then I quit the game… A few months later, I picked it up again, gave up on spriting backgrounds and resorted to the next best thing. 6 months later... it was done. And my soul was depleted 15%.

David: Was Red an original character, or was he simply made to contrast to Blue?

Banov: When I started the game, I took the story really seriously... and I wanted to do some serious moral questioning about a killer who thinks it's just to kill. Red was there, basically, to show Blue the wrong way of going about things. So yeah, he was there essentially as a contrast to Blue.

David: Did you ever think it would become so popular?

Banov: I thought Wolf was going to be my breakout hit, but it wasn't. But when Assassin Blue became this popular, it was really a pleasant surprise. It's good to be a popular game developer... Until next week when the next big game comes out, and I'm forgotten forever…

Xycle on Bytejacker!

It's been a while since I've posted, but I have some great news! My game, Xycle has been nominated for Free Indie Rapid Fire on Bytejacker! If you like the game, make sure to vote for it!

There are also some very great games nominated as well:

Evacuation (Ryan Chisholm and Benzido)

Squid Yes! Not so Octopus! (Robert Fearon)

(Click the pic to go to the video)

Edit: Eh, I got third place, but it's nice that it even got featured on the show!

Sea of Soil

A maze game at it's heart, Theta Games' Sea of Soil is very innovative by the way that you play/create levels. Since each level is simply an image, there are numerous possibilities in making levels. Although, for the stages to work, you must follow certain color patterns: Walls are 100% Black, Gold must be completely Yellow, etc. Some exceptions in the color scheme are allowed, but to truly see what I mean, before you create a level, I insist that you look in the levels folder. Other than that, Sea of Soil is a very great game, whether you have a lot of creativity or not.

Download

Assassin Blue

Banov's action platformer, Assassin Blue, was one of the most fun, and polished games I've seen so far on the GMC. Blue has a unique "Rough around the edges" style, that fits the game perfectly, and a very well made story. You play as an assassin codenamed "Blue", that will wall jump, slash, and defeat any obstacle in his path. There are 12 stages and tons of things to unlock in the game's bonus store. This is a definite download for anyone who loves action platforming games, and anyone in general.

Download

The Eyeballs

At first glance, you may think that EasyBeak's game The Eyeballs is not for you, but with a few minutes of this hidden gem, you'll have tons of fun, exploring the forest, underwater caves, and snowy trees. The game has a charm that cannot be matched: Each eyeball is adorable with a relaxing score to boot. This game also includes it's own set of acheivements when beating the game. Whether this game seems like your cup of tea or not, I definitely recommmend giving this game a try.

Download at Yoyogames

Galaxy Attackers

Galaxy Attackers is a new game by the creator of 10800 Zombies and Pro Killer Man, Jan Willem Nijman. The gameplay feels more like a revamped version of Space Invaders with a minimalistic style. You try to outlast the alien race by blasting them down with a turret that moves 360 degrees. After killing enough attackers and gaining enough cash, you can buy upgrades at the shop (Weapons, better bases, planets, etc.). This is a fun little game to pick up and play, and there are enough upgrades, to make it have some replayability.

Download at Yoyogames

Gauntlet Revisited

Gauntlet Revisited is a top-down shooter that is a re-imagining of the classic game, Gauntlet. You can play as a Warrior, a Wizard, a Valkyrie, and a Ranger, each with different stat points, varying between Speed, Strength, Defense, and Firepower. This game has great polish and particle effects, holds around 30 levels, and there are all kinds of treasures as well as traps, to be found. Being in development for over a year, you can tell the developer of this game put a lot of effort into this title. Gauntlet also has a very superb musical score, with each track mixing perfectly with the main heroic theme. This is just an all around fun and solid game.

Download at Yoyogames

BlasterMan Vs. YellowSkull

Alexitron, creator of The Power and Jet Pod, and master of trial and error games, has once again delivered a small addicting platformer called BlasterMan Vs. YellowSkull. This is very a hard game with minimalistic and clever level design. The gameplay seems more reminisent of Megaman games, while having it's own special style. The game also has multiple save and checkpoints, so players won't get too frustrated. This is a solid platformer and I highly recommend giving it a try.

Download at Yoyogames