MotorHEAT
Avatar Drop
Decimation X
Lumi
Developer Milkstone Studios is known for supplying the indie games channel with high quality titles, and MotorHEAT is my favorite from their impressive lineup. Next to kart racer Dirchie Kart, MotorHEAT is the best racing game you can find on XBLIG. Playing this game will dry up your eyes because it will have you staring at the screen so hard in order to avoid the oncoming traffic, pick up the speed boosts and manage to reach the next level in time. Offering gorgeous 3D-graphics on endless highways, an incredible speed rush and the well-known “just one more attempt” effect, you'll want to find out how far you can drive next time and if you can climb just a little higher on the online scoreboards. If you're into racing games, this title is a must-have and a steal at 80 MSP.
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| Don't blink, you might regret it! |
Back to the cream of the crop. With Decimation X, Xona Games managed to evolve the Space Invaders formula in a similar way Namco updated their classic Pac-Man with Pac-Man Championship Edition DX. If you think these game concepts older than 30 years are completely outdated and can't possibly be fun anymore, think again! Decimation X injects this old school gallery shooter with pure adrenaline, empowering the player with an incredible firepower and lots of power-ups. At the same time, the invading enemies have also been upgraded, unleashing an overwhelming onslaught of bullets upon the player. Driven by Imphenzia's great electronic music, it has never felt more satisfying to blast the aliens out of the sky. Surprisingly, GamePro didn't pick its sequel Decimation X3 (X2 was published only on Windows Phone 7), which offers improved graphics and gameplay at the same ridiculous, low price of 80 MSP. No matter which version you choose, you'll have a blast!
Considering its lovely, hand-drawn art style, Kydos Studio's Lumi, Grand Prize winner of the contest Dream Build Play in 2010, is probably the most beautiful game you can find on the indie games channel. Darkness has devoured Lumi's homeworld, and now it's his task to bring light and life back to the world by collecting fireflies and feeding certain plants with them. In return, the plants will re-illumine parts of the environment. But Lumi is not your everyday platformer, as jumping is only a secondary means to move through the game world. He's also capable of magnetic powers, enabling him to be attracted or repulsed by magnetic trails and sling shots, that transport him through the levels if you manage to switch between the polarisations correctly. The magnetic controls can be a little tricky sometimes, but if you get the hang of them, it's a fun and unique gameplay mechanic. In terms of difficulty, the title may seem a little unbalanced sometimes, but it's nothing that will keep players from enjoying all of the ten levels. At 240 MSP, Lumi will easily enlighten your every day gaming routine.