BUZZKILLER'S DOMAIN

With a full year under it’s belt, Xbox Live Indie Games are starting to look like more than the rejected offspring of Xbox Live Arcade. There are more than 700 games and apps that fill the platform with new games showing up daily. While Xbox Live Indie Games don’t contain achievements to add to your gamerscore, and at one point it was dominated by massage apps which drove gamers nuts, they did actually have some titles that can actually compete with Xbox Live Arcade. In Part 1 of my three part best of countdown, we take a look at the Top 10 Xbox Live Indie Games.

1.(GAME OF THE YEAR) Miner Dig Deep

This was one of the most addictive games…ever. Miner Dig Deep, a game that had you digging in a huge mine for rare ores, sell them, buy new items, and repeat had us all sold from the start. The game was so simplistic and fun that you literally lost track of time all in a mission to see what dangers and loot lied beneath the surface. Everytime you finished a trip into the mine and said it was your last, you end up coming back for more. A perfect game!

2. I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1

Take the simple formula of Smash TV and add unending waves of zombies, amoebas, 8-bit face snakes, mean faces, and the diamond shaped enemies from Geometry Wars, and then mix it in with some trippy graphics and a kick ass original song and what do you get? A kick ass game! By the way, it only costs a dollar! Kudos to James Silva and Ska Studios. You just can’t go wrong with zombie games these days. Just ask Valve about Left 4 Dead.

3. Sol Survivor

Earlier this year, I found a big interest in tower defense games. A genre that I once found boring has sparked my interest and Sol Survivor is one of the best the indie games platform has to offer. Don’t let the 800 Microsoft Point asking price fool you. This game is full of fun and endless replay value as you dispose of those evil aliens.

4. Veks and Silence

Edible Entertainment brings us the zombie apocalypse. Featuring some excellent hand-drawn graphics, this side-scrolling zombie shooter has Silence wasting the undead and more through 13 levels of absolute mayhem. If that’s not all, you can take on survival modes that really up the challenge. Also check out their standalone add on Grave Breaker which features even more survival madness.

5. Platypus

It’s been ported to a ton of gaming platforms. Now the claymation shooter makes it’s way to Xbox Live Indie Games and it doesn’t disappoint. This side-scrolling shooter is so much fun to play. The claymation graphics are the best I’ve seen since Clayfighter on the N64. See the damage you cause as you shoot your enemies both on the ground and in the air. If you love shooters, then get this game.

6. Trino

A top ten game in this year’s Dream Build Play, Trino has you escaping the evil nanites that have imprisoned him by trapping them. Trino has an addictive gameplay style to it as you encounter different types of enemies sprawled across multiple levels. A great game for both casual and hardcore fans to sit down and play!

7. Square Off

The graphical quality of Square Off can have you thinking this game is from The Behemoth (Alien Hominid HD, Castle Crashers), but it’s not. A top 10 game in this year’s Dream Bulid Play, Square Off is a twin stick shooter that has you defeating wave after wave of alien invaders. Single player is fun, but add up to three more friends for co-op multiplayer or deathmatch and you have a big hit.

8. Arkedo Series 01 – JUMP!

The monthly series from Arkedo kicked off with a game that reminded me of the old-school Super Mario Bros. games. In JUMP, you play as Jumpman who is a combination of Mario himself and Indiana Jones as you diffuse bombs that are planted on each stage. It’s tough and unforgiving, just like the 8-bit days, but it’s a lot of fun to play. JUMP also features some awesome 8-bit graphics along static hi-def backgrounds.

9. Beat Hazard

A twin stick shooter (ala Geometry Wars) that has you destroying asteroids and enemy fighters, Beat Hazard has you destroying enemies to the beat of the music. What makes this game so much fun is that you can put in a CD or rip your own music and play the game and everything reacts differently. A little warning, this game is not for those who suffer from epileptic seizures due to all the bright flashes.

10. Orbyx: Mystic Orbs of Chaos

A Peggle clone nonetheless, Orbyx combines the elements of the PopCap hit along with the retro game Arkanoid for a fun gameplay experience. It’s all about eliminating the gold orbs on each stage. Each of the 32 stages are very challenging to even the greatest Peggle pro. Orbyx has the Peggle style addictive quality that will have you playing for hours and hours.