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[Funky Papa]

In this thread I recommend you two great indie games and I hope you can do the same.

I recently asked for some good PC shooters and DemonStar Secret Missions popped up like out of nothing. Both episodes quickly grabbed my attention because of its flashy graphics, and downloaded the demos without knowing squat about the dev, some unknown house called Mountain King. Of course, I had no idea that Mountain King was Cygnus Studios, maker of the all kinds of awesome Raptor, so when I found it out I just marked them as "to buy." Unfortunately, I've been buried with job since then, so I forgot about them until I saw that XNA Express thread and Mountain King came back to my mind. Fearing my bad memory, I rushed to type my PayPal info and quickly grabbed both episodes.

Not a bad deal if you ask me.

As for the games, I've only tried DemonStar - Secret Missions 1 and I don't plan to start with the second part until I finish with it. The game is fairly awesome, and although it is not so different from many other vertical shooters, it trully rocks like few others. The music has an oldskool vibe which reminds me of Raptor, and a few sound effects and icons from the shareware classic have been thrown in for good measure. Check out the difficulty menu:

Looks familiar, doesn't it?

I can't compare it with other similar games because I still have to play it for a straight hour, but so far it's lots of fun. The graphics are pretty good, even if they are just 640x480 with 8-bit color, and the prerrendered ships move gracefully all over the screen. There are lots of pretty digitalized explosions and particles, and given the modest hardware requirements nobody should have issues with the frame rate playing it in full screen.

I've tried to take some screenshots with FRAPS, but the game is so hectic I could only capture my own death (if you miss a second you are dead), so here are some random pics posted by dacoco:

I only have one complaint: It is nearly impossible to play it on its native res (a 320x400 window) and for some bizarre reason the game turns really slow if I double the screen size. Full screen mode is just 640x480 with sidebars, which shouldn't be bad if it wasn't because I use a TFT screen and it looks a little blurry. I miss my CRT Other than that it is a brilliant game and I'd like to recommend it to every shooter fan willing to support one of the oldest indie devs out there.

Post your picks now!

PS: Excuse any possible grammar mistakes, I am tired and it is quite late over here.

 

[Amir0x]

seems cool

 

[Funky Papa]

It is cool. Download the demos!

 

[Amir0x]

Ok maybe I will!

(I will do that now)

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Man, I just spent the last 30 seconds trying to reveal your spoilers, Funky. Then I realized they weren't spoilers. :/ And, YES!, support indies!

 

[aku:jiki]

I really don't mean to hate on your thread, but we just did the "cool indie games on PC" thread like a week ago and it ended up being pretty big...

Comiket 70 was this weekend, though. Tons of new japanese indie software, yay!

 

[Funky Papa]

I really don't mean to hate on your thread, but we just did the "cool indie games on PC" thread like a week ago and it ended up being pretty big...

I thought it was just about free games. Ignore then.

 

[Tarazet]

I bought a copy of Asphalt: Urban GT for DS today, which was made by this tiny little dev called Gameloft that mostly does phone games. It has its issues (early on when you're driving a Hummer H2, you spend 95% of the time with two wheels off the ground), but I am amazed by the sense of speed it provides. EA should be ashamed, because their DS racers pale by comparison.

 

[Funky Papa]

Gameloft is by no means an indie developer. They were the cellphone gaming powerhouse before they were acquired by Ubi. Gameloft also made the N-Gage version of Splinter Cell, which was something to behold.

 

[Tarazet]

Gameloft is by no means an indie developer. They were the cellphone gaming powerhouse before they were acquired by Ubi. Gameloft also made the N-Gage version of Splinter Cell, which was something to behold.

The things you learn. I know nothing about cell games, so this was priveleged information for me. Oh well, it's a fun little thing.

 

[aku:jiki]

I thought it was just about free games. Ignore then.

You might be right actually. Well, then, I'll contribute with some japanese ones.

A site called Amusement Center sells downloads from a couple of japanese devs. They mostly, oddly enough, do like MSX, PC-88 and X68000 games, but there are a ton of Windows games by Compile available there. Games that never made it to consoles, and are totally awesome!

Check some of these out:

Wander Wonder (Why I didn't buy this game first, I don't know. Can't wait 'til next paycheck so I can get it.)

JUMP HERO Gaiden 4 (This game rules! Fully fleshed-out 2D platformer with a ton of useful moves.)

El-Do*ra*do

Appuruneesu Sniper (?) (Mouse-based sniper game. Won't work for me.)

They have a boatload more at the Compile Station. Sadly, it seems Compile never brought any of their shooter skills to the PC.

Edit: Only the name Compile is dead. You'd be supporting their new venture, AIKY, by buying these games!

(Fake) edit: If anyone cares and would like some help buying and browsing Compile games on that site, I can type up some translation help. If this post will pass by unnoticed, though, I won't bother.

 

[GhaleonEB]

I bought Cloning Clyde. Does that count?

 

[Porridge]

I'm proud to own a copy of Bad Milk by Dreaming Media

Spoiler

East Coast devs 4 lyfe

 

[WhereSailors]

Indie ftw, there's so much good stuff out there with not enough marketing backing.

 

[Proelite]

Demon star was awesome. I liked how you could combine your two ships in two one mother****ing unstoppable fighter of death. :lol

 

[Joe Molotov]

Well, let's see. So far this year I've bought:

&

 

[jgkspsx]

Indie games are the only I don't mind paying full price for.

P.S. Buy Racing Gears Advance and Scurge: Hive!

I bought a copy of Asphalt: Urban GT for DS today, which was made by this tiny little dev called Gameloft that mostly does phone games. It has its issues (early on when you're driving a Hummer H2, you spend 95% of the time with two wheels off the ground), but I am amazed by the sense of speed it provides. EA should be ashamed, because their DS racers pale by comparison.

Thank god I'm not the only sane person who liked this game! (Though it has the worst crash mechanics I've seen since... um... ever?)

 

[Funky Papa]

You might be right actually. Well, then, I'll contribute with some japanese ones.

A site called Amusement Center sells downloads from a couple of japanese devs. They mostly, oddly enough, do like MSX, PC-88 and X68000 games, but there are a ton of Windows games by Compile available there. Games that never made it to consoles, and are totally awesome!

Check some of these out:

Wander Wonder (Why I didn't buy this game first, I don't know. Can't wait 'til next paycheck so I can get it.)

JUMP HERO Gaiden 4 (This game rules! Fully fleshed-out 2D platformer with a ton of useful moves.)

El-Do*ra*do

They look good, but I can't find a demo or even a good video. Any help?

 

[Sega]

You might be right actually. Well, then, I'll contribute with some japanese ones.

A site called Amusement Center sells downloads from a couple of japanese devs. They mostly, oddly enough, do like MSX, PC-88 and X68000 games, but there are a ton of Windows games by Compile available there. Games that never made it to consoles, and are totally awesome!

Check some of these out:

...

(Fake) edit: If anyone cares and would like some help buying and browsing Compile games on that site, I can type up some translation help. If this post will pass by unnoticed, though, I won't bother.

I'd be very interested in buying a couple of these. I tried to sign up for an account, but it wouldn't allow my US address. I think it was ok with the other stuff, but I'm not sure. Either way, I did fill in each blank correctly.

 

[Open Source]

I got DemonStar free with my Saitek P2600 gamepad

Spoiler

which is shit, get the xbox 360 one instead

 

[Funky Papa]

I got DemonStar free with my Saitek P2600 gamepad

Spoiler

which is shit, get the xbox 360 one instead

Ha, I bet you enjoyed DemonStar way more than your gamepad. Saitek blows.

 

[Sega]

Ok, I bought Jump Hero Gaiden 4 from that site. Agh... it's from so long ago... requiring a at least a Pentium 100 to play. Well, I guess my hardware/OS is too new. It doesn't work. After the 3D Compile logo, the game crashes with an error message containing no visible text. So, I read the troubleshooting page, and I found that Windows XP users must run the game in Windows 95 compatibility mode. That doesn't work either. I double checked sound settings, and I can hear the Compile logo music fine... so I don't think it's that. I downloaded their config utility, and tried every combination of settings I could. Still no go. I'm not sure what's wrong. I wish I could at least SEE that error message when it crashes. I really want to play the game.

EDIT:
Haha ok, I figured it out. Rename the cnx/jp directory to cnx/en, and it runs fine.

 

[mosaic]

Question for anyone that has played both Demonstar: Secret Missions 1 and Demonstar: Secret Missions 2... if you could pick just one, which would you pick?

I ask because $20 is about what I'm willing to pay for a PC shmup, and while I enjoyed both demos, I'm only going to buy one of the full games. Unfortunately, the demo levels for each game have a similar environment, so all I could deduce is that SM1 has the better music while SM2 has flashier explosions and a bit more animation in spots.

 

[AlternativeUlster]

SADNESS

 

[Acosta]

Introversion!

And, Media Molecule and Little Big Planet Origins!

Well, Rag Doll is more a curiosity than a proper gamer but I enjoyed it a lot dealing with such a different mechanic.

 

[Funky Papa]

Question for anyone that has played both Demonstar: Secret Missions 1 and Demonstar: Secret Missions 2... if you could pick just one, which would you pick?

I ask because $20 is about what I'm willing to pay for a PC shmup, and while I enjoyed both demos, I'm only going to buy one of the full games. Unfortunately, the demo levels for each game have a similar environment, so all I could deduce is that SM1 has the better music while SM2 has flashier explosions and a bit more animation in spots.

I'd say SM2 is a bit better, but then again, I love me some splosuns.

And I can't believe I haven't touched introversion yet.

 

[Matt_C]

You might be right actually. Well, then, I'll contribute with some japanese ones.

A site called Amusement Center sells downloads from a couple of japanese devs. They mostly, oddly enough, do like MSX

Mhh, MSX.

I would be glad to support games on that console. Now how do I go about obtaining the small petite ones. It also supports SD cards as well not to mention the FPG can be reprogrammed to be other consoles.

 

[mosaic]

I wish they'd produced more of those OneChip MSX's... I'd buy one just for kicks. It's so compact. And, oh boy, the 80's shmups you could play.

 

[Zenith]

I would support indie devs, if they made any decent games. But they don't.

 

[zanzibar]

Perhaps a bittle late reply, but there actually is a recently launched English counterpart to Amusement Center, called WOOMB. They currently have a few games on sale, but nice ones, including some Compile ones.

 

[djtiesto]

I would support indie devs, if they made any decent games. But they don't.

I can tell you haven't played very many, if any, indie games... Start with rRootage, Cave Story, and La Mulana. Indie games aren't just 80's arcade game clones, you know.

 

[hyp]

IAWTP. need more indie love all around.

 

[sazabirules]

I really don't mean to hate on your thread, but we just did the "cool indie games on PC" thread like a week ago and it ended up being pretty big...

Comiket 70 was this weekend, though. Tons of new japanese indie software, yay!

Could you link me to this thread? Thanks

 

[A Black Falcon]

Question for anyone that has played both Demonstar: Secret Missions 1 and Demonstar: Secret Missions 2... if you could pick just one, which would you pick?

I ask because $20 is about what I'm willing to pay for a PC shmup, and while I enjoyed both demos, I'm only going to buy one of the full games. Unfortunately, the demo levels for each game have a similar environment, so all I could deduce is that SM1 has the better music while SM2 has flashier explosions and a bit more animation in spots.

I'd get Raptor.

Seriously, Demonstar, Demonstar SM1, and Demonstar SM2 are all good, but Raptor is better. It's my favorite PC shmup ever, in fact... I played that game over and over years back. Great game. It's got more depth than Demonstar with the money and shop system instead of just "pick up the powerups"...

Oh yes, as for Demonstar, why get SM1 and SM2 and not the original game? I know the Secret Missions titles have somewhat better graphics and are harder, but they also have fewer levels...

As for Mountain King in general, I was a big Raptor fan when I was younger and learned early on that Demonstar was from the same people, and then later learned about the namechange, Demonstar SM1/SM2, etc. I remember a few years ago they actually had new games in development, and a forum on their website... but then they made that new website, in 2004 as it says, and I haven't heard a word of new titles since. It's too bad, several years back the guy was working on a shmup and some other game (RPG or something? He gave up on that one eventually, it wasn't working out, but I think there was an ongoing shmup project...). I've wondered ever since what happened there...