Superpositional Demo Man: Indy Titles

This will likely evolve as I write it, but I'd like to take a moment to talk about the state of PC gaming.  What games are there for the PC, and what games are gamers likely to play?  There is a standard staple, FPS, RPG, RTS, and MMO, of which there are multiple variations and subtleties.  However, most games these days are pretty easy to classify.  There are occasional breakouts, like Borderlands, which merge genres, but beyond that, it's been pretty stable, at least on the surface.



Anyone who follows games closely, or frankly just anyone who looks at the new releases on Steam knows that there are really a lot more games out there than just the big Triple-A Titles.  Games that go back to better times, to niche games.  Adventure, Space Sim, Tank Sim, Flight Sim, City Building, Puzzle Games, and the like.  Indy games with heart and soul and...well, the less said about the land sharks, the better, but it's fascinating stuff.  With modern technology, it's pretty easy to make a solid-looking game that has a lot of interesting gameplay thrown in.  You know what's best of all?  Most of them are cheap.  That's not something to sneeze at with this economy.  When you could spend $50-60 on a game, or more for the deluxe versions, getting a few games for the price of one can be very liberating.  On that note, I remind anyone who reads this blog to check out the deals on Steam, Direct2Drive, and Impulse.  There are some fantastic games on there you can get for very little money.  At the time of this writing, STALKER, a very cool Russian FPS, is on sale for a mere $5 on Steam.

So, here are just a few demos that I've been tinkering with lately:


Torchlight

This game brings me back to the good old days of Diablo 1.  Three classes, an open spell system, and fun combat.  It's much better than Diablo 1, though if the art style from the proposed Diablo 3 makes you cringe, this may not be the game for you.  It's a bit cartoonish, which is a bit of a downer, but it's clean as a result, you will almost always know exactly what is going on during big fights.  All told, I'd heartily recommend this at $20, but for one major issue: There is no multiplayer mode.

This takes the demo down from very interesting to mildly so.  It's still a very fun game, the controls are very well done and there's a solid amount of polish to the gameplay.  However, it's a Diablo clone, and without the multiplayer, it just doesn't stack up.  Still, if you're hungering for something to tide you over until Diablo 3 comes out, this is hardly a bad way to do it.  Supporting the game now will also help the proposed multiplayer game based in the universe that the company is working on now, so that's at least something to look forward to.

Bottom Line: The demo is worth playing, but without multi, the full game may not be worth the $20.

Metal Drift

Okay, I'm a sucker for anything that puts me in a vehicle and tells me to kill stuff.  I'm also a huge fan of Capture the Flag.  This game hits both of those marks and I have to admit I'm glad for it.  Tank and Mech Sims have been exceedingly rare in the last several years.  It feels a bit simplistic as you can only select one weapon and one piece of equipment, but for a game that's $12.50, it's not too bad.  I miss the days of the Mechwarrior series, where tweaking out a design was half the fun of the game.  That said, the game is pretty fun.  It's fast paced arena action that seems to be all multiplayer with the option of adding AI.  There's a pretty decent amount of depth to it, as it tracks your stats, unlocks things as you improve, and allows for advancement of certain gear as you show proficiency with it.

It's a small game, and it is limited to mutliplayer only, there's no story to really go along with it, but then it doesn't really need one. 

Bottom Line: I highly recommend this demo, it caught me

Superposition

Now, these are two very different games, but the bottom line here is that both demos grabbed me and got my attention, and both were made by developers who don't have huge bankrolls behind them.  They're also somewhat nonstandard games all told.  Both are worth checking out, though my obvious bias should show through.

While I'm still got a moment, is it too much to ask that someone make a new Freespace, a Big Damn Ship simulator, and a new game in the style of Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries?  Maybe even a new Homeworld styled game?  Oh well, if wishes were horses...