feelforit is another IndieCade finalist. This one is interactive art for the iToy, I’m really interested in checking it out, it reminds me a bit of my other ambient indie favorites, Osmos and Eufloria.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Games are about the relationships between objects in space. Many games involve objects bonking into each other, shooting each other (with other objects), avoiding each other, and simply milling around. While you’re writing a game, you usually think about objects, their characteristics, and how they interact with the player as well as with each other.
Games need to react to the player. The player should manipulate a virtual presence, and the game should react accordingly. Some games are turn based, and some are in real time, but all require more immediate feedback than traditional types of programs.

Macromedia Flash is a very good environment for learning basic game programming
ideas. Here are a number of reasons for starting with Flash:
1. Flash offers robust multimedia support.
Flash, which was designed to support animation on the Web, supports various kinds of images easily. (Think JPEG images and custom drawings.) See how to use the drawing
features of Flash in Chapter 9. Flash also has great support for various kinds of audio files, such as MP3 and WAV formats. You incorporate audio into your games in Chapter 8.
2. ActionScript is related to the influential C language.
The ActionScript programming language built into Flash is closely related to JavaScript
and ECMAScript, which are two extremely common programming languages. All these languages are based on the C programming language, so the coding conventions you’ll master are much like those in other languages.
3. Flash is designed for the Web.
By working in Flash, you have a ready distribution network. Because Flash was designed for the Web, all your games can be easily published on the Web, and anybody with a Web
browser and a Flash plug-in can enjoy your games. And you won’t have to worry about what operating system your users use. (All the programs in this book have been tested in Windows XP and Fedora Core Linux, but they should work in any OS with a Flash plug-in.)

If you want to know a good flash games like what, Just Visit this Site. If you are looking for free games to play online you are in the right place. You can find hundreds of free online games for free.
Free Online Games
There is a lot of free flash online games in there. You can play what you want to play every time and every where. Just Click on the Logo to play.

A good game has a good story, and it also has some form of user interaction.
In Flash, the player uses the mouse and keyboard as primary input devices.
Although these devices might seem limiting (compared with a more sophisticated
joystick or driving console), you can do many things with these basic
forms of input. For Example Like Bunny Grab which the game is about Help the Nesquik Bunny grab as abounding glasses as he can afore the time runs out.

Although Flash doesn’t directly support joystick input, users can easily use
modern joysticks with the games you can write in Flash. Most joysticks now
come with programs that allow the user to map keystrokes to keyboard commands.
In effect, by allowing keyboard input, you also allow rudimentary joystick
input. A game should also look good and sound good, but these things don’t matter if the game isn’t fun. Some of the best games ever have incredibly limited graphics and sound.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Swedish indie devs, The Bearded Ladies, are announce the launch of their retro-inspired helicopter-adventure game Landit Bandit. The game promises co-op or duel mode, sexy girls and killer penguins.

The feel-good digital game of the summer has finally landed. Literally. Join eccentric characters Marley and Lander, as well as hot island babes and Tommy Gun-wielding penguins in Landit Bandit: a retro-looking, 3D casual-physics-based-helicopter game now available on the PlayStation®3 Network priced at a mouth-watering 12.99 Euros.

Landit Bandit has the depth of a cool-blue ocean and offers gameplay to suit a universal audience. Players can compete for the high-score on the global leaderboard – as well as battle head-to-head in 6 unique duels – or work co-operatively across a 20-level campaign against the backdrop of gorgeous 3D levels ranging from the picturesque desert islands to the cool, ice-filled tundra, each packed with enough humour to keep you laughing out loud from one level to the next.

David Skarin, CTO of The Bearded Ladies is elated at the release, “To have our game on the PlayStation®3 Network is great. Its a testimony to the hard work and raw talent of our small independent studio. We’ve defeated a string of self-imposed, gruelling milestones and overcome technical challenges akin to the cerebral workout being offered in the game that would leave any bearded lady weeping. The release brings joy to our hearts, although the real excitement is going to come in monitoring the reaction of the players”.

CEO/Producer, Haraldur Thormundsson added, “We have fulfilled our dreams with the release of Landit Bandit on the Sony PlayStation store. Its been one of the most rewarding expeditions I’ve been part of to date. To have shared the milestone with such a talented – not to mention eccentric group of creatives – is also very special. We’re all confident that players will enjoy the retro-goodness and LOL just as much as we did during the development”.

The North American gaming community can expect to get their hands on the controls of Landit Bandit from July 13^th.

Popularity: 4% [?]

I blogged on Pet Puppy, and thought on virtual pets in general, over on DIYGamer this morning:

I think there’s a lot of potential in a cute virtual pet game for the iPhone. A good one would blend all the adorable options of a Tamagotchi (remember those?), with the ease of an iPhone interface and touchscreen, and a great game would let users exchange items or let me bring my virtual pet to play with your virtual pet if we were in the same place.

It got me thinking about another virtual pet game for the iToy.  Pocket Creatures is a cute virtual pet, the video reminds me of making a monster in Black & White or training a Sims pet.

Via A ‘Pet Puppy’ For Your iToy | DIYgamer, Pocket Creatures

Popularity: 1% [?]

Jason at the Brick Show reviews the LEGO set 7569 Desert Attack, the fifth and final set in the Prince of Persia collection. The Brick Show works out price per piece, always interesting with a playset, and pre-tests the assembly difficulty and suitability for kids, in case you were thinking of getting this for a little niece or nephew. He rates this one as an 8 for little ones, and a 6 for adult collectors, because we probably won’t be making the Hassassins chase the hero around on the carpet.  (But you never know.)

It’s no secret that we love LEGOs at ThumbGods. And if you haven’t signed up for the beta of Lego Universe, what are you waiting for?

Via the Lego blog BrickShow

Popularity: 2% [?]

I mentioned Passionfruit Games‘ new paranormal-romance-novel-turned-adventure-game Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box last month, when I helped with the Tiger Eye beta. The final game is released for PC today (the Mac version will be out in May).

The game is available on Passionfruit’s website, at three different price points. A $6.99 version is just the game download, $9.99 includes the game, strategy guide, Tiger Eye wallpaper and a seven-minute song from the game, and a $12.99 platinum collector’s edition includes all of that, plus more music and the sheet music for the Tiger Eye theme.

Related:

On composing Tiger Eye’s music
Tiger Eye Beta
Tiger Eye: Riddle Box Game Review
Game launch press release

Popularity: 6% [?]

Kelvin’s Space Ranch is a cutely futuristic time management game with an educational slant from Incubator Games, the Canada-based team behind the upcoming Tribes of Mexica game, for Science Alberta. Players raise chickens and cows for eggs and milk.

The game is available online here. (Is anyone else having trouble getting Chrome and Unity to play nicely together? Just me? Kelvin’s Space Ranch runs smoothly in Firefox, though.) Here’s the trailer:

Popularity: 1% [?]

Max and the Magic Marker, from Legacy Interactive, is available now:

LOS ANGELES, CA (April 16, 2010) – Casual games developer and publisher Legacy Interactive announced today the release of Max and the Magic Marker, an award-winning physics platformer that challenges players to draw their way through 15 innovative and challenging levels. It is now available for PC/Mac on Legacy Games at www.legacygames.com.

Max and the Magic Marker, developed by Play Press, gives players complete control as they draw out solutions and face innumerable traps, monsters and tricky puzzles. Limited only by the imagination of the player, every obstacle has an endless number of solutions. Since its inception, it has been widely acclaimed, with its development team winning the Independent Games Festival 2010 D2D Vision Award, EIGA 2009 Innovative Game Design Award, Best Overall 2009 Unity Award, and DGA 2010 Talent of the Year.

“Fun gameplay, innovative ideas and loads of options make you replay levels over and over again.” – GamingXP

“Max & the Magic Marker is a charming puzzle platformer with pleasant visuals and a simple soundtrack. Part of the fun is noticing the details, like how the little monsters can pull out bright yellow construction hats to protect them from your pen.” – Gamespot

“The physics and drawing are spot on and it has a great art style. One of the most enjoyable games with a little boy with a giant orange mohawk as the protagonist that I have ever played!” – 411 Mania

Featuring three lovingly designed game worlds based on children’s drawings, adults and children of all ages will be immediately drawn into the 2D world of Max and the Magic Marker!

Max and the Magic Marker is available for PC/Mac on Legacy Games at www.legacygames.com and in leading retail stores, and will be appearing on popular digital distribution portals.

Popularity: 7% [?]

The new All Heroes Die is available at a pre-release discount. Buy the game in beta for $5, and get all the updates afterward for nothing.

Forced by need and honor, the last surviving family of a seafaring people journey half-way around the world in order to end their civil war. Upon landfall, they make a solemn vow to their ancestors – they will turn their backs on the sea until this quest is complete. The spirits of their ancestors hear them… and will be watching.

All Heroes Die is a hybrid strategy/role-playing game where players control a family of heroes over several generations. Players will determine the kind of people their heroes become, how their society develops, and what legacies they will leave the next generation – all while exploring a strange new continent.

Via All Heroes Die | Macguffin Games

Popularity: 2% [?]

New MMO Fallen Earth is opening up a beta for Mac users. I’ve been playing for a while now (yes, I was in the PC beta), and keep meaning to polish my notes into a proper review on this game, but I keep getting sucked back into playing instead. Anyway, now even fans of the one-button mouse can play Fallen Earth!

1.  What is the Mac/Wine Beta client?

The Fallen Earth Beta Client for Mac is a chance for players to give us feedback on our OS X version of the Fallen Earth client.  The client is powered by Wine and the wrapper is built using the Wineskin project.

2.  Who may participate in the Fallen Earth Mac/Wine Beta?

The Fallen Earth Mac/Wine Beta is open to anyone interested in participating. If you do not have a current Fallen Earth account, you may sign up for a free 10-day trial.  Current players may also download the Mac/Wine Beta Client directly.

Via Mac/Wine Client Beta | Fallen Earth

Popularity: 3% [?]

New development studio Passionfruit Games plans to release a casual adventure game Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box, based on the paramornal romance novel Tiger Eye by Marjorie M. Liu. Romance games are a wildly popular genre in Asia, but in the US, they’re hard to find and usually pretty second-rate games.  (Did I mention how bad My Boyfriend was?) We have high hopes for this one because new Passionfruit is made up of many HER Interactive veterans — the game team who put together Nancy Drew Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses! and NDD: Resorting To Danger.  The game is currently in beta.

From the Passionfruit press release:

Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box also officially marks the launch of PassionFruit Games and represents a unique moment in the history of gaming.  Although a market for romance themed video games has existed abroad for years, these games are essentially unknown in the U.S.  Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box will be one of the first romance casual games to hit the U.S. market when it goes on-sale in April 2010.

In discussing PassionFruit Games’ decision to launch their company with Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box, Melissa Heidrich, Studio Director, expressed her enthusiasm for reaching out to romance readers: “The majority of casual gamers are women aged 25-65, who report they play casual games mainly to escape.  Interestingly, those same attributes apply to romance novel readers – so it’s surprising that there are currently so few romance casual games on the market.  That’s why we’re excited to bring Tiger Eye to life as interactive entertainment.”

For Marjorie M. Liu’s fans, it will be a great chance for them to experience a game written by, designed by, and created for women. Mari Tokuda, one of the designers translating Marjorie’s novel into game form, says: ““There just aren’t many romance games in today’s market.  And, for many women, romance novels are not interactive enough.  That’s where we come in – we are giving players a chance to experience the romance through fun gameplay and sensual cut scenes that further the relationship.  This game will really appeal to players who want a storyline and those who want to BE the smart, down-to-earth romance novel heroine.  And of course, we’ll have a sexy leading man heavily featured in the game.  A game like Tiger Eye is one of the most engaging ways for readers to experience characters’ relationships.”

Fans will also be able to experience things that weren’t in the book and to search for hidden objects, play minigames, listen to a film quality soundtrack, and solve puzzles, all the while following the storyline as the main characters’ relationship deepens emotionally and grows in intimacy, though there will not be explicit sex scenes.

PassionFruit Games acknowledges the challenges of turning a popular book into digital entertainment and of adhering closely to the book’s storyline.  In their quest to stay true to the novel,  all members of the team—from artist to programmer—read Tiger Eye, as well as other novels in the Dirk & Steele universe, to get a feel for the “essence” of the game.  The producer and lead designer held regular video conferences with Marjorie to go over the latest design ideas and Marjorie herself wrote the script for the game and is involved with the game every step of the way,  giving input on scene art, character design, and voice actor selection.

Says Marjorie, who is well known for her New York Times bestselling Dirk & Steele and Hunter Kiss series and for co-authoring the hugely popular Dark Wolverine Marvel comic book series, about playing the game’s early build: “I was amazed by the beautiful cinematic cut scenes and the way players could actually experience things my characters had done.  It’s an incredible feeling to not only see favorite characters brought to life but to experience life through their eyes as you progress through the game.”

The Tiger Eye novel, which Publishers Weekly praised as a “first-rate debut” and “a striking paranormal romance,” tells the story of Dela, a woman with psychic abilities who buys a riddle box in Beijing’s Dirt Market and opens it to find an ancient warrior, Hari, bound to serve as a slave to the person who has opened the box.  The action moves between China and the U.S. and PassionFruit Games will mirror this international scope through two games, the first to take place in China and the second in the U.S.  PassionFruit games also plans to involve readers in the release of Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box with the chance for a select few fans to be Beta testers and with fan voting on looks for the character, Long Nu.

More on Passionfruit Games and Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box from Simpson’s Paradox.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Attention heathen aliens. The galaxy is not big enough for both of us.
First we tried leaflets, and you would not repent…
Then we tried hymns, and you would not repent…
Now we confront you with holiest persuader of all. Space-borne thermonuclear missiles. Prepare to die.

Cliff Harris of Positech Games (We’ve blogged about his other indie games like Democracy 2, Kudos and Kudos 2, and on Positech’s business model) has just added a new DLC pack for Gratuitous Space Battles. You’ll be fighting The Order, alien zealots who plan to wipe you out with shiny new weapons:

Radiation Guns

Bullet-firing weapons which deliver a radioactive payload which eats away at your ship from the inside, even if you manage to restore your shields after the initial impact. They also come with a free creepy green glow effect!

Nuclear Missiles

All the fun of radiation guns, in missile form!

Limpet Mines [

Tiny robotic drones which seek out fast moving enemy fighters and attach to them, slowing them down and allowing your heroic gunners to take an easy shot at those heathen alien swine.

Firefly Rockets

Think of them as ‘Rockets 2.0′, faster and more deadly.

You can get it here.  And, yes, there’s a strong possibility that I posted this just to share “then we tried hymns, and you would not repent.”

Popularity: 2% [?]

Ok, so it’s not a game, but who doesn’t love dancing robotic hexapods?

Popularity: 2% [?]

Publisher Paradox Interactive (of Majesty 2, East India Company and Elven Legacy), and new developer Arrowhead Game Studio have released a new preview trailer for the upcoming console game Magicka.

If you watch game trailers and read games news as much as I do, you’re probably sick of hearing how this release is completely groundbreaking and new and the most epic awesomeness EVER. But Arrowhead Game Studios knows that a fantasy RPG really involves running around the forest in your bathrobe, waving a glowy weapon.

Yeah, sure, Magicka will also have a fancy elemental magic system, when you can combine your water power and your fire power and make a steam attack (could you also combine water and earth for a killer mud attack?), but I think they had me at “prancing around in a bathrobe.”

Arrowhead Games is brand new to me (Have you heard anything about them? Comment and let me know!), and Paradox Interactive also expects to release Arsenal of Democracy later this month and Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West later this year.

Popularity: 3% [?]

The new free-to-play MMO RunesofMagic has their first cinematic trailer up! It’s called Rise of the Demon Lord! I know “free-to-play MMORPG” and “cinematic trailor” don’t usually go together, but as guest auther Lex said in our recent review of the Runes Of Magic beta, RoM offers more than the usual free MMO

Don’t forget, Runes of Magic officially launched on March 19th. If you’re playing the beta, rumor has it that all servers are going offline on March 18th to get everything ready for the official launch.

Via Runes Of Magic Official Cinematic Trailer Released! WATCH IT! – Runes of Magic – Curse.

Popularity: 14% [?]

I really liked Twilight. I’m not saying I run around in a Team Edward shirt, or I’ve seen the movie a hundred times, but I’ve read the books and I loved the movie. Teenage vampire romance, kind of made me want to rent some old episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Anyway, I was excited to see this spinoff, the Twilight boardgame!

Soon you’ll be able to prove your knowledge of all things Edward and Bella, as the “Twilight” board game hits store shelves the week of March 15. Based on trivia and a small bit of chance, users traverse the board going from scene to scene until they wind up at the prom. Take a look below for an inside glimpse at what’s in store.

Via MTV Movies Blog » Exclusive: Roll The Dice With The ‘Twilight’ Board Game!

Popularity: 8% [?]

Bento boxes are a cute, stylized Japanese lunchbox. They use food to make cheery pictures, think smiling apples or rice balls with veggie hearts and stars. Of course, some people turn bento into edible art. Like this Cooking Mama bento box!

Awesome! Anna The Red also has Pikachu, Yoshi and an awesome Katamari Damancy bento.

Via bento#23 Cooking Mama « AnnaTheRed’s bento factory.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Are Violent Video Games Adequately Preparing Children For The Apocalypse? from the Onion News Network.

Thanks to ash::the blog for this!

Popularity: 13% [?]

Angry Gamers has a tutorial on talking smack in online games, just in case the Barrens Chatters of the world need help.

Insult indirectly – Use similes and metaphors to get your point across. For example, if your opponent sounds like he is 7, don’t say “What are you, 7 years old or something?” use an indirect approach to say the same thing, like asking him if he likes apple juice before nap time.

See? It’s not all calling people a n00b and then running away! You can be clever in your insults!

I’d like to add my own rule, for those without Vent or other voice chat: No all-caps sentences, because looking like a spammer isn’t clever on any level.

Via Talking Sh!t: The Tutorial – Angry Gamers.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Game development isn’t exactly my strong suit. Personally I prefer to let other people work long hours, pouring their heart and soul into a game, and then I play it and complain about what’s wrong with it. Hey, that’s where my talents lie!

But I do have huge admiration for indie developers, and I hope to focus on lesser-known titles here on ThumbGods.

Cliff Harris of Positech Games talks about making independent development profitable. Cliff is behind the Positech Games titles Democracy 2, Kudos (and Kudos 2!) and others. The entire interview is worth reading, if you’re all interested in what makes a game succeed, but one statement really stuck with me.

Who will survive in the casual game business in 2010?

Big Fish Games, Popcap.
I think I’ve got the full list there.

Big Fish Games is an awesome casual games portal. The “new game every day!” works perfectly for repeat business.  They’re a total giant, even my mother-in-law has a Big Fish Games account. But I worry that massive portals like BFG (much as I love them!) and now Amazon are making it harder for the guy-with-website development model to succeed.

Not to be all doom and gloom, because as Cliff’s interview shows, an indie game developer and creative marketer can still do very well.

Via Interview with Cliff Harris (cliffski) from Positech Games | Sell More Games.

Popularity: 15% [?]

The ladies of PlayGirlz have the trailer of EA’s upcoming Battlefield 1943. Here it is!

Popularity: 16% [?]

RotoAdventures Momo’s Quest is a PC game about a baby squirrel (so much cuteness!) who is trying to find his way back to his owner, having adventures along the way. Platform games can get a little repetitive for me, but I was completely intrigued by cute little Momo, so I had to try this.

The controls were quite simple, although it does use the mouse instead of the keyboard for jumping and directional control. Momo’s Quest starts out pretty easy while players become accustomed to the controls and the goal, but quickly becomes challenging. I think the best games have very simple rules, and then add content and challenges, and Momo’s Quest did. The challenge was the usual platform game, jumping and grabbing gems for points, and finding objects. Oh, and not falling and letting little Momo get hurt, of course! But the new cute content on each level, like new backgrounds and new special things that Momo learns, kept me playing.

On each level, sweet Momo can either go to the light side, with fluffy bunnies and cuteness overload, or the dark side, with gothy woodland creatures and another style of cuteness. The whole game was like an interactive kids’ book, very light-hearted and fun.

When you play Momo, your cursor becomes an acorn. This is usually something I hate, funny cursors belong on a preteen’s MySpace page. But it was so fun to watch the squirrel chasing the acorn! I guess Momo’s magical powers of cuteness made me like things I wouldn’t normally like.

Finally, Happy Nutz Studio has won my love by making such a sweet game and NOT saying it’s for girls.

You can get download a demo or buy a full version from Happy Nutz Studio for Mac or PC.

Popularity: 19% [?]

A few months ago, I reviewed the original Kudos and talked about how much I enjoyed it. Kudos 2 was quite similar, but with many more options, like the ability to change clothes and hair to make unique avatars. This is my cute Kudos 2 sim over on the left. I hate to sound so girly but I get much more attached to characters I can customize.

Today’s Positech newsletter says that Kudos 2 is now available on the Mac, so even people with a one-button mouse can play too! From the newsletter:

You can download the mac demo here:
http://www.redmarblegames.com/downloads/Kudos2Demo.dmg
And buy the game here:
http://store.esellerate.net/s.asp?s=STR807618070&Cmd=BUY&SKURefnum=SKU05843952168
As usual, the mac version is sold through, and ported by our partners at redmarblegames.com

if you don’t know about Kudos 2, it’s a turn-based life-simulation game where you get to control the choices someone makes in their life from age twenty to thirty. Think of it as a strategic version of the sims, without all the worrying about answering the door and going to the bathroom all the time.

Of course, Kudos 2 for PC is also available, and you can try out a free demo version.  Besides Kudos and Kudos 2, Positech also did the game Democracy.

Popularity: 12% [?]

I love the Romans, so of course I’m excited about new Grand Ages: Rome game coming out this March. Here’s the trailer:

I do think some of the battle shots looked a lot like Rome: Total War. What do you think?

Via Gametrailers.com – Grand Ages: Rome – Trailer

Popularity: 11% [?]

The boardgame Roll Through The Ages is inspired by the boardgame Civilization, only using dice, and meant to be faster. One of my major problems with boardgaming in general is that in-depth games — Diplomacy, Cosmic Encounters, etc. — all take days to complete. And now that I’m not in college, with all my friends on the same vacation schedule, it’s hard to round up enough players with a whole weekend free.

Anyway, designer Matt Leacock felt the same way, and created Roll Through The Ages. W. Eric Martin of BoardGameNews describes it like this:

The short description of Roll Through the Ages is Civilization crossed with a dice game – but that hardly tells you how to play the game. Each player has her own pegboard, a solid chunk of wood in which her supply of food and five types of goods – wood, stone, pottery, cloth, spearheads – are tracked with color-coded pegs. Each player also has an individual score sheet on which she can track her progress.

You can read a review and an interview with Matt over on Boardgame News

Popularity: 5% [?]