I have a review of the awesome indie game Eufloria up on Bytten today:

Not since I first discovered Civ2 has a game made me late for so many things. Eufloria offers two of the same addictive qualities as the Civilization series, both the empire-spreading and the need to play just a few more minutes until the next mini-milestone. Eufloria simplifies the unit selection and improvement add-ons of the real-time strategy genre, presenting mystical space lifeforms in a surprisingly vibrant universe. You play not as a general or political leader, but as a collection of seedlings, and your goal is to grow, and spread, take over neighboring asteroids, and make the growers proud.

Read the rest over on Bytten

Game Review: Eufloria is a post from: Thumb Gods

Issue 9 of Indie Games Mag (the one with my BeeAppi article) is on sale now!

Indie Games Mag Issue 9 is a post from: Thumb Gods

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.”

Heathen Aliens is a post from: Thumb Gods

Music Catch is a game the way Frisbee is a game. You’re really enjoying the good weather and time with friends, as you toss the Frisbee and half-heartedly keep count. With Music Catch, you’re doing the same thing, enjoying relaxing music and images.

This isn’t a hardcore game by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a fantastic mental vacation. Shapes drift across the screen, changing color, size and flow to match the music. You idly try to scoop up yellow shape and avoid red ones, but no stress. This is one of the least copetitive games I’ve ever seen.

I’ve played a lot of games that claim to be different, but are really just a pretty version of match-3 or hidden objects. Music Catch really is different.

Bookmark this for a relaxing break on a busy day!

Via Reflexive Arcade: Music Catch.

Flash Game: Music Catch is a post from: Thumb Gods

Alan Wake is an upcoming XBox game that reminds me of a Stephen King novel. A horror writer goes to a small town to get away from it all, mysterious disappearance, information from his next book that he doesn’t remember writing…

Alan Wake Trailer is a post from: Thumb Gods

In its latest, unyielding attempt to subvert societal productivity, 2K Games has announced Sid Meier’s Civilization V, the latest entry in the venerable strategy series. Set to debut on PC this Fall, Civilization V brings “an astonishing new engine” to the polite, turn-based proceedings and promises to excel the franchise with “the introduction of hexagon tiles allowing for deeper strategy, more realistic gameplay and stunning organic landscapes for players to explore as they expand their empire.” Most hexcellent news indeed.

Via Joystiq, more info at Civilization5.com

One More Turn… is a post from: Thumb Gods

I blogged about the adorably addictive Grow Tower a while ago.  There’s also an RPG-themed Grow that I somehow missed. The mechanics are the same, you’ll grab icons on the sides to drop items into the world and then watch those items grow and interact and build new features.

The major difference is that a little adventure happens in your Grow terrain. Your terrain grows into all the RPG constants — a castle, a tower, a monster, a magician, and so forth — and a tiny adventurer sets out though all the  fantasy staples. (screenshot above shows our adventuring friend looting treasure)

Bookmark the Grow RPG-adventure game to play when you need a smile.

Flash Game Friday: GROW! is a post from: Thumb Gods

I’m already sold on Lego Universe, but this cute trailer is worth watching just for the dark, evil Lego-men holding up cardboard cutouts of the happy, dancing Lego-men.

Lego Universe Trailer is a post from: Thumb Gods

Zodiac Online is a new free-to-play, turn-based MMORPG opening an open beta test. Zodiac Online adds turn-based battles to the usual F2P fantasy MMORPG, making combat simpler, with less of a learning curve, hoping to cater to players new to MMO combat.

Zodiac Online offers an environment inspired by Chinese mythology. The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac feature prominently, as does the mythical Jade Emperors. Players take on the role of a “zodiac envoy,” helping in an epic battle between humans and demons. Sign up here!

Beta Opp: Zodiac Online is a post from: Thumb Gods

GLPeas’ stated goals are very Meg-friendly, with a promise to develop innovative, unique, non-violent games with an emphasis on gameplay over pretty graphics. No guns and no 3d shininess. Sounds fantastic, but they’re mysteriously silent about exactly what BlindGiRl is. You can follow their evasive Twitter stream in hopes of finding out more.

BlindGiRl is a post from: Thumb Gods