Personally I think that a vast majority of games on TIG DB are just terrible, especially most of the ones made in Game Maker. The Indie scene is constantly being flooded with poorly made games that attempt to be 'artistic' in one way or another.
There are a lot of Indie gems that I absolutely adore and make me feel fuzzy inside when I play them. Two that come to mind are Cave Story and Noitu Love 2.
I'm awaiting Fez with open arms as well.
I've been pretty disappointed with this generation of gaming so I've kind of turned to indie gaming as an alternate flow of quality games and as you've said, most are crap, but there are tons of great ones too. Definitely keeps me entertained. Also there's a lot more room for experimentation in the indie scene because if it flops you've lost nothing but time and effort.
Indie gaming is where some of the best new ideas come from. Nowadays, most games are the same and about graphics, whereas indie games are more about original ideas and stylish graphics.
I openly support indie gaming (if it isn't obvious enough by the fact that i run an indie gaming site).
Well, with indie games, you have to make sure the idea you're going to use is a good one, because you're going to be spending a ton of your time working on that game, and it's probably a really shitty feeling to learn that everyone hates something you've poured days and days of your life into making.
I've never made a game myself, but I think one of the things that makes a good indie game is rather than coming up with some crazy new idea, you just build off of already existing game concepts and elements. Not to say that you can't come up with some crazy new idea, as people have done that and it's been amazing, but forcing yourself to think OMG INNOVATION OMG will kind of spoil your game. Or at least, that's how I'd imagine it.
Edit: Tyvon's right about visuals, too. There's a difference between realistic and charming.
For my real views in indie gaming go vv-here-vv
vVv-right down here-vVv
I'm planning on working a small game project with Pixel Jam some time this summer. Look them up if you haven't heard.
They're the ones who made dino run right?
Well can't say... I haven't really played indie games too in deeply. Mostly because I have a terrible hatred for using the keyboard for games. But they certainly do look great I just can't play them.
Either way I'm still kinda surprised that people are THAT bored with their regular games.
(05-05-2009, 07:43 AM)Tuna Unleashed Wrote: [ -> ]They're the ones who made dino run right?
Yup, those are the guys.
indie games are a need in a market full of overused cliches and graphic dependant games. you have no idea of what you can find if you look around~
Uh, I'm an Indy developer for damn sure. I've made several games and I enter the contests like the Global Game Jam (I'm wearing the shirt right now, gogo Narwhal 2, Revenge of the Whale) and I am currently invested in a few projects as well as taking a game design MAJOR in my college of choice. Seriously, Indy games are essential nowadays. Bigger publishers are scared of risk and have every right to be, but smaller Indy devs get to risk it, because they don't have a name to lose, so why not go full or go home?
Indy games go where Big Companies won't, and Big Companies are allowed to buy Indy games and let people get a foothold into the wide world of Game Design.
Indie gaming is the future of the new generation years from now. Some of the fantastic minds behind these new games that pop up every now and then will eventually lead a revolution one day in the industry, I support and encourage the new movement.
commercial game developers focus mainly on what the majority of fans want and what will rake in the most money, rather than overall quality of the game and fun. the reason i love indie games is because we are the fans and we make what we want ourselves. indie developers make what they would wanna play and unless theyre retarded, itll be accepted by a greater number of people(not really). basically, indie devs know what they want and what we want because theyre normal people and not some big shots. konjak is a great example of that, i see him on TIGS every now and then and hes just a normal guy yet he makes some of the most fun games ive played in a long time.
I've not really played many indie games, but most of the ones that I have (Legend of Princess and Eversion come to mind as I write) have proven to be well done. There have been very few indie games I've played that I didn't like. That said, I also have a strong support for indie games, partially because you find a lot more innovative and interesting games are done by indie developers and partially because I'm trying to get into indie development myself.