Xbox Live Indie-Dome is a weekly feature where we sift through the Xbox Live Indie Games Marketplace to find the best and worst… so you don't have to!

Wow, this was one rough week. There were a whole lot of… not good games. Although to be fair, one of them (hint: it’s the first Utter Failure on the list) is so awful it’s hilarious. Although I’d advise against purchasing it as that may end up encouraging them.

As always, not every release will get more than a few sentences. The games with multiple paragraphs have basically managed to stand-out due to their entertainment value and/or shockingly amazing awesomeness (these will feature the *Must Play* tag) or because they’re so incredibly terrible potential consumers deserve a warning (these feature the *Utter Failure* tag).

Remember, the Indie-Dome (like all reviews) is an opinion piece. The comments (or lack thereof) made throughout convey the reviewer’s thoughts on the overall quality (or lack thereof) of the submissions in a given week. These comments are not directed towards the developers, but rather their games. Seriously, we know most of you folks put a lot of hard work into these things, so please don’t take it personally.

Unless otherwise stated, only the trial versions were played and will be taken at face value. So if features present in the full version of the game are not shown or indicated in the demo, we obviously won’t be able to mention them. You don’t seriously think any of us has the money to buy each and every indie game that comes out each week, do you?

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Pumpkin Chop 2

(Developer: MatthewM – 240 points)

Pumpkin Chop 2 allows you to carve the jack-o-lantern of your dreams without any of the mess. Or the laws of physics.

Admittedly, aside from the upcoming holiday there isn’t much call for a pumpkin carving game, but what Pumpkin Chop 2 does, it does well. You can carve all manner of shapes out of your pumpkin using a simple point-to-point system that allows for all manner of do-overs should the occasion call for it. Once you’re done carving you can display your masterpiece, complete with candle, in one of a few different Halloween scenes.

It’s limited, it’s kind of silly and it’s a little on the costly side, but it’s also very well done for what it is. If you’ve got kids who want to carve pumpkins but don’t want to deal with all the scooping, scraping and inevitable cleaning, you should probably check this one out.

Mark the Mechanic

(Developer: PAPPY2004 – 80 points)

Mark the Mechanic is a decent enough platformer with a black and white stick figure protagonist and some varying level themes. It certainly has better controls than some of those complete turd platformers that have come out in the past, but it’s also not exactly exceptional.

I suppose what’s meant to separate Mark the Mechanic from the rest of the lot is its varied levels, but really they just amount to new “skins.” Each level seems to feature the same basic geometry (with some changes, obviously), has gaps to jump and bolts to collect. One major selling point in the description is that there are different enemies for each level, but this is a bit misleading. The enemies look different, but they’re all the same. They don’t to anything unique like jump or fly or anything, they just have a different appearance.

Ultimately it’s “okay.”

Get Rich or Die Gaming

(Developer: Baller Industries – 80 points)

*Utter Failure*

I once saw a man who couldn’t find his way through an open door. No really, he couldn’t figure it out.

You see, the doors in question were automatic sliding doors that are always kept open throughout the day. Effectively becoming doorways. I witnessed this man attempt to push open one of these already open doors, fail miserably, then try to find another way out. The thing is, his search lead him right past the doorway he was trying to exit through. He was shuffling sideways, looking for a seam or something, and shuffled right on past the opening. What really confuses me is that he didn’t appear to be drunk or on drugs, so the only other reason I can come up with for his stupidity is… well… stupidity.

The reason I’m telling you all this story is because it makes about as much sense as Get Rich or Die Gaming. In fact, it makes more sense, because it doesn’t come off as something cooked up by a group of high school students high on weed and self-importance.

Aagh!

(Developer: Steve Lillis – 80 points)

Aagh! is… it’s one of those games. You know the kind: try to last as long as you can, no real end to it, go for the high score, etc…

The issue with it is that it’s just not that compelling. You guide your little… thing… inside some sort of hamster ball through an increasingly complex series of winding tunnels. Touch the sides and it’s Game Over. That’s all there is to it. It has a decent, slightly retro look to it and some not unpleasant music, but that’s all you’re going to find here.

Avatar Massage ONLINE

(Developer: JForce Games – 80 points)

*Utter Failure*

Avatar Massage ONLINE is exactly like it sounds, and exactly like every other massage game that’s (unfortunately) been unleashed on an unsuspecting Live community. Basically, it’s lame. The developers even seem to know it, going as far as using it as an excuse to fund one of their upcoming titles.

I understand the need/desire to do what you really want to do, but there had to have been other options than a massage “game.” There just have to have been.

Cutouts!

(Developer: Robert J Louie – 80 points)

Cutouts! is a typical platformer with a gimmick: it looks like everything is made from cut out felt (hence the name). And really, aside from the aesthetics there’s nothing remarkable about this game. The controls are passable, the jumping mechanic works and you gather buttons instead of coins to earn your extra lives. Again, it’s all very typical.

Still, there’s something to be said about a game made by a small developer that manages to capture the “cutout” style better than Nintendo’s ethnic stereotype of a mascot ever has.

Arctic Ball Grind

(Developer: People Pilot – 80 points)

Arctic Ball Grind is what you could probably classify as a “Ball Racer.” Because you do, in fact, race balls.

Aside from the giggles the various ball jokes are bound to bring about, there’s not really a whole lot here. You steer your ball around trenches carved into various tundras in an attempt to reach the finish line with a good time. Unfortunately there’s very little to enjoy in the game’s single player mode as there are no other balls to race against. On top of that there’s no actual soundtrack to speak of, so while you guide your ball through the snow the only thing you hear, aside from the constant whirring of whatever it is that keeps that thing moving, is the howling arctic winds.

As a two player affair it offers a little more entertainment, but even then the prospect of driving a ball through a snow-covered track just isn’t all that interesting.

Defense Matrix

(Developer: Fun Factory – 80 points)

Defense Matrix is yet another tower defense game. *yawn*

I freely admit I’m probably not the best person to judge this game because, quite frankly, I freaking hate tower defense games with few exceptions. The genre is over-saturated and boring for the most part. And Defense Matrix does absolutely nothing to remedy that. You build towers on specific tiles, you upgrade them (a whole once!) and kill stuff that tries to reach your base/whatever. The camera angle is awkward, the graphics are bland and there’s absolutely no indication of what each tower does in-game, so aside from the obvious (i.e. gun turrets) you’ll have to figure out each one’s use through trial-and-error.

If you’re hurting for some TD or if you just can’t get enough of the genre, you might as well give it a shot.

Bluebones Curse

(Developer: Chounard – 80 points)

Bluebones Curse is something I’d refer to as a scenario-based puzzle platformer.

Basically what this means is you’ll spend all of your time running and jumping through a series of rooms, without any of that complicated power-up business getting in your way. Each room is a challenge in itself. Some require quick reflexes, others some light puzzle solving, still more will force you to race through an area before getting crushed by a wall (or ceiling) of spikes and the rest amount to some combination of everything I just mentioned. It’s certainly not a bad game, and has some of the most responsive platforming controls I’ve had the pleasure of using in an indie game for quite some time. However, it’s the art style that really makes it stand out, which looks almost like an illustration from a children’s book. Only, you know, you control it.

Bluebones Curse is a perfectly competent and pretty game that will most likely be worth the dollar to a lot of people. And unlike a lot of the Halloween-centric games to come out this month, it doesn’t feel like something you can only play in October.

Virtual Fireplace

(Developer: CeaselessStudios – 80 points)

*Utter Failure*

It’s just what it sounds like: a Virtual Fireplace. And it’s just as interesting as you’d expect. In fact, it’s somewhat less interesting because it’s not in high-definition.

I hate saying that as I don’t fancy myself an HD snob (I don’t care how many “p”s my games use), but watching standard-definition video on an HDTV just looks ugly. And it’s nothing but a looped video of a fireplace, so it’s not even entertaining. Oh sure, I could talk about how you might get a kick out of it for the holidays when company is over or something, but that would be stupid because there are other indie “games” that do the same thing, and I’m fairly certain at least a couple of them would look much less grainy on your flat screen.

Blazin’ Balls Xtreme Edition

(Developer: DrMistry – 80 points)

You know, despite its weirdness and simplicity (and use of the word “Xtreme”), Blazin’ Balls Xtreme Edition is actually quite enjoyable.

You guide your ball down a straight track while gathering coins, leaping over pits and rolling over special tiles with various effects. There’s a time limit you’ll have to beat and a set amount of lives you’ll have to keep. Other than that, you just go and let your reflexes (hopefully) do the work.

Antibody 3D

(Developer: Future Platforms Ltd. – 80 points)

Ehhh… It’s not that Antibody 3D is a bad game, it’s just that it’s not a great one.

You’re apparently inside “the human body” hunting some sort of extraterrestrial germs or something. With a spaceship. Yeah. It all boils down to some rather slow third-person shooting over narrow passages with disappearing platforms. It’s an interesting attempt at doing something different, but it still seems a little… under-cooked.

Ava Bash

(Developer: Games4Kids – 80 points)

*Utter Failure*

Ava Bash is essentially a collection of simple mini games with Avatars. Unfortunately they’re less the interesting Mario Party kind of mini games and more the kind of mini games you play between levels in an four-player beat-em-up in the arcade.

So rather than doing anything fun, you get to mash buttons really fast. Or wiggle an analog stick really fast. Or input a sequence of buttons really fast. And so on. It’s practically sleep-inducing, and that bland soundtrack doesn’t help.

DUENDE

(Developer: TEASOFT – 240 points)

*Must Play*

I’m fairly certain I’ve already played DUENDE. The look, the feel, the developer’s name, the incoherent Engrish, it’s all strangely familiar. Maybe this is a sequel or an updated version or something. Either way, the one I played before was irritating due to its visuals. This one is a lot better.

DUENDE is basically a third-person shooter with mechs, only without all the customization you may be used to. You can still choose from a variety of “frames,” each with different weapons you can equip or purchase, but you won’t be fine-tuning their performance as though they were an exotic sports car with legs. Still, what’s here is plenty entertaining. You zip around the stage blasting things, then leave when everything is blowed up. Simple.

What makes DUENDE a bit more interesting than your standard third-person shooter (and let’s face it, they’re pretty much all standard these days) are the weirdly unique visuals. It’s like Tron, only the evil viruses won. Oh, and timing your shield activation so that it turns on just before an enemy’s projectile hits, thus bouncing it back to the shooter, is awesome. I killed something I think was a boss that way.

LEUCISTIC WYVERN

(Developer: mukagosoft – 80 points)

*Utter Failure*

LEUCISTIC WYVERN (what the hell does that even mean? Seriously) is kind of a poor-man’s Panzer Dragoon. Oh, if only that were a good thing.

Aside from the game looking pretty ugly and uninspired (really, the bosses all look the same, only they’re shaped slightly differently), the big issue that drags LEUCISTIC WYVERN (no really, what the hell?) down into the muck is the fact that it’s nearly impossible to judge distances or trajectories. Lining up a shot is tough enough without any form of crosshairs, but trying to grab power-ups or avoid environmental hazards (much less enemies) is borderline impossible. Get used to hearing your little dragon-thing screeching in agony, because you’ll be flying face-first into just about everything if you attempt to play this.

Lab Rabbit

(Developer: OneManBandStudios – 80 points)

I’m on the fence about Lab Rabbit. On the one hand, it’s a stylistic (and horrifically gruesome) platformer. On the other hand, the intentional control choices feel like they exist purely as a means of getting in your way.

Lab Rabbit is one of those hazard-filled platformers, somewhat akin to N+ and the like. You have to guide your bunny to the goal (a carrot on a string) while avoiding deadly spikes and such. As well as deadly corners… Because in this game, even landing a jump just a little wrong will cause your rabbit-shadow to collapse and die. Ugh. On top of that, jumping is adjusted by pressing Up, Down or Forward on the analog stick, causing you to jump higher or lower, depending. This somewhat complicates things as in most instances jumping too much or too little of anything will cause instant death. Oh, and the rabbit will automatically jump when it comes to a ledge, with the angle varying based on whether you’re just holding forward or slightly up or down. So you need to be excruciatingly careful when jumping between narrow platforms.

So because it’s a toss-up, Lab Rabbit gets neither the good or bad stamp. It’s somewhere in the middle, depending on your tolerance level.

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*Must Plays*

• DUENDE (240 points)

*Utter Failures*

• Get Rich or Die Gaming (80 points)
• Avatar Massage ONLINE (80 points)
• Virtual Fireplace (80 points)
• Ava Bash (80 points)
• LEUCISTIC WYVERN (80 points)