This was a pretty cool week. A surprise zombie game that doesn’t suck, flaming hobos, DDRPGs… Even if they weren’t cool games, it still would’ve made for an interesting list.

So make yourself at home, take a look, and remember: if you want to show your support for a specific game or developer, the best way to do it is through your wallet.

If this is your first time visiting the Dome or you’re an Xbox Live Indie Games developer wanting to know what we do here, check out our handy-dandy Xbox Live Indie-Dome explanation/disclaimer — Click Here.

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Explosive Gas

(Developer: Flathead Games – 80 points)

*Must Play*

Explosive Gas is another indie game that takes more than a passing inspiration from an existing franchise. But at least in this case it hasn’t completely ripped anything off. Imagine Bomberman, only with drunken hobos and firebombs. That’s Explosive Gas.

Although I can’t really complain, because Flathead Games has done a good job of capturing the multiplayer mayhem found in the classic title, while adding a few new elements of their own. Two of the expected power-ups are present and accounted for: one will increase the size of a bomb’s blast and the other will allow more bombs to be placed at the same time. A new power allows players to release a cloud of flammable gas that will ignite when hit by a bomb, turning a harmless corridor into a blazing inferno with little warning. Another addition is a second, lower level that players can move to and from via holes and lifts. It doesn’t change the game too drastically, but it keeps things moving. Lastly, when a player is blown up, they run around engulfed in flames for a few moments, which allows them to take any nearby players down with them. I like this feature a lot.

There’s also a second game mode that allows multiple players to play a bum-themed version of Minesweeper. There aren’t any special abilities or power-ups to be found; just some good old-fashioned mine-avoidance. But while walking around in real-time and trying to flag mines makes for a decent enough distraction from the main game, it’s obvious most of the love went into the other mode.

The only real issue I have with Explosive Gas is the irritating voice-overs from the vagrants, but voices can be turned off in the options, so it’s not really a problem. Gamers looking for some cheap multiplayer fun, or rabid fans of Hudson’s classic series have a new game to obsess over. And with two game modes and support for up to eight players, it’s going to keep them busy for a while.

Endless Midnight: Zombie Swarm

(Developer: tgfcoder – 80 points)

*Must Play*

Okay, I’ll admit it: I’m impressed. Judging from the screen shots and the fact that it’s yet another zombie game, I was fully prepared for Endless Midnight: Zombie Swarm to be mediocre at best. Turns out I was wrong. I don’t mind being wrong.

In essence, Endless Midnight is just another top-down, twin-stick survival shooter. Shooting zombies and collecting cash to upgrade weapons between rounds is the name of the game, with tougher and faster monstrosities making appearances as the waves progress. It’s about as entertaining on a basic level as any game in the genre. However, because of the lighting and the way that earnings are tied to accuracy, it starts to feel like a whole different beast within moments.

Okay, the accuracy thing doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it goes hand-in-hand with the lighting. This is because there isn’t much of it; the level is almost pitch black from the start. Zombies will begin to pour in from the edges of the screen, as they tend to do in games like this, but they’re obscured in shadows for a few moments. This not only makes kiting much more dangerous, as getting swarmed will halt your movement, but it also makes the game nerve-wracking. And because it’s nerve-wracking, it can have an adverse effect on accuracy. Which will, in turn, affect earnings.

It’s a very cyclical relationship, and it works wonderfully. Shooter/survival fans, even those sick of zombie games, should definitely try out Endless Midnight.

PowerSpinners

(Developer: Salvador Lopez – 80 points)

*Utter Failure*

Initially, I was expecting some horrible game with hideous character models. After starting up PowerSpinners, I found a game that’s essentially a mix between arena sports and Pong. With hideous character models. That alone most certainly does not warrant a Poop Stamp. But do you know what does? Frustrating gameplay.

I’m going to be upfront about this: I think I hate this game. The character never seems to go where I want them to go, the AI seems to follow the disk too easily, shots often don’t go where I aim them, and forget about trying to pull off that damn power shot (which the AI does quite often, might I add). Multiplayer would most likely ease some of these frustrations, but the characters still feel unresponsive and imprecise. And that stupid power shot is useless.

I haven’t wanted to put a controller through my TV for years now. Thanks for that, PowerSpinners.

Minions!

(Developer: TurtleTossStudio – 80 points)

And here we have a game that proves games that aren’t “pretty” can still be cool. Right after PowerSpinners, too. Weird.

Minions! is an odd little amalgamation of game types. It has top-down, twin-stick shooter elements; shares a few aspects taken from mission-based action titles; allows players to switch the camera angle by pressing a button, which changes it into a rough third-person shooter; includes light RPG elements; and it has some rudimentary squad-based characteristics. It also includes the ability to create your own custom minions for use in later missions.

It doesn’t do any one thing exceptionally well, but it offers up a lot of options and most of them are handled with a surprising amount of care.

Sequence

(Developer: Feep  – 240 points)

*Must Play*

This is shaping up to be one hell of a Dome, huh? Only five games in and already a third Must Play.

Sequence is a Must Play for several reasons. For one thing, it’s has a level of presentation that’s often missing from most Live indies. Another mark of quality is the well-drawn visuals. A third, utterly surprising aspect is the well-done voice work (at least for Ky and Naia) and the laugh-inducing script. What can I say? I’m a sucker for sarcastic humor.

Most of all, what makes Sequence not only a Must Play, but a Must Buy is the concept and execution of its mechanics. It’s mostly a combat-based RPG, only with a multitasking rhythm game at its core, instead of a turn-based, menu-driven affair. This Puzzle Quest, only minus the puzzles, and with a healthy dose of Dance Dance Revolution and a bit of Frequency/Amplitude/PSP Rock Band‘s track-juggling . Yeah.

Music Box

(Developer: Facetious Creations – 80 points)

It’s amazing how easy it is for developers to get “simple” wrong, but it happens all the time. Some games feel dumbed-down to the point where they’re insulting to play, while others hold the player’s hand for far too long (sometimes from start to finish). But more often than not, simple equates to just plain boring.

Not so with Music Box.

It’s also not really a game so much as a music creation app, but Facetious Creations could still have screwed it up somehow. Maybe. Anyway, Music Box is easy to use, fun to mess around with, and has a pleasant look to it; all things that are important for a music app to have. There are a multitude of digital instruments to play with, three of which are available in the trial, and each one can be adjusted in a number of different ways. It’s pretty easy to create something that sounds good, even with only three options, so I can only imagine what can be done with the other five.

It’s probably not going to win over hardcore music creators, but Music Box shouldn’t have a hard time winning the rest of us

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Dwarven Depths

(Developer: Moonroof Studios – 80 points)

*Must Play*

Wow, this has really been a great week so far. Lots of surprisingly great games and here we’ve got another one to add to the list.

Dwarven Depths is a “mining-style” game with a focus on multiplayer. If you recall Miner Dig Deep, it’s sort of like that, but a little faster paced. The main game involves grabbing as much treasure as possible and banking it at the base, as death will result in the player dropping any and all cash they have on their person at the time. They can also lay traps for other players, wait in the shadows for unsuspecting victims to wander by and gank them (if they use the thief class), or just run around cutting up all of the ropes the other dwarves use to climb out of their tunnels. Up to four players can compete for supremacy in a handful of other game types as well, including a deathmatch-style arena, an open sandbox mode, and more.

Unfortunately, multiplayer is limited to offline, but it includes both competitive and co-op play. And on top of all those various game modes, players can also customize the rules and size of the randomly-generated map, leading to lots of different possibilities. Possibilities that should keep them busy and entertained for quite a while.

Spanker’s Army

(Developer: CameronC – 80 points)

Okay, well… Spanker’s Army probably won’t win any awards for visual design, but despite its looks, it’s a surprisingly competent game.

Players control Spanker, or one of his three friends, and walk around each level freeing caged animals or imprisoned soldiers to help them fight. Controlling these “armies,” that are typically comprised of about 7 or 8 characters, is done through the bumpers. They can be set to “follow,” “stop,” or “attack,” but honestly I only used the “attack” command, since they follow Spanker & Co. regardless and there was never a need to make them wait.

People who don’t mind rough visuals and characters walking at an agonizingly slow pace might find themselves enjoying Spanker’s Army unexpectedly. It’s simple, but it works.

Stick ‘Em Up: VS Arena

(Developer: WickedWorx – 80 points)

Stick ‘Em Up: VS Arena is an arena-centric version of the Stick ‘Em Up series, complete with the usual sick figures and weird jumping controls. While the other games in the series also have a heavy focus on multiplayer, VS Arena has done away with any sort of story or campaign levels and instead focuses on enclosed arenas, weapon power-ups, and vehicles. Four sticks enter, one stick leaves.

It stands to reason that anyone who enjoyed the other games in the series would probably enjoy VS Arena as well. My one criticism only really effects those who would play this game without other people: The AI is unfair. Not in an “I suck at the game and am blaming the AI” sort of way, but in a very real sense. Any AI players can and will know where the players are before they even appear on the screen, making it very difficult to even reach the area where everyone’s shooting at each other, much less live long enough to do anything. When playing with other human beings this won’t be a problem, but it’s still annoying in a single player game.

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*Must Plays*

• Explosive Gas (80 points)
• Endless Midnight: Zombie Swarm (80 points)
• Sequence (240 points)
• Dwarven Depths (80 points)

*Utter Failures*

• PowerSpinners (80 points)