Technabob » community games

Run Away!: a Game About Running (Away)

Alisha K. — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:23:34 +0000

When it comes to games you can buy for just a dollar, Jon Keatley’s Run Away! should be at the top of the list. If there isn’t a list of wonderfully cheap games, then maybe someone should make one, just so this game could be on the top.

Run Away! is a simple game in which players from from here to there while being chased by various enemies. There are five levels standing between you and your goal–love-interest Angry Girl–and if you get caught? It’s back to the beginning. Such are the pains of love.

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The game is fun and silly–and surprisingly challenging–though for a dollar, it could have had only one of those qualities and it might have been worth it. With all three? It might be the best dollar you spend all week.

Run Away! is available for download on Xbox Live, through the Community Games portal.

[via IndieGames]

Fight Your Way to the White House With Angry Barry

Alisha K. — Tue, 19 May 2009 12:18:11 +0000

One of the latest offerings added to the Xbox Community Games lineup, Arrogancy Games’ Angry Barry is a political parody beat-em-up, and yes, that’s a word combination I never thought to use together in one sentence. As the titular Barry (yes, that one), you’re charged with smashing your way through waves of enemies in your quest for the White House. The news networks should take note: this is a throwdown.

Angry Barry is a lot of game for a community games title; it features nine levels, multiplayer (you have to bring along your veep, after all), and tons of enemies just waiting for your angry fists. Better still, you can pick up just about anything and use it as a weapon.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Demonstrate your political anger and desire for change for a measly 400 Microsoft points.

[Angry Barry via IndieGames]

A Fading Melody Blurs the Line Between Games and Art [Xbox 360]

Alisha K. — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:38:40 +0000

If you’re not paying attention to the Xbox Live Community games, you should be. These indie titles are so often a steal at minuscule prices, and if you’re into simple, beautiful experiences, you can find ‘em aplenty. Some may say games aren’t art, but an example like A Fading Melody pushes the definitions into new territory.

In A Fading Melody, players are charged with breathing color and light into the dreams of a coma patient–literally. Action even brightens the screen.

The simple, creative visuals, combined with a lovely soundtrack, go far to create a convincing and beautiful world, and the gameplay–classic 2D platforming–flows well with the story. A Fading Memory boasts seven levels for only 200 Microsoft points (that’s $2.50 USD for those of you who still recognize actual currency), and it’s worth every one of ‘em.

[A Fading Memory via NeoGAF]

Johnny Platform’s Caffeinated Biscuit Romp [Xbox 360]

Alisha K. — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:56:29 +0000

Since the New Xbox Experience launched in late November of last year, the Xbox Live Community Games service has been building up a selection of indie titles, though none is quite so weirdly named as Craig Forrester’s Johnny Platform’s Biscuit Romp.

The spindly-fingered titular hero faces 55 levels of puzzle-filled platforming through a sugary land filled with hazards, but don’t worry–there’s plenty of coffee along his path. Oh, and there are robots. Evil robots. If that sounds odd, well, the game’s origins may be odder still; Johnny Platform’s Biscuit Romp began life as a humble DS homebrew title. The Community Games title has kept the vertical orientation that worked to move gameplay across the DS’s two screens.

Johnny Platform’s Biscuit Romp is available now on the Xbox Live Community Games service for a mere 200 Microsoft Points, and there’s even a demo so you can try before you buy.

[Xbox Live Community Games via auntie pixelante]