Indie | Community Games Roundup – 14/07/09

By Matthew Reynolds

A new addition to the Indie section here at Resolution, sifting through some recent XNA Community Games and reporting back. Before anyone suggests it: no, we’re not “XBots” or whatever the term is. We’re working on similar regular features for the other formats too.

There’s been a lot of talk from Community Games developers recently regarding the financial stability of the service, but most of this week’s games put their money where they mouth is, with two feature-rich titles that boast online matchmaking and voice-work as selling points. Yet the pick of the bunch is an old-school shooter that’s simply bloody good fun. It highlights what Community Games probably should be: an avenue for indie developers to craft short, sweet and well-executed titles that simply couldn’t exist on any other console service.

//Gamerbots: Third-Robot Shooting
Hotwave Games [link]
What shooter would dare map ‘fire’ to a bumper instead of a trigger? I probably spent a full ten seconds in Gamerbots watching my robot flicker from side-to-side like a shampoo commercial (the triggers switch shoulder views) before even considering to use a bumper. You’d be surprised how offputting a simple difference in controls would be, and whether it’s because I’m stubborn or just plain thick, it didn’t stop me accidently doing it over and over, because you can’t change them either.

Regardless of my poor adaptive skills, Gamerbots also has a lot of frustrating elements in its shooting mechanics. It’s very stiff, no thanks to its slow axis movement (which again, cannot be tweaked) and a weapon system that relies on purchasing ammunition for certain weapons (which I found out after wasting six pricey rockets on the closest wall). Moreover, playing AI bots is incredibly infuriating, where shots can kill you with a single hit, ending the round, despite taking forever to take down themselves.

Despite a pretty robust infrastructure to pin it together – with fully customisable robots, online ranks and some small but well-designed maps with nooks and crannies to snipe from – its evitable unpopularity on Xbox Live (it’s a Community Game after all) makes the single-player the only realistic avenue for consumption, but it does that very poorly. Ambition shouldn’t be a free-pass to shoddy controls, even if you are tackling the might of retail for features and gameplay. Hopefully some free updates will give it the polish it needs.

//Lotus: Stellar Conflict
MindStar Games [link]
It’s rare to see a top-down shooter that isn’t at a lightning pace or sounding like a car-alarm, which makes Lotus’ serene pace a real treat. Its physics-engine ensures the space setting is effectively utilised, where nudging ships and ammo crates sends them soaring away, and locked-on missiles constantly buzz around until they finally finds their target. The ships’ controls have a real weight to them, and gliding them into docking stations and away from enemy fire is a real tactile exercise.

It boasts a piano soundtrack and full voice-work for its story, all equally as poor and grating as the next, and feel like they’re ticking the boxes rather than adding anything worthwhile. Campaign objectives make interesting use of the proximity-based combat, such as maintaining a close distance to satellites to upload a virus, all while avoiding enemy fire; and while it has the usual set of competitive multiplayer modes, the engaging yet comfortable pace of the missions are what keep you engaged.

While the co-operative play is only available on Xbox Live, it’s a surprisingly relaxing way to soak up a few hours of play with a friend if you have some points to spare. If Geometry Wars was a panic attack in a nightclub, then this is a luxurious soak in a bath surrounded by scented candles. Just remember to provide your own soundtrack.

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