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Reader Comments (20)

Posted: Mar 25th 2011 2:05AM Courtney said

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I just didn't get Clover. I'm a huge supporter of indie games, and love even the odd ones, but after a few minutes with the demo, I didn't understand what the interest was. Does something happen further in that makes it a more interesting experience?

Posted: Mar 25th 2011 2:18AM MarkezJM said

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@Courtney

No, but I'm with ya. I can't believe it was even priced at 5 beans.
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Posted: Mar 25th 2011 4:54AM BinaryTweedDeej said

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@MarkezJM

Minimum I could charge for it was 240MSP, and the translations (which in retrospect were a mistake!) cost *thousands* to get done. It was clear we weren't going to sell huge volumes, so made sense at the time to charge more - it didn't seem to me that the people that 'got' the game and liked it would be unwilling to pay a bit more; more that casual consumers who may be swayed by price probably aren't the sort that would enjoy it even if it was free.
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Posted: Mar 25th 2011 4:56AM BinaryTweedDeej said

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@Courtney

If you fancy giving the full game a go, here's some codes for y'all. If these are all redeemed by the time you see this, get in touch via email/Twitter/XBL.

W9VTT-WQKK6-PXCW4-GRHHC-X676B
FCKR8-R8KCC-VF646-KTRFV-KV4GD
D6CYQ-Q29YV-JJQYB-DWVYR-VY3J6
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Posted: Mar 25th 2011 11:07AM darkinchworm said

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@BinaryTweedDeej

Wow, you're a bad enough dude to save the president. Props to you, though I bought my copy while it was on sale (I buy just about everything on sale). Haven't even touched it yet, honestly.
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Posted: Mar 25th 2011 3:59PM tylerh1701 said

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@BinaryTweedDeej

Damn you guys! All codes already used :(
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Posted: Mar 25th 2011 4:27PM Courtney said

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@tylerh1701

They were all gone at like 9 am this morning, tried them when I got to work and saw the reply.
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Posted: Mar 25th 2011 2:20AM fallouthirteen said

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So, just wondering, what's so important about this game. I mean there are plenty of Xbox Live Indie games and it seems there are a number of good ones. So what makes this one special enough to get a DotW and then an article here about it getting a price drop?

Posted: Mar 25th 2011 2:46AM Mike Nathan said

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@fallouthirteen

The reason it was discounted was because it vaguely tied into the whole St. Patrick's Day theme. Y'know cuz Ireland and four-leaf clovers and all that.

But Clover is an indie game that critics loved because to supposedly shows what an indie game could be. It had voice acting, puzzles, multiple endings, etc. Ok, the gameplay was somewhat crap and the art style left much to be desired, but it also came out when most over indie games were unimaginative shooters and "use your controller as a massager" apps.
Unfortunately, that early love for the game causes critics to still overlook its flaws and, more importantly, that much much better indie games have come out since.
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Posted: Mar 25th 2011 4:51AM BinaryTweedDeej said

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@Mike Nathan

I think you've hit the nail on the head there. I'd definitely agree there are better XBLIGs out there, and I think Clover: A Curious Tale acts as a kind of benchmark of the state of XBLIG a couple of years ago. It did some pretty good reviews too, so I'm thinking it's a flawed acquired taste.
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Posted: Mar 25th 2011 5:29AM Mike Nathan said

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@BinaryTweedDeej

True. And my qualms about the game aside, I am very glad that a game like Clover did come out.
I don't think Microsoft ever expected anything to ever come of the indie games. Honestly, I'm pretty sure they only created the option so that certain people would stop using "homebrew" as an excuse to legitimize modding the console. And with the early pile of games on there, they were close to being proven right.
And then came Clover which was one of the first games among the indies that was made with some imagination and effort. The other title that also comes to mind was the College Lacrosse game that was also like nothing else that had come out previously. Indie games like those two were kind of the game changer that made critics and Microsoft take notice.
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Posted: Mar 25th 2011 9:41AM Cap Morgan said

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@Mike Nathan
Ehh, maybe the higher ups aren't supportive of indie games but I will say there are some good cats at MS working on XNA itself that deserve props. They didn't just toss us the keys and said "here you go kid", they've put up a lot of examples and have worked with the community.

I learned a lot about good game design from them. I've been absent from the community for the last few years while I've been in school but once I get that BS in software engineering, good old Camp Elm will be back.
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Posted: Mar 25th 2011 11:15AM BinaryTweedDeej said

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@Cap Morgan

Agreed. A lot of people at MS are working very hard to make XNA and XBLIG work, and definitely deserve respect and credit. The problem is that like most large companies Microsoft is very fragmented and departments become compartmentalised, meaning it's hard to get everyone pulling in the same direction at the same time. This is compounded by Microsoft's 'internal competition' philosophy, but hey - it works for them!
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Posted: Mar 25th 2011 3:08AM nullset said

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I saw this post's picture and I read "Clover" and I was reminded of Clover Studio, and then I remembered the fact that Clover is no longer making delicious games for everybody, then I cried.

Posted: Mar 25th 2011 6:59AM OneManFreakShow said

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@nullset I saw your avatar and I was reminded of Hotel Dusk, and then I remembered that Last Window is never coming to America, then I cried.
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Posted: Mar 25th 2011 5:09AM goat biscuit said

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I think inclusion of achievements would have a staggering effect on Indie Game sales.

Posted: Mar 25th 2011 6:04AM Startingline13 ArmlessOctopus said

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Great to see that some of the indies are getting the credit and publicity they deserve. If you like adventure games, or what to see what the XBLIG service is capable of then this is a great place to start.

Posted: Mar 25th 2011 6:16AM Darth Phillius said

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Hmm, seems I'm the minority then. I bought Clover in it's first carnation before it got a make-over. Being a fan of the Dizzy! games of old, I loved the retro interface and old-skool gameplay. The music (although a tad repetitive) was fairly decent and the art-style gave it a charm/personality that was lacking from Xbox Live Indie Games at the time. Sure the story and characters were more than a tad eccentric but that to me just added to the over-all charm.

I think the problem here is that there's a lot lost in translation. I'm Scottish and 28. The Dizzy! games were huge in the UK (and to an extent Europe) during the 80's micro-computer boom. So the retro-chìc appeals to me. Also I found it's sensibilities quintessentially English. I think anyone outside of the UK won't get that and in extension won't 'get' the game. A shame really as I was hoping to see what was done next with the engine.

Posted: Mar 25th 2011 10:57AM Ujn Hunter said

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God Hand is the greatest game ever made! Oh... not that Clover...

Posted: Mar 25th 2011 9:59PM TJF588 said

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Huh, that's an interesting tidbit, about price-vs-size. Hate to think that that's how it must be, but at least SQEX's one-disc PS1 Classics are in the cheaper bracket of the PS Store.

I'll hafta eyeball this next time I'm browsin'.

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