Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[IndieCade in New York City this weekend]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/11/indiecade-in-new-york-city-this-weekend/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/11/indiecade-in-new-york-city-this-weekend/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/11/indiecade-in-new-york-city-this-weekend/#comments Indiecade in New York City this weekendIndieCade comes to Queens this weekend, February 15 - 17. It's the first time the independent games festival, which will feature over 25 games, has come to the east coast. Organizers are also promoting that visitors will have a chance to check out the Oculus Rift.

Special guests planned to attend are Kris Piotrowski (Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP) and Doug Wilson (Johann Sebastian Joust). The festival will take place at Museum of the Moving Image, with a wide range of ticket prices based on what you're planning to check out. Find all the pricing details below.

Continue reading IndieCade in New York City this weekend

JoystiqIndieCade in New York City this weekend originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>indiecadeMon, 11 Feb 2013 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade 2012 winners get their crowns, IndieCade East in 2013]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/11/indiecade-2012-winners-get-their-crowns-indiecade-east-in-2013/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/11/indiecade-2012-winners-get-their-crowns-indiecade-east-in-2013/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/11/indiecade-2012-winners-get-their-crowns-indiecade-east-in-2013/#comments IndieCade 2012 winners get their crowns, IndieCade East coming in 2013This year's great indie battle has come to an end with the victors crowned. The 2012 IndieCade winners were selected by a band of merry developers, including Kellee Santiago, co-founder of Journey studio thatgamecompany, Braid developer Jonathan Blow, and J. Stewart Burns, producer and writer for The Simpsons and Futurama.

Winners include Molleindustria's Unmanned, which took home the Grand Jury Award, Jason Roberts' Gorogoa for visuals, RSBLSB's Dyad for audio and Amanita Design's Botanicula for story / world design. Davey Wreden's The Stanley Parable snagged the special recognition award, the audience choice went to Ramiro Corbetta's Hokra, and developers' choice to wallFour's Renga.

IndieCade is looking to expand its reach, launching the first annual IndieCade East on Saturday and Sunday, February 16 - 17, 2013, in New York City's Museum of the Moving Image. IndieCade East will feature some of the IndieCade 2012 finalists, winners and official selections, and will host a game jam hosted by PlayStation Mobile.

Check out the complete list of IndieCade winners below.

Continue reading IndieCade 2012 winners get their crowns, IndieCade East in 2013

JoystiqIndieCade 2012 winners get their crowns, IndieCade East in 2013 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>IndieCadeindiecade-2012indiecade-eastmicrosoftmobilepcplaystationps3winnersxboxThu, 11 Oct 2012 20:15:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade 2012 lineup: Papo & Yo, Hawken, Cards Against Humanity]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/24/indiecade-2012-lineup-papo-and-yo-hawken-cards-against-humanity/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/24/indiecade-2012-lineup-papo-and-yo-hawken-cards-against-humanity/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/24/indiecade-2012-lineup-papo-and-yo-hawken-cards-against-humanity/#comments IndieCade 2012 lineup Hawken, Papo & Yo, Cards Against Humanity, moreIndieCade 2012 runs October 4 - 7 in Los Angeles with a host of today's most brilliant independent games and gimmicks. IndieCade selects a slew of intriguing indies each year, and it just revealed this year's list, which includes some higher-profile titles such as Dys4ia, Hotline Miami, Papo & Yo, Hawken, Puzzlejuice and Super Hexagon, alongside under-the-radar rarities and even physical-world games, such as Cards Against Humanity and Field Frogger.

Official Selections will be viewable and playable at IndieCade, along with the Nominees, which are up for awards at the Red Carpet ceremony on October 4.

Below find a complete list of the IndieCade 2012 Official Selections, supplementing our earlier lineup of the Nominees.

Continue reading IndieCade 2012 lineup: Papo & Yo, Hawken, Cards Against Humanity

JoystiqIndieCade 2012 lineup: Papo & Yo, Hawken, Cards Against Humanity originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidIndieIndieCadeindiecade-2012iosipadiphonemacmicrosoftmobilepcplaystationps3xboxMon, 24 Sep 2012 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade 2012 finalists line up for judgement, awards on Oct. 4]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/22/indiecade-2012-finalists-line-up-for-judgement-awards-on-oct-4/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/22/indiecade-2012-finalists-line-up-for-judgement-awards-on-oct-4/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/22/indiecade-2012-finalists-line-up-for-judgement-awards-on-oct-4/#comments IndieCade finalists for 2012 announcedIndieCade 2012 kicks off on October 4 in downtown Culver City, California, celebrating indie games and developers for four days across multiple venues. The Red Carpet Awards, held on the evening of October 4 and hosted by Felicia Day, honors the coolest, most intriguing games in the indie scene, and often serve as an indicator of future breakout hits: Past winners include Fez, Limbo, Braid, Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP and Johann Sebastian Joust.

IndieCade has announced the 36 finalists for the 2012 Red Carpet Awards, including Analogue: A Hate Story, Bontanicula, Dyad, Guacamelee, The Stanley Parable, Splice and more. Whether you want to see who's up for the big prizes, or just want a guide of prominent indie games to check out, find the complete list of IndieCade 2012 finalists below.

Continue reading IndieCade 2012 finalists line up for judgement, awards on Oct. 4

JoystiqIndieCade 2012 finalists line up for judgement, awards on Oct. 4 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>finalistsIndieCadeindiecade-2012macmicrosoftmobilepcplaystationps3red-carpet-awardsxboxWed, 22 Aug 2012 23:00:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade at E3: Sizing up Scale]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/13/indiecade-at-e3-sizing-up-scale/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/13/indiecade-at-e3-sizing-up-scale/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/13/indiecade-at-e3-sizing-up-scale/#comments IndieCade at E3 Sizing up ScaleI also ran around the IndieCade tour at E3, and while our own Jess Conditt took a lot of creepy pleasure in the grim philosophical horror title A Mother's Inferno, my tastes ran more simple and colorful: The best game I saw in that section of E3 this year was called Scale.

Scale, developed by Steve Swink (who teaches interactive design in Phoenix, but might be better known as Kyle Pulver's roommate?) is similar to Portal, which is a quality ascribed to a lot of great indie games these days. That's not surprising, given that Portal was also an indie student project, before it got processed through Valve's chaotic engine of creativity. Scale is similar to Portal in that it too has a gun that doesn't kill, but is instead used to manipulate a colorfully-rendered 3D world.

Portal, it could be said, played around with the functions of space, creating portals to bypass and bend it. Scale, on the other hand, is all about that stuff in between space. Namely: mass.

Continue reading IndieCade at E3: Sizing up Scale

JoystiqIndieCade at E3: Sizing up Scale originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 13 Jun 2012 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>e3e3-2012indiecadepcscalesteve-swinkWed, 13 Jun 2012 11:45:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade at E3: Hokra, a minimalist sports game with huge appeal, equal barriers]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/12/indiecade-at-e3-hokra-a-minimalist-sports-game-with-huge-appea/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/12/indiecade-at-e3-hokra-a-minimalist-sports-game-with-huge-appea/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/12/indiecade-at-e3-hokra-a-minimalist-sports-game-with-huge-appea/#comments
IndieCade at E3 Hokra, a minimalist sports game with huge appeal, equal barriers
Of all the games littering the IndieCade floor at E3, just one of them truly belonged there in a way that the others just couldn't touch: Ramiro Corbetta's Hokra. It wasn't necessarily flashier, prettier or more famous than any of the other titles, but it was a game made for public exhibitions - literally.

"Hokra was originally created with the public space in mind, but it was also developed to be the kind of game that I'd like to play with my friends," Corbetta told Joystiq.

Hokra premiered on May 12, 2011 at the NYU Game Center's No Quarter exhibition, and Corbetta developed it with that venue specifically in mind.

"I developed Hokra to be a multiplayer game, and to be honest when I was first developing it I wasn't thinking about how to sell it," he said. "I was only thinking about how to make the best possible game, and since it was going to be displayed in a gallery space, I knew there would always be multiple people around to play it."

Hokra is a simplistic, competitive digital sports game for four local players, and only four local players. Not online, not three, two or one, but four physical people ideally using Xbox 360 controllers, always. This design choice stems from Hokra's gallery goal, but also from Corbetta's passion for local multiplayer titles.

Continue reading IndieCade at E3: Hokra, a minimalist sports game with huge appeal, equal barriers

JoystiqIndieCade at E3: Hokra, a minimalist sports game with huge appeal, equal barriers originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>competitione3-2012exhibitiongalleryhokraIndieCadelocallocal-multiplayerpcramiro-corbettasportsTue, 12 Jun 2012 06:30:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade at E3: A Mother's Inferno]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/09/indiecade-at-e3-a-mothers-inferno/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/09/indiecade-at-e3-a-mothers-inferno/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/09/indiecade-at-e3-a-mothers-inferno/#comments IndieCade at E3 A Mother's InfernoA Mother's Inferno begins on a train, travels through the juiciest bowels of Hell, and ends up somewhere in between, covered in neon blood and reeking of vomit and mental decay.

It's a short journey, if that helps.

A Mother's Inferno, a PC/Mac title at E3's IndieCade from Denmark's National Academy of Digital Interactive Entertainment, examines the five stages of loss as represented by train compartments filled with all manner of angry, illusive and violent demons.

It's first-person, told from the perspective of a mother whose son is suddenly and violently possessed, thrown around their train compartment, and stolen into the leftover nightmarish world. As a red-stained landscape looms outside the train's windows, the mother attempts to reclaim her son, battling evil spirits with just a shard of glass and, we assume, her love.

Continue reading IndieCade at E3: A Mother's Inferno

JoystiqIndieCade at E3: A Mother's Inferno originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 09 Jun 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mothers-infernoDADIUe3-2012horrorIndieIndieCademacpcSat, 09 Jun 2012 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Take a tour with us through IndieCade at E3]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/08/take-a-tour-through-indiecade/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/08/take-a-tour-through-indiecade/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/08/take-a-tour-through-indiecade/#comments
Take a tour through IndieCade

We're not very good at lying, so when we say "A Mother's Inferno was an absolutely terrifying indie game," we mean we played it alone, at night, on a big-screen TV, and we just about peed our pants no less than seven times. Seriously, we haven't slept soundly in weeks.

Not all of the games at IndieCade's E3 exhibition were psychedelic horror fests; some of them were eccentric, rich platformers, such as Arcen Games' A Valley Without Wind. And a few were downright happy, such as Steve Swink's Scale.

Check out a few of our stand-out IndieCade titles in a guided tour right up there.

JoystiqTake a tour with us through IndieCade at E3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mothers-infernoa-valley-without-windandroide3-2012IndieIndieCadeiosipadiphonekinectmacmicrosoftmobilepcplaystationps3scalexboxFri, 08 Jun 2012 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Felicia Day to host the 2012 IndieCade Red Carpet Awards Ceremony]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/19/felicia-day-to-host-the-2012-indiecade-red-carpet-awards-ceremon/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/19/felicia-day-to-host-the-2012-indiecade-red-carpet-awards-ceremon/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/19/felicia-day-to-host-the-2012-indiecade-red-carpet-awards-ceremon/#comments ImageFelicia Day has been enlisted by the folks at Creative Media Collaborative to host the 2012 IndieCade Red Carpet Awards Ceremony, where exemplary and innovating flooring/carpeting solutions are honored for their excellence in ... hold on a second, we may not have this entirely right.

Ah! Yes, video games, of course. The IndieCade Red Carpet Awards Ceremony honors noteworthy achievements in the field of indie gaming over the course of the previous year - past winners include Fez and Limbo, for example. This year's ceremony takes place on October 4, kicks off the 2012 IndieCade Conference and Festival proper, and will of course be hosted by Felicia Day.

Best known for creating The Guild and co-starring in Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Day is just about as endeared to the global gaming/nerd community as a person can get. She was even on an episode of House once.

Continue reading Felicia Day to host the 2012 IndieCade Red Carpet Awards Ceremony

JoystiqFelicia Day to host the 2012 IndieCade Red Carpet Awards Ceremony originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>felicia-dayindieindiecadeindiecade-2012indiecade-red-carpet-awards-ceremonyThu, 19 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade early bird submission fee deadline is February 29]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/27/indiecade-early-bird-submission-fee-deadline-is-february-29/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/27/indiecade-early-bird-submission-fee-deadline-is-february-29/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/27/indiecade-early-bird-submission-fee-deadline-is-february-29/#comments The early submission deadline for IndieCade ends on the final day this month, February 29, with prices jumping from $50 to $75 until the standard submission deadline ends May 1. We know procrastination is an art form, but that $25 could be spent on more essential items like ramen.

IndieCade got in contact with us to help spread the word that the only major disqualification factor for a game is if it's funded by a major publisher. Beyond that, the group accepts a variety of games, which are detailed after the break.

IndieCade's track record, with past winners including Limbo, VVVVVV, Superbrothers' Sword and Sworcery EP and Fez, is a great springboard for mass attention. If you're a developer or team that thinks it's got the next big indie game, take the chance and submit an application.

Continue reading IndieCade early bird submission fee deadline is February 29

JoystiqIndieCade early bird submission fee deadline is February 29 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>IndieCadeindiecade-2012iosipadiphonemacmicrosoftmobilepcplaystationps3xboxMon, 27 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade's 2012 'Festival of Independent Games' accepting submissions]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/06/indiecades-2012-festival-of-independent-games-accepting-submi/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/06/indiecades-2012-festival-of-independent-games-accepting-submi/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/06/indiecades-2012-festival-of-independent-games-accepting-submi/#comments Indie devs take note, submissions for IndieCade's 2012 "Festival of Independent Games" are now open on the event's official website.

IndieCade's track record is stellar, giving budding designers and developers the exposure their hard work deserves and the money their growing debt so richly desires. Past winners include darlings like Limbo, VVVVVV, and Superbrothers' Sword and Sworcery EP. Of course, bills only get paid if the games launch -- unlike Fez, which by our heart's count has been in development for the last seven hundred years.

Teams that submit a game will receive a main festival pass and an invitation to a day-long networking and workshop event. Games selected are set to be featured during the annual IndieCade Festival from October 4 through October 7.

JoystiqIndieCade's 2012 'Festival of Independent Games' accepting submissions originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsandroiddsIndieCadeindiecade-2012iosipadiphonemacmicrosoftmobilenintendoplaystationps3pspsonywiixboxMon, 06 Feb 2012 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade 2011: Tom Sennett cares about Deepak Fights Robots]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/10/indiecade-2011-tom-sennett-cares-about-deepak-fights-robots/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/10/indiecade-2011-tom-sennett-cares-about-deepak-fights-robots/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/10/indiecade-2011-tom-sennett-cares-about-deepak-fights-robots/#comments
When Tom Sennett stepped on stage to pick up the Game Design award at this year's IndieCade, his entire speech suggested strongly that he doesn't, um, really care. But here's his secret: He actually does. "I take the work very seriously," he said. When it comes to Deepak Fights Robots (currently available on Mac, Windows and Linux), Sennett actually cares very much.

Sure, the graphics look like they were created with free software and a mouse (they were), the action ranges from surreal to nonsensical, and the game's funky soundtrack and aesthetic (that extended even to the signs around Sennett's IndieCade display, as seen above) might make you think Deepak Fights Robots is just a joke. It is funny, but once you dive into the game mechanics at play here, there's a surprising amount of depth and insight built on just a few standard platformer-style tropes.

Continue reading IndieCade 2011: Tom Sennett cares about Deepak Fights Robots

JoystiqIndieCade 2011: Tom Sennett cares about Deepak Fights Robots originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>deepak-fights-robotsdevelopersindiecadeindiecade-2011interviewpcMon, 10 Oct 2011 23:45:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade 2011: Molding The Swapper out of clay]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/10/indiecade-2011-molding-the-swapper-out-of-clay/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/10/indiecade-2011-molding-the-swapper-out-of-clay/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/10/indiecade-2011-molding-the-swapper-out-of-clay/#comments The Swapper is one of IndieCade's most fascinating finalists this year. While the trailer will definitely pique your interest about the title (it features some really interesting "create-a-clone" gameplay -- more on that in a bit), what's most incredible about this one isn't how it looks or plays. It's how it was made.

The Swapper was created by Facepalm Games, which is actually two teenagers named Otto Hantula and Olli Harjola (along with a sound designer) from Helsinki, Finland. They've created a few games, "but nothing as big as this one," they told me. You may think, given the amazing textures and bump-mapping on the game, that they used some kind of high-end engine to create it. Unreal Engine 3? CryEngine, maybe? Nope.

"They're actually made of clay and some other stuff," said Harjola. As in, actual physical clay, which he modeled, photographed, and then put into the game with lots of dynamic lighting. "I probed a lot of different graphic styles," he says. "I don't really like 3D modeling, but I really like doing stuff with my hands, and this is what I came up with."

Continue reading IndieCade 2011: Molding The Swapper out of clay

JoystiqIndieCade 2011: Molding The Swapper out of clay originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>clayfacepalm-gamesfinlandindiecadeindiecade-2011modelpcthe-swapperMon, 10 Oct 2011 18:20:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade 2011: Desktop Dungeons' inspiration, past, and future]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/09/indiecade-2011-desktop-dungeons-inspiration-past-and-future/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/09/indiecade-2011-desktop-dungeons-inspiration-past-and-future/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/09/indiecade-2011-desktop-dungeons-inspiration-past-and-future/#comments If you enjoy PC games, especially action RPGs like Diablo, but you've never once played Nethack, you probably should. No, seriously -- go, right now, download it, and check it out. Sure, it's hard, not very accessible (there are no graphics, only ASCII symbols to represent the player, items, and monsters), and enormously complicated. But it's also essentially the root of the "roguelike" genre (named after a game called Rogue), featuring random dungeons with dozens of levels, exciting turn-based combat, and plenty of unpredictable magic.

Desktop Dungeons is a game that continues in that tradition, though with one important twist: While Nethack, Rogue, and all of the other roguelikes take place over huge dungeons with multiple levels and lots of complexity, Desktop Dungeons champions simplicity. It takes place on basically one screen, in one grid, and that dungeon will cause you to level up from start to finish in just about ten minutes. It's the roguelike genre, boiled down into its most essential ingredients.

And it's glorious.

Continue reading IndieCade 2011: Desktop Dungeons' inspiration, past, and future

JoystiqIndieCade 2011: Desktop Dungeons' inspiration, past, and future originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 09 Oct 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>desktop-dungeonsindiecadeindiecade-2011mobilepcqcf-designSun, 09 Oct 2011 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[VVVVVV coming to 3DS in late 2011]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/07/vvvvvv-coming-to-3ds-in-late-2011/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/07/vvvvvv-coming-to-3ds-in-late-2011/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/07/vvvvvv-coming-to-3ds-in-late-2011/#commentsTerry Cavanagh's topsy-turvy challenge, VVVVVV, is coming to the Nintendo 3DS courtesy of Nicalis. It'll be available on the 3DS eShop later this year, complete with "full 3D awesomeness."

VVVVVV's cheerful 8-bit aesthetic will stretch across two screens now, with a real-time map on the bottom screen offering some direction in the action platformer that takes great pleasure in eschewing basic navigational rules. The 3DS version will also feature new levels and "future content updates."

If you want to play VVVVVV's new incarnation before it launches, head to the ongoing Indiecade in Culver City, California, and ... track down Terry Cavanagh. Remember, it's pronounced with six Vs.

Gallery: VVVVVV 3DS (10/07/2011)

Continue reading VVVVVV coming to 3DS in late 2011

JoystiqVVVVVV coming to 3DS in late 2011 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsindiecadeindiecade-2011nicalisnintendoq4-2011release-dateterry-cavanaghvvvvvvFri, 07 Oct 2011 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Fez, Johann Sebastian Joust win at the IndieCade 2011 awards]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/07/fez-johann-sebastian-joust-win-at-the-indiecade-2011-awards/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/07/fez-johann-sebastian-joust-win-at-the-indiecade-2011-awards/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/07/fez-johann-sebastian-joust-win-at-the-indiecade-2011-awards/#comments The 2011 IndieCade Awards were held in Santa Monica last evening and, in a pretty informal event, Phil Fish's Fez came away with the biggest wins of the night. It received two awards, one for Story/World Design, and the second for the Best in Show prize. Johann Sebastian Joust, a physical game that challenges players to hold PlayStation Move controllers still while getting audio feedback in musical form, also picked up two awards: one for Best Technology, and another award for Impact on the community.

Tom Sennett's manic Deepak Fights Robots won the award for best Gameplay Design, Superbrothers' Sword and Sworcery EP picked up the award for Visuals, and Proteus, in which players are offered up a musical environment to explore, won for best Sound. Interaction went to German physical game Ordnungswissenschaft, and the Special Recognition award went to side-scrolling puzzler platformer The Swapper.

The ceremony itself was short but wacky. Presenters like Samm Levine and Martin Starr (of TV's "Freaks and Geeks"), as well as web video stars Team Unicorn and Sandeep Parikh, cracked sometimes awkward jokes, while the indie developers themselves acted (unsurprisingly) indie. Joust's team used one of their awards speeches to silently demo the game, and Tom Sennett took the stage to simply announce, "I'm Tom Sennett, and I don't give a fuck!" Fish himself (above) laughed maniacally after winning his second award, and then joked that he thought the Canadian Sword and Sworcery team was going to win. "Take that, Toronto!" he joked.

We'll be at IndieCade over the rest of the weekend, so stay tuned for more coverage.

JoystiqFez, Johann Sebastian Joust win at the IndieCade 2011 awards originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>awardsfezindiecadeindiecade-2011johann-sebastian-joustjoustmobilepcphysical-gamesplaystationps3sword-and-sworcery-epwinnersFri, 07 Oct 2011 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Indiecade 2011 preview: Ten games to watch for]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/06/indiecade-2011-preview-ten-games-to-watch-for/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/06/indiecade-2011-preview-ten-games-to-watch-for/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/06/indiecade-2011-preview-ten-games-to-watch-for/#comments IndieCade 2011 kicks off this weekend in Los Angeles' Culver City, shining a spotlight on some of the biggest and best games the indie gaming community has to offer. The full list of finalists was announced a while ago, and all of those developers are expected to be live in person during the event, with demo units of each game available for the public to play all weekend long.

The event really gets into gear this evening at the IndieCade awards, where developers and their games will be chosen for a series of categories like Fun/Compelling, and the Jury and Audience Choice awards. We'll have more on the results of those later on this evening, but before the festival begins, here's a look at ten of the biggest finalists, including some you can load up and play right now.

Continue reading Indiecade 2011 preview: Ten games to watch for

JoystiqIndiecade 2011 preview: Ten games to watch for originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>indie-gamesindiecadeindiecade-2011iosiphonemicrosoftmobilepcplaystationps3xboxThu, 06 Oct 2011 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Activision teams with Indiecade for second Independent Games Competition]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/03/activision-teams-with-indiecade-for-second-independent-games-com/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/03/activision-teams-with-indiecade-for-second-independent-games-com/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/03/activision-teams-with-indiecade-for-second-independent-games-com/#comments Activison's indie games competition was such a rousing success last time -- from its announcement to the year-and-a-half of silence that followed to the reveal of winners -- that the publisher's doing it again, offering up another $250,000 to two indie developers.

Activision's doing it differently this time. For one thing, right there in the press release, it notes that "Ownership of submission remains with the creator." Last time, the competition had a caveat that if Activision decided to publish the winning entry, it would own the IP. The announcement of this contest mentions nothing about an Activision publishing deal being on the table.

Additionally, Activision is working with Indiecade to run this contest. Submissions are open now through December 31. Winners will be announced sometime in the next couple of years or whatever.

JoystiqActivision teams with Indiecade for second Independent Games Competition originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionactivision-independent-games-competitionindieindiecadepcMon, 03 Oct 2011 15:40:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade 2010 award winners announced]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/10/indiecade-2010-award-winners-announced/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/10/indiecade-2010-award-winners-announced/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/10/indiecade-2010-award-winners-announced/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Last night's IndieCade 2010 awards ceremony recognized some of the best independently-developed games released over the past year, as well as Tim Schafer, who was not released over the past year. The full list of winners can be found after the jump.

You're probably familiar with some of them, provided your gaming tastes wander off the beaten path -- there's Playdead's haunting platformer Limbo, Ian Bogost's Atari 2600 gem A Slow Year, and Steph Thirion iPhone title Faraway, which won something called the "Sublime Experience Award." We're sure the other honors are just as prestigious, but that's the best name for an award we've ever heard.

Continue reading IndieCade 2010 award winners announced

JoystiqIndieCade 2010 award winners announced originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-slow-yearawardsfarawayIndieCadeindiecade-2010limbomobilepctim-schaferSun, 10 Oct 2010 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Tim Schafer to be honored with lifetime achievement award at IndieCade 2010]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/30/tim-schafer-to-be-honored-with-lifetime-achievement-award-at-ind/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/30/tim-schafer-to-be-honored-with-lifetime-achievement-award-at-ind/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/30/tim-schafer-to-be-honored-with-lifetime-achievement-award-at-ind/#commentsFiled under: , ,

IndieCade will be awarding its Honorary Trailblazer Award for Lifetime Achievement to none other than Tim Schafer, he of the Secret of Monkey Island series, Psychonauts and most recently Brütal Legend. Schafer was chosen for the honor as a role model to indie gamers everywhere, and for personifying "the risk-taking, boundary pushing spirit at the heart of the indepedent gaming community," according to a statement from the conference.

IndieCade 2010 takes place in about a week on October 8-10, 2010 in Culver City, California. Schafer will get his award presented to him by former (and current) colleague Ron Gilbert at the ceremony on Thursday night, hosted by Levar Burton.

JoystiqTim Schafer to be honored with lifetime achievement award at IndieCade 2010 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 23:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>awardsawards-ceremonyindiecadeindiecade-2010levar-burtonron-gilberttim-schafertrailblazerThu, 30 Sep 2010 23:45:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade 2009: The finalists]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/05/indiecade-2009-the-finalists/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/05/indiecade-2009-the-finalists/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/05/indiecade-2009-the-finalists/#comments
IndieCade 2009 was held in Culver City, CA this past weekend, and the local art galleries and restaurants were filled with independent games and their developers from all over the world. The festival billed itself as the "video game Sundance" and lived up to this self-made reputation, putting 29 different indie games on display, both throughout the weekend and during a Thursday night opening ceremony MC'd by Uncharted 2's Richard Lemarchand (shown above with festival founder Stephanie Barish).

We've rounded up the festival's finalists in the gallery below. You may be familiar with a few of them, including Twisted Pixel's The Maw and a selection of well-known iPhone titles, but all of these titles deserve your attention -- and a playthrough!

Gallery: IndieCade 2009 Finalists

Dear EstherModal KombatYou Get MeTuningTrain

JoystiqIndieCade 2009: The finalists originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aetherakrasiaAppleclassicnightclosurecogsdear-estherdeep-sleep-initiativeelisseverybody-diesfestivalgalleryglobal-conflictsgrayindieindie-gamesindiecadeindiecade-2009iPodMicrosoftmightiermodal-kombatNintendoosmospapermintplaythroughradio-flarerichard-lemarchandruben-and-lullabyshadow-physicssowlarspectrethe-mawthe-pathtraintuningWiiXbox-360you-get-meMon, 05 Oct 2009 10:26:00 EST<![CDATA[Indie party game beats New Super Mario Bros. Wii to the jump]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/05/indie-party-game-beats-new-super-mario-bros-wii-to-the-jump/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/05/indie-party-game-beats-new-super-mario-bros-wii-to-the-jump/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/05/indie-party-game-beats-new-super-mario-bros-wii-to-the-jump/#commentsThe most identifiable new feature of New Super Mario Bros. Wii is the casually competitive multiplayer. Players are ostensibly competing for coins and score, but the gameplay is designed to encourage a fluid combination of cooperation and competition. The one game we had a chance to try at the IndieCade booth, Octopounce, features almost the exact same friendly-competition between jumping characters -- and it was released two months before anyone knew about Miyamoto's latest.

Octopounce, by game designer Anna Anthropy and artist Saelee Oh, allows up to four players to control a little pixel octopus in a hand-painted underwater backdrop. The goal is to jump up and catch as many fish as possible, and each player can bounce on the other characters to reach the fish. Inactive player avatars remain on the screen, sleeping, so they can be used as convenient platforms. There's no real score -- an octopus becomes more opaque as it eats fish, and commentary about the game's progress appears in a text crawl at the bottom of the screen.

Of course, NSMB Wii features divergent gameplay elements, like precision platforming and enemies, but in terms of the newest mechanic -- the multiplayer bouncing -- this game, designed for the Game Over/Continue? exhibit during GDC, anticipated that element before Nintendo revealed it. It sort of makes sense, then, that Octopounce is inspired by Super Mario War, a homebrew effort to make a multiplayer Mario experience -- but NSMB Wii resembles Octopounce more closely than it does Super Mario War.

JoystiqIndie party game beats New Super Mario Bros. Wii to the jump originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anna-anthropye3-2009indieindiecadeoctopouncesaelee-ohFri, 05 Jun 2009 12:11:00 EST<![CDATA[Joystiq interview: Chasing pie in The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/10/joystiq-interview-chasing-pie-in-the-misadventures-of-p-b-wint/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/10/joystiq-interview-chasing-pie-in-the-misadventures-of-p-b-wint/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/10/joystiq-interview-chasing-pie-in-the-misadventures-of-p-b-wint/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Everyone loves pie, and this year's IndieCade International Festival made our favorite delicious pastry even better, marrying it with time travel in The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom, one of the event's more interesting finalists. A product of late night brainstorming and drawing more than a little inspiration from silent film, the game offers an unique blend of platforming and puzzle solving as players guide the mischievous Winterbottom on his single-minded quest for more pie. We recently jumped at the opportunity to speak with the game's creator, Matt Korba, and over the course of the interview we picked his brain on a variety of topics, from the title's origin as a thesis project to similarities with fellow indie time travel experiment, Braid. And of course, pie.

Continue reading Joystiq interview: Chasing pie in The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom

JoystiqJoystiq interview: Chasing pie in The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>indiecadeindiecade-2008pb-winterbottomPCpieFri, 10 Oct 2008 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Joystiq interview: Spooning with Dark Room Sex Game creators]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/08/joystiq-interview-spooning-with-dark-room-sex-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/08/joystiq-interview-spooning-with-dark-room-sex-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/08/joystiq-interview-spooning-with-dark-room-sex-game/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

One of the more unique finalists in this year's IndieCade International Festival, Dark Room Sex Game was a student project from the IT University of Copenhagen that require players to cooperatively "reach climax" by finding a mutual rhythm (by shaking a Wii remote) and speeding it up. We had a chance to speak with with developers Douglas Wilson and Dajana Dimovska about the origins of the game (and some its more humorous promotional material):

Douglas Wilson: So let me introduce myself more formally - I'm Doug

Dajana Dimovska: And I am Dajana

Gallery: Dark Room Sex Game

Continue reading Joystiq interview: Spooning with Dark Room Sex Game creators

JoystiqJoystiq interview: Spooning with Dark Room Sex Game creators originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dark-room-sex-gameindiecadejoystiqfeaturesMacPCsexWiiWed, 08 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade: International Festival Finalists #21-26]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/26/indiecade-international-festival-finalists-21-25/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/26/indiecade-international-festival-finalists-21-25/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/26/indiecade-international-festival-finalists-21-25/#commentsFiled under: , ,


All week, Joystiq will be revealing the 25 finalists for the IndieCade: International Festival of Independent Games, set to take place October 10 through 17 in Bellevue, Washington. The winners will be announced on October 11.

The Graveyard (website)

The casual gamer might get bogged down by the protagonist's walking speed, but the cheerful and macabre song at the end more than makes up for it. And should you buy the full game -- there's a twist.

Gallery: The Graveyeard



Psst ... there's more after the break.

Continue reading IndieCade: International Festival Finalists #21-26

JoystiqIndieCade: International Festival Finalists #21-26 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cactus-arcadegraveyardindiecadeindiecade-2008joystiqfeaturesMacnight-journeyPCrider-spokeruckblendethe-graveyardthe-night-journeyFri, 26 Sep 2008 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade: International Festival Finalists #16-20]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/25/indiecade-international-festival-finalists-16-20/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/25/indiecade-international-festival-finalists-16-20/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/25/indiecade-international-festival-finalists-16-20/#commentsFiled under: , ,

All week, Joystiq will be revealing the 25 finalists for the IndieCade: International Festival of Independent Games, set to take place October 10 through 17 in Bellevue, Washington. The winners will be announced on October 11.

ibb & obb (website)

The pictures do not do ibb & obb justice. Without motion, it just looks like a colorful sidescroller in the vein of Yoshi's Island. In motion (as seen in the video above), the game is an inventive co-op platformer that also plays a bit with gravity. The project was made by Richard Boeser as a graduation project for Industrial Design at Delft University of Technology.

Gallery: ibb & obb
Psst ... There's more inside.

Continue reading IndieCade: International Festival Finalists #16-20

JoystiqIndieCade: International Festival Finalists #16-20 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>flywrenchibb--obbibb-and-obbibb-obbindiecadeindiecade-2008joystiqfeatureslevelheadPCpmogstandard-bitsThu, 25 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade: International Festival Finalists #11-15]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/24/indiecade-international-festival-finalists-11-15/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/24/indiecade-international-festival-finalists-11-15/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/24/indiecade-international-festival-finalists-11-15/#commentsFiled under: ,


All week, Joystiq will be revealing the 25 finalists for the IndieCade: International Festival of Independent Games, set to take place October 10 through 17 in Bellevue, Washington. The winners will be announced on October 11.

The Misadventures of P. B. Winterbottom (Website)

In terms of paradoxes and other temporal mechanics, Winterbottom makes Braid look like Mario in the future. From what we've seen and played of the game, our heads turn to mush thinking about how to solve these puzzles. Best of all, it's all in the name of eating pie. Take that, cake lovers.

Gallery: The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom



Psst ... there's more after the break.

Continue reading IndieCade: International Festival Finalists #11-15

JoystiqIndieCade: International Festival Finalists #11-15 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dangerous-high-school-girls-in-troubledhsgitfatherhoodindiecadeindiecade-2008joystiqfeaturesMacp-b-winterbottompb-winterbottomPCsociable-tetrissociable-tetris-360tetristhe-misadventures-of-pb-winterbottomthe-unfinished-swanunfinished-swanwhitespacewinterbottomWed, 24 Sep 2008 13:10:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade: International Festival Finalists #6-10]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/23/indiecade-international-festival-finalists-6-10/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/23/indiecade-international-festival-finalists-6-10/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/23/indiecade-international-festival-finalists-6-10/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

All week, Joystiq will be revealing the 25 finalists for the IndieCade: International Festival of Independent Games, set to take place October 10 through 17 in Bellevue, Washington. The winners will be announced on October 11.

Machinarium

We would hope it'd be enough to say it's from the creators of Samorost, but if we have to go on, Machinarium takes the classic point-and-click adventure game model and applies it to a world with more character than the 1,000 copies of Scrapland sitting in American McGee's garage waiting to be loved.

Gallery: Machinarium

Continue reading IndieCade: International Festival Finalists #6-10

JoystiqIndieCade: International Festival Finalists #6-10 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>democracy-2global-conflictglobal-conflict-palestineindiecadeindiecade-2008joystiqfeaturesMacmachinariumpalestinePCpolaritysamarosttank-universalTue, 23 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade: International Festival Finalists #1-5]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/indiecade-international-festival-finalists-1-5/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/indiecade-international-festival-finalists-1-5/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/22/indiecade-international-festival-finalists-1-5/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

All week, Joystiq will be revealing the 26 finalists for the IndieCade: International Festival of Independent Games, set to take place October 10 through 17 in Bellevue, Washington. The winners will be announced on October 11.

And Yet it Moves
This Austrian-born title has a unique, papercraft-inspired art style and a simple trick (rotate the camera) that serves as the focus of a maddening, yet rewarding, puzzle platformer. A demo is available at the game's website for both Windows and Mac.

Gallery: And Yet It Moves

Continue reading IndieCade: International Festival Finalists #1-5

JoystiqIndieCade: International Festival Finalists #1-5 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>and-yet-it-movesgamelabindiecadeindiecade-2008joystiqfeaturesMacmiss-managementPCMon, 22 Sep 2008 10:40:00 EST<![CDATA[IndieCade 2008 festival set for Oct 10-17 in Bellevue, WA]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/indiecade-2008-festival-set-for-oct-10-17-in-bellevue-wa/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/indiecade-2008-festival-set-for-oct-10-17-in-bellevue-wa/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/17/indiecade-2008-festival-set-for-oct-10-17-in-bellevue-wa/#commentsFiled under:

We've talked about the IndieCade before, especially with their large presence at this year's E3 and PAX. All of the events, however, have culminated with the aptly-titled IndieCade: the International Festival of Independent Games, set for October 10 through 17 at Open Satellite in Bellevue, Washington. The festival will show off what it believes are the 26 best independent games that would no doubt make Soulja Boy's head spin.

The first two days of the event include industry-specific sessions such as a presentation of thatgamecompany's Flower and the awards ceremony, with the general admission exhibit starting October 13 and running through the end of the week. You looking for a chance to understand what, exactly, is P.B. Winterbottom? How about the two-player Dark Room Sex Game? Tickets are on sale now.

JoystiqIndieCade 2008 festival set for Oct 10-17 in Bellevue, WA originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>indiecadeopen-satelliteWed, 17 Sep 2008 23:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Joystiq hands-on: IndieCade games galore]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/13/joystiq-hands-on-indiecade-games-galore/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/13/joystiq-hands-on-indiecade-games-galore/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/13/joystiq-hands-on-indiecade-games-galore/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,


One of the things we made sure to do at E3 this year was to spend a significant amount of time with the IndieCade folks. Then we sat on that info long enough for some of these games to get picked up, have a successful release, come out with sequels, spawn movies, novels, comic books, become part of the general pop culture bloodstream, and then fade into nostalgia, and for that we apologize. Actually, I'll apologize, I did it.

But in all seriousness, a lot of the more fun and innovative stuff we saw at E3 wasn't actually being churned out by big studios and publishers, but being worked on by small groups with tiny budgets and just a love of gaming. Read on to find out all about the IndieCade games that we saw on display, and why you'll want to be playing them now.

Gallery: E3: IndieCade 2008

Continue reading Joystiq hands-on: IndieCade games galore

JoystiqJoystiq hands-on: IndieCade games galore originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Block-HDark-Room-Sex-GameDarkgameDemocracy-2E3E32008Gravitationibb-and-orbindependentIndieCadeJojos-Fashion-ShowjoystiqfeaturesPCpiePrototype161Rider-SpokeThe-GraveyardThe-Misadventures-of-P.B.-WinterbottomWiiXbox-360Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EST