any serious indie games out there?

[jverne]

indie and/or less publicized?

for example...i tried Penumbra, that game blew me out of my pants! i'm actually too scared to finish it (i'm somewhere in the newly excavated mines). best game i've played in recent years.

any more unrecognized gems like this?

indie games have potential if you ask me...but i'm kinda bothered by the fact that most of them are not serious as in just kiddie games (platform, arcade,...)

anyone played or remembers Exodus 3010 from amiga? that game was made by a couple of guys and it was really addicting.
that's what i want.

i've recently tried playing The Fall: Last days of gaia...really impressive game, i must admit, but it has some quirks i can't forgive. It's only in german, the camera annoys the **** out of me, combat could be a little more polished. But i like a game that has "weapon loudness" as a combat factor.

 

[Krynn72]

http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=164227

 

[jverne]

is this a combat strategy game? i'm not sure.

ok seems nice the design especially. but i'm not sure if that's what i'm looking for.

anything else?

oh and thanks

 

[MJ12]

Beat Penumbra: Black Plague Recently. Overture is ****ing hard.

 

[Paulaner]

Talking about Penumbra, I'm following Frictional's blog about the design of horror games. Those guys are really getting it right, more than other mainstream companies. I'm eagerly waiting for their next game.

EDIT: Just released on Steam: The Void. A nice original, deep, imaginative adventure game.

 

[Mr. Djees]

The Void has been released on Steam? I've wanted to play that and Pathologic for some time now, I'll have to buy that tomorrow.

 

[Laivasse]

Ah, so that's what happened to Tension. I might pick that up at some point. I hope they did a good job with the translation.

Another indie I'm going to buy some time in the new year is Machinarium. There were quite a few '2.netters following this game, iirc, but very little fuss when it came out in October, so it slipped me by. I played Samorost 1 and 2 and they stuck in my mind for a long time in a quirky little way. Looking forward to more of the same from Machinarium. Whether or not that qualifies for the OP's desired level of 'serious'-ness is another matter, but imo it should.

 

[Homless Snark]

FYI Machinarium + Samorost 2 are $10 for both at the creators website this holiday season (until Dec 24th) and it also includes sound tracks for both editions as well.

http://machinarium.net/blog/2009/12...mas-pack-machinarium-samorost2-for-10-60-off/

 

[MultiVaC]

Some of my favorite indie games of 2009 were Zeno Clash, Trine, Machinarium, and Torchlight. I'm sure most people have already heard of World of Goo and Braid, but they are also great, too.

 

[Sledgehammer]

I'd say Red Orchestra is a pretty good example.

 

[dfc05]

Samorost2 is currently $2.49 on Steam. I actually remember the original flash game from playing it years ago, which is a good sign. Might get the 2nd one, although sometimes with point-and-click games, it just devolves to searching for clickable items. I'm mostly able to progress just by clicking everything without any sense of solving puzzles.

Braid is a really good one. And I know this is really old, but if you haven't played Darwinia, get that. I've re-played it a couple of times, and it's still pretty fun.

 

[Barnz]

Chzo Mythos series
Sandbox of God

 

[Blackthorn]

Machinarium all the way. Incredible game, was heartbroken to see it finish. Love it so much my girlfriend's making me a doll of the main character for Christmas. World of Goo is also, quite obviously, fantastic. Braid I feel was overrated to it's detriment, but is still an essential purchase. Zeno Clash on the other hand I consider to be underrated, so take your pick.

If you own a PS3, then that is simply filled. I play more small downloadable games on there than I do full price ones. Shatter, Fat Princess, Flower, Flow, Critter Crunch, Super Stardust HD, Pixeljunk Shooter, Pixeljunk Eden and Pixeljunk Monsters are all great. I feel spoiled with so much entertainment. Shatter and Super Stardust HD are my most recommended, and Flower is quite unlike anything else you will ever play.

And great to see The Void on Steam. I was following that game but was sure I'd never be able to get my hands on it. Will buy ASAP.

 

[Sheepo]

Most of your bases are covered here, but one good game that hasn't been mentioned: Osmos.

 

[Shift]

If you still have access to a Dreamcast, Shenmue 1 and 2 were amazing games.

 

[bassport]

Surely you already know this one, but Natural Selection 2 is coming soon.

 

[Gargantou]

Neither Shenmue 1 nor 2 were 'indie' games though, they were developed by Sega and Shenmue 1 at the time of its release hold the record for longest development time as well as biggest game budget..

 

[Paulaner]

And great to see The Void on Steam. I was following that game but was sure I'd never be able to get my hands on it. Will buy ASAP.

The Void is on sale!

 

[Sheepo]

There's a lot of great shit on sale for dirt cheap right now.