Ninja Train (XBLIG, 2009)

Ninja Train
Developed by dot zo games
Released for XBLIG (8/2009)

Wao! that's NINJA! (Xbox Overview disclaimer: This was the actual product description from the developer for Ninja Train.)

Ninja Train is the second release on XBLIG from developer dot zo games. The game is a 2D platformer-runner title where the screen will auto-scroll to the right and you'll make an effort to collect as many coins along the way. Your character has a double-jump and can dash in the air, making him quite mobile. Ninja Train is not a bad game, but it doesn't really do anything to stand out in the genre of runner games. The 2D graphics are extremely basic but pack some charm (as with all releases from dot zo) and the music sounds very ninja appropriate, but there just wasn't enough to it that made me want to come back to it. I found I could complete most stages by just mashing the jump button and holding right, at least in the few levels featured in the trial. Overall, the game looks nice and plays decent enough but I'd recommend some of dot zo games' better offerings first, such as Ninja Bros.or NYAN-TECH.

Final Verdict: Ninja Train is a nice looking 2D style runner game that lacks the gameplay to hook you in. Unless you're an absolute ninja junkie this one's hard to recommend.

Related Links:
Ninja Bros - Xbox Overview
Nyan-Tech - Xbox Overview
Ninja Escape - Xbox Overview
Horse Race Starter - Xbox Overview
Ninja Train - GameFAQs

We Are Cubes (XBLIG, 2012)

We Are Cubes
Developed by 1BK
Released for XBLIG (3/2012)

Original XBLIG product description: Spheres are the enemy! Fire bullets, collect upgrades and use powerups to destroy them! Includes 2 addictive game modes, local multiplayer, online high scores, awardments and unlockable content!

We Are Cubes is an arcade-style game where you travel down a straight path, shooting the cubes in your path while trying to avoid any of them bumping into you. You can roll your cube up and down a step, but other than that you're locked to the bottom plane of the screen, able to move left and right at will. It's somewhat reminiscent of old arcade titles like Space Invaders or Galaga in that sense. The graphics are composed of wireframe 3D graphics, similar to old vector monitor games like Tempest.

Your default weapon can only have one bullet on the screen at a time, so try to line those shots up! Some enemies will leave behind power-ups, some of which include a laser that will cut through cubes and a more powerful rapid shot, though they only last for a limited time. Certain cubes will transform into a different color when they collide, and each color variant has its own behavior. like the green cubes which split into two when shot. We Are Cubes features an arcade mode with twenty-five waves, a survival mode, high score table and built in "awardments" to stand-in for the lack of achievements. This game is easily capable of providing you with hours of fun and was a steal on XBLIG for only 99 cents!

Final Verdict: We Are Cubes is an enjoyable arcade-style shooter that fans of old-school shooters, the Vectrex and vector monitor games should definitely check out.

Related Links:
We Are Cubes - GameFAQs
We Are Cubes Review - Defunct Games
We Are Cubes Review - Indie Gamer Chick

Aqua Kitty (XBLIG, 2013)

Aqua Kitty
Developed by Tikipod Limited
Released for XBLIG (6/2013)
Also on PC/PS4/Vita/Xbox One

Original product description from Xbox Live Indie Games: When the milk ran dry, cats desperately sought out a new source. Then deep under the ocean, vast amounts of what appeared to be naturally forming full fat milk were discovered. A hazardous extraction followed. Get ready for fast paced submarine action, defending the kittens from disruptive mechanical sea creatures in this retro arcade shooter.

Aqua Kitty is a horizontal shooter that originally released for the PlayStation Vita in 2012 and saw a port to XBLIG and PC the following year. The game borrows a lot from the arcade classic Defender, where you'll be protecting cats from ships that attempt to abduct them. The twist with Aqua Kitty is that it takes place underwater rather than in outer space. The graphic design is very pleasing to the eyes, featuring small but very detailed pixel art and lots of scrolling layers in the background.

Your submarine handles great and you turn around using the bumper buttons. Your sub is also equipped with a powerful but limited secondary fire which uses up a meter that builds up as you progress through the game. Power-ups such as bombs and allies that will aid you in battle can be picked up as well. Like in Defender, you have a radar at the bottom of the screen to show you where the friendlies and enemies are. You have a sound to let you know when a cat has been abducted and you must destroy the ship carrying the cat before it reaches the surface to save them.

Stages are connected via an overworld map, allowing you to select between a few available levels when choosing your next stage. After starting a stage, the enemies will come in waves which become more deadly as the game progresses. The game also allows for two-player co-op (local) which can be a real help in some of the later levels. Aqua Kitty is a very good Defender style shooter and while it did retail a bit higher than your average indie titles ($2.99), it does have the polish to justify the price. The game would later see an updated port to the Xbox One among several other platforms, which is the version I'll be keeping a watch for a sale on, so expect a more in-depth review sometime in the future.

Final Verdict: Aqua Kitty is a fun horizontal shooter in the vein of Defender. Fans of the arcade classic or underwater cats will enjoy this one!

Related Links:
Aqua Kitty - GameFAQs
Tikipod Developer Website

Ninja Escape (XBLIG, 2010)

Ninja Escape
Developed by dot zo games
Released for XBLIG (6/2010)

"Ninja,fall,next,Ninja,fall,next...10stage!wao!"

The above were the exact words posted for the game's description back when XBLIG was still active. Ninja Escape is dot zo games' fourth entry on XBLIG. It sticks with the same graphical style of the developers' previous effort Ninja Bros., but this time the game is all about freefalling. You will start on a platform and drop down below you, with other various platforms you can trigger with the face buttons. Most of my time spent with Ninja Escape involved my character plummeting to his death as I just couldn't get a feel of exactly how you're supposed to not die when you crash into the ground. There's some method to slow your character, and I did manage to squeeze my way through the tutorials but I felt no more educated on how to play the game for having done so. Upon smashing into the ground your ninja will turn into a spirit who can go left to retry or right to skip to the next stage. The full game retails for $1 and will give you 10 levels, and while that is a bit meager it does at least keep track of high scores. Give it a shot if ninja freefalling with retro 8-bit style graphics sounds like a good time to you, but personally I'd recommend Nyan-Tech or Ninja Bros (both from this same developer) as they are much more enjoyable.

Final Verdict: Ninja Escape is a confusing game where you freefall and try to land on your feet in the quickest time possible. Hardcore ninja junkies who love 8-bit style graphics might dig this, but for everyone else I'd recommend some of dot zo's other XBLIG games over this one.

Related Links:
Ninja Bros. - Xbox Overview 
Nyan-Tech - Xbox Overview
Ninja Train - Xbox Overview
Horse Race Starter - Xbox Overview
Ninja Escape - GameFAQs
Ninja Escape - Giant Bomb

XBLIG Top-Sellers | Xbox Overview

XBLIG Top-Sellers
Published August 29, 2017

As August comes near a close and the inevitable closing of the Xbox Live Indie Games storefront, we're going to take a quick look at the list of the 30 top-selling titles on the service (at the time of writing) just to get an idea of what the best-sellers on the service were.

Out of the top 30 best-sellers, 6 of those games were Minecraft-inspired block mining/building type games, 10 of them had the word "Avatar" in their titles, only 3 titles with zombies featured on them (surprising as this was such a common theme) and a then there's a smattering of other random games. As somebody who played quite a large sampling of games on XBLIG over the years, I was a bit surprised to see that out of the 30 top-sellers, I'd actually only downloaded the trials for 5 of them and, to be quite honest, I have absolutely no desire to look at the others I haven't tried. Nothing against anybody who created these or folks who downloaded them, but the Minecraft knock-offs just don't appeal to me at all and neither do any of the "Avatar" titles, which usually feature extremely generic team-deathmatch variants. I can understand why these would have appeal (especially to kids and teens), selling for just a buck when the titles they imitate cost anywhere from $20-60.

Within the 30 best-sellers we can also find a few of the more questionable "games," such as Try Not To Fart and Baby Maker Extreme. There are a few genuinely good games in the top 30, such as Miner Dig Deep and The Impossible Game, but for the most part the best-sellers on the platform are in no way indicative of the best games on the service. In my opinion it really sucks that games like Try Not To Fart are out-selling high-quality titles like Wizorb or Ninja Bros. Judging from the top-selling titles here, perhaps the reason so many excellent games (many retro-inspired) that got buried in the store is that the general age demographic of gamers browsing the store just didn't care for such titles, many of which suffered from underwhelming sales. There were at least a few genuinely good games top-sellers list, which is quite an accomplishment as it was quite difficult to pick up much traction on the platform.

Six O'Clock High (XBLIG, 2013)

Six O'Clock High
Developed by ColePowered
Released for XBLIG (9/2013)
Also on iOS

Six O'Clock High is a plane dog-fight game viewed from a 2D perspective, very similar to Konami's arcade classic Time Pilot (available on XBLA). You can fly in any direction, but your plane will only fire straight ahead. You'll have to loop around and shoot enemies from behind on the regular here. The game is broken up into waves, and after completing one you're taken to an upgrade screen (not available in the trial) offering the player several options to upgrade their plane. In the later waves the enemies continually get more tricky and will require some fancy moves to get a good shot at. The controls take some getting used to but function well considering the game was designed with phones in mind (this is a port of an iOS game). The graphics have a unique blend of painted & pixelated that I don't recall seeing before and it definitely helps the game stand out visually. The music feels a bit out of place for a plane combat game but it's not terrible. I enjoyed the trial for Six O'Clock High and will likely have to snag the full game at the wallet-friendly price of one dollar.

Final Verdict: Six O'Clock High is a simple, fun 2D airplane shooter that will easily kill enough time to justify it's dollar price tag.

Related Links:

Six O'Clock High Dev Log - TIGForums
Cole Powered Developer's Website
Six O'Clock High - GameFAQs

Moe Mekuri 萌めくり (XBLIG, 2010)

Moe Mekuri 萌めくり
Developed by Kohei Gallery
Released for XBLIG (8/2010)
Also on PC

萌めくり, also known as Moe Mekuri, is an ecchi tile-flipping puzzle game. You'll be flipping tiles over to reveal pictures of girls in swimsuits, though don't let this give you the impression the game is hiding shoddy gameplay behind racy pictures as there's actually a fantastic puzzle game in here. When you boot the game up you'll be greeted to some extremely upbeat J-pop music to set the mood. The menu design is top-notch, presenting the player with a music test, gallery, manual (all in English!), language select and you can even turn the vocals off in the BGM if you want! It's very rare to see such a fleshed out menu in an XBLIG title and Kohei Gallery's presentation here is second-to-none. The gallery and special stages on the menu are there for those who can clear all stages on all three difficulties, giving you some sense of accomplishment for completing everything.

As stated before, Moe Mekuri is a tile-flipping puzzler, and the objective of each stage is to have all tiles flipped over (they're invisible on one side, solid on the other). When a tile is clicked, the tiles above, below and to the side all flip inverse of the one you you clicked on. Later levels will introduce blue tiles that will flip the center square twice and the surrounding squares once. There are gray tiles that can't be flipped manually, instead you must use a nearby tile to get them to flip. Finally there are also green tiles that will flip everything on the same column and row. Harder difficulties spice things up by adding bigger puzzle boards to really get your brain in high gear. The pictures you can unlock are actually quite tame and are nothing worse than what could be seen on network TV adverts (Carl's Jr in the US has run ads way more racy than this game!). So despite the game's somewhat pervy first-impression, Moe Mekuri 萌めくり is a fabulous puzzle game and stands as one of the best I've encountered on XBLIG. It would later receive two sequels, both going under the English title Moe Mekuri 2 & 3.

Final Verdict: Moe Mekuri 萌めくり is a simple, yet highly-addictive ecchi tile-flipping puzzle game that anybody with even a passing interest in the genre should take a look at.

Related Links:
Moe Mekuri - GameFAQs 
Moe Mekuri Trailer - YouTube
Kohei Gallery - Official Site
Moe Mekuri on PC - Steam

GrappleBoy (XBLIG, 2011)

GrappleBoy
Developed by Ianthraxx
Released for XBLIG (1/2011)

GrappleBoy is pretty much Super Meat Boy mixed with Bionic Commando's grappling hook. The game is presented in 2D with high-res simple artwork. You play as a blob looking thing that uses its tongue as a grappling hook. Once you've grappled on to something, you can swing yourself to build momentum and launch. It's a simple mechanic, but the game wastes no time in ramping the difficulty up by placing spikes all over the place, forcing you to perfect the grapple skill early on. There is a story about your blob guy having to return a tape to the video store, with VHS tapes serving as the collectibles scattered about. The game keeps track of your times on each stage, adding some replay value. GrappleBoy is an unoriginal, yet competent, hard-as-nails platformer that should appease fans of the genre.

Final Verdict: If you've already finished Super Meat Boy and N+ and need more brutal platforming action, GrappleBoy should keep you busy for a while.

Related Links:
GrappleBoy - GameFAQs

X.S.E.E.D. (XBLIG, 2013)

X S.E.E.D.
Developed by Mikael Tillander
Released for XBLIG (9/2013)
Also on Ouya

X S.E.E.D. is a 2D action-platformer game developed by the author of some of my shmup favorites on XBLIG, so I made sure to go out of my way to check out the other titles he developed. In this game your only method of attack is dropping seeds on the ground and the plant that rises from that will do your fighting for you, which is a cool and rather unique gimmick. Defeated enemies will frequently drop new seeds and picking up duplicate seeds will boost their power. There seems to be a decent variety of plants, ranging from ones that act as barriers to others that will fire spread shots. The graphics are presented in chunky pixels which look above average but could have used a bit more detail. The jumping could have been refined a bit, but other than that the controls were more than sufficient. Similar to other games from this developer, the difficulty is high and there are no continues offered, meaning you'll have to get really good at the game to see the end. The trial version will let you play up until the first boss and overall I found X S.E.E.D. to be an intriguing little game. For a buck I'm going to have to snatch this one. It may take me a few years, but when I get around to playing through it I'll update the review.

Final Verdict: Fans of retro 2D action-platformers might get some enjoyment out of X S.E.E.D. The ability to plant attacking seeds is definitely an interesting one.

Related Links:
X S.E.E.D. - GameFAQs 
X S.E.E.D. Review - Indie Gamer Chick
Wide Pixel Games - Developer Site

Cursed Loot (XBLIG, 2011)

Cursed Loot
Developed by Eyehook Games
Released for XBLIG (8/2011)
Also on iOS

Cursed Loot is a fast-paced real-time rogue-like title, which means once you perish it's game over and you'll need to start all over from scratch. It works well with this title and because the games are so quick it's hard not to want to give it another go, just to see if you can make it a little bit farther. The graphics are heavily pixelated, but you can still tell what everything's supposed to be and the style complements the simplicity of the game well. Occasionally you'll come across the odd mini-game, such as a slot machine or a "runner" game where you must jump over a bunch of pits. While playing you'll gain XP as you kill monsters, which is done by simply walking towards them. Also, as you continue slaying enemies you'll pick up gold which you can spend at the shops for equipment and items. The game contains "awardments" which act just like achievements without the gamerscore. For some extra replay value, the game offers three varying difficulties. Cursed Loot is easily worth its dollar asking price, especially for fans of rogue-like games.

Final Verdict: Cursed Loot is a fun real-time rogue-like that moves along at a very brisk pace, with stuff to discover at every turn. Well worth the dollar asking price!

Related Links:
Cursed Loot - GameFAQs
Cursed Loot - iTunes Store

Akane the Kunoichi (XBLIG, 2011)

Akane the Kunoichi
Developed by Haruneko
Released for XBLIG (5/2011)
Also on PC/iOS

Akane the Kunoichi is a 2D platformer that is an homage to retro ninja titles, specifically the Shinobi games. Don't let the boobs on the cover fool you that this another throwaway indie title! The main difference between Akane and Shinobi is that you play as a female, but your still taking down enemies by throwing your weapons at them, though rather than shuriken you'll be using kunai. The level design is solid and tends to make use of platforming a bit more than the old Shinobi titles did, but the controls are up to the task and navigating the levels is a good time. You have five acts, each with three levels. At the end of each third level you'll face off against a boss. The game also has its own achievement-style challenges you can unlock for a little replay value. Haruneko has shown us with both Akane the Kunoichi and Amazing Princess Sarah that they can design a competent 2D game that's a lot of fun to play! It's a bit of a shame that this one didn't get ported over to the Xbox One like Sarah did, but it did receive mobile and PC ports so it is still playable. I wouldn't count on it coming to the One as I can't see Amazing Princess Sarah selling that well on the platform, but I could be wrong. Regardless, Akane is a solid effort and totally worth your time, though I'd probably stay away from the mobile versions as it's best played with a controller.

Final Verdict: A cool throwback to old-school ninja games, fans of Shinobi should have a good time with Akane the Kunoichi!

Related Links:
Amazing Princess Sarah - Xbox Overview
Akane the Kunoichi - GameFAQs
Haruneko - Developer Page
Akane the Kunoichi for PC - Steam
Akane the Kunoichi Review - Indie Gamer Chick
Akane the Kunoichi Review - Die Hard Game Fan

Leucistic Wyvern (XBLIG, 2010)

Leucistic Wyvern
Developed by Mukagosoftware Development
Released for XBLIG (10/2010)

Leucistic Wyvern is a poor-man's version of the Sega Saturn classic Panzer Dragoon. I had to look up the definition of "leucistic," which as far as I can tell isn't a proper word but it is close to leucism. Leucism is a condition found in animals that will cause their skin/fur to be pale due to a lack of pigmentation. What that has to do with our wyvern here I'm not sure as it doesn't really appear to be pigmentally challenged.

After spending some time with Leucistic Wyvern, I'm pretty determined to declare Mukagosoftware Development (the developers) the kings of kusoge on XBLIG. Wyvern is by all means a bad game, looking like a budget title that would have released for the PlayStation 2 or Dreamcast back in the early 2000's. The textures are pretty ugly, the rendered objects are made of up low-count blocky polygons and there's pop-in all over the place. In a strange way all of this works to the favor of Leucistic Wyvern to make it a unique experience. It's one of those games that's so bad it's good. The controls are reasonably responsive and your wyvern shoots giant purple balls making it quite easy to shoot down your targets. There are even bosses to shoot down at the end of the stages and after every few stages you'll get a bonus stage where you can rack up extra points by flying through rings (careful though, you can smash into the sides of the rings and die here too!).  The game features a high score table and even a credits system. In the trial version I played, I was given three credits and once you've used those up it's back to the beginning. I found Leucistic Wyvern to be a fun but poorly designed title, almost like a lost PS2 title that got dug back up and released.

Final Verdict: Leucistic Wyvern is the kusoge version of Panzer Dragoon but it seems almost self-aware of this and is actually somewhat fun to play.

Related Links:
Leucistic Wyvern - GameFAQs
Mukagosoftware Development - Official Site

Battle High 2 (XBLIG, 2013)

Battle High 2
Developed by Mattrified
Released for XBLIG (3/2013)
Also on Mac/Linux/Ouya/PC/Xbox One

Two years after the original Battle High: San Bruno was released the game saw a sequel. Battle High 2 offers twelve characters to select with a decent amount of diversity between them. Graphics & audio are mostly the same as the first title though there are a few new characters to select from. At the main menu you have an arcade & versus modes, challenge mode plus some bonus mini-games in extracurricular. There is also the journal, where you can view bios & endings of the fighters and also acts as the achievements for the game. The game still uses the four button control scheme, with light & heavy attacks for punching and kicking. Some of the fighters are far more effective than others, causing some balancing issues so it's not going to be suitable for high-level competition, but the game is still fun to play. There is a versus mode, but it's local only so don't expect to go online and challenge other players.  Battle High 2 is leaps and bounds above any other 1-on-1 fighters I've encountered on XBLIG and rests safely as the best in its genre on the service.

Final Verdict: Battle High 2 is a simple but solid throwback fighting game, it feels like something that came right out of the late '90's! Recommended for fans of old-school fighting games.

Related Links:
Battle High: San Bruno - Xbox Overview
Battle High 2 - GameFAQs

Mount Your Friends (XBLIG, 2013)

Mount Your Friends
Developed by Stegersaurus Games
Released for XBLIG (6/2013)
Also on PC

For better or worse, Mount Your Friends is the type of game that likely would have never made it onto a console if it weren't for something like XBLIG. The game has the players controlling muscle bound men wearing nothing but underwear and sports QWOP style controls. The graphics look like something out of a flash game though they are detailed enough to be a bit perverse. The characters in this game have jointed limbs, each assigned to a face button on the pad. To move, you hold down the button for the limb you wish to move, then use the left stick to maneuver. Once the limb touches something it will stick, allowing you to climb up objects. It looks goofy as hell and it's actually pretty fun once you get used to it. As you move the characters about, their junk (though concealed by underwear) is constantly bouncing all about, making this game kind of the male equivalent of the Dead or Alive series. You have several modes to select from, including one where you try to see how high you can stack multiple men and another mode where you attempt to climb blocks with a single character. Once you're over the initial shock value, you'll find a rather enjoyable game in Mount Your Friends.

Final Verdict: Mount Your Friends can be very amusing if you approach it properly, though I can see how many are going to be instantly turned off from this one. If you're amused by penis jokes then you've found your game!

Related Links:
Mount Your Friends - GameFAQs
Stegersaurus Games - Official Site
Mount Your Friends for PC - Steam

Commander - World 1 (XBLIG, 2010)

Commander - World 1
Developed by Jodi Giordano
Released for XBLIG (11/2010)

Commander - World 1 is a tower-defense game released exclusively on XBLIG. The game puts its own little spin on the genre by having the pathway that the asteroids follow will warp and bend throughout the round. The game is laid out as an overview of a solar system portrayed by super chunky pixel graphics that actually don't look too bad in the context of the game. You'll have a node or two around each planet which you can place your turrets on, which can then be upgraded as needed to increase their efficiency. If you've played a tower defense game before, you have an idea of what's in store as Commander - World 1 plays like many titles that have come before and you'll find the typical types of turrets commonly seen in the genre, but the game does boast some original ideas. There's a special mercenary you can deploy that will allow you to change the enemies route around a selected planet. You're also able to deploy a jet fighter that is player controlled, allowing you to take matters into your own hands.

While Commander - World 1 is an enjoyable tower-defense game, there are a few gripes with the game. At times the path can bend around and planets will overlap, making it difficult to select a particular unit. Also the frame rate can take a few dips when the action gets too intense, but its by no means a game breaker. Commander - World 1 sports a classical music soundtrack and it complements the action nicely. The game retailed on XBLIG for 80 Microsoft points (a dollar) back in the day and  you'd have a hard time finding a better tower defense game on XBLIG. I'd say it's even better than some of the tower-defense titles that made it XBLA as well!

Final Verdict: Commander - World 1 is an excellent entry into the tower defense genre. If you enjoy these types of games then drop a dollar on this one today!

Related Links:
Commander - World 1 - GameFAQs