Indie Links Round-Up: Violet Vortex

Try something new with today’s Indie Links , which include last year’s top 10 (or 25) experimental games of 2012 – or if that doesn’t appeal to you, there are plenty of games of established genres you may not have played much, too.

Top 10 (Free) Experimental Games of 2012(IndieGames)
“Ten games and another fifteen honorable mentions and we still can’t feel 100% happy with our Top 10 free experimental games of 2012 list. If there is one thing indie developers simply excel at, you see, is not just coming up with, but actually trying out and releasing games based on wild and at times radical ideas. Games so different, so innovative and so unique we can’t help but describe as experimental.”

A Common Thread: Rami Ismail(Quote Unquote)
“My name is Rami Ismail, age 24, and I’m the business & developer guy at Vlambeer, a two-man independent studio in the Netherlands best known for Super Crate Box, Radical Fishing, GUN GODZand our upcoming game LUFTRAUSERS.”

Review: Medal Wars – Keisers Revenge(Indie Game Reviewer)
“Though Medal Wars provides a decent amount of action and plenty to keep players busy, it feels unpolished in places and suffers from clunky controls.”

Jumping The Kickstarter-Gun(Indie Gamer Chick)
“Kickstarter is not venture capital.  It’s not angel investing.  Pledgers are not looking for a monetary return on their investment.  I do understand this.  And yet, I’m still not a supporter of Kickstarter, because I think it sends the wrong message to potential developers: money is easy to come by.  I believe it’s irresponsible to teach young entrepreneurs that money should be given to them based on a concept and raw enthusiasm.  Funding should only be given on the grounds of actual ability, a proven track record of completed, competent projects, and the willingness to personally sacrifice for the benefit of your project.  It’s shocking to me how people fund games from people who meet none of that criteria.  I’m even more shocked when a developer reaches their Kickstarter goal, gets the money, and within weeks has another ask posted for even more funding.. and gets it.”

Road To The IGF: Blendo Games’ Thirty Flights of Loving (Gamasutra)
“Brendon Chung of Blendo Games has produced some of the most exciting and unique video game experiences of recent years, from the delightful Gravity Bone to IGF 2012 finalist Atom Zombie Smasher . Now the indie dev has yet another game as an IGF finalist. This time around it’s Gravity Bone sequel Thirty Flights of Loving , and it’s just as intriguing as its predecessor.”

Blind Eye Games – Interview With George Sawyer(Independent Gaming)
“I was lucky enough to contact George Sawyer at Blind Eye Games to talk about his upcoming zombie game, Safe Zone , a game where you’re tasked with travelling across the U.S. to get away from the zombie horde.”

‘Indie’ Means Nothing, And It’s Everyone’s Fault(Indie Statik)
“Man, oh man. The big question: What is ‘Indie’? You’d think a publication that has the word ‘Indie’ in its title and is staffed by primarily ‘Indie’ fans, all of whom write exclusively and exhaustively about anything and everything ‘Indie’ under the sun, would sorta know what the bloody word actually means by now. Well, turns out we don’t. Turns out no one does. Turns out not a week goes by where I don’t hear someone meekly ask their fellow gaming compatriots whether or not GAME X is ‘Indie’ or not, only to be subsequently thrown aback by the crashing waves of wildly conflicting opinions on the matter until they find themselves gasping for air as they plunge deeper into an ocean of bickering, twisted logic and malice. Turns out this is a problem. So I’ve decided that for the good of all the game lovin’ peeps everywhere that I’m gonna figure this shit out right here, right now!”

Live Free, Play Hard: The Week’s Finest Free Indie Games(Rock, Paper, Shotgun)
“Multiplayer god poem. HUNT FOR THE GAY PLANET. Super Hallucinogon. Color domming.”