Indie Links Round-Up: My Family Tree

“Evo is the place to be for a competitive gamer — and game developers of all kinds are starting to take notice.

Today’s Indie Linksfeature pieces on Indie Megabooth, the Evo Indie Showcase, and Anomaly Warzone-brand beer.

Inside the Evo Indie Showcase, Part 2: The New Challengers(Shoryuken)
“Evo is the place to be for a competitive gamer — and game developers of all kinds are starting to take notice. That’s why the Evolution Indie Showcase is coming back this year, and thanks to the efforts of showcase organizer and Capy Games president Nathan Vella, it’s going to be bigger and better than ever.”

PlayStation 4: indie trend “going to accelerate”, says system architect(VG247)
“The PlayStation 4 will foster the indie-friendly trends established by the PlayStation 3, according to lead architect Mark Cerny.”

Avellone, Vlambeer, Introversion On Kickstarter, Greenlight(RPS)
“The megachat continues! At the behest of many, I’m carving it into the Internet’s unforgetting crystalline walls – one hefty chunk at a time – because mere ears could not withstand its relentless auditory onslaught. Last time, I gathered Obsidian’s Chris Avellone, Dreamfall’s Ragnar Tornquist, Introversion’s Chris Delay, and Redshirt’s Mitu Khandaker to discuss what exactly makes each of them “indie” despite their exceedingly different backgrounds, so you should probably read that and stuff. Done? Then you may now proceed onward to a spirited debate about the increasing uselessness of the term “indie,” Steam Greenlight’s many shortcomings, and the role of Kickstarter for smaller devs vs juggernauts like Obsidian. It’s all after the break.”

Dispensables: Tango Fiesta(RPS)
“With all the Blood Dragons, synths and garish neon about the place, the gaming world appears to be going through an eighties phase. What’s next? Will Gordon Freeman finally return sporting elaborately sculpted hair, these glasses and brightly coloured parachute pants? Fingers crossed. In gaming terms, the eighties is mostly associated with ludicrous violence of the sort Arnie and his musclebound chums liked to dish out, often while punning with all the intensity of an RPS comment thread. Tango Fiesta is the latest game to harness the decade by the mullet in an attempt to tame it. Made in eight hours at the Rezzed gamejam, development is continuing but you can play the current version for free. Prepare to shoot men. And grass. Lots of grass.”

Indie Megabooth is so popular it has to add shared spaces, more changes(Joystiq)
“Indie Megabooth has a problem. It’s not something that’s easy to bring up in polite conversation. Like a friend complaining that he has two dates in one night, or someone pouting because she has too much ice cream, the problem could easily be misconstrued as a humblebrag and brushed aside. But it’s a serious issue. Indie Megabooth is too popular.”

The top SpyParty player is a fighting game guy from EVO 2012(Joystiq)
“Four months before SpyParty debuted at EVO 2012’s Indie Showcase, convention founder Seth Killian threw down a gentlemen’s bet with SpyParty creator Chris Hecker: “An EVO attendee will be your No. 1 player in subsequent tests, and take down whoever the existing top players might be.””

Opinion: The cursed legacy of the Rogue family(Polygon)
“”My dear children, I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve called you to the homestead,” Angela drops her knitting, her eyes are rimmed in red. “I’m so sorry to say — and I worry the shock may be too much for you to bear — but your father … has been slain.””

Anomaly Warzone developers brew their own video game beer(Polygon)
“The developers of the tower defense, real-time strategy Anomaly games, which include Anomaly: Warzone Earth, Anomaly Korea and the recently released Anomaly 2 — have brewed their own video game-themed beer: Anomaly Warzone — Tower Offense Stout.”