XBLIG Price Drops

vamn · Jan 5, 2012

Since Microsoft recently changed their pricing structure for Xbox Indies, larger games can can now be sold for 80 MSP. As a result, many XBLIG devs have opted to drop the price of their games. I thought it would be pretty cool to have a thread that would try to track what WORTHWHILE games are now cheaper.

DISCLAIMER: Yes, I know that Xbox Indies is a largely horrifying wasteland of shovelware and absolute garbage like "Avatar Zombie Massager" and "Look I Made a One Level Platformer with MS Paint!!!". (There's really no need to elaborate on it further, we all know this.) But there ARE some good games in the pile. And I'd like to keep the thread focused on those, if possible.

DISCLAIMER 2 (The More Important One): Xbox Live Indie Games require an internet connection to start the game. It doesn't matter if you have a Silver (Free) or Gold account, just that the Xbox is connected to the internet. Again, this is only to start the game; once the game is running you can disconnect your Xbox, but not sign out of your profile.

Price Drops:

= New this week

* = Local Multiplayer
* = Online Multiplayer
* = System Link (LAN)

The Best:
Firefly Vegas - 240 -> 80 - Clearance Bin Review
Magic Racing GP 2 ** - 240 -> 80 - XBLIG.co - Xbox Hornet
Mechanoid Army - 240 -> 80 - Two Fedoras

The Rest:

The Island of Misfit Toys
These are the games that have received poor to mediocre reviews. (Or no reviews at all.) You may find a gem among them, but don't count on it.

Absolult Firepower - 80 -> 240

Flip N Shift - 80 -> 240

Nanosquad * - 80 -> 240
Ninja Recapture - 240 -> 80
Piniq * - 240 -> 80
RC Airplane Challenge ** - 240 -> 80
Sky Ninja War - 240 -> 80

The Book of the Biblets - 240 -> 80
へっぽこ騎士 - 240 -> 80 - DIYGamer

Gabrius · Feb 6, 2012

It's in my backlog... if nobody gives you an opinion on it by the time I get home tonight, I'll bump it to the top of my queue ^_^

Turbojugend · Feb 6, 2012

I checked out the Little Racers Street demo after reading the Octopus review. It seems really really good but the fact that I am horrible at racing games might keep me away for awhile. Ocean Drive Challenge is also pretty cool if you're in the market for a decent Outrun clone.

EDIT: Holy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v9eZb5x7mY

Mr. Domino · Feb 6, 2012

[quote name='Turbojugend']Now I'm wondering what everyone here thought of Raventhorne. There was a game I had zero expectations for due to the poor reviews, but ended up having fun with anyway.[/QUOTE]

Raventhorne did get an update which fixed a lot of genuinely annoying issues with the initial release. Now, I'd put it about the same as Brand, really -- a great looking but rather repetitive action game... except Brand has yet to receive its patch (hello?) to fix its annoying issues.

[quote name='vherub']Anyone try Little Racers Street?[/QUOTE]

It's about as close as you can get to a "must have" game on XBLIG, especially once the current update in process is approved and Little Racers STREET returns with 12-player on-line racing. It's a fantastic game. My only gripe is how sudden brakes stop your momentum (game design strongly favors relaxing accelerator for slowing along with the handbrake).

Mad dog · Feb 6, 2012

I didn't like Little Racers but I played it on single player only... It was hard to play and I came in last place. I normally always come in first even on hard mode. It seems like Micro-Gran Turismo. Hell, they could have named it Micro-GT lol.

Turbojugend · Feb 6, 2012

[quote name='Mr. Domino']Raventhorne did get an update which fixed a lot of genuinely annoying issues with the initial release. Now, I'd put it about the same as Brand, really -- a great looking but rather repetitive action game... except Brand has yet to receive its patch (hello?) to fix its annoying issues.[/QUOTE]

Okay, that makes sense seeing as I never played Raventhorne pre-patch. Now it just feels like any other action-platformer to me, which isn't really a bad thing.

I guess it would be a good thing if Brand got a similar patch, especially since they're planning on tripling the price of the game next month.

Mr. Domino · Feb 6, 2012

[quote name='Turbojugend']Okay, that makes sense seeing as I never played Raventhorne pre-patch. Now it just feels like any other action-platformer to me, which isn't really a bad thing.

I guess it would be a good thing if Brand got a similar patch, especially since they're planning on tripling the price of the game next month.[/QUOTE]

Yep, and it's such a relatively trivial thing to address that I'd be surprised if Nine Dots didn't make some effort to fix Brand's issues. I'm surprised it launched at 80 points myself, but perhaps the developer is looking at a Minecraft model of sales, cheap beta, more expensive final release? Whatever the case, Brand's a decent buy at 80 points, but I think people will balk in its current state at 240.

As far as a Voxel Action, I reviewed it yesterday, and it's a solid game, just tainted by its overall ugliness and a few gameplay issues which pop up later on (including a rather disappointing end). If you're a platformer fan, then I'd say it's definitely worth the $1 entry price, because even with its flaws, I enjoyed it and felt that I got my money's worth.

BudzMcGee · Feb 6, 2012

[quote name='Turbojugend']
Now I'm wondering what everyone here thought of Raventhorne. There was a game I had zero expectations for due to the poor reviews, but ended up having fun with anyway.[/QUOTE]

My review of it. I remember thinking it was simple but simple isn't necessarily bad. I also found the stamina aspect interesting (where many found it annoying).

I will officially be reviewing Brand for this Thursday but unfortunately not a giveaway with it.

adawg555 · Feb 6, 2012

For anyone still needing an opinion on Little Racers STREET, I just posted a review of it on our website, and I have a video review of it as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFqgt6A2nN0&feature=youtu.be

If the video doesn't work yet, check back in a few minutes as it's probably still processing.

I love the game and think that if you have any interest in it, it's well worth the $1. Plus, they just added Online Racing to it, which is great. I'll be doing these reviews every other Monday, so if you have any requests let me know.

Asgardian · Feb 6, 2012

Just a rant and to admit what an idiot I am.

I was playing escape goat, finished half the rooms in an hour or two, was up to the lost city or something like that, in a room filled with explosives reapers on both sides, died a bunch of times while figuring out the room - the usual, then without any warning the game crashed..

I learned that escape goat does not have an auto save.. LOL...

Given how little gaming time I get nowadays, it was a costly reminder... newer games has spoiled me..

Turbojugend · Feb 6, 2012

Thanks everyone for all the great review sites, they definitely help to narrow down what's worth checking out. Looks like I'll be playing A Voxel Action tonight, sounds like it's not perfect but a good deal for a buck nonetheless (which seems to be the modus operandi when it comes to XBLIGs).

wEEman33 · Feb 6, 2012

[quote name='Asgardian']Just a rant and to admit what an idiot I am.

I was playing escape goat, finished half the rooms in an hour or two, was up to the lost city or something like that, in a room filled with explosives reapers on both sides, died a bunch of times while figuring out the room - the usual, then without any warning the game crashed..

I learned that escape goat does not have an auto save.. LOL...

Given how little gaming time I get nowadays, it was a costly reminder... newer games has spoiled me..[/QUOTE]

I like games better without autosave.

Autosave leads to a lot of unintentional file corruptions.

wuxbustah8 · Feb 7, 2012

Has anyone else tried The Impossible Game? It's a good, addicting game for a buck.

crunchewy · Feb 7, 2012

Little Street Racers looks awesome! Heck, unlike Forza 4, this thing has weather.

Definitely grabbing the trial of that.

The Impossible Game is infuriating, but fun. I have it on my iPhone. I don't really think I need it on XBLIG as well. One bit of punishment is enough. LOL.

Mad dog · Feb 7, 2012

Wow. A Voxel Action is really awesome. It's a must-buy.

Turbojugend · Feb 7, 2012

I checked out the A Voxel Action demo this morning, very cool stuff. Strangely enough, the lack of music didn't really bother me. It will definitely be getting my dollar.

I'm afraid the conveniences of modern gaming have spoiled me though, one of the first things that went through my head was "this dude really needs a double-jump."

Gabrius · Feb 7, 2012

Saw the suggestion, looked it up, saw screenshots, bought.

I have no problem giving these dudes $1 for their work... I figure if I funnel enough money into the indie marketplace it'll mean greater chances of more quality games.

....I just hope I have the ability to play these games far into the future, as a lot of them will sit in the backlog for a bit.

CAiNiACprime · Feb 7, 2012

I'm a big fan of This is Hard. It's a bit like Super Meat Boy, though not as fine tuned of course.

I reccomend giving the demo a go at the least. Some of the later stages in the game get pretty interesting and the music isn't half bad. 80 points.

Gabrius · Feb 7, 2012

I've found that a lot of these games are worth the $1 for the music alone. Too bad most don't come with a sound check in the options... otherwise I would probably have hundreds of these games.

Mr. Domino · Feb 7, 2012

[quote name='Turbojugend']"this dude really needs a double-jump."

[/QUOTE]

Keep playing.

kevgret · Feb 7, 2012

Katana Land is awesome!

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Katana-Land/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258550a77

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsPApsvfsQc

crunchewy · Feb 8, 2012

[quote name='adawg555']I love the game and think that if you have any interest in it, it's well worth the $1. Plus, they just added Online Racing to it, which is great. I'll be doing these reviews every other Monday, so if you have any requests let me know.[/QUOTE]

A friend bought this game (Little Racers STREET), but says he saw no sign of online racing. Is it really in there now, or is it coming later?

kilroyfx · Feb 8, 2012

BloodyCheckers Update #6 has been released. Please grab it, because it's FREE......it includes a new physics engine, SpyMap features, HD texture Pack, and hmmm what else ....

wEEman33 · Feb 8, 2012

Awesome, man! Love the support Bloody Checkers keeps getting.

How are the limitations from Microsoft on updating Indie games? Is it as bad as retail games and XBLA games? I know Microsoft is traditionally a pain to developers in getting updates through on the other Xbox 360 platforms.

kilroyfx · Feb 9, 2012

Very difficult actually. I think the interesting part is other Dev's are the ones that will pass/Fail your game. 2 Fails and you have to re-submit a week later. And, sometimes it takes weeks to get an Update released. Also, you must follow ALL the Microsoft guidelines and test your Update completely in advance, its a lot of work.

In addition I like to release Press-Kits to the popular media outlets for every Update (which costs $$$). So, I think it may be as tricky as releasing Arcade games....but probably not.

But, in the end if it creates a better GAME then that's the whole point !! So, after releasing about 6 Updates in 6 months, I think I have gotten the hang of it....and I play with the gamers who buy it so thats the best reward in itself !!

Gabrius · Feb 9, 2012

[quote name='kilroyfx']Very difficult actually. I think the interesting part is other Dev's are the ones that will pass/Fail your game. 2 Fails and you have to re-submit a week later. And, sometimes it takes weeks to get an Update released. Also, you must follow ALL the Microsoft guidelines and test your Update completely in advance, its a lot of work.

In addition I like to release Press-Kits to the popular media outlets for every Update (which costs $$$). So, I think it may be as tricky as releasing Arcade games....but probably not.

But, in the end if it creates a better GAME then that's the whole point !! So, after releasing about 6 Updates in 6 months, I think I have gotten the hang of it....and I play with the gamers who buy it so thats the best reward in itself !![/QUOTE]

You have convinced me that I do not buy enough indie games, nor do I convince enough other people to buy these titles.

Shmup awareness has been my number one priority this generation... and will remain so, but you have inspired me to take on a second cause.

You guys deserve my money WAY more than the EA's, Activision's and Capcom's of this world... and everyone I talk to about games from now on is going to know this too.

Thank you so much for working this hard for our dollar. Seriously, thank you.

shivan128 · Feb 9, 2012

[quote name='Gabrius']You have convinced me that I do not buy enough indie games, nor do I convince enough other people to buy these titles.

Shmup awareness has been my number one priority this generation... and will remain so, but you have inspired me to take on a second cause.

You guys deserve my money WAY more than the EA's, Activision's and Capcom's of this world... and everyone I talk to about games from now on is going to know this too.

Thank you so much for working this hard for our dollar. Seriously, thank you.[/QUOTE]

+1. Could not have said this better myself. Shmups and Indie are the way to go!

Turbojugend · Feb 9, 2012

[quote name='Gabrius']You have convinced me that I do not buy enough indie games, nor do I convince enough other people to buy these titles.

Shmup awareness has been my number one priority this generation... and will remain so, but you have inspired me to take on a second cause.

You guys deserve my money WAY more than the EA's, Activision's and Capcom's of this world... and everyone I talk to about games from now on is going to know this too.

Thank you so much for working this hard for our dollar. Seriously, thank you.[/QUOTE]

Couldn't have said it better myself. Since discovering XBLIG I've been doing what I can to raise awareness; writing reviews, posting on various message boards, etc. Unfortunately I feel as though all of this effort amounts to a drop in the bucket compared to a single positive news article from a major gaming site.

Can you imagine if IGN wrote a nice review -- or even a small news article -- on something like Escape Goat instead of their "Obligatory Skyrim Fact pf the Day"? It would be amazing, not to mention well-deserved. But as long as MS treats XBLIG like their red-headed stepchild I doubt it will ever happen. In fact, we're probably lucky to have these games at all.

Anyway, enough ranting from me. Are there any decent XBLIG beat-'em'ups in the vein of Final Fight and Streets of Rage?

wuxbustah8 · Feb 9, 2012

[quote name='crunchewy']The Impossible Game is infuriating, but fun. I have it on my iPhone. I don't really think I need it on XBLIG as well. One bit of punishment is enough. LOL.[/QUOTE]

I have it both on my Droid and on Xbox. The separate versions of the games have different starting levels, but you can buy the others as add ons on both platforms, so end up being the same.

Marketplace Link

Xbox Hornet Review

Luchalma · Feb 9, 2012

[quote name='Gabrius']You have convinced me that I do not buy enough indie games, nor do I convince enough other people to buy these titles.

Shmup awareness has been my number one priority this generation... and will remain so, but you have inspired me to take on a second cause.

You guys deserve my money WAY more than the EA's, Activision's and Capcom's of this world... and everyone I talk to about games from now on is going to know this too.

Thank you so much for working this hard for our dollar. Seriously, thank you.[/QUOTE]

I've made it my mission to spread awareness specifically of BloodyCheckers. Because not only is it the Indie game that made me realize the originality and quality that is out there when you wade through all the massagers and Minecraft clones, but no game has seen the post release support and gamer interaction than kilroy has provided.

And it's only 1$!

hufferstl · Feb 9, 2012

Buying Bloodycheckers right now. You guys have convinced me.

Artrigis · Feb 9, 2012

Have seen this thread before, but I dont think it had the good indie games reccomended last time I saw. Going to take a look at bloody checkers. Definitely looks like a solid game for a measly $1

rapsodist · Feb 9, 2012

All these drops to 80 MSP have increased my XBLIG library five-fold. At a dollar a game, I'll gladly take a chance. I do wish, however, that these games were at least the length of typical iOS games...

utstick · Feb 9, 2012

Great Gamasutra article...Top 5 Overlooked Games of 2011.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/39191/Gamasutra_Best_Of_2011_Top_5_Overlooked_Games.php

5. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
4. Bloody Checkers
3. Bejeweled 3
2. Monster Tale
1. Rayman Origins

Ranking amongst the likes of Ubisoft, Popcap and Majesco is freaking awesome. Well done Kilroyfx!!

Luchalma · Feb 9, 2012

Buying Bloodycheckers right now. You guys have convinced me.

It's working!

Ranking amongst the likes of Ubisoft, Popcap and Majesco is freaking awesome. Well done Kilroyfx!!

Yeah that's incredible. Not "most overlooked Xbox Indies", most overlooked overall. Although it would be better if they weren't overlooked

Got 80 points left I think I'm going to get A Voxel Action.

BudzMcGee · Feb 9, 2012

My review of Brand just published. Some good, some bad, probably worth a buck but probably not worth $3. LINK TO THE REVIEW

utstick · Feb 9, 2012

5. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
4. Bloody Checkers
3. Bejeweled 3
2. Monster Tale
1. Rayman Origins

Dude, that's a hell of a list to be on with Gamasutra...

Gabrius · Feb 9, 2012

Agreed. Absolutely incredible.

Mad dog · Feb 9, 2012

I tried Bloody Checkers a month ago and thought "meh" and deleted it. Well, I just tried it again, thanks to you guys and I love it and just bought it!

kilroyfx · Feb 9, 2012

Hahah thanks for giving it another try !! Yeah it does take a little bit too get into "Bloodycheckers"..... some games cough like "Dark Souls" are so hard that people return it....

You can always set "BloodyCheckers" difficulty to easy and breeze thru the castle to level up, see all the cool stuff, and burn some things

kilroyfx · Feb 10, 2012

** REDEEM CODE **

Because of the amazing support of the fans, and this great website "CAG" here is another FREE copy of "BloodyCheckers" and unlimited FREE updates.....

CJDGR-XFKMG-4QX6Y-QRTP6-H2DW* guess the last LETTER [A-Z]

Cheers !! Also, in case you didn't know, joining another's multiplayer Lobby and hitting the START button lets you open the Spy-Map and help them out, including lighting their candle is it goes out.

** REDEEM CODE **

snky_pete · Feb 10, 2012

Thanks for the download code =) Q was the last letter.

kilroyfx · Feb 10, 2012

Wow, how did you figure that out so fast ?? Crazy.... If anyone wants to help by rating or writing quick 3-5 sentence reviews that would be awesome

Try to say nice things

gospelman · Feb 10, 2012

Okay I was bored tonight so just downloaded BloodyCheckers. Just getting started.. but for some reason I find the "Thank you" screen is genuinely amusing. Had a good laugh.

vamn · Feb 10, 2012

OP updated (finally). Moved old price drops to "Old Price Drops" section (I'm just going to pretend February starts right now). Added some games to the recommended section... will look at thread and add more probably over the weekend. Now, I'm off to work :/

popsandwich · Feb 10, 2012

I know it had been mentioned several times, but Cthulu Saves the World is just so good I had to say it again. If anyone wants to read a somewhat interesting take on the economics of XBLIG and how a lower price really affects sales then check out Cthulu's developers blog, zeboyd.com. They also have some reviews and a story about how messed up the XBLIG rating system can be.

Turbojugend · Feb 10, 2012

Cthulhu is insanely good. I actually finished it, which is something I can't say for a lot of recent RPGs. If you were ever a JRPG fan at any time in your life, I'd say Cthulhu is a fantastic way to test the waters of XBLIG.

a Voxel Action! is turning into an early XBLIG of the Year candidate for me. It's easy to dismiss the first five minutes as a glorified tech demo, but once you start unlocking skills it almost gives the game a Metroidvania-ish feel. The swimming and jet pack sections were a total surprise, seeing as I expected little more than "jump here to there" for the duration of the game. All things considered, it's pretty hard to pass this one up for a buck.

Gabrius · Feb 10, 2012

Well, kilroy has done it again.

I have been discussing a very cool idea I had with him, and he is going to implement it into a future update of BloodyCheckers:

He's adding some of us to the game.

Sometime very soon, he will be providing details on a contest where 10 of us will be added as AI opponents to this awesome, awesome game.

I have started up a hype train on GameFAQs... if any of you have accounts there, please come and join in on the fun!

Mad dog · Feb 10, 2012

[quote name='Gabrius']
I have started up a hype train on GameFAQs... if any of you have accounts there, please come and join in on the fun![/QUOTE]

Haha, I was about to do this same thing! You did a good job, I posted in your topic. :applause:

Gabrius · Feb 10, 2012

[quote name='Mad dog']Haha, I was about to do this same thing! You did a good job, I posted in your topic. :applause:

[/QUOTE]

Thanks. All credit to kilroy. Such a man deserves all the support we can muster up ^_^

Turbojugend · Feb 10, 2012

As I posted in your topic, I wrote a positive review for BloodyCheckers on GameFAQs. It's a very simple thing that anyone with an account can do, and it's a 400-word minimum which is almost nothing when it comes to time and effort.

Obviously the more people that participate, the higher the game profile and the better the chances that the game ends up on the homepage. I would strongly encourage anyone who loves this game and wants to help out Kilroy to write a quick review and show some love.

XBLIG Price Drops

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