IndieCade 2013: Official Companion Guide

 Praise for IndieCade and its Official Companion Guide handed out to festival goers. This memento not only gave a little bit of info for each game at IndieCade, it also left space open for a stamp, doodle or signature from the developers for fun. This and last year's IndieCade Passport make the festival such a delight to go to and always remember. Next year, IndieCade crew give the job to A.J. Hateley of Gametee, her Gaming Luggage Labels should entice you.

IndieCade 2013: All There Was

IndieCade returned to the center of Culver City showcasing the newest titles in independent video games, table games and more over the weekend. We saw major game companies take focus with booths from Oculus VR, Nintendo and Sony. Independent titles from developers from around the United States and the world showed off their video games. Independent table games and big group games splattered the scene with community camaraderie and rivals being born. At night, things got risque with the always popular Night Games.  A huge assortment of titles were played by the TTDILA staff with interviews and demos of games that stood out, with over 120 titles not all could be played.

For previous coverage

Last Sunday night new winners from the festival were announced. Killer Queen Arcade won the Developer's Choice Award. An arcade game where up to 10 players can fight it out like Joust. TowerFall won the Media Choice Award. Up to four players can duke it out with arrows like Super Smash Bros in this archer brawler.

TowerFall Interview

The Audience Choice Award was won by Slash Dash, a ninja capture-the-flag game.

The Oculus VR booth had a line all day Saturday. So many wanted to try out the newest in virtual reality. Oculus VR is a cutting edge virtual reality company. The current device they make is placed on the head and is called the Oculus Rift, it goes over your eyes and immerses you in a 3D world. Multiple games were up for play including a simulation hacker game; an elephant going on a rampage and a airplane sim.

Oculus VR is not a developer, it's simply making the hardware. A deal with IndieCade led to a game jam where developers could make games in three weeks and submit them to win prizes. The winner of the game jam was E McNiel. He told us about his game Ciess, a hacker simulator and what it means to develop for the new system.

 E McNiel, Ciess Interview

Oculus Rifts were not bound to the Oculus VR booth, they could be found all over IndieCade. Strange new games have been made through a gaming platform called Project Holodeck, that not only uses the Oculus Rift but  sometimes uses Playstation Move controllers and Razer Hyrda tracking software for more immersive gameplay. Oculus Rift on it's own only covers your eyes.

Watch two friends of TTDILA check it out in Oculus Riffs

Moving from the yet to be released for consumers Oculus VR, we encountered the Nintendo booth. Nintendo was delighted to finally have a booth showcasing indie games featured for 3DS and Wii U coming from there eShop. Strange, odd, but all fun the games impressed all loyal Nintendo fans passing through.

Some Nintendo fans even develop games now. One being Yacht Club Games which Kickstarted its way into making Shovel Knight. Shovel Knight features a knight wielding a shovel and looks like an old-school Nintendo platformer. The former WayForward employees who founded the company thought the game was so much like an old Nintendo game they made a call to Nintendo and shortly after working out a deal will have it be in the Nintendo eShop for the Wii U and later on the 3DS.

Shovel Night Preview Demo and Interview



Titles from indie developers were on screen after screen of Wii U's and 3DSes. From last years IndieCade, we saw the return of the Samurai storybook game Tengami by NyamNyam. The game is now headed to the Nintendo eShop for the Wii U.  Seeing Tengami reach the Wii U a year later from IndieCade 2012 when it was just going for the iPad market was a pleasant surprise.

Tengami Returns To IndieCade

Some of the new properties were hard to master such as Dakko Dakko's Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails, featuring an annoying cat that would appear on screen to remind you when you didn't complete game goals on this shoot-em-up platform game.

Fan favorites like Retro City Rampage, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse and Treasurenauts from Renegade Kid, who gave us Mutant Mudds stood out on the 3DSes. Fans who demoed any of those titles or any Wii U title were rewarded with special Nintendo promo t-shirts made just for IndieCade.

Check out the shirts here

Sony, who had a booth last year, came out to show off its huge assortment of indie titles too. PS4s and Vitas and even PS mobile devices showed off a wide array of indie games to try.

Tearaway from Media Molecule, the same people who gave us Little Big Planet may have made the best PS Vita title yet with an arts and crafts platformer made entirely for the Vita. This game was made specifically for the Vita system from the use of the back touch pad to perform jumps to the front touch screen that lets you open doors for you character. It's one of the most compelling Vita games I've seen in a long time.
Check out a hands on demo of Tearaway below

Some older titles are making their way to PSN like Fez, Don't Starve with new editions of games like  Mutant Mudds Deluxe and sequels like Octodad Dadliest Catch, a game where you play an Octupus trying to pretend to be a man and be a good Dad. Controlling said Octopi is where the game gets fun or aggravating depending on your tastes, which hopefully don't include Octodad himself.

Table Games

Card games, board games, the more conventional game played out on a table, table not always required.

 There were many tabletop games to try during the day at IndieCade. TTDILA had to step into the newest version of Metagame. Metagame was once a card debate game only about video games. Now it's all about culture. Only 50 culture cards were out, 150 are planned when the Kickstarter goes up in a few weeks. We'll be sure to remind you.

You play by debating the cards your dealt over a specific question. Say, "What is first love?" , for example. You might have a card with Hungry Hungry Hippos on it or Helvetica, the font style. The other players have random culture cards too. You all put each one down and give a reason why you card is the answer by a critic. Those who lose a match, becomes a critic and the game gains more critics as more questions are answered. That's one way of playing, essentially it's a debate game.







Augmented Detective wasn't playable at IndieCade 2013, Mr. Smee from Wise Guy Events, the same people making Augmented Detective were. We met up with Greg Synder of Wise Guy Events and discussed the augmented reality game looking to be Kickstarted for play here in LA.

Check out our interview below



Indie Titles

Independently made video games


Pivvot by Whitaker Trebella was up for play in the digital selects booth. The ever hard to deal with epic strategic avoidance game caused many a player to go, "Ahh!".

Pivvot Whitaker Trebella Interview

Rogue Legacy, a game where death gives way to your children to keep on playing. Everytime you die in this dungeon platformers your child goes on with an ailment from the real world like being colorblind or terrible gas.


Rogue Legacy Interview

Rogue Legacy was housed in the Culver City Fire station that swelled with so many people it was like a burning building. So many different titles to chooses from including the time traveling Super Time Force from Capybara Games, coming to Xbox Live to the making social media waves Gone Home.

Super Time Force Interview



Out in the Digital Select tents were more titles including:

Potatoman Seeks The Troof, no it's not misspelled, that's how it's written, has you searching for the truth and dying many death before getting it. Trying to dodge birds laying eggs and other platforming annoyance will remind you of NES titles.

Tenya Wanya Teens had you button mashing like no other system with one button for each action, then those buttons switching actions. Controlling two kids in co-op in a not so average day of their lives had you peeing to flinging salmon at enemies to just brushing your teeth.

Edupalooza brought out the kid games and brought back Cain's Arcade like fun with its own cardboard arcade center. Kids and adults could make any arcade machine they wanted. Kids could learn a little about game making there.

Oculus VR isn't the only virtual reality experience out there. Innersphere VR showed of it's virtual reality all encompassing ball for free roaming inside a false world. Care to step inside?

Big Games

Games played in a large groups, some times outside.

Super Secret Spies by Arkadium puts a Fedora on your a head and sent you out over IndieCade. Each hat has a number on it. You and your team have to spot the other teams numbers while not having your hat number being found out. In ten minutes get to the other side of the map or don't bother. Causing a lot of twisted heads and many spies to sneak around booths all over IndieCade with daring.

Batonk! has you yelling at robots or really other players forced to wear robot hats and act like robots out on a big gameboard. You can't freely issue commands, you must command the hands your dealt by cards causing robots to "Batonk!" into each other and the game boards walls. Score points by having your robot make it into another players goal. The player with the most goals wins!

Night Games

Games with adult material, occurring at night at IndieCade.

Dark Room Sex Game

"Ooh"
"Ahh"

This naughty nite time game has you playing with a "friend" with two PS Move controllers. Flow in the right rhythm with them to here the positive sexy noises from your partner. Don't perform well and hear them get hurt. Voices can sound girl on girl or boy on boy and the old time favorite of man and women.

It drew in quite the crows of players.

To hear a play through click here, sounds graphic.











Constellation has you creating your own constellations as you peer upward at the stars and connecting them. Wield a PS Move controller and create your own myths and legends using the stars and see what others have created.

Constellation Interview

Star Wench harkens back to the days of choose your own adventure books. Choose which page to go to and find out what happens next in your story. Sadly, Star Wench endings are all bad for her which is your fun.

Crypto of the NecroDancer, DDR and killing zombies has finally been combined. A dungeon crawler where you control you character by dancing.

Papers, Please is about playing out your fantasy of being a 1980's immigration inspector in a fictional post USSR country and has never looked so good. This is a favorite title of TTDILA that can never make it to the 3DS for its adult content, even though it would fit perfectly on the system. Papers Please works by carefully inspecting documents in a time limit. A secret organization wants to tear down the government and wants your help. Terrorists can end the day early so get enough legal people in before time runs out.
\

Propinquity, where you must touch another opponent while staying in a projected area to earn points.

As a man who didn't know us at TTDILA passed by and asked us two questions, because we looked like we might know or at least that's what he said. We got the simple reason of what IndieCade is.

The first question: Is IndieCade an independent games festival?
The second: Are all these games made by independent companies?

To which we answered, "Yes" , and then we talked about later how he got into the festival, security should probably be more on top of that.

Yes, that's what IndieCade is. A festival celebrating independent games from indie talent and it grew this year.

The festival gets larger every year and next year it's assumed it will need more space then just the firehouse which is already getting too small.

Being amongst gamers outside, playing big games that aren't a normal past time in this city, unless Augmented Detective gets funded, and getting to meet the people behind the games keeps the festival alive.

A place where a gamer can enjoy themselves playing games in every fashion. It's not just new video games, playing outside with others and having a gamer community for short period of time to hang out with and interact with makes it such a special event.

We need a new generation of arcades, two days and one night aren't enough for LA to have so many talented game makers show off their work and so many people coming together to have fun.

Anyone for some PS Move jungle vine swinging? Move around on your light coded trail, don't get on another players color or you'll fall.

Extra photo gallery

IndieCade 2013: Video Content

Oculus VR Ceiss Interview
Oculus Riffs
 
Shovel Knight Interview
 
Tengami Returns
 
Tearaway Demo
 
 Augmented Detective Interview
 
Pivvot Interview

 Rogue Legacy Interview
 
Dark Room Sex Game Demo (NSFW sound only)
Constellation Interview

IndieCade 2013: Nintendo T-Shirt Swag

Nintendo had special promo t-shirts at this year's IndieCade featuring a favorite well known plumber and the quote,  "A Winners Is You" . You just had to play and of the games at their booth and you earned yourself a free one. The logo is so nice I asked the staff if it represented Nintendo's having a indie game label. It doesn't, just a great design for Mario and Nintendo's first time at IndieCade.

IndieCade 2013: Winners, Preview and Reminder For Bingo

Last night, the first winners of IndieCade we're announced:

The Grand Jury Award
Quadrilateral Cowboy - Blendo Games
The Trailblazer Award
Tracy Fullerton
The Special Recognition Award
Porpentine's Twine Compilation - Porpentine
The Technology Award
Spin the Bottle: Bumpie's Party - KnapNok Games & Redgrim
The Interaction Award
Spaceteam - Henry Smith
The Game Design Award
NIDHOGG - MESSHOF
The Impact Award
Dog Eat Dog - Liwanag Press
The Story/Word Design Award
Kentucky Route Zero - Cardboard Computer
The Visual Design Award
Kentucky Route Zero - Cardboard Computer
The Audio Design Award
Gone Home - The Fullbright Company

The Developer's Choice Award, The Media Choice Award and The Audience Choice Award winners will be announced this Sunday at 5pm.

Have you played any of these winning titles, I haven't and from what my friends say Gone Home should not be a part of this list. Even though Gone Home won for audio design it's picture is featured on gaming sites for the award winners. IndieCade PR better provide photos of the actual award given out next year or for the next round of awards so gaming sites have some visual aid. Gaming sites themselves might take pictures of the winners too.


LA Times has a nice preview article up for the event.

Don't forget to play IndeCade Bingo from the site's comic maven Andrew Gallardo.

You're editor-in-chielf will be at the convention all day and night today playing, interviewing and capturing the moments when equipment fails for your pleasure. Do make it out if you can, you don't want to be some weirdo who passes on the chance to play video games outside!

Have to try Shovel Knight!

IndieCade 2013: Links Breakdown

Here's links to find out everything you need about
IndieCade 2013
Festival Days Oct 5-6
Downtown Culver City

IndieCade 2013: Big Games, eSports Games and Night Games
IndieCade 2013: PR Train and Nintendo Booth
IndieCade 2013: Sony, Microsoft and More

Interviews
IndieCade 2013 Preview: Nathan Vella Interview Super Time Force
IndieCade 2013 Preview: Matt Thorson Interview TowerFall
IndieCade 2013 Preview: Whitaker Trebella Interview

INDIECADE BINGO

by ARG

STEPS IN HOW TO USE THIS

1.CTR+P

2.GO TO INDIECADE

3.????????

4. HAVE FUN.

IndieCade 2013: Sony, Microsoft and More

Sony will have a booth again this year at IndieCade. They have the PS4 up for play and some new titles for the Vita like Tearaway, I've been waiting for that one. It looks like Fez is still coming to the PSN and Don't Starve both recently doing well on Steam.

Check out more titles on their exhibitor page.

"Your first date with the PlayStation 4 can be at IndieCade! Get an early glimpse of greatness. At the PlayStation booth you can try out the new DualShock 4 and PlayStation 4 titles before the console launches on November 15th. PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation Mobile titles will also be playable, including Doki Doki Universe, Tearaway and Tokyo Jungle Mobile."

Microsoft will be there, but no booth it looks like. For developers they may be on hand to look at your game, but it doesn't seems like were getting to test the Xbox One.

Check Nintendo's booth title's here

Oculus will have a booth and will be showcasing virtual reality games! The titles are from the winners of the IndieCade + Oculus VR Jam 2013, it was a contest taking place at colleges to see what games could be made for the Oculus system.

Check out what's playable here










Check out Project Holodeck



Ouya has a booth too, check out TowerFall their top game, when you have a chance.

Check out what's playable here

IndieCade 2013: PR Train and Nintendo Booth

IndieCade 2013
Festival day tickets are still available for $20 at Brown Paper Tickets.

IndieCade has already started, but for the regular festival goer it won't start until Saturday morning. It seems all PR for IndieCade has been released today, so I'll go over what's just been confirmed.

- Eight PS4 titles and an assortment of games on Oculus Rift, all playable.
-Exhibits from Sony, Nintendo, Ouya and Oculus VR.
-50 more games have been added to the festival 

Nintendo IndieCade booth offerings below. I'm kind of amazed Shovel Knight has gone so far as indie game from Kickstarter. Retro City Rampage and Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse by WayForward for 3DS are a big surprise too.


Wii U

• 1,001 Spikes by Nicalis: Using 1,001 lives to clear more than 100 levels, players must overcome devious traps and cleverly designed levels that will test their skills, reflexes and patience.
• Armillo by Fuzzy Wuzzy Games: Armillo is a unique platforming game with a sci-fi theme that stars an armadillo. Traverse spherical worlds in a mix of platforming battles and speed to defeat the robotic Darkbots.
• Knytt Underground by Ripstone: Knytt Underground is the latest entry in the acclaimed Knytt series of thrilling platform games, focusing on precise platforming with zen-like game play.
• Pier Solar and the Great Architects by WaterMelon Co.: Pier Solar and the Great Architects is an original, classic role-playing game with an epic story, more than 50 hours of game play and a massive world to explore.
• Q.U.B.E. by Toxic Games: The critically acclaimed Q.U.B.E. is a first-person game that presents the player with a series of brain-teasing puzzles. Written by three students, the game asks players to use high-tech gloves to manipulate different types of cubes in the environment.
• Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails by Dakko Dakko: With frenetic game play viewed from above and a striking blend of 2D and 3D graphics, Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails is a shoot-’em-up platform game with a character all its own.
• Shovel Knight by Yacht Club Games: A mashup of old and new, Shovel Knight is a classic platformer with awesome game play, memorable characters and an 8-bit retro aesthetic.
• Tengami by Nyamyam: Tengami is a gorgeous, atmospheric point-and-touch adventure game set inside a Japanese pop-up book.
• Teslagrad by Rain AS: A beautiful side-scrolling platformer set in a steampunk world, Teslagrad features open-world game play and a hand-drawn art style.
• Unepic by EnjoyUp Games: The award-winning Unepic follows unlikely hero Daniel as he journeys through a giant castle to destroy an evil force. The game blends platforming and role-playing game play in one adventurous package.
• Wooden Sen’SeY by Neko Entertainment: Wooden Sen’SeY is an action-platformer set in a unique “Japanese Steam Rock” universe with tons of humor and multiple styles of game play.

Nintendo 3DS

• Grinsia by Nicalis: Three treasure hunters search for ancient ruins in Grinsia. The traditional role-playing game is designed using classic, 16-bit pixel art.
• Jett Rocket II: The Wrath of Taikai by Shin’en: Jett Rocket II: The Wrath of Taikai, a colorful, action-filled game, is from the creators of Nano Assault Neo and Art of Balance.
• Retro City Rampage by Vblank Entertainment: Developed almost entirely by one person, Retro City Rampage is an 8-bit, open-world game that parodies video games and pop culture from the ’80s and ’90s.
• Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse by WayForward: The belly-dancing, hair-whipping Shantae is back in another beautifully crafted side-scrolling action/adventure game. Shantae must team up with her archnemesis Risky Boots in order to save her land from a curse. Master the use of Pirate Gear, topple epic bosses and save Sequin Land!
• Siesta Fiesta by Mojo Bones: Combining various aspects of classic arcade game play, Siesta Fiesta is a vibrant action game that lets players bounce, boost and rebound across the island of Fiestaville.
• Treasurenauts by Renegade Kid: Play as the famed Treasurenauts, as they try to collect enough treasure to pay for their escape from a perilous, uncharted island. Experience the single-player adventure or team-up with a friend for a cooperative multiplayer expedition. 

 In addition to the playable games, Nintendo’s booth will also feature several of the aforementioned developers. Representatives from Fuzzy Wuzzy Games (Armillo), WaterMelon (Pier Solar and the Great Architects), Nicalis (1,001 Spikes, Grinsia) and Yacht Club Games (Shovel Knight) will all be in attendance to show off their games and answer question,

 Here's another pr release about the use of the Oculus VR at IndieCade
"Epic Games and Zombie Studios are ready to scare the pants off of IndieCade attendees with the first ever Oculus VR demonstration of “Daylight” at the Culver City-based festival of independent games on October 5-6.

Developed for PS4 and PC by Zombie and published by ATLUS, “Daylight” is a procedurally generated psychological thriller in which no two experiences are the same. “Daylight” is also the first Unreal Engine 4-powered commercial game to support Oculus VR, and attendees will be able to test their bravery to see how long they can survive the demo, exclusively at the Unreal Engine booth inside the IndieCade Village.

Epic is also thrilled to host Compulsion Games, who will have numerous stations dedicated to “Contrast,” the only game where you can freely shift in and out of shadow. Contrast is set for release on November 15 for PC (Steam), PS3, PS4 (both via PSN) and Xbox 360 (through XBLA).

Lastly, “Infinity Blade III,” the epic conclusion in the blockbuster video game trilogy from Epic’s award-winning ChAIR Entertainment, will be playable on iPad at IndieCade as well."

IndieCade 2013: Big Games, eSports Games and Night Games

IndieCade 2013 Reminder*

Use coupon code CELEBRATE by Oct 12 at noon to save 25% on the festival wristband.

Even though many of these games look like fun, many might not work and no matter what photography you see on other sites almost all will play like cr*p. Not all, but many will.

I hope to hear news from the LA Game Space at the event. A new arcade bar EightyTwo might want to make an appearance at IndieCade too. They'll be in the same area in the downtown art district.

You should look to see what Sony and Nintendo have there, though the IndieCade site doesn't have details on what there presence might be. Sony is there to get indie games on their system, they have a full try-out session to show-off your indie work.

The Oculus Rift my be demoed, be on the look out for it.

- Where Indie Game Producers Come Out to Play
The New York Times took notice of IndieCade, I'm sure you'll see news about it from LA Weekly and LA Times soon enough, over hyping a lot of it.

Love this silly pic

-StreetPass @ IndieCade
Sunday, October 6 at 2:00pm
Outside Nintendo's booth












Below is a break down of the big events schedule, but explore IndieCade's site yourself

Big Games
- outdoor physical multiplayer games that are simply too big to be played sitting down.

eSports Games
-competitive games

The iam8bit Entertainment System will be making an appearance in this showcase.

Tabletop Games

The Metagame returns, more meta than before and not just about video games. Check out the new expansion/edition.

Night Games

Some strange ones to look out for, The Hearst Collection  has you going through a laser maze. A giant monster city smasher game in Monster Stomp.

Papers Please, the immigration inspector game set in the 80's. It's fun being a bureaucrat or at least playing one.