I'm 33 now (sheesh) and have been gaming since my dad bought a Commadore 64. I've grown up through various gaming platforms and have a fondness for some of the oldschool games that just don't seem to get any love from the big companies anymore.
Back when I was in school everyone that played computer games were playing point and click adventures and arcade style action games. Schoolground conversation would vacillate between how to get past a hurdle in a Sierra "Quest" game to how quickly you clocked double dragon to the new Lucasarts game coming out to organising a game of contra after school.
Then I grew up and gaming has been growing with me. FPSs have made a big rise in gaming and platformers, puzzlers and adventures have quietly slipped away or been trimmed down to quick knockouts or casual affairs. I looked around one day to find myself suffering from adventure withdrawl and luckily Telltale Games came to my rescue with their Sam and Max episodic series. They certainly captured the humour of the old game but, in spite of how good the episodes were, there was just something not quite the same.
And then along came Gemini Rue. When I first saw it's old-school graphics and heard it was a point and click adventure I almost jumped and bought it instantly, but I had a lot on my gaming plate at the time and decided to wishlist it and come back to it some time later. Little did I know that a reminder would soon appear on a gaming news site I frequent. That reminder came in the form of the Indie Royale launch bundle.
"What's this," I thought to myself, "Gemini Rue for a fraction of the price with some other random games thrown in? I'll bite!"
And so I bought the first bundle and discovered where all the games I love had been hiding. Beautiful action platformers like A.R.E.S Extinction Agenda, quirky puzzle platformers like Nimbus, and even a fantastic spin on the tower defence game that became one of my top favorite games: Sanctum. All in a single low price bundle? And what is the common theme? Indie developers! The developers that are still making games for the love of the game and not for the profit they'll get. There's more heart in a level of their games than an entire DVD of AAA recent release.
And then came along the second bundle from Indie Royale. I snapped it up immediately based purely on the fun I am still having with the first and what do I discover? Even more old-school gaming awesomeness. Nailbitingly difficult SHMUPs like Scoregasm (and the 2 bonus SHMUPS Irukandji and Bullet Candy Perfect), another quirky puzzle platformer NightSky, and another amazing pair of point and click adventures Ben there. Dan that & Time Gentlemen, Please. I cannot praise these games enough. The Ben and Dan games somehow walk the perfect line between 'homage to' and 'satire of' old point and click adventures. Scoregasm mixes perfect combinations of frustration and triumph. NightSky relaxes you and allows you to appreciate the levels.
I seriously recommend all these games and will be rooting out indie developers more and more from now on. I strongly suggest that you check out the Indie Royale sales (they happen every could of weeks) and try some of the games mentioned above. If you miss a game made with heart you can't go wrong with a good indie developer.
"How does this relate to Stealth Bastards" I hear you ponder (if you read the title to this post). Here's how: Stealth Bastard is a free game from a small company that has loads of fun and awesome design squeezed into it's tiny frame. Imagine Super Mario Bros had a love child with Splinter Cell. Well.. don't imagine the actual act, imagine the outcome: a sleek stealth platformer that's all about beating a level in the shortest time possible using shadows and sneakery to your advantage. And once you've finished all the levels you can either create (and share) more in the inbuilt level designer or download more levels the community has created and shared. I suggest giving it a play through.
