Interview with Phoenix Games

Tell us a little bit about yourself/company/team?
We are small team of four members located in Nis, Serbia. Our team was born during our college days (computer science college). After few student projects we realized we share the same passion for playing and making games. We are here to bring high quality games to the players by pushing our knowledge to the limits. Because we are small team, we all share jobs of programming, modeling, animation, music etc. Our goal is to become professionals in game development industry. We are currently “bedroom” studio with no funds and we are planning to change that in future.

What made you decide to use the XBLIG platform for your game?
XNA was our first choice when we started making games because it simplifies game programming. Also, it provides easy deployment to Xbox consoles and XBLIG. This service is perfect for beginners, it is good for studio promotion but it is not so good for making money. It is sad that there are some good games on XBLIG which are not noticed by Xbox Live users.

Interview with Emoks and Eric, the conductors for Train Frontier Express

Tell us a little bit about yourself/company/team?
Emoks: We're a duo; Eric has done all the coding and particles effects for the game, and I worked on the art. We've both worked on traditional games for the mainstream market, but had always wanted to try making something on our own and out-of-the-norm.

What made you decide to use the XBLIG platform for your game?
Emoks: It’s accessibility to the console market is what’s drawn me to XNA and XBLIG. Throughout the development process having that Xbox controller in my hands has been a good feeling (D-pad aside), knowing that console readiness was already there.

Eric: If you have a small game with less risk, then XBLIG can make sense as a platform and is a great way to get a game on a console quickly. I had reservations with XNA, since it’s limited to Microsoft platforms. It’s proven a blessing and a curse.

Interview with Alex Jordan, the mind behind Cute Things Dying Violently

Tell us a little bit about yourself/company/team?
ApathyWorks is me, Alex “AlejandroDaJ” Jordan, a 27 year old who lives in Washington, DC and works for the U.S. Department of Labor. I started programming and doing level design in elementary school, graduated to modding, and eventually hit the ground running with indie game design with XNA in early 2009. Cute Things Dying Violently will be my second title for Xbox Live Indie Games.

While I certainly enjoy helping out workers and the unemployed at the Labor Department, my real passion lies with game design and writing, and some day I hope to do it for a living. Although it’s currently just a hobby of mine, the “apathy” in my studio title is a complete misnomer that hides my desire to create worlds and experiences and to share them with others.

What made you decide to use the XBLIG platform for your game?
I already owned an Xbox 360, and developing a game for a console had always been a dream of mine. When XNA was announced, I couldn't believe it, no company had ever made it that easy to get your game on their console. I jumped at the opportunity and spent a good chunk of 2009 learning C# and XNA. That means I've been developing for XBLIG for two and a half years now.

Interview with Alejandro Gonzalez of Milkstone Studios

Tell us a little bit about yourself/company/team?
We are an indie game development company created in Asturias, Spain, and have released many successful titles on Xbox Live Indie Games. Our games feature polished gameplay and high production values.

What made you decide to use the XBLIG platform for your game?
Our first game, Little Racers, was a hobby project that we did on our free time. We chose XBLIG because there were very few options to market an independent game on a non-mobile device and it was easier to develop on a closed platform as the Xbox 360. After the unexpected success of the game, we just kept releasing games on that platform. We've tried other platforms in the past, but there’s no magical platform yet.

What was the biggest hurdle in getting this game finished?
Usually our biggest hurdle is to cut somewhere and polish everything. The only exception has been Raventhorne, were we had a tight deadline so we ended up cutting before we intended.

Interview with James Petruzzi of Discord Games

Tell us a little bit about yourself/company/team?
Discord was formed in 2009 by life-long friends James Petruzzi and Tim Dodd. Our original intention was to kill time, and have fun creating stuff. At some point we realized we had a shot at doing something really cool and unique, so we put our heads down and started working on what was to become Take Arms.

What made you decide to use the XBLIG platform for your game?
I think both of us have always wanted a game on a console, and XBLIG is the easiest path to that. No publishing deals, devkits, etc. are needed. It’s an awesome platform, just a shame it isn't a little better managed.

Interview with Francesco and Matteo of Doom & Destiny

Tell us a little bit about your team?
We are two standard Italian nerds. Francesco, from Benjamin Ficus production, is responsible for the plot, level design and guilty of all the misspellings. Despite his love of creating video games, his computer skills suck hard He was lucky enough to find Matteo, his colleague. Matteo, from HeartBit interactive, is the genius behind the programming.

What made you decide to use the XBLIG platform for your game?
Around two years ago, Francesco made a game with RPG Maker. It was a small but fun adventure of four nerds trapped in a fantasy world. Everybody (his friends and his mum) was pleased with the game and kept telling him “You got talent”, “You should make some money with it”, and “Eat your vegetables” so Francesco decided to turn his small project into a real game! He discovered that a friend of a friend (Matteo, from HeartBit interactive) was a very talented programmer who already worked in the amazing field of game development. Francesco showed his project to Matteo who said “your game is pretty cool, why don’t we collaborate to put it on Xbox Live Indie Games. You do the level design, story and other crap while I do the serious coding and programming. It shouldn't take much time, right?”

TWO years later, here we are!

Interview with Casper van Est of DoubleDutch Games

Tell us a little bit about yourself/company/team?

We're a young Dutch company, consisting of two guys; Casper van Est and Gert-Jan Stolk. We founded DoubleDutch Games in 2010, and Speedrunner is our first game.

What made you decide to use the XBLIG platform for your game?
Well, XBLIG is basically the only option you have when you’re a new studio with no track record and no money and want to make games for a console. It’s a really great platform for people like us, as it allowed us to actually create a product and have it released. We'll have to see whether or not it’s actually a viable platform for making enough money to keep our heads above the water, but then again, we hope it can serve us as a stepping stone to other platforms such as Steam and XBLA.

Crimson Alliance complete guide

Below are links to my parts of  guide for Crimson Alliance.

• Tips
• Monster guide
• Mercenary guide
• Assassin guide
• Wizard guide

Full Guide - Original Post (2011/08/06)

Toy Soldiers: Cold War complete guide

Below are links to my parts of a guide for Toy Soldiers: Cold War

• Vehicle guide
• Deadly Dunes level guide
• Monumental Defense level guide
• Trouble at the Canal level guide
• Capitol Crisis level guide
• Surrounded level guide
• Rainy City level guide
• Barrages guide

Full Guide - Original Post (2011/08/01)

Deadliest Warrior: Legends review (XBLA)

Deadliest Warrior: Legends was developed by Pipeworks Software and published by 345 Games / Spike Games. It was released on July 6, 2011 for $9.99. A copy was provided for review purposes.

Deadliest Warrior: Legends takes all the data from the famous Spike TV show and puts it into motion at your fingertips. In this new brutal installment, we get a handful of new characters, all with their own set of armor and weapons. Throw in a completely new game mode, some unlockables and a fighting style all its own and you’re ready for a bloody date with history.

Backbreaker: Vengeance review (XBLA)

Backbreaker: Vengeance was developed by NaturalMotion Games and published by 505 Games. It was released on June 29, 2011 for $14.99. A copy of the game was provided for review purposes.

Backbreaker: Vengeance is a spin off from last year’s retail release that emphasizes on the mini game aspect. You have three modes to choose from: Tackle Alley, where you run the ball through an obstacle course; Vengeance, where you are the defender trying to stop the runner from scoring; and Supremacy, which pits you against three other ball runners to be the highest scorer. Once you pick your player, it is time to run through these different gauntlets racking up the most points possible by stringing together score pick-ups and special moves like jukes and spins on your run to the end zone.

Rewind Review: Zombie Apocalypse (XBLA)

Zombie Apocalypse was developed by Nihilistic Software, Inc. and published by Konami. It was released on September 23, 2009 and costs $9.99.

Zombies, weapons and hazards, oh my! Zombie Apocalypse is a bloody twin-stick shooter, that pits you and up to three friends against hordes of zombies. Journey across several stages, all with there own design, traps and advantages. With a few friends, a bunch of weapons and some luck, we head off to survive this end-of-times.

Rewind Review: Rocky and Bullwinkle (XBLA)

Rocky and Bullwinkle was developed by Zen Studios. It was released on April 16, 2008 and costs $9.99.

Rocky and Bullwinkle is a mini game super fest with the whole cast from the beloved children’s show. You play through seven distinct worlds, each with there own set of amusing levels, giving you a total of 105 different mini-games to play. You can play through all the levels by yourself or with up to 11 friends locally for a quirky experience that only Rocky and Bullwinkle can provide.

TIC: Part 1 review (XBLIG)

TIC: Part 1 was developed by Red Candy Games. It was released on June 21, 2011 for $1.00 Microsoft Points. A copy of the game was provided by the developer for review purposes.

TIC: part 1 is an stunning example of what the Xbox Live Indie Marketplace was made for. This simple, beautiful game is amazing from one end of the spectrum to the other. It’s got bright vivid colors, a simple storyline, a unique art style and most of all it’s tons of fun. You control TIC, a robot who needs to save the world from oil stealing aliens. To do so, you must fly, collect and drill your way through the stages.

World Gone Sour review (XBLA)

World Gone Sour was developed by Playbrains Studios and published by Capcom. It was released on April 11, 2012 for 400 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.

World Gone Sour is a fun and sweet little platformer with a weird story to tell. What we find is a dangerous world that exists for Sour Patch Kids as they journey toward their ultimate goal: The human stomach. During your journey you’ll find lots of lost friends who will help you along your way. Like any good platformer there are bosses, and in World Gone Sour they are integral to the story. Many aspects of World Gone Sour will immediately feel and look like games you know and love.