The onward march of the bundles of March

[alms]

Was a bit unsure about this one but I got it nonetheless. They now have an Android app which automagically downloads updates... smooth!

[Kodeen]

They now have an Android app which automagically downloads updates... smooth!

Who does, HIB? Does it handle games from both Android bundles?

[alms]

Yes and I don't know yet.

[renhoelder]

Ah, I caved, wanted Swords & Soldiers plus I´m playing with the idea of going "smart"phone and maybe Android, so, yeah.

Tis a shame they give out a single Steam key for Cogs Avadon and Zen Bound 2.

[alms]

Make sure you get a phone with plenty of internal memory, the games in the first bundle were hefty, even after you moved them to the SD card.

I've updated the first post with most details (yes the apps supports the first android bundle too). Going to the gym now, catch you later.

[alms]

The new canabalt for Android supports 3D buildings, the one for computers adds a 2 player mode.

[alms]

IndieGala2 to close in a few hours.

[Berzee]

Ooh, Magi! I just noticed that one -- that's enough to make me want the Underdog Bundle, right there =) Similarly for Cinders.

[alms]

Caveman Craig 2 is already out. Whoa, that was quick.

BTW Avadon is a time sink of massive proportions, I logged almost 8h in two days. Frak me.

[alms]

Updated second post with next Indieroyale bundle, to be launched later this week.

edit: added further information about today's "glitch"

[Smashbox]

Today I learned Avadon is on iPad.

Today I began to really want an iPad.

[alms]

Since I now have several nifty android games what I do want is an Android tablet. Problem is they don't seem quite as mature a product as the iPad, I'm not even sure there is something out there running ICS which comes close to the specs of the iPad 2, for the same price.

[Smashbox]

I'm sure there are plenty of happy Android tablet owners, but anecdotally, I've heard a lot of negative things. Plus that new iPad screen is almost literally unbelievable.

[Kodeen]

Believe it or not, I've been thinking about getting a tablet for a while now and this 2nd bundle is what pushed me over the edge. Ordered a Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9, which Amazon hasn't even shipped yet because I opted for the free shipping. It doesn't have ICS yet (currently on 3.2), but supposedly it's in the works.

[alms]

IndieRoyale Ninja Lightning now live. Will add details later.

[pkdawson]

IndieRoyale Ninja Lightning now live.

Thoughts on the two city-building games? They look potentially interesting.

[Berzee]

Definite suspicion that the OP is personally involved in all of these bundles and is pretending to be a fan. Demand full disclosure.

[alms]

Yeah my thought exactly, I got the bundle because of them two, at 2.5 € I'm willing to take the risk... the metacritic scores are pretty decent FWIW, I'm mostly concerned by the fact that all of them seem to be Xbox360 ports.

[alms]

Definite suspicion that the OP is personally involved in all of these bundles and is pretending to be a fan. Demand full disclosure.

Ahaha! that's a good one

[alms]

Took some time to play the demos of Cloning Clyde and Ancients of Ooga. They are both puzzle platformers from the same dev, sporting similar mechanics with Ooga being an evolution of Clyde.

In Cloning Clyde the basic premise is the titular and not too bright character has been taken to a research lab for experiments which promptly go awry. He ends up being cloned many times and, not being too cool with that, tries to escape. Besides basic object manipulation, the cloning mechanics are the tools with which to solve puzzles, e.g. by using a number of clones to keep pressed many buttons at once so a certain gate will open, or by fusing a Clyde with an animal to gain special powers. Think Brundle Fly but without the scary parts. So you can fuse with a chicken and fly to reach platforms you wouldn't be able to otherwise, or with a barrel and gain the ability to blow up walls etc. The game is basically a sequence of more or less disconnected levels where you have to destroy a certain numbers of "security machines" before you can head to the exit, and there are bonuses for gathering collectibles and being quick.

Ancients of Ooga has you are a "spirit" which can possess selected members of the tribe of Ooga, in order to free them from the tyranny of the Booli. The Ooga-ni are some sort of furry, colorful antropomorphic critter. As I said, Ooga is like a bigger, better, more polished version of Clyde: it's 2.5D instead of 2D, has better, larger graphics, offers more options for combat, lets you use many types of Oogas with different powers, a more advanced inventory system (while in Clyde you can only pick up things and then throw or drop em, in Ooga you can store things in your belly), has a more elaborated story with plenty of original and well-made cutscenes. The expansion of the basic formula works well, although sometimes this has the side-effect of making things more complicated and confusing.

Both are cartoonish and humorous in style, definitely aimed at a younger audience. Clyde has a more basic look which I didn't really find that pleasant, but the gameplay looked solid and inventive.

There are some problems with their Xbox360 heritage. Namely, to change the resolution and go fullscreen you have to edit a text file. I didn't bother to hook up a gamepad and played with keyboard, works fine as long as it doesn't bother you to use arrows to move instead of WASD. Also, while Ooga has pretty large characters, in Clyde everything is smaller, and at least on my old 19" panel looks a bit cramped, like it was designed with TVs in mind (also both are seemingly locked to a 16:9 aspect ratio which reinforces this impression).

As far as puzzle platformers go, they haven't the flair of Trine or Vessel, so if you're unsure about getting this bundle, my recommendation would be to try the demos on Steam.