Warning: Contains strong language.

Normally I don't approve of swearing but the first episode of The Arsecast is pretty good.

Have a look at the site. It's just a plain white background and normal text in black! Now this is the kind of template I approve wholeheartedly. I'll post all the indie podcast links on the planet in the forums soon. [Retro Remakes Competition Update, Poyo, Pushover, Armadillo Run, Lyle in Cube Sector review]

Update: added our first poll. Vote for your best indie podcast! (requires registration, but think of the advantage. You get to choose the username you want!)

I've uploaded a gameplay footage of MaWaRu Maid-san wo Nemigi to YouTube, a Comiket 70 release which parodies the WarioWare series.

What follows in the video is an appearance from King of the Cosmos, the highness himself (from Katamari Damacy and I Love Katamari). Then some mini games featuring characters from the Touhou series (Touhou Soccer, Mega Mari, etc.)

The first boss fight is actually a very nice clone of Spartan X (known in the States as Kung Fu Master), more faithful than Babarageo's Great Kung Fu. Unfortunately it's only one level long. The cutscene in the last area introduces a character who is barely dressed, and a short tribute to Akuma from Street Fighter.

Some notable appearances include an Afterburner clone and Lethal Application.

A short review was posted back in January, and a demo is available from the official web site. Just click on the red button with the word 'C69' to download the trial version.

Another Comiket 70 release, RefRain Prism Memories is a rather poor effort when compared to shmups from other developers. Granted it's only a demo with only one difficult boss fight, though that's no excuse for RebRank to showcase mesmerizing bullet patterns and little of anything else.

Bullets fired by the player doesn't seem to cause damage, and the collision detection itself requires plenty of work. Certain enemy projectiles can destroy your ship just by grazing any part of it, while others will only have an effect if it touches the hit point.

Name: RefRain Prism Memories
Developer: RebRank
Category: Shooter
Type: Demo
Size: not available yet, but there's a gameplay video.

First, some screenshots for buloght's latest project, The Family Treasure 2.

[buloght's past projects: Knightsquire, The Family Treasure, Sven Gordan Paranormal Parody, A Knight's Pursuit review]

Heartland Deluxe is currently in production, originally an OROW competition entry. [other OROW competition entries: Heartland, The Heist, Gunshot in Room 37, The Loathsome Man, Hallway of Adventures review]

The Herculean Effort Productions web site has been finally updated with a new entry. The gang will work with Dave Gilbert of The Shivah fame to produce episodic Bestowers of Eternity adventures. The Apprentice III is still in early design stages. [The Shivah review]

Babarageo gets a big update, in the form of an english web site! All the instructions can now be understood. [Babarageo STG Banner, Great Kung Fu, Death Vader review]

Not really. Just a halloween mod that Oddbob had been planning to develop. Grid Wars is not only a swell game, but it can be easily modified too.

Mark Incitti of Grid Wars fame was recently interviewed by Eurogamer.

He is also currently putting the finishing touches on a 360 shooter entitled Polarity. Expect it to be released next month. [Geometry Wars clones]

Al Emmo will be released at the end of August.

More games added to Cassette 50. Now featuring nineteen of the worst games ever.

The Retro Remakes competition will end on 31st of August. You bet I will be there trying out all 150 entries (assuming they all finish developing their games) and reviewing the best ones.

The 3rd Shmup-Dev Competition will begin on 1st of Sept, and ends on Jan 1st 2007. Remember to sign up for this one, 'cause the 1st prize winner will net a cool $250! (among other prizes, of course)

The theme is... ooh, you nearly caught me there. :)

I've created a forum due to requests, but if no one uses it then I will probably take it offline.

From the author of Mahjongg Solitaire comes DHTML Sudoku. Not Sudoku Deluxe, nor Sudoku Special Edition. This is probably the most accessible Sudoku version available, plus it's free. The fact that you're able to read this post means that you're already equipped to play it. No downloads, long waits or messy interfaces. No Flash version upgrades or Java installations.

I'm not a fan of Sudoku but simplicity, I can appreciate. Click on a square, type in a number and attempt to fill all the blanks correctly. Then click on verify to find out if you're correct. You can even print it! Wonderful creation, especially considering that all puzzles are randomly generated and not drawn from a database.

Name: DHTML Sudoku
Developer: Thomas Weibel
Category: Puzzle
Type: Browser
Size: Less than 1MB

Hallway of Adventures is an AGS game originally developed by Mordalles for the fourth One Room One Week competition, acting as a prelude for the upcoming Chronicles of the Red Knight. You find yourself playing the role of a jester in this one, attempting to solve the mysteries of the library in order to retrieve the Books of Good and Evil.

The puzzles can be rather perplexing, which may lead to a number of players searching for hints in the AGS forum.

Name: Hallway of Adventures
Developer: Mordalles
Category: Adventure
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB

The Idolmaster Minigame Collection, also known as AiMasu Champ, is a decent WarioWare clone with a raunchy twist. Play games ranging from strip poker but using Janken rules (rock paper scissors), a vertical shooter stage, classic handheld level, a simplified version of Mr. Driller, Minesweeper, Mahjong and many more. A complete list can be found on the site.

There's a trial version playable through your browser, but unfortunately carries a limitation of three minigames. One requires the player to arrange cards with pictures of girls in their swimwear, in the order of the largest cup to the smallest starting with the left position.

Name: The Idolmaster Minigame Collection
Developer: SYGNAS
Category: Action
Type: Flash
Size: 1MB

Chiebura is the latest release by Nepia World, developer of the Snake variant named Mimizu Panzer among other projects. The story begins with a girl who jumps into a local bath with her cat to save her grandfather from drowning. The water will attempt to suck you in as well if your feet touches it, but fortunately you can use the feline to grab hold of magical dots and swing around them.

Shooting is never steady but can be roughly controlled with a bit of practice. An unconventional but surprisingly playable game.

Name: Chieri
Developer: Nepia World
Category: Shooter
Type: Demo
Size: not available yet, but there's a gameplay video.

Fren-ze will be released on the 20th of August. Click here for more screenshots.

The new football season is about to start, so Addictive 247 Games is getting in the game with a new development blog for their latest production called Addictive Football. [Cave Jumper review]

Grappa Pixel Tea releases a new 30sec video of Soft Landing in action for download.

Buster's latest post has been translated by Shih Tzu. Thanks again!

Swarm Racer updated to version 2.0, which was originally a Ludum Dare entry by lexaloffle. Click here for a complete list of all notable entries from the previous Ludum Dare competition. [Swarm Racer review]

Nekodamari is a Comiket 70 release from Ichigo-Citron, developer of several other shooters such as Melon Squash, Feather Raid and Kapra W: The Road to Al-De-Baran. A departure from their previous releases, this is basically a Buster Bros clone with a smooth frame rate, levitation and magical portals that can be used to transport your character to higher ground.

A pretty good update which includes a two player mode as well.

Name: Nekodamari
Developer: Ichigo-Citron
Category: Action
Type: no demo yet

Kapra W: The Road to Al-De-Baran is another shooter from Ichigo-Citron, creator of Melon Squash and Feather Raid. Your character can level up to withstand more hits and cast stronger spells by gaining experience points for each stage completed.

Hold the Z key to shoot and press the X key to cast a spell. Tap the left shift key to activate your special attack, which requires a recharge after each use.

Name: Kapra W: The Road to Al-De-Baran
Developer: Ichigo-Citron
Category: Shooter
Type: Demo
Size: 15MB

D-Bug is a new top-down shooter by DiezelPower Studios, which plays much like Crimsonland but with better 3D graphics. You assume the role of a soldier stranded on an alien planet, with survival as your only objective.

The option to use a dual analog controller is strangely absent, although the keyboard and mouse combination works perfectly well. Perks are now known as modifiers, with over twenty skills to choose from. Press space to pause the game and make your selection.

Unlike other demos, the trial period is not limited to one hour. There are two other playable modes on offer besides campaign. A nice diversion while the wait for Dogtag continues.

Name: D-Bug
Developer: DiezelPower Studios
Category: Action
Type: Demo
Size: 20MB

Solomon's Key Remake has the same gameplay found in Tecmo's 1986 release, except with updated graphics and a better frame rate. The inclusion of level codes is a welcomed addition, allowing progress to be saved periodically. Some bloke had conveniently included all the information you ever need to know about it in a Wikipedia entry.

This particular effort may not appeal to younger gamers but owners of the original NES port will be delighted with this find. Simply click on the U.K. flag to change the language to English. Press the Z key to create or destroy blocks and use the X key to jump. Collect the key in each level to open the exit. Sounds simple, but as you will discover rather quickly it's not acknowledged as one of the most difficult platformer without proper credentials.

Name: Solomon's Key Remake
Developer: Zikitrake
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB

With a title like that, anyone would have expected some games to play. Not this one, no sir.

Just a compilation of design documents from participating developers, unfortunately. Still in the early stages.

Probably the best looking presentation is MegaMonster Melee. Comes with a Flash animation to demonstrate the game that they plan to make.

Another screenshot but no game or demo... [Guardian of Paradise translated]

The new game entitled BUSTER is complete but not released yet, due to distribution disputes. [thanks to Shih Tzu for this info!]

Puzznic is Retrodev's remake of Taito's classic arcade puzzler with a few new elements not found in the original. The gameplay involves pushing blocks with the same symbols to touch each other in order to make them disappear. Remove all blocks within the time limit to proceed to the next level.

Left click to move a block to the left, likewise for the opposite direction. None of that casual match three action here, later stages require plenty of brainpower to solve.

Name: Puzznic
Developer: RetroDev Games
Category: Puzzle
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB

Link-Em Bamboo is another puzzler by RetroDev Games, which is a bit like Pipe Dreams but with all the pieces occupying the screen right from the start.

Your task is to link parts of bamboo shoots by rotating them, ensuring that no open end exists to feed the panda and increase your time limit. Bonus points are awarded for longer links spanning several tiles.

Name: Link-Em Bamboo
Developer: RetroDev Games
Category: Puzzle
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB