Harold Thijssen's remake of Scramble essentially plays the same as Konami's horizontal shooter classic, though the author has included a couple of new surprises to go with the gamepad support and an option to continue when all ships are lost.

Tap the left control key to shoot, and press the alt key to drop a bomb. Destroy fuel tanks to increase your own supply. There are twelve stages in total, and the current loop is shown by the indicator located at the bottom right of the screen.

Name: Scramble
Developer: Harold Thijssen
Category: Shooter
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here

Orbital Booty Interceptor is an arcade game in which players have to capture female earthlings using grapplers to increase the ship's fuel resources. Grapplers are automatically disabled when your astrogen supply is empty, inevitably resulting in a disastrous crash and an abrupt end to your mission.

Your ship receives a vertical boost whenever a grappler collides with the ground. Press the F4 function key to switch between windowed and full screen mode at any time. Note that grapplers retract a lot slower when your ship is moving rapidly to the left or right.

Name: Orbital Booty Interceptor
Developer: Baltirow
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here

Snowblind Aces is a short interactive fiction adventure game from the developer of Poizoned Mind and Gun Mute, set in an alternate history where fighter planes still rule the skies. This particular effort stands out because of the author's determination to exclude all forms of puzzles from his current and future projects. A hint system is still available, but the importance of this feature is limited to simple prompts leading to outright suggestions in order to move the story along.

Name: Snowblind Aces
Developer: Pacian
Category: IF
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
Direct download link: Click here

Kevin Pereira talks to Dylan Fitterer about Audiosurf and Ferraris. (RPS interview)

Flashbang Studios' Off-Road Velociraptor Safari reviewed by the 1UP crew. (note: there's a bit of swearing in this video)

From Gamasutra: As part of an in-depth Gamasutra interview published today, outspoken N+ creators Raigan Burns and Mare Sheppard have questioned the state of Xbox Live Arcade, suggesting quality issues and publisher-guided games are overwhelming its innovation.

The duo, which worked with Slick Entertainment's Nick Waanders to publish ninja action game N+ for XBLA release last month, had sharp words for the games released on the Xbox 360 digital download service, with Burns explaining:

"I think the thing with Live Arcade, though, is that I remember the last year and the year before. Two years ago was when we were first talking with Microsoft about doing it, it was really exciting, because Live Arcade had just came out, and they were like, "Oh, it's new. It's not going to be like retail. There's not going to be all this crap. There's going to be all these small, great, fun things."

I guess it's because they have a lot of power that no one has pointed out that that's the primary reason. Those decisions that are ruining Live Arcade... it's like, who greenlit Word Puzzle? Who green-lit that hoverboard game that's just shit?

The full interview with the trio is available today on Gamasutra, including lots more detail into the making of N+ for Xbox Live Arcade and their thoughts on the state of the digital download market.

N+ Creators Speak Out On XBLA Quality Issues

The Graveyard is a short interactive experience by Tale of Tales, in which you assume control over an elderly person with only two choices to make. There is only one linear path to explore, and game instructions are clearly provided with a press of the escape key.

Name: The Graveyard
Developer: Tale of Tales
Category: Adventure
Type: Demo
Platform: PC, Mac
Size: 20MB

FLaiL is a new platformer by Matt Thorson of Helix Games Inc., author of An Untitled Story and the Jumper series. The game consists of eighty stages in total, and new zones can only be unlocked when the player has acquired a certain number of points from previous areas.

The first zone works as a basic tutorial for most of your character's skills. In addition to standard jumping abilities, players can also teleport in any of the eight directions by holding down the mapped fly button.

This release includes an automatic save feature, level editor and a configuration utility for keyboard control mapping. (preview, FAQ, GMC forum posting)

Name: FLaiL
Developer: Matt Thorson
Category: Platformer
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB
Direct download link: Click here

Note: If you love children, or might have an adverse reaction to violence, then don't download this game.

My First Skydiving Academy is a new physics-based toddler skydiving game by Paul Greasley, made using MMF for TIGSource's VGNG competition. This build features three replayable themed levels where your baby is thrown down into a canyon from a passing plane without a parachute and it is up to you to avoid obstacles as the toddler gains momentum and begins to ignite from the sheer speed.

The goal is to reach the end of the course within the alloted time and with at least one bone remaining in your suicide jumper's body. Paul has promised to cure cancer, as well as add more levels and features if he gets enough love mail at greasley_paul (a) hotmail.com.

Name: My First Skydiving Academy
Developer: Paul Greasley
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB

Go Cat is a bite-sized puzzler recommendation by dessgeega, developed by Moochos and comes with an english manual in the zip file. The aim of the game is to collect all rice balls in quick turns, all the while avoiding contact with any adjacent areas occupied by birds on every third move you make.

Press the space key to initiate the action or restart a session. Left click to move around the screen, or select the same space occupied by your cat to pass on one of your three moves. Trees block your path, and you cannot end your turn on an area with a pool. (source: The Gamer's Quarter)

Name: Go Cat
Developer: Moochos
Category: Puzzle
Type: Freeware
Size: 1MB
Direct download link: Click here

Super Energy Apocalypse is a real-time strategy game with an emphasis on resource management. Zombies prowl the dark in search of waste to feed on, and it's up to the player to clean these up before the sun sets or risk having tougher enemies to defend against.

A day and night cycle is always in effect; players have to acquire resources such as energy and metal to fuel their defensive options against the zombie hordes. When dark falls, properly placed turrets, floodlights and tesla coils protect your buildings from being turned into rubbles that contribute to the amount of waste on screen.

Factories churn out garbage trucks and engineers for cleanup jobs, while farms generate food for the worker population in the area. The highest possible output is only achieved when all the basic needs have been serviced. A lab can also be built for research and upgrade purposes.

Name: Super Energy Apocalypse
Developer: Lars A. Doucet
Category: Strategy
Type: Browser, Freeware
Size: 10MB
Direct download link: Click here (right click to save)

The Last Canopy is a new vertical shooter by the Malaysian development team Easy Only! Games, playable using either the mouse or keyboard. Much like Kairos' Varia, players can absorb enemy attacks by holding down the X key for a few seconds, although the ability gained expires rather quickly and has to be replenished regularly for firepower upgrades.

The game consists of four levels in total, accompanied by a boss encounter at the end of each.

Name: The Last Canopy
Developer: Easy Only! Games
Category: Shooter
Type: Browser

All twenty-one finalists submitted for Jay is Games' 5th Casual Gameplay Design Competition are now available to play.

Jay is Games: CGDC5 Finalists

Two new interviews: Daniel Remar of Castle of Elite fame and Chad Taylor and Reed Gonsalves of Empyreal Nocturne fame.

Big apologies to the developers for taking so long to publish these two interviews. Everything that could get in the way, did.