Note: Trial version updated with 2x and 3x video modes.

A demo for Joakim Sandberg's much-awaited 2D action game is now available for download from the official site. This pre-release version contains stage one in it's entirety, and a third of the second level. (trailer in the extended)

Name: Noitu Love 2
Developer: Joakim Sandberg
Category: Action
Type: Demo
Size: 10MB
Direct download link: Click here

"Nano is a simple arcade shmup that I made in about 7 days. I used Flex Builder 3, Photoshop 7, SFXR, and Famitracker to create it. The screen is 90x90, and the game does not use any floating point variables or trigonometry. Over the next few months I'll be adding a high score table and generally more of everything - more enemies, more weapons, more backgrounds, hopefully a boss or two. Feedback would be great. Thanks!" - Adam

Name: Nano
Developer: Adam Atomic
Category: Shooter
Type: Browser

Trials 2 Second Edition is essentially a 2D arcade game with 3D graphics and simulated physics implemented. Like Elasto Mania, players use the cursor keys to handle a bike, with the objective of reaching the end of the course within the shortest time possible.

Press the backspace key to restart immediately when you've flipped over or injured your rider. Replays of other players completing each course can be watched by clicking on the small icon next to their names when the high score table is displayed.

Achievements such as having every single bone in the biker's body broken while attempting to reach the last checkpoint are included as well. The demo has three tutorial areas and six complete courses with varying challenges. Full version contains forty levels in total.

Name: Trials 2 Second Edition
Developer: RedLynx
Category: Action
Type: Demo
Size: 120MB

Rect Winder ASCII is a very simple, yet surprisingly challenging track shooter by D.K. of Alpha Secret Base. Limited to only four discrete positions, place blocks to reflect the enemy fire coming from the letters.

Name: Rect Winder ASCII
Developer: Alpha Secret Base
Category: Shooter
Type: Freeware
Size: 1.2MB
Direct download link: Click here

Helen Walters sums up BusinessWeek Arcade quite nicely: "...the growing world of free, creative, independent games is having a radical -- and growing -- impact on the booming games industry at large. This space is a hotbed of creativity and ingenuity, and we wanted to provide access so that you could take a look and judge for yourselves.

Given that we're writing about developments that are taking place within the online space -- and BusinessWeek.com is also online -- it seemed logical to provide this opportunity to interact with some of the games about which we were writing. I think it's a beautiful addition to a thoughtful package of serious articles."

BusinessWeek Arcade
Business Innovation and Design: The Power of Play

Introversion has confirmed that both Darwinia and Multiwinia: Survival of the Flattest will be arriving on the Xbox Live Arcade service this Autumn 2008. The new package (containing both games) will simply be called Darwinia+, and the developers have promised to release Multiwinia as a separate title on the PC as well.

Darwinia+ confirmed for Xbox Live Arcade (Introversion)
Darwinia+ confirmed for Xbox Live this Fall (Joystiq)

Samurai Railroad Mansion is an action game developed by Lurk using Mark Overmars' Game Maker engine, and has more than a passing resemblance to Nintendo's light gun classic Hogan's Alley. A simple tutorial shown before the start of each level explains the type of enemies a player will encounter, though the advice on offer can be rather vague at times.

Hold the left or right cursor key before pressing the attack button to swing your blade in either directions. Your samurai's face will appear above the section in which he will strike at when the Z key is held. Press the F4 function key to switch between full screen and windowed mode.

Honor is lost when you hit a maiden or an opponent who has submitted to you, but can be restored by one rank for every ten thousand points you acquire. Timing is a crucial element in this game, as certain enemies can only be attacked after a few seconds, while others have to be sliced at the moment they appear on screen. There are only eight stages to play in total. (gameplay video in the extended)

Name: Samurai Railroad Mansion
Developer: Lurk
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 30MB
Direct download link: Click here (rapidshare link)

A demo for Brain-Damaged Toon Underworld is now available for download, although this preview only contains a small part of the full game which will be released at a later date.

Name: Brain-Damaged Toon Underworld
Developer: cactus (Lo-Fi Minds)
Category: Platformer
Type: Demo
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here

Twin Hobo Rocket is a new collaborative effort by Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl, the development team responsible for Coil and Tri-achnid. In it, players have to collect coins attached to balloons high up in the dark sky with only the missiles attached to their backs serving as propulsion equipments.

Daring souls can attempt to guide both bums at the same time using the W, A, S, D and cursor keys. Hover closely to a UFO, and one of your characters will pester the alien for spare change. Collision with an asteroid or the alien craft will cause damage to your rockets.

Name: Twin Hobo Rocket
Developer: Edmund McMillen, Florian Himsl
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 5MB
Direct download link: Click here

Orbital Booty Interceptor: Baltirow's VGNG competition entry updated to version 1.01. (earlier mention)

ZAP: New multiplayer arena shooter released by InstantAction.

Interviews

Penny Arcade Adventures: Joel deYoung and Ron Gilbert interviewed.

Masq: Javier Maldonado interviewed by Chris Evans.

ROM CHECK FAIL is a new action game from the developer of Fishie Fishie and Polychromatic Funk Monkey. Players have to clear the screen of all enemies to complete each level, but the task is made a little more difficult by the random switching of gameplay rules where ideas are recycled and remastered as an odd mix of arcade or console classics from the past.

Use the arrow keys to move. The space key acts as an action button. Press the left alt and enter key to switch between full screen and windowed mode. The game has twenty stages in total. (more screenshots in the extended)

Name: ROM CHECK FAIL
Developer: Farbs
Category: Action
Type: Freeware
Size: 2MB
Direct download link: Click here

Paul Robertson has released his new animated film, Kings of Power 4 Billion %, as a 320 MB .avi video file for download. (trailer shown above, Pirate Baby's Cabana Battle Street Fight 2006)

Video: Kings of Power 4 Billion %

Tetroid 2012 is basically a Tetris remake packaged with twenty songs, contributing over a hundred megabytes to the download size. The game itself is decent enough but comes with an epilepsy warning for liberal use of flashing images. Hold the S and down arrow key to drop a piece instantly. When the circular indicator on the right is full, players can press the S key to activate the Breakout mode.

Name: Tetroid 2012
Developer: Carsten Waechter
Category: Puzzle
Type: Freeware
Size: 100MB
Direct download link: Click here

"Does my bum look big in this?" is a game by Eden Bradfield. Art game? Or game that mocks art games? You decide!

The author says this: "It's about insecurity, fame, and being controlled. It's partly autobiographical, and partly a comment on games and life today."

You use the space bar to control the game, and the escape key to leave the game. There are three levels.

Name: "Does my bum look big in this?"
Category: Art Game
Type: Freeware
Size: 1.5 MB
Platform: Windows
Download link: Click here