Freeware Game Pick: Igneous (Going Down in Flames)
Picked this one up from TIGSource and it's ruddy brilliant. Created by a team from DigiPen and entered into both the main IGF competition and the student contest, Igneous is the story of one tiki totem's frantic rush through an erupting volcano and it's quite literally a face-melter.
Be warned before you try this - if you don't have at least a fairly decent computer, you're not coming in. The game requirements specify 'High end NVidia Graphics Card (9600) or high end ATI Graphics Card and Intel Core 2 Duo Processor'. If you've got the goods, however, you should definitely give this a go. Each of the 3 levels consists of rolling at high speeds away from the deadly lava flow, which is constantly throwing balls of molten death and destruction in your direction, destroying platforms and pathways. Think fast or you'll end up in the drink.
It's a pretty short experience with around 15 minutes of play, but there is also Impossible mode which does what it says on the tin. Honestly, you won't have felt a rush like this is a good long while and that final level is incredibly epic. Make sure you give this a download.
Comments
The download's 114MB, and the game only runs under Windows.
Fun but short, definitely give it a go if your PC can handle it.
Posted by: bigbossSNK | December 4, 2009 4:20 PM
Wow, that looks cool. It reminds me a little of Trailblazer, a great Commodore 64 game. Too bad my PC won't be able to handle this one.
Posted by: Retroman | December 4, 2009 4:30 PM
This is what a 3D Sonic game should be like, Sega!
Posted by: Anonymous | December 4, 2009 4:53 PM
Holy crap sticks. That looks like Metroid Prime and F-Zero GX on smack.
Posted by: Gregg B | December 4, 2009 5:15 PM
My PC can't handle this one, but wow, it looks insane in a really really good way.
Posted by: KniteBlargh | December 4, 2009 7:09 PM
I actually just wrote Igneous up for a column I do called Free and Worth Every Penny over on Immortal Machines:
http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=13952
And then we just talked about it last night in our podcast episode going up this weekend. Consensus was that everybody liked it, though the 2nd and 3rd levels can get pretty brutal on Impossible.
Good to see it getting some press.
Posted by: Eric | December 4, 2009 8:27 PM
I've played LCD game machines with deeper gameplay. The only difference are the fancy (albeit distasteful and generic) graphics. Congratulations?
Posted by: dieubussy | December 4, 2009 9:03 PM
Wow, way to piss on somebody else's hard work, dieubussy! We'll look forward to critiquing your project.
Maybe you could offer some actual criticism instead of 2 lines of snark? Which LCD game machines with deeper gameplay have you played? Between the heat dissipation and the random debris to avoid it's already about as involved as some classic down-the-track racers like Skyroads. And while obviously aesthetics and controls are a matter of taste, I'm hard pressed to find a lot of other free games that look and play better. Maybe you can point us to them.
Until then, you managed to be a dick without providing any constructive input at all. Congratulations?
Posted by: Eric | December 4, 2009 9:10 PM
Don't worry Eric, this kind of thing happens on the internet all the time.
Posted by: kyle | December 4, 2009 9:32 PM
I'm aware, but that doesn't make me like it. ;)
Posted by: Eric | December 4, 2009 9:34 PM
Don't worry Eric, dieubussy doesn't like anything. That was actually one of his nicer comments!
Posted by: Michael Rose | December 4, 2009 9:41 PM
looks like someone needs to get laid
Posted by: Anonymous | December 4, 2009 10:16 PM
I enjoyed the franticness of it to a reasonable extent. Their continual reiteration that it wasn't a mod I found amusing (as were the boulders with extremely high angular velocity : P).
Posted by: increpare | December 5, 2009 3:01 AM
Not too fond of this myself. I more often died because of not being able to see where I was going and because of platforms I was aiming for falling away (looking at you level 2). When I finished it I felt more like I'd fluked it.
Posted by: Andrew | December 5, 2009 12:18 PM
Agreeing with Andrew. That's my critique as well. I love how it's fast-paced and all but the concept isn't worth jack if you don't know where you're GOING.
Posted by: MisterFox | December 5, 2009 1:07 PM
Liked it, even more for a free 15 minutes rush experience.
Pretty impressive to imagine someone making this from scratch just with C++ programming.
Digipen has some nice games, try Glitch for a different FPS experience.
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1470
Posted by: nobody in particular | December 5, 2009 3:48 PM
This game reminds of Oregon Trail.
Posted by: Tom Nook | December 5, 2009 10:04 PM
Although the levels being a bit random adds replay value, it makes it very frusterating... with random blocks falling and other random events happening, it really forces you to either learn how to be extra skillful (which you can only go so far in doing) or just be lucky enough. There's not a lot of room for learning either, being that the first level usually means at least 5-10 deaths.
Posted by: David | December 6, 2009 9:01 AM
Oh, and I don't mean to sound overly criticizing. The game is quite fun, even if most of it comes from the visuals. I just wish it had a bit more skill-building time and have the levels a bit less luck related. Great game overall! I couldn't imagine making something like this in 8 months... I'm not skilled enough. I'd have too many bugs bogging me down. If I could program bugless, then I might be able to do something like this in that time :)
Posted by: David | December 6, 2009 9:05 AM
I do agree this game could benefit a little from something like Valves Cinematic physics (where they apply a specific action while non-important/intrusive physic objects do their own thing). It's definitely fun and I enjoyed it when I played it the other week. Randomness is part of the fun though because you really have to think or your feet - and I found it fairly generous in letting you not fail.
Posted by: KaL | December 6, 2009 12:29 PM
One thing I can say is.... after I beat it I felt like I accomplished something big. Although the feeling is short lived I certainly enjoy it.
Posted by: RekcahDam | December 7, 2009 10:05 AM
So I didn't like it and thought it was too much form for so little content. Live with it. I had no idea my input was that important to you so I'll try to be more careful from now on. Have a great time playing this game!
Posted by: dieubussy | December 7, 2009 1:35 PM
Great game!!! reminds me the old Skyroads.. I don't know why
Posted by: pera | December 8, 2009 7:15 PM
waiting for more levels :)
would buy this definitely, if it had like over 50 levels or sumtin like that...
a lot could b developed from this, but i had great fun
Posted by: John | December 13, 2009 12:54 AM