The 2008 Independent Games Festival is set to kick off on February 20, with $50,000 in prizes going out to some truly deserving people who have created an astonishing amount of unbelievably cool games. Best of all, you can play them for free!
Online voting for the Audience Award has opened up and can be seen on this page right here. There are 11 finalists to choose from, and let me tell you, it’s not an easy decision. Each of these games brings something unique to the table, and if you don’t fall in love with all of them, you’re bound to enjoy at least one of ’em on an almost intimate level.
My favorites were easily Audiosurf and Fret Nice. Both are music-based games, but are completely unlike one another gameplay-wise. Audiosurf (pictured above) incorporates your favorite music into colored blocks, making for an unforgettable experience. If anything, it reminded me of the first time I played Guitar Hero. In other words, it melted my face clean off.
The second game I recommend you for sure play is Fret Nice, a retro-styled platformer that has you using an actual guitar controller. You move your character with the green and orange fret buttons, tilting the guitar results in an on-screen jump, and enemies are defeated by playing music. If I could use the face melting comparison again to describe this game’s level of awesomeness, I would.
Seriously folks, check out these innovative games in addition to the other finalists. You won’t be sorry you did!
