Before the Xbox One released, I’ll admit that I didn’t spend much time on arcade or smaller games. Other than titles such as Trials, Kingdom for Keflings, Minecraft, Worms and a scatter of a few others I never really considered them as much, or at least played them as much. This may have been down to the fact that games were compartmentalized into categories, or that they often only ever offered 200-400 Gamerscore (this mattered for the achievement hunters).
With the release of the Xbox One back in November 2013, I like many picked up a few main titles on launch. Overall, it was a fresh and exciting experience, but left many gamers wallets feeling abused.
Then slowly but surely games such as Max The Curse of the Brotherhood, Powerstar Golf and Peggle 2 were released. Max personally, was the one for me that stood head and shoulders above the early indie games. The game added some new elements to an increasingly popular genre, which was a BIG thumps up. It was also a lot more plausible for gamers to go get it as for a few quid, you had a game that offered 10+ hours with a potential 1000 Gamerscore.
With my gaming catalogue slowly filling up with more and more indie titles, I started to enjoy myself a hell of a lot more. Personally I found it great that I could fit time in for a few games while still at University.
E3 quickly came around and despite all the major announcement’s that you would come to expect, it was ID@Xbox that caught my eye. The passion and creativity speaks volumes about how much fun a lot of these games look. Have a quick look at the trailer below.
It’s this exact passion and tenacity of these smaller studios that resonates with me. It was refreshing to see early on when I started here that there were people out there that still built games because they have a passion for the gaming industry.
Another great thing is that teams such as Other Ocean, Deco Digital, Dlala Studios and Skara (among many others) is that they are all so vocal when it comes to the community.
I got chance to speak with a few developers during EGX last year, and it was an absolute blast, because they care about their game (they live a breath it) and what it means to get their game out there, they were often found chatting with the guys and girls trying their games out. That level of attention is admirable.
I’ll leave it on this note as well, because ID@Xbox is expanding to support developers on Windows 10 too, developers have the option to take advantage of the Xbox Live feature set in Windows 10. The great thing is that because they are smaller and edgier, they take more opportunities. Watch the video below showcasing ID@Xbox Program coming to Windows 10.
So to close, I’m not here to say I will never play triple AAA’s far from it, but for me it’s the passion of the people over at ID@Xbox and all the great teams making the most creative and unique title’s that have restored my faith in the game industry. These games have taken me through stories that are remarkable and unforgettable, while others had me on the edge of my seat trying to score that final goal (while playing as a bacon and egg duo). I am going to continue to keep a close eye on all things ID@Xbox as there is always a gem to be found.
Feel free to let me know what your favourite indie/ID@Xbox game has been so far on the Xbox, and whether you have a soft spot for the small guys just wanting to make games.
^Jack, @Jack_XboxMAD
Jack contributed 16 articles to ICXM between 2014–2015, covering game reviews, and Xbox news with a focus on hands-on impressions and verified-source reporting. Their bylines on the site span the Xbox One’s first full year of post-launch coverage, including the early days of Backwards Compatibility and Windows 10 gaming. They post on X as @Jack_XboxMAD.