http://alt-games.com contrarian game culture Fri, 04 Aug 2006 12:46:43 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Plasma Pong is a completely tripped-out version of regular Pong that incorporates fluid dynamics. In addition to deflecting the ball with your paddle, you can now use jets and vortices of fluid pressure to help guide the ball. And all of this is rendered in a super-colorful "plasma" style. If ... http://alt-games.com/2006/05/30/plasma-pong-tripped-out-fluid-dynamics/ Millions of Games is just that: A web database cataloging as many browser-based games as the collective Internet can spew forth. What a lovely thing! It's kind of like New Grounds meets Digg with a little Shadows thrown in for taggy-meta goodness. Right now there are not quite 7000 games ... http://alt-games.com/2006/05/23/millions-of-games/ Arcadia is not a new game, but it's one that is worth returning to, and if you've never played it, then you absolutely must. Created by indy game dev house Gamelab, Arcadia asks players to manage four old-school games at the same time. At first the slow-motion pace of all ... http://alt-games.com/2006/05/22/arcadia-an-alt-games-classic/ Maple Story is a completely insane MMO-Platformer. You read that right: For an idea of the level of chaos involved, check out the screen at the top of this post. What the heck is going on there? In Maple Story you become a protector of Maple World, playing with others ... http://alt-games.com/2006/05/21/maple-story-celebrates-one-year/ Wired News has a good round-up of the details surrounding the strange case of James Bragg, who has just filed suit against Linden Labs for shutting down his Second Life account. Bragg was shut down for exploiting a flaw in the Second Life land auctions system and purchasing large amounts ... http://alt-games.com/2006/05/21/second-life-shenanigans/ GamaSutra has posted an interview with representatives of Tose, a game development house that handles outsource work from larger companies, promises to never publish a game themselves, and generally accepts no credit for their ultra-secret portfolio. Tose has 1000 employees and nine development studios in Japan and China. So why ... http://alt-games.com/2006/05/20/tose-the-largest-developer-youve-never-heard-of/ We've downloaded and are playing Super Columbine Massacre RPG, just to see for ourselves. There is a lot out there about this game already. Kotaku has an interesting interview with a Columbine survivor who has played the game and Water Cooler Games has their usual insightful take. Check out these ... http://alt-games.com/2006/05/17/super-columbine-massacre-rpg-causes-a-ruckus/ Darwinia, the totally trippy RTS-type thing, has won the 2006 Independent Games Festival at GDC. And right after that achievement, the game secured a retail box version as a part of the Cinemaware Marquee line. Download the Darwinia demo if you haven't already (or get it on Steam). http://alt-games.com/2006/05/17/darwinia-takes-igf-gets-retail-release/