IndieCade 2014: Nintendo and Oculus

Damn you, Runbow! My character can punch, it can run fast, why can't it win the tournament! Runbow by 13AM Games drew in the crowds at the Nintendo Booth at IndieCade 2014 and had us frustrated as Hell to try to win in a tournament of running a course with just a mere two buttons. The falling, the spikes, the off-screen death, it was all so painful, all so much fun.

Runbow and other games using wordplay took Culver City's downtown area over for the weekend. IndieCade 2014 showed off independent titles for video games, board games, card games and even the newish realm of virtual reality. Joining Nintendo on upcoming indie titles was Sony, Oculus and independent game makers with no big company behind them.

Nintendo

A new free shirt celebrating the Legend of Zelda was won by playing five games at the Nintendo Booth. This may have had fans playing a little longer and trying titles they may not have wanted to.

One button let's you jump, the other let's you punch for a title we tried in our attempts at free t-shirt. Runbow, the colorful obstacle course is a simple enough game that gets addictive with the more players you have.You and eight others go through obstacle courses with cascading platforms coming and going as the background's color changes. Before playing, you pick a color and change your runner's look with costumes. We tried over and over again to win the tournament rounds during the Night Games, the night time portion of the festival intended for adults only. Alas, one of us only won top scorer. A free signed poster, the confidence of his failed team and a photo with Runbow's creator made one of the the TTDILA crew feel like a winner. Runbow is slated for the Wii U in 2015.

Runbow was joined by other colorful titles in the Nintendo booth. Sportsball is an update on Joust. Joust looks like it got properly sponsored for the modern times. Professional looking logo's for different bird riding teams makes for t-shirt merch needing to be available. Up to four players can attack each others' knights on birds. The real goal is to get energy balls into goal, not temporarily dissolving your enemy when an attack hits. Swords & Soldiers II from Ronimo Games BV is a strategy game and a side-scroller featuring lovely animated cartoon art in battle. Defending our troll lands from vikings, Olga's to be sepcific, was tough. Like watching an animated cartoon where we were losing a battle, it stung.

Our friends from YachtClub Games who gave us Shovel Knight were back, though the game already came out it's not finished, updates up the wahoo are promised including playing the game as different knight. With them were their old time friends WayForward showing off Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse coming to both Wii U and 3DS this October. Platformers never quite look as good until you see what WayForward has done. Shantae has lost her powers and is identifying more with the pirate life style. Other funny writing the game likes to show off ladies' curves and Shantae in her pj's.

Just in time for Halloween and already out is Costume Quest 2, the beloved Halloween holiday title where your costumes become your powers in a short RPG format has come back. A new villain, a dentist, is you adversary with brand new costumes to lay the smack-down on anyone trying to stop you from getting candy.

Chariot was a weird co-op tile. You must take a talking king's corpse to the right area he wants to be buried. Two people control a Chariot through forests and other odd landscapes.

Xeodrifter, from those behind Mutant Mudds, was a clone of Metroid. It changed up the look and gave way to becoming a submersible.



Oculus

Oculus Rift showed off in a spiffy chrome trailer this year for IndieCade. Unlike the multiple demo stations from last year's IndieCade Oculus chose a four minute game play experience inside its trailer. You waited on lawn furniture and signed waivers before entering and trying Vanguard V and on rails space shooter. The anime looking like title had responsive controls, it just uses your head and eyesight to aim. Your hands our off to your sides as you target enemies and dodge meteors. They game even joked about doing a barrel roll.

Outide in the Oculus garden the Samsung Gear VR powered by the Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4, this is to be a mobile VR unit. The game being played on it was VR Quest, something close to a Zelda like title.

Both titles graphics are no where near current game graphics. Everything still looks like a PS2 game.

Seeing someone locked in that world without any sense of what's going on outside still captures our eye. It's so easy to put funny hats on them.

Only rumored around the booth from the staff was that it's still two years away from the Oculus being for commercial use. So unless you want to makes games for it, you won't find it in stores.