E3 For Some

E3 is going to be getting a lot of attention this week, but I can not let that event preempt this week's column. In this time when the media is receptive to hearing about new things we need to talk about and celebrate the little guy as well. Why should indie developers get lost in the shuffle? Just because there's no EA or Ubisoft branding doesn't mean that what's coming up from these folks doesn't matter. People that are in the position of power - would it hurt you a little to slip in a news post or some screenshots of something that didn't cost 12 million dollars to make? I say it won't hurt a bit... And that's that. Onto this week's highlight reel:

Sixty Seconds With...

While Samurai Soul Hunters isn't ready for prime time it is the kind of game that is really worth keeping track of. This action game that lets you play as a Samurai who must hack and slash his way through thousands of enemy looks like a lot of fun and supports multiplayer for up to four players. The game is also a testament to what is possible using Microsoft's XNA development platform and is an entry in the Dream, Build and Play contest. I haven't seen all the entries in the latest round of this ongoing competition but i'd be willing to bet money that this game takes home a top spot. While you can't play it yet you can live vicariously through this video featuring 4-player multiplayer action.

Mayhem Intergalactic is like Master of Orion, without all the extras like resource management, city building, ship building etc. While that might sound lame what's left of the gameplay is easy to pick up, play and enjoy. In the game you simply build ships on your planet and send them off to conquer other planets by creating a queue line. Things start off slow, but as you upgrade you'll find your production line for multiple planets tied together pumping out double or even triple digits worth of ships that can be used to pummel the living hell out of your enemies. It may not be brain surgery but this simplistic galactic combat game is fun, and even more so with a friend or two. Give the demo a try and see if you like it.

Mat Dickie rides again with his latest game, Reach , an action focused boxing simulation game. While it may, at first glance, look like the same old MD product you can tell that a lot of love and hard work has gone into the game. Mat has really squeezed a lot of resources out of the game engine he's using to create some pretty slick looking visuals, so fans that have tried past games should check it out to see how far MD's skills have evolved in just this last year. You can grab the freshly released demo or purchase the full game from the link above.

Manifesto Games is highlighting a rather unique city building game set in the wild and wooly western United States during the push through the western frontier of North America. The game is simple enough to pick up and play and a lot of fun. Sure, it is derivative of the Caesar games, and it is casual at its core, but who cares? Fun is fun. The game is played via levels where you meet certain important goals to your survival like building important landmarks in your town (the saloon!). Give this game a try, and if you like it, give it a purchase.

Our final entry is a game that doesn't even have a website, but who cares? The game is a slick role-playing game called Last Scenario built using RPGMakerXP. While the game does use many of this program's assets to get things done, it also features a lot of wonderful art, a deep plotline and plenty of cool RPG moments that most should find enjoyable. The game is completely free but it requires you to install a font to work properly so read the instructions on the link above.

Bonus Round: XNA

Checking out Samurai Soul Hunters made me think about how great XNA can be with a little elbow grease and a lot of creativity. Microsoft deserves a little bit of credit for bringing independent games to the forefront of the gaming equation and for delivering some great indie games to Xbox Live Arcade. And even if your destiny isn't to land your creation on Xbox Live Arcade, the system seems to have a lot of power to create just about anything. I'm not a game developer, but if I was my first stop would probably be to the XNA web site. 'Nuff said.