PixlBit

 

Looks like this is a good of time as any to report on the latest program’s/service’s pending “death” this Octoberween.

It was all but inevitable. We all knew this day would come. With the continuing march of new tech and new gen systems, some aspects of the old have to go by the wayside. Back in September of this year it was announced that Microsoft was to begin the “sunsetting process” of XBLIGs. No new sign-ups for the service for creators would be allowed and current creators would have exactly one year to finish up any game projects they have. Then after one more year from the game projects deadline the service will end in September of 2017. For myself this still came as a shock for I thought it would be around at least until the possible shut down of the original XBLA on Xbox 360 (knock on wood) but it would seem that the end days for XBLIGs was written on the wall a long time ago.

I remember awhile back when Microsoft got rid of the indie section on the Xbox 360 dashboard, angering a good number of indie developers for the platform. Though it was brought back in a different form on the dashboard it turned out later on that Microsoft decided to no longer develop the XNA base code that was used to make games on XBLIGs. When the Xbox One launched without an Indie Games channel it pretty much meant the end was indeed coming and we had yet to hear about it officially. I had a feeling that Microsoft interests in indie titles may have shifted given what we’ve seen come out of the service. But what I didn’t know was how much they didn’t seem to want to promote or let on in exactly what was going to become of things after all of these years.

 

I honestly only looked into XBLIGs when I read some reviews on some stand out titles that came from the service. The best examples of these would be Zeboyd Games releases of Cthulhu Saves the World and Breath of Death VII. So I really can’t say I was a frequent user of the service. My interest mostly was on XBLA titles that came from the big named game developers or those that made a name for themselves with their game releases. I can honestly say that I only have a handful of Xbox Live indie Games so I don’t think I’m exactly the right person to speak of the final days on this service.

I didn’t even know about the “Indie Uprising” events.

All I can speak on is how it really didn’t “click” with me and in why Microsoft wants to cut themselves loose from this program. I mostly wasn’t interested in the service outright because most of the games I found were generally uninteresting or were made so cheaply not even the low budget price for the game was enough to sway me in buying it. Before the “minecraft” clones started popping up on there most of the games I saw were either zombie related or avatar related. You’d be surprised how many zombie games you can find on there. As much as a zombie fan I am I do have my limits. It was a constant chore to try to find the rare gems of games that I thought were actually pretty good. For me it seemed very hard in trying to find a reliable source for reviews on specific XBLIG titles. Akane the Kunoichi was an excellent example of this. This game got good reviews but I found my playthrough to be bland and boring. The only thing I really liked out of the game was the music intro at the start.

It makes me wonder if that was the reason why Microsoft decided to end support for this service in favor of ID@Xbox for the Xbox One. There were a lot of games released on this platform but most of them were either “knock offs” of other successful games, like Angry Fish, or were either games made as a joke or figured it should be made because it was “artistic” or fit an ultra-niche market.

Baby Maker Extreme anyone?

 

How about Avatar Fart!! Destined to be a lost classic….

Whatever “mistakes” they think were part of XBLIGs I’m sure Microsoft hopes to rectify them with this new service on their newer system. It’s just too bad that I don’t see any plans to make some of the standout XBLIGs to be backwards compatible on the Xbox One. And indeed there are a handful I’ve found that I do want to have in my Xbox 360 digital collection before the service ends on September 2017. Thankfully Microsoft still promises that you can re-download any games you’ve bought on the service after its shut down. But already I’ve had some problems in trying to buy some titles. The option to buy the full version of a game in the game info screen is missing. I had to play the demo till it’s free play timer ran out or launch the game outright to find the “buy the full version” option inside the game. I had to do this with “I Made a Game with Zombies in It!” and “Super Amazing Wagon Adventure”

Though the big wigs at Microsoft are still in talks with everyone involved in how they will “preserve the legacy of XBLIG content” I’m going to see about finding some “hidden gems” of indie titles before I lose the chance to have them on my Xbox 360’s hard drive. Even if/when I get an Xbox One I still see myself having my 360 connected if only to enjoy the digital collection of XBLA and XBLIG titles I have. Who knows you might just see a completely random indie title on my Top 11 Octoberween Game Titles of 2015 on there. *wink, wink, hint, hint, nudge, nudge*

But until then what games do you recommend I buy in the indie section on Xbox 360? I want to be able to celebrate the passing of this service than mourn the loss of me not getting some choice titles that made the service worthwhile. Let me know in the comments section below. I’m not waiting to see if they go “on sale”. Seeing how little cost overhead these games get I can’t see any developer marking down their prices just to get any last minute sales on them.

Ta-ta

“N”

BONUS VIDEO

In Episode 4 of “Camera Obscura” we watch the wild ramblings of an old man about demons and how we can’t see them. And what Claire must do about what she might’ve unwittingly let loose in the world. Enjoy!

Sleep well tonight……