The waiting game is often a tricky one. Sometimes an extended wait can lead to having some of your wildest expectations fulfilled, and then some. On the other end of that spectrum, however, lies disappointment. That doesn’t necessarily mean that what you had finally received was poor by any means, but it simply didn’t live up to what you were hoping for. Brand is one such title which unfortunately suffers the fate of the latter.
When gamers first got wind of it in August, Brand was seen as a beautifully textured and modeled platformer, with all signs pointing towards a hit: A rarity on XBLIG. In terms of appearance, it has fulfilled its end of the bargain and carries quite a bit of the weight for the rest of the product. The models are crisp, the textures and color palette are vivid, in addition to being diverse. Each of the three stages has its own distinct feel, despite being inhabited by many of the same enemies.
"No matter what format, what system or what game you are developing for, there are certain things that can doom your game regardless of how good or bad it is from the start. While this article is written with a focus on XBLIG’s, much of these apply to any indie game developer looking to make a dollar off of their game."
Critical Gamer's Luke K writes: If you’ve already read parts one and two – and why on Earth wouldn’t you have? – you’ll know that my comments on DLC so far have been overwhelmingly negative. The digital distribution of games and add-ons can be a force for good, however; demonstrably so. It’s done a lot of good not only for business but for us cash-wielding consumers, too, and it will continue to do so.
ZX Spectrum classic "Manic Miner" may appear on XBLIG (not XBLA) soon, courtesy of Elite Systems; if it passes the peer review process that is.
