Ignore the 23th in the title, for some reason it wont change despite me updating it several times 
All releases are played for the eight minutes allowed in trials and impressions are made from that. Note to developers: I have a backlog of games to review so I may have to be choosy on what to review or if you don’t mind a week or so delay I can review it after.
Carcophony is a puzzle game based on the classic game where you direct traffic by changing the traffic lights. The game idea has been expanded with a few twists such as the map rotating, emergency vehicles and more. The game starts off a little tricky but once you get the hang of changing the lights and keeping the flow of traffic under control it is great fun! Presentation, graphics and sounds are all very well done and looks to be worth the 400 
, well worth checking out! More information can be found here.
Crate Expectations is a puzzle game where you play with up to 3 other CPU or human players, locally or online, and must slide crates around a maze like city to reach the delivery point. The game is well presented and the graphics are decent as well. It was hard to get a full game in on the trial but I can see this being a good game with some friends as it is a very competitive game. Another game to check out and it only costs 240 , oh and bonus points for the name pun More information can be found here.
Epiphany in Spaaace! is an interactive novel where you read a portion of the story and are then presented with a couple of options on how to progress. The trial was a bit short so I did not really get into it much. It is all text based and a few images along the way would of helped set the scene better. If you like interactive novels this might be worth checking out for 80 More information can be found here.
HuntersLunch is the latest in DK Alphas simple yet addictive puzzle games collection. HuntersLunch is a barrel pushing game where you must clear the path and solve a few puzzles to find the level exit. I like DK Alphas games and this is another addictive little game with cute graphics and catchy music as usual. Puzzle game fans will enjoy this game and is a steal at 80 . More information can be found here.
Kristotron is a top down shoot em up that pits your character against a horde of robots (what no Zombies!) which you must destroy to complete the levels to find and rescue Princess Noida from the evil Dr. Gacy Forget the story, it is just mindless violence and lots of it Graphics are nothing amazing but the gameplay makes up for it and you can upgrade your character and his weapons via a points system. The game looks is quite fun and at 80 it should be good for a laugh. More information can be found here.
LOL Runner is a running game where you must match the displayed buttons to make your character run. I thought at first it was just a button bashing game but the later levels require you to match any of the four joypad buttons. The graphics are not great but there could be a bit of fun on a Friday night after the pub with some mates racing against each other LOL Runner costs 80 and more information can be found here.
Night of Doom is a first person shooter where your character must destroy the ever oncoming zombies. The graphics are very basic, cardboard cut out zombies as @dhalamar kindly pointed out I did like the sound effects, in particular the zombie kids noises, very creepy. You will most likely get your fill of killing zombies from the trial so I cant really recommend this. Night of Doom costs 80 and more information can be found here.
Poker Blinds is an application that allows you to set a timer so you know when to up the ante and blinds in a poker game. I used to use one on Xbox Media Center on my poker nights and they are quite useful so poker players may want to check it out. Poker Blinds costs 240 which is a bit high for what is basically a timer in my opinion but I guess the host can get his mates to chip in More information can be found here.
Speed Factory is a music game much in the style of Guitar Hero. The game is played in split screen with another player and missing the horizontally scrolling notes will result in the bar thingy moving closer to that player, when the bar reaches the edge of the screen it is game over. The game has good presentation but I found the game a little trick to play although it could be where I am used to playing Guitar Hero, or maybe the notes are not supposed to be in time with the beat? Speed Factory costs 80 and is worth checking out at least. More information can be found here.
yOm is an action puzzle game where you must eat coloured clovers which open a door and also after collecting a certain number of colvers changes your characters colour where you can eat the same colour enemies. I found the game very confusing to be honest but you may have better luck if you play the trial a few times or buy the game. It does cost 400 which seems a little expensive but as I said give it a try as you may enjoy it. More information can be found here.
Titles that have received an update or price change are Super Xblox 360!, Pendoku, Sudoku X, BounceCrazy, Audiball, Sol Survivor and Physics Sandbox,
Trailers for new releases can be found below:
yOm
Speed Factory
Carcophony
Poker Blinds
Crate Expectations
Related posts:
Thanks for mentioning my game, Epiphany in Spaaace! Your feedback is appreciated – I’m already planning on making the next game (and its trial) longer & I’ll probably throw in a few pictures in the next game as well to spice things up a bit (you’re not the only one who has asked for some visuals interspersed with the text).
Here’s a free copy of the game to whoever is fast enough to get it: F4C9Q-QBXKK-3KG9V-2CKW6-CMD43
Hey, I’m Duncan from Haiku Interactive. Just wanted to say thanks for the write up on Crate Expectations, good of you to take the time to look over it! Really pleased you enjoyed it. As you expected it really does get competitive in multiplayer games. It’s at it’s best when sat on a sofa with some mates. You soon become enemies
As you mentioned its a real shame about the forced 8 minute restriction on Indie Games, as most matches do take a little more than that. If we had our way we’d have as long as required and instead limited the level set or something. If anyone does give it a shot I suggest you setup a wee 2 player match against 1 AI on one of the smaller levels, as that should let you squeeze a whole match in before you’re booted out. Be sure to have a quick look over the How To Play screen too – we’re regretting not making it more prominent, as some people have given feedback that the objective is a little unclear on jumping right in.
Thanks again for the review!
No problem Duncan, I hope it drums up some interest. The trial time limit is sometimes bad for games as it does not allow the player to see the game in its full glory and instead it can be spent reading tutorials/game instruction or learning the controller layout.
Puzzle games do seem to be the most affected from my experience of only trying the games for the allowed 8 minutes for my impressions. I would like to see a developer set time limit of say 8 minutes to 15 minutes. Players can of course just reload the trial but there is a chance they are not grabbed and will not do this.
Yeah I couldn’t agree with you more. We’re planning on raising our concerns over the forced 8 minute restrictions with Microsoft, and hopefully if enough other Indie devs do the same they’ll remove that requirement. Given the service is peer reviewed it could just be left to the reviewers’ discretion whether the trial is acceptable or not – giving the whole game away for free being a fail restriction. I’ve a feeling that ain’t gonna happen though
I will keep an eye over at the forums when I get a chance and see how it pans out. It should be an interesting discussion.