Although I dabble in as many systems and games as I possibly can, I tend to stick to a few main platforms: PC gaming (mostly indie/freeware titles) and the Nintendo DS. Both platforms are the cheapest to stockpile with games and are home to an enormous amount of creative titles.
Finding Nintendo DS games is easy, but finding great indie games can be a little more difficult on the nigh-infinite intraweb. Everybody and their goldfish is making a game, but only a small percentage of those ever get noticed, and an even smaller number are actually good. So, in the spirit of the underdog, here’s a list of sources for independent, casual and freeware PC games. It’s enough to make you seriously reconsider blowing all that cash on a next-gen console.
- JayIsGames – The end-all source for online flash/casual games, hands down. Nothing beats the quality and organization Jay has instilled on what was once his personal blog. If you need a new game to get addicted to or just a great way to kill ten minutes, this is your site.
- The Independent Gaming Source – TIGS has always been the source for indie game info. It went into a server-induced coma for a few months and has recently returned with a new layout, though there’s still some drowsiness lingering about its pages. Derek Yu, the site’s daddy, is still determined to make it the best indie gaming site around. I’d say he’s well on his way.
- Independent Gaming – I found this blog while going through TIGS withdrawal. They supply an enormous amount of news and reviews in a quick, easy to digest format. No fluff, just info. The only downside is the poor Blogspot interface that cripples organization.
- GameTrove – A Digg-style site for indie games, GameTrove is a fast-growing portal for developers to list their titles for immediate exposure. A superb idea, and a great place to go searching for ranked indie games.
- Game Tunnel – Lots of reviews, previews and featured articles on the indie gaming scene. Their monthly game roundup is a source of giddy excitement all over the net.
