Indie Alert – Igneous

Igneous is a platformer (somewhat) where you are a sentient totem-head trying to escape from an erupting volcano. You will do this by running (or rather rolling) and jumping, true to platformer tradition. The game has gorgeous graphics (with lots of heat simulation, for lack of better words) and interesting physics which allow the totem head to jump off of any surface he is touching, regardless of whether he is on the top, bottom, or side of the surface. The game’s four levels should only take you 10-15 minutes to complete in “Normal” mode, but “Impossible” mode is more punishing. By playing Igneous, you have absolutely nothing to lose, because it’s free! It’s quite impressive, especially considering it was developed by a team of four college students.

So download it here. Now.

Igneous can even run at resolutions up to 1900 x 1200.

- Sam (somebody of some sort)

Platt’s Premium Guide to Glitches

Glitches are an obstacle in the electronics industry that we just can’t avoid. However, who’s to say that glitches are a bad thing? Maybe they’re good? Or maybe there are all sorts of glitches, all making a contribution, whether its good or bad, to gaming. Now, before you become too confused, take a few deep breaths. It’s okay, because I’m here to give you the low down on some of the most popular glitches.

Hee hee

First of all, we have the Entertainment Glitch. This is a glitch that doesn’t restrict gameplay, but instead gives you a good laugh. These glitches can be both accidental and on purpose. All in all, it’s a harmless glitch that’s nothing to worry about.

Another species of glitches is the Restriction Glitch. I have encountered this quite a few times especially with iPhone apps. These are glitches that cause the game to be unplayable. This means anything along the lines of the game crashing at a certain point every time, to getting stuck in a place where your only option is to restart.

MissingNo, the glitch Pokemon.

Probably the most feared of all the glitches is the Data Glitch, and a classic example is the Pokemon MissingNo. This lil’ guy had his one and only debut in Blue and Red version. It started by graphically screwing up the game, and followed it up by wiping your data, forcing you to start all over again. Glitches similar to this one have also occurred in other games before.

This last glitch deals mostly with online gameplay. It is primarly known as the nOOb Glitch, or HAAX!. These suckers are malfunctions that allow players an unfair advantage that usually makes them nearly unstoppable. Now I understand these aren’t always glitches, they are sometimes hacks, but either way they’re still a pain in the ass. Now, as the name implies, this type of glitch is mainly used by… that’s right, you guessed it: nOObs! Unfortunately, no matter how much you yell at them and tell them to “GTFO”, they just don’t listen.

It's okay, the nightmares from this picture will end sooner or later. I hope.

Alright, that’s all the glitches I can think of at the moment, but I’ll be sure to update if anymore come to mind. And now, I leave you with some words of wisdom: “Glitches are powerful things. Use them wisely or you shall suffer the consequences.”

-Platt (Comic Relief Editor)