Xbox Live Indie Game Makers Organize 'Winter Uprising' Promotion

A group of veteran and newcomer Xbox Live Indie Game developers are planning a coordinated release promotion to attract attention to new games being released for the service in December. The Indie Games Winter Uprising -- which plays on Microsoft's annual Summer of Arcade XBLA game promotion -- will see 14 games released to the XBLIG service in the first week in December for anywhere from 80 to 400 Microsoft Points ($1 to $5). Among the titles being released as part of the promotion for the Xbox 360's peer-reviewed hobbyist games area include: - Cthulhu Saves the World (Zeboyd Games) The sophomore effort from Zeboyd Games, maker of satirical RPG send up Breath of Death VII: The Beginning. - Radiangames Crossfire 2 (Radiangames) The follow-up to the Geometry Wars-style dual-stick shooter with new modes, enemy types and weapons. - ZP2KX: Zombies and Pterodactyls (Ska Studios) A jetpack-powered zombie carnage game from James Silva, creator of I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1 1NIT!!!1 and The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai. - Soulcaster 2 (MagicalTimeBean) A sequel to the Gauntlet-inspired March Indie Games release from MagicalTimeBean. "If you thought that the XBox Live Indie Games service was just filled with massage apps, clones, and garbage, think again!" writes Zeboyd Games' Robert Boyd, who's organizing the event. "We are fighting back against mediocrity and lameness in the best way we know how – by releasing amazing games..." "Mark your calendars, because the first week of December is going to be the best week of gaming the [Xbox Live Indie Games] service has ever seen," he continued. Other titles being released as part of the promotion include Chu's Dynasty, Alpha Squad, Epic Dungeon, Break Limit, Decimation X3, Asteroids Do Concern Me, Hypership Out of Control, Aphelion: Episode Two: Wings of Omega, Ubergridder, and Rickenbacker vs. the Aliens Microsoft recently moved indie games back to listing in the games section of the Xbox 360 dashboard after an outcry from some developers when the titles were moved to their own standalone section of the menu. earlier this month.