Indie developer releases Microsoft-baiting game


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Think the indie games section on the new Xbox 360 dashboard is now even harder to find? Indie developer Mommy's Best Games thinks so too.

Did it take to the forums to complain to Microsoft? No, the dev took it one step further and created a whole new game called 'Game Type' which cheekily pokes fun at how hard it is to find the Xbox Live Indie Games section on the new dashboard.

Writing on the developer's official website in a mock press release, lead designer Nathan Fouts said:

I've been thrilled Microsoft created the special Dashboard tile just for our game. It's such a terrible name which I created as a placeholder while starting the project.

With the incongruous stock photo of a woman in a hoodie doing a jump-kick, and the forgettable 'Game Type' title, it's good to know Microsoft was advertising our poorly-named game, and not trying to label the console's entire digital game storefront.

Otherwise, it'd be a horrible match that would simply make no sense and generally lead fewer gamers to find the store and browse on their own terms.

Game Type is a side-scrolling co-op shooter and can be bought for 80 Microsoft Points. "Check out Game Type on your Xbox 360," the trailer says. "Check the Games-Games-Indie Games Tab on the new Dashboard. Or search for it, otherwise you probably won't be able to find it."

The full trailer is below.

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Yeah. A lot of the Indie Games are total ****, I think the devs are confusing the lack of sales due to that with lack of exposure. MS doesn't filter what gets in based on quality, so anything can make its way in. Most people intelligently skip on buying the software. I've got a few games, but most of them are just variations on a theme.

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Yeah. A lot of the Indie Games are total ****, I think the devs are confusing the lack of sales due to that with lack of exposure. MS doesn't filter what gets in based on quality, so anything can make its way in. Most people intelligently skip on buying the software. I've got a few games, but most of them are just variations on a theme.

I don't mind lack of exposure when the good games get no marketing and the bad games are EVERYWHERE.

I gave up on the indie channel except for Mommys Best Games. (Which developed this, but hey. I don't feel the need this time.)

I think MS should screen the indie channel and make a favored selection available in a better way. What's on there now is like a gigantic garbage dump.

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I don't understand their complaints at all, to be blunt. Finding an indie title is easier in the new Dashboard for me than in the previous one.

Yup, same here. I have about 70 indie titles now. Love them.

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Ahh I take it you too have had a little trouble navigating to the Indie games.

No wonder I couldn't find them, mistook the image of the jumping girl for another advert.

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It was super easy. I just went to Games > Games > Game Type. Found it probably in less than 10 seconds when I first was learning the dash. I see you are from the UK. It seems the UK must have more ads than the US. My dash only has one ad on a page, and it's labeled "advertisement". There must be some differences between countries on the layout or format.

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No one is buying my crap game they must not be able to find it, yeah that has to be it.

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