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[larsiusprime]

Hope I don't get banhammered for this one... I THINK this is the right place to post this news. Let me know if it isn't and I'll make amends.

The Dream-Build-Play contest that Microsoft sponsored, showcasing the new XNA Game Studio Express technology, has almost come to an end, with the 20 finalists being announced today.

Linky Linky:

www.dreambuildplay.com

The grand prize will be revealed on the 13th... I'm excited!

And for full disclosure, yes I did have a game in the competition, and yes I am a finalist I worked on Sprockets of Strife. Again, please don't banhammer me. There were 19 other worthy entrants too and this is a post to draw attention to them as well as me.

Games that look particularly cool:

-Shuggy (2d platformer with a little cat thing, in which the central mechanic appears to be shrinking and growing in size, with level design taking full advantage of that)

-HurricaneX (don't know what it is, but it looks to be the most graphically intense of all the games)

-Magic Crystals (another really pretty game. The central game mechanic is deforming terrain in order to move magical marbles around. Think marble madness with deformable terrain)

-Ragu (neat looking game with storybook graphics, a look that's becoming popular among indie games. Seems to focus on using rain as a game mechanic).

-Samurai Soul Hunters (was reviewed on TIGSource. It's pretty amazing and great. Think castle crashers with undead samurai)

-Yo Ho Kablammo (it's got pirates. How can it not be good?)

-Viduce (I have NO idea what this game is about, but it looks gorgeous and its baffling, enigmatic screenshots make me wonder what the French have concocted with their magical fractal-flower-spheres).

And might I humbly suggest Sprockets of Strife? I should post about that one in the feedback forum since it's mine, right? I read the rules but there's a lot of them and sometimes I get confused.

Also, if you were in dream build play, let us know! I want to see who in the TIGsource community is represented amongst the DBP community entrants.

[Oaf]

We entered Blobbit Push (the first commercial XNA game - sort of Sokoban with monsters) and a build of Dog Food (10 days into development).

Bit miffed that Blobbit didn't make it, with it being a complete polished game and all, but there's some marvelous games in the Top 20. I wouldn't like to be a jugde trying to award the Top 3!

Good luck with your entry!

[Inane]

I think you greatly overestimate Derek's willingness to bring the wrath of Hades and Martha down on people.

ALSO: Holy Scantily Clad women, batman! Haven't those girls (in Burning Angels) ever heard of kevlar? I guess their slut magic will do all the defensive work?

[GP Lackey]

I'd like to know what Big Sky is about.  It looks like a 3D snake with tiny planets?  I'm interested!

Viduce looks very strange.  I can't even guess how it plays but I'm curious about it as well.

[larsiusprime]

Here's a writeup on sprockets: http://www.fadupinator.com/sprockets/index.htm

Is this bad of me to post my own game?

[Dan MacDonald]

Your game looks pretty cool, I look forward to trying it out on monday

[larsiusprime]

Does that mean you'll be at Gamefest?

[Dan MacDonald]

Absolutely   And the rest of my team as well (a developer and artist)

[larsiusprime]

Did you have an entry in the competition? What do you think of XNA?

[larsiusprime]

DOOOOD! You're the Samurai Soul Hunters dude! I just realized!

[Dan MacDonald]

Haha yeah that's me I'm pretty excited about gamefest and seeing all the contestants that make it, Looks like we'll have some SSH caps made so we should be easy to spot!

[larsiusprime]

Cool. I'll probably just have a piece of notebook paper taped to my back that says "Team Sprockets" as I'm still in school.

I'll be sporting a bowler hat and a cane, most likely.