GDC 2013: The Best of the IGF Finalists Pavillion

he GDC floor expo has kicked off into full effect, and one of the highlights of this intimidating platform is the pavilion booth showcasing all of the finalists nominated for the annual Independent Games Festival awards. Sean and I had the pleasure of roaming through the aisles of all these favorable titles, and we highlighted some of our favorites. While some debuted to the public during our attendance to the show, others are still awaiting completion to go gold. Thanks to the partnership with Valve this year, each game will be available on Steam.

Here are our picks to look out for.

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GDC 2013: Kickstarter Get's Bigger-Tips for Success for Indie Devs

t’s an old joke that just never quite stops being funny, but there are people who loyally follow the work of another individual or entity and can’t help but shout out the words “Here! Take my money!” at the prospect of being able to get more content from their said heroes. Crowd funding was once a humorous anecdote whenever the concept came up, but has now flourished into a million-dollar industry thanks to an outlet named Kickstarter. Hundreds of thousands of fledgling independent game developers have fully realized their vision with Kickstarter’s assistance, and with an avenue it offers to those who have need of financial support, more and more people try to get in on that piece of the pie with every passing day.

Though contemporaries like Indiegogo exist to give options for crowd funding without all of the red tape included with Kickstarter, Indiegogo has amassed a total $2.4 million in successful projects while Kickstarter has reached $45 million — that's the same budget for development on most of Ubisoft’s AAA titles.

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GDC 2013: How DIY Indie Game Development is gaining ground

ne of the biggest issues currently facing the video games industry isn’t with the lacking of video game coverage, but rather the types of games we’re actively covering. We have numerous individuals crafting their own ideas for what they feel video games could truly be, yet we never hear enough about them.

Luckily, we see more outlets shifting focus towards more indie developers and projects, which opens entirely new realms of opportunity in the world of video gaming. One entire website, for instance, even showcases some of the best independent games currently available for download: Free Indie Games.

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PAX East 2013: Transistor--Hands-on gameplay

ery rarely does a game come around and convey such a strong sensation of life; a feeling of vibrancy that could compel any number of powerful emotions that you would have never expected to receive from it. Days before the start of PAX East, Supergiantgames recently announced their latest project, Transistor, and that it would be available to play on the Expo floor at PAX East 2013. After spending my time with the current build, I walked away from an experience that imprinted a sense of longing I've never felt from a game, and it has left me shaken.

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PAX East 2013: Press Pause Radio Podcast Special

e’re approaching the last day of PAX East and we’re surprisingly chipper for what we covered so far but it’s a momentous PAX. It’s the first PAX to see an exclusive reveal, with Capcom and WayForward debuting their remake of an NES classic, Ducktales Remastered. Bob Mackey and the gang were able to fund their Retronauts Kickstarter within hours, and when we weren’t playing a lot of games, then we were treated some of the finer citizens in Boston. Special guest Seth Macy of the internet joins us as we gab up the event and recount our plans for Sunday.

If you happen to see us, then don’t be shy! Rate and subscribe to us iTunes today, follow us on our new Twitch page, mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, and be sure to stop by at our Forums and register as well!

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PAX East 2013: The Best of The Indie Mega Booth

ven though the event is still considerably young in comparison to others, the annual celebration of gamers has always been consistent with keeping a routine that’s bordering on tradition. Every Penny Arcade Expo will always be about the individuals who travel from all over. However, the other proverbial half of the show would be the plethora of indie games, and the Indie Mega Booth didn’t pull any stops this year either. Press Pause Radio has scoured the booth to discover the best that it has to offer, and we’re going to cover our experience with you.

Enjoy the best of Indie Mega Booth 2013!

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PAX East 2013: Battleblock Theater--Hands-On Gameplay

his is my third time here In Boston for PAX East. Meanwhile, this is also the fourth time The Behemoth has been showing off their latest and (maybe?) greatest work, Battleblock Theatre. ¬I’ve always been intrigued by The Behemoth and its somewhat askew approach to taking nearly forgotten classic gaming styles and their dead-horse tropes and infusing them with ridiculous levels of crass humour, tough as nails gameplay and hilarious, over-the-top visual elements and animation.

Battleblock Theatre infuses The Behemoth’s secret gameplay and presentation sauce into a puzzle-based action platformer with an emphasis on cooperative play, which I was fortunate to get hands on with alongside level designer Aaron.

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Press Pause Radio at PAX East 2013

t's another year, and you guys know what that means? It's another year for events and conferences, including one of our personal favorites: PAX East. From Friday to Sunday we'll be covering a myriad of games and events ranging from indie to blockbuster, and we'll give you the latest and greatest out of PAX East. We're still building our schedules for the event, but just to name a few of the games we'll be providing coverage on: Saints Row IV, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Transistor, most of the Indie Megabooth showcase, and so much more. Due to scheduling conflicts we were unable to properly record our usual prologue episode for PAX East 2013, but we plan on making up for it with a huge podcast come Saturday night. Be on the lookout for it!

If you guys have any specific requests or feedback, be sure to email us at mailbag@presspauseradio.com, and if you guys are going to be there then don't be shy -- come say hello! We're also covering GDC next week, so watch for that as well!

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