TOJam Indie-cade Wrap Up

TO Jam Arcade - Benjamin RiversIt's true, I'm writing something non-sensical (I'm still super tired - I blame the sun). Anyway, if you want a play-by-play of the showcase, check out the official TOJam Arcade page. There's info on every single game, and the TOJam site will also be housing all the games over the month of June. So if you didn't get a chance to check them out, well, you'll be able to anyway soon enough :) Check out some video from notsoftgames below for some visual aid.
There were a few games that caught my eye during the arcade. One was Cheesohol 2, which was an actual drinking game made of wii-motes strapped to beers. This prompted me to try and figure out where I could get a copy, or at least an instructable of it, because... well, we could all use a reason to drink more beer, quite honestly. Also i am a sucker for physical interfaces. With beer.

I really enjoyed Roshamblaster, with its bizzare yet rather neat rock / paper / scissors and shootin' strategy. I had a blast trying to be a category 5 hurricane... the cow noises made it for me. Steamponk was a charming rendition of pong, and yes you can play it with two people on one DS...or you can try and beat yourself if you feel so inclined. The hooting and hollering around MIDI-evil was amusing, and I kept dying during The Ascent, which lead anyone around me to witness my colourful sailor-like vocabulary. Also, Bloat made me very happy, but that's mostly because I enjoy making little monsters eat each other.

I have to say, the quality and diversity that came out of those 72 hours was impressive. You always see bits and pieces of projects, but seeing all of these in one spot is a good creatively in game land. I'm always happily surprised at what small teams of people with an idea, a bucket of drive (and possibly a bucket of coffee) can accomplish. So kudos to you TO Jammers. Good show. Were there any games/projects that stood out for you? If so, why?