Spelunky.
Spelunky and Fret Nice. If you’ve got an Xbox and use the Live Arcade, chances are you’re going to be talking about these games in the months to come.
I actually know the developers for both these titles and, well, my claim to fame may not come around again (I was already ‘famous’ for standing behind Davina McCall for a two minute TV link a few years back) so I’m going to take the glory while I can.
Fret Nice has been around for a while – the original developer, Marten, was actually a member of Natomic – the games company I founded way back in the day. He was playing with the concept just shortly after Natomic breathed it’s final breath. Fret Nice is a unique kind of game as it is a platformer that uses the Guitar Hero controller.
Derek Yu has been making games for a long time and Spelunky is another classic. Derek used to run Blackeye Software and created some great freeware titles such as Eternal Daughter. I wasn’t as close to Derek as I was to other freeware developers, but I do remember interviewing him and working with him on a feature or two.
Anyway, Sperlunky and Fret Nice, remember those names – they will be big! Fingers crossed Mark Pay’s The Spirit Engine 2 follows shortly!