11 Xbox Live indie games that aren't total crap

Have you ever ventured into the 'indie games' section of Xbox Live? It's a place where amateur or small-scale developers can publish their games for everyone to see. They pay a small fee, Microsoft provides the tools and we - the gamers - decide whether or not the results are worth purchasing. 

And there's no denying you can get a lot of bang for your buck. In fact, for £22.44 / $33, you can have ALL 11 games on this list of our current favourites. That's cheaper than a single chart game.

We're not necessarily saying you should do that, but taking a chance on a title that catches your eye isn't going to break the bank. Heck, there's even an 8-minute free trial of every game, so you literally can't go wrong. Especially when the quality's as high as this...

I MAED A GAM3 W1TH ZOMBIES 1N IT!!!1

80 MS points (£0.68 / $1)

This is a four player twin stick shooter with zombies in it. It may sound generic, but at only 80 MS Points, there's virtually zero reason you wouldn't want to buy this.

It's got different weapons to collect, shields, extra lives, changing backgrounds… oh, and it's got zombies in it. Not to mention one of the best soundtracks ever conceived, consisting of a guy singing a Bowie-esque song about the game at the top of his lungs. Awesome.

Above: Disco lights, flamethrowers, spread-shot power-ups... get in!

Miner Dig Deep

240 MS points (£2.04 / $3)

This is very much like 8-bit classics Boulder Dash or Dig Dug, but with a bit more depth. There's not really much going on, whch is actually why this works so well. You just fill up your lantern, venture down into the mine and hunt for treasures - without getting stuck, of course.

You can sell whatever you find in the mine up top in the shop, which affords you new and better mining equipment. With no time limit except for the oil level in your lamp, you can easily lose hours to its charms.

Above: Looks basic, agreed, but it's surprisingly compelling

Arkedo Series 01: JUMP!

240 MS points (£2.04 / $3)

This is the first in a series of games from indie studio Arkedo. JUMP! stars a pixellated platform hero called Jumpboy (spot the Mario reference there) who has to diffuse bombs before they explode.

Admittedly, that sounds crap, but the reality is simply awesome, especially for anyone who remembers gaming on the Spectrum or Commodore 64. Bright colours and next-gen blends fuse with blocky '80s-style graphics to create a wonderfully nostalgic experience, complete with in-jokes and enemy crabs. The soundtrack even uses 8-bit sound synthesis.

Above: You're never going to make it to that bomb at the top in time...

It's great, but not as great as…

Arkedo Series 03: PIXEL!

240 MS points (£2.04 / $3)

Pixel the Cat - surely the greatest gaming hero you've never heard of. But now you have, and you should rejoice in that fact. This is quality and savvy platform gaming, with remarkable imagination. Graphically it's very basic - if you took out the backgrounds, the game would easily run on an original Game Boy. In fact, we wish it did - that would be ace.

It controls a lot like 2D Mario, with walk/run/jump controls but features some novel ideas like a combo-charged Meow attack and a magnifying glass to examine objects and poke around in them for treasure. There's plenty more we want to rave about, like the puzzles, signposts and a different kind of mushroom, but we don't want to spoil it for you, so just feast your eyes on this trailer then make a note to download the game:

Mirror

80 MS points (£0.68 / $1)

This is a pretty simple concept. All you have to do is guess where numbered points will be after they're mirrored. The game gets harder when the number of mirrors is upped, until you're guessing seven or eight mirrored positions later.

It's atmospheric too, with a slow-moving score and a nice 3D space effect when you zoom in and out. Strip all that away and the game's pretty basic, but there's nothing wrong with a simple idea well done.

Above: After five jumps, you're lucky if you're anywhere near the answer

3D Avatar Golf

400 MS Points (£3.40 / $5)

This one's an award-winner and it isn't hard to see why. Not only does the game play like a decent golf sim (very similarly to Everybody's Golf, but then doesn't every golf game?), it also includes a comprehensive course editor. It's utterly superb and works with more versatility than some full-price games' level editors.

We had a quick go at making a GR course and wish we'd had more time to spend on it.

Above: GR sandtrap and a pirate ship? Not bad for ten minutes' work

Superb stuff, even if the golfing experience itself is a tad vanilla compared to Clap Hanz' production.

Above: Avatar support makes this feel even more like a full-price game