Did you find Chris Priestman’s review of Ignite interesting? Think that you would like to try the game out yourself? Our friends at Nemesys Games have made that possible by partnering with IGM to give away Steam Game Codes to eight of our lucky readers.

How can you be one of those lucky eight people? We have made the contest super simple for you. All you have to do is Tweet or Re-Tweet the following:

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@indiegamemag and @Nemesyshu are giving away 8 Steam codes for Ignite #contest! To enter RT! #indie #game #developer http://bit.ly/IgniteTweet

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IGM will select four random Re-Tweeters and Nemesys will select another four Re-Tweets. The contest period will run from Thursday, November 10, 2011 @ 12:00 pm (EST) through Friday, November 18, 2011 @ 12:00 pm (EST).

Additionally, Nemesys has generously offered to add an additional code, to a maximum of 20, to their pile of codes for every 20 new followers that they gain during the contest period. IGM will contribute a hearty ‘thank you, pat on the back, and an ‘Ata’ Boy!’ for every 20 new followers that we receive.

Winners will be selected at random from all of those who Tweeted or Re-Tweeted the above message on Friday, November 18, 2011 after 12:00 pm (EST). Winners will be notified on Monday, November 21, 2011. There will be a follow-up notice soon afterward which will let you know who the winners are.

If this contest is a success and we overwhelm Nemesys with tweets and follows, then I would like try to do more of these contests and find more developers who would like to participate in the future.

Screeching wheels and burning rubber has taken a backseat to pedantic stats fiddling in the racing genre recently. Surely the thrill of the race should always be the focus in a game; the big titles pretentiously adhere to the label ‘simulator’. How fancy. You know what? Keep your fine tuning, posh voiced narrators and la-di-dah pitstop cutscenes; you’ll find me on the track actually having some fun in Nemesys Games‘ Ignite.

Ignite is an arcade racer that bases itself very much on the core of what an arcade racer should be: quick fire action. It’s a pick up and go experience all the way through. The inevitable menu scrolling is kept to a minimum by scrapping the unnecessary digit tweaking and getting to the race as quick as possible. The mainstay of the game is its Campaign mode in which you click-through track selection, car selection, a paint job and then you are off. There are three different race types in total: Race, Rundown and Elimination. The Elimination mode is by far the best simply because of the adrenaline that kicks in when the two of you who are left are tussling it out at the end, despite the AI not being particularly aggressive.

This is the follow up to render code games’ Avatar racedrome another racing game which had massive success in 2010 on the XBLIG, if you loved Avatar Racedrome you will like this as the concept is similar other than the fact the racedrome tracks are now racing circuits and the vehicles are now Karts. The game comes into the market place at only 80 microsoft points which works out as around $1 a bargain for any game you play for longer than ten minutes and the price fits perfectly for the standard of the game.

Gameplay
The game comes with 16 tracks which can be played reverse as well giving you 32 tracks to explore and burn rubber on, the tracks are all in a similar setting with large areas on the sites to fall of the track on corners making the game more challenging than its predecessor. On single player you are giving different game choices they are: single race, Time trial, short championship and full championship. Single race is self explanatory with one race on any circuit with 1-30 laps giving you a quick option get into the game. The short championship has 8 races against 7 computer opponents and the full championship gives you 24 races although you will possibly get bored with the game by then, each race gives you points which are added up to decide who is overall champion of the race series. Then there is time trial which looks like the most thought out mode on single player, the timing system is brilliant with feedback from each sector and your overall time as well as a target time giving you plenty of information on your HUD, when you have finished a lap you time goes onto the global and local rankings. Surprisingly there are lots of times on the lap records from other users making it all a bit more competitive. Other game modes include Split screen so you can battle with a freind locally and Xbox live play, In xbox live play it is very easy to find people to play with and the loading times are very quick.The overall expeirence online is brilliant it flows perfectly with no glitches my only negative point on it is there is no voice or headset options but other than that it is one of the best online indie games around as was the previous game render code games made. The worse thing about the game play in my opinion is there is only one kart design something that racedrome also suffered from, I think it needs to fully use the ranking system to create some sort of unlock for getting higher points so you get different cars that handle differently.Another negative point is the game still hasn’t found its category, is it a simulation race game or a fun mario kart style racer it fits in the middle with its turbo and graphics but I think would sell even better if it included things such as power ups. Overall the gameplay deserves a 7/10 mainly for the online play and the different options on single player but it is still missing that spark to make the game that bit more exciting.

Sound
The sound track is a bit random with nothing to do with racing or having a racing sort of feel but it is an improvement on the previous games music. The sound track gets annoying if you leave the game on one menu for to long and instead of looping should go onto another track, however the in game sounds from the cars make up for this sounding very realistic with the classic karting engine and tyre screeching sounds as well as background music to fill in the blanks. The woman who speaks at the beggining of the game and the end to countdown is very annoying and robbotic, she sounds like a text to speach system and I think a mechanic would be a better voice to us as the woman does get annoying and makes the coundown feel cheap,even music to countdown would of been better. Overall the sound is 8/10 it would be better if it wasn’t for the sound track in menus since the kart sounds are good.

Graphics
There is no real graphical update from the previous game, had this game been on the wii the graphics would seem perfectly normal of a mass produced game that would sell thousands of copies, and even in the XBLIG these graphics are of a good standard. I always think avatars in Indie games look a bit strange like they aren’t in the game but stuck on with glue this is something which occurs in this game and most avatar games I have played. The track graphics are good but the scenary could be improved as there doesn’t seem to be enough stands of buildings but that is being picky. If render code games make another racing game I would like to see a complete update on the graphics as this would also help the idea mentioned earlier about the game not having an exact category to fit into. Overall the graphic are of what is expected of this sort of game and nothing less or more than that so I would give it a 5/10

Lasting Appeal
If it wasn’t for the leaderboards and online game modes the lasting appeal would be at best average but when you have a online mode you could play it for months afterwards and still have fun, this is also helped by the time trial which I found addictive as I wanted to climb up the board and get the quickest time for the lap. I think the championships and single races will get boring after a couple of weeks but you will still be playing time trials and online for much longer, because of this I give the lasting appeal 7/10

Overall I think it is a good game with some brilliant online features and it will no doubt have as much success has avatar racedrome, I will give the game an overall percentage of about 70% with the sound, and graphics improved this could easily become one of the best racing games on the Xbox indie games market.

The story is a little scant but revolves around the protagonist – an airship – questing through various puzzles to rescue his girlfriend, who has been kidnapped by a cycloptic monster. In order to rescue the girl, the player has to navigate an ever increasingly complex number of tasks to complete each level. The player’s airship can’t just fly though the level to reach the checkered finish line – you have to glide your way there. This is where the game becomes challenging. Bringing in the elements of a physics game, the player must use the environment to bounce, use accelerating points or be shot out of a cannon toward the objectives. Once in flight, the player must think fast to make minor or major course corrections as you glide to the goal, it does take some quick finger skill.

That being said, Nimbus is essentially a puzzle game and quite ingenious. Each level combines the physics needed to produce inertia for the airship with puzzles that range from moving colored orbs to unlock gates, shoot balls to targets and collect keys to open new areas. In addition to the puzzles, the player has to avoid spiked hazards and that ever-present pull of gravity.

The challenge increases as the player has to think three steps ahead and eke out every bit of gliding movement from the airship before it crashes to earth (or worse). Many of the puzzles require multiple steps and it can take a few times to get the pattern down. While occasionally frustrating, it seems to add to the feeling of accomplishment when the level is complete. The player is timed for each level and that score goes up against the global ranking similar to racing games. Revisiting the same level in pursuit of a higher ranking definitely lends the game to high replay value. Hidden objectives also lead to ship upgrades and shortcuts in the over world, so there’s a fair bit of variability to the game.

As far as graphics are concerned, I was immediately reminded of the old Sonic the Hedgehog cross-hatched textures. Each new area features a theme which is well paired with the sound effects and music. The ambiance created by the music and crisp graphics give the game an ethereal feel, especially with the colored contrails left by the airship as it moves through the level. Overall, Nimbus is a solid game and well worth a try. It delivers on satisfaction, interest and replay. The visual effects, challenging puzzles and quick pace will keep you coming back for more. You may find yourself even slightly addicted.

Joe Danger by Hello Games is Sony’s answer to Trials HD (which has sold over 1 million copies) – the only difference is that Joe Danger offers a whole lot more variety and not quite as steep of a learning curve. When you add in Joe’s rich track editing features and multiplayer modes, you have one of PSN’s best downloadable titles.

Joe Danger is a down-and-out stuntman trying to make a comeback. The gameplay is a mix between the aforementioned Trials HD and the old NES classic ExciteBike. You control Joe through different tracks with different objectives. The challenges range from hitting all the targets to collecting D-A-N-G-E-R to racing and brawling other motorcyclists. The level design is reminiscent of old Tony Hawk games since each track has a variety of objectives that Joe allows you to tackle in any order that you wish. Each objective awards you with stars that are used to unlock new levels and progress through the campaign. The level progression system and the ability to restart any track with the press of a button without any loading whatsoever are two of Joe’s strongest features and keep the game challenging without being frustrating.

Joe Danger is a nice looking game with bright colors and vibrant colors. While I prefer the realistic and gritty visuals of Trials HD, the graphics in Joe are nothing to scoff at and fit the overall presentation and motif of the game to a t. Joe’s animations are also top-notch and the menus and level select are depicted as stunt show wall posters hung up on Joe’s Trailer. The fun-loving and charming presentation is further supported by catch tunes and an announcer who’s “J-J-J-Jo-Joooooeeee D-D-Da-Da-Daaaaanger!” yells embody the era and motivate the player.

Joe Danger is a highly polished product, but what really makes it one of PSN’s best downloadable games is its lasting appeal and depth of features. The single player game has a ton of challenges a great variety of objectives that will offer up hours of entertainment, but Joe’s longevity is truly amped up by its multiplayer features and track building and sharing functionality. Joe Danger is truly this generation’s ExciteBike…only this time you can share your creations with your friends right through the internet rather than having to invite them over to your basement. My one complaint about the user created levels is that you can only send tracks to your PSN friends versus having a global database of levels at your fingertips (think Little Big Planet). Joe Danger also has a great multiplayer modes that lets you race people over Playstation Network or locally. It’s great that Hello Games included local multiplayer and split-screen since nothing beats creating a level with your buds and being able to experience your track collectively.

Playstation Network does not have nearly as many games as Xbox Live Arcade, but their games seem to be (on average at least) of better quality and value even if they are fewer and farther between. Joe Danger is a shining example of what PSN can offer. The game is robust and fully featured. Joe Danger is a charming title that expertly balances its challenges so that it never gets too frustrating. You’ll get more playing time out of Joe Danger for $15 than you will most $60 PS3 titles. If you own a Playstation, you really should add this game to your library. Go Joe!

From the get-go, Zombie Driver makes no qualms about the simplicity of its concept. It’s title alone gets the gist across more than well enough. You drive a car and there are zombies. Granted, the zombies come in different varieties, and the cars you eventually accumulate can be equipped with a whole slew of carnage inducing weapons, but overall the gameplay never really evolves beyond “see zombie, run it down.”

What Zombie Driver lacks in layers though, it makes up for in fun. As great as a multifaceted epic of a video game can be, sometimes it’s just nice to kick back with some silly, over-the-top violence. For the most part, all of Zombie Driver’s seventeen missions unfold in the same way. Yet another zombie apocalypse has broken out and some people need rescuing. The military, unable to help asks you -and your taxi- for assistance. You then venture from objective to objective, racing against time to save those hapless civilians. Standing in your way, of course, are thousands of the living dead.

It should go without saying that killing the undead never gets old and Zombie Driver gives you plenty of ways to go about doing it. The most basic method of course, is running them over, which works just fine for the random ghoul here or there. That said, flesh munchers like to travel in packs and all those walking corpses can overwhelm you, making some additional weaponry necessary. Your arsenal starts off small with machine guns and quickly but soon expands to include flamethrowers, rockets and eventually rail guns. The sheer destructive power of many later weapons is a real joy. In short, you’re never lacking for ways to smear the road red.

There are some flaws to be had. Visually, the game is fine for the most part. It plays from a top-down perspective, much like the old Grand Theft Auto games. Because of this the zombies lack a lot of detail. This is rarely a problem; the different types are relatively easy to distinguish from each other. That said, when they’re not bunched in groups, they tend to blend in with their surroundings. This can be a bit of a problem in some of the more difficult missions when time is of the essence and you don’t have seconds to spare while you search for a lone ghoul. Also, when you rescue survivors a massive text block pops up, offering more story information. Bravo to the game for at least trying to include a plot, but the blocks tend to obscure a huge part of the screen, limiting your visibility. The occasional spike in difficulty also makes some levels aggravatingly hard. Some might also complain about the game’s relative briefness but honestly it’s probably a good thing. Zombie Driver is unabashedly a one trick pony, and while it’s great for an afternoon or two of gory fun, were it drag on any longer then that it could easily grow repetitive.

If you’re a fan of zombies or are just in the mood for a bit of mindless fun, you could do much worse then Zombie Driver. Its no frills gameplay may seem a bit sparse to those looking for something a bit meatier, but for cheap, fast entertainment Zombie Driver is a great alternative to bigger, more expensive titles.