Indie games are like art films – you like the concept, but you would rather spend time on the dhishum dhisum. Yet, over the last couple of years, indie games have been making headway with the mainstream audience. Two good examples are Braid and World of Goo – they won universal critical acclaim, wowed gamers everywhere, won awards, and most importantly, sold like crazy. Xbox LIVE Arcade, PSN and Wii Shop are great distribution systems for these games and make them easily accessible for us.

The first big indie hit of 2009 is Twisted Pixel’s The Maw on the XBLA, a puzzle game set in an alien world. The story is simple; an alien is captured in a spaceship. In the spaceship are many creatures, including a purple blob which some say is the most dangerous creature in the world. The ship crash-lands and it is up to the alien (the player) and the Maw to take the story to its completion. On the way are numerous creatures and traps and battles which have to be traversed to take the Maw to its final destination.

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Consoul, the popular gaming lounge in Bangalore, is organising an online multiplayer tournament for Gears of War 2, which will play out on January 31 and February 1. Registration for tournament is free and is currently underway.

The tournament will comprise two-player teams, and there are prizes up for grabs as well. The winning team will walk away with Xbox 360 wireless controllers, play and charge kits, games and Xbox LIVE subscriptions, while the second place team gets controllers, games and Xbox LIVE subscriptions. Winning teams also win gift vouchers and there’s also a prize for the best player of the tournament.

To register, learn more about the tournament format and other information, head over the Consoul forums.

With our biggest GI Offer yet (Killzone 2) already underway, we were contemplating whether we should hold a GI Offer for Street Fighter IV, considering the game’s high price. But a few GI members have shown interest in buying the game locally, and for those members, we bring you our Street Fighter IV GI Offer.

When Milestone announced that the regular edition of Street Fighter IV would retail for Rs 3,499 on both Xbox 360 and PS3, we were quite taken aback, and like everyone else, the first thought that entered my mind was ‘Play-Asia’. But Play-Asia’s pricing isn’t all that great either; both versions are going for $59.90, which translates to Rs 2,979. Also to be released in India is the PS3 Collector’s Edition, which will retail for Rs 4,999, while on Play-Asia, it’s priced at $99.90 or Rs 4,968.

If you take the price difference into account, and add the GI Offer discount, you may just want to reconsider placing that order on Play-Asia (if you still want to go ahead and order from Play-Asia, make us some money and use the affiliates link). But if you do intend to participate in this GI Offer or pick up a copy locally, please keep in mind that this is the first time that a new Capcom game is releasing in India, so we aren’t quite sure how close to worldwide release we will get the game here.

Details for the Street Fighter IV GI Offer ahead.
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Milestone Interactive has announced that the Collector’s Edition of Street Fighter IV would be available in India at a price of Rs 4,999. Only the PS3 Collector’s Edition will be available here. A quick hop over to Play-Asia reveals that the same PS3 Collector’s Edition retails for approximately US$100 or Rs 4,988 at the popular import site. But considering Play-Asia’s less than glowing reputation for timely deliveries, we think those looking for a PS3 Collector’s Edition are much better off getting it here.

Here’s what you get in the Street Fighter IV PS3 Collector’s Edition, housed in a classic Street Fighter scene outer case, besides the game itself:

• Limited edition figurines of all time favourite character Ryu and Crimson Vyper
• A bonus disc containing a feature length HD quality anime movie, created especially for the launch of Street Fighter IV and a selection of the best game trailers to date.
• A mini strategy guide created in the style of a comic art book detailing the moves and biographies of four of the new characters to the series; Viper, Abel, El Fuerte and Rufus
• Exclusive downloadable game content

The Street Fighter IV PS3 Collector’s Edition will be in stores on February 20.

Join the discussion at the GamingIndians Community forums

Welcome to the very first GI Offer of 2009, and it is a big one indeed. Never before have GI members been so eager for a GI Offer, so even though we don’t have all the specifics yet, we can now go ahead and start taking preorders for the Killzone 2 GI Offer.

As we’ve been saying on the forums, we’re planning a really cool freebie to give away along with each copy of Killzone 2, but we still don’t have confirmation on what that will be. We also don’t have a confirmed price for the game or which edition of the game we’ll be getting, but you can rest assured that the price won’t be more than recent first-party PS3 games i.e. Rs 2,899. What’s more, those ordering from the GI Offer will get the Killzone 2 Steelbook Edition at no extra cost. You will only be required to make payment once all these details have been confirmed. Until then, all we need from those interested is to confirm your preorders.

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