Download: Decimation X3 (Xbox LIVE; 80 MSP)
Download: Score Rush (Xbox LIVE; 80 MSP)

NeoGAF's Xbox LIVE Indie Games January 2011 picks.

In NeoGAF's monthly "The Best Xbox LIVE Indie Games" awards, Xona Games comes away with Gold, for Score Rush, and Bronze, for Decimation X3! It's hard to believe we beat out Revolver360 and the amazing Cthulhu Saves the World! We'll take it, but we have to give respects to those to games. Other notable mentions are Crossfire 2, by Radiangames, who took home Silver. All of these are must buys. To see all the winners, visit the official January 2011 thread on NeoGAF.

NeoGAF's picks Score Rush for GOLD Award!

I will correct and higlight that Score Rush is not inspired by Geometry Wars! The neon graphics and multidirectional shot tends to deliver this incorrect assumption. Dual stick controls were born out of necessity. The game was founded upon a bullet hell genre, and the first wide-screen bullet hell ever made. Experts of the genre will know that most bullet hells are 3:4 (rotated 4:3 screens) which is less than half the width of a wide-screen. To cover the over double width, we either needed faster ships, a bullet hell no-no, or multidirectional controls. There you go, and now you know!

The neon graphics were known to us to be similar to Geometry Wars, but not an inspiration from them. Below all the chaos of visual effects, Score Rush is just an overhead view scrolling shoot 'em up, with ground enemies even, that was more inspired by Raiden than Geometry Wars!

Structually it seems fairly traditional, certain enemies drop collectibles that upgrade the ships firepower, you fight bosses, you have bombs etc, but it never feels boring, just classic. - NeoGAF

Xona obviously care for both the Indie service & shooters in general (A memo option on the main menu implores players to blog & let other people know about the game, which does feel geniune & not just an attempt to generate free advertising). - NeoGAF

NeoGAF picks Decimation X3 for BRONZE Award!

They didn't say much about Decimation X3, so here's just a big thanks to NeoGAF for presenting our games to the gamers!

More Decimation X3 and Score Rush Articles:

About the Author:  I am Matthew Doucette of Xona Games, an award-winning, indie game studio I run with my twin brother. We concentrate on nostalgic game concepts with modern-day gameplay and intensity. Our company, our games, and our technology have all won prestigious awards and received worldwide press. Our games have ranked from #1 in Canada to #1 in Japan, as well as become #1 best sellers in multiple countries. Read about our story and our blog.