So what makes 2008 so special, you say? Lots of things, both in my life and the ever expanding games market. I thought I’d give you a bit of a sneak peek as to what we’re cooking up this year, and why it’s so different from the rest.

School’s Out!

I finish up college this year, thus finally freeing me from the torments of the books & letting me pursue my gaming desires. Finally I’ll have some time to really crank out some titles I’ve been holding back for quite a while, including three new commercial games in the $10-20 range.

The Portfolio

Vertigo Games, as of now, is simply potential. I see ONR2 and SOG1 as stepping stones to something better, mainly because those games and the others have major problems (graphics, copyrighted music, etc.)

Heck, our last game (The Winter Solstice) could have been better, but I think it was a step in the right direction. I can’t wait to get Vertigo Games off the ground by launching new updated versions of our games as well as pursuing brand new gameplay ideas.

Included in this year’s game lineup is-

The Sandbox of God 2: Ancient Warfare (currently being made)
Liquisity 2 (name TBA)
Spirits of Metropolis
Ore no Ryomi 3 (name TBA)
KeyKnight

The Lowdown

The Sandbox of God 2: Ancient Warfare is the sequel to one of our most downloaded games we’ve ever made. A joint project by chubigans and FredFredrickson, SOG2 takes place in the ancient times, where warfare was rampant and the earth was still being molded. Choose your civilization and lead them to victory by guiding them in both war and environmental victory. After all, pushing your civilization towards building that catapult won’t do much good if you decide to open the earth with an earthquake. Graphics by Fred, Game by Chubigans, Music by mischiephX (Release: late April, absolutely free)

Liquisity 2 is the followup to one of my favorite titles, Liquisity. Using Game Maker 7 to immerse you in the deep depths of the unexplored ocean floor, Liquisity 2 will challenge your platform skills in a totally unique way. Featuring a revamped level editor and over 100 levels, Liquisity 2 is a title I can’t wait to finish. (Release: summer 2008, commercial. For details on getting L2 absolutely free upon release, visit the custom levels forum).

Spirits of Metropolis is the furthest along in this group, featuring a unique gameplay mechanic not seen in any match-3 game. Yeah, I know…the market is flooded with match-3 like games. But SofM is totally unique and one that I think will really surprise a lot of people. Grab the alpha demo in the VG Labs! (Release: June/July 08, commercial).

Ore no Ryomi 3 is one that I’ve wanted to make for years. It will have a whole new art direction that has not been showcased to the public, and will be one of the biggest games we’ve ever done. (Release: Fall 08, commercial)

KeyKnight is still up in the air at this point, but a fun little game I think could turn out well. As a tribal leader of a small village, you must defend it from invading enemies by chanting the right chant & obliterating the enemy using six different powers. Inspired by such typing games as Typing of the Dead, KeyKnight will challenge your keyboard skills to the max. (Release TBA)

You seriously want us to believe you’re making all these games?

Oh yes. Right now the casual game market is exploding. Both Microsoft and Nintendo announced at this year’s GDC their intentions of bringing both XNA and WiiWare to the mass market. Sony is actively pursuing small game companies to publish PSN games. And Game Maker is trying to break into the industry themselves by making the program available as a toolkit on console platforms.

I want Vertigo Games to be ready when the mass explosion of indie games and casual games happen, and right now it simply isn’t there at this point. If I don’t make this year a priority, I fear that VG won’t be able to break into the commercial industry anytime soon.

Already I’ve transitioned a bit with the forums and ads of making VG slightly more professional, and you’ll see more changes later on. I really look forward to making this year awesome, and I can’t do it without you all.

Here’s to 2008!