Every few weeks we here at Kotaku select some of the best Indie games that Xbox Live has to offer. These are our latest favorites.
You'll be able to find the list here for reference or in the "Kotaku's favorites" channel in the Indie Game section of Xbox Live's Games Marketplace.
No Pain No Brain(80 MS Points): In a call back to the side scrolling beat em' up genre, No Pain No Brain will keep you interested for at least a couple of levels. All of the enemies come at you on one plane. What you lose in maneuverability you gain in hit detection and a solidness that most indie games lack. Thanks to the inside jokes and fun art style, this game is worth checking out.
Glowbz(80 MS Points): Glowbz is an interesting twin-stick space shooter in which your goal is protect and capture little glowing balls. Ducking and weaving between enemies to slam-dunk the orbs into the basket in the middle, you may feel like you're playing some sort of basketball take on Geometry Wars.
The Lumberjack(80 MS Points): The Lumberjack is amazing, in concept and in execution. It's a play on the whole twin-stick zombie survival crop of games that have been popping up lately, except instead of the undead you get to kill wildlife. PETA may have a problem with this game, but that shouldn't stop you from killing squirrels, deer and even killer trees. (I don't know why trees attack you but it's awesome.) The game has a variety of weapons for you to dispose of wildlife to keep you busy for at least a couple of hours.
Techno Chopper(80 MS Points): Techno Chopper is a simple one-button game where you keep you helicopter from hitting obstacles. The way it earns your hard earned dollar between integrating the music with the environment. As the music speeds up/slow down the level acts accordingly. When the bass hits, the obstacles change size to the beat, making it difficult to navigate. For a dollar it's worth dying over and over again for an hour.
Avatar Panic(80 MS Points): Avatar Panic is one of those games that just sucks you in. The goal is to destroy all the little floaty things in the level. You have a harpoon at your disposal. Whenever a floaty-thing hits your harpoon (or attached rope) it splits in two. Rinse,lather and repeat until you beat the level. Upgrades, different "enemies" and co-op multiplayer will keep you playing until you're sick of looking at the back your avatars head.
Hell's House(80 MS Points): Who remembers Sega CD? I sure do, and if you are feeling nostalgic for a dark time in gaming history you to can almost relive it with Hell's house. This is a game of Quick Time Events. You play as a lady walking through a haunted house. For a dollar, it's a fun call back to spend an hour or so with, maybe with a group of friends to help mock your way through the game.