Luke Schneider of Radiangames has created six excellent Xbox Live Indie games. Today he released the seventh, Ballistic, and it could be the best of the bunch. It's also the last.
Every time I see the name Radiangames in the Xbox Live Indie Games store I can't help but smile, and for good reason. Each of Luke Schneider's first six games - JoyJoy, Crossfire, Inferno, Fluid, Fireball, and Crossfire 2 - have been better than the last, shining examples of what an independent developer can accomplish using the tools Microsoft provides.
His seventh and final game is no different. It's a twin-stick shooter that features a series of power-ups the player can assign as they progress through wave after wave of increasingly difficult enemies alone or with a friend. It's simple, elegant, and extremely satisfying.
One would think that at a mere 80 Microsoft points apiece (that's $1.00) these games would have sold like wildfire, but according to Luke that's not the case. Ballistic is the last of Radiangames Xbox Live Indie Games, though perhaps not the last game we see from the developer.
"Ballistic brings together the best of my previous monthly games in one extremely-polished package," said Luke Schneider of Radiangames. "It's a fitting send off for my monthly XBLIG series. It's been an absolute pleasure working with XNA and the 360. Though sales haven't allowed me to continue the series further, I still hope to return to the 360 later this year with some even bigger and better games"
After delivering seven delicious Indie Game morsels, I can't wait to see what Luke brings to the table as a main course. So go grab the demo, and if you like what you play drop the 80 Microsoft points it costs for the full game. I need someone to knock me off those leaderboards.