Microsoft has finally released a short list for the first 25 indie titles to be arriving for the Xbox One. These titles have been developed under the ID@Xbox initiative and are expected to arrive in the coming weeks. Some of them, like Zen Studios’ CastleStorm and KickBeat, are already available to play at GDC 2014 while others like Nutjitsu have been revealed in advance.

Check out the full list of games below:

1001 Spikes – Nicalis
Calibre 10 Racing Series – Bongfish GmbH
CastleStorm – Zen Studios
Chariot – Frima
Chuck’s Challenge 3D – Niffler
Contrast – Compulsion Games
Divekick Addition Edition + – Iron Galaxy Studios
Forced – BetaDwarf ApS
FRU – Through Games
Guacamelee Super Turbo Championship Edition – DrinkBox Studios
Gunscape – Blowfish Studios
Habitat – 4gency
Hyper Light Drifter – Heart Machine
It Draws a Red Box – Other Ocean
Nutjitsu – NinjaBee
Pinball Arcade – FarSight Studios
Q.U.B.E. Director’s Cut – Toxic Games
Riptide GP2 – Vector Unit
Roundabout – No Goblin
Sixty Second Shooter Prime – Happion Laboratories
Spectra: 8bit Racing – Gateway Interactive
Strike Suit Zero – Born Ready Games
Super Time Force – Capybara
The Last Tinker – Mimimi Productions
Wulverblade – Darkwind Media

Keep in mind that, in Microsoft’s own words, this list is “neither comprehensive nor chronological”. Some games may release sooner than others and more details are pending at this time so stay tuned. Regardless, what are your thoughts on the first wave of indie games? Let us know below.

The Heroes of the Fleet DLC brings five new missions to the original game. It  is now available on Steam (RRP $6.99 / £4.99 / 5.99 €).

The Mod Tool can be downloaded for free by anyone who already owns Strike Suit Zero.

“We know our fans have been patiently waiting for more content and that’s why we’re happy to provide this new challenge for them to take on. With the mod tool, we are excited to see what our community can create. We know how passionate they are and hope this will enable them to channel their passion and creativity into the game. We’re also busy working on Strike Suit Zero versions for Mac, Linux, and the Oculus Rift VR headset. An early Oculus version will be shown to public at the Geekopolis event in Paris next weekend,”  said James Brooksby, CEO at Born Ready Games.

You can check out the review of Strike Suit Zero over here. For our continued coverage of the game, check out the hub page here.

Born Ready has also assured that many of the difficulty spies have been removed for a smoother experience. The targeting system has also been reworked, allowing you cycle through available targetd and components for more effective fighting.

Finally, checkpoint saves. You can now leave a level and pick up right from the latest checkpoint. Hallelujah. Born Ready promises more updates so stay tuned.

Strike Suit Zero is a space combat sim made by Born Ready Games and the game is now officially out worldwide for the PC. The game was reviewed by us and we gave it a 7.5/10 score citing some issues but also praised it for some great combat and visuals. It was also mentioned that the game was unpolished.

The game costs $20 and is available at Steam, Green Man Gaming and other distribution outlets, and Mac and Linux versions are said to come later this year.

It was funded via Kickstarter and has been successfully released to some polarizing reviews.

The game features highly detailed mecha and spaceship designs by renowned mecha designer Junji Okubo (Steel Battalion, Appleseed), and a wonderfully atmospheric score created by Paul Ruskay(Homeworld) and Kokia (Tales of Innocence, Origins: Spirits Of The Past ).

James Brooksby, CEO at Born Ready Games said “We are incredibly excited that the launch day for Strike Suit Zero on PC has finally arrived. We’ve received overwhelming support from our community, and would like to extend special thanks to our backers on Kickstarter. We hope everyone is as ecstatic to see the finished result as we are!”

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Look, let me get this out of the way. The learning curve is pretty high here; don’t be surprised if you struggle with the controls especially while using a gamepad.

The game starts with a nifty intro explaining the backstory and why the hell you are fighting and what’s the motivation behind the whole thing. Turns out, people are pretty possessive of what they have and won’t hesitate to take something that you have either. Yes, that’s the basic premise of the whole thing–just expand it into the star system where people wage an intergalactic war because they disagree with each other with formidable technology.

Err, so when you finally get control of your initial ship, there will be a minor tutorial where you’re taught how to fly the thing, including boosting and firing weapons. I recommend you to get the hang of the camera and increase sensitivity in the options menu because the default settings are way too slow if you use the gamepad. The game recognizes the Xbox 360 controller for Windows pretty easily and you don’t have to go out of your way to make it work.

You must have seen those pre release screenshots of a badass robot firing missiles piercing piercing through space like butter, right? If not, I highly recommend to connect your PC to your TV and enjoy this game on a big screen. That’s how I believe it should be enjoyed if you’re using a gamepad as well.

The visuals are stunning, but look at bit unpolished. The ships do have as much detail as they should and there’s a cockpit update coming on later to the game, which is a bit bewildering because I really love to play it with the first-person camera. There are reasons for that. The controls aren’t that confusing in first-person view and you can soak in all the lovely art design of the game which really gives an impression that you’re actually battling in space.

The Strike Suit–which is a ship in the game–also has the ability to transform into a mech with a lot more firepower at your disposal and after killing a bunch of enemies you get the option to turn. The handling in mech mode is a bit different but it just works, so no complaints there. There are a lot of weapons and abilities at your disposal including things like EMP to shake off pursuing craft.

The combat will be a bit difficult if you don’t know what you’re doing. You can lock onto enemy crafts which will be numerous in numbers, but if you want to use the old fashioned cannons, there is a circular area marked before enemy crafts where you can fire your shots. It’s called leading your shots and considering enemies attack you from everywhere, you really need to learn how to control your ship well.

There are a lot of missions available and some of them can be incredibly difficult because if you die before hitting a checkpoint, it means doing that part again which honestly can get a bit irritating. Checkpoint system is an archaic design and should not be used in PC games, as it is artificially used to increase game length. I had a bunch of issues with it but honestly the point here is to know how your ship controls and how to engage enemies and dogfight them into oblivion  If you get these basics right, you really won’t have an issue with dying unnecessarily.

There are quite a number of ships available in the game. The first one you get is sort of underpowered because you will keep dying unless you know how to engage enemies properly. However, once you get the Strike Suit later on in the game, it becomes far more easier to take out batches of enemies. I really hope people don’t stop playing the game because they got their ass kicked early on because it gets better.

There are issues with the game. It’s unpolished, game design could have been a bit sensible, there could have been more variety in combat scenarios  but at its core it’s a game made by developers who wanted to revive a genre no one wanted to touch. Strike Suit Zero could have benefited from minor tweaks before release, however, if the developers are aggressive in patching the game and adding more functionalities and features, this could really turn into something special.

This game was reviewed on the PC.

The game was announced via Kickstarter and the project was successfully funded as the game reached its $100,000 goal in 15 days.

The game will be developed by Born Ready Games and will also be published by the game. It will be released on January 24th 2013. [reference]

The game will also support Oculus Rift virtual reality headset and it will ship with its compatibility later this month.

Players participate in spectacular cosmic skirmishes and pilot a powerful transforming craft known as the Strike Suit in a bid to save Earth from destruction.

• 1. Development
• 2. Plot
• 3. Gameplay
• 4. Soundtrack

Development

The development of the game wasn’t possible unless it was funded by Kickstarter, and the game reached its $100k target within 15 days and had a lot of money to spare, with the total funding reaching $174,804. The game will ship with mod tools and also a Linux port.

James Brooksby, CEO of Born Ready Games, stated, “We are humbled by the support and happy that so many people are as excited about the game as we are. Perhaps as remarkable as reaching our goal in just 15 days is that we have close to 3,000 backers to date, which is very encouraging. We can’t wait for our fans to get their hands on the finished game and the team is as enthusiastic as ever to use this support to make Strike Suit Zero the best game possible.” [reference]

The aim of the game is to renew interest in Space combat sims and according to their Kickstarter page the game will remind you of the heyday of 90’s space combat, whilst simultaneously introducing exciting new mechanics to make it relevant for today’s audience. To ensure that the game brings space combat back with a bang, we’ve brought in the best names in mecha and sci-fi to really put a stamp on the genre.

“Strike Suit Zero is inspired by the classic space combat games we all love,” said Jim Mummery, Creative Director doublesix games. “But our game goes further – it takes that inspiration, pumps up the pace and injects a massive sense of urgency to excite and challenge the player.”

The game will also support virtual reality. “Imagine taking to a fully 3D cockpit, navigating space and looking about your environment as if you were actually there. The Oculus Rift will allow you to look all around you, letting you keep track of the enemy in a way that doesn’t just rely on a radar. This will really change up the core dogfighting experience,” the developers said.

“As the consumer version of the Oculus Rift isn’t available yet, this is for those people who are picking up an Oculus dev kit, and want to help us work on and balance the Oculus version of the game. We get invaluable testers and you get to witness the optimization process from the inside.” [reference]

The game features music from award-winning sound designer Paul Ruskay (Homeworld) including a collaboration with Japanese singer/songwriter Kokia (Tales of Innocence, Gunslinger Girl: II Teatrino), and ship designs fro  renowned Mechanical Design engineer Junji Okubo (Appleseed: Ex Machina, Steel Battalion.) [reference]

About Strike Suit Zero:

Game Overview:

Strike Suit Zero is planned for a digital release on PC in the autumn of 2012 and console in early 2013.

Publisher:Born Ready Games

Developer: Born Ready Games

Platforms: PC, PS3 and X360

Release Date: Q3 2012

Stay tuned to Gamingbolt.com for more news and updates.

James Brooksby, CEO of Born Ready Games, stated, “We are truly grateful for all the support we’ve received and above all else want to thank the community. Their support has meant we’re now able to make the game we’d always envisioned, and we can’t wait for our fans to get their hands on the game.”

Of course, if you were one of the first thousand backers to pledge $50 USD or more, you’ll be able to access the closed beta of Strike Suit Zero when it starts in early December. We’ll keep you updated on the details as they emerge. Strike Suit Zero will be releasing for the PC first, with console versions slated for later in 2013.

About Strike Suit Zero:

Game Overview:

In Strike Suit Zero, an atmospheric and adrenaline pumping voyage unfolds with exciting new game mechanics. Players participate in spectacular cosmic skirmishes and pilot a powerful transforming craft known as the Strike Suit in a bid to save Earth from destruction. With stunning music by Paul Ruskay (Homeworld) and Kokia (Tales of Innocence), and incredible mecha designs contributed by Junji Okubo (Steel Battalion, Appleseed), Strike Suit Zero will be released for PC and consoles.

Publisher: Born Ready Games

Developer: Born Ready Games

Platforms: PC, PS3 and X360

Release Date: Q3 2012

Stay tuned to Gamingbolt.com for more news and updates.

More and more developers are getting impressed with what this tech has to offer. Add Strike Suit Zero to that list as well. They recently confirmed that the game will now support VR.

“Imagine taking to a fully 3D cockpit, navigating space and looking about your environment as if you were actually there. The Oculus Rift will allow you to look all around you, letting you keep track of the enemy in a way that doesn’t just rely on a radar. This will really change up the core dogfighting experience,” the developers said on its Kickstarter page.

But be warned that this functionality is only for users who plan to pick up the Oculus Rift developer kit and not the retail version.

“As the consumer version of the Oculus Rift isn’t available yet, this is for those people who are picking up an Oculus dev kit, and want to help us work on and balance the Oculus version of the game. We get invaluable testers and you get to witness the optimization process from the inside,” they said.

Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more news and updates.