What Do You Look For When Buying An Indie Release ?

[Dreamcastnews]

Heya all!
Thought I would start a mid-week discussion here.
I was thinking recently about how, once upon a time, I would buy every single new independent Dreamcast release regardless of quality or presentation but in the recent years, I have really become picky with what I will purchase.

Is anyone else in the same boat? If so, what has changed for you and what do you now look for to help you decide which ones to buy and which to skip?

Here's an example for me :

PAL blue case release -----> Almost instant yes

Game made from the ground up for the Dreamcast -------> 90% of the time, yes

Port from NES, Genesis/MD with no extras --------------> Universally no, unless priced at like £20 or under

Costs more than £40 ---------> Probably not

I think packaging is highly important for me and a turn off when it comes to indie releases, I like my games to look as official as possible so they don't stick out on my shelf, or... Something like Wave and Goat Store did with their releases back in the day, keeping the jewel cases uniformed.

[MistySims]

Hadn't brought an indie game on the Dreamcast just yet but the major one which I look for is just the games that gives me Dreamcast vibe whether just abstract idea or arcade-style gameplay.

[DCGX]

Based on your metric:

PAL Case - indifferent. I'm from the US, so I usually go with the US variation, or if there is not a US variation, the Japanese variation, for two reasons: 1) cases are easier to replace if I ever need to, 2) they take up less shelf space than PAL cases.

Made for Dreamcast - Almost always yes, but it depends. I'll get to that.

Port of NES or Genesis - I've bought an NES port, and while fine, I have no nostalgia for the NES nor the 8-bit era, so I usually pass. 16-bit era, it depends. I'll get to that.

Costs more than $40 (again, US) - And again it depends.

So for me, when I look to buy an indie, it comes down to price and replayability. If I'll play it over and over, I don't usually mind paying more for it, but it definitely helps if its made for the Dreamcast or is a native port. If it doesn't cost much, like, less than $20, I might consider it, but definitely consider it if, again, it's a native DC version.

For example, I didn't back the recent 'Shadow Gangs Zero' Kickstarter, because the price seemed high. I blame PixelHeart for this more than the dev, because they always price their releases too high, but I also know they'll print a ton of copies and other outlets will carry the game. So I have no problem waiting, and then waiting for a sale or discount.

[Dreamcastnews]

Some great points there.
I, like you was going to wait with Shadow Gangs Zero, but the name in the credits part swung me in the end, I like little fan services like that plus the PAL packaging meant I was in.
I guess being in NTSC territories means you're luckier with releases not sticking out like a sore thumb when placed with 'of the time' retail stuff.
It would be nice if there was a consistent art style used across the board for indie releases, but that's asking a lot for very few interested parties I guess!

I only ever bought Ghoul Grind and Flea! as sort of NESMaker ports and found to play them once and never again, so I feel you on replay value, something I find the shoot-em-ups that littered the system in the earlier days of indies seem to have in spades. I think Postal and Intrepid Izzy were perhaps the best indies /ports we've had for a while when it comes to playability, I would throw Xenocider with them but I found that crushingly hard and as such, I couldn't get into it.

[DCGX]

I definitely agree with you about case style. Some uniformity would be great. Some use Dreamcast-like symbols and verbiage, some outright use the copyrighted Dreamcast material, while others look like a burned CD/LP someone gives away at festivals or venues in the early 2000s to get their band out there.

'Ghoul Grind' is the one NES-style game I've bought. It's good for what it is, it just isn't much. The others you mentioned are definitely the cream of the DC indie crop. I'd add the likes of 'Pier Solar,' 'Sturmwind' and the original 'Shadow Gangs' too.

[Sega1Dream]

For me, Intripid Izzy is a great example of an Indi game that was designed around the Dreamcast and totally worth bying. Not only was it was priced right it offered a lot of Easter eggs.

I have slew of other games but I think it was Arcade Racing Legends that kind of turned me off to the scene. They over promised the game on Kickstarter and released a sub-par product. To their credit, they did refund Kickstarter patrons that were unhappy with the release, but it did impact my experience going forward. I just wait until the game is released and reviewed before making my decision now.