This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.
Fishing Girl Fishing Girl captures just about everything you could want in an Indie game. It’s cute, artistic, simple, cheap ($1), and addicting. You rarely press more than one button and yet you could easily lose a couple hours to this endearing little fishing game. Separated from her love, the fishing girl must fish for enough money and upgrades to save her man stranded on a far-off island. You take control, casting the rod with a timed release of the A button, and then lure a variety of fish by reeling them in, again, with the A button. A shop gives you new rods and lures which in turn give you access to bigger, rarer fish and more money.
The game is short thanks to a time limit, but you can extend this time by quickly catching lots of fish. Plus it’s backed by some fun achievements – finding all the fish, casting the furthest distance, and saving a lot of money are all rewarded in various ways.
Aesthetically, the graphics are simple and appealing, but the game could definitely use some music or ambient noise. Then again, when was the last time you had an excuse to start up your own soundtrack?
Overall, Fishing Girl isn’t just the game of the week, but one of the best Indie games yet. It encapsulates everything that’s right about small-time game development and is sure to leave a big smile on your face. (80pts) 
Pixel Man
Pixel Man pushes the limits of technically-poor yet classy presentation with four or five colors, simplistic environments, and stiff, single-button controls. It’s also kind of an asshole – blind jumps, frustratingly precise jump timing, and dead-ends all impede your progress in ways that are generally considered bad game design. The twist? Infinite lives and thirty brief levels mean the whole thing is over and done with in about half an hour. All the while you’ll wonder whether you should be reading into it – the way the levels toy with you certainly suggest a vague message on choice and consequence. (80pts) 
PyroManic – Solo Last week I officially had my fill of Ikaruga-inspired color-matching shooters. Imagine my lack of surprise when yet another one came along. But as much as I want to make fun of PyroManic and toss it in with the rest of the crap, it has enough polish and arcade-y charm to sneak into this week’s noteworthy releases. The idea is to stop an ever-increasing downpour of colored objects by shooting them with the corresponding face button on the controller. There’s not really much of a twist to it other than a cool beam which turns enemies into gold. What I like most is the really welcoming arcade aesthetic which an announcer that wouldn’t be out of place in one of those dingy public game rooms of the past. (240pts)
On A Roll On A Roll should be immediately familiar to anyone who was around for the 16-bit era – from the unforgettable title cards for levels, to the fast, looping action, this is a Sonic clone through and through. The somewhat sad truth is that this little Indie game seems to understand more about what made Sonic a great series than the guys at Sega these days. Even the music sets the mood perfectly. And while it seems a little more challenging than the typical Sonic game, On A Roll looks to satiate anyone’s thirst for a quick, action-packed 2D romp. (240pts)
Sol Survivor (800pts) – Competent tower defense game that needs another coat of polish before it can rise above this crowded genre. Decent, but instantly forgettable.
Hollow Ball (80pts) – Hollow Ball offers a bit more than the typical Pong clone, but not enough to truly differentiate it.
Graviton AI (240pts) – Graviton’s developer insists this is a deep and strategic game and then locks out all the features. Anything that might make it more than a bad 2D shooter is missing in the trial.
Dead Meat (80pts) – Dead Meat’s slow pace and shambling zombies would be interesting in a well-designed environment, but in a big gray box it’s really boring.
Azubi’s Pool Of Bethesda (240pts) – Imagine a budding game developer running out of bible studies to go design their religious Minesweeper clone. Then imagine that they thought there was no rhyme or reason to Minesweeper, and that the idea was to blindly place marks until you lost. Now hope that in this imaginary situation they’re at least able to make something better than this.
Johnny’s Skydiving Lessons (80pts) The premise of Johnny’s – chasing your own parachute through the clouds to avoid certain death – is hilarious, and so of course the actual game isn’t really any fun. Figures…
Origin (400pts) – Thank you for creating a different take on Breakout. The only problem is that it’s exactly as awful as regular Breakout.
War: The Card Game Advanced (80pts) – “…with a twist!” is often a legitimate way to describe something, but in the case of XBLI it’s usually a red flag. The twist is either nowhere to be found, or completely undesirable. War is the latter, adding button mashing to one of the worst card games in the history of the world.
Velocity (80pts) – Velocity isn’t too terrible – it’s like those light and rotating mirror puzzles that are in so many games. The problem is that it’s far too difficult and uninviting from the start to keep most people interested.
Hypnotizing (80pts)
2GoVids Rachel Star Stunt Show (80pts)
Fire (80pts)
Chillax HD (80pts)
Thanks for Reading!
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