Indie bundles are the next (current?) big thing.  A bunch of cool games for dirt cheap… bonuses for buying early or above the average price… who doesn't think they're awesome?

But with all the bundles coming out lately, it's a little hard to keep track of the games being showcased, and how the bundles actually work… and that's what I'm here to help with!  I'll be reviewing the latest indie bundles, telling you what's going on, giving information about the games and bonuses, and generally letting you see if the bundle is worth your time and money.  So, go ahead and read on:  I did all the research for you.

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Indie Royale New Year Bundle

The new year is upon us, and Indie Royale wants the bring in 2012 with a bunch of new indie games for you to enjoy.  But before we gets into the meat of the games, let's explain a bit more about how Indie Royale works.

How does this one work?
The Indie Royale bundle works a little differently than the standard 'pay what you want' bundle.  The bundle starts at the minimum price of $2.99, and the price will then fluctuate depending on how much the buyers pay.  If you pay the minimum, the price goes up by a penny for everyone else; if you pay slightly above the average, the price will stay stagnant; and if you pay $10 or more, it will lower the price for everyone else.  Needless to say, it's better to buy earlier to get the cheaper price, but I've rarely seen the bundles go past the $5 mark… though this one might make it above that mark!

Indie Royale is also unique in that you can pre-order the bundle for $3.99.  While that ensures that you get the bundle for a decent price, you don't get to know what games are in the bundle until it officially launches, so you only have a few hints to know if you'll even want the bundle.

What do I get?
The New Year bundle comes with four games for the Mac and PC:  Nuclear Dawn, Fractal, Max & The Magic Marker, and Super Crossfire.  Three of them can be downloaded DRM-free for the PC and Mac (Nuclear Dawn is the odd game out). Nuclear Dawn is only available on Steam, and two others (Max & The Magic Marker and Fractal) come with Steam codes.  Three out of the four games also come with a Desura code (Nuclear Dawn is again the odd man out).

…Long story short, you can't get everything unless you have Steam, but one of the games is unavailable on the platform, so you'll have to decide whether you want to download Super Crossfire or redeem its code on Desura.

What about extras?
Indie Royale gives out a fair amount of extras, though it's no where near the insane amount of stuff that something like the Humble Indie Bundle gives.  However, given the way Indie Royale works, you don't have to pay but a penny or two extra above the minimum price to get all of the goodies.  Indie Royale also gives more extras based on how much it makes, so the more people that buy it, the more cool stuff everyone gets!

Anyway, here's a list of the extras.  Make sure to check back here often… this will get updated every time a new extra is released!

• Pay above the minimum price and receive George & Jonathan's album 'Beautiful Lifestyle'
• January 6th – Free downloads of the OSTs os Max & The Magic Marker, Fractal, and Super Crossfire
• January 6th – A download of the soundtrack to the iPad game Pulse
• January 6th – Get the 'Fun with Swarms' software toy

Is that all?
Of course not!  Head on over to Page 2 to learn about the base games for the New Year Bundle or this link to go to the Indie Royale New Year Bundle page.
 

New Year Bundle Games

Nuclear Dawn
Metacritic Score: 71 | Metacritic User Score: 8.0 | GameRankings Score: 69.69%
Nuclear Dawn is an interesting mix of real-time strategy and first-person shooter.  You take control of a soldier in, as you might expect, a post-apocalyptic post-nuclear war world.  Instead of being an 'on-rails' FPS like many big-name titles are accused of nowadays, Nuclear Dawn instead takes a strategic approach, making you think about your weaponry and ally units, and how to use everyone's strengths to your advantage.  It get relatively mixed reviews by critics, but the general crowd seemed to think more positively about it, so it is a game probably based on taste.

Max & The Magic Marker
Metacritic Score: 71 |  Metacritic User Score: N/A | GameRankings Score: N/A
In Max & The Magic Marker, our hero Max decides to draw some pictures with a marker he has found… and his pictures then come to life!  Unfortunately, the monster Max has drawn is wrecking havoc, and it's up to him with his newfound power to stop the menace.  This is a platforming title, with the twist of being able to draw platforms and other objects with your marker, sort of like Drawn to Life, but… better implemented and more limited in what you can draw.  While this has been released on a bunch of consoles already, it's likely best to play with the accuracy of a mouse.

Fractal
Metacritic Score: N/A | Metacritic User Score: N/A | GameRankings Score: 77.50%
Fractal is a musical/puzzler hybrid, with an slick and clean artstyle.  The game itself looks a bit like Hexic, but don't mistake it for a clone, because it plays very differently.  The goal is to turn pieces on the board into same-colored 'blooms' (which usually consists of one piece in the middle with pieces surrounding it on all sides, though you can add pieces too) by pushing your own pieces onto the board.  This leads into a strategic aspect, as you push pieces in and out of the board, and then power-ups are thrown in to complicate matters.  It certainly seems to be an interesting puzzle game, and the music reacts in nice ways to the way you play.

Super Crossfire
Metacritic Score: N/A | Metacritic User Score: N/A | GameRankings Score: N/A
Super Crossfire is Indie Royale's exclusive game for the New Year Bundle:  The game was only released on iOS before this point, so owning the game on PC, Mac, or Desura is a good temptation to buy the bundle.  Super Crossfire is a shooter with a cool twist; you can change your ship from the bottom to the top of the screen at any time, and vice versa.  This gives you an interesting perspective in the game, and allows to you tackle enemies in a whole new way.  You can also upgrade your ship to help survive the five-chapter long story with new weaponry and better ship specs.  It seems like a meaty game, and might possibly be the New Year Bundle's star of the show.