Been busy getting back to working on my comic, so I haven't been uploading as much as I would have liked to lately (got some pieces I want to get started on to share with NG hopefully very soon though), but in the meantime, here's my selection for the Best of May.
No. 1. Cathode Raybits 2. By SinclairStrange
A fun little run 'n gun that faithfully recreates the NES atmosphere from games like Mega Man, Power Blade, and Contra. Very well put together, so it gets my number one vote.
No. 2. TD-Kids and Money. By Raziberry
While technically (no pun intedended) not the best animated short, the commentary in this is funny, witty and unfortunately very true. Reminded me a lot of the years I spent at university, for better or worse.
No. 3. Final Commando. By ShooterMG
Another run 'n gun, but with fewer mechanics to amp up the difficulty, and a nice upgrade system to entice replays. I had a lot of fun with this one.
No. 4. Little Doorman. By Wolfenheim
A well made short with a very sweet message about sacrificing happiness to help others. I thought the lack of mourning from the little denizens over those the Doorman couldn't save was a bit of a missed oppurtunity to insert a message about loss, but I get there's only so much you can work into two and a half minutes of animation. It's still a really good short.
No. 5. Apocashop. By kylechu
Apocashop is a great idea that puts a twist on the role gamers play in RPG worlds. This time you're not the hero, but the merchant who decides whether or not to equip heros and villains with the weapons they need while keeping your business from going bust. Simple, but good fun.
No. 6. NWAR: Cold Open. By danmarkowitz
NWAR has become my favourite series on NG over the last year. The puns and wordplay here are priceless, and the episodes just keep getting better. If you haven't seen NWAR before, I cannot recommend it highly enough.
No. 7. Vortex Point 7. By DeathTiger0
I've only become familiar with DeathTiger0's games very recently thanks to "Anita's Camp" but I'm fast becoming a big fan of their work. I've yet to finish one of their games without reaching for the walkthrough, but everything here is very well made. And the background art in this is especially beautiful.
No. 8. Daydreams. By Verna-C
There's some nice surreal imagery going on here that I really grew to like the more I watched. Probably because there's no hint of pretentiousness that usually accompanies what's passed off as surreal art. This, to me, is what surrealism is supposed to be. A representation of the unconscious.
No. 9. Taco Trump Down. By esayitch
Political persuasions aside, this is a lot of laughs and a lot of fun. I've been telling everyone I know who isn't on NG about this gem. Esayitch has a real knack for making simple games with an interesting theme that keeps me coming back for more.
No. 10. Magic Cat. By AlecArts & EthanBurnsides
Magic Cat is a very short animation (only 50 seconds long), but the character designs and animation by AlecArts, combined with the lovely backgrounds by EthanBurnsides made this a joy to watch. I'm looking forward to seeing what these guys come up with in the future, whether its collaborative or solo works.
And there you have it. My top ten selections for the Best of May. Enjoy the rest of the week and have a cruisy weekend y'all.