Emerging from the shadows of what would have been obscurity 10 years ago; indie games are now a booming and thriving sector of the game industry. It seems like I'm constantly being bombarded with amazing little games from small and often independent studios that are striking out to make the interesting games that the big boys refuse or are unable to gamble on. It's what makes small business so lively and exciting; they have the ability to be nimble and innovative and the cream that rises to the top is especially delectable. Now if only Pie were able to get a taste of that sweet savory satisfaction instead of a face full of foul gunk.

When she and I played the demo on the PS3, we were pretty happy with how Limbo played out; it was interesting enough to necessitate further investigation. We found it odd that the hero could drown in waist-deep forest ponds but had no problems downing spiders 20 times his size - such is the crazy logic of this games world. When it popped up on the Thanksgiving Steam sale for $2.50, I was quick to hit it and I must say I could not quit it. I was quite happy with its 4-hours of interesting design and ultra soft-core "I Wanna Be The Guy" play-style, where death is inevitable and trial and error are your implements of progress. Quick wit would suffice too, but it should be plainly obvious I am deficient in that skill.

There has been a lot of buzz revolving around Skyward Sword lately, and I must say Pie and I are equally interested in grabbing it as soon as we can. We have been trying to suppress the desire to sell body parts to buy the tempting limited edition version with soundtrack and Wii-mote; and so far I am happy to report that we have not yet traveled to the organ shop south of the border. Of course, if I don't see it coming, maybe I won't mind parting with a kidney for the opportunity to save Zelda once more.

To cope with the withdrawal, I picked up Phantom Hourglass, a game in our library but one I passed up for one reason or another. Ughh...it's just not the same. Playing Spirit Tracks (ST) before Phantom Hourglass (PH) ruined the experience for me, and I feel like my palette cannot possible be satiated knowing how vastly superior ST is. The controls are the biggest hindrance; it is quite obvious that Nintendo learned a great deal from PH because everything comes together fluidly and intuitively in the stylus controls for ST. You can slash anywhere on screen, Link builds and maintains momentum and the controls are just tighter.

Terraria went up on Steam for sale yesterday; Pie and I nabbed it and are looking forward to what it has to offer; mostly the very fun looking boss battles. We were turned onto the game by the Extra Credits team, who now reside at Penny Arcade TV due to the break-up with The Escapist. I've recommended them a couple times in the past; they have great insights on the industry and deserve a visit!