Five Games to Watch From the Heart of San Francisco

The City by the Bay is fast becoming a hotbed for independent game development. Discover five future hits from this young community.

Game development can be a scary business. Whether you are a team of one or one thousand, the pressures of game design--fixing bugs, addressing fans, and dealing with nosy journalists--can be a lot to handle. Having some support from your peers can help prevent a lot of headaches.

Across the United States and around the globe, game development communities are taking shape and providing assistance for developers old and new. And, as with so many other creative pursuits, the city of San Francisco is once again at the forefront of this scene.

This week you will get a sneak peek at five games from the burgeoning Bay Area development community. Each day this week a new game will be revealed. On Saturday, take a behind-the-scenes look at what makes the San Francisco community so special--straight from the developers themselves. These reveals will happen at 11 a.m. Pacific time, so be sure to check back every day.

UPDATE: This feature is now complete with all five San Francisco indie selections. To cap it off, here is the promised interview round table with all five development teams. Thanks again to everyone who participated, and to you at home for reading. Now click on to learn more about the community these developers have helped build.

MONDAY, 01/28/13

A Virus Named TOM

TUESDAY, 01/29/13

Sub Rosa

WEDNESDAY, 01/30/13

Super Comboman

THURSDAY, 01/31/13

Fist Puncher

FRIDAY, 02/01/13

Overgrowth

Maxwell McGee
By Maxwell McGee, Editor

Maxwell McGee earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Arkansas, and has contributed to The Escapist, GamePro, PC Gamer, and more. His introduction to video games was Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Sega Genesis, and he has never looked back. He welcomes your feedback through the site, or Twitter.

37 comments
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inkyspot
inkyspot

Super Comboman looks hot, I am interested in that one.

icjman
icjman

@inkyspot Thanks for the vote of confidence we appreciate it. We are definitely working hard on Super Comboman to make sure it is fun!

blackace
blackace like.author.displayName 1 Like

This game looks great. I wish there was more to the environment (trees, bushes, other wildlife, cabins, ponds, etc.). I also wish there were other animal enemies to fight like bears, gorilla, lions, etc.. The combat system is pretty tight though. great counters, dodging and various martial arts moves. Even stealth moves to finish the enemy quickly. Adding weapons is the icing on the cake. Some of the animation needs to be changed though. The jumping across platforms doesn't look right. I agree with RogerioFM & keyb0red about that. That was the very first flaw I saw in the game. Also, the rabbit should be able to run on all 4 legs as well. The speed he's running on all 4 legs should be the speed he's running on 2 legs. When he's running on 2 legs it should be slower. The game still needs a lot of work, but it has huge potential, that's for sure. Lugaru looked fun as well. I watched the videos for that game. May give it a try.

Ignore my comments about Double Dragon reboot below. That was for the Fist Puncher game. I posted the comment on the wrong page it seems.

blackace
blackace

This looks like a reboot of Double Dragon. I like all the little extras like leveling up. upgrading your attributes and adding different movies to your fighter. Looks like fun. I'd pick this up if it came out on XBLA.

starduke
starduke

Lugaru was a great game, I can't wait to see what Overgrowth will be like!

gashoe13
gashoe13

Overgrowth looks amazing! The combat looks legitimately intense and what I always wanted from a video game for close-quarters combat. Timing, intensity, and realism.

Minishdriveby
Minishdriveby

I totally remember Lugaru! I use to play that game all the time in middle school when I was suppose to be doing work in class.

amdreallyfast
amdreallyfast

I do like the look of Overgrowth.  I hope that it doesn't fall into the quagmire of the developer getting obsessed about every little thing so much that it never comes to fruition.

RogerioFM
RogerioFM

I don't like the way the Bunny jumps, but overgrowth should be fine.

jflkdjs
jflkdjs

Overgrowth looks interesting. I like the character movements.

alzeer1
alzeer1

hahaha overgrowth 

60:07

best wake up and attack hahaha

DrummerLocnar
DrummerLocnar like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

if they're highlighting great indie games from san francisco, what about Natural Selection 2?  (still a top game on steam)

abernazz
abernazz

final fantas 8 needs to be remade the gf system in my opinion was not broken it was a great system if you knew what you were doing.

abernazz
abernazz

ff8 was the greatest! update the graphics leave everything else the same but maybe add an extra mini game. i dont believe the gf system was broken just hard to get used to if you played the other ff's.

LoG-Sacrament
LoG-Sacrament like.author.displayName 1 Like

Don't punch the nazis. You're falling into their cycle of violence.

blackace
blackace

SubRosa looks like crap to me. Looks like an old Atari 2600 game. Super Comboman looks good though. I'd like to play the demo of this game when it's ready. Some decent animation.

icjman
icjman

@blackace Made late but thanks for the comment about Super Comboman. Sub Rosa has great gameplay and is definitely in its early stages. A lot of blocked out models and textures in order to get the gameplay working. You should try it, you might dig it.

Chupacabra3332
Chupacabra3332

Just played Sub Rosa yesterday, some guys are very friendly and some guys take the game too serious.

Very addictive game.  Its like "Minecraft meets Heat the movie"

SsangyongKYRON
SsangyongKYRON

Sub Rosa looks awesome, it's like Minecraft in a city.

Oddjob138
Oddjob138 like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

Erghh.... Please make the vids iOS friendly.

geitenvla
geitenvla

Wow, the original version was made in 7 days. Who can tell?

Arbalon
Arbalon

Hello all... I have a QUESTION.. I search SUB ROSA GAME in the browser, is crypticsea the place I download it from?

Verenti
Verenti

Five games... Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday... Saturday? Is Saturday a recap? Will one game be featured twice? Is one game to watch, but not from the bay area? Are there six games?

Your apparent contradiction hurts my little nerd brain.

jinzo9988
jinzo9988

@Verenti Nerds know how to read.  You can't have a nerd brain.  =p

Verenti
Verenti

@jinzo9988 @Verenti Nah, I'm too busy for anything more than the executive summary.

BlackLabel677
BlackLabel677

@Verenti "On Saturday, take a behind-the-scenes look at what makes the San Francisco community so special--straight from the developers themselves."

Jlanger96
Jlanger96 like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

One thing that all children and teens should realize as I did is the fact that I would never want to go into war or join an army as I can see from the numerous FPS games how easily it is to be killed.

blackace
blackace

@Jlanger96 

Who would? Luckily for me, none of the military would ever take me. I'm safe from that crap. 

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