What makes this event so exciting are the new ideas being thrown out to the crowd, innovations, and completely honest commentary on what goes into creating an independent game.  You can feel the creative energy in the air and when you leave the summit – you’re possessed with some inherent indie verve.

What have I learned this year?  Here are my newly discovered indie principles...

Zipper Interactive, creators of the popular SOCOM game series, have made their first sortie into PS3 territory with their massive first-person-shooter, MAG.  The game promises huge 256 player battles delivered exclusively online, on PlayStation Network.  This technological feat, along with player customization, and the fine-tuned trappings of a current-gen FPS attempt to edge this past competition like Modern Warfare 2. 

Does Zipper Interactive succeed?  Hit the jump for the full review.

I’ll start by saying; Bayonetta is pure, unadulterated, fun.  It’s a game that represents the complete package – game-play, art, sound, and character.  I personally can never seem to find the time to play all the games that constantly accrue on my entertainment center, but I kept coming back to Bayonetta for more.

Hit the jump for the full review!

Slick Entertainment's Scrap Metal

The dynamic duo that make up Slick Entertainment, Kees Rijnen and Nick Waanders, gave a presentation on their journey to their first indie game launch.  Their first title built under Slick Entertainment is titled “Scrap Metal” and will be released tomorrow, March 10^th on XBOX Live Arcade.  The fast paced racing combat game was built completely on internal proprietary tools by only two people.

Hit the jump to read more!

As someone with big hands, I usually find it difficult to keep a good grasp on the standard PS3 controller.  It’s definitely a bit smaller than my preferred XBOX controller, and the shoulder buttons drop off drastically.  This makes it so your fingers sometimes get tired, or slip off if you have large mitts like me.  While searching for a quick and cheap solution I ended up finding a product by PDP (Performance Designed Products.)

Hit the jump for more details!

The “Wolfire Experiment” is what John Graham calls his public relations tactic.  I can only describe Graham as a PR pioneer within the indie developer community.  His role as PR Manager on Wolfire’s flagship title, “Overgrowth,” has allowed him to develop some refreshing strategies on how to get your game out there to the masses.

Jonathan Soderstrom, aka Cactus, gave a presentation on how to abuse players “just for fun.”  Cactus is well known in the independent game community for creating unusual games within YoYo Game’s “Game Maker” software.  They often involve trippy visuals and 100% unique gameplay. 

Why should you abuse your players you ask?  Cactus supplies the reasons!

Hit the jump for more details!

In Spring 2010 Microsoft Game Studios plans to release "Game Room" functionality for Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows LIVE users.  I've been reading through the details and I can't say I'm overly excited.  Perhaps it's my age or it could be the fact that I don't see the value in the virtual "game cabinets," but I'm curious to see how this new venture will turn out.

Hit the jump for more details!

The focus of this year’s Sony Press Event is on its new motion controller titled “Move.”  The name may not ring a bell, but the trademark “glowing orbs” atop its black plastic remotes may bring the image to mind from it’s prior announcements during CES.

To find out more what transpired at this year's event, hit the jump.