When giving AAA titles becomes too mainstream, give the gift of indie to your gaming-orientated friends and family. 2011 has been a huge year for indie games and there's a great number of indie gems to choose from.
Bastion
If there's one indie game that everyone should pick up this year, it’s SuperGiant Games' Bastion. Its unique fusion of awesome isometric action-RPG gameplay and solid presentation (particularly the excellent narration) made for one of the most compelling experiences of the year and it makes a perfect gift for any gamer.
Dungeon Defenders
The PC version of Trendy Entertainment’s Dungeon Defenders has been a long time coming, but now that it’s finally here, it’s clear that it was well worth the wait. This awesome fusion of tower defense and RPG makes a perfect gift for gamers looking for something non-shooter related to play online.
Payday: The Heist
Games like Left 4 Dead show that working together as a team can be an absolute blast and Payday: The Heist is one of the first games to take the concept of Left 4 Dead’s cooperative online gameplay and run with it in a different direction. Rather than a group of survivors fighting off hordes of zombies, players take control of a group of criminals orchestrating various bank robberies. Its brutal (but fun) multiplayer gameplay would make a great gift for fans of Valve’s zombie shooters and Steam offers a four-pack of the game at a discount, making it easier than ever to turn your friends into hardened criminals.
Magicka
Magicka has been one of the big surprise games of 2011. Its chaotic spell casting gameplay is without a doubt one of the most fun gaming experiences of the year and the game only becomes more enjoyable when you throw friends into the equation. There’s never been a better time to gift your friend Magicka and get them into the wizard filled fun.
The Binding of Isaac
This unique fusion of arcade gameplay and roguelike dungeon crawling from the guy behind Super Meat Boy makes an absolutely stellar gift for any gamer looking for something cool, unique and challenging and at the especially low price of $5, its awesome gameplay comes with great value.
Dungeons of Dredmor
The roguelike genre has been quiet for the longest time, but earlier this year, fans of one of gaming’s most unique sub-genres were treated to the humorous pop-culture infused dungeon crawling of Dungeons of Dredmor. Much like The Binding of Isaac, there's a ton of value here and if the person you have in mind has any interest in dungeon crawlers and roguelikes, Dungeons of Dredmor will make an awesome gift for them.
Space Pirates and Zombies
Similar to the roguelike genre, there haven’t been too many great space games in recent years. While Space Pirates and Zombies is only 2D, it makes up for it in the sheer amount of dynamically generated content in the game. With over hundreds of planets to visit and thousands of ways to build your ship,
SPAZ makes an exceptional gift for your space faring friends.
