Unveiled back in February, Space Nomads is a co-op first person tower defense game with some light sandbox elements set in a procedurally-generated world. It's being developed by a two man team called Loading Studios, and progress is being made at a steady clip. A new video has recently been released showing off a few of the enemies that will appear in the upcoming alpha release. As you might have guessed with a game that strands you on a desert-like alien world, each of these enemies is furry, cuddly, and eager to give you hugs and kisses!

The thrice-yearly Ludum Dare competition recently wrapped up its 26th round of lightning-speed game development challenges, receiving over 2,300 submissions from game creators the world over. Participants are allotted a scant 48 hours to make a game from start to finish, each one working from a central theme. This time around that theme was "minimalism", teaching us all a lesson about doing a lot using very little. Or something like that.

At this point in time, what with all the Minecrafts and Terrarias loose in the world, the words "dynamic" and "sandbox" don't carry the same raw excitement they once did. It's neat putting blocks in places and building cute houses to live in, but how about some meat on those bones, right? Son of Nor, an action adventure game currently in development (and on Kickstarter) by stillalive studios, is shaping up to be a lot of meat.

In part one of our interview with Chris Park, Founder/CEO/Lead Programmer/Lead Designer of Arcen Games, we discussed Arcen's unique approach to game design and development; specifically, how none of their games can really be classified by one genre but are an amalgam of different concepts and mechanics. We then discussed one of their recent releases, A Valley Without Wind 2. In part two of the interview, we turn our focus to Shattered Haven and what lies ahead.

It seems like only yesterday that we brought word of Guns of Icarus Online's latest Kickstarter campaign, this time to expand the game beyond its current Skirmish/PVP mode into the realm of PvE and co-op. As of yesterday, Muse Games has hit their Kickstarter goal, which is good news for all of us. Meeting that goal means that the New York based developer can begin in earnest to develop and release the "Adventure Mode."

While Sanctum developer Coffee Stain Studios is busy trumpeting Sanctum 2, the IndieFort Spring Bundle would like to remind us that the original game is still around and is still awesome. Featured as part of a five game package, Sanctum fuses first person shooting and tower defense into one seamless experience. And yes, the four player online co-op is as good as you want it to be.

A curious new first person shooter recently hit GOG.com. Signal Ops from Space Bullet Dynamics Corp. puts you in charge of a squad of operatives carrying out a series of espionage missions. You know, things like stealing secrets, planting evidence, assassinating targets, and just generally being a destructive little spy. The interesting thing is that Signal Ops makes use of multiple points of view, allowing you to monitor and work with your squad like some sort of totally non-creepy boss. Did you really need to go to the bathroom that urgently, Jenkins?

Arcen Games is on a roll. With A Valley Without Wind 2 hitting just a few months ago, the team has already shipped a new release. Shattered Haven is a top-down action adventure game stuffed with roguelike elements that just appeared on GOG.com. It even has a two player local co-op feature, just in case you want to sit down with a friend and outwit some zombies.

Described as "Ratchet & Clank meets Zelda meets Uncharted", Oliver & Spike: Dimension Jumpers is an upcoming indie platform adventure game that has high aspirations. Some new details have recently been released about the game, emphasizing its unique story-driven content, dimension jumping abilities, and family-friendly gameplay.

As of this moment, Legend of Dungeon is available to purchase. The 2.5D sidescrolling roguelike takes a page from old school brawlers like Double Dragon and wraps everything in a moody, dynamically-lit RPG shell, complete with randomly generated content. The result is a challenging and great-looking game that throws everything at you from snakes to crawling things that latch onto your face.

The tower defense/FPS hybrid Sanctum turned more than a few heads when it was released in 2011. It got enough attention that developer Coffee Stain Studios announced a sequel the very next year and has been hard at work ever since, building the game's engine anew and incorporating loads of player feedback. Now, Sanctum 2 is being teased out in small doses, and the first delivery includes just enough eye candy to get our attention.

Still hard at work on their punk rock-inspired brawler/RPG Charlie Murder, Ska Studios recently released a trailer teasing some more information about the upcoming co-op XBLA game. Introduced and narrated by a dishwasher and a unicorn, the trailer shares some behind the scenes info on the game's development, including new tidbits about customizable clothing and character upgrades via tattoos. Quite a bit of gameplay footage is also shown.

It's co-op dungeon fighting time! Jochum Skoglund and Niklas Myrberg's Gauntlet-inspired Hammerwatch is still under heavy development, but the duo has already released a demo to make sure we stay excited. The teaser includes the entire first act of the game, complete with secrets, money, shops, a bonus level and a boss. Three of the four classes are currently playable, and co-op play for up to four players (online, local or LAN) is ready to roll.

Part strategy, part platformer, part RPG, part board game. A Valley Without Wind 2 takes a lot of different elements and throws them together in a single release. The crazy thing is it works, and it works really well. A massive improvement over the original and a superb game in its own right, A Valley Without Wind 2 is a deep and rewarding strategy game that's going to collect groups of extremely devoted fans.

Recently unveiled by Loading Studios, Space Nomads is a sandbox-style game that makes heavy use of resource gathering, building, crafting, exploration, and ample amounts of combat. The concept is still in its early stages but already looks great, mixing elements from games like Sanctum and Minecraft and promising online co-op play for Windows, Mac and Linux users.