Independent games can be classified as games that are developed without money from a third party, typically known as the publisher. The developer may eventually get a distribution deal with a publisher, but the game itself was financed internally. It is exceptionally sweet when independent games are so good that they beat many of the games out there that have bloated budgets and are still average or just lame. Here are two independent titles that I feel deserve top honors among the greatest video games of all time.

Alien Hominid began as a small but very fun Flash game released on the Internet back in 2002. It starred a cute little alien packing a big gun as he blasts through an army of FBI agents and large bosses. The popularity of the game convinced the developers to officially start a development company and create a full version of the game for home consoles, and Alien Hominid now shines as one of the great side-scrolling shooters along with the likes of the Metal Slug series. The game improved upon the colorful, richly animated graphics and frantic shooting of the original, as well as expanding from a few levels to 16. Then there's the melee attacks, the vehicles (including a Yeti) the alien hominid can ride, Missile Mastar, the mini games creator... Ahhh, just go play it now!

Released just last year, Gish plopped onto the scene as one of the most unique and enjoyable side-scrollers ever made. The game's protagonist is a 12-pound ball of tar named Gish, and the story begins when his girlfriend is kidnapped and taken into the underground lost city of Dross. From there the player takes control of Gish in a physics-based adventure through the dangerous terrain of the underground corridors. Every part of Gish's glob of a body changes to compensate for environmental obstacles, and he is aided by unique abilities such as sticking to walls, slipping through tight spots, and hardening to crush enemies. The game also features several secrets referencing side-scrollers of the past and dozens upon dozens of extra levels created by the developers and fans. The innovation and creativity in Gish shows that the side-scroller genre is far from dead.

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	honestgamer - December 01, 2005 (04:23 PM) I don't recall hearing about Gish? What system was it released for and who published it? Was it an officially licensed game or something homebrew?
	subsane - December 01, 2005 (06:24 PM) It's a PC platformer by a developer called Chronic Logic. It's a great physics-based game (you'll see what I mean if you play it) that sort of references platformers of the past.