Indie and other games of interest: Gravity Bear formally announced, Frogger Returns, Shadow of Destiny confirmed

Another banner week for news regarding indie and other games of interest.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine may make it onto PC after all, 3D Dot Game Heroes is coming to North America, Nostalgia is now available, The Void sounds awesome, King Arthur: The Role-playing Wargame has finally gotten a release date, Eufloria has a demo, and version 2.6 of the Unity Platform is now free.

There's tons more stuff after the break, too. Surely there is something that interests you should you click onward.

• Flagship co-founder Phil Shenk may have formed Gravity Bear back in December of 2008, but he's just now getting around to formally announcing the new independent studio focused on social games. Currently, the firm's at work on an original IP, promising "evergreen" social gaming that evolves as players interact within it. There's more through Gamasutra, including the firm's commitment statement.

• Critter Crunch and Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes developers Capybara Games are working on a zombie game. This is according to government funding papers found by GamerBytes. Rumored to be released for handheld or digital outlets, Zombie Tactics is a "mixture of strategy gameplay elements into the horror genre, dropping players into the heart of a devastating zombie apocalypse with nothing but their wits to get them out alive. As players fend for themselves, they will search for other survivors to add to their team, scavenge for weapons and supplies, and fight their way to freedom through an array of city settings." Strangely enough, the document was filed back in February, and we're just now hearing about it.

• The same government funding paper, also brought to light was DrinkBox Studios' latest project called, About A Blob. Apparently, in the game, "an innocent little creature grows and grows until it defeats mankind and consumes the planet." Poor little fella. Sounds like he will be lonely in the end. And hungry.

• GoG.com has added Larian Studios' Divine Divinity for $5.99. It comes with a free soundtrack, artwork and wallpapers, along with avatars and a prose-filled short story that is actually a prequel to the game's lore. The sequel, Beyond Divinity, will also be added in the future. Also added this week was JoWood's Dark Fall: The Journal for $5.99. The XXv Productions developed game is a horror-style adventure game where you must help your brother - who's been restoring a train station and hotel - and something evil is afoot trying to stop you. There's free DLC for the game that will be made available to you once you have purchased the original title.

• According to a Twitter post from SonyPlayStation, 3D Dot Game Heroes is coming to North America. Here's the tweet: "No need to import - 3D Dot Game Heroes for PS3 is DEFINITELY coming to NA! Spread the word, more to come." No word yet on when or how much, but it's coming.

• Majesco sent us over a press release, announcing that Ghostwire: Link to the Paranormal is headed to DSi in late 2010. "In Ghostwire: Link to the Paranormal, players are challenged to find and capture apparitions trapped within their own environment by using the Nintendo DSi Camera and ghost tuner to access alternative frequencies beyond the standard Wi-Fi range. Spirits, shadows and demons all have their own personalities, so finding and "solving" them is anything but easy. Some are shy. Some are evil. And some will only interact with you if you bring them something they want. What's more, factors like time of day and light levels will further challenge your ghost hunting abilities, but a wide range of upgradeable equipment is available to help you communicate with the other side." More can be found through here.

• Ignition Entertainment announced this week that Nostalgia is now available for DS. In the RPG, players enter a world set in an alternate 19th century filled with airship battles, treasure hunts, and dungeon combat. Quests take players through the air and over oceans to Tokyo, London, St. Petersburg, Rio, New York and Cairo. Cool.

• An online petition trying to convince THQ and Relic to release the upcoming Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine onto PC as well as console. The devs' response? "We’re always looking at feedback on forums and know there are lots of people who are interested in a PC version. If we continue to see a strong desire for a PC version of Space Marine, who knows what might happen." Keep hope alive. Thanks, RPS.

• Konami has announced Frogger Returns for WiiWare and PSN. It's the same Frogger you all know an love, only this time he gets some cool power-ups that either freeze or reverse time. The game is 12-times the size of the original, has new control options, and is rendered in 3D. Frogger Returns is expected to land on both systems this fall. From the press release: Streets, sewers, subways, and numerous other obstacles and enemies are in play - all for the sake of keeping Frogger away from returning home! Players can go head-to-head in timed capture-the-pad races, as well as compete with friends by showing off their best scores." Awesome.

• Paul Davis has announced that a demo for Medal Wars is now available on PC. The action-RPG is a catroon style game set during World War I where you play as a replacement captain attempting to turn the tide of the war against the Black Army. Playing as a Rifleman, Shotgunner, or Machinegunner, you must venture towards the frontline in search of a diabolical Secret Weapon. There are 24 different areas with missions and features, a body-targeting system enabling head and foot shots, an onscreen inventory, and full multiplayer support for both Local Area Network and internet. Check out the official website here.

• Those who are interested in Runic Games’ Torchlight can play a demo for the game via Steam. If you are not a member or subscriber, don't worry, it will be landed elsewhere as well soon. Give it a shot. It's rather fun.

• The Void was released this week in the UK, and in it you play a "mute, incorporeal soul trapped between life and death in a land which looks like a nuclear bomb test site redesigned by a feng shui master, and your only means of interacting with the world is the removal and application of color from a first person perspective." Holy s**t. According to GameSetWatch, the game deserves as much of a "fat slice of your time and money as Machinarium". Looking over the Wikipedia page for it, we can't find a reason to argue about it. See for yourself.

• Konami has confirmed via press release that Shadow of Destiny (Memories) will land on PSP sometime during 2010. Outed by the ESRB back in August, the game players step into the role of Eike, a 22-year old man who's trying to solve his own murder. Using a special time travel device, players guide Eike through multiple time eras ranging between the 1500s, to present day, to find clues that unlock the mystery behind his death. What you do in the past will affect the present, and the game includes a number of multiple endings that can be unlocked through choices made throughout the game. This bit of news should make plenty of people happy campers. Is that phrase too 1980's?

• Unity Technologies has released version 2.6 of its Unity Platform is now available at no cost. Originally it would have cost you around $200, and while Unity Pro will continue to cost $1,499, this kit should get you well on your way to creating. “Unity Technologies has always believed that the best technology and products should be made available to all developers. We want to accelerate the availability of high quality interactive content,“ said CEO David Helgason. "With the explosive growth in new platforms and performance improvement in our Unity suite of products, we believe that there are no technical hurdles remaining for high quality interactive content everywhere. Now we are removing financial hurdles as well. Unity is mature enough and easy enough to use that it can be the entry point for those developers taking their first steps with the technology.” Get it here.

• Eufloria, previously titled Dyson, has demo available should you decide to give Alex May and Rudolf Kremers' strategy title a go before you drop the cash. People seem to like it. The game has a single player campaign with 25 levels, a skirmish mode with 8 additional levels, procedural content that makes each play session unique, a soundtrack with over 2 hours of music created by Brian Grainger, AKA Milieu, and an almost completely mouse-based interface. It's available for purchase through Steam, the official Dyson store, and D2D.

• IGN has five new screens for the indie XBLA game, The Misadventures of Mr. P.B. Winterbottom. This one is definitely on our radar, and we just want it more and more every time we see something on it. It's not just because we like how it looks, or pie, or get tickled when reading the word Winterbottom. Not at all. It just looks interesting and fun. Okay. We lied. It's a combination of all, really. Game's out in the early part of 2010 from 2K.

• Iceberg Interactive has released Dracula Trilogy and Syberia Collection in the UK. Produced by Microïds, the Dracula Trilogy contains the re-mastered versions of Dracula I: Resurrection, Dracula 2: The Sanctuary and Dracula 3: Path of the Dragon, with the latter never having been released in the UK before. The Syberia Collection consists of re-mastered versions of both Syberia games and the first game by Sokal, Amerzone. More through here, and you can see Dracula screens over on Gamespot.

• Avanquest Software and MumboJumbo released 7 Wonders II for DS this week. The puzzler requires players to match or swap items into groups of three or more just like the original PC version. Each level features a playing field covered in up to seven different types of ancient symbols, representing The Seven Wonders of the Forgotten World. Set against a backdrop of forgotten cities, hidden treasure and ancient relics, players must use the stylus to drag the colored tiles across the game board and make matching sets before the time runs out. There's also a number of power-ups and bonuses that can be collected along the way to help complete challenges quickly such as an Ice Ball, earned by matching four symbols and used for removing tiles in a horizontal line. There's also the Fire Ball which eliminates icons vertically and horizontally after five tiles are linked. Bonuses are gained by dropping building blocks onto certain marked squares. A Clock Stopper bonus freezes time for 20 seconds and a Chameleon bonus can change the color of any icon on the grid. There is also a Story Mode, where you participate in building each of the Seven Wonders, or Free Play Mode, starting from any level already completed in Story Mode. The Seven Wonders of the Forgotten World that need to be built are Stonehenge, the Colosseum, the Taj Mahal, the Shwedagon Pagoda, Angkor Wat, the Great Wall of China and the Moai Statues. Sounds fun.

• Point-and-click adventure game Trauma explores the dreams of a young woman who was injured in a car accident and is recovering in a hospital. In the game, players learn her identity and her loss of her parents through different dreams. A series of photographs that players can zoom in, pan around, and investigate with different mouse gestures is the basis of the game, and Krystian Majewski - the developer - says that "it builds upon this established formula by introducing a gesture-based interface, real-time 3D technology for dynamic level layouts, unique photographic visuals and a level design philosophy that focuses on creating a rich experience rather than an elaborate puzzle challenge." Designed for a "mature audience", more infomation on the game can be found through here and here. The game is expected to be released sometime before the end of the year for free of charge.

• Free-to-play shooter Combat Arms has a new map called Grave Digger out now. Located in a monastery near a small central European city, the new map supports Elimination, Elimination Pro, Capture the Flag and One Man Army games. More information is available through the official website.

• Arkedo has released its new game SWAP! SWAP!, a dual-stick action puzzle game where you have to move one block at a time to create a four block chain either horizontally or vertically, over on XBL for 240 MS Points. There's also a demo available in case you wish to try before you buy. Thanks, D'toid.

• King Arthur: The Role-playing Wargame has finally gotten a release date. Expected to hit digital download sites on November 12, in the game you are tasked with uniting the warring provinces of Britannia. However, unlike in most strategy games, the gameplay is influenced by the RPG elements where you not only lead armies, but explore the gradually unfolding land go on adventures, gain experience, develop new abilities, fight battles on ancient battlefields against and with new units, monsters, spells and artifacts, but all sorts of other neat stuff. Pictures are posted in the gallery below.