(no sarcasm, just curious)

Why is it important or even relevant with what tools a game is made? What makes those games special for being made with Unity (whatever that is, yeah I've heard that term once in a while and I presume it is some kind of game development kit)?

Nothing really, but it's compilation footage of games developed in Unity.
Probably a good showcase of what can be done with it and to entice more people to use it, it's how they make money after all.

Not really important, but apparently Unity opened the indie floodgates. Some games are really good, others... well, not so much.

So is Unity e.g. free/very cheap, very easy to use (even for people without actual programming skills) etc., and that is why it is interesting to see how good games people can make with it?

Its definitely not free, or particularly cheap. There is a limited free version, and various pay options. Its reasonably easy to use - C#, Editors etc. Personally when I looked at it its just way too overkill for 2d games, though 3d it does well. Pillar of Eternity uses it as its engine. There is also a vast store of user assets which is probably why its so successful, a lot has been done already. Its also more flexible than a game maker. So yes, its interesting to see whats being developed in it, not so much for players, but devs. And its worth pointing out that a good artist/programmer can create a great game with nothing more than basic tools, others can't make shit even with UE4+Maya. So the tool is probably less important the the devs.

Based on what I've read, the main advantage of Unity is the fact that its engine has been ported to every desktop, console, handheld, and mobile platform under the sun. Which makes cross-platform releases a breeze for small developers with limited manpower.

way too much colour ... hurts my eyes ;(

Well, I wasn't actually trying to imply an importance of Unity, just giving credit to the video of Unity made games for the GDC that are already out or in development.

As others mentioned it is a tool which indie developers can use for free and it is actually more than ample to make a decent game. It is good for both 2D and 3D games as well as upcoming VR games (with the developer's free add-ins). It may seem like overkill as nightcraw1er.488 pointed out; however, they did tweak the tools over time to work in both 2D and 3D modes which, with a little bit of self-study, can become rather easy to use to at least prototype quickly.

As other's pointed out as well, it does support multiple platforms. Not only consoles, but Linux, Windows, Mac OS and even HTML5 based games.

I took one of the games development courses on Coursera which used Unity (as it could be downloaded and used for free), and they were really helpful in getting started with the basic assets. There are also some really good tutorials and blogs (some may be a bit dated) on creating 2D and 3D games with the engine as well as a ton of them on their site. I also snagged some Udemy courses which combined tools like Blender to create models for Unity, etc.

It does help to know some programming or scripting in C# and definitely some trigonometry and geometry basics as well as working with vector math.

I think of the things that I really like about the games shown is that they seem quite diverse in both graphics and animation; Pillars of Eternity and Cuphead, for example, are quite different in design, graphics and mechanics to show that at least it is pretty rich for creating different experiences and not just "one type" of game.

A lot of good looking stuff there. And a lot of stuff I can't make heads or tales out of, but might be interesting. I particularly liked the look of The Little Acre, Knights and Bikes and Hollow Knight. Cuphead looks wonderful, but it also looks like the kind of platformer that will kick my ass and mock me with it's kid-friendly look :D

I know what you mean about those particular games, I really like the ones which have a "cartoon" or storybook feel to them... and with Cuphead, I'm in the same boat. Platformers aren't particularly my forte and sometimes I end up feeling defeated just by watching the intro!

For those interested in Cuphead, here is the E3 trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJszILRT_D4

A bit to hectic for my liking, but wonderful art style.


On topic - some really interesting games in that compilation. Looks a like good year ahead.

I'm looking forward to Subnautica but I like the look of The Little Acre, Aragami, Furi, P.A.M.E.L.A. and Iron Marines (what a weird art style, reminds me of Metroid Fusion).

Does anyone know if P.A.M.E.L.A. is more of a survival game with biotics as a secondary feature or if it's actually more like Deus Ex? I really hope it's like Deus Ex, that would be wonderful.

more like a sandbox survival game than Deus Ex:

"Is this a linear story-driven game?
No. Pamela is not linear, but it will include a vast amount of lore on the setting, events, and the people who lived there. Story will be discovered through a more flexible medium that allows players to experience at their own pace, in their own order; whether through audio logs, computer terminals, NPCs or posters. Some lore will educate, and others will let you in on secrets that may give you an upper edge to survive."
http://www.pamelagame.com/faq/

I see the Little Acre is already available, and DRM Free, on it's own site. And Hollow Knight is up for pre-order with a drm-free version. I hope that means we'll see them on GOG too. And if not, well, as long as a DRM-free version is available, I'll buy straight from the devs. GOG only makes it more convenient.