In no particular order

Gemini Rue
Braid
Machinarium
Limbo
Bastion
Dungeons of Dredmor
Spacechem
The Binding of Isaac
Trine
Legend of Grimrock

To me the original definition of indie is a game made by one, or a small group of people on a small budget. The original version of Cave Story fit this as it was one guy in his spare time making a video game. Yes I know there are games I put in my list that don't meet this requirement. However games with substantial development budgets and teams behind them is pushing it a bit too far.

If those can qualify then what would the one man/small team upstart projects be? Super indies?

Indie - independent - privately owned with no investors (Kickstarter and IndieGoGo obviously excluded). It's that easy.

in that case, every single game on my list is an indie game.

I am also leaning towards Fictionvison in this. Size matters

Define independant.

Valve is a huge publisher, I don't see how they're different from any other big publisher.

So all those open source projects with 20 core members (or more) that are all volunteers can't be indie?

EDIT: Conversely, one guy with $1,000,000 in investor backing can?

1 - not really - it is becoming a communal work.
2 - with an investor like this... you can start questioning how independent he is any more, but yes, he is.

(http://www.gog.com/forum/general/what_makes_a_game_indie_a_universal_definition)

lol easier def for indie would be ugly yet innovative game, give them more money maybe they create some thing more

Trine 1 & 2- some of the most beautiful games ever made

Right now for me :

1 - Minecraft (Does this count ? I played it A LOT)
2 - Thirty Flights of Loving
3 - Space Pirates and Zombies
4 - Samorost (1 & 2)
5 - Fieldrunners
6 - Gemini Rue
7 - Anomaly Warzone Earth
8 - Jamestown
9 - Resonance
10 - BIT.TRIP RUNNER

Fascinating how people accept games published by Wadjet Eye as indie, yet struggle to accept Valve games as indie.

I guess the term indie game is going to turn out like 'indie rock'

When I hear people use indie as genre for music I go fucking apeshit
I don't want that happening to games

yup trine 2 was just mesmerizing, the music and the main menu i just leave them running pretending its my wallpaper.

Well considering that(last I checked) Wadjet Eye is just a guy and his wife while Valve is worth a estimated 3 Billion and is run by a guy who's net worth is a estimated 1.5 billion it's kinda easy to see why most people struggle to except Valve as "indie" at least under the definition most consider "indie" small studio, low budgets, small staff, that whole thing.