I finally read the article in Game Informer Magazine that mentions Epoch Star. In issue 156 ES is at the bottom of Page 23 in an article titled "The Top 10 Games You've Never Heard Of".

As it turns out, I'm #9 in their list. Here's what they said:

"Epoch Star is an example of a game that, while not really pushing any left-field concepts or truly innovative gameplay, managed to succeed by sheer craftsmanship and attention to detail in a genre that's largely been left by the wayside in gaming: A 2D, top-down space shooter in the vein of Asteroids or Star Control. It's pretty simple; you traverse through multiple galaxies by way of warps, using your mouse to target various enemy ships and other dangers like asteroids. It's good fun, but the real addiction comes by way of the game's very robust upgrade and economics systems. When you dock at various space stations, you'll be able to buy new ships, engines, powerups, and weapons. Overall, Epoch Star features a level of customization that rivals many currently released commercial products."

Here's the complete list of 10:

1. Soldat
2. Facade
3. Ocular Ink
4. Runescape
5. Narbacular Drop
6. Cloud
7. N
8. Street Bike Fury
9. Epoch Star [smile]
10. Stinkoman 20x6

I had heard of all of these games with the exception of Street Bike Fury and Stinkoman.

I also passed 11K downloads on GDS this morning some time.