This is admittedly a first…never before have I assumed the role of a taxidermist in any of the games I’ve played. “Body Builders: A Tale of Taxidermy”, a game that just hit the virtual shelves on “The Game Crafter” (link below), promises exactly that. In this particular case, each player is a lonely taxidermist who is aiming to create a friend for themselves…nothing out of the ordinary there. Before we go mashing things together, I’d like to quickly thank Brian Henk from Nevermade Games for reaching out and providing me with a press copy. It’s important to stress that I received the press copy before the game officially launched on “The Game Crafter” on 11/25/13, so the components featured below may or may not be representative of the final product.
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There’s something to be said for the complexity of tactical simulators. While my busy lifestyle doesn’t always entertain games that take a while to learn and play, I sometimes come across a few that have depth but are still relatively easy to pick up. “Hostile Takeover” has the characteristics of a deep and strategic experience, but manages to remain what my fellow gamers in the video game industry call “noob-friendly”. Before we get started, I’d like to thank Andrew McGrady from Not Dead Yet Games for reaching out and providing me with a press copy. It’s important to stress that because the game is still in the process of being funded through Kickstarter, that the rules and contents featured below are subject to change.
I’ve always maintained that knowledge (or lack thereof) is one of the reasons we often fail in our day to day tasks. As such, I think we can all agree that any game that has educational value is worth more than the sum of its parts. “CLEVER”, a card game that will hit Kickstarter in late November 2013, is one such item. Before we get started taking a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Jason Santa Maria from IN8 Games for providing me with a press copy. It’s important to stress that prototypes are often not representative of the final product, making the below subject to change. My copy, for example, included all of the cards players would see in the final version but didn’t come packaged in the official box. I included a picture of the box (provided by the developer) at the end of this article for your viewing pleasure.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen an Indiana Jones-esque game. The last time I played anything remotely close to “Lost Cities” was the board game “Fireball Island” back in the late 80′s. You know, the one with the giant head that shot fireballs from its mouth down various paths on the game board? Its high production values…like the mountains, the artistic detail, etc…stays fresh in my mind to this day. Then there was “Legends of the Hidden Temple” on Nickelodeon back in the mid 90′s, talking totem and all. “Lost Cities” has a similar theme in the form of cards, expeditions, artifacts, bonus points, and adventurer / researcher playing pieces. Before we begin with the review, I want to quickly note that this is NOT the two-player card game version. You can learn more about the card game version by checking out my separate review, here.
Pop Quiz! What does Snow White, Red Riding Hood, Siegfried, and D’Artagnan have in common? Why, they all happen to be some of the heroes featured in the latest game published by MAGE Company…the same folks who brought you “Wrong Chemistry”. In “12 Realms”, players will take on the role of various heroes who must band together to stop the Lords of Darkness. It’s advertised as a fast and lighthearted cooperative experience, two qualities I always look for in the games I play. That begs the question: “How does it fare when the smoke finally clears?” Before I answer that, I’d like to thank the folks at MAGE Company and Game Salute for providing me with a free press copy.
Sadly, it’s been a few years since I’ve managed to play the original “Creeper World” released back in 2009. I do have fond memories of playing it, not to mention that it was addictive beyond belief. The original “Creeper World” was a mix of real-time strategy and tower defense. Every map featured multiple levels of terrain, starting points for the “creeper” to spawn, and a base that you had to protect at all costs. Unlike other tower defense games, you only had to face one enemy…though it oozed throughout the map like a cascading waterfall and your towers were the only thing holding it back. Your goal? Extend your power network to the energy totems scattered around the map so that you could advance to the next level. I missed out on “Creeper World’s” sequel, though I’ll be rectifying that by reviewing the third game in the series titled “Creeper World 3: Arc Eternal”. Before we roll up our sleeves and get to work, I’d like to thank Virgil Wall from Knuckle Cracker, LLC for providing me with a free press copy.
It’s extremely rare that I come across a game in which I’ve pumped more than forty hours of my sweat and tears. “Skyrim”, “Fallout 3”, and “XCOM: Enemy Unknown” are probably the biggest contenders on my personal list, though I’m ALWAYS searching for some type of open-world zombie survival game. In most cases, I’ve been very disappointed with the crap that’s hit the virtual shelves in that regard. “The War Z” was so bad that it ended up changing its name to “Infestation: Survival Stories”, as if it had entered the witness protection program weeks after releasing. I’m pleased to report that “State of Decay” is nothing like that…it’s actually a ton of fun to play! With the release of the “Breakdown” DLC coming November 29th, 2013 (retailed at $6.99), I figured that now would be a good time to formally get my thoughts about this game down on paper.
No matter how many times I attempt to understand the back story behind “Quest for Destiny”, I come up short and end up reaching for my Tylenol bottle. From what I was able to gather, players will assume the roles of Pathwalkers on a quest to find the Dawn of Zegon. There’s mention of a group called the Scryers who found the special shield within the Great Forest of West Span, which happens to be guarded by one Dragon Lord Kathar. Oh, and mindless thralls. To be fair, there is a “Story Behind the Cards” section at the end of the manual, but my eyes glazed over in the same way as when I attempted to read Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings”. That begs the question, will the gameplay mechanics be as convoluted as the story? Before we explore that answer, I’d like to thank Desmond Ong from Destiny Makers LLP for reaching out and providing me with a press copy.
Seriously, who wouldn’t enjoy trekking through a dungeon with your friends and slaying bad guys? “Escape From Monster Mansion” promises exactly that while being dynamic at the same time. Players reveal new rooms as they explore, making each and every game a unique and exciting experience. As you’d expect, players can choose between different characters with unique abilities and equip weapons to give themselves an edge. Of course, there’s no shortage of monsters…where else can you find a giant roach, an alien, and a kill-bot all in the same quote unquote “dungeon”?
“All of his co-workers were gone, what could it mean? Stanley had decided to go to the meeting room, perhaps he had missed a memo.” These are the first words you’ll hear and ironically, you’ll be hearing them more than once. “The Stanley Parable”, an adventure game that is unlike any other I’ve experienced, is rather difficult to explain. You’ll take on the role of Stanley, and while your adventure begins the same every time, your choices will determine how the story ends. Think of it as a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book, something that you kids of the eighties and nineties can relate to. It also bears a resemblance to “Portal” and “Anti-Chamber”, but without the mind-bending puzzles and with heavier emphasis on the narrative. Before we explore the game any further, I’d like to quickly thank Davey Wreden from Galactic Cafe for providing me with a free press copy.
Spiders are sneaky little devils. Just last month I was in bed reading a book, reached over to check my phone, and BAM! An eight-legged creature was camping out on my shirt staring at me from behind the book. The scream that followed would have impressed Wilhelm, for sure. “Spiders!”, a game currently seeking your support on Kickstarter, puts players on the other side of the fence. This time around, you’ll be spinning webs and attempting to catch flies, all the while trying to hide from the humans lest you incur their wrath.
I don’t get to try out the freebies on Desura as much as I’d like to nowadays, but I just couldn’t say no to this particular one. A climbing simulator of sorts? Alright…I’ll bite. The question remains, how did I fare? Did I plunge horribly to my death. It turns out, yes…many times…though in most of those cases, I couldn’t even get a few feet of the ground.
As a former professional “Chess” player, I had thought that I had seen everything. First it was “For the Crown“, an oddly satisfying deck-building “Chess” game, and now this. While cards are again involved in this particular “Chess” variant, they actually become the pieces in which players will be strategically placing and moving around. No worries fellow “Chess” players, the object of the game is still the same: capture the enemy King through checkmate. How this is accomplished however bears a little explanation. Before we touch on specifics, I’d like to quickly thank the folks at Victory Point Games for providing me with a free press copy.
Rougelikes have a reputation for being brutal, as one of their common features involves a permadeath system that prevents you from going back and loading a previous save when things go horribly wrong. “Desktop Dungeons” has all of the characteristics of a roguelike in that regard, but it does some pretty unique things that sets it apart from the rest of the crowd. Before we don our helmets and sharpen our swords, I’d like to quickly thank Danny Day from QCF Design for providing me with a free press copy.
In December of 2012, I had the pleasure of reviewing a gruesome first-person hack and slash by the name of “Chivalry: Medieval Warfare”. I even went on record by saying that it “makes me want to watch the siege battles in the Lord of the Rings movies again for the umpteenth time this year.” “Chivalry: Deadliest Warrior”, the official expansion to aforementioned game, released on November 14, 2013. Instead of archers and knights, players will be making use of off-the-wall classes like pirates and ninjas. Before we get started hacking and slashing our way to victory, I’d like to thank Steve Piggott, the President of Torn Banner Studios, for providing me with a free press copy.
It was honestly just a matter of time before someone utilized and marketed the redshirt concept in a video game. In case you’ve been living under a rock (or just really, really HATE “Star Trek”), a redshirt is a title given to a no-named Ensign who usually accompanies Captain Kirk on an away mission. There’s also a seventy-five percent chance that said redshirt won’t be coming back…perhaps Gene Roddenberry hated the color red, who’s to say? At any rate, “Redshirt”, a comedy sci-fi “Facebook” simulator of sorts, recently made its way onto the market and I’m here to take a final look at how it stacks up in the grand scheme of things. Before we set our phasers to “Like”, I want to quickly thank Cliff Harris from Positech Games for providing me with a free press copy.