“Oil Rush” is a game I come back to every now and again when Eufloria just doesn’t have the “oomph” I need. In a review I wrote here, I was taken away by the graphics and how fun it was to send boats and airplanes out to sea with the intent on blowing stuff up. Recently, the game’s first DLC was released adding tower defense maps to the mix. Before we take a look at the specifics of this DLC, I’d like to thank Anton Ravin from UNIGINE Corp. for sending me a free review copy.
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I’ve determined that my primary function in multiplayer arenas is to be a meat shield, but gosh darnit, I’m a good one. I’ll spend minutes sneaking up on someone, stealthily moving from cover to cover, only to be sniped by someone all the way across the map. To add insult to injury, the killcam tells me that they did it with a pistol, blindfolded, whilst updating their Facebook page and making a soufflé. “Chivalry: Medieval Warfare” puts me back into the ring, though this time, I’ll be wielding medieval weapons instead of an AK-47. Before I start looking into whether or not my health insurance policy covers dismemberment and arrows to the knee, I’d like to thank Steve Piggott from Torn Banner Studios for sending me a free review copy.
In a lot of the zombie games I’ve played, I usually find myself without ammo, medical supplies, and anything else I might need to stave off the undead. You’d think that putting countless hours into the early Resident Evil games would teach me everything I needed to know, but I guess herbs and ink ribbons just don’t hold up in the grand scheme of things. Luckily, I came across a game that doesn’t require me to fight off the undead…quite the opposite.
“Alan Wake” is a psychological thriller / horror that reminds me a bit of the old “Silent Hill” games for the Playstation. As you may have guessed, you take control of a successful thriller writer named Alan Wake who is on vacation with his wife Alice. Like most games of this genre, things appear fairly normal from the start, save for a nightmare Alan has that educates the player on the gameplay mechanics. Unlike “Silent Hill” and “Resident Evil”, the game makes use of an ingenious lighting mechanic that ties in with the main story of the game. Oh, and thermoses…lots and lots of thermoses. I don’t know why there are so many thermoses lying around, but my eBay account is going to be busy tonight.
I got a lot of mileage out of “Left 4 Dead” and its sequel, and I especially liked the melee component in the latter. You were able to use katanas, chainsaws, baseball bats, and other melee weapons to bring the hurt (if that were possible) to the undead. “Dead Island” puts this mechanic out on the front lines, forcing you to wade through zombies at close range for the majority of the game. There are ranged weapons and you can throw melee weapons, but the majority of combat will take place all up in your face.
Psychological horror games are a lot of fun to play, even if they have a habit of increasing the frequency of how often you need to wash your delicates. The adrenaline gets pumping and your imagination becomes your own worst enemy, sometimes to the point where you are afraid to pick it up and play it again. “Miasmata” draws some similarities to the way psychological horror games are structured, but sets itself apart with some pretty unique gameplay mechanics. Before the paranoia starts to set in, I’d like to quickly thank Bob Johnson for providing me with a free review copy.
Puzzle games come in many different forms. Some, like “Lemmings”, task you with guiding a set number of creatures to the goal area by assigning them tasks…tasks that serve to both navigate them around the environment and prevent them from committing suicide. “Hairy Tales” is similar in that regard but has a personality all its own, making it one of the oddest puzzle games I’ve played recently. Before we take a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Ricardo J. Méndez for sending me a free review copy.
There’s a lot I know about Star Trek, but this particular tidbit took me by surprise. First, it’s important to know that Alexander Courage created the original theme song to Star Trek. Unknownst to Courage, Gene Roddenberry wrote lyrics to the original theme with the sole purpose of receiving royalties from the profits of that theme song. The theme was obviously never released that way (as was intended), and after listening to the theme with the lyrics included, I’m glad it didn’t.
I wasn’t looking forward to writing this review. It’s not because I found “Borderlands 2” to be unplayable, but because that meant I’d have to put it down (not literally) and don my writing fingers. While it is true that “Borderlands 2” has been out for a while now, Steam’s recent Autumn sale made it a bit more affordable at fifty percent off, down from an original price of sixty bucks. Having spent hours upon days upon months on the original “Borderlands”, I felt that this would be a good thirty USD well spent. So…was it?
They’re awesome. It’s unclear if it’s because they’re the best of the best or if it’s because a random name generator said so, but they’re awesome. “Awesomenauts” is a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game that pits two sides (red and blue) against each other. Like most MOBA’s, teams are equal in that they’ll have the same number of contenders on the battlefield and the same number of defenses guarding one very important structure. The victor is the team that manages to destroy that one, very important building…in this case, a drillcore.
Games like “Harvest Moon” and “Farmville” have done very well for themselves. They appeal to a wide range of people and are fairly easy to play. “Harvest Moon” is a moderately deep farming sim while “Farmville” is more about mindlessly clicking on fields and livestock in order to gain experience and increase in level. “Goodfolks” is a good mix of the two, tasking the player with building a successful farm by managing resources and completing quests. Before we take a closer look at the game itself, I’d like to thank Martin Procházka for sending me a review copy. While the game is about a week away from officially being released, everything you’ll see in this article represents the final product save for any last minute patches.
“Monopoly” has been around for quite some time. While many variations of the board game exist that keep with the main theme, “Monopoly: Electronic Banking Edition” was one of the first editions to drastically change how the game was played. Let’s take a quick look at how this game is different from the base game and whether or not it’s worth picking up.
It’s finally here! The last episode of this particular video game series is upon us, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. As I explained in the review of episode one, all future reviews (including this one) will be a plot summary with my thoughts added in as I go. There will be spoilers, so do not read any further if you want to experience this episode for yourself.
I’m honestly not sure how much stock I put into those ghost hunter shows I see on television. While I do believe in the supernatural, the art of creating special effects to simulate horror has been around for centuries. “Paranormal”, the game I’ll be covering today, reminds me of those shows in that you’re a person with a video camera trying to prove that your house is haunted. Before we get started, I’d like to thank Matt Cohen for sending me a free press copy.
Dwarf Fortress-esque games have been coming out of the woodwork as of late. I recently did a review on “Towns” and now I’m pleased to be able to tinker with “Gnomoria.” For those of you new to the genre, “Dwarf Fortress” and those games like it are sandbox village-builder simulators. Your minions (be it Dwarves or Gnomes) will be gathering resources and building items in an attempt to create a thriving civilization. Before we get started on this particular sandbox, I’d like to thank Robert West for sending me a free preview copy. Like all previews (this game is currently in the Alpha stage), all of the content that I mention in this article is subject to change.
How many of you have played tug of war? You know, giant rope, two teams on either side, and a big mud pit in the middle? “Aeon Command” is similar, except that it’s in space and there is no mud pit. Rather, two players are given a mothership and will be throwing ships at each other with the intent on blowing their opponent’s mothership to kingdom come. Before we get into specifics, I’d like to thank Danny Stracener from Bat Country Games for providing me with a free review copy.