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Atom Zombie Smasher

Posted by Vincent on November 18, 2012
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Most zombie games I play task an individual or a group with staying alive amidst an apocalypse of sorts.  “Atom Zombie Smasher” sets things on a much larger scale, as you’ll be deploying forces to different areas of the map with the intent of reaching the victory point goal before the zombies (zed) do.  This game is classified as a real-time strategy, but most of the time, you’ll be seeing dots.  Lots and lots of dots.  MORE DOTS!  MORE DOTS!  OKAY, STOP DOTS!

Editor’s Note: Somewhere, in the land of Azeroth, a Night Elf Hunter is laughing hysterically.

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Haunt: The Real Slender Game

Posted by Vincent on November 17, 2012
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I recently did a review on the game, “Slender: The Eight Pages” and to sum it up, I thought it was an excellent horror game.  It was both simple and scary all at the same time, making it something that I come back to often.  More and more Slender games seem to be surfacing as of late, but I’m not going to complain.  The more, the merrier…I just hope that my heart can take it.  “Haunt: The Real Slender Game” is one of those Slender variants that I’ve had the pleasure of discovering and it’s free to boot.  Let’s take a quick look at what it offers and how it differs from “Slender: The Eight Pages”, though it’s important to keep in mind that the latter is still a Beta and was designed as a test for “Slender: The Arrival.”

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Survivors of Ragnarök (Preview)

Posted by Vincent on November 16, 2012
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“Survivors of Ragnarök” is a real-time strategy / city management game that is similar to the older “Dwarf Fortress” and the more recent “A Game of Dwarves.” In these types of games, you’re gathering resources and crafting items to try and make your little “city” thrive into something spectacular.  Before we get started, I’d like to thank Garrett Colas for setting me up with a free preview copy.  It’s important to note that this game is currently in the early Alpha stages, so the content that you may see in this article is subject to change and in no way represents the final production copy. 

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The Walking Dead – “Around Every Corner” (Episode Four)

Posted by Vincent on November 15, 2012
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With episode five right around the corner (11-21-12 for us PC folk), there may be no better time than to review and recap what happened in episode four.  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.

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You’ve Been Sentenced!: Country Music Edition

Posted by Vincent on November 13, 2012
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A while back I reviewed “You’ve Been Sentenced!” and praised it for its educational value.  To paraphrase, we all thought it was “good, educational fun.”  As a thank you from McNeill Designs, I received six expansion packs that add more vocabulary and content to the base game (which we also got a kick out of).

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SCHAR: Blue Shield Alliance

Posted by Vincent on November 11, 2012
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How many of you remember Asteroids for the Atari 2600?  *Sigh*…okay, imagine if you can, being limited to a controller with one button on it.  You pointed your ship (triangle) in a direction and thrust, then rotated on your axis and spammed the fire button.  “SCHAR: Blue Shield Alliance” is a twin stick shooter that takes that concept one step further and allows you to move freely while firing in the direction you are pointing.  You can thrust left or right (strafing) in addition to moving forward and back, depending on where your cursor is located (if you’re using a keyboard).  Before we start getting into specifics, I wanted to thank Nick Puleo for setting me up with a free review copy of the game.

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City Car Driving

Posted by Vincent on November 10, 2012
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It’s no secret that driving an automobile is a dangerous thing.  In 2010 alone, it’s been estimated that 32,788 people were killed in automobile accidents according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  Needless to say, I’m all for supporting ways to educate our young drivers (and especially my kids) on proper driving etiquette and techniques.  “City Car Driving” is a driving simulator that will put your skills to the test, featuring advanced physics and smart traffic AI.  Before I begin taking out a generous automobile insurance policy, I’d like to thank Eugene Gubanov for sending me a free review copy.

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Towns

Posted by Vincent on November 8, 2012
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“Towns” advertises itself as a game that tasks you with building a town for passing heroes to stop at, heal their wounds, equip new armor and weapons, and set out into the depths once more.  I personally like that idea…a “sim-RPG-city” if you will.  I got some mileage out of the “Majesty” series (a similar game) but stopped playing “Majesty 2” because of its unrelenting difficulty curve.  I had to wonder what “Towns” would bring to the starved city-building genre.  Before I get started, I’d like to thank Xavi Canal for sending me a free review copy.

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Deadlight

Posted by Vincent on November 8, 2012
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Having grown up with the Atari 2600 and NES, I can appreciate how 2D platformers have evolved over the course of time.  “Deadlight” can be described as 2.5D side-scroller, but I would be doing the game an injustice if I left it at that.  What makes this particular game stand out above the rest?  Before we begin answering that question, I’d like to quickly thank Térence Mosca for sending me a free review copy.

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Prison Architect (Preview)

Posted by Vincent on November 8, 2012
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I played “Prison Tycoon” years ago and really, really tried to like it.  I followed the series for a while and the reviews of following sequels weren’t promising, so I chalked that up to yet another sim-subgenre that I’d never have a chance to love.  Then along came “Prison Architect”, which (as of 11/8/12) is still in the Alpha stage.  Will Morris from Introversion Software was kind enough to send me a copy, which I will share via a preview with you today.  Like all Alphas, Betas, and previews, the features and mechanics that you may see or read about in this article are subject to change.

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Bypass

Posted by Vincent on November 7, 2012
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“Bypass”, put simply, is a tile-laying game that tasks you with being the first person to connect roads from one side of the board to the other.  Since everyone shares the same stretch of land and any roads that are placed, it becomes a challenge to complete your path and not help your opponents in the process.  Before we take a look at the game in further detail, I’d like to thank Sue Jefferson from SimplyFun for sending me a free review copy.

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Real Lives 2010

Posted by Vincent on November 7, 2012
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My name is Maulidi Diouf and I was born in a village in Benin’s Borgou Province, not far from the town of Parakou…at least, that’s what the simulator tells me.  “Real Lives 2010” puts the player into a random simulated body that they must manage from birth till death.  Gender, nationality, location of birth…all of that is randomized with every new game, giving you a different experience every single time.  Before I begin seeking medication for multiple personality disorder, I’d like to thank Bob Runyan from Educational Simulations for sending me a free review copy.

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Word Bits

Posted by Vincent on November 6, 2012
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I’ve played many word games over the past year: “Boggle”, “Scrabble Blast”, “WayWord”, “Upwords”, “Word on the Street”, “Jumbalaya”…you get the idea.  You’d think that if you played one, you played them all, but any parent worth their two cents knows that this just isn’t the case.  Needless to say, I was happy to receive yet another one to try out and review with the kids.  Before we take a look at the game and reveal why games like this are beneficial, I’d like to thank Sue Jefferson from SimplyFun for sending me a free review copy.

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Farm For Your Life (Preview)

Posted by Vincent on November 2, 2012
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Have you dropped hundreds of hours into the “Harvest Moon” series like I have?  I’m not sure why, but running a simulated farm has always been appealing…perhaps it’s because I know that my poor crops wouldn’t stand a chance with me at the helm in the real world.  Then there is “Plants vs Zombies”, a tower defense game that tasks you with stopping zombies that are making their way across your lawn…with plants.  Finally, we have “Diner Dash”, a game that challenges you to serve plates of food to customers while under the pressure of time.  Now, what would happen if you put all three games into separate cars and sent them careening toward each other at high speeds?  Before we answer that question in detail, I’d like to thank Andreas Bendt for sending me a free copy of the Beta.  It’s important to note that like with all preview and Beta copies, this article may not cover everything that you’d see in the final product.

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Zafehouse: Diaries

Posted by Vincent on November 2, 2012
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There are plenty of zombie games out there and they all come in different forms.  “Left 4 Dead” put you behind a gun and allowed you to mow down zombies while making your way from checkpoint to checkpoint.  “The Walking Dead” takes a different approach and focuses on telling a story, character interaction, and quick time events.  Both approaches are good in their own right, but one came along that not only tells a horror story, but allows you to manage your party while they build relationships (for better or for worse) and fend off the undead.  Before we start going head to head with the zombie apocalypse, I’d like to thank David Kidd for setting me up with a free review copy.

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