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NEO Scavenger: Play Session #11

Posted by Vincent on October 30, 2012
Posted in: Video Games. Tagged: , . 3 comments

Hello, friends.  I’ve recently had the pleasure of previewing a game called “NEO Scavenger”, which tasks the player with staying alive in a rouge-like, post apocalyptic world.  You can find that preview here:

http://www.dadsgamingaddiction.com/neo-scavenger-preview/

I enjoyed the game so much that I wanted to do a follow-up article…only this time, I’ll be documenting my progress as I go.  I’ve played the game about ten times so far and each time, I learned something new about how to navigate the world and its mechanics.  The following will be session number eleven in what I’m calling “The Vince Chronicles” and should serve to give you an idea of what features you can expect to see if you play the game yourself in its current state.  Enjoy!

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A Game of Dwarves: Ale DLC

Posted by Vincent on October 30, 2012
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I recently wrote a review for “A Game of Dwarves”, located here:

A Game of Dwarves Review

What I didn’t mention in that review was that I also received a copy of the “Ale DLC”, which I’m told should be available some time down the line through the in-game store.  Some folks may already have it if they pre-ordered the main game through Steam.  Special thanks go to Jorgen Bjorklund and Veronica Gunlycke for setting me set up with the DLC.

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NEO Scavenger (Preview)

Posted by Vincent on October 29, 2012
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Do you remember those “choose your own adventure” books from school?  Okay, maybe if you were a child of the 80’s like me, you would.  They tell a story, but give the reader a few different options during certain points, advising them to turn to a particular page depending on what they want to do.  NEO Scavenger reminds me of these books and I have to say, it’s a refreshing change of pace.

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Warlock: Master of the Arcane

Posted by Vincent on October 29, 2012
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“Civilization V”…my laptop is no doubt upset that I’ve spent more time worrying about what technology to research next as opposed to finding a better cooling station to quell an angry onboard fan.  I’ve mentioned in past articles that I love being able to control an empire and shape it to be a well-oiled machine, though I tend to ignore minor needs when I do…food, sleep, sanity…you know, minor needs.  “Warlock: Master of the Arcane” turned out to be my new, favorite addiction in that regard and I can’t seem to stop clicking that “End Turn” button no matter how hard I try.  Before we take a look at the game in further detail, I’d like to thank Veronica Gunlycke from Paradox Interactive for providing me with a free review copy.

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Symphony

Posted by Vincent on October 29, 2012
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Music has always been an important part of my life.  I’ve used it on several occasions to get through some pretty difficult times, though lately I’ve used it as a motivator to get me focused on the task at hand.  “Symphony” is a rare gem them I’ve recently come across that combines the music I love, scores that have received multiple positive recognition from Music Critic experts, with an arcade shooter.  Before we begin shooting treble clefs into the wind, I’d like to thank Francois Bertrand for setting me up with a free review copy.

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A Game of Dwarves: General Tips & Strategies

Posted by Vincent on October 29, 2012
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As many of you may have seen, I recently reviewed “A Game of Dwarves” and loved it!  In case you missed it, the review is located here:

A Game of Dwarves Review

Now that I’ve thrown close to fifty hours at this game, I wanted to put some general tips and strategies out there for those new to it.  It won’t be a long list, but these tips should help you get started.  It should be noted that these tips worked well for me, but that’s not to say that they will all work for you.

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Ski Park Tycoon

Posted by Vincent on October 28, 2012
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Back in the day (when the wheel was just being invented), I came across a PC game by the name of Roller Coaster Tycoon that had me so hooked that I was designing new coasters in my sleep.  Tycoon games can be an excellent way to flex your creative muscles a bit, allowing you to run things how you’d like to see what happens.  Ski Park Tycoon (not to be confused with Ski Resort Tycoon) recently made its way onto Steam’s Greenlight and I was excited at the prospect of giving it a go.  To that end, I’d like to thank Jan Zizka (the game’s creator) for sending me a free review copy.

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Ruse (Preview)

Posted by Vincent on October 27, 2012
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Ruse is labeled as a murder mystery card game, but there’s a little bit more to it than that.  It’s like taking a “whodunit”, simplifying it with a deck of cards, and adding a storytelling element with a Victorian Steampunk setting.  A little bit of Clue, a touch of Gloom, a dash of Once Upon A Time…you get the idea.  In Ruse, players will be attempting to pin the murder on someone else by using the cards in their hands.  Once a player is found to be the murderer, the game is over and the losing player tells his or her sad story.

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The Walking Dead – “Long Road Ahead” (Episode Three)

Posted by Vincent on October 27, 2012
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Welcome back to the third review of the series. 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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12 Days (Preview)

Posted by Vincent on October 26, 2012
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If retail stores are any indication, it’s never too early to start celebrating Christmas.  My local Kmart store already has rows of pre-decorated, fake trees available that are ready to bring joy to kids everywhere come Christmas morning…nevermind that we haven’t even gotten to Halloween or Thanksgiving yet.  Today, we’re going to take a look at a game that might very well be the ultimate stocking stuffer for gamer families everywhere.

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Sword of the Stars II

Posted by Vincent on October 25, 2012
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As many of you have probably figured out by now, I love me some sci-fi.  I’ve been following “Sword of the Stars II” for a while now and watched it develop over the past year.  A rocky release in 2011 resulted in some fairly low to mediocre scores, though Kerberos Productions’ CEO Martin E. Cirulis recently posted an “ALL CLEAR” (10/19/12) that indicated that they were able to bring their game up to where they wanted it to be.

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A Game of Dwarves

Posted by Vincent on October 25, 2012
Posted in: Video Games. Tagged: , . 2 comments

Ah, once again we are thrust into the realm of dwarves.  Having recently played and reviewed “Dwarfs!?”, I was eager to get my hands on the latest release from Zeal game Studio (Developer) and Paradox Interactive (Publisher).  “A Game of Dwarves” plays a lot like “Dungeons”, “Dungeon Keeper”, “Dwarf Fortress”, and “Evil Genius” in that you’ll be mining / digging out areas to create rooms, though this game manages to set itself apart with some pretty unique gameplay mechanics.  Before we start digging deeper into this game (no pun intended), I’d like to thank Petra Tell and Veronica Gunlycke for setting me up with a free review copy.

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Osmos

Posted by Vincent on October 24, 2012
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There are days where you just want to hang up your Batsuit, holster your Portal Gun, and take a break from fighting off never-ending waves of zombies, robots, or whatever antagonist you happen to be currently transfixed on at the time.  Sometimes you just want to put your feet up and enjoy a game that delivers relaxing ambience while providing enough of a challenge to keep you playing for long stretches.  In times like that, Osmos is just what the doctor ordered. Osmos is a game that tasks you with controlling a mote (a single-celled organism) whose goal is to grow by absorbing other motes. Before we taking a look at the game in further detail, I’d like to thank Eddy Boxerman from Hemisphere Games for sending me a free review copy.

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Great Big War Game

Posted by Vincent on October 23, 2012
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Some of you may remember a certain “little” turn based strategy game from 2011 by the name of “Great Little War Game.” It featured a 3D environment that was cartoonish in nature, sweeping many of its players off of their feet with its fun gameplay mechanics and high replayability. “Great Big War Game” is the sequel to the above mentioned game and manages to root the player to their chair just like its predecessor did.  Before we take a look at the game in detail, I’d like to quickly thank Rich Jones from TriplePoint for sending me a free review copy.

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Unepic

Posted by Vincent on October 23, 2012
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There’s something to be said for retro platformers, especially those released in the days of the NES.  Castlevania, River City Ransom, Double Dragon, Metroid, Mega Man, Super Mario Bros…you get the idea.  Nowadays we have first person and over the shoulder shooters that have spoiled us with mechanics like regenerating health and infinite continues, just to name a few.  In terms of difficulty, Mickey Mousecapades will laugh in the face Call of Duty any day of the week.  Writing today’s review brought me back to my childhood a bit and reminded me of just how awesome those times really were.

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