As a huge fan of the “Tropico” series, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on “Tropico 5”. This does potentially make me a little biased, though I’ll do my best to be as objective as possible. If there’s one thing that I’m absolutely sure about however, it’s that I know my “Tropico”. I think I’ve logged more hours (300+) into this series than I have any other…this means that you should probably pay attention to what I have to say. The heartache of watching my Tropicans revolt, the sighs of frustration as my finances went into the red, the raging shakes associated with hours of work flushed down the toilet…I’ve experienced them all.
Video Games
Telltale really knows how to keep us in suspense for long periods of time, which is not a feeling I particularly enjoy. I am the type of person who waits until a show on television is over before starting my journey, simply so that I don’t have to wait months in between seasons to see the resolution to the cliffhanger. “In Harm’s Way” is the third nerve-wracking installment into Season Two and is no less suspenseful than the last two. It goes without saying that there will be spoilers from the previous two seasons in this review, so I encourage newcomers to STOP READING and just go buy the game already. Those who have already purchased the season pass may find this review redundant, so I’ll be aiming this article at those who are able to purchase these episodes individually.
As a big fan of the “Fatal Frame” series, I was really anxious to get my hands on “DreadOut”. I mean, c’mon…fighting ghosts with nothing but a camera? It may sound silly to the uninitiated, but those who have played “Fatal Frame” know better. “DreadOut” is a more modern-day version of “Fatal Frame” where the player takes on the role of Linda, a high school student trapped in an old abandoned town. Equipped only with a smart phone, she’ll (you’ll) be tasked with solving puzzles all the while fending off some really terrifying “creatures”. Before we get started, I’d like to thank Rachmad Imron from Digital Happiness for providing me with a free press copy.
Some might find the micromanaging of resources in games like “Caesar IV” and “Banished” to be boring, but to others, it’s heaven. Don’t ask me why, but figuring out how “A” leads to “B” which produces “C” and satisfies “D” is oddly satisfying, at least in my case. “1849”, a Gold Rush-themed city builder, delivers that feeling in spades. While the “Caesar” series challenged me to find synergy during the Roman Empire era, this one took me into a time period that I have yet to fully appreciate. I know jack about the Wild West, except for maybe that time-traveling DeLoreans could reach 88 miles per hour assuming that a train pushed them off a ravine (watch your “Back to the Future”, kids). Before we take a look at what makes this game tick, I’d like to thank Emily Morganti, a PR consultant on behalf of SomaSim, LLC and Matthew Viglione, the co-founder of SomaSim, LLC for providing me with a free press copy.
The “Age of Empires” series always brings back fond memories, whether it be the epic battles I used to wage or the hours I’d spend creating the perfect skirmish map. Then there was “Age of Mythology”, a very similar RTS created by the same company (Microsoft) back in 2002. While I didn’t spend as much time on the latter as I did the former, I still played through the game at least three times. The idea of sending minotaurs into a wave of enemy infantry was oddly appealing for some reason. Before we take a quick look at what “Age of Mythology: Extended Edition” has to offer, I’d like to thank Ashton Williams at Microsoft for providing me with a press copy.
Arcen Games has a habit of coming up with off-the-wall ideas that make me consider video games in a different light, “The Last Federation” being no exception. It’s somewhat like a 4x game, but you won’t have your own race and your own planets to maintain. Instead, you are the last remnants of a race gone nearly extinct. You’ll be jumping from planet to planet interacting with the other races in the universe, trying to curry their favor in order to make them part of a “Federation”. Uniting the races under this Federation, being the primary goal, is a lot harder than it sounds. Before I go any further, I’d like to quickly thank Erik Johnson from Arcen Games for providing me with a free press copy.
You know those game trailers that leave you in a state of shock, as if you just watched something so outrageous that you couldn’t be that it was true? Well, I’m pleased to report that this very thing happened to me after watching the trailer for “FootLOL: Epic Fail League”, a cutesy but not so cutesy soccer (European football) game. Meteor strikes, airplanes bombing the field…it was “Mutant League Football” all over again and I just had to have more. Along those lines, I’d like to thank Anastasia Skachko from HeroCraft, Ltd. for providing me with a free press copy.
Okay, so I’m a bit behind in my reviews…what do you expect from an “army of one”? Now I see why IGN and PC Gamer have a staff…too many games and not enough hands to play them. Normally I don’t review games nowadays unless I’ve received a review copy (due to time constraints, etc.), but in this case I figured I’d make an exception. My Diablo III review is a bit outdated and a lot has changed with the game as a whole since its posting. We’re here today to take a quick look at what the first expansion (“Reaper of Souls”) has to offer and why you should seriously consider digging this game out of mothballs to give it another chance.
I’ve gone on record a number of times praising this lovely “little” gem and it still remains to be one of my favorite games of all time. As if it were some sort of holiday where the gifts just keep on coming, the developers have released a free expansion that will take you for a wild ride. The Advanced Edition makes things a bit harder, even on the easy difficulty level, but adds a number of new (and welcome) features. Luckily, you can choose to toggle these features on or off before starting a new game.
There’s nothing like a good dungeon crawler to get the adrenaline pumping and in this case, “Quest of Dungeons” doesn’t disappoint. Similar to games like “Dungeons of Dredmor”, you’ll be tasked with clearing out enemies and leveling up your character in a turn-based creepy-esque environment. Your ultimate goal will be to find and defeat the evil lord who has (somehow) stolen all the light and trapped it inside a magical lantern…we can’t allow that, now can we? Before we get started with the review, I’d like to thank David Amador, the game’s sole creator, for providing me with a press copy.
My time with “Imagine Earth’s” demo has been a joy…though it’s admittedly been a year since I’ve last touched it. With this game’s recent addition to Steam’s Early Access library (available May, 2014) and launch on Indiegogo, I figured now would be a good time to dive back in and see what’s new. As I expected, “Imagine Earth” doesn’t disappoint. It’s still the same game (part puzzle, part city/world sim), but I can’t help but be entranced by its depth and new features.
It’s been a while since I’ve loaded this little baby up and I can’t believe I had almost forgotten how much fun it could be. Released in late 2006, “Sid Meier’s Railroads” puts you in charge of your very own railway company. I’m not going to bother reviewing it due to its age and time constraints, but I will say that it’s still worth playing today if you enjoy business sims. It also helps if you’ve religiously watched “Thomas the Tank Engine” as a child.
“Hive” is probably one of my favorite board games to play…it’s simple, elegant, but still maintains a strategic depth that I can get behind. It’s sort of like “Chess”, minus the board and with bug pieces instead of your classic medieval characters. When I discovered the video game adaptation on Steam’s “coming soon” list, I jumped at the chance to review it. To that end, I’d like to quickly thank the folks at BlueLine Game Studios for providing me with a free press copy. It’s important to note that the below review is reflective of the PC version (the XBox version released in 2013).
It’s been well over ten years since I’ve last played this little gem. It’s not because I didn’t want to, mind you, but because my newer PCs tended to not be compatible with the game. I finally discovered a process via the wonderful world of Internets that allowed me to run “Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance” on a 64-bit machine. I’m not going to bother reviewing the game at this point…chances are that if you haven’t played it by now, you never will. As such, this article will serve as a house for all of the gameplay videos I intend to publish in the near future. Follow me won’t you, and revel in this wonderful nostalgia!
Well…this certainly takes me back. I can’t tell you the last time I was actually inside an arcade, save for our visit to “Dave & Busters” last month. “Arcradecraft”, a game currently seeking your help on Steam’s Greenlight program, puts you in the role of an owner of an arcade joint circa 1980. It’ll be your job to purchase arcade machines and keep the numbers in the green, as it were. “Arcradecraft” first appeared on XBox Live back in January of 2013, having received positive reviews. It only made sense (at least to me) to bring this type of simulator to the PC…I’m glad the developers agree. Speaking of which, I’d like to quickly thank Matthew Leigh, the Founder of Firebase Industries Ltd., for providing me with an early Beta build of the game.
In the mood for some intense, arcade-shooter action? “Meltdown”, a game currently on Steam’s Early Access program, just might be the ticket. It features both single and online cross-platform co-op (up to four players), three character classes (specialist, medic, soldier), thirty randomly generated levels, three boss battles, and wave-attack arena challenges. Players will also be able to collect loot and level up their character, giving them more of a chance for when they reach the later levels. The game is also available for Android, for those of you not able to game regularly on a Windows or Mac-based system.