“Amnesia: The Dark Descent” scared the crap out of me. “Eleusis” reminds me a little of “Amnesia”, but without the scary monsters chasing you throughout the environment. “Eleusis” is a first person adventure that puts the player in the role of an unfortunately gentleman who suffers a car accident. Shaken but not injured, you’ll guide this man to a nearby village where all isn’t what it seems. Before I get started, I’d like to thank the folks from Nocturnal Works for providing me with a free review copy.
I first learned how to play UNO as a kid, back in the day when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. Not only was it refreshing to find a Star Trek variant of the game, but it gave me great pleasure to watch the kids play a game that I once played in my youth. It’s worth noting that there are a few different versions or editions of this particular game, so some of the rules and/or pictures that you’ll see below may not match up with your copy, if you happen to have one. The special edition, for example, has a few special cards that mine doesn’t. Mine came in a tin case and has “collector’s edition” written on the top, but the art on the front of the tin case is different from other collector’s editions I’ve seen. The ones I found on Amazon seem to come in your standard card package and look a bit different, but the rules are generally the same across all versions.
On occasion, indie game developers will drop the price of their creations to bring in some fresh blood. In this case, “Longshot” set a record for me as the cheapest game I ever purchased…five whole cents. The game was originally $4.99, but I lucked out and caught it during a 95% off Desura sale. “Longshot” is an action / arcade combat driven game, set in space. You’ll pick one of two sides and square off against the other team, trying to complete one of two goals before the other team can.
Games like “Diablo III” and “Torchlight II” appeal to me not because of the mass slaughter of bad guys (though it can be fun), but because of the customization involved when leveling up your character. I enjoy molding my character in different ways to see what is effective and what isn’t. It’s this so-called love for this particular gameplay mechanic that drew me to “Battlepaths”, a turn-based RPG that allows the player to customize their character in many different ways. If I had to compare this game to others in my collection, then I’d have to say that it is a cross between the original “Torchlight” and “Dungeons of Dredmor.” Before we sharpen our swords and apply a generous amount of WD-40 to our armor, I’d like to thank Christian Werner, the programmer and “evil mastermind” behind “Battlepaths”, for providing me with a free review copy.
I won’t lie, I was really looking forward to playing episode two, mainly because I wanted some sort of resolution to the way the first episode ended. In “Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller – Episode Two (“The Wise Monkey”)”, the player will be taking on the role of Erica Reed once again to not only address a new threat to her past love interest “Sully”, but will be trying to piece together what happened during the events of episode one. If you haven’t played episode one yet, I suggest that you do so before reading any further as I’ll be referencing key events from that game from time to time. I’m assuming that you’re reading this review because you’re interested in possibly buying episode two, having already played episode one. Before we take a look at this particular episode in further detail, I’d like to thank Katie Hallahan from Phoenix Online Studios for providing me with a free review copy.
There’s nothing like a good mystery every now and again to keep the mind sharp. I used to be very fond of the Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective games back when I was a kid. I haven’t seen a lot of detective games in a while, so needless to say that I was excited to get my hands on this particular one. “Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller” is a point and click mystery adventure series that contains a total of four episodes. Episode one (“The Hangman”), puts the player in control of Erica Reed, an FBI agent who must solve a mysterious killing. The killing may or may not be connected to the tragic event that claimed the loss of Erica’s brother three years ago and in either case, you’ll be haunted by the event throughout the game. Before we take a look at this particular episode in further detail, I’d like to thank Katie Hallahan from Phoenix Online Studios for providing me with a free review copy.
“[Unnamed]” is another one of those free games on Desura, this particular one being made by the same person who developed “Insert Title Here” and “Evil”. The former of those two games I felt was fairly good while the other was a complete mess. How does “[Unnamed]” stack up against them? Watch me play the game or download it for yourself via the links below to find out.
“Sang-Froid – Tales of Werewolves”, a game that was recently Greenlit on Steam, throws the player into lower Canada circa 1858. You’ll be using tower defense mechanics, RPG elements, and third person action to protect lumberjacks and their families from the forces of evil. Before we get started, I’d like to thank Vincent Blanchard from Artifice Studio for providing me with early access to the Beta. As such, it’s important to stress that the game is not finished yet. Any game content or feature that is mentioned in this preview is therefore subject to change.
There are days where I like to just sit down and spend hours getting lost in some strategy game or simulator, and then there are days where I only have five minutes to blow off steam before I address the issues that come with being a parent. “Paranautical Activity” is a first person shooter that certainly falls into the latter category, as games can be over in less than ten seconds depending on how careless you are. Before we get started taking a look at this particular game, I’d like to thank the folks from Code Avarice for providing me with a free review copy.
Paramount recently released a new video for the upcoming Star Trek game that’s scheduled to be released on April 23, 2013. In this new video, Brian Miller, the Senior Vice President of Paramount Pictures, goes into a brief explanation of how the game is made and gives us new footage to drool over. You can check out this new video, along with the previously released trailer, here:
I’ve played a lot of simulators in my day, but never before have I had the chance to own a simulated boating company. In “The Good Life”, A gentleman named Derek inherits a boating company from his late uncle. Tired of working for someone else, Derek sets off to the Jo Jo islands with his girlfriend Michelle to start a new life and attempt to make something of the boating company he inherited. Before we hoist our sails, I’d like to thank Manos Tsotros, the founder of ImmersionFX Games, for providing me with a free review copy.
I’ve had the pleasure of playing games that resemble the old fan favorite, “Dungeon Keeper” as of late…some being better than others. “Dungeons” kept me busy for a little while and “A Game of Dwarves” quote unquote ruined my personal life for a month or two with its addicting gameplay. This time around, I’ll be taking a look at the game “Impire” and while it does keep with the general “Dungeon Keeper” theme, it does some pretty unique things that warrants special attention. Like “Dungeons”, you’ll be assuming the role of a once powerful figure that has been kicked out of power. In this case, you are Báal-Abaddon, a great leader who has been reduced in size to the body of an imp after being summoned by a man named Oscar van Fairweather. Needless to say, you’ll be doing your darndest to see that Báal-Abaddon rises from his slump and regains power (and hopefully his prior form) once again. Before we get started with this particular dungeon-esque strategy game, I’d like to thank Veronica Gunlycke from Paradox Interactive for providing me with a free review copy.
You may have used the phrase, “boy, I’d like to be a fly on the wall for that” at one point in your life. In, “The Plan”, you’ll be doing just that…sort of. “The Plan” is a free, incredibly short game that puts the player in control of a fly that must navigate around the environment. You’ll encounter gushes of wind, leaves, and spider webs along the way that serve to trip you up. The music, graphics, and artwork are fantastic and the controls are very easy to manage. There’s a clear message that the game conveys at its end, but I won’t spoil what that is. You’ll have to go experience that for yourself. Feel free to download the game for free or simply watch me play through it by utilizing the links below.
“Fibrillation” isn’t so much of a game as it is a journey. There isn’t much of a back story and all you know is what is in front of you. Even then, your senses can’t be trusted. Do you have what it takes to see through the psychological horrors that await you, or will you close the program and vow never to open it again? Before we get started questioning life as we know it, I’d like to thank Egor Rezenov from Mechanical Starling for providing me with a free review copy.
Games like “Castle Panic” and “Pandemic” are well received in my household, mainly because the kids get to team up with dad instead of being forced to match wits with him. It’s also rare that I come across real-time based board games (“Damage Report” being the last one), but when I do, we generally have a good time. “Rise of the Zombies!” combines these two mechanics and thrust the kids and me back into the world of the undead, a place we frequent often. This time around however, we were working together to stay alive as opposed to trying to eat each other’s brains. Before we get started, I’d like to thank Dan Verssen from Dan Verssen Games for providing me with a free review copy.
“Shadowgate” was one of the first point and click adventure games that I had ever played. While I enjoyed pouring countless hours into the text adventures on the household’s TRS-DOS computer, “Shadowgate” introduced me to interactive story telling in a way that I hadn’t experienced before. “Castle Dracula” is a shorter, less complicated version of “Shadowgate”, but by no means does that make the game boring. In this particular game, you take on the role of a husband who’s pregnant wife has been captured and whisked away to a nearby castle. Armed with a crucifix, you head into the castle intent on bringing your wife and unborn child out alive. Before I head to my local grocery store to stock up on garlic, I’d like to thank Kevin Gondek from Gondefire Productions for providing me with a free review copy.