“Super Amazing Wagon Adventure” defies an accurate description. Sure, you could label it as an 8-bit 2D shooter…but I prefer to think of it as what would happen if a hyperactive Robin Williams directed a movie based off of the video game, “Oregon Trail.” “Super Amazing Wagon Adventure” certainly nods at the aforementioned game from time to time, but it clearly has a personality all its own. Before I get into specifics, I’d like to thank Andrew from Sparsevector for providing me with a free review copy.
I haven’t touched “Marble Madness” in over twenty years, much to my detriment. I remember being swept up by its unusual gameplay mechanics as a kid and loved navigating that little blue ball around the playing field, cursing the dreaded black ball every chance I got (using PG words, of course). “Spectraball: Extended Edition” took me back and helped me rehash some of this nostalgia when I first began playing it, but it manages to do a bit more in the process. Before we take a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Ryan Berkani from Shorebound Studios for sending me a free review copy.
I’m not a big fan of “Bejeweled”, mainly because I just don’t find it deep enough hold my interest for long. “Puzzle Quest”, on the other hand, was extremely well received and I play it on my Nintendo DS every chance I get. That particular game allows you to level up, collect gear, and feel a sense of progression. “10,000,000” draws some parallels in that regard, but plays a bit differently. Before we begin taking a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Luca Redwood from EightyEightGames for providing me with a free review copy.
Hey folks, I came across a free game on Desura that it is…well…an interesting experience. It’s more of an experiment than a game as it constantly challenges the player to react to certain stimuli. It lacks any sort of options menu and is very basic in terms of gameplay mechanics, but it’s one that I recommend you try anyway if you have the chance. I uploaded a video to my YouTube channel and linked it below for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
I normally start out my reviews with some sort of blast from the past story, helping the reader draw comparisons between games that might be familiar to them and the one I’m reviewing. This time around, I admit I’m having a bit of trouble comparing this game to ones I’ve played in the past (which is a good thing). “Space Pirates and Zombies” comes to mind, but is still a bit different in terms of gameplay. “Galactic Arms Race” has action RPG elements, features an open world mechanic, and is set in space. Oh sure…I’ve logged a lot of hours into games like “Diablo III” and “Freelancer”, but I’m happy to report that “Galactic Arms Race” threw something completely new in my direction to keep me on my toes. The question remains, “does different mean good?” Before we get started looking at this game in detail, I’d like to thank Erin Hastings from Evolutionary Games for sending me a free review copy.
The last time I seriously invested in a space combat sim was during the “X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter” era in the late nineties. I was part of a guild and everything, participating in tournaments via the MSN Gaming Zone…kudos if any of you still remember what THAT is. I also dabbled a bit in “Freelancer” and “X-Wing Alliance”, though not as heavily. I found that I missed those good old days and was therefore excited to get my hands on this particular game. “Ensign-1” puts the player in the role of a fighter pilot returning home from a deep space mission. Upon arriving at Earth, you and your mothership discover hostile aliens on Earth’s doorstep and naturally, there’s only one thing left to be done. Before we lock and load, I’d like to thank Brandon Smith from Only Human Studios for providing me with a free review copy.
“OreSome” is all about, you guessed it, ore. The player will be given a ship and the freedom to wander around the cosmos, trying to improve their overall might and footprint by collecting ore, researching tech, and building various objects. Before we get started, I’d like to thank Jamie Smith from WorldSmith for providing me with a free review copy. It should be noted that the game is still in the early Alpha stage (Alpha v0.16), meaning that the game is not finished yet. Any bugs or problems I mention shouldn’t be held against it, seeing as how the game is still a work in progress.
Video games based around survival have always been appealing to me, mainly because it provides a semi-realistic sense of suspense and forces me to think about my choices. “Frozen Nightmare” is a game I discovered on Desura that tasks the player with finding the necessities to stay alive while avoiding those who have been turned into monstrosities as the result of a nasty virus. Before we take a look at this particular survival game in detail, I’d like to thank Claudio Norori for providing me with a free review copy. It should be noted that the game is currently in the Alpha stage, meaning that it isn’t finished yet. All of the content that I mention in this article is therefore subject to change.
“Fieldrunners” was originally an iOS game that was released back in 2008, having been pushed to other platforms in the years following. Like the “Great Little/Big War Game” series, it featured strategic play while keeping with a cartoonish theme. “Fieldrunners 2”, which also started out as an iOS product, recently released for the PC and I’m here today to see if it lives up to the successes of its predecessor. Before we get started, I’d like to thank Alec Shobin from Subatomic Studios for sending me a free review copy.
As an avid chess player and a former member of the United States Chess Federation, it goes without saying that I know my way around the chessboard. “For the Crown: 2nd Edition” showed up unexpectedly on my doorstep just the other day and I was surprised to learn that the game not only had a chess theme to it, but also deck-building mechanics. This is probably the only time I’ll ever be able to use “chess” and “deck-building” in the same sentence, so forgive me if I spontaneously combust with excitement periodically throughout the review. Before we take a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Stephanie Marroquin from Victory Point Games for sending me a free review copy. It’s worth noting that there is a polybag version and a boxed version…the components I mention and the pictures you’ll see represent that of the boxed version.
A lot of things were going through my mind when I came across, “Super Tower Rush”. Is it a tower defense game? Does it involve constructing towers quickly to meet some unknown goal? I was surprised to learn that it was something far different, as it introduced mechanics that I don’t normally see in the world of reviewing games. Before we begin looking at what this game is all about, I’d like to thank Lorena Casanova for sending me a free preview copy. It’s important to note that this game is currently in the Alpha stage of development, which means that the game isn’t finished yet. It also means that the features and content that I describe in this article are subject to change.
It’s not often that I get to be the bad guy. In “Master Plan”, players will all be assuming the roles of supervillians hellbent on claiming the ultimate prize before their fellow colleagues do. Unlike most card games I’ve played, this one actually makes use of a “real space” mechanic that forces players to strategically place the cards they play. Players will be laying down cards in an attempt to be the first one to get their pawn to the prize. Before we get into how that all works, I’d like to thank Brad Talton from Level 99 Games for sending me a free review copy. While the game is still about a week away from being released to the general public, the pictures you’ll see in this article represent the final components.
“Pixel Tactics” is a two player card game with an eight-bit/sixteen-bit theme. Players will be summoning and using heroes to attack their opponent’s leader. The player who manages to kill their opponent’s leader first wins the game. Before we take a look at how this is accomplished, I’d like to thank Brad Talton from Level 99 Games for sending me a free review copy. While the game is still about a week away from being released to the general public, the pictures you’ll see in this article represent the final components.
One of the first “detective” board games I remember playing as a kid was “Clue: The Great Museum Caper”, which involved one player taking on the role of a thief attempting to steal paintings from under the noses of the other players. “Mr. Jack in New York” is a more recent game I’ve played that tasks one player (the detective) in finding and catching the other (Mr. Jack) through a series of logical deductions. “NOIR” feels like a combination of both games, however in this instance, both players have hidden identities and will be attempting to thwart the other in different ways. Before we get started, I’d like to thank Brad Talton from Level 99 Games for sending me a free review copy. While the game is still about a week away from being released to the general public, the pictures you’ll see in this article represent the final components.
I haven’t written anything personal in a while, but I came across something that I believes warrants a look. An individual on Facebook, who shall remain nameless, had this to say:
I stumbled upon this game during a sale about a year ago, picking it up for a whopping $2.49, down from $9.99. To sum this game up, you’ll be building a base with power plants and defenses in an attempt to ward off waves of enemy aliens. While I do appreciate the game’s many modes, they all revolve around the same general premise. I would have liked a mechanic that rewards the player for sticking with it from game to game, possibly something like a tech tree of sorts. As it stands, you’ll either try to survive and/or score as many points as you can. There is a creative mode that lets you build to your heart’s content, but I mainly used this to perfect my defense strategies. Final verdict? “Harvest: Massive Encounter” is a fun game that is worth buying, but it could use a little more depth. I recommend picking it up during a sale, if at all possible.