“My Shuno!” fellow readers. Despite “SimCity’s” rocky launch, I’ve invested well over fifty hours into the game with no signs of slowing down. I wanted to take this opportunity to pass on what I know and what worked for me. Should you take the below to heart over anything else you may have learned? Absolutely not. I’m sure I could stand to do things better, but I’ve managed to keep every city in the green and then some. Below are some basic tips that might serve a newcomer to the game well…enjoy!
Video Games
If there is one gaming genre that has persisted over the stretch of time, it’s been the arcade/shooter genre. “Galaga”, “Space Invaders”, “Spy Hunter”, “Life Force”, “Gradius”…the list goes on. “Pressure” is one such game and puts the player (and a friend if they so choose) in a customizable steam buggy set in a Steampunk world. Your mission? Stop the Dark Lord from taking control of all of the water sources throughout the kingdom. Before we begin taking a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Jörn Karl Fahrbach from TopWare Interactive for providing me with a free review copy.
“Drip Drip” has done well for itself in that has received high scores from various press websites. Today, I’m here to drop a quick line to let you know that the game is currently half off and will remain that way until March 31, 2013. More specifically:
How many of you folks remember “River City Ransom” from back in the NES days? Well, take said game, add zombies and guns, and you’ve got “Dead Pixels.” By no means is the latter a clone of the former, but they are similar in that you can fight, buy/sell items, and upgrade your character. In “Dead Pixels”, a toxic spill has caused the dead to reanimate. The army was unable to contain the situation, so that leaves you to reach the evac point on your own before becoming part of the undead yourself. Before we begin taking a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank John Common from CSR-Studios for providing me with a free review copy.
To sum up “Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space”, you’re the Captain Kirk of the Purple Void galaxy. You’ve been tasked with going out and exploring this galaxy, though unlike “Star Trek”, you’ll be scored by how profitable and successful your mission is. It’s a mix of space exploration and combat…will you have what it takes to complete your mission and make a couple of credits in the process? Before we take a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Iikka Keranen from Infinite Space Games for providing me with a free review copy.
I remember playing “Archon” on my NES back in the day, and it stood out because it did something that no other game in my collections had done at the time…allow me to directly control “Chess-esque” pieces on a playing board and fight with them. “Battle Chess” was okay, but it didn’t allow you control the pieces directly during combat. I bought “Archon Classic” a couple of years ago out of nostalgia but never really dabbled with it much. Today, I’m going to remedy that situation.
I recently covered “Sins of a Solar Empire”, a 4x real-time strategy game set in space. It included two expansions: “Entrenchment” and “Diplomacy”, which added some more gameplay options and contributed to its overall value. “Rebellion”, on the other hand, is a standalone game…meaning that it can be played without the core game or its expansions. What does it include and is it worth buying?
I played the crap out of turn-based “Civilization-esque” games, especially if they were set in space. “Birth of the Federation” and “Galactic Civilizations II” were particular favorites, but I hadn’t played a good real-time strategy game set in space since “Star Trek: Armada” and its sequel released in 2000-2001. “Sins of a Solar Empire” came along in 2008, promising just what I had been looking for: real-time space combat with empire management. Was it everything I had hoped for, however?
DOTA (Defense of the Ancients), a mod for “Warcraft III”, influenced and inspired a number of games throughout the years. “Demigod” is one such game, allowing players to take on the role of a unique character, level them up, and battle their way to victory. Despite being released in 2009, I still find myself playing it on occasion simply because…well…it’s fun to level up in games and kill stuff, am I right?
Man versus machine has always been a hot topic to debate. Whether I’m watching Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, or “Watson” on Jeopardy, I find myself wondering where we’ll be in a few hundred years long after I’m gone. In the case of “AI War: Fleet Command”, humanity hasn’t done so well. You’ll be tasked with rebuilding the human race right from under the noses of the same machines who nearly wiped you out. Before we take a look at this particular RTS and what makes it unique, I’d like to thank Erik Johnson from Arcen Games for providing me with a free review copy.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from “A Valley Without Wind 2” (hereby dubbed “AVWW2”), having never played the first one. All I knew is that it was a sequel designed to improve upon the original, the latter of which was received with mixed results. In “AVWW2”, you’ll take on the role of a mage who’s managed to infiltrate the ranks of the evil Demonaica. You’ve just acquired a power that rivals that of Demonaica, and your goal will be to break your cover and lead the resistance to victory. The game itself is a mix of genres, concentrating heavily on side-scrolling and empire management. Before we begin taking a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Erik Johnson from Arcen Games for providing me with a free review copy.
You are Morrin Firebeard, a fearless Dwarven warrior whose goal is to hunt down and kill the undead wizard Azar…you know, all in a day’s work. As you may have gathered, you’ll slay monsters, loot treasures, and explore dungeons in the process. So what is “Dwarf Quest” and how is it different than the other turn-based RPGs out there? Before we answer that, I’d like to thank Dylan Nagel from Wild Card for providing me with a free review copy.
Well, this is a first. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen or used the words “environmental”, “puzzle”, and “zombies” all in the same sentence. “Shattered Haven” breaks the mold however and features all of these things, much to my surprise. When zombies are involved (“grays” in this case), I usually find myself wielding a shotgun or barricading windows and doors. In this game however, you’ll be making use of tools, traps, and the environment to dispatch the grays in the most efficient manner possible. Before we get started, I’d like to thank Erik Johnson from Arcen Games for providing me with a free review copy.
If you’ve been following along (and shame on you if you haven’t), I previously mentioned that the Gorn would be on the front lines as far as villains were concerned. I had to admit however that the gameplay footage I saw of them didn’t add up to the Gorn image that I remember from “Arena”, the only Star Trek episode to feature them.
In a recent article, I explained how EA offered a free game to help ease the tension with the rough SimCity launch. I felt it prudent to let you know that my free game arrived today. All you’ll need to do is open Origin and check out the news of the day, which pops up in a separate window. If you have a valid claim to this prize and EA is ready to deliver it, you’ll be prompted to pick from a short list of EA games.
I couldn’t tell you the first time that I ever watched “Jurassic Park”, but I can tell you that I’ve watched it more times than I can count. The idea of co-existing with creatures that lived millions of years ago is both exciting and scary all at the same time. “Jurassic Park: The Game” certainly captures these larger than life creatures, but not everyone will appreciate the application of the gameplay mechanics.