“Call of Duty: World at War” and “Left 4 Dead” introduced me to what a first person zombie survival game might be like. I would often install the former just so that I could play the “Nazi Zombie” mode that becomes unlocked after beating the game. “Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army” is a standalone expansion to the “Sniper Elite” series that once again puts you into the shoes of American sniper Karl Fairburne. This time around however, you’ll be putting bullets into the undead in an attempt to get out of Germany with your skin intact. Before we start dispatching zombies with ruthless vigor, I’d like to thank Michael Molcher from Rebellion for providing me with a free review copy.
Video Games
“Wolfenstein 3D” was the very first shooter I had ever played, but it wasn’t until “Call of Duty” that I realized that I really enjoyed games based around World War I and World War II. In this case, you’ll be taking control of Karl Fairburne, an American sniper, who’s been tasked with preventing Germany’s V2 rocket program from falling into Soviet hands. I was anxious to see how this World War II sniping simulator stood up against the earlier “Call of Duty” games (before it became modernized). Before we get started, I’d like to thank Michael Molcher from Rebellion for providing me with a free review copy.
“The Dead Linger”, a zombie survival horror game, more than doubled its Kickstarter goal. Needless to say, there is a huge market for all things zombie, especially when it comes to putting yourself smack dab into the middle of the action. Before we jump shotgun first into the preview, I’d like to thank Geoff Keene, the CEO of Sandswept Studios, for providing me with a free preview copy. It should be noted that the game is currently in an Alpha state, meaning that it is not done yet. All of the content and pictures below therefore shouldn’t be regarded as final.
“Death Inc.” is certainly something I can’t claim to have played before. How many other games do you know of that allows you to control Death and unleash the bubonic plague upon 17th century England? Not many. The game has seven days to go on its Kickstarter campaign (as of 2/27/13) and oddly enough, has a demo. I rarely see demos available for games in a pre-Alpha state, but anyone and everyone can download it and try the game out. I included a video below, along with some links to get you in the mood for plague rats and pigeon pox.
If you take one thing away from this review, it’s that Spoids are bad. They invade and just keep coming. Luckily (or perhaps unluckily), mankind has you to lead the charge and protect various targets as they come under attack. In “Spoids”, you’ll be tasked with holding off waves of enemies in pure tower defense fashion.
“Hammerwatch” is an upcoming game that bears a resemblance to a personal childhood favorite, “Gauntlet.” Players will be able to fly solo or team up with the goal of making it out of Castle Hammerwatch alive. Before we get started with the preview, I’d like to thank Jochum Skoglund and Niklas Myrberg for providing me with access to the Beta. It’s important to note that because the game is currently in the Beta stage, the content and pictures you’ll see below are subject to change.
Editor’s Note:
I have since reviewed the game (as of 8/15/13), which you can find here:
“Nuclear Pizza War” is one of the nine games featured in the Humble Bundle Mojam 2, which allowed people to donate what they wanted to charity while gaining access to nine prototype games. “Nuclear Pizza War” tasks the player with fending off waves of robots while on top of a giant pizza. Below is a quick video of the game in action, recorded by yours truly. Enjoy!
Mojang (The creator of Minecraft) and friends recent held “Humble Bundle Mojam 2”, a three-day event that allowed viewers to donate to charity in exchange for access to nine different games in the prototype stage. While the event is now over, donations are still being taken through March 2, 2013. You can pay what you want to access these prototypes, and all proceeds will go to charity.
I played the game to its completion and decided to help out those who are struggling with the progression by making a video. It is very spoiler heavy, so do not view it if you want to complete the game without any help.
“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.
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.