As human beings, we often take a lot of things for granted. Every now and again, something comes along that challenges our perceptions and the way we look at things. “Antichamber” would certainly fall into one such category. While there are other games on the market that task the player with completing puzzles in a first person view, this particular game does it in a way that is both unique and refreshing. Before we start bending reality as we know it, I’d like to thank Alexander Bruce for providing me with a free review copy.
Video Games
If I had to name my favorite arcade game from the 1980’s, it would definitely have to be “Gauntlet.” You picked a character class and waded through hordes of enemies alone or with friends, endeavouring to find your way to the exit. “Dungeonland” reminds me a bit of “Gauntlet: Dark Legacy” (an evolved form of “Gauntlet” for the PS2), mainly because it encourages cooperative play while keeping with the theme we all know and love. Before we don our wizard’s caps and sharpen our swords, I’d like to thank Veronica Gunlycke from Paradox Interactive for providing me with a free review copy.
There’s something to be said for strategy games that are simplified in nature. In my youth, I was all about playing games that were as complicated as possible to satisfy my mind’s need to escape from reality for a while. Now that I’m older, I’ve come to appreciate simpler strategy games because they allow me to unwind without overloading my brain, something that parenthood and working full-time already do in abundance. “Auralux” happens to be the latter, being similar to games like “Eufloria” and “Oil Rush” in that you’ll be managing an army of “X” without the complications of base building and resource collection. Before we get started, I’d like to thank E. McNeill for providing me with a free review copy.
I came across another free game on Desura that I thought I’d try out. Free stuff is always a good thing, especially if they keep the player entertained. “Baby Blues” puts you in the shoes of a five-year old, tasked with wandering through a creepy house to collect nine teddy bears. The main menu lets you start a new game or continue an existing one, and there is no options menu that I saw. It would have been nice to know what keys do what and to be able to lower the volume for recording purposes, but I’m not going to critique a free game too harshly. It’s eerie and lasts roughly twenty minutes, depending on how long it takes you to find all nine teddy bears. Definitely worth a look. You can check out my gameplay video (link below) if you’d like to see the game in action.
Working in a call center is an interesting experience, especially if you happen to be working in some sort of escalation department that takes disgruntled customer calls. Finding that balance between, “the customer is always right” and “the customer is just being an idiot” can be difficult to do. Luckily, I came across a game that puts you in the manager’s office this time around and tasks you with building a call center from the ground up. Gone are the days where customers call you vulgar names…that’s what your staff is for (but at least you can fire them). Before we jump headfirst into the “chaos”, I’d like to thank Andreas Heydeck from Heydeck Games for providing me with a free review copy.
I used to be heavily invested in the “Metal Gear” series and enjoyed the heck out of it, mainly because I liked sneaking around and coming at enemy troops from different angles. “Deus Ex: Human Revolution” reminds me a lot of said game, as I have the ability to be as sneaky or as destructive as I want to be. The player will take on the role of Adam Jensen, who works as a security specialist for a very popular biotechnology corporation. Things seem normal at the start, but like in most games with a plotline, everything isn’t what it seems.
“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.
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.