“TrackMania² Canyon” was a blast to play, especially on the levels that involved loops and jumps. Even though I tended to flip upside down and skid off the road into deep, menacing crevices, I found myself coming back for more abuse regardless of what my insurance agent said. “TrackMania² Stadium” is the second game in the TrackMania series, this time allowing players the ability to test their reflexes on stadium tracks inspired by the “TrackMania Nations Forever” game. Before we take a look at our newest member of the TrackMania collection, I’d like to thank Edouard Beauchemin from Nadeo for providing me with a free review copy.
Video Games
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I rarely get to be a dungeon master, but when I do, I feel right at home. There’s nothing like being in complete control of someone else’s destiny…on pen and paper, that is. “Ohhhh, sorry…looks like you stepped on a pile of troll droppings…minus three thousand dexterity.” Needless to say, no one likes it when I’m the dungeon master. “Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Edition” is an expanded version of “Knights of Pen and Paper”, which was released back in 2012. The latter was designed for iPhone/iPad/iPod and Android devices, but the newer version will allow us PC and Mac users a chance to flex our creative muscles a bit. In short, this game allows the player to take on the role of both the dungeon master AND the characters…something I did way back when in my “Hero Quest” days. Before we get started with the review, I’d like to thank Veronica Gunlycke and David Martinez from Paradox Interactive for providing me with a free press copy.
How many of you enjoy card collecting games like “Magic: The Gathering?” How many of you play “Defense Grid” and “Sol Survivor” religiously like your life depended on it? If you raised your hand to both of those questions, then there’s no doubt in my mind that you’ll take a liking to “Prime World: Defenders”. This game reminds me a bit of “BattleForge”, a card collecting real-time strategy game that I was heavily invested in for quite some time. In this case however, you’ll be collecting cards that will form your tower defense arsenal and be tasked with slaying mutants and baddies by the thousands. Before we take a look at this game in further detail, I’d like to thank Troy Goodfellow from Evolve PR for providing me with a free review copy.
“Folk Tale” recently appeared on Steam’s Early Access section, which is something that I was very grateful to see. There aren’t enough fantasy sandbox city-builders out there for my liking and from what I’ve been able to play so far, “Folk Tale” is aiming to fill that void. In this particular game, you’ll be tasked with leading a group of peasants to riches and prosperity through various means. You’ll start with a small settlement and with a little work, that settlement will turn into something grand and wonderous. Before I share my experiences with the Alpha build of this game, I’d like to thank Simon Dean, the Project Lead at Games Foundry Limited, for providing me with a free press copy. Like with all Alphas and Beta, it’s important to remember that the content featured in the game and in articles like these are subject to change.
The goal of most races are the same in that one person will be attempting to cross the finish line before the others, but what if you added platforming that was affected by the type of music you listened to? It’s an interesting idea, one that “Rush Bros.” dives into headfirst. In this particular game, players can race solo or go head-to-head against an opponent while jamming out to their favorite tunes. Before we get started with the review, I’d like to thank Derek Reeve from Plan of Attack (a PR & Marketing Agency) for reaching out and providing me with a couple of copies for review purposes.
Sometimes, the simplest things can turn out to be the most difficult. Such is the case with “Constant C”, a 2D platformer that lets you play as a rescue robot. Your goal will be to fix the Superlunimal Space Station from the time-freeze that it’s stuck in by completing various puzzles. Successfully completing these puzzles will not only assist in repairing the station, but bring you one step closer into discovering the unspoken truths behind the incident. Before we take a look at this game in closer detail, I’d like to thank Han-Wei Wang for reaching out and providing me with a free review copy.
I had a pretty fun time with “Surgeon Simulator 2013”, and while there were only six levels, they were fairly tough. Below is a quick walkthrough of the first three levels for those of you who need a bit of help. The last three levels are the same as first three, except you’ll have to contend with things moving all over the place. You’ll need a bit of luck on those levels, especially since your replacement organs tend to fall off the screen on a regular basis. The secret level can be accessed by inserting the “?????” disk into the computer, which you’ll receive once you beat the other six missions. As of 6/22/13, you can play as the medic in “Team Fortress 2” and perform a heart transplant on the heavy by inserting the video cassette tape into the VCR. Enjoy!
I was one of the fortunate souls to discover the demo to this game a number of odd months ago. I quickly realized however that my lifelong experience as a gamer didn’t prepare me for “Surgeon Simulator 2013”. Bounding over pitfalls while jumping on Bullet Bills? No problem. Taking high-speed turns while launching missiles at the cars ahead of me? Easy. Building a space shuttle from the ground up and launching it into space? After some trial and error…cakewalk. Guiding a single hand to perform rudimentary open heart surgery in “Surgeon Simulator 2013”? Well, some things are better left unsaid. In this particular game, players will take on the role of a quote unquote doctor (Nigel Burke) that will be performing a series of medical procedures. Before we get started with the review, I’d like to thank the folks at Bossa Studios for providing me with a free copy.
Building your own spaceship from the ground up and sending her off on missions is an idea I can definitely get behind. In “Starship Corporation”, you’ll be able to do exactly that. The game is still in an Alpha state, so I wasn’t able to play with all of the game’s features. However, I was able to try out the ship building portion of the game to see how the design function worked. Before I reel off my first impressions of the Alpha, I’d like to quickly thank David Murent from Coronado Games for hooking me up with a free preview copy.
It’s always been a lifelong dream of mine to go into space, though if NASA were smart, they wouldn’t let me anywhere near a lunar module. In “Lunar Flight”, I’ve gone through more lunar modules than Paris Hilton has shoes. In this particular spaceflight sim, you’ll be navigating a lunar module around the moon performing various missions in an effort to earn a little money and experience. Before we get into the specifics, I’d like to thank Sean Edwards from Shovsoft for providing me with a free review copy.
Whereas “Age of Empires II” was set during the times between the Dark Ages and the Renaissance, “Age of Empires III” focuses on the times during the European colonization of America. Oh, don’t worry, there are still archers and siege weaponry ready to do your bidding, but you’ll also encounter units like musketeers and rockets that are completely new to the series. As such, the third game in the series does keep with the standard RTS formula, but it introduces some new concepts that give the game a lot more depth.
It’s been a while since I’ve browsed Desura for free games to try out and as expected, I wasn’t disappointed. “Minimal Theory” puts the player in the role of a test subject that must get through a series of experiments. It’s similar to “Insert Title Here”, but it is much shorter and often goes off on tangents that are unique in style. You can check out my experiences with the game or try it out yourself via the links below.
When I first loaded up “C&C” back in the mid 1990’s, I was blown away. After all, there was a MAN talking to me on my screen and not some pixelated gibberish. “Rebel Assault 2” topped the cake in regards to full motion video at the time, but I was still impressed that my mission briefings in “C&C” were recorded by an actual actor. No, really kids, that’s how it WAS back in my day. At any rate, “Command & Conquer: Generals” became my favorite entry in the series, especially once I got my hands on the “Zero Hour” expansion. Why? So glad you asked.
“Caesar IV”, through and through, is a city-builder / resource management game (and a difficult one at that). As the governor of a province, you’ll be tasked with building your cities and ensuring that they prosper. To do that, you’ll need to carefully manage the resources scattered around the map, as well as ensure that you have the appropriate workers and buildings to acquire them.
Van Helsing, also known as Doctor Abraham Van Helsing, is best known for his role as a vampire/monster hunter in the 1897 publication of “Dracula”. In “The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing”, players will take on the role of the legendary doctor himself and embark on a journey through the gothic world of Borgovia. This particular game draws some similarities to the “Torchlight” and “Diablo” series in that it is an action-RPG, but it does some pretty unique things that make me want to keep playing. Before we get started, I’d like to thank Orsolya Toth from NeocoreGames for providing me with a free review copy.
How many of you remember the game, “Populous”? If you’ve ever played it at one point in your life, you certainly would have remembered it. The game featured two warring human factions, each with a god to watch over them. You got to control one of the gods, but not the faction they reigned over. Instead, you’d have to manipulate the environment and cast godly powers to see your way to victory. “Skyward Collapse” is somewhat similar, putting you in the role of a deity that must oversee the prosperity of two different factions. It turns out that preventing them from beating the tar out of each other is tougher than it looks. Before I start overusing the word “smite”, I’d like thank Erik Johnson from Arcen Games for providing me with a free review copy. Arcen Games, for those of you who may not recognize the name, are the same folks who did “AI War” and the “A Valley Without Wind” series.