“Infested Planet” has come a long way since July of 2013, the day that I first laid my hands on this incredible masterpiece. I was impressed with the Beta then and I’m pleased to say that the game only got better from there. For those of you who aren’t familiar with “Infested Planet” or haven’t checked out my preview, it’s a top-down RTS that features aliens…lots and lots of aliens. You control a small squad of soldiers and must complete certain objectives in order to pass from level to level (this usually involves a kill or be killed mentality). Before I get into that however, I’d like to thank Alex Vostrov (the game’s creator) for providing me with a free press copy.
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The title says it all in this latest addition to the second season of “The Walking Dead”. Clementine, our delicate but intelligent protagonist from Episode One, has a lot of hard choices to make. Having met a group of survivors that are much more weary of strangers as opposed to those she met in Season One, this stands to reason. On top of that, she doesn’t have Lee to protect her anymore…it’s just her and her will to live. When Episode Two appeared on Steam on March 4, 2014, I was all over it like a kid in a candy store…I just had to know what would become of Clementine and possibly find out what had really happened to Christa. Seeing that the series as a whole is a rather unforgiving and unexpected one, it’s relatively easy to say that anything goes at this point.
It’s a bit hard to describe “The Mighty Quest For Epic Loot“, but I’d have to say that it’s a cross between an action RPG and dungeon builder. When you’re not upgrading your castle and populating it with monsters, you’re out looting other people’s castles in an attempt to level up your character and earn yourself some loot in the process. So far I’m having a great time with it, though I’m not too crazy about the in-game store which does offer objects of interest for real money. For the record, I’ve been able to ignore it thus far and progress without even looking at it.
I’d hate to use the word “clone” here, but “Planetary Annihilation” certainly takes a lot of ques from the “Supreme Commander” series. That’s not necessarily a bad thing…I’ve put hundreds of hours into “Supreme Commander 2” alone. For one, it’s an RTS that gives both sides a mission critical and destructable commander unit. Secondly, there are two resources…metal and energy (“Supreme Commander” had mass and energy). Furthering that fact, metal can only be harvested on particular spaces on the map, similar to how mass was collected in “Supreme Commander”. The structure types are similar, with the ideas revolving around regular and advanced constructor units being nearly identical…bottom line, if you’ve played “Supreme Commander” before, you’ll be able to jump into this without a problem. To be fair, “Planetary Annihilation” does take things to a whole new level: space and the ability to colonize other planets.
As soon as I saw the title of this particular game, I began to unconsciously hum the theme to “Star Trek: Deep Space 9”. Little did I know that I was, in a sense, pinning down exactly what this game was all about. “Spacebase DF-9“, a game currently on Steam’s Early Access program for $24.99, will task you with constructing your very own space station. Like other similar sims currently out on the market, you’ll need to provide for the inhabitants, assign them jobs, mine for raw material, and more. Think “Dwarf Fortress” or “Dungeon Keeper”, but in space.
In case you weren’t aware, “Dead State” is currently on Steam’s Early Access program…though not in the way most of us would expect. Instead of giving us access to the entire Alpha, the developers have shared a build that will give us a seven-day taste as to what “Dead State” is all about. In a sense, it’s an Alpha demo…something that folks should know before dropping the $24.99 necessary to try it out. The good news is that those who do drop the dough will have access to the full game once it’s released, which (according to their website) should be around Summer of 2014. Those who wait will have to pay the game’s full price, listed at $30.00.
It’s that time again! With all of the reviews and previews I do, I sometimes forget that there are a TON of free games on Desura that demand my attention. I quickly rectified this, browsing Desura’s free games section until I came across “Walk”. It looked aesthetically pleasing and simple to play, so I gave it a go. Your goal? Find the dark-colored sphere…yes, that’s it. It turns out that I’m not even good at THAT. Watch the below video to find out what I mean…
I spent a good amount of time playing “Talisman Prologue” ever since I was gifted a copy back in December of 2012. I had never played “Talisman” the board game before then, so I found “Talisman Prologue” to be a nice primer in terms of learning the game’s ins and outs. Unfortunately, it was only designed as a single player experience, meaning that I couldn’t take the fight to others online. “Talisman: Digital Edition”, which has been on Steam’s Early Access program for a while, rectifies that problem by introducing multiplayer among a few other things. While this review predates that game’s official launch date (February 25th, 2013) by a few hours, I’m told that my current build is representative of the final product, with no major gameplay patches planned between now and then. With that said, I’d like to once again thank Don Whiteford, the Co-Founder of Nomad Games Limited, for sending me a free press copy.
I’ve been playing a lot of games lately that feature a turn-based combat mechanic. “Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game & Expansions“, X”COM: Enemy Unknown“, “GhostControl Inc.“, “Dungeon of the Endless (Preview)“…just to name a few. “Antisquad”, a game that appeared on Steam’s Early Access program in late February of 2014, follows suit with similar themes. In addition to turn-based combat, you’ll be allowed to upgrade your characters with new equipment as well as customize them with various skins. The asking price is only four bucks and it will stay that way before and after the game’s official release (source)…not too shabby.
I was doing incredibly well, or so I thought. I booted this sucker up for the first time at 7 PM and before I knew it, I had a fairly happy and successful little village going. Not bad for having no knowledge of the game prior to playing it…I guess I really am a true games “journalologist” (HA!). Around 9:30, all of that went downhill when my population starting dying off one by one due to old age. To my dismay, I discovered that my villagers hadn’t produced enough children to replace those dropping like flies. Apparently, couples are hesitant to conceive children when being crammed into a house already occupied by three complete strangers…who knew? Essential buildings were now vacant, resources were starting to dwindle as a result…needless to say, I was a sad little panda when I realized that I had a serious problem. Such is the way of “Banished”.
My first experience with “DayZ” lasted all of five minutes. Shortly after figuring out how to equip my flashlight, I got attacked and killed by a group of zombies. That’s not to say that I didn’t go out swinging…I am fairly certain I put “Rocky Balboa” to shame. A review is obviously a long ways off, with the game being Alpha and all, but I also have a long ways to go in learning how to play the game.
I’ve played a TON of tycoon-esque games in my day. “Roller Coaster Tycoon”, “Hotel Giant”, “High School Tycoon”, “Prison Architect”, “Prison Tycoon”, “Hot Dog King”…the list goes on. Never before have I managed my very own mail distribution business, however. “Post Master”, the latest of simulators published by Excalibur Publishing LTD, promises exactly that and is due to hit virtual shelves on March 7, 2014. While this review predates the launch date by a few weeks, I’m told that my press copy is representative of the final version. To that end, I’d like to thank Richard Barclay from Excalibur Publishing LTD for providing me with an early review copy.
What was your first NES game? “Super Mario Bros. & Duck Hunt”? “Excitebike”? “Gyromite”? Would you believe that mine was “Double-friggin-Dragon”? No, seriously, it was. I woke up one Easter morning and found an NES all hooked up and sitting on my desk. I guess my parents saw me play the arcade game one too many times at the roller skating rink. Looking back now, I have to question my taste in games as I found “Double Dragon” to be both awesome and addicting. In retrospect, it was frustratingly unfair. You couldn’t even perform certain moves (jump kicks, hair pulls, uppercuts, etc.) until you earned enough hearts (the game’s version of XP). I eventually beat the game, presumably because my NES controller was tired of being spiked into the ground.
Steam Early Access games seem to be the theme on my website as of late, but I’m not going to complain. “Pixel Piracy” is the latest acquisition, thanks to game developer Vitali Kirpu (“Solidust” on Desura). It plays a bit like “FTL” and is defined as a “side-scrolling 2D, pirate roguelike-like game”. You’ll be trying to improve your ship all the while dealing with events as they present themselves. The game is still in development so I won’t comment on this too much, but I will share my first impressions and gameplay videos via the below to give you a taste of what you’d be in for should you buy into it.
After finding this game on sale through Steam for four bucks, the decision to pick it up (along with two free gift copies) was a no-brainer. It’s a bit like “Clue” in that the mysterious Mr. X has invited a bunch of people to embark on a cruise…but things get ugly when you learn that cash is rewarded to people who manage to murder their targets. Guards and cameras exist to keep people from going homicidal, as well as a full-fledged jail for anyone caught breaking the rules. On top of being sneaky, you’ll have needs to meet like in “The Sims”…thirst, social, that kind of thing.
I’m doing my best to resist the urge, I swear. Every fiber in my being wants me to bellow “who you gonna call” even though this isn’t officially a “Ghostbusters” game. While the latest “Ghostbusters” video game satisfied my ghostbusting itch, I have to admit that I missed the ability to actually run my very own ghostbusting business. That leads me to “GhostControl Inc.”, a game that admittedly looks and feels like the pop culture icons we all know and love. I’ve thought long and hard about how to describe this game, but the best I could do is to say that it is a cross between “Ghostbusters” for the Atari 2600 and “XCOM: Enemy Unknown”. The former may not be recognizable to the lot of you, but the idea that both “Ghostbusters” and “GhostControl Inc.” conveys is generally the same. Before I go any further, I’d like to thank the folks at Application Systems Heidelberg for providing me with a free press copy.