One would think that being both a board game journalist and video game journalist would be a bit cumbersome…and they’d be right. I’m stretched pretty darned thin as it is these days and both of these gaming genres require a lot of time and energy to keep up with. With that being said, there are a few benefits I get to enjoy…one being that I get to see (and try) video game adaptations created and based off of popular board games. In this case, “Small World 2” is the video game adaptation of “Small World” by Days of Wonder. For those of you who wish to learn more about the board game, you can check out my review and related video HERE. Before we take a look at “Small World 2”, I’d like to quickly thank the folks at Days of Wonder for graciously providing me with a press copy.
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It’s been a little over a year since season one came to a tear-jerking end. Seeing as how the first season has been out for a quite a while now, I think the statute of limitations has been reached in regards to spoilers. I will, however, attempt to keep things as spoiler-free as possible for the benefit of those new to the series. Season two, for those of you curious about the time frame, takes place about sixteen months after season one. This time around, you’ll be assuming the role of Clementine (who’s roughly eleven years old at this point) throughout the story. Without Lee (the protagonist you controlled in season one) by her side, she’ll be forced to make a lot of tough decisions on her own. Will you remain true to yourself and others, or will you take a grittier approach to the people you meet? Before we take a quick look at the first episode of this season, I’d like to thank the folks at Telltale Games for providing me with a free press copy.
“The Dead Linger”, “State of Decay”, “Project Zomboid”…it’s almost as if these developers are reading my mind! When I said that I liked open world zombie games, they must have been listening. “7 Days to Die” is still in an Alpha state, but isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It’s not what I’d call done by any means, but so far I’m having a blast with it. It features both single and multiplayer across multiple game modes. Take part in the “campaign” via the survival mode or team up with others in horde mode and see how long you last. Of course, there’s a deathmatch mode too, for those who just want to ruin someone’s day. These modes are already fairly customizable, which is a bonus.
“Ring Runner: Flight of the Sages” has been in development for over five years, if you can believe it. After spending a few hours in the campaign and assessing the options I had available to me, it clearly showed. “Ring Runner: Flight of the Sages”, for those of you unfortunate enough to have never heard of this quote unquote “little” gem, is a top-down action-RPG set in the vastness of space. It has a twin-stick shooter feel, but it’s got more story than I had expected. Before we take a look at a game that more than doubled its Kickstarter goal (late 2012) in further detail, I’d like to quickly thank Enrique Dryere from Triple-B-Titles for providing me with a free press copy.
What happens when you take the look and feel of the interface in “Tropico 4”, add 1920’s scenery, and adopt a combat system similar to that of “XCOM: Enemy Unknown”? Why, you end up with “Omerta – City of Gangsters”, of course! The former comparison to “Tropico 4” doesn’t surprise me much, considering that “Omerta – City of Gangsters” was published by the same folks who brought you the most recent games in the “Tropico” series. I was half expecting Penultimo to pop up at one point and start spouting loyalist propaganda all the while wearing a cheesy gangster hat. If you don’t know who that is kids, then play your “Tropico” and be a better man/woman for it.
I promised myself that I wouldn’t get involved with yet another sandbox game, namely because I spend more time on them than I probably should. “Minecraft” nearly filed for a divorce when it heard that I had begun playing “Terraria” and later, “Block Story”. “Darkout” is more like “Terraria” than any of the aforementioned games in that the playing field is two-dimensional, but I have to admit that it’s quite different than what I had expected. It’s almost like a cross between “Terraria”, “Alan Wake”, and “A Valley Without Wind”, if you can wrap your head around that. Before we get started with the review, I’d like to thank Derek Reeve from Plan of Attack for providing me with a free press copy.
Artillery-based strategy games almost come a dime a dozen nowadays, but I have to admit that “Interplanetary” pushes the boundaries far beyond this planet (pardon the pun). For those of you not familiar with the genre, these turn-based games task players with launching their projectiles at the other players in an attempt to wipe them out. If you’ve played any of the games in the “Worms” series, you’ll know what I’m talking about. In this case, you and your opponent(s) each control a planet in the same solar system. By earning and spending resources, you can build various weapons and send their projectiles flying through space. Will your resources be plentiful and your aim be true? Before I briefly touch on this project, I’d like to thank Sasu Kemppainen from Team Jolly Roger for reaching out and providing me with access to the Alpha. As with all prototypes and games in development, it’s important to stress that they aren’t usually representative of the final product.
Oh level seven, thou art a heartless witch! The developers weren’t kidding when they said that the levels would get harder as you progressed from map to map…though I was expecting a gradual climb. Level one through three? Pfft…cakewalk. Level four and five? Eh…didn’t break a sweat, really. Level six? Okay, it’s sort of ramping up, but nothing I can’t handle. Level seven? HOLY MOTHER OF…AGGGHHHHH!!!!!
Just to give you a bit of perspective, I’ve already clocked about forty plus hours into “State of Decay”. I gave the game a 9/10 and for good reason…it’s one of the best open world zombie survival games I’ve ever played. Picking up the DLC (which released 11/29/13) was really a no-brainer, considering the amount of playtime I’ve already invested into the core game. The “Breakdown” DLC, for those of you who haven’t heard of it up to this point, introduces a new “sandbox” mode that tasks you with staying alive as long as possible. Want to know more? Of course you do.
Sadly, it’s been a few years since I’ve managed to play the original “Creeper World” released back in 2009. I do have fond memories of playing it, not to mention that it was addictive beyond belief. The original “Creeper World” was a mix of real-time strategy and tower defense. Every map featured multiple levels of terrain, starting points for the “creeper” to spawn, and a base that you had to protect at all costs. Unlike other tower defense games, you only had to face one enemy…though it oozed throughout the map like a cascading waterfall and your towers were the only thing holding it back. Your goal? Extend your power network to the energy totems scattered around the map so that you could advance to the next level. I missed out on “Creeper World’s” sequel, though I’ll be rectifying that by reviewing the third game in the series titled “Creeper World 3: Arc Eternal”. Before we roll up our sleeves and get to work, I’d like to thank Virgil Wall from Knuckle Cracker, LLC for providing me with a free press copy.
It’s extremely rare that I come across a game in which I’ve pumped more than forty hours of my sweat and tears. “Skyrim”, “Fallout 3”, and “XCOM: Enemy Unknown” are probably the biggest contenders on my personal list, though I’m ALWAYS searching for some type of open-world zombie survival game. In most cases, I’ve been very disappointed with the crap that’s hit the virtual shelves in that regard. “The War Z” was so bad that it ended up changing its name to “Infestation: Survival Stories”, as if it had entered the witness protection program weeks after releasing. I’m pleased to report that “State of Decay” is nothing like that…it’s actually a ton of fun to play! With the release of the “Breakdown” DLC coming November 29th, 2013 (retailed at $6.99), I figured that now would be a good time to formally get my thoughts about this game down on paper.
“All of his co-workers were gone, what could it mean? Stanley had decided to go to the meeting room, perhaps he had missed a memo.” These are the first words you’ll hear and ironically, you’ll be hearing them more than once. “The Stanley Parable”, an adventure game that is unlike any other I’ve experienced, is rather difficult to explain. You’ll take on the role of Stanley, and while your adventure begins the same every time, your choices will determine how the story ends. Think of it as a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book, something that you kids of the eighties and nineties can relate to. It also bears a resemblance to “Portal” and “Anti-Chamber”, but without the mind-bending puzzles and with heavier emphasis on the narrative. Before we explore the game any further, I’d like to quickly thank Davey Wreden from Galactic Cafe for providing me with a free press copy.
I don’t get to try out the freebies on Desura as much as I’d like to nowadays, but I just couldn’t say no to this particular one. A climbing simulator of sorts? Alright…I’ll bite. The question remains, how did I fare? Did I plunge horribly to my death. It turns out, yes…many times…though in most of those cases, I couldn’t even get a few feet of the ground.
Rougelikes have a reputation for being brutal, as one of their common features involves a permadeath system that prevents you from going back and loading a previous save when things go horribly wrong. “Desktop Dungeons” has all of the characteristics of a roguelike in that regard, but it does some pretty unique things that sets it apart from the rest of the crowd. Before we don our helmets and sharpen our swords, I’d like to quickly thank Danny Day from QCF Design for providing me with a free press copy.
In December of 2012, I had the pleasure of reviewing a gruesome first-person hack and slash by the name of “Chivalry: Medieval Warfare”. I even went on record by saying that it “makes me want to watch the siege battles in the Lord of the Rings movies again for the umpteenth time this year.” “Chivalry: Deadliest Warrior”, the official expansion to aforementioned game, released on November 14, 2013. Instead of archers and knights, players will be making use of off-the-wall classes like pirates and ninjas. Before we get started hacking and slashing our way to victory, I’d like to thank Steve Piggott, the President of Torn Banner Studios, for providing me with a free press copy.
It was honestly just a matter of time before someone utilized and marketed the redshirt concept in a video game. In case you’ve been living under a rock (or just really, really HATE “Star Trek”), a redshirt is a title given to a no-named Ensign who usually accompanies Captain Kirk on an away mission. There’s also a seventy-five percent chance that said redshirt won’t be coming back…perhaps Gene Roddenberry hated the color red, who’s to say? At any rate, “Redshirt”, a comedy sci-fi “Facebook” simulator of sorts, recently made its way onto the market and I’m here to take a final look at how it stacks up in the grand scheme of things. Before we set our phasers to “Like”, I want to quickly thank Cliff Harris from Positech Games for providing me with a free press copy.