“Adventure Park” has some big shoes to fill, especially with how much work went into the making of the “Roller Coaster Tycoon” series. I’ve honestly lost count of the number of years I’ve put into that series as a whole…it’s just THAT good. Unfortunately for us, the last “RCT” game (“RCT3”) was released in 2004…a whopping nine years ago. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s past time for an upgrade. That begs the question…will “Adventure Park” fit the bill? Before we answer that, I’d like to quickly thank Daniel Krauss from bitComposer Entertainment AG for providing me with a free press copy.
Video Games
All posts tagged Video Games
I don’t have what some of you folks would call a green thumb…most plants uproot themselves and scurry in the other direction when they see me approaching. Luckily, you don’t have to be a seasoned gardener to play “Reach for the Sun”, a game that teaches the basics of plant behavior and anatomy. While being designed for younger kids, I do admit that the game appeals to me in an odd way. After all, I could never say no to any type of simulator. Before we put on our gardening gloves and see what this game’s all about, I’d like to quickly thank Robin Kurzer from Filament Games for providing me with a free press copy.
What happens when you combine “Left 4 Dead”, “Monaco”, and “State of Decay”? Why, you end up with a little gem like “Survivor Squad”, of course! I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this game as it has a little bit of everything I enjoy from the aforementioned games. For those of you who haven’t seen my reviews or videos on any of those games, “Survivor Squad” is a top-down squad-based strategy game set in a zombie infested world. Before I touch on specifics, I’d like to thank game developer Hugo Cardoso from Endless Loop Studios for providing me with a free press copy.
Oh 3D space combat, will I ever get tired of you? It turns out, much to no one’s surprise, that the answer is no. “Starpoint Gemini 2”, the sequel to the original released in 2010, is certainly turning some heads as it continues to develop. Before I go any further, I’d like to quickly thank Mario Mihokovic from Little Green Men Games for providing me with a free press copy. It’s important to stress that the game is still under development (as of 11/1/13), making the content featured below subject to change.
When I heard that this popular XBox game was being ported to the PC, I had mixed feelings. I was excited that I’d have yet another zombie apocalypse game at my fingertips, but wasn’t excited about the fact that the PC came second. Most games I’ve played that have been ported from the console usually don’t fare well…”Dead Space” being such an example. On the other hand, “Dead Space 2” and other games like it have on occasion surprised me by turning out to be a solid and worthwhile port. “State of Decay” currently has no official keyboard and mouse support (as of 10/25/13), though you CAN use them if you know which buttons do what. It goes without saying that an XBox controller would work better for those who play the game in its current state (via Steam’s Early Access program), but I’m finding the keyboard to be manageable.
Seriously, I’m in zombie apocalypse heaven! First “Project Zomboid”, now this…I think I may have to look into cloning myself just so that I can keep up with all of these games. As you may have guessed, “How to Survive” is all about surviving in a world filled with zombies. Whereas games like “Dead Island” and “Left 4 Dead” feature a first person viewpoint, “How to Survive” keeps things at a top-down perspective. It’s sort of like “Smash TV” or “Diablo”, but with an intricate and in-depth crafting system along with a few other goodies.
Survival sims are probably my favorite type of video games to play. Throw in some zombies to the mix and I will be hard pressed to put them down. “Project Zomboid”, a game currently in the Alpha stages of development, is my latest addiction. It’s a top down zombie-survival game that tasks the player with finding food and staying alive, all in real-time. You’re not immune to infection, making death a very real thing. It’s not a question of whether or not you’ll survive…rather, it’s a matter of “when” you’ll kick the proverbial bucket.
Some of you may already be familiar with “Talisman” in general, whether it be from playing the board game or via the review I wrote for “Talisman Prologue”. If you haven’t, that’s quite alright…I admit that I myself have never played the board game. If I had the money and/or space available to snatch up every game I came across, I’d be one happy camper. “Talisman”, to sum it up, puts players in the role of a character who must complete quests across multiple stages. This video game adaptation, along with “Talisman Prologue”, keeps with the feel of the original board game in that you’ll be rolling dice as opposed to clicking the mouse thousands of times like you would in the “Diablo” series.
Real Estate? Tower Defense? Monsters? Where do I sign up? “Unholy Heights” snuck onto Steam about a week ago and I snatched it up without a second thought. In this particular game, you’ll be managing an apartment building full of monsters and charging them rent. While you’re seeing to their needs, heroes will come and attempt to kill you, the devil, who is situated on the very top floor presiding as the landlord. I’ve already dropped nine hours into the game having only spent four bucks to purchase it, so I consider that a victory on my part. It’s an excellent value for the content it delivers, so certainly check it out if you haven’t already.
Having trouble locating the four golden tools in “Farm For Your Life”? No need to panic…”Dad” has you covered.
It’s been one heck of a rollercoaster ride, but I suppose it has to end at some point. Erica Reed is returning for one last time in this engaging four-part series, itching to get her hands on the person responsible for killing her brother. I’m going to assume that you’ve played the past three episodes, but I’ll attempt to keep things as spoiler-free as possible. I’m also going to keep this review short and sweet, for reasons I’ll make clear in a moment. Before we bid our final goodbyes to the series, I’d like to thank Katie Hallahan from Phoenix Online Studios and Emily Morganti, a PR consultant on behalf of Phoenix Online Studios, for providing me with a free review copy.
I wrote a preview for this game a while ago and was pleased overall with the content that the Beta build had offered. I admittedly have never met a farming game that I didn’t like, but this one introduces other gameplay elements that sets it apart from the rest of them. Let’s face it, how many other games can you name that take elements from “Planets vs. Zombies”, “Diner Dash”, and “Harvest Moon” and roll them into one neat, inexpensive ten dollar package? “Farm For Your Life” has been out of the Beta stage for a little less than a year now, so it’s about time that I get off my behind and get planting! Before we get started with the review, I’d like to quickly thank Andreas Bendt from Hammer Labs for sending me a press copy.
“Outlast” turned out to be an incredibly nail-biting affair. I even went as far as recording my entire experience from beginning to end. If you’re curious to see how it turns out, or if you’re stuck on a particular part, then feel free to check out my walkthrough below.
Apparently, Will Smith’s fear of robots running amok was justified (watch your “I, Robot” kids). In this instance you play the role of a human who is being hunted by robots across a British landscape. The maps are procedurally-generated in this sandbox world, meaning that you’re experiences in one game may not mimic that of the next. Your goal? Survive, any way you can. You’ll need to stealthily move around the foliage to stay hidden, but also scavenge food and weapons to help you in your quest. “Sir, You Are Being Hunted” is currently under development, though you can pay to play early via Steam’s Early Access program.
“Delver”, a roguelike dungeon crawler, has recently made its way onto Steam’s “Early Access” page with a bang. It features a perma-death system for those of you who love being penalized for making mistakes, but manages to maintain a certain charm via pixelated graphics. While there are plenty of games that contain said features (Minecraft, etc.), this one ended up being just as much of a time sink. Before I quickly cover the current state of the game, I’d like to quickly thank Chad Cuddigan (developer and publisher) for providing me with a free press copy. It’s important to note that because this game is still under developement, that the content featured in this article is subject to change.
I’ve been a very busy bee as of late. My board game reviews and Kickstarter previews are picking back up, hopefully due to the new board game video series that I’ve introduced on my YouTube channel. At any rate, I still love to play video games…especially scary ones. After hearing so many good things about how scary “Outlast” was, I knew that I just had to play it. Due to time constraints and the fact that I am covering this on my own dime, I’ll opt to keep this article short and sweet.