Gog.com Makes The World A Temporary Fallout FREE Zone (With An Expected Paradox)…

Posted on December 12, 2013 by geelw

Which is, amusingly enough, radiation exposure will actually go way UP across the globe thanks to all the new and old people spending too many hours playing Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics once they download them all for FREE as part of gog.com’s fantastic DRM-FREE Winter Sale. Yeah, get this deal NOW and don’t delay, as in less than 48 hours all three titles will be disappearing from the site forever as their rights belong to another huge games publisher who wants more control over distribution of those titles.

Yeah, it’s one more “best deal of the month!” for you, but make sure to check out the other goodies on the sale page (over 600 games means over 600 sales!), as you can walk away with a ton of great games for insanely low prices. OK, get crackin’ and remember, if it’s too busy to download the games today (because a chunk of the planet is crashing gog.com’s servers), as long as you have the games in your gog.com account before the sale ends, you can download them afterwards. I got three hours of sleep and woke up to this news, so perhaps I’m still asleep or something. But I think not…

The Collectables: Crytek’s F2P Mobile Surprise WIll Blow You Away…

Posted on December 11, 2013 by geelw

To many fans of their graphically intensive game experiences on PC and/or consoles, the words “Crytek” and “mobile gaming” are probably not even seen as anything close to a reality, but surprise, surprise. DeNA and Mobage are about to knock many socks off with the developers first project, a phenomenal-looking free to play tactical arcade shooter called The Collectables. Yes, the name more than likely has your eyebrow now hovering way above your head, I’m betting, and you’re not alone. My own eyebrow did a back flip when I heard a few weeks back that Crytek was entering the mobile scene, but when I finally saw the game in action last week demoed by a broadly smiling Barry Dorf, I was not only convinced, but I’d go as far to say that this might be the game some “core” gamers who shun mobile and tablet games run out to buy a device to play it on…
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Gog.com’s Money Back Guarantee: Now, THEY’VE Got The Biggest Balls Of Them All!

Posted on December 9, 2013 by geelw

Well, the gauntlet has been officially thrown down hard as gog.com does for digital what others have done with retail, but on a crazier level. WORLDWIDE money-back guarantee if a game doesn’t work right? Wow. Other stuff in this agreement is also wow-worthy as well, but I’ll shut up and let you watch that video above. Granted, this being the internet and all, some jokers and jerkettes will want to abuse that money back deal like it’s a cute kitty caught in a glue trap (eww!). But I’d bet that the fine folks running the service will be on the case with the appropriate hammers to smash on the thumbs of any potential abusers or serial returners. I bet some fools get banned before a month passes because they’re just messing around, but hey – as I always say: Hell is indeed other people. We’ll see is Valve does something similar with its STEAM service – I won’t even try to speculate what’s going to happen there, folks…

The Gate: When Free, Hell and iOS Together Are Actually A Great Thing…

Posted on December 7, 2013 by geelw

Currently an iOS exclusive and out NOW, The Gate is a free to play fantasy-themed card battle/RTS from American McGee and developer Spicy Horse Games that looks amazing and should grab the attention of those iOS users looking for some high-quality gaming on the go with a bit more bite.

As you can see, the game’s lovely artwork is quite impressive, mixing in a bit of Diablo with some original elements quite nicely. Killer artwork of course, doesn’t entirely make a game, but it looks as if the team has cooked up quite a winner on the gameplay front with a little help from DeNA and Mobage. In other words, it looks as if going to Hell will actually be something you’ll want to to many, many times once you pick this one up and get hooked into all it has to offer.

Currently, there’s no word if this is coming to non-iOS platforms, but I’d gather this all depends on how well the iOS version does. I’m an eternal optimist (or at least someone who prefers more choice outside of Apple platforms), so I’m hoping more gamers who play on other devices can get a taste of The Gate at some point in the near future.

As for what to expect if your interest is piqued, well… peek below the jump for the gory details (or: it’s press release time!)…
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LAWLESS: DeNA’s Arcade Shooter Brings The HEAT To iOS…

Posted on December 6, 2013 by geelw

Another of DeNA’s surprises for mobile devices was this great looking fast paced arcade-style tap and shoot game, LAWLESS, that’s a surprisingly fun mash-up of classic light gun games such as Time Crisis, Virtua Cop and Area 51 and Michael Mann’s stellar crime flick, HEAT. If that sounds like a match made in coin-drop heaven it comes off even more excellently thanks to developers Eight Pixels Squared and DeNA Scattered Entertainment.

Sitting down with DeNA’s Barry Dorf for a quick look at the game, I was surprised at the combination of nicely realistic visuals and speedy timed gameplay that was immediately accessible and yes, addictive. Like the other games shown, this one’s free to play in solo or multiplayer modes with the option to buy in should one choose to upgrade. Based on some quick hands-on time with this one, I can see a lot of people opting in to spend a little to a lot of cash to keep this one going for a good long time… Continue reading →

Money Run: DeNA Gives The Mobile “Runner” Genre Some VERY Hot Wheels…

Posted on December 5, 2013 by geelw

If you loved Temple Run and its many copycats and clones but are in the mood for something a little more thrilling, DeNA has exactly the game for you in the form of the soon to be released free game Money Run, which replaces that too familiar treasure hunter or licensed character and those assorted colorful leap-happy maps with a pure arcade experience that plays like a cross between Spy Hunter and Twisted Metal with a few cool twists. Actually, this isn’t a mere cosmetic re-skinning job at all, as the fast-paced racing action chock full of plenty of crashes and explosions feels straight out of some Hollywood blockbuster or action-packed TV series.

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Humble Jumbo Bundle: That Gaming Gift That Grows As You Pay…

Posted on December 3, 2013 by geelw

Now, paying UNDER four bucks for this nifty set of games may seem like a good idea for you cheaper-skates out there, but that just means you’re NEW to how this Humble Indie Bundle thing works. If you pay MORE than the average price of four dollars (and yes, how much more is entirely up to you), you end up getting MORE games as they unlock when other like-minded smarties fill the pool. And remember, it’s a public pool, so don’t to peeing in there! Er, anyway, the more people ponying up pennies past the price point, the faster those unlocks unlock, it seems. Don’t see anything you like in that bundle? No biggie – poke around the Humble Store and/or check out the Humble Weekly Sale and perhaps you’ll find something to suit your fancy?

Remember, 10% goes to charity so you can buy up and veg out knowing you’re doing some good even if you’re just sitting on your behind for too long racking up a virtual body count, racing around at full speed on some fancy track or simulating something you wouldn’t normally do in real life.

Random Indie Game of the Week: Paper Sorcerer

Posted on November 30, 2013 by geelw

Okay, so I missed this one as a Kickstarter (what else is new?), but as soon as I saw this video for Ultra Runaway Games’ Paper Sorcerer, they got my five bucks just like that. As a fan of old school CRPGs like Wizardry, Dungeon Master, Daggerfall and others plus more modern takes on them such as The Dark Spire and Etrian Odyssey, this game jumped out and bit me with its stylized visuals and smooth, speedy movement. Did I mention that it’s Mac AND Linux compatible as well? I’m only about 40 minutes into it, but I actually need to STOP playing and put it aside just so I don’t get hooked in and forget that I’ve about a dozen other games I need to review or preview before I get started on a new one. Here’s a longer look at some gameplay from the developer’s YouTube page:

Yeah, I see you reaching for that wallet. Go on ahead – I’m sure Ultra Runaway won’t mind. While you can get the game on Desura and it’s in the running as a Steam Greenlight candidate, buying this DIRECTLY from Ultra Runaway assures they get more of the profit and you can also pay more than $5 if you like as well as get the game’s soundtrack for an additional $5. Support those indie developers, I say! Anyway, if you liked what you saw above, you’re already downloading this before you’ve finished reading this post. Go, YOU!

Yeah, yeah… I’ll get a review up shortly – probably within a few weeks as I whittle down my backlog of stuff glaring at me to get it done.

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Gets Patched Up But Good* on Steam…

Posted on November 27, 2013 by geelw

EDIT! Guess what, kids? The game is now part of the big, big Steam Autumn Sale and is a WHOPPING 50% OFF unitl December 3, 2013! That’s right, a measly $12.49 gets you the game all patched up and ready to go! Woo-hoo!

Hoo-ray! I think I’m the ONLY one that doesn’t mind the game’s non-adjustable resolution (*the main thing some still want to whine about who may not think the patch fixes EVERYTHING), but as someone who plays primarily console titles (well, there’s about a 70-30 mix), no controller support was a big pain in the wrists and lower for me. Anyway, the list of changes is HERE, so if you’ve been on the fence about this one, it should at least be easier to control if you’re coming from a console background. NOTE: You’ll need an official wired Xbox 360 controller for best results. I guess a wireless pad will also work, but I used my wired controller so I don’t need to recharge or replace any batteries. Also, this is currently only for the Steam version, but I’d gather a gog.com patch is also incoming.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Complete Pack Now On Steam!

Posted on November 20, 2013 by geelw

Hmmm… I never got around to playing The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing when it was initially released on Steam, but it looks like me not getting that review code I asked for was a good thing. A fre friends I recommended this one based on the screens and movies dug it quite a bit, so my job was done on that front. I guess I need to go crack open the piggy bank now as NeoCore Games has been toiling away on making their baby an even more complete action/RPG experience. Got that Steam account warming up in the background? Good – let’s see what’s in the digital box now, shall we? Lift up that coffin lid, please and peek below the jump… Continue reading →