Random Indie Game of the Week: DreadOut

DreadOut gal

DreadOutAmusingly and ironically enough, one of the scariest work-in progress games I’ve played this year comes from a developer named Digital Happiness. Based out of Indonesia, this small studio is in the process of polishing up their first game, DreadOut, a nicely frightening homage to Tecmo’s criminally neglected Fatal Frame series with a modern (and optionally social) twist.

DH is using the extremely versatile Unity game engine, a wonder tool for a number of small to large studios that can pump out some fantastic visuals the can be scaled to run an a wide range of computers and devices. The speed at which this has come together combined with the quality of the work is pretty astonishing. I believe Digital Happiness happens to be in the CG animation business or something, and you can see this in the character art, animation and general pleasingly realistic style of the visuals.
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Random Indie Game of the Week: The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Storms Onto Steam…

No game is perfect, but the only thing I can see here that I don’t like is the title of NeoCore Games’ great-looking Action/RPG. Call me crazy (please do!), but The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing sounds like a Saturday morning cartoon series that pops up too early to catch on a regular basis. Anyway, snark aside, that video above and screens below show that this one looks pretty awesome. I just need to carve some time into my schedule to play this one and let you know how cool it all is. What? You’re STILL not convinced? OK, OK… here’s another video, you cranky skeptic, you:

Yeah, I thought so – now keep it down back there and check out these screenshots:

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Even better, the game has launched today on Steam and is available at a 10% discount ($13.49 instead of $14.99), so I say take advantage of this launch day deal and snap up a copy. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to grab a good knife and go find my cuckoo clock. It was on the wall, but seems to have scampered off somewhere (I think I’ve gone after it a few too many times with sharp objects in an attempt to make more hours in a day)…

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing: Building Character – An Important Life Skill In Games, Too…

Here’s more for NeoCore Game’s upcoming action/RPG that’s shaping up to be a huge and very-well polished indie sleeper hit worth grabbing when it launches on May 22, 2013. Hopefully, this will do well enough to get ported to more platforms, as there’s nothing like a good chase ‘n chop to wile away the hours and get caught up in all the loot you’ll rack up as you stack up the monster corpses. As usual, we shall see, but I’ll predict that is this one shows up as bug-free as possible and doesn’t require a new PC to run, it’ll be a must-play among genre fans…

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Katarina Trailer: A Little Ghost Recon For You…

That’s LADY Katarina, to you, mister. Yeah, you can take your jiggered jump scares “reality” TV ghost shows and stick them in the circular fish tank where they belong. Me, I’ll be running around in some mighty pretty (and pretty deadly) environments with a ghost that’s actually useful against other supernatural creatures. Katrina might be fake, but at least she doesn’t give a crap and knows you’re going to like her for her skills and not just her good looks. NeoCore Games must have read my mind, as The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing has got “sleeper hit” stamped all over it, but “Mega Hit” is glowing away in BIG neon letters for fans of these action RPGs like me. Keep it coming guys. Did you know you can pre-order this one and get a beta key on Steam? NO? Well, hell – I’m not doing my job right then… (takes out Hypno-Coin)… Go do that pre-order thing NOW.

And you’re welcome…

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Among the Sleep: Child’s Play Gets A Whole New Meaning In this Upcoming Indie Game…


 

among the sleep logoI can only think of a very few games that are played from the perspective of children and all of them are indie-made sleepers. In addition to a few RPG Maker games, there’s Papo & Yo, Baby Blues and now, Among the Sleep, which looks to be the most intriguing for a few reasons. First, the protagonist is a mere two years old, second, it’s a horror-themed game that doesn’t revolve around combat (I don’t know any two-year old babies who can carry around a rocket launcher and Rambo-sized knife). It’s also a recent Kickstarter project that’s garnering a lot of interest for its theme and excellent visuals. Hamar, Norway-based Krillbite Studios is crafting this gem up carefully.

There are minor similarities to Baby Blues in that the game has a young child and a teddy bear as key elements of the experience. However, Among the Sleep focuses on its child escaping from a nightmare and from the production art shown so far, the game looks to take on a more fantasy-themed twist as it progresses. Hmmm… Keep an eyeball on this one, pony up a pledge if you like what you see and someone get Guillermo Del Toro on the horn – a film version looks right up his strange, dark alley. That or, hell, I’d ring up LArry Cohen and get his blessing to do his cult 1974 flick, It’s Alive as a game, complete with that creepy Bernard Herrmann score and the film’s shocks and scares intact.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Gets A Beta – Give It A Shot, I Say…

NeoCore Games’ upcoming action RPG, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, is headed into its beta stage as a pre-order product the developer has set up as a crowdfunded work in progress that allows interested players to pony up a fee for access that will net them a final copy when the game is completed and released in May. For a minimum payment of $15, you’ll get to play that beta version on Steam (and comment on it, no doubt) and there are payment tiers all the way up to $1000 (which gets you four copies of the game, your name in the credits and portrait in a secret boss level).

I’m Not Worried About Divinity: Original Sin One Bit…

Seriously. I know Larian Studios has got this all sewn up nice and tight, so I haven’t even bothered to run any of their Kickstarter updates here after posting a little while back about Original Sin going the crowdfunding route. It’s pretty much a no-brainer that a new game is going to be great when it’s the same studio and staff that’s been with the series from the beginning toiling away like mad wizards. I’m just hoping that this gets a console version at some point, as I hate having to keep upgrading a PC like it’s a can that needs a new engine every time one of these epics roll out. More people playing their games is always a better thing at the end of the day, I say…

Oblivion Trailer: Can We Just Send Tom Cruise Into Space Instead?

OK, here we go. I’m really not much of a fan of the guy these days, as his real-life issues with real people get in the way of me enjoying anything he’s done over the past few years. He’s been in some good to great films, yes… but all I think when I see any character he plays is of someone who thinks KNOWS he’s better than all of us who aren’t him and he’s got all the best ideas bottled up in his perfect little head and even thought he’ll bend your ear off yakking about them, Nyah, Nyah, you can’t be like him at all because he’s got the bestest destiny in the world (or out of this world). Bleh. I’d rather give myself an eyewash with century old absinthe in a dirty bottle than see this one, but for those of you who want to, go right on ahead. If you DO go, I have an idea: I say ALL the proceeds from this latest soon to be released TC love-fest should go to getting that man onto the next rocket to Mars one way and that’s that. Pack in a few of his deluded pals for company and toss in a film camera or two so we can see the messy results of an ego trip gone haywire. So, yeah – that’s an endorsement from me to check this out.

Just think of it as helping out a really good charity at the end of the day…

Divinity: Original Sin Goes the Kickstarter Route (And You Should, Too!)

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DIV_II_WIPNO, no – don’t go and post a Kickstarter for your beer collection or shoe fetish, silly! Go support Larian Studios and THEIR Kickstarter in their push to trick out their upcoming RPG in some really cool ways. The game is coming along really well as you’ll see – the team is offering up the chance to add fan-created content and some cool bonuses into the mix for those of you with some extra disposable income lying around. Personally, I want to see this or some other Divine Divinity-themed game make it to consoles (again, as Divinity II was outstanding on the Xbox 360, but could have used a PS3 port so more could play it). Anyway, poke around that link above and if you like what you see and hear (that video is quite helpful if you turn the audio up), well… drop a few dimes on this one, tell a few friends, sit back and wait for that inbox to ring when the game’s all done. This one looks as if it’ll be well worth the wait…

Class of Heroes 2: A Crowdfunded Coolness Alert for Classic JRPG Fans…

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COH2_coversMonkey Paw Games and Gaijinworks’ upcoming Kickstarter-funded PSP sequel to Acquire’s pretty cool Wizardry-inspired RPG (say that ten times fast!) is indeed coming soon to PSN as well as selected retail outlets to be announced (I’m guessing directly through Gaijinworks to cut out the middleman expenses). But that actual concrete release date will be announced shortly by the companies. Here’s a look at the nice cover art that’s being coin-flipped by fans to decide which one goes for Kickstarter backers and which goes to those who pre-order the physical/digital combo pack. You want gameplay with that cover? OK, look up! Look down! Not too fast, as I don’t want you to hurt anything…

(*snap!* *crackle!* *POP!*)

 

 

Too late? Oops… Well, it won’t hurt for too long, as the game should be out shortly and it’s Vita compatible so you don’t have to poke around in the closet for that “old” PSP…