Spellshard Would Indeed Have Been An Awesome NES RPG…

Posted on October 8, 2012 by geelw

Here’s a neat bonus from the OHRRPGCE game, Spellshard (yup, you should go grab it if you’re a retro RPG fanatic like I am). The guys behind the game even put together a fake color manual PDF that looks as if it was photocopied from an original (very clever) and even has a back cover with a piece of tape covering a small “tear” – that made me smile.

Anyway, I’ve only put about an hour into the game so far, but it’s definitely a nostalgic blast from the past. Granted, most of the games I’ve played using this engine have the same combat systems and menus, but they get the job done in delivering the feeling of camping out on the couch on a rainy weekend immersed in a nicely sized fantasy world.

Random Unfinished Indie Game of the Week: DOOM RPG: Evil Unleashed

Posted on October 7, 2012 by geelw

Even if you’re not a fan of turn-based RPGs, DOOM RPG: Evil Unleashed should be on your list of games to play before you’re worm food. Why? Well, between the intentionally retro visuals, great use of music (from a few sources) and reworked art assets from the original game and a solid level of difficulty, the game is a pretty nice surprise that will eat up your free time. Created by thespazztikone in the nicely versatile open-source game engine O.H.R.RPG.C.E. (Official Hamster Republic Role Playing Game Construction Engine!) and hopefully going to get polished up a bit more and updated with more episodes, the game hooks you in right away with a surprising amount of voice acting and a nice, slow buildup to the actual gameplay. Once you get into the combat and hear that familiar level end tune when you’re victorious, expect a grin to spread as the hours fly by.

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EVENT! EA’s Soccer & Speed Tour Rolls Into New York City Sept. 28-30

Posted on September 27, 2012 by geelw

Soooo, what are you doing this weekend? If you’re around NYC or are popping in for a bit, you can play two of EA’s upcoming titles and maybe WIN some cool prizes with your gaming prowess. Out of nowhere, a truck rolls up (through a mysterious cloud of smoke optional), opens up and *BOOM!* the gaming gets underway. Playable versions of Need For Speed: Most Wanted (Criterion’s spectacular return to form with a crazy amount of cars and seriously fun multiplayer content that should make any Burnout fan keel over with joy) and FIFA Soccer 13 (depending on who you ask, arguably the best footie game on the market), are headed around the town for three days:

WHEN & WHERE:

Sept. 28, 3 PM – 8 PM: Upper 90 (697 Amsterdam Avenue New York, New York)
Sept. 28, 9 PM – Midnight: Genesis Bar (1708 2nd Ave #1, New York, New York)
Sept. 29, 10 AM – 1 PM: Legends (6 W 33rd St. New York, New York)
Sept. 29, 2 PM – 6 PM: GameStop (2322 Broadway and 85th St. #1, New York, New York)
Sept. 30, 9 AM – 9 PM: Upper 90 (359 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY)
Will I show up to beat some of you into submission or lose terribly to the better man or woman? I’m not quite sure just yet, as I still have a pile of work to get to here. But who knows? Oh, I’d probably lose to anyone at FIFA, as I like watching more than playing. But as for NFS: MW? I did win one journalist’s tourney at an EA press event a while back, so I can at least hold my own at that game.

Necropolis: Grab This Retro RPG Before It Vanishes Forever

Posted on September 24, 2012 by geelw

I’ll write up a longer review on this awesome RPG Maker 2003 instant classic in a week or so, but check out the video above (ignore the debug stuff at the beginning) and definitely get the game over at RPGMaker.net before its creator, Jude, takes the game down. He’s turning it into a commercial release using MonoGame/XNA, so at some point the currently cancelled version up at RMN will be gone for good. Trust me, the custom 8-bit graphics (which need to be seen full screen, NOT in a window), innovative combo-based battle system (in a turn-based RPG? What the what?!) and overall level of polish make this one of the best NES style RPGs I’ve ever played. OK, let me shut up before this turns into an actual review – go get this game!

Random Indie Game of the Week: The Frozen World

Posted on September 22, 2012 by geelw

Yes, it’s somewhat ancient for a RPG Maker game, but Lys86’s brilliant The Frozen World is still one of my all-time favorites made with the 2000 version of the popular game creation software. While fairly short (you can complete it in under ten hours), the combination of a unique battle system, memorable plot and some great use of music helps lift this one into the heights of great fan games. In fact, the game feels like something you’d have played back on the SNES or Genesis, but the combat has a nice and rewarding Nintendo DS/3DS “touch screen” experience I’ll get to in a bit.

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Random Unfinished Indie Game of the Week: fracture

Posted on September 17, 2012 by geelw

$fracture_01$ Being a huge fan of the Shin Megami Tensei series, i got a huge smile on my face when I saw screens of Rhyme’s wonderful work in progress (with KreadEX and Karsuman doing the dev work), fracture over at RPGmaker.net. Even if you’re not a SMT fan (and why not?) the game is worth a look, especially if you just so happen to love old-school first person dungeon crawling in the Wizardry vein (but with a more modern twist).

In the tried and true MegaTen tradition, things are a bit cryptic in the beginning as your high school age party is introduced one by one as you walk though a series of brightly lit hallways, but once you get down to that first basement and the random battles begin, things get nice and hard for the unprepared. Try and rush too much through this one and you’ll be chewing on your keyboard, especially if you chose one of the harder difficulty settings.

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Free Music Alert Plus: Download Dishonored’s Tune, Win Big By Making Your Own Remix

Posted on September 14, 2012 by geelw

Hey! Free stuff is ALWAYS great, right? Right! But, add in a chance to be creative with that free stuff in order to get MORE free stuff and we’re in mind expanding territory here. Well, not really – I just have a word count to meet and this sort of cheery banter fills that up quite nicely. Er, anyway… this IS a really cool contest for you creative types out there who like to tinker with tunes. Go check out the Drunken Whaler MP3 over at the Bethesda Blog, download it and get with the remixing, mateys. Come up with a suitably stunning slice of DJ delivery, enter the contest and guess what? If you win, you walk away smiling with a copy of Dishonored for your efforts. Get cracking fast, Cap’n Hook (or is it Cap’n Crunch?), as you all need to submit your shanties by September 28. YES, 2012. Geez, some people…

Dishonored is in stores October 9 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Yes, you need to buy it. There’s a very deadly assassin on the cover who just may find time for some extracurricular field work if you don’t.

(Disclaimer: Bethesda makes no endorsements about thinly veiled threats from fictional video game characters towards readers of this blog about the non-existent potential for bodily harm if they don’t buy their upcoming Arkane Studios-developed game. That’s my job.)

Pro Pinball Kickstarter: Bringing Back The Digital Silver Ball Classics Once More

Posted on September 12, 2012 by geelw

While the goal of $400,000 may seem high to non-pinball fans out there, here’s another case where a healthy combo of nostalgia and pure common sense can win big for fans of classic video gaming across the globe. Granted, the Pro Pinball series is originally a 90’s creation, but the excellently designed tables whipped up back then were pretty solid and quite memorable, recalling the days of amazingly creative tables popping up in arcades on a regular basis.

Anyway, check out the pledge page here, as there’s a VERY nice freebie on the page in the form of a download of Big Race USA just for visiting the page. Even better, a mere two dollar pledge will net you two more free tables should the project make its target. Drop a few more quarters into that coins slot and score some really awesome bonuses such as boxed copies of the games for PC and the opportunity to have lunch in Chicago with some of the folks behind the project. Nice! OK, you know what to do – make this thing a reality!

Random Indie Game of the Week: Fable of Heroes: Legendary Edition

Posted on September 8, 2012 by geelw

Yep, another week, another really cool RPGmaker.net game. This time, it’s the fun and challenging throwback by user Dustsoft, Fable of Heroes: Legendary Edition. Although it’s got a pretty basic plot and characters straight out of RPG central casting, that’s exactly what makes it work for me. Amusingly enough, the game is noted as a throwback to the NES and SNES days, but many of the art assets used from the RTP look straight out of Shining Force in terms of the color palette, buildings, map tilesets and even the light, happy music in the starting village. Granted, the Genesis was lousy at decent fog and transparency effects as seen in some areas here, but I had a big Sega smile on my face while playing this one, that’s for sure…

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Random Unfinished Indie Game of the Week: Wilfred the Hero, Part 1

Posted on August 30, 2012 by geelw

My quest to uncover all the hidden RPG gems continues marching onward… and this time, it’s something really cool that while incomplete, was actually the springboard for an even better remake (which is still in progress as we speak). While Wilfred the Hero, Part 1 is almost eight years old, don’t let that stop you from giving it a try. It’s yet another excellent RPG made with RPG Maker 2003 that doesn’t use the familiar art assets found in the RTP. Creators Teo Mathlein (art) and Brandon Abley (music) managed to make a game that’s wholly unique in its art style while adding elements to the gameplay from a few sources. While it’s labeled as a “Japanese-style” console RPG experience, i think that’s selling the game short, as it’s set in a world that won’t be familiar to those expecting that typical Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest clone game.

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