Flyhunter Origins: Bugging Off, In The Most Fun Way Possible…

Posted on November 26, 2014 by geelw

Busy mobile-plus publisher Ripstone is at it again with the fun old-school games, so I have to chime in with a grin at Steel Wool Games‘ upcoming platformer Flyhunter Origins, is headed to PC, PS Vita, Mac, Android and Tegra-powered devices this December. Sure, it’s not anything revolutionary at all and don’t expect “evolutionary” if you look to every new game you’re interested in as “innovative.”

What you see is what you get with this one: a solid and engaging platformer that plays like a mix of old and new genre classics. For an old goat like me, I’ll take fun and engaging over all-out trying to be the best new kid on the block any day of the week with a title like this. Now, that doesn’t mean I despise developers who break out of the box with surprising new games that do it all differently. Far from it, folks. I love seeing studios stretch their wings and fly like the breeze with new and cool ideas.

There’s just something to be said for honest to goodness reliability and no-nonsense plop down your money and play enjoyment. Especially in a game such as this where you know you’re getting what you pay for and can show it off to others who appreciate the same thing. Flyhunter Origins is going to land on a device near you soon. Don’t reach for that Raid or comically over-sized swatter, kids – you’ve got some buggy buddies to rescue!

The Shadow Sun: Ossian Studios Makes a Mobile RPG Monster…

Posted on November 24, 2014 by geelw

I think Ossian Studios must be full of very powerful wizards who just so happen to stay out of trouble magic users get into by making some really wonderful games. The developer, well known by western RPG fans for two excellent expansion adventure packs for BioWare’s Neverwinter Nights 2 (Mysteries of Westgate and Darkness over Daggerford) has a new mobile RPG that’s going to maybe make some PC-only players jealous. Available for Android and iOS platforms, The Shadow Sun is a Unity engine RPG with about 10 hours of content, some really pretty visuals and what looks like fine gameplay in action.

The Shadow Sun is packed with features you’d normally see in high-quality PC and console role-playing games. However, given the developer is made up of veterans with experience on Neverwinter Nights and The Witcher, what’s here is just the team showing off their work for all the (mobile) world to see and enjoy. Check out the gallery, game features and teaser trailer below the jump, if you please:

Continue reading →

Alphadia Genesis Arrives on Wii U: Finally, a JRPG On a Console That Should Have MORE!

Posted on November 21, 2014 by geelw

It’s a sad thing indeed to see a Nintendo console with no original JRPGs on it after over a year on the market, but that’s finally being rectified. Even though Natsume’s freshly released Alphadia Genesis is actually a mobile port of a Kemco mobile game, it’s going to be the first “new” JRPG Wii U owners have played. Whee, you! Anyway, here’s the plot of this one, for those of you who don’t own tablets and may want to know what’s what before you buy this from the eShop:

Alphadia, Year 1092: Fifteen years have passed since the end of the terrible Energi Wars, where clones were used as weapons. Two kingdoms, after nearly destroying each other and the natural resources of Energi, signed an important peace treaty, and have been co-operative neighbors ever since: Augustine and Archleign, where the story of Alphadia Genesis begins.

Sure, it’s not a visual showpiece for the hardware, but like WaterMelon’s gorgeous (but faux) JRPG Pier Solar and the Great Architects, it’ll be the go-to game genre fans will most likely gravitate top while they wait for more info on Monolith Soft’s new Xenoblade game next year. I’ll have a review up in about a week, as I just got a code today and am setting aside time to play this one from start to finish. Heck, I’m not doing anything for Thanksgiving, not having a kitchen to use and all, so I may as well play some games while I’m on that diet. Okay, it’s not THAT bad, but it’s pretty inconvenient to be waiting so long for things to go back to normal. Thank goodness for games!

Alphadia Genesis is out NOW via the Nintendo eShop for $14.99. Check it out if you’re a genre fan looking for a fix on a console that needs a good deal more games like this.

Review: Rollers of the Realm (PC)

Posted on November 17, 2014 by geelw

Platform: PC (also on PS4, Vita)

Developer: Phantom Compass

Publisher: Atlus

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: ?

Official Site

Score: A- (90%)

While it may seem like a super-easy casual game at first glance, don’t let the either the art style or offbeat hybrid concept fool you one bit. Rollers of the Realm offers up a serious challenge to pinball aficionados and is one of the bigger indie surprises of 2014. However, you really don’t need to be a pinball wizard to fully enjoy what’s here. The game offers up enough fun to get pretty much anyone who picks it up pulled into its unusual blending of genres. Developer Phantom Compass gets some decent mileage from its medieval fantasy epic setting, dedicated voice actors and yes, the all-important element of making the gameplay both fresh and rewarding… Continue reading →

GTA V Online Screens: One More Reason To Hop In For The Long Haul…

Posted on November 8, 2014 by geelw

The hit parade keeps on coming as Rockstar Games drops these new Grand Theft Auto Online screenshots. I’ll keep it short because these images are so nice. Take a look and see for yourselves:

In addition, Rockstar has also released a list of the many changes the console and PC versions of GTA V and GTA Online will feature over the last gen versions. Get ready for all this coming your way soon (well, as soon as you click away and head below the jump):

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GTA V Gallery Update: Overwhelming Majority Rules, Coming Soon…

Posted on November 5, 2014 by geelw

While PS4 and Xbox One owners are finally getting Grand Theft Auto V on November 18, PC owners need to be patient for a little while longer (as in holding out until January 27, 2015). All of that time will be well spent making sure it runs as best as possible on a wider range of systems, but next-gen owners are getting the same features as shown in this video ( which is kind of NSFW, if you don’t like gunfights, a bit of the old ultra-violence and such blasting from your work computer or tablet). This isn’t some simple HD upgrade at all. Every texture in the game has been replaced, the overall resolution has been increased (more than doubling the draw distance), and as you’ll see in the PS3 to PS4 comparison video below, the differences are quite stunning:

Click away for more visual treats! Continue reading →

Ember: N-Fusion & 505 Games Bring a High-Quality RPG to the Mobile Masses

Posted on November 3, 2014 by geelw

New Jersey-based N-Fusion Games’ Ember is probably the best looking and most ambitious mobile RPG to date, period. But is the phone and tablet market truly ready for what will be a visually rich and potentially battery draining game experience such as this? That’s one of the questions that went swirling through my brain as I saw the upcoming game in action at a recent 505 Games event. Sure, there are a digital ton of JRPGs, action, puzzle, card battle and other hybrid role playing games out there. But Ember’s scope is more of the Baldur’s Gate meets Ultima meets Morrowind school of storytelling and gameplay. This will be a massive, deep, and detailed world where anything and everything can change based not only on what each player does, but how the AI interacts with itself as you play… Continue reading →

Fund This! GRAAL SEEKER: The Final Push is On!

Posted on October 31, 2014 by geelw

Okay, folks – Lugludum’s cool-looking retro strategy RPG GRALL SEEKER needs our assistance! Go help fund the project over at Indiegogo and if you’ve got a Steam account, absolutely give it an up vote on its Steam Greenlight page. This is one of those games that needs a bigger audience willing to try something outside their usual comfort zone, so go check out those links and make Lugludum a very happy bunch of game makers!

Hey, Guillaume! Play us out with a little game music, won’t you, sir?

Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom Goes for the Gold!

Posted on October 29, 2014 by geelw

Developer WayForward Technologies is finally all done with Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom, sending the game off on its merry way to be cleaned and pressed and ready for its November 18 launch on the PS3, Xbox 360, PC and Nintendo 3DS.

How will it stack up to previous Adventure Time games? Ooo, I bet Finn or Jake know… but aren’t telling a single THING because they want you all to be kept in sus-pense until the game drops into retail and onto a digital delivery site near you. Personally, I’m a fan of both the developer and the show, so I’ll play this any way ’til Sunday just for laughs. WayForward rarely disappoints with its games, so I’m going in with half a smile on my face just to give the experience some extra, um… sus-pense!. Say, you look like you’re starving – have some screenshots:

Um… okay. You didn’t HAVE to eat them all at once, greedy! Well, back in a bit with some impressions, then.

Review: TRI: Friendship and Madness

Posted on October 26, 2014 by geelw

Platform: PC

Developer: Rat King Games

Publisher: Rising Star Games

# of Players 1

ESRB Rating: N/A

Official Site

Score: A (95%)

It’s very hard to believe two people (Jana Reinhardt and Friedrich Hanisch) programmed the stellar TRI: Friendship and Madness, but that’s what it says on the official site and in the game credits. This family-friendly first person puzzle game plays like a hybrid child of Portal and a very well made Minecraft mod where you soon find the only limitations to solving the increasingly challenging levels are your imagination and sense of exploration. The game starts off small as a simple, somewhat straightforward Point A to Point B “find the keys to clear the level” experience, but once you get to drawing triangular platforms that can send you almost anywhere on a map, the game opens up into pure brain expanding territory.

Despite the often high level of challenge in reaching some really out of the way items, once you get the hang of things, the game is always a joy to play, particularly when you’re making your own route around the expansive and often gravity defying maps that have you moving around at seemingly impossible angles… Continue reading →