Bundle Stars’ Latest Deal Is The Conquest Of Your Free Time!

Conquest Bundle Banner 
Holy cats. AGAIN. A dozen Steam digital games in a bunch of genres for a mere five bucks with part of the proceeds going to charity? Crazy! My own backlog and need to clear out some hard drive space means I’m eyeballing a few games in my backlog and considering deleting them temporarily just to snap up this set of titles. Granted, I’m not a big RTS fan, so those historical sims may not be touched unless I have a LOT of free time and want to do some supplemental reading. On the other hand, most everything else here floats my boat to some extent and saving $110 is always a good thing. Hmmm… time for a coin flip (again!)…

Anyway, if your own eyeballs have grown to saucer size when you clicked on that link above you know what to do, right? Also check out the other bundles on the site PLUS those awesome store deals for up to 80% off a really nice bunch of games in a few genres. I may have a nice surprise for two lucky readers later this week, so stick around for an update…

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II Update: New Screens, Beta Gets a Big Boost!

 
Nice. Neocore Games has released four new screens from The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II and added some new areas to the closed beta (which is automatically updating via Steam as I type). Excellent.

VanHelsingII_SteamPreOrder_001I was wondering what that other game was Steam was adding content to as I knew The Wolf Among Us was going to drop in Chapter Three as soon as I logged on. Of course, by the time I got to the email from Neocore announcing the beta update, it was about 70% done and I realized that’s what was up. Yeah, I think sideways from time to time, what of it? Anyway, May 22, 2014 is the new release date for VHII. Remember, you can pre-order the game directly from the developer or through Steam. I’ll have an updated hands-on shortly (most likely after the weekend)…

VanHelsingII_SteamPreOrder_002 VanHelsingII_SteamPreOrder_003 VanHelsingII_SteamPreOrder_004

Bundle Stars’ Toxic Bundle Will Eat Away At Your Free Time For A Mere Five Bucks…

the toxic bundle

 
Well, now. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is worth the five bucks alone, but this ten-game Steam bundle is packed with a bunch of other great titles to keep you glued to that mouse and keyboard for ages. Classics are part of the deal (The 7th Guest and The 11th Hour, Desperados 2 and Shadowman) as are some newer to not so newer indie titles (Xotic, Darkout, Runespell Overture, Tribloos 2 and Heroes of Annihilated Empires). Even better, if you happen to be a fan of all things S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Bundle Stars has the two other games in the series for a mere five bucks each, so you can pick up digital versions of Shadow of Chernobyl and Call of Pripyat for only five bucks each. Grab those two and that bundle for 15 dollars and even if you ONLY go on a massive S.T.A.L.K.E.R. binge, you’ll still be making out really well. I say give the rest of those game a shot at some point, as there are some true gems here from days gone by. This deal only lasts 20 days, so grab it while you can!

Transistor: Supergiant’s New Game Popping Up at PAX East, May 20 On PC, PS4

transistor_postcardOkay, I’m not going to Pax East this year (I think Boston has banned me showing my face there since I my days as an usher in Cirque du Soleil during the Saltimbanco tour), but if I were there, the first booth I’d jet over to would be Supergiant Games just to see Transistor, which will be playable on the show floor before making it’s official debut on PC’s and PlayStation 4’s worldwide on May 20, 2014.

Yeah, yeah, other than a post or two last year I really haven’t been covering this one in detail like some other sites, but that’s thanks to SO darn many games (indie and otherwise) I’ve been following that I’m only paying the most attention to those a lot less polished than this one. It may sound backwards, but I trust Greg Kasavin and his team to deliver the goods, so they really don’t need me to hover around as they cook up a storm. Anyway, three new screenshots are below, so make sure you check them out and if you want to know more about the game, well… you know where to go, right?

Transistor_10-apr_14_00 Transistor_10-apr-14_01 Transistor_10-apr-2014_02

Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure Launch Trailer: Atlus Goes Back To The Past To Bring You The Future!

 
As I noted last year, seeing a new Tex Murphy interactive adventure (or game, for those of you scratching your heads right about now) is quite a shock as well as a pleasant surprise, so it’s also a good thing that Atlus is not only seeing this through, they’re making sure their followers know all about it. Now, you don’t need to have played the other Tex games to get into this one at all, but it may help some of you appreciate what’s here all the more. Especially if that mildly cheesy full motion video you’re seeing above isn’t floating your boat, but you’re intrigued about the story and such. Trust me, you’ll get used to it once the plot wraps its fingers around your throat and starts shaking gently. It’s great to see you back, Tex… next time, don’t take so darn long to make a comeback!

The Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure is coming to PC and Mac April 22, 2014.

IndieGala Every Monday Bundle: Hard To Pass Up (And Harder To Put Down)

IG_Monday 

 
Let’s see now… six games for $1.89 for the next 15 hours, then the price jumps to a still insane $2.99 for the same content? SOLD, even though I already have the excellent A Valley Without Wind in my still hefty backlog of games to be played. Nice. Get this deal HERE and make sure to take a look at the assorted Happy Hour deals on other bundles and the other sales on too many titles while you’re there.

SOMA “Lambda” Trailer: Frictional’s Upcoming Game Is Drowning In Atmosphere…

 
Literally and figuratively it would seem. And all this time I thought it was going to be a more landlocked futuristic experience. Oops. On the other hand, it still may be, as this long teaser doesn’t explain much other than sometime in the future we’ll see a 100 percent waterproof computer that’s probably a few generations too large. Unless, of course this whole wearable tech trend that I despise so much fails miserably like it needs to. That and the death of the “holodeck” as a potential money wasting concept only the stupidly wealthy can afford. Bleah. Just give me a good game, something to play it on and if it’s not a handheld system, a controller and I’m happy. Anyway, SOMA isn’t out for a while (2015, it’s looking like) – more updates to come as they drop.

Always Sometimes Monsters Trailer: You’re The Moral Of This Story…

 
ASM_01Coming in May from developer Toronto-based developer Vagabond Dog and publisher Devolver Digital, Always Sometimes Monsters looks to tackle a few of life’s more interesting challenges in playable form. That trailer has piqued my interest for a few reasons, as it seems the game isn’t starring your generic hero or heroine and in fact, it looks as if you’re allowed to create a character that expands into what they used to call “alternative lifestyles” back in the day. Okay, I’m kidding a bit. It’s always good to see games embrace all types of people and this one looks as if it’ll resonate even among non-gamers who see that trailer and get to thinking about some of their own real life choices in similar situations. Well, that’s exactly what the developer wants, so I think they’ve got the attention of some of you now, right?

Dungeon of the Endless Update: Your Multi-Almost Everything Game is Almost Ready!

Dungeon of the Endless Logo Art

 

Amplitude Studios’ upcoming multi-hybrid game is looking quite spectacular in this new trailer and updated screens combo plus the mix of genres (just watch the trailer, as the very thought of writing all that out is making my fingers hurt. Here, go ogle some new screens and make sure to read some of the amusing descriptions in the pics that have them:

Dungeon of the Endless - Cryo Capsule Dungeon of the Endless - Golgy Level-up Dungeon of the Endless - Lab Explosion Dungeon of the Endless - Major Modules Dungeon of the Endless - Merchant Dungeon of the Endless - Sewer Enemy Wave

Okay, let me get back to work, because I got caught up in reading some of those screens as well. You can get more info on Dungeon of the Endless HERE (official site!) and HERE (the game’s Steam page where you can sign up for early access and more!)

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing 2 Gets Knockbacked Into May…

VHII_Mayday 
Game delays are nothing new, so this isn’t really a big surprise. Still, you have to love the press release Neocore Games sent out to announce the delay:

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II Delayed due to Monster Invasion

Slightly delayed, but no need to worry – all that extra time will be spent polishing the game. The new release date is set to May 22, 2014.

So, what happened to the April release date of The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II? Well, we could blame the supernatural or the bad Vrikolak meat in the fridge, but the truth is, we want to release a superb game as polished as possible on release and that will take a little longer than we thought. We want to make sure the sequel is superior to the first game in every aspect and it keeps you nailed to your chairs all the way to the end with its engaging new story. Now the new date will also mark the anniversary of the first game’s release. So be ready to hunt down the new swarm of monstrosities when the game hits Steam on May 22, 2014.

All of you are reaping souls right now anyway, aren’t you?

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II is available for pre-order on PC. To pre-purchase the game, head to neocoregames.com/store and choose from the various supporter packages in various price ranges.

Me, I’m currently NOT reaping souls because Blizzard has ignored PS3 and Xbox 360 owners of Diablo III, but I have other stuff to keep me occupied while I wait for the man with the hat and Lady Katarina to make their second appearance in a more polished form. That, and I can also replay the beta a few more times just to see how all those other character classes do against the hordes.