SOMA Gameplay: While You Were Sleeping, Frictional’s Been Busy

Posted on May 30, 2015 by geelw

The more I see of SOMA, the more I want to play it and hear about others playing it. This slow-burner of a sci-fi horror game from Frictional Games looks fantastic and as you can see, has atmosphere to burn in spades. I do love that the game builds up to what’s in this 12+ minute video and will most likely leave viewers interested in the game wanting to grab it just to see how everything falls into place. It seems that players will be in for an excellent blend of adventure game search and use, environmental hazards and one pretty oddball opinionated machine. Iie arigato, Mr. Roboto! Yikes. Anyway, SOMA is out September 22 on PC and PS4.

There’s A Humble Nintendo Bundle? It’s About Time!

Posted on May 27, 2015 by geelw

Well, well, well. I was wondering when Nintendo of America would step up to the plate and take a swing at bundling some of its indie games up into a great deal. Rather than do it themselves directly, they’ve teamed up with the fine folks at Humble Bundle to offer a nice set of games for a budget price point. In the Humble Nindie Bundle you pay what you want (well, at least a buck) for three titles or pay ten bucks (or more) to unlock nine 3DS and Wii U games with more to come in a week or so. This deal only lasts for the next 12 days, so grab it if you own a Wii U and/or 3DS and need some cool indie titles to keep you occupied. The deal is for North America only, so European Wii U and 3DS owners are out of luck until Nintendo Europe gets whatever ducks it needs to in order.

Interestingly enough, I believe this is the first ever console bundle offered by Humble Bundle. If so, once again it’s Nintendo thinking outside the box and getting its fans some decent deals. I guess it’s your move, Sony and Microsoft.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III: Three’s Company For The Long Haul

Posted on May 23, 2015 by geelw

So. The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III is out and yes, you SHOULD buy and play it if you like action/RPG’s with a sense of humor (and optional gore), loads of random loot drops and probably closure as NeoCore Games finishes up its trilogy. That said… oh, for the days of the retail review disc arriving in the mail! While 20GB may not seem like a huge file to download in this era of “everyone” having a high speed connection, the best I can do around here is roughly 11 to 36 mbps. And that’s WITH connections dropping out from time to time adding more time to the download. 11 hours to download a game (which would be closer to 5 or 6 if the speed is consistent and there aren’t any connection drops) is way too long for me and while I’m not impatient, I have no idea how people put up with this sort of thing with larger game files.

Yeah, yeah, it’s something we’ve “gotten used to” as the digital age has beat retail over the head senselessly as a “superior” option. But for folks like me who fail to see the speed difference when having a disc means you get into those games you want FASTER and with only any day one (or later) patches to download, this digital divide is more “haves” versus “have nots” stuff I see some game companies no longer addressing. Boo. But hell, I won’t take this minor annoyance out on NeoCore games and all their hard work at all. Although it WOULD be cool to see them get their trilogy out on consoles at some point so even MORE people could enjoy it. Eh, we’ll see. In between the ongoing strife here I need to fit my Sunday around getting this game onto a hard drive here, so it’s an early night for this old fart. Back in a bit.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III: 2015, Meet 1999? That Works For Me

Posted on May 18, 2015 by geelw

Like a worn pair of favorite jeans you’ve had in your possession for years or a good leather jacket, NeoCore Games‘ throwback action/RPG The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing has been one of those reliable standbys that feels as it’s been around a great deal longer than it actually has. This is actually a good thing, mind you. NeoCore’s click and slash series is up to its third installment which is coming to Steam on May 22nd, so here’s a look at what to expect with that set of tease-packed videos above.

Diehard players who still have a death grip on their older Windows XP-powered computers will be glad to see as with the other two installments, Van Helsing III will run on their creaky old systems. Neocore doesn’t own them that at all, mind you. But it’s great to see a developer not ditch those players who bought that first game at all and continue to support them with all three parts of the series working on what they currently own. While the ability to use an Xbox 360 controller to play the game was a patched in addition to Van Helsing II, the game is still superior with the standard keyboard/mouse setup.

The mix of action, horror and humor elements is something that sets the game apart from the more deadly serious to much sillier Diablo-style games on the market, as is NeoCore’s attention to more “realistic” detailed environments. Granted, the mix of steampunk, classic monsters (werewolves, vampires and such) and other fantasy bits keeps things fresh throughout. One thing the game will need to be is extremely optimized and as good as can be at launch. VHII had some pesky launch issues that were resolved over time but probably soured a few gamers who tried it out and found it lacking in some areas. From what I’m seeing so far it seems that the third time’s the charm. We’ll find out in four more days.

IndieGala Hump Day Bundle: Your Camel Will Not Work Today If It Reads This Post

Posted on April 29, 2015 by geelw

It’s probably a good thing that camels don’t play videogames for a few reasons. For one thing, that would just be too weird a sight. I’d also imagine monkeys and any other non-human animals with opposable thumbs would be REALLY pissed off. Finally, if they had any work to do today, they’d not get anything at all done because they’d all be downloading today’s IndieGala Hump Day Bundle before camping out at home to play some games. Do yourself a huge favor and keep the camels offline by buying up a bunch of these bundles and gifting them around. Pay a buck for three games or pay $2.89 for thirteen games, your choice.

There’s an odd mix of first-person puzzle games, family entertainment studio stuff, a bit of horror and even some platforming with samurai kitties and a 3D brawler tossed in for good measure. Um, you’re NOT showing this post to your camel, correct?

Anyway, stop reading and start downloading. Well, once you pay up, of course. Just send the camel to the furthest store with a big bill, tell it to buy something for itself with the change and you’re good for at least a few hours. Camels tend to get a bit confused when shopping for themselves (well, that’s what I’ve read).

Indie Royale’s Insulin Bundle: Sweet Games Make For A Cheap High

Posted on April 17, 2015 by geelw

Here’s a pretty nice deal on a nicer Friday from the fine folk at Indie Royale. $3.32 for seven Steam games, 6 are DRM-free, 3 run on Macs, 1 on Linux-based systems. Well, you can’t have everything, right? But you do get more than enough in this set of indies.

What, that’s not enough for you? Okay, okay! Head to Humble Bundle and check out the slightly more expensive ($5.00) but well worth the cost Humble Origin Bundle 2 full of over 9 (and counting) Electronic Arts games. or perhaps you’re an IndieGala guy or gal-a? Well, they’ve got you covered with the Evoland Bundle which has eight game for $2.89.. but only ONE is called Evoland. Well, I’d gather that it’s the most popular indie game in that deal, thus the bundle’s name.

Finally, Bundle Stars has an all-multiplayer deal in the Factions Bundle, which will set you back a measly $2.99 for 10 great Steam MP games. As usual, you know what to do next – go support charity and load up your computing device with some fine indies!

Review: La-Mulana EX (Vita)

Posted on April 16, 2015 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation Vita

Developer: Pygmy Studios

Publisher: Rising Star Games

Genre: Archeological Ruins Exploration Action!

# of Players: 1

MSRP: $19.99

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A- (90%)

“Welcome to the jungle, we got fun and games…”

Yeah, I see you looking at those handsome La-Mulana EX screens and that exciting trailer and thinking “Oooh, a new ‘Metroidvania’ game to play and beat in a day or two!” Ha. La-Mulana EX laughs at your brimming overconfidence. Let me be the first (or perhaps last, as this review is a bit late) to inform you that going into this game with your dreams of adding a fast notch to your speedrun belt will have you lose that belt and perhaps your Vita right out the nearest window or under a speeding bus or some other method you choose to remove that handheld from your possession.

No, the game isn’t “bad” by any stretch of the imagination. Not at all. It’s just going to be one of the toughest games you’ll play if you’re not willing to read the digital manual and pay close attention to the basic to advanced techniques you’ll learn. In fact, what’s here will hopefully make you remove the word “Metroidvania” from your gaming vocabulary, as it’s a meaningless description that’s also a bit lazy in how it fails to actually describe a game as deep as this one. Continue reading →

IndieGala Hump Day Bundle: Ignore That Camel. Buy Some Games Instead

Posted on April 8, 2015 by geelw

More bundles? No problems! “What day is it?” and yeah, yeah… you know the rest. Stupid CG camels. Anyway, say hello to the IndieGala Hump Day Bundle. Go click on that link to the left and pick up three games for a buck or (even better) a dozen for a measly $2.99 plus no tax (well, in the U.S. of A., at least). Pay more if you please, as what you spend supports charity. Even if you don’t go the low-ball route and pony up a bit more you’re still getting an excellent deal on what’s here.

Oh, did I mention the Spring Rush Bundle is on sale? Well, it IS! Go get it as it’s got even more fun to funky titles on it. It costs a little more, but it’s the same buck for three title tease to lure you into looking before you decide to commit to just plopping down about seven bucks for nine games total.

More Monday Bundles to Mix Things Up

Posted on April 6, 2015 by geelw

I must be psychic or something. I was recently telling a fellow horror game fan how I wished one of the indie bundle sites would do an all-horror game deal and *BOOM!* IndieGala Every Monday Bundle, anyone? $1.89 for seven Steam horror games today – the price jets up a bit on Tuesday. Well, that was fast and yeah, I’m looking over my shoulder for a sack of money to fly into my hands from somewhere. Okay, nope on that loot-fest? Damn. Hard work over get rich quick daydreaming it is!

Meanwhile, over at the Humble Bundle site, this week’s deal is Humble Mobile Bundle 11, featuring seven games for an average of $4.29 with MORE titles to be added next week. These time-locked game deals are wonderful because while you don’t know what’s coming, they’re worth the money because the added free games are usually something cool you’ve never played previously. Here’s what in the deal so far:

Nice, huh? Anyway, go get yours out of the two deals or get both because you’re spending a little and getting quite a lot as usual. Now, all one (or all) of these bundle bargain sites need to do is add “create your own bundle” deals where buyers can choose from a long list of indies for a low price point and my psychic powers will be fully revealed (cue ominous music)…

IndieGala Every Monday Bundle: Your Anniversary Gift Costs Under Two Bucks

Posted on March 23, 2015 by geelw

Happy Anniversary IndieGala! One year of Every Monday Bundle sales and the hits keep on coming. This week’s deal is a nice set of eight indie anime/manga-inspired games for you lovers of that art style. Pay a measly $1.89 within the next 24 hours and get a gorgeous mix that includes the awesome Freedom Planet, which you NEED to check out if you’re into retro-style platformers:

Yes, it’s a MUST buy and as part of today’s bundle, it’s a no-brainer purchase, I say. Oh and I guess this is some sort of anniversary for me as well, as this is my 5200th post. Yikes. Well, that’s not a lot of posts to me, as I need to do more just to keep up with what’s in my assorted inboxes. Where’s my helper money and fast typing robot coffeemaker when I need them? It’s supposed to be the FUTURE, right? Grrrrr!