Ember Update: N-Fusion’s Late Baby Gets Bigger and Better

Posted on March 13, 2015 by geelw

Yes, Ember was supposed to be out last fall, but as CEO and creative director Jeff Birns explained at 505 Games recent NYC event, the team at N-Fusion has been a bit busy making things even better. The game looked fantastic when I first saw it, but it’s even more gorgeously detailed and as noted in my previous article, the best-looking isometric RPG on any device. Many new areas have been added, older areas have gotten changes and parts that needed work have indeed been worked on. Ten years of work and a proprietary engine that won’t quit go a long way in realizing a dream, is all I’ll say about the art and vast, carefully detailed open world players will get to explore.

I’ll even go out on a limb to say it definitely gives some PC role-playing games of any era a run for their money. Apple clearly has an exclusive to be proud of (the Steam version will most likely be released at some point after the iOS version), but how do you market such an amazing game on a device where most of its games really haven’t been marketed to the masses like AAA console games are?

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Marvel Mighty Heroes Teaser: Your DeNA Just Got An Adrenaline Shot

Posted on February 23, 2015 by geelw

Here’s a BIG kick in the pants for a Monday, courtesy of the Merry Marvel Marching Society. Okay, not really. it’s actually a brand new mobile game on the way from the folks at DeNA and developer ngmoco. Their upcoming F2P game Marvel Mighty Heroes looks to bring fast-paced tactical co-op action to iOS and Android devices soon. That teaser video above should get you fans motivated enough to pre-register for the game, but I’ll drop the press release below the jump if you need a tiny bit more convincing. Continue reading →

Film Review: Alien Outpost

Posted on January 30, 2015 by geelw

Set in the near future and packing quite a punch, Alien Outpost (Outpost 37) is a sci-fi action film genre fans will absolutely want to check out in theaters or on VOD. Directed by Jabbar Raisani, the film’s pseudo-documentary style does a decent job of setting up a not too far in the future world (2021) decimated by an alien invasion turned into a years-long standoff. Pitting a small yet dedicated group of soldiers against a weakened but still overwhelming force in a small, deadly area between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the men of Outpost 37 will face hazards and horrors from the aliens who have begun to use some of the locals to their advantage.

The film works well on a visceral level because despite some humorous banter flitting in and out between the soldiers, the tone is dead serious and believable to a good extent. It would have been nice to see more of the main enemy, though. Other than a short bit at the camp, those Heavies are only viewed briefly during action sequences and mostly at a distance. However, from the brief but impressive CG footage that opens the film and assorted “news” clips of destruction worldwide, we can see that they came, saw and almost conquered the planet. Troops around the world initially sent out to combat the Heavies end up stuck where they are thanks to the war dragging on so long that it’s become an underfunded albatross of a conflict. Yes, the movie can be seen as a heavy handed allegory, but it’s an entertaining heavy-handed allegory provided you’re not expecting epic battles and don’t mind the mirror the film holds up to current events.

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About Love, Hate and the other ones: Black Pants’ Mobile Puzzler Arrives on Steam

Posted on December 12, 2014 by geelw

Black Pants Game Studios‘ formerly mobile-only title About Love, hate and the other ones is now on Steam for $6.99 and I’d say you should buy it for the title alone. I just completed downloading it but haven’t had the chance to play, but that title made me smile because I immediately thought of the great Robert Mitchum in Night of the Hunter delivering that classic speech:

(Thanks, TheOdusseus!)

However, the game has nothing to do with that should have been a classic when it was first released Charles Laughton film, folks. The press release and that video below should give you a better idea of what to expect:

Description

About Love, Hate and the other ones is a puzzle game, in which you influence your surroundings by the force of Hate and the power of Love. They shouldn’t have pushed the button! Life on the hill was just perfect for Love and Hate before that shiny red device appeared. Suddenly, they are trapped in a dark and spooky cave, far away from home. Now it is up to you to control the opposing forces of Love and Hate. They will soon meet a lot of Other Ones, wondering how they might react when Loved, or when Hated. Find a way through caves and ice, castles and factories, all by the might of your puzzling! If you ever return to that hill, life will be sweet again…

The game was developed by Tobias Bilgeri based on a short film series he did during university studies. Positive feedback on the game had him teaming up with indie developer brush&bear (two students at the University of Kassel) for the iPhone version, published by Black Pants on the App Store. A few screenshots for you? Of course!

The quirky visual style and initially simple gameplay should appeal to you puzzle fans out there, but I also like the interesting love-hate dynamic. Now, to shut up, post this and try to get in a some game time at some point today. Back in a bit…

Avernum II: Crystal Souls – Spiderweb’s Tiles & Treasures Classic Gets a Reboot!

Posted on December 1, 2014 by geelw

It’s same old story, brand new engine time for Jeff Vogel and his small team over at Spiderweb Software, but this is a really good thing for fans of the developer’s work. This time, their classic RPG Avernum II is getting a complete makeover as Avernum II: Crystal Souls, set for release soon on PC, Mac and assorted devices. Spiderweb’s complex and engaging role-playing games have always been unique because of their sticking to what Vogel likes and not what the game marketplace “demands”. This means no flashy 3D engines or “uncanny valley” visuals, dense stories filled with loads of text and some intriguing characters and a simple to learn yet tough to master combat system.

Fully exploring every nook and cranny in a Spiderweb game takes a good deal of time, that’s for sure. But playing through each of their games reveals what happens when people who love what they do get to stick to their guns and make what they want to make with little to no compromise. I can’t wait to take this one for a spin and I’m betting like the company’s recent games, it’ll run on almost any machine that uses Windows XP and up without taxing the hardware. That’s excellent for dinosaur PC users like me who don’t play online or waste too much time being “social” babbling about how Spiderweb needs to finally make a polygon-heavy title that requires the latest 3D card (or two) just to get running. There’s still no school like the old school because you don’t need to blow a hole in your wallet to simply enjoy a damn good game, folks…

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 →

Kabam Comes Out Swinging Hard With a Strong Mobile Lineup…

Posted on October 18, 2014 by geelw

POW! Okay, I’ve kind of avoided most mobile games over the years for a few reasons that paradoxically enough, I still play console titles for. But I’ve been coming around to the 21st century just in time for mobile gaming to be more or less where I’d like it. An invite to see Kambam’s lineup of mobile titles just so happened to zing into my inbox, so it was off to see what they had to offer and if I’d be hooked in by anything that caught my eye. It turns out everything I saw caught my eye (yes, and the other eye, too) and I found myself trying to figure out just when I’d find time to play what I got my hands on that afternoon and into the evening…
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Alphadia Genesis Mini-Update: Seven More Screens To Tickle Your JRPG Fancy…

Posted on August 28, 2014 by geelw

I’m quite sure someone at Natsume just LOVES teasing gamers half to death and is probably chuckling merrily about it somewhere safe with a nice fat cream puff and a cup of good Genmaicha. Dropping a mere seven more screenshots from its upcoming Wii U download-only JRPG Alphadia Genesis into my inbox and stealthily escaping into the night air, a hint of sugar in the breeze as the ninja swoops up onto a rooftop and then dives down into the dogwood trees below. Good thing they planted those trees about a year or two back and removed the chain link fence, as that’s seven stories to the ground otherwise.

Anyway, here you go – the game is coming to the eShop for the Wii U later this year. back with more when that sneaky ninja makes a comeback…

CE Week Best of (1 of 3): “Get The Picture” With This Quintet of Snappy Tech Goodies

Posted on July 14, 2014 by geelw

Save for the restrooms, nearly everywhere you looked at this year’s CE Week, there was some sort of tech accessory being showed off, a dongle dangled in your face every ten paces and other high and low tech tech related goodies of all types vying for attention and coverage. I liked a lot of what I saw, so in a few parts today and into next week, here are a few photo-related suggestions for you potential gift givers out there or those of you looking to give a little or big something to yourselves at some point:

ZTYLUS Smartphone Camera Lens (iPhone 5/Samsung Galaxy S/Galaxy Note): If you take a lot of photos with that iPhone or Galaxy, you’ll definitely want a ZTYLUS sooner than later. Invented and designed by Tim Hsu, this lens attachment (with optional case that makes your phone look like something even more futuristic) has a 4-in-1 lens that expands your creative options, is relatively inexpensive and as the official site says, will help you take better smartphone photos. The Revolver 4-in-One Lens is $69.95 and the case is $39.95, but I say snap both up in a combo pack from the ZTYLUS web shop for $99.95 and get your friends wondering when you became a secret agent (who just so happens to take REALLY awesome camera photos).

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CE Week: Protection Is The Name Of The Game…

Posted on July 3, 2014 by geelw

It really doesn’t matter at all how much you spend, have spent or will spend on that hot new tech gadget at all if you don’t take care of it, folks. Sure, there are those who dispose of stuff as soon as a new model ships out or if there’s even the hint of an issue with it, but I’d bet most consumers don’t have that luxury in this economy and would be more than happy to have their tech last longer and even work better in some cases. This year’s CE Week was packed with some really cool new and returning products I can highly recommend, so pull up a chair if you haven’t already and maybe take some notes or click away on the following links at your leisure…

STM Bags: I’d only heard of STM about a year or so back from a friend of mine who said they were “the best made laptop bags you’ll ever see”, which I promptly took with a grain of salt, as I’ve seen plenty of well-made carrying bags in my day. Anyway, he showed me the new laptop case his wife got for his birthday gift and I had to agree after poking through it thoroughly that there was some merit to his hyperbole.

These Australian-designed bag, cases and sleeves just look like they’re going places, even if you’re just hoofing it a handful of blocks to the nearest coffee spot to grab a cuppa and work on that great novel you think will rocket you to fame and fortune. Of course, if you walk in with your gear in an STM, people may think you’ve already made it. I guess that’s a sign of accomplishment, that looking successful stuff, as some of us have trouble finding a pair of socks that properly match (raises hand and waves it around)…

STM actually gave away that same model this year as a freebie to anyone who popped up at their booth with either the postcard they’d sent out or a mention of the email they shot around to a bunch of lucky attendees. As my own laptop is bigger than the bag handed out, I ended up getting someone who’s birthday was coming up a little replacement for his bag when it finally needs replacing and I’m betting he’s going to be surprised. My eyeball is actually set on that STM Sequel bag in the photo above, as it’s got everything I’m looking for and then some.

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