#SaveFilmThreatHERE I’ve never met Chris Gore in person, but I did make him laugh at least once. That’s a not too long story I’ll save for another time, as I’m BURIED in stuff to do. In the meantime, go help save FILM THREAT or else we don’t get to keep a national treasure of sorts around. I was thinking about writing for the mag or web site at one point many moons back when a friend gave me a copy and I fell for the look and overall tone. But my writing back them was wretched and hasn’t progressed much since. But I wallow in my lack of talent quite well, thank you much.
But, hey! This isn’t about me, it’s about YOU. Or more specifically, YOU helping keep FILM THREAT alive and kicking. Hmmm… maybe they could use some of my old art one of these days? Hmmmm…
Look at him go! As a big ol’ nostalgic gamer, Bonus Level Entertainment’s absolutely gorgeous platformer FOX n FORESTSjumped out at me right away with those beautiful graphics and nostalgic soundtrack kicking the cobwebs off a few shelves in my brain. THIS, folks, is how you do 16-bit right. Make a game that looks and very hopefully plays as if it’s been made in the mid 90’s when developers were maxing out the Super Nintendo hardware and coming up with some technically incredible game experiences.
Anyway, the game is on Kickstarter and VERY close to it’s funding AND has very wisely been Greenlit on Steam. There are about 40 hours or so left and you KNOW you want this in your library, right? Yeah, you’re smiling and reaching for that wallet. Good.
Back in 2005, Russian developer Ice-Pick Lodge released Pathologic, an unsettling horror/adventure/RPG hybrid that garnered excellent reviews at home, decent to fair reviews in the west, and gathered somewhat of a “cult” following for its unusual, creative art direction, extreme difficulty and distinctly bleak tone. The game’s fan base grew with its gog.com release and subsequent 2012 HD remastering (both of which come with the purchase of the HD Classic version). With a successful Kickstarter to re-imagine the game in 2015 for PC (and possibly consoles) Pathologic’s new path has added even more fans to this weird game’s potential player base. Ahead of Gamescom, IPL has released a nice set of screenshots that show off some lovely, haunting images from the new version.
Let’s take a look now, shall we?
While gameplay videos have yet to surface, this 2014 Kickstarter video should give you an idea of what to expect. As the game has no set release date, the waiting period between information drops will no doubt keep fans begging for more. It’s a good thing there’s a board game coming to make that wait less frustrating.
Speaking of more, click below the jump for more about the game (in handy cut/paste/corrected form)…
So, there’s actually a game called Office Suicide Saga, but it’s not what you’re thinking. Unless you’re thinking correctly that it’s a game made to draw attention to abuse at the workplace. Polish developer Despair Games (go figure, right?) has their pride and joy up on Kickstarter, but it’s kind of stalled out and is in need of open-minded funders of all stripes.
Here’s a gameplay video sample to check out:
There’s also an open beta to play if you want some hands-on time as a heartless CEO, so get clicking and spend some of that bankroll helping Despair become a lot happier. I say they should try for a Steam Greenlight vote-in as well.
I’ll admit to having a like/hate relationship with crowdfunding, but when I see a game like Hyper Sentinel lagging behind its target simply because gamers here in the west don’t know or appreciate the history behind it, I have to pipe up a bit. Just check out that Kickstarter page to see the sheer enthusiasm for this labor of love and the rich history and pedigree of Andrew Hewson, Rob Hewson, who along with Johnathan Port and John Ogden, are making a game that looks like an incredible amount of fun to play for retro and modern gamers alike.
Yep. This looks like a ton of fun, right? But there it sits, needing more people like YOU or your vintage gaming friends who claim they’re into these types of games, yet hold zero knowledge of gaming outside the US and Japanese consoles to toss pledges its way. Those in the know have supported this already (and I hope more can spread the word), but if you need a little kick-start of your own, here’s a little slice of game history to check out as an assist:
Cool, huh? Yeah, I thought so. How go help the Hewsons and company get their game out of that hangar and onto anything that can play it. If you have an iPhone, give that demo a shot and go yell at a few friends about your experience. Dismissed!
In dropping an amazing early demo for its System Shock remake on Kickstarter, you can very safely say Night Dive Studios also just dropped the mic on how every videogame developer from this point onward NEEDS to introduce their product should they take the crowdfunding route. Giving potential backers a taste of what’s to come at no cost save for the time it takes to download and play that sample makes a hell of a lot more sense than automatically thinking gamers love gambling blindly on an IP’s popularity, names of famous creators, insane stretch goals and other promises that have popped up with a bunch of other past to current games. As a few high to lower profile games that didn’t meet expectations or that failed to materialize post-campaign have shown, gamers feel the burn from these bad apples and take their anger out on whatever pops up next as a big deal project.
Yes, some of those games got backer-only demos for certain mid-to high tier contributors (boo!). But to me, the idea of paying to play a demo build is a bit lame, no matter how great the pedigree of the team making a game. Although I’ve played some decent ones, Early Access games fall under the same category because there are some that have died on the vine after that demo drops and gets paid for. Granted, crowdfunding sites aren’t “stores” at all and your pledge is just that until the project meets or exceeds its goal and your money is gently lifted from your bank account. Anyway, if you remember System Shock and want to check it out even if you have no plans to fnd this remake, hit up the Kickstarter page and go get that demo on Steam, through the Humble Store or DRM-free over at gog.com.
Hi! Believe it or not, this is how the game’s demo BEGINS. Wow.
From the crazy must-play demo alone, TioAtum’s in development arcade run ‘n gun Greedy Guns is probably going to be poking into a few “indie game of the week/month/year/whatever” territory as soon as it’s released. Between the super-fast gameplay, colorful cartoon visuals and excellent 360 degree blasting, this one’s got BUY ME stamped all over it.
Don’t believe me? Go try the demo out on the game’s Kickstarter page and you’ll be like my pal Vincent (Zombie Proof) Spencer, who noted “yup, this game is the STUFF” after I sent him a PM on Steam while he was in the middle of playing DOOM (or was it Fallout IV?).
Anyway, Greedy Guns is a fantastic homage to games like Metal Slug, Contra, Metroid, the Castlevania series and the *always* awesome Gunstar Heroes with sharper modern visuals, more exploration elements and what feels like an even higher adrenaline rush as you play. Solo and co-op play is supported and you’ll want to grab a friend (or get outside to make some new ones) because this game is HARD. But it’s also fair in its challenge, once you learn to not get squashed, zapped or otherwise mangled by the assorted baddies trying to do you in.
Hey! Don’t laugh at these guys. They may look sort of cute, but they intend to mean you plenty of harm.
Even if you’re NOT a fan of crowd-funding games, the demo is a must-play because it’s far enough along and fun enough to get you to part with a few bucks just so you can dive in and play the entire thing to the end. The three-man team is really swinging for the fences and the game is one of the best crowdfunded indies I’ve played this year. Take THAT, other games that make promises, deliver no demos and disappoint some… like an anime fan on (oh, you know the rest).
Kate and Bob are waiting. Don’t make them come get you.
Anyway, go support Greedy Guns. That pitch above shows the team knows what it’s doing and how killer their product will be when it’s all done later this year.
The wheel of life runs indefinitely. Just like the path that you’ll take through the planets of our solar system living your adventure and making your choices so you can build yourself to reach nirvana.
So many Kickstarters, so little time (and money)! That said, Martelo Nero’s interesting-looking indie game Tower of Samsara has enough going for it that I shot a few dollars its way as soon as the funding went live. It’s been a few days since and guess what? A Vita version has been announced as a stretch goal. Hmmm. Time up up my pledge, it would seem. The stylized visuals and karmic elements of the gameplay noted on the KS page are what lured me in, and with time to go before pledges are all taken and a 2018 release date, it’s a hopeful sign that ToS is climbing its own tower to its goal.
“Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world”
– Miyamoto Musashi
That quote from Musashi’s classic The Book of Five Rings is seemingly what Edinburgh, Scotland-based indie developer Donald Macdonald is aiming to convey with Niten, an upcoming first-person exploration game currently available for backing on Kickstarter that blazed through the Steam Greenlight approval process in a mere ten days. Created with Unreal Engine 4 and Speedtree assets, MacDonald’s interactive adventure looks absolutely glorious with an open world beckoning to be fully explored as the story plays out:
In search of the past and the present find yourself lost on a remote island off the coast of Japan. Uncover the mystery where ancient Japanese culture meets breathtaking scenery, blossoming cherry trees and a sky that tells a story in its self. Watch the weather turn and see the sun go down, feel the chill of the morning mist and let the glowing fireflies guide you as you search to uncover the truth of the island.
As for that island, let’s take a look at some gorgeous screenshots below the jump. Passports ready? Good. We’re off: Continue reading →
Some crowd-funded game projects tend to be hit or miss affairs when it comes to getting backers. Get enough (or too much) buzz for a silly little meme game that’s got an much depth as a broken pencil point and you can rake in money like as if the wind is blowing it fiercely through your front door.
On the other hand, work hard at a bigger but not hugely promoted game in a familiar but quite packed genre and you get a slight breeze of contributors that drift in at not a quick enough pace to make that funding target.
Newcastle upon Tyne-based Elyn Studios is hard at work on a pretty cool game called OMNIS – The Erias Line, and you should probably go check out the demo over on Indie DB because while still a work in progress (there’s a fair amount of placeholder art), the game is coming along really nicely.
From the crazy must-play demo alone, 
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 