Torment: Tides of Numenera Kickstarter: inXile Gets That Planescape “Sequel” Underway…

Posted on March 6, 2013 by geelw

Well, now… That’s going exactly as predicted, ladies and gentlemen. As in it’s ALMOST funded on the first day (and probably FULLY funded by the time or very shortly after I complete this brief post). Torment: Tides of Numenera is an upcoming PC RPG game that will take place in the world of Monte Cook’s new tabletop RPG setting (called Numenera of course), and as you can see if you poke around both the Kickstarter and Numenera pages, it all looks quite spectacular indeed.

As with other projects this huge, Digital and physical versions will be made available for backers (whee!) and I hope this actually makes it into retail at some point, as the original game is one of those classics for the ages and this one (being cooked up by some that were involved in that epic) is looking mighty amazing as well. Getting more people to play a game like this outside of those lots of throwing money at it for strictly personal reasons (hell, If I had a few thousand bucks lying around, I’d want to be an in-game NPC too!) is a pretty good way for gaming to gain a bit more respect among some who overly criticize the hobby based on what they see in the media… Continue reading →

Pier Solar Goes Kickstarter Route For HD Remake – Give Them Your Money (Now!)

Posted on November 7, 2012 by geelw

Confession: I’ve yet to play Watermelon Team’s incredible Pier Solar and the Great Architects (I’ve been dying to do so, but missed the original and all the assorted reissue versions), but the folks I know who have played it can’t stop singing its praises. I was thinking about finally getting around to snapping up a copy of this unlicensed Sega Genesis /Mega Drive game online, but Watermelon Team has a HD version in the works that’s even more tempting. Can you say Kickstarter project, ladies and gents? Yup, not only are the folks at Watermelon working on an HD version, they’re going to be getting it out on PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox Live Arcade and (Eeeeeee!) Sega Dreamcast (Eeeeeeee!). Of course, I’m a bit ticked off that PSN, Vita and Wii U versions aren’t in the pipeline (hell, those consoles NEED great indie games like this so the suits can see they’ll sell like hotcakes), but hey – this is certainly a step up to the big time for a game that’s gotten solid reviews and a VERY loyal fan base.

The campaign has already gotten a nice chunk of pledges and that’s thanks to the game itself plus some fantastic premium versions that are well worth the money. I need to flip a coin and see where it lands so I can choose which version I want, but I may end up with the PC version (boxed, of course). I wish I could afford one of the more pricey home versions, but it is what it is. Anyway, definitely do yourself a big favor and pledge to this project. Hmmm… maybe I’ll sell a kidney and go for that deluxe Dreamcast version, as I haven’t used my DC in a few months and it’s been looking at me funny from the corner of the room… We shall see. That fancy Magical Game Factory is rocking pretty hard these days…

Stuff that Needs To Be Kickstarted (Part 1)

Posted on October 18, 2012 by geelw

Hmm. Sinnce I’m up way too early, I may as well post something now, as I’ll be a bit busy later doing the airport thing. Here’s a random list of games or game projects that NEED to be crowd-funded. Of course, there are those who want everything for free and can or already have all the games they can play and then some. But for those gamers who aren’t fond of emulation or hell, just want to support a few cool projects, someone has to get on these just from a pure preservation perspective, I say:

Atari Lynx Collection (PC/Mac/Consoles/Handhelds): The Lynx was and is one of the most underrated gaming devices EVER. Despite being more powerful than the hugely popular GameBoy, less popular Game Gear and never as popular as it should have been TurboExpress, there were a number of great games made for the system from arcade ports to original titles worth playing for a few reasons. Granted, something like Gauntlet III would need to be reworked to play in a widescreen format, but then again, it’s perfect for tablets or phones. Slap in Achievements for those who want them and I think this would do well among those who’ve never played or heard of the Lynx previously.

SPACE LORDS (ditto): One game that to date hasn’t been successfully emulated is Atari’s quite spectacular multiplayer space combat arcade game. Yeah, yeah, you’ve never heard of it and it’s never been ported to anything as far as I know since it had its brief run in arcades almost 20 years ago. But it’s exactly the sort of game that once it’s played, will be one you’ll keep going back to just because you’ve had so much fun blasting aliens into space dust (with a little help from your online or offline friends).

I was going to post a bit more, but I’ve a bit of laundry to tackle – back in a bit with a few more ideas (yeah, I’ll try and make a case for a Jaguar collection, although it’s the total longshot of all my bad ideas)…

Pro Pinball Kickstarter: Bringing Back The Digital Silver Ball Classics Once More

Posted on September 12, 2012 by geelw

While the goal of $400,000 may seem high to non-pinball fans out there, here’s another case where a healthy combo of nostalgia and pure common sense can win big for fans of classic video gaming across the globe. Granted, the Pro Pinball series is originally a 90’s creation, but the excellently designed tables whipped up back then were pretty solid and quite memorable, recalling the days of amazingly creative tables popping up in arcades on a regular basis.

Anyway, check out the pledge page here, as there’s a VERY nice freebie on the page in the form of a download of Big Race USA just for visiting the page. Even better, a mere two dollar pledge will net you two more free tables should the project make its target. Drop a few more quarters into that coins slot and score some really awesome bonuses such as boxed copies of the games for PC and the opportunity to have lunch in Chicago with some of the folks behind the project. Nice! OK, you know what to do – make this thing a reality!

Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox Update (Late!): Closer, Yet Still More To Do…

Posted on August 28, 2012 by geelw

OK, OK, I’ve been a bit swamped under other stuff, so I’ve been bad and not posting all the Malevolence updates I need to. Well, part of that is for some reason, YouTube hasn’t been informing me when a new video is uploaded and I’m way too occupied in some projects to keep poking around. Anyway, here’s a gameplay update from the 13th (above) and some not quite in sync audio to go with more gameplay.

I wish I was one of the lucky ones testing this game, but I can’t do that with my crappy connection, that’s for sure. Still, I’ll keep my paws crossed that the team does well enough to find a small publisher who can get this out on a disc at some point, as this is a game I really want to play (and has been for a while).

Should You Go OUYA? Probably So, As It’s Looking Like A Winner For Gamers…

Posted on July 11, 2012 by geelw

I’ll admit, I was pretty skeptical about this Kickstarter project I kept hearing and reading about elsewhere to create a sub-$100 games console for Android-based games AND game development, but I was wrong. Boy, was I wrong. Hey, I had every right to have that raised eyebrow, as I once sat in a room with a guy behind the Phantom console for about half an hour or so and he had me convinced the thing was coming out sooner than it never did. Anyway, The team behind the stylish-looking OUYA console not only made their $950,000 target in about eight hours, they still have close to a month to go before the funding closes. After poking about on their Kickstarter page, it looks as if they’ve got the right people at the right time and hell, there are plenty of indie games out there to go around…

Continue reading →

Malevolence Makes Its Kickstarter Target With Time To Spare (But You Can Still Pledge!)

Posted on May 26, 2012 by geelw

Sure, it’s not the Dr. Non-Evil millions that Double Fine or some of those other studios raked in for their projects (even though the team deserves a big chink of cash for all the work they’re doing here), but $7,365 for a 6K target and still two weeks left is not bad at all. The game is looking quite lovely so far and will definitely get better as that launch date approaches. I just saw on the Kickstarter page that an expansion is already in the works, but it will be based on where the donations head next. There are a few tiers based on 8K and 10K milestones, but a modest 20K plus is my wish for these guys and gals so they can do everything that they’ve planned and make lots of people happy.

Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox Update: Welcome To Our Town!

Posted on May 23, 2012 by geelw

OK, it’s only a few more in-progress buildings, and yes, the team is still hard at work, but hey – the game is looking better and better with each new video. I’m hoping these guys make their target and maybe even find a distributor like gog.com or even (eek) Origin (now that they threw out the offer to distribute any ready to go indie games). We shall see, I suppose. Anyway, keep an eyeball peeled for this one, as it’s going to be quite a nice throwback to the days of yore when it’s all done. And that’s a good thing, by the way!

Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox Lives! (Or: Kickstarter, Ahoy!)

Posted on May 15, 2012 by geelw

Nice news from Down Under, as I just got the word that Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox is now a Kickstarter project. This great looking old-school turn-based RPG has gotten a few big pushes this past week or so thanks to a great and funny article that goes into game design and manages to bring Kevin Bacon into the mix without him actually being involved in the project. Er, go read it, as it makes more sense that me explaining it. Anyway, the new digs over at Kickstarter, plus the boost from Kevin Bacon (hee hee) has helped the game see a nice kick towards its goal, so go do the right thing and support these guys and gals! We need more Infinte RPGs like this, I say!

Double Fine Adventure Episode One: They Still Want Your Money. And They’re Going To Get It, Too…

Posted on May 13, 2012 by geelw

Now with PayPal! Yup, even though about 3.3 million dollars was raised so for, a LOT of people who wanted to get in on the Kickstarter thing couldn’t because the wanted to go the PayPal route. Now, you can indeed not only get a copy of the game if you have an account there, you’re also getting access to the dev diaries as they’re released and you can start posting your thoughts and such in the game’s contributors forums. Nice!