Review: The Wolf Among Us (Episode One – Faith)

Posted on January 8, 2014 by geelw

Platform: PC/Mac

Developer: Telltale Games

Publisher: Telltale Games

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Score: A

Since my comics reading has dropped of considerably over the past decade plus, I’d not even heard of Vertigo’s Fables series (so shoot me, but not until I finish this review) until a few people in my circles started buzzing about this game and now that I’ve finally reached and competed the first chapter in my stupidly long backlog (it’s stretching into 2015 at this point, no thanks to irresistable Steam, Desura, gog.com and assorted cheap indie bundle sales), I want to go read everything I’ve missed out on. Well, that or get this time travel stuff sorted out so I can play at my leisure and post reviews before games even come out.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah . Once again, Telltale Games swings for the fences and knocks it out of the park with an adventure game fans will be more than pleased with and those new to the experience will groove on for its great, funny and mature plot, excellent visuals and gameplay that combines text-based and quick time sequences almost seamlessly. Even if you don’t like comics for any reason, The Wolf Among Us and its blend of film noir styling in a fantasy New York City populated by humans and fairytale characters is a hard pull to ignore…
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Avadon 2: The Corruption Is Out Now. You May Not See The Great Outdoors ‘Til Spring…

Posted on November 4, 2013 by geelw

*Sigh* Whenever a new Spiderweb Software RPG arrives on the scene, I have to flip a coin and decide whether or not to buy it on the spot or finish the last few games I’ve fired up first. I’m definitely not complaining about anything IN the games, mind you. They just take a huge amount of time to play and complete thanks to so much choice in how you get through them. Sure, you graphics ho’s are winching at the visuals and lack of bumpy-shiny Havok or other 3D engine flash not happening here, but I say knock it off and show some respect for a game that manages to be a compelling experience for MORE than its visuals. That and hand-drawn/painted tile art and characters like this just have a certain nostalgic charm to them that makes each new game a visual treat in its own right. Anyway, feel free to try out that big and FREE demo of Avadon 2: The Corruption, carve out some time on your calendar with a big sharp knife and get to buying it if you like what you’ve played. I’ll be doing that as well at some point – I think I’ll need to clean up my own hard drive before I download anything, as I’m running out of room fast…

Random Indie Game of the Week: Vampire Volleyball? Okay, I’ll Bite…

Posted on October 24, 2013 by geelw

Well, I was in quite an emo mood earlier, as things were quite bumpy on the whole me getting stuff I needed to get done DONE department. So thank goodness for Retro 64’s just released Vampire Volleyball for helping me kill some time with a smile rather than kill my laptop for freaking out for the better part of the day. It’s pretty simple to hop into and good silly fun for a while, those round-headed vamps and their fight to be champs against some foes who don’t all play clean. The nice thing is, the game is out for FREE on four of the six platforms it’s playable on (Windows, Mac, Linux, and Flash) while Android and iOS versions will set you back a mere 99 cents US. At that price (or FREE if you’re luckier to be a “low-tech” kinda guy or gal), it’s a definite must and you may find yourself calling on a friend to give you a fang, as the game supports two players.

Of course, SOME of you too strict sporty-sport fans will note that these globe-domed bloodsuckers and other creeps knock that ball around with their HEADS like it’s a soccer ball (or football in countries other than the US), but who’s going to stop a vampire from doing what it wants? YOU, Van Helsing? Well good luck with that, then. I’ll see you (or at least your head) in the game as the ball being butted over that net for the score, Spike…

BOUGHT THAT! RPG Trifecta Pack Get!

Posted on August 22, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, yeah… I a bit late in picking this awesome deal up (it was released on August 6), but the RPG Trifecta Pack is all mine and I just saved a few hundred bucks in the process by not tracking down the out of production cart versions. Granted, the collector in me still wants to shell out for the two Genesis RPGs I’m missing from Super Fighter Team (I already have one of the few hundred copies of Star Odyssey here in the library), but this set will most certainly do.

Amusingly enough, if you happen to be the owner of a creaky PC from the last century, guess what? All of the games will actually run on any system with the following operating systems: Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP, ME, and 98SE (which is amazing but not unexpected, given emulation works well on any modern PC). Mac users? Well, you’ll need Mac OS X 10.5 and above. I don’t own a Mac, so I have no clue if that’s good, bad or ugly, but if you’re jumping up and down at home or the office, it’s all good. OK, I need to shut up and get downloading. Well, it’s only a 4MB file, so it’ll be quick, even on a crappy dial-up connection. Of course, I won’t get to PLAY any of these three until I whittle down my backlog here, so I guess this is an early holiday gift for myself – whee!

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs: Pre-Order NOW (And Prepare To Hide Under Something Later)

Posted on August 16, 2013 by geelw

Frictional Games is teaming up with the VERY great and talented hands of the fine folks at The Chinese Room (who did a marvelous job with Dear Esther) to get horror and horror game fans some spine-shaking true scares in this upcoming “sequel”. If you’ve yet to play the original Amnesia: The Dark Descent, drop something and do so this weekend or so, as it’s quite a ride from start to finish…

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Beatbuddy Now Available- The Only Rhythmic Platformer You’ll Need This Month!

Posted on August 7, 2013 by geelw

Wow. Super catchy tunes, classic platforming action, awesome retro/modern visuals and more, all now ready to snap up in Beatbuddy: Tales of the Guardians. The game’s developer, THREAKS has cooked up a really cool treasure that’s part throwback and part modern classic that’s going to bring grins to anyone who remembers the glory days of popping in 16-bit carts on a rainy weekend and tap-tap-tapping the hours away. Now, if only this was on a cartridge (or the PS Vita!). OK, time for the not so gory details, folks. Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians is available now on Steam for $14.99 on PC, Mac, and Linux and even better, there’s a nice 10% off sale, meaning you probably should take advantage of this deal while it lasts if this game happens to float your boat…

Amnesia: The Dark Descent (Finally) Crawls Onto GOG.com. Steady That Spine!

Posted on July 25, 2013 by geelw

If you’re a fan of horror but not a gamer, you might not initially be interested in Amnesia: The Dark Descent because it’s a video game and you’ll probably have preconceived notions of running around with a gun and shooting up zombies or whatever until your brain walks out of your left ear in protest. On the other hand, all you need to do is watch that trailer above, smile (and perhaps shiver a little) before boogieing over to gog.com to check if your computer can indeed run this supremely scary gem from the fine folks at Frictional Games. System requirements are pretty low, so I think some of you folks without beefy gaming rigs but a recent to decent 3D card can get this going and spend the next few days under the bed after you’ve played. Or tried to play but got too damn freaked out and couldn’t take another step.

Yeah, the game is THAT creepy. To me, at least… I think it will scare the crap out of you as well – give it a go and let me know what you think…

Humble Weekly Bundle: 15 Spiderweb Software RPGs. No-Brainer Buy of the Week? Absolutely!

Posted on July 11, 2013 by geelw

Eyes Bigger Than the Head and Now REALLY Needs a Time Machine Department: Holy Cats. Spiderweb Software teams up with the Humble Bundle folks to provide ALL of their currently available hand-crafted fantasy RPGs in a “pay what you want” bundle that’s a MUST buy if you’re looking for some of the deepest and most unique role-playing experiences out there. Jeff Vogel and his tiny team of talented tricksters have been slowly turning out some really cool isometric games since 1994 and this spectacular sale features a whopping 15 games (faint, *THUD!*) which can be all yours for as little as a few dollars.

Yes, some of that coin you pay will indeed go to some great causes (the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Child’s Play Charity), so feel free to feel guilty and pay more than the average or even give more money to Vogel and his merry men and women if you like. OK, I’m babbling on here, but I’m just thrilled about this offer because it gives some of you the chance to play some really fun and challenging old-school epics. Oh, in case youe sense of humor is too new school or just slow on the uptake, Jeff is making a funny in that video when he calls himself a “living legend”. Some folks on YouTube don’t seem to understand this. Damn kids…

BUY THIS! Super Fighter Team Goes Digital With The RPG Trifecta Pack

Posted on June 13, 2013 by geelw

Usually, I save my biggest double-takes and jaw-drops for this time of year because of E3’s more surprising reveals, and yes there were a few doozies that put me in some poses most publicly shameful (or as shameful as one can look while watching a company dismantle its competition with a single internet video that crushes that competitor’s master plans). However, In the middle of all this E3 news and it’s talk of “interactively aggregate competitive materials” (Thank you, Corporate B.S. Generator!), thank goodness Super Fighter Team is on the case to keep me sane (but still picking up my jaw and eyeballs off the carpet)… Continue reading →

GOG.com Brings You Too Much (Again): A Weekend Interplay Sale Of Epic Proportions!

Posted on April 12, 2013 by geelw

Nice! 33 Interplay games, most of them awesome all go up for a super sale this weekend over at gog.com, so if it’s going to be rainy and messy like it here right now, you’ve done all your spring cleaning (lucky you!) and need some fun stuff to melt the hours away, here you go. There’s too much stuff to recommend, but may I suggest a little Descent or Freespace, (airsickness bags not included – hope you like flying!) perhaps a side of Shattered Steel (BioWare’s first game), a side order of Stonekeep (for you dungeon crawlers out there) and absolutely try the Earthworm Jim 1 & 2 pack (EWJ 3 is an acquired taste, but interestingly weird and wacky). OK, get whatever YOU want or get them all. Hey, you’re buying, so it’s all your choice, right?