Hey, Zojoi Games! I fixed the typo in your email ad (you’re welcome and sorry about the spacing, as there’s only so much I can do in MS Paint in under three minutes) and thankfully, you fixed it before it went up on Steam. There’s nothing worse that dealing with nit-picky fans raking you over the coals for a misplaced “a” or other letter. Anyway, overexcited typist/layout person aside, this deal on the new Shadowgate game and two well-aged adventure classics cannot be missed, folks.
You’re getting a lot of awesome point and click-ness for that $20 and if you want your brain to jump up and thank you for making it work hard figuring out puzzles and trap solutions, well, here you go. A gift to you from you (because I don’t know you and wouldn’t give you something you may not want). Go get these NOW!
Platform: PC (via Steam)
Developer: Zojoi Studios
Publisher: Reverb Triple XP
# of Players: 1
ESRB Rating: N/A Official Site
Score: A- 90%
A few years back, I was at a media event talking to a PR person who told me that some sites let her know that they didn’t like covering adventure games and that too me aback because that attitude is pure biased lunacy. The adventure genre didn’t necessarily “die” a while back, folks – it was just neglected and left by the side of the road by jaded critics who didn’t bother giving too many great games the time of day. Anyway, those days of dreary dread have turned around in recent years and thankfully, one of the more influential and important games of the late 80’s is back and better than ever. Zojoi Studios’ brilliantly re-imagined Shadowgate takes the old story out for a stroll in a new coat of absolutely lovely visuals, a superb new soundtrack and even options to change that and a few other things (save the visuals) back to the classic NES game many of us oldsters spent too much time trying to beat and eventually beating but good a few times.
What this reboot doesn’t do is simply template that original game into a more casual form or make it an action-heavy experience that would cater to the more caffeinated modern gamer. From the interface to the brain-bending puzzles, everything you loved about the old game is back and in full force. Granted, some of these things WILL lead to frustration for some gamers used to hand-holding or self-solving puzzles in their entertainment experiences. That said, exercising the mind with a good and highly challenging game such as this one will be the best thing some of you can do for so little money… Continue reading →
Nope, despite that idyllic GIF above (twang, twang!), Graphite Lab’s upcoming PC/Mac/Linux and Wii U (yay!) game Hive Jump isn’t about some space cowboys sittin’ around a blazing campfire strumming a gitbox and singing bean-related songs (although that might make a fun mini-game now that I think about it). In fact, this in progress Kickstarter and Steam Greenlight game is the exact opposite of low key and gassy. One to four player alien blasting action reminiscent of X-Com, a bit of Slime World, Spelunky and Contra is the name of the game here (EDIT: Hey! I thought this was called Hive Jump?!) and based on that Kickstarter video, thing certainly look pretty thrilling.
See? Now THAT’S more like it, huh?
However, with a mere 931 backers and only $27,030 pledged of their $50,000 goal and ONLY 11 days to go (Eeek!), it seems this game needs MORE people hopping on the bandwagon. Granted, I bet some of those non-pledgers own a Sony or Microsoft console and are wondering why Nintendo is getting the love and they aren’t. But hey, I love it when a developer picks the more under-appreciated console and gives it the old college try. The Wii U needs games like this to stand out, and if it does well across the board, who’s to say Sony and Microsoft won’t be calling them up and getting a few dev kits out via some speedy shipping method? As much as I’m wanting to grab this download on the Wii U next year, I’d actually LOVE to play this on the Vita just so I can take it on the road to show it off and convert a few skeptics into new fans.
I’d say there are a lot of bugs in this game (and that’s a compliment.)
Anyway, internet? Go do what you do so well (no, not THAT complain about meaningless crap in the wrong places!) and FUND THIS GAME! I’m broke after paying a few bills, so I’ll be one of those picking it up once it’s all done. It sure looks like it’ll be a total winner no matter what it appears on. Anyway, stop throwing money AT the screen, as all that does is crack you monitor. You need to do a bit more than that (or: give ’til it hurts or you get hurt) if you want to see this one live to fight another day (and perhaps on other consoles?). You go do just that – I’ll be here, awaiting your progress report!
Okay, so the sound mix is way off balance and sure, it’s not looking as stunning as other games coming out this late for last-gen systems, but I’m still going to play TopWare Interactive’sRaven’s Cry when it’s released. Veteran developer Reality Pump Studios has been working on this game for a while, so I’m curious to see the final result for a few reasons. It’s probably one of the last open world games on the PS3 and Xbox 360, it’s not another fantasy RPG, and while the pirate theme has been done to death and some consider that last Assassin’s Creed game the be-all, end-all game in this sub-genre, it’s just nice to root for the “little” guy every now and then, I say. Besides, rough edges aside, there’s something about a European-made RPG that commands attention and respect. Well, at least I think so…
Raven’s Cry lands on PC, Mac, PS3/PS4 and Xbox 360 on October 14, 2014.
I had to stop playing Shadowgate after about the first ten minutes because my face was hurting. No, I didn’t get blasted by a real fireball coming from my monitor or anything like that. It’s because I was grinning so much that I think I was exercising more muscles than I’ve used in a while. Anyway, it was obvious from that short stretch of time and later on after about another hour of play that developer Zojoi Games has nailed the game they created back in 1987 as a perfect reboot on a few fronts.
The game manages to retain the same gameplay as the original while adding plenty of new content in an absolutely beautiful (yet suitably grim where required) art style as well as a grand, redone score by Rich Douglas that’s as stirring as the visuals… Continue reading →
I really should be dreading this upcoming Shadowgate reboot a lot more, but I’m just too pleased to see this ancient fantasy adventure game make a comeback. My dread SHOULD come from the knowledge that developer Zojoi Games is making this one like the original: intentionally hard and with intent to punish players who don’t pay careful attention to the decisions they make. The again, you can be the smartest stick in the shed and have your character still die a horrific death because Shadowgate is no pic-a-nic zone at all. Nearly every beautifully illustrated screen has something to interact with in nine different ways, but you might expire quite horribly if for example you HIT someone you shouldn’t have, EAT an item that’s not that edible under any circumstances or even TALK to something that wants to put the bite on your soon to be deceased hero. But hey, life (even in a game like this) is all about taking chances, so if you’re a PC/Mac/iOS or Android gamer looking for adventure, you should hop onto this train and perhaps even pre-order the game. It’s officially out on August 21, 2014 – I’ve been avoiding buying in early and playing the beta because I prefer to go in cold and see if I can remember all the tricks and traps from the NES version and see if I can survive more than three or four screens worth of them.
So, I’m in the middle of writing a review for The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II (here’s a hint: BUY IT. It’s got some issues, but is fun once you get) when my inbox falls on my foot and out pops and email from NeoCore Games that they’ve JUST released a new patch AND some DLC along with it.
Sure enough, I check my Steam account and it’s downloading away in the background as it should. Well, so much for my review as it currently stands. I’d noted some issues that the patch looks as if it takes care of, so there goes THAT part on my very short list of tiny gripes. Granted, I haven’t played the game since the patch/DLC download, but I’ll get to it later tonight and see what’s what. I’m also in the midst of puttering away on some E3 articles, a review I needed to get up a day or so back and some columns for a few upcoming blogathons I need to yak about so some of you can join up and contribute to. Hokay, back to the grind for a bit before it’s back to the grind later, I guess…
Back in a bit. It’s Friday the 13th AND a full moon tonight. I’m NOT superstitious, but it seems that a lot of off-kilter people are out and about today. Yeesh…
Yeah, soooo… this is a thing that’s actually happening, but as that post title says, I’m completely okay with it. Thankfully, it’s coming from Telltale Games, Skybound and the digital pinball geniuses at Zen Studios, so it’ll at least be familiar and faithful to fans of the episodic game series. The funny thing is I believe this is the only Walking Dead game to NOT get a Mature rating. Pinball isn’t inherently “violent” at all… unless you’re the type to get into fist fights over who gets to go first. Er, anyway… Press release below the jump – the game ships out his summer, but will be shown at E3 this year if you happen to be attending and need something a wee bit different and unusual to play around with. Continue reading →
It’s finally all done and ready for its close up, so if you liked the first part a lot, you’ll want to just drop everything now and go out to buy a ring for Neocore Games’ The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II. The game is bigger and better in a number of key ways (you’ll see) and yes, that addictive chase & chop action is even more intense this time out. Not much else to say other than go get this on Steam NOW and have a blast. You don’t want to keep Lady Katerina waiting you know (as she’s way too good with the insults when she gets ticked off). Oh yeah, the guy with the hat and weapons could use your help, too.
It’s too bad Shiness isn’t coming to consoles anytime soon. This lovely Unreal tech powered crowd-funded indie RPG is only a few days into its Kickstarter campaign and almost a third of the money needed to get it onto PC and Mac at some point is in the bag. French developer Ynnis Interactive is making JRPG fans drool with some gorgeous anime visuals, a stirring soundtrack, and what sounds like fully voiced characters (like in Avatar, speaking a language created specifically for the project!), all hallmarks of a solid RPG experience. While the game will be a traditional solo experience where a party of assorted members can travel with the lead character, Ynnis is also planning some sort of online mode for their game, but it’s too early to see how it will be implemented. Given the game’s combat will be more action-oriented and in fact, play like a fighting game, it’s safe to say this is what will really make or break the game experience for many backers.
As you can see from that wonderfully illustrated KS page, the game certainly has the looks of a AAA game straight from a top Japanese studio like Level 5 or CyberConnect 2 (a good thing indeed) and other than some proofreading to tighten up the English translation, this one looks as if it’s going to be a winner and meets its financial target based on the overall quality and level of polish on display. Even cooler, there’s a companion manga in the works (the first chapter is HERE) that should expand the game’s story, characters and world in the same way popular manga such as Dragonball, Naruto and others did for their respective characters. This is one of those projects I hope more than meets its goals just so all three console companies take notice and maybe offer up assistance in getting the game to their respective platforms.
EDIT! In fact, if the game does indeed meet its $100,000 target, a console version will be the next stretch goal, so make it happen people! Hmmm… now that I’m dreaming of drooling over Shiness on the PS3, Xbox 360 (and hopefully Wii U!), I also wonder how well that Unreal engine runs on the Vita?
Here’s the trailer above in French – it’s slightly longer, but pretty much the same:
Anyway, you know what to do if you’ve watched those videos above and now have a big smile on your face. Pledge away and secure whatever premium you can afford while keeping both fingers and toes crossed that the game hits its goals and then some. This looks like the beginning of a beautiful relationship if it all comes together as it needs to…
Hey, Zojoi Games! I fixed the typo in your email ad (you’re welcome and sorry about the spacing, as there’s only so much I can do in MS Paint in under three minutes) and thankfully, you fixed it before it went up on Steam. There’s nothing worse that dealing with nit-picky fans raking you over the coals for a misplaced “a” or other letter. Anyway, overexcited typist/layout person aside, this deal on the new Shadowgate game and two well-aged adventure classics cannot be missed, folks.
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 