Anachronox Is $2.39 On GOG.com…(!) Yes, You Should Give It A Try.

 

anachronox coverTo some gamers, Ion Storm’s excellent 2001 role-playing game, Anachronox hasn’t aged so well in terms of visuals (the 3D character models in particular can be quite ugly thanks to the aging, but heavily modified Quake II engine), but the story, writing, art direction and turn-based combat are all prime reasons for checking this out. As usual, GOG.com comes to the rescue with a temporary price drop on this gem that makes it well worth a test drive. The game is often very funny, there are some interesting quests and NPC’s to meet, nice nods to eastern and western RPGs and film noir in all that sci-fi shininess and yeah, it’s pretty darn long. The ending is the weakest link as the game was so huge and seemed ripe for a follow-up that never got made. Nevertheless, at the end of the day there’s a lot to love about this not quite forgotten slice of gaming history, so yes indeed… I say you should set aside time to check this out…

(*whispers* It’s kind of hard to pass up a value like this, is all I’m saying…)

BioShock Infinite TV Spot (Long Version): A Good Week Is Many Miles Away… Look Up!

 

March 26 is what, a week away and 2K Games is finally getting the bigger, more splashy ads for this out in full force. As usual with a game so long awaited and important, I’m not going to go poking around for quickly written reviews or the opinions of friends who blow through this in a day at all. I’m thinking this is yet another one of those deeper than it looks games that deserves a full play on my own time and not some speedy rush through just to make a deadline. I’m gathering Ken Levine and Irrational Games would prefer people take the time to “relax” when they’re not being shot at or otherwise maimed in the game world and check out as much of Columbia as they can survive, as I can see the potential for Easter Eggs galore that take a bit of Sky Hook action, some deft shooting skills or other fun, challenging navigation and/or gameplay to reach. As usual, we shall see, folks… we shall see…

Dead State: DoubleBear’s Indie ‘ZRPG’ Looks Awesomely Apocalyptic…

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combat_shot_finalI’ve been way too busy to keep up with every indie game I’d like to play, but once in a while I catch up to something like DoubleBear Productions work in progress, Dead State and all is well in my little corner of the Internet. As you can see, there’s a nice The Walking Dead meets Fallout vibe going on here (which is double cool) and the WIP combat video below shows off a pretty impressive engine and grid-based tactics at work. The writing here is solid as well, with some nicely done descriptions that bring the slower-paced battles to life very well indeed. Hopefully, this will run on my ancient PC or laptop when all is said and done. I could use a nice turn-based post zombie apocalypse RPG that’s not a system hog for the sake of flashy graphics (and so could you, I bet). This absolutely looks as if it’s going to have a wider appeal amongst a few types of folks into the current zombie craze which seems to be without end and only growing in strength.

 

 

Keep an eyeball on this one, folks. If everything falls into place, this just might be an indie sleeper that gets a ton of attention and puts DoubleBear on the lips of zombie fans around the globe. Or at least keeps them busy for way too many hours across many sleepless nights… or both.

VGA 101: More Collection Madness, Badly Shot (For Now)…


 
Nope, I’m not QUITE taking today off, folks. I was just catching up on some games I need to review (the results of which you’ll read shortly). Anyway, to keep you “entertained”, I thought I’d grab my crappy camera and quickly zoom through some stuff in the library (which NEEDS a big reorganization and/or a makeover I can’t afford yet, boo!). Er, you may want to take some Dramamine before viewing this, as it’s probably really fuzzy and moving faster than a caterpillar who’s had a pot of strong coffee. Or like a rat. Made out of a LOT of video games. Squeak, squeak! Eek, eek!

Making of Defiance (7): Amanda & Kenya (And The Places They’ll Take You)…

 

Fans of Showtime’s Dexter and a few other shows she’s been in will recognize Julie Benz from her great work and it looks as if the streak will continue in Defiance. The upcoming syfy series launches eleven days after the PC/PS3/Xbox 360 game tie-in hits, so there will hopefully be enough people playing or hearing about the game to generate a wave of interest in the series. The big fat elephant in the room is quality, but so far, the show and game seem to have it in spades. As always, we shall see… but I say give this one a chance for a season and see where it takes you.

BioShock Infinite: Some Questions Answered And Mysteries Solved For Your Curiosity…

 

Will BioShock Infinite be as well-received as the original? Will we see so many ads for the game that 2K Games breaks some sort of record for spending on a single title? Will Ken Levine ever give a boring interview? All signs point to “yes” or “no”, as my crystal ball is busted and I’ve been called a False Shepard before. Eh, whatever – I’ll be playing this at some point and know I’m going to enjoy it no matter what the jaded flies on the wall say. As for ken and interviews, well… THIS one at BAFTA certainly isn’t dull at all:

 

 

Anyway, March 26 is rolling up REALLY quickly and I’m betting a few people call in dead from work just to spend some quality time buried in the story, characters and gameplay Irrational has cooked up…

BUY THIS GAME! Amanita Design’s Machinarium Headed to PS Vita March 26

 

One of the most unique-looking and fun indie adventure/puzzle games from a few years back is finally Vita-bound for an excellent price later this month. Amanita Design’s Machinarium is coming on March 26, 2013 for a paltry $6.99 and it’s actually greatly enhanced over the previously released PSN version. A reworked control scheme allows analog sticks or touchscreen movement, a new zoom function allows you to see things a bit closer (the artwork is so intricately detailed that this is a necessity), and PSn leaderboards have been added so you can check your times and mini-game scores against players from all over. Another must-buy indie game for Sony’s handheld? Sure, I’ll take it if it’s one as good as this…

Saint’s Row IV Trailer: Volition and Deep Silver Make Sure It’s More of What You Want…

 

Mmmmhmmm? OK. That’s sorted out, isn’t it? I certainly think so. Well then, if there were ANY doubts that Deep Silver’s purchase of Volition was going to mean a different direction for the fan favorite franchise, well… here’s proof that the more things change, the crazier they get at the end of the day. More outrageous and DEFINITELY not for the kiddies open world action, goofball weapons, super powers (!) and too much weirdness guaranteed to make any fan fall off the couch and bust a gut twice. OK, let’s move on now that we know all is well. Now, about Summoner III (which NEEDS to be made, grrrr. Letting that go unsold at the THQ auction was a huge mistake that needs to be rectified, I say…)

GRID 2 WSR (Part 1): Driving Near-Miss Daze-y…

 

Ha and har. OK, bad pun (that I changed because I was a wee bit pooped out when I write this post originally) aside, Codemasters is on point with GRID 2 so far and despite the screeches and crunching from fans demanding a dashboard view or else, it looks as if the game should do fine without it. Granted, there are some powerful PC’s that can run other games out there with full dashboard cams going a a billion frames per second or whatever, but I guess we’ll see what the Codies can do on next-gen console hardware to satisfy those folks who want that in-car viewpoint. I think it can be done and having the option is always cool even if it’s never used by the bulk of casual to regular race fans that dislike it. As always… we shall see…

Gallery: Rambo Screenshots – I’ve No Beef With Reef (Just Yet)…

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Rambo_KeyImageUK-based Reef Entertainment along with developer Teyron are hard at work on their upcoming PC/PS3/Xbox 360 Rambo game and it looks pretty good as far (well, as those nice screenshots go). That initial trailer with zero actual gameplay footage was a good enough elevator pitch to some fans, but skeptical dopes like me want to see something to Actual Bravo about.

Still, I won’t be playing this as a “serious” game, as other than First Blood and that last super-gory flick (that made some interesting political points on the pro-rebel side of the Myanmar/Burma conflict), the series isn’t exactly without its unintentionally goofy-ass elements. Of course, I’m also throwing any expectations out the nearest window like I do with every game I play, as going in wanting something LIKE another game and getting what a developer intends to be different always disappoints in one way or another.  That May 3, 2013 release dater I’ve seen is rolling around pretty fast, so let’s hope for the sake of the license that the game is actually fun and does well at retail.

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