Review: Venetica

Posted on January 13, 2011 by geelw

Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360, PC)

Developer: Deck 13

Publisher: Atari

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: C+

As a huge fan of role-playing games developed around the world for at least 20 years, one thing I've learned is how to appreciate the best parts of every game no matter the overall quality. Simply knocking a new title for what it doesn't have compared to similar entries within the genre is a wee bit too easy for some critics that fail to see that not every game needs to be “state of the art” nor “perfect” to be an enjoyable experience. US gamers never saw retail releases of imperfect Euro-made epics and non-epics such as Hard to Be a God, Vampire World, or Dragonfire: Well of Souls, but each of these (plus many others) have appeal as singular experiences thanks to levels of immersion distinct to each game. Deck 13's Venetica is another one of those really interesting games with similar rough spots that keep it from becoming an instant classic. However, once you overlook its quirks, it's an ambitious project that features an attractive and interesting lead character as well as a few nice twists to the standard RPG formula.

Review: Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Posted on January 5, 2011 by geelw

Platform: PC/Mac/Linux

Developer: Frictional Games

Publisher: Frictional Games

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A

If you think a good survival horror game involves big guns and running around shooting monsters ’til the cows come home, you really don’t know much about the genre at all. There’s a distinct difference between scooting around with a big grin ready to take on all comers and being too damn terrified to move, but being forced to because you have no choice but to do so or die. Based out of Helsingborg, Sweden, indie developer/publisher Frictional Games has been quietly crafting some truly terrifying horror experiences that go above and beyond the “expected” genre cliches. From 2006 to 2009, there were the three excellently frightening Penumbra games, first-person horror/adventures with great physics-based puzzles and death lurking where it was least expected. Their latest work, Amnesia: The Dark Descent should put them on the map and in the minds of more gamers who crave an innovative, purely fear-filled and brutally direct horror experience. If you want to play a game that will have you sleeping with under the bed with the lights on, a baseball bat, guard dog and security blanket, this one’s for you.

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Review: Desktop Dungeons

Posted on January 4, 2011 by geelw

Platform: PC

Developer: QCF Design

Publisher: QCF Design

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: N/A

Official Site

Score: A+

I made a rather interesting “mistake” a few months back and I don't think I'll recover anytime soon, nor do I want to. I'd stopped playing Fallout: New Vegas while waiting for a patch to be released and one thing I did during that downtime was check out QCF Design's Desktop Dungeon, a free rogue-like RPG that condenses hours of gameplay into quick ten minute (or less) sessions. The “mistake” was downloading, then playing the game, thinking it would be yet another well-intentioned indie with a few too many charming flaws. Oops. That ten minute session (which was actually twelve, according to my PC clock) hooked me in and I've ended up finding a few minutes every other day or so to dive into DD for a quick session or eight. Best mistake I've ever made, but definitely very lousy for productivity, laundry and a few other non-Desktop Dungeons related things.

Plane Weaver Walkthrough Video

Posted on December 27, 2010 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/XxTVZZzUjDI?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0

What? You haven’t tried Plane Weaver yet? Er… well, my review is coming tomorrow, but I thought I’d post the walkthrough for this PAX 10 winner first, as the game can be a bit tricky in a few spots. Anyway, the game is a really cool platformer with puzzle and adventure elements, excellent graphics and sound all done by a small group of Danish students in a month. Go download it (click on the link above – it’s free and only around 66MB), install and play it and when you get stuck (it’ll happen eventually), watch this video and thank me later.

Yes, this does indeed contains spoilers (well, it IS a video of someone playing the game!).

Review: Plane Weaver

Posted on December 27, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Windows PC

Developer: Blue Coral Studio

Publisher: DADIU

# of Players: 1

Official Site

ESRB Rating: None

Score: A-

Developed in one month (!) by a team of eleven students at The Danish Academy of Digital & Interactive Entertainment (DADIU), Plane Weaver is a marvelous mix of 3D platforming and puzzle elements that come off as more fresh and innovative than much of what constitutes “Game of the Year” material on consoles and PC. While it's not a supremely lengthy experience, it's visually striking, nicely challenging and genuinely rewarding as you're pulled into some excellently designed levels. The game lightly echoes elements of sleeper hits such as ICO and the upcoming Lost in Shadow, yet never feels too derivative or under-polished. At only 66MB and a free download (for now), it's an absolute must for anyone who craves originality and creativity in their games.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 Gallery: Atari & Eden Want To Keep You Indoors For A While…

Posted on December 26, 2010 by geelw

If you've never had the chance to play the original Test Drive Unlimited on the Xbox 360*, you missed out on one of the more addictive pure driving games on current generation consoles. While you could in tons of events in offline or through the innovative M.O.O.R. (Massively Open Online Racing) system, the real thrill (for me at least) came in hitting the road in any car and just driving around Oahu for hours. Uncovering every inch of highway for one of the tougher Achievements was a blast and it was pretty cool to see lots of people played the game in the same way. With Test Drive Unlimited 2 hitting PS3, PC and Xbox 360 on February 8, 2011, here's a look at some of Eden Games' nicely rendered cars from a few angles. I'll add older screens to this gallery sometime next week.

TDU2 takes place in Ibiza and an upgraded version of Oahu from the first game (accessible once you've “leveled” enough), so it's going to be a must-play for me, as I'm insanely curious to see what's new, what's changed and how well the overall game experience has turned out.

Didn’t Get The Game You Want? Grab Tyrian 2000 For FREE From GOG.com!

Posted on December 25, 2010 by geelw

GOG.com is one of the greatest gamer gift-giving websites currently operating today thanks to their love for the PC classics and the means to get them up and running for sale as single or multiple pack deals at incredible prices. Part of their holiday promotion is releasing Tyrian 2000 (one of the best vertical scrolling arcade shooters ever made, I’d say) for FREE to any and all who have gog.com accounts (which are also FREE). All you need to do is drop on by, sign up and BOOM, the game is yours. the download is a tiny 10MB and you can also grab the soundtrack separately (an extra 128MB on your hard drive). I’m guessing that sound I hear is the gog.com servers collapsing thanks to the traffic I just sent there… or maybe not.

Hmmm… might have been Santa hitting the side of a building (oops)…

Dead Space 2 Multiplayer Hands-On: A Visceral Experience, Indeed

Posted on December 19, 2010 by geelw

As if the thrills, chills and very bloody spills of Issac Clarke's upcoming single player adventures in The Sprawl weren't enough, Visceral Games is tweaking Dead Space 2 with a rather interesting multiplayer component that can be somewhat accurately described as tactical run & gun meets Left 4 Dead. I'll admit to being initially skeptical that any sort of online multiplayer modes added to this decidedly story-driven horror action franchise would be nothing more than another excuse for loudmouthed losers to run around shooting each other in the head while yelling all sorts of M-rated insults. However, I'm indeed thankful to report that I was proven dead wrong.

At Sony's Holiday 2010 event last week, I got to go a few rounds with the multiplayer demo and was very impressed by the experience. What's here is fun, fast, frantic and frequently freakish, thanks to the back and forth player swapping that takes place during matches.

Hunted: The Demon’s Forge "The World of Hunted" Trailer

Posted on December 18, 2010 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/b7hlI0ma0iE?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0

InXile’s upcoming co-op focused action/RPG is looking to be one of the more memorable releases of 2011 whether you’re a fan of the genre or not. Here’s a look at a few of the different environments you’ll be adventuring in and around – text below courtesy of Bethesda. Keep this one on your radars, folks…

Welcome to the World of Hunted.

Tempted by riches, the warrior Caddoc and huntress E’lara will travel through a sprawling empire beset by evil. As their path twists through the once thriving town of Dyfed and towards the mighty capital city of Llyr, they will face a corruption that is spreading across the land. The kingdom’s ancient ruins have become overrun with foul creatures, and innocent villagers are being driven underground into dungeons. As they draw closer to the ruins of Kala Moor a dark army gathers, threatening everything in its path.

Portal 2 Co-Op Trailer (Yes… and Yes)

Posted on December 16, 2010 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/A88YiZdXugA?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0

Yes, it’s the PAX 2010 trailer (I wasn’t at PAX, so I’m seeing this for the first time) and Yes, Valve wants you to buy the game because they’re working on it harder than you think. Hell, they’ve got my money as long as i can walk into a game shop and buy it on a disc.