Review: MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies

Posted on May 29, 2016 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation Vita/PSTV

Developer(s): Idea Factory/Compile Heart/Tamsoft

Publisher: Idea Factory International*

# of Players: 1 – 4

MSRP: $39.99 (retail/PSN)

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Sneaky, Tamsoft, SNEAKY. Teaming up with Idea Factory and Compile Heart and getting your Onechanbara in my Neptunia while making it a ridiculously fun and ridiculously cute hack & slash with a ridiculous amount of replay value. Ridiculous! MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies is an absolutely silly blast of a game that’s easy to get into and deserves a sequel of some sort down the road. Yeah, I missed out on Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed (it’s on my list of stuff to get to, really!), so I’m going into this one as it’s an all-new and different experience.

While it’s packed with characters and content, the “Hey, let’s put on a show!” hijinks that revolve around the female students of Gamicademi trying to save their school from closing by making a low-budget zombie movie also makes for a pretty amusing plot. The game is part visual novel, part action/RPG and definitely going to take up a small to moderate chunk of your time thanks to all the variables that come into play. That tongue-in-cheek humor it bashes you over the head with gets you into the groove right from the start, but it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Your Vita will either pop out of its hiding place and kiss you for making this purchase or slap you in the face with a smirk if you get too serious while playing this game. Or both. Continue reading →

Lumo: Brilliant Iso Platformer’s One of The Year’s Best Surprises

Posted on May 25, 2016 by geelw

Lumo is out now on Steam, gog.com, the Humble Store (PC/Mac/Linux), and PlayStation 4 now and that $20 price tag may actually be too little for such a gorgeous and brain-twisting platform/adventure game hybrid. Created by Triple Eh! (Gareth Noyce) and published by Rising Star Games, there’s so much packed into this isometric wonder that most gamers under a certain age with no sense of game history outside their own short memories will spin themselves silly trying to keep up with the seemingly endless references to games they’ve never seen or played. North American gamers with some experience will note the Solstice and Equinox homages along with nods to Donkey Kong, Marble Madness, and a few other classic arcade and console games while they jump through around and in many cases, OVER levels to locate some very-well hidden secrets.

This isn’t a proper “review” (yet) as I’m basing my wordy noise here on the preview code I received and finally got around to this past weekend. Think of this as a fine and dandy heads-up if you’re on the hunt for a lengthy, challenging blend of old and new schools that’s cute enough to be a kid’s game, but tricky enough to get the most seasoned player checking out every nook and cranny for hidden stuff. As you play, you’ll discover Noyce is indeed a very, very talented guy with an elephantine memory and deep knowledge about his favorite games and a willingness to share that with anyone who picks up a controller. 400 rooms in a beautifully rendered Easter Egg farm where fast movement is necessary, yet paying attention to visual cues makes for truly rewarding play sessions. The sense of discovery in Lumo is fairly remarkable because you’ll be doing things both inside and outside the box. See some crates stacked by a wall or what looks like a curious means of reaching the top of a wall? With a bit of effort poking around in nearby room or a bit of backtracking to other curious spots, you’ll be up and over those walls and into new territory. Continue reading →

MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies: Time To Kill (Some Kind of Cute Undead)

Posted on May 10, 2016 by geelw

Well, in the North American territories, that is. You gamers overseas in Europe and the UK need to hold on for a few days longer, but you’ll get what’s coming to you soon. Or more precisely, those nasty zombies will get what’s coming to them from YOU (POW!). MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies hits the Vita running, all cute gals slapping the slime out of zombies in colorful, fast-paced action. I hear a voice saying “Get it, or get HIT!”, but that’s my brain calling forth demons or an old slogan I saw somewhere something. Still, this one looks as if it’ll be portable thrills galore guaranteed to make you miss your bus or train stop.

Hey, don’t blame ME for that, now. I play most of my games at home so the only stop I miss is when I forget to stop playing. Yes, I probably have a problem. But that’s not your problem, right?

The trailer, in case you need a friendly reminder to nab this one soon (as in NOW!):

This DOOM Trailer is a Feat of Clay

Posted on May 8, 2016 by geelw

So, yeah. DOOM comes out on May 13th and this 4th game can also be seen as a modern reboot of the seminal FPS franchise as well as a love letter by id Software to itself. While the official game trailer itself is quite NSFW, the very talented Claycat (or Lee Hardcastle) has whipped up a hilariously cartoon gory (and not for the kiddies) claymation version of one of the early trailers that’s a must-watch.

Er… Hey, that’s NOT blood, kids… it’s um, jelly! Take a look:

Yep, awesome, innit? Here’s the yuckier (content-wise) official trailer:

DOOM hits retail and digital on May 13, 2016. As the song says, “go to hell and see how you like it!”

Valley: Blue Isle Studios’ Newest Is Intentionally More Jumpy Than Scary

Posted on April 23, 2016 by geelw

Blue Isle Studios made a name for itself with Slender: The Arrival on PC and then consoles, but the studio wisely decided not to become the all jump scare all the time game factory fans of that horror hit wanted it to be. Its upcoming title, Valley is a very different game than Slender was, although some are making direct (and probably unfair) comparisons to Gone North Games excellent first-person puzzle platformer A Story About My Uncle.

The trailer below certainly has a few things going for it that game didn’t as well as what looks like a tonal shift from freeform 3D platforming to a bit of slightly frightening business:

As for what’s what with the story and what to expect from the gameplay, here you go:

Valley is a First-Person adventure unlike any other. Hidden deep within a remote region of the Rocky Mountains, you find yourself bewildered within a secluded valley. With the power of a recently discovered L.E.A.F. suit (Leap Effortlessly though Air Functionality), run and jump your way through beautiful forests, dangerous ruins and vast environments; all the while utilizing the power to control life and death to uncover the startling secrets of the mysterious valley.

Features

Move faster, jump higher: make your way through the world of Valley™ using the incredible speed and agility of the L.E.A.F. suit.
Manipulate life and death: the L.E.A.F. suit grants its pilots the phenomenal power to both give and take life from any living thing.
Experience a unique twist on death: the more you die, the more the valley will die around you.
Enhance yourself: upgrade your suit with new abilities and strengths.
Explore: the world of Valley™ is filled with forests, wildlife, ancient ruins, charming creatures, dangerous enemies and other mysteries.

Six screens below to ogle:

The varied environments combined with the intriguing gameplay makes Valley quite intriguing and well worth a play to see how the mechanics work. If it all works well, Blue Isle will have what’s looking to be an even bigger hit than Slender was, provided that game’s legion of fans is willing to try something different. Valley lands on PC via Steam (so far), PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this summer.

April PSN Flash Sale: Your Wallet Just Went On A Crash Diet

Posted on April 22, 2016 by geelw

…and is now MUCH lighter. Thanks, Sony! This new PSN Flash Sale will have your head spinning as the values pile up in your digital shopping cart thanks to so many deals on PS4, PS3, and Vita games plus a bunch of Video content to keep you entertained and your friends wondering how you can afford all that content. Hey, up to 75% off is nothing to sneeze at. Unless you’re allergic to discounts (of course).

In case you didn’t get the picture – there are some NICE deals here!

Of course, they probably know all about this sale by now if they’ve read this far and they’re busy clicking away adding stuff to their carts in order to entertain themselves and make YOU jealous. Such is life, right? Anyway, get to it – there’s a lot of tempting stuff there and you don’t have much time to spare.

Meanwhile, in Japan: EDF 4.1 Keeps On With the Fun Stuff

Posted on April 20, 2016 by geelw

Here’s something you don’t see every day in Japan: an extended game video entirely in English that seems made for western audiences. Then again given the popularity of Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair worldwide, it seems that D3Publisher there is smart enough to have this new video all ready for distribution wherever people are playing their game. Anyway, enjoy this slice of humor, EDF style and go pick this one already if you have a PS4. It’s one of the better (okay, BEST) bang for your buck titles on any console with well over 100 hours of play which can easily double or triple if you get pulled into online play with like-minded EDF troopers.

Axiom Verge on Vita: Instant Classic Goes Pocket-Sized

Posted on April 19, 2016 by geelw

Hey! That’s what we Vita owners are supposed to be saying to YOU, game! Thanks for showing up when you’re most needed, though.

While I’ve only sampled a bit of Thomas Happ’s outstanding and astounding retro action game Axiom Verge last year at Indiecade, it impressed me more than enough to want to play it as soon as it was released. Then I heard it was coming to the Vita and decided to hold my breath and wait because that powerful but plagued by a few issues handheld needs more top-drawer games like this.

VERY blue in the face later (*gasp!*), it may have taken a while to port over (it wasn’t a simple process at all), but it’s out now on PSN for $19.99 (Cross Buy with the PS4 version AND 10% off for a limited time) and it’s a must for Vita users worldwide. Got get it and prepare for a total blast. From what I played on the PS4 last year, the game is a fantastic mix of retro game challenge and messes with your head as it allows you to use intentional glitches as means to further your progress.

If you don’t have a Vita or PS4, fear not. PC owners can buy the game directly from the Axiom Verge site, on Steam or through the Humble Store. The game is also headed to Xbox One and Wii U at some point this year, so you kind of have no excuse NOT to play this one. Well, unless you hate great games and supporting indie developers, of course.

Gallery: SEVERED

Posted on April 16, 2016 by geelw

In Severed you play as a distraught warrior, who is lost in a fantastical world. She is tasked with the challenge of knitting together pieces of her story from both the past and the future. Our heroine will embark on a journey through a surreal non-linear world using a gesture based combat mechanic to defeat enemies in this first person adventure. Unlock new abilities, discover secrets of the land, and grow in power as you master both offensive and defensive techniques. Let Severed be your mystery to unravel.

Despite not being the biggest fan of touch screen or gesture-based games on the Vita (why can’t I use a stylus on this handheld?), Drinkbox Studios’ SEVERED caught my eye (ow!) with it’s gorgeous stylized visuals and overall “not for the kids” plot. Memories of a few arcade games and the Super NES sleeper Shien’s Revenge also came to mind, which means I’ll most likely have a blast playing this. Granted, I wasn’t so fond of Guacamelee (fun to play as it was), but I never judge a developer by ONE game (I just judge my taste in games I should have liked more when I first played them). Anyway, this new Vita title should be out digitally on PSN at some point this year. It’s screaming for a Wii U/3DS port, but we shall see what happens over time, right?

Some lovely screens below:

The gameplay looks smooth enough and those graphics sure are easy on the eyes (unless you’re that poor sap in the tree above), so it looks as if Drinkbox will have another hit on their hands (and in my hands as well).

Laser Disco Defenders: Your Vita Should Be Dancing (Soon), Yeah!

Posted on April 12, 2016 by geelw

Excalibur Publishing is stretching its wings onto the Vita with this wacky arcade-like shooter for the PlayStation Vita. Laser Disco Defenders is coming soon-ish from developer Out of Bounds Games and it looks (and sounds) like an instant indie classic. Check out the teaser trailer below:

As this post on the PlayStation Blog notes, Procedural maps, quirky characters to customize with assorted accessories and plenty of “Pew-Pew-Pew!” action make this one a nice surprise on a handheld that needs more of them. I’m hoping it ships with the ability to import tunes as I can see someone out there uploading a certain film soundtrack or at least ONE particular track from that film soundtrack. Hey, I didn’t say I’d be the one adding that tune… then again, who doesn’t like a little Fever when the right moment comes, right?