Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom Goes for the Gold!

Adventure Time TSotNKDeveloper WayForward Technologies is finally all done with Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom, sending the game off on its merry way to be cleaned and pressed and ready for its November 18 launch on the PS3, Xbox 360, PC and Nintendo 3DS.

How will it stack up to previous Adventure Time games? Ooo, I bet Finn or Jake know… but aren’t telling a single THING because they want you all to be kept in sus-pense until the game drops into retail and onto a digital delivery site near you. Personally, I’m a fan of both the developer and the show, so I’ll play this any way ’til Sunday just for laughs. WayForward rarely disappoints with its games, so I’m going in with half a smile on my face just to give the experience some extra, um… sus-pense!. Say, you look like you’re starving – have some screenshots:

BananaHurl FinnBananaFireAntsShelby Hack IceKing&Finn SlumberPrincess SPWolf

Um… okay. You didn’t HAVE to eat them all at once, greedy! Well, back in a bit with some impressions, then.

Review: Dungeon of the Endless

DotE Banner Platform: PC
Developer: Amplitude Studios
Publisher: Reverb Games
# of Players: 1 (Online 1-4)
Release Date: October 28, 2014
ESRB Rating: N/A
Official Site
Score: A (95%)


 

If you’re one of those people who thinks games have gotten too “casual” these days or you’re just looking for something meaty and stupendously challenging, Dungeon of the Endless would like a word with you before it puts you into a corner and makes you cry for bit. If you haven’t smashed your PC with a sack of hammers, you’ll pick yourself up out of that teary heap, stomp back to your computer and try again with gritted teeth and fresh resolve. Amplitude Studios’ brilliantly designed and gorgeously old-school experience mixes a bunch of genres, takes the developer’s famed 4X gameplay and makes it even more appealing than before. Of course, the game’s masterful design and monstrous difficulty will mean that everyone who plays will suffer load of losses as they attempt to keep their crystal and/or their party in one piece before they can reach that exit. But this one’s a game where you learn from each defeat and each victory deserves a celebration before you move on for more potential pain… Continue reading

Almost at the Exit! Dungeon of the Endless Review Incoming…


 
Hmmm… I’d already have my Dungeon of the Endless review up and running for the exit like mad, but yesterday’s rather dopey PC woes set me back a bit on a few projects. That review is just about done and should go up tomorrow afternoon. Anyway, I’ll skip keeping you in suspense and suggest you just go BUY the game if you haven’t and have been wondering if it’s any good. It is and then some. I’ll be back tomorrow with a few reasons why you need this rogue-like RTS hybrid in your life. Your brain will certainly thank you for the workout, that’s for sure…

Monday Bundles Make That Mundane Monday All Better…

IndieGala EMB 10272014
 
Some scary and not so scary options in this week’s set of bundles. This week’s IndieGala Every Monday Bundle has seven games for $1.89 (nice!), 24 hours until that price goes up.

Humble Flash Bundle Boo
 
This week’s Humble Flash Sale is an all-horror themed bundle that will run you a few more bucks for the good stuff, but it’s worth every penny you’ll spend. And you’ll definitely do that spending more than a penny part, I’d say.

BS Kalypso Bundle
 
Finally, Bundle Stars wants you to learn to like the Kalypso. The Kalypso Games Bundle, that is (oh, I’m SO funny today!). This particular deal will only set you back $3.99 and nets you TEN complete games and 14 DLC packs (yikes), meaning it’s the winner today if you’re into sheer content versus cost. Yes, it’s a shorter than usual post this week, but that’s because I’m in the middle of a review and need to keep it brief. Back in a bit – go get yourselves some games!

Review: TRI: Friendship and Madness

TRIAllLevelsPlatform: PC

Developer: Rat King Games

Publisher: Rising Star Games

# of Players 1

ESRB Rating: N/A

Official Site

Score: A (95%)

It’s very hard to believe two people (Jana Reinhardt and Friedrich Hanisch) programmed the stellar TRI: Friendship and Madness, but that’s what it says on the official site and in the game credits. This family-friendly first person puzzle game plays like a hybrid child of Portal and a very well made Minecraft mod where you soon find the only limitations to solving the increasingly challenging levels are your imagination and sense of exploration. The game starts off small as a simple, somewhat straightforward Point A to Point B “find the keys to clear the level” experience, but once you get to drawing triangular platforms that can send you almost anywhere on a map, the game opens up into pure brain expanding territory.

Despite the often high level of challenge in reaching some really out of the way items, once you get the hang of things, the game is always a joy to play, particularly when you’re making your own route around the expansive and often gravity defying maps that have you moving around at seemingly impossible angles… Continue reading

Review: Kromaia

Kromaia BoxPlatform: PC

Developer: Kraken Empire

Publisher: Rising Star Games

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: N/A

Official Site

Score: A (90%)
 


 

Now, here’s a crazy paradox for you: Kromaia is an arcade-style shooter that’s currently PC-only, yet it bridges that gap between old and new tech and ideas past the point of reinvigorating a genre that might seem a better fit for consoles or yes, arcades. Yeah, yeah – you PC die-hards will be rolling your eyeballs and shaking your fists in my general direction right about now. But I counter that stuff by saying this is exactly the sort of game that needs to be on more platforms and not just exclusive to PC, no matter how large the potential player base is. It’s that good, that fun and that challenging and nope, you 3D-hating shmup fans aren’t getting off easy by skipping this because it’s not got a sprite in sight. The game is new-school looking, old school hard as nails and while “short” (Note: Arcade 101, Class 1: it’s not the length, but how much you go back to the game that counts), packs quite a memorable punch…
Continue reading

BUY IT! Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Gets Price Slashed in Time for Halloween

DPTDC Steam Sale
In case you missed this great and epic oddball horror adventure from Access games and the mind of Swery 65, well, you now have ZERO reason not to want to try it out (well, unless you don’t have a decent enough PC to run the game, of course!). Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut is now (well, from now until October 27) a measly $2.49 on Steam! That’s like $24.99 with a “9” missing! Or 90% off, if you actually know how to do math better than I do it. The Steam version adds some new content and nicer visuals than the console versions, but don’t go in expecting the most stellar looking game that’s perfection in all areas.

Come visit Greenvale for the weird people and offbeat vibe and stay for the surprisingly more compelling and poignant tale that unfolds as the game progresses. DPTDC has surprises in store for those who stick it out and survive each chapter and by the finale, you’ll emerge as someone who might want to try more games in this vein because this one went above and beyond the call in a few key areas. Anyway, enough rambling from me – go get this game!

Project CARS Halloween Trailer: A Few Scary Things Going On Here Drive Me Batty…


 
You may have noticed that this is the European PEGI-rated trailer for the game and not the North American ESRB one, but that’s because at my current download speed, it will take (looks at timer)… seven hours to download that US trailer (Yaaaah!) We can’t have that, now, can we? The other scary thing? How amazing this game looks, as this is all in-game footage put together by a really talented video editor/player. I guess the third (and perhaps most frightening) thing is I’m now wondering how good the Wii U version of the game will look and how fast it will be. Not that the system can’t do an excellent racing game with real cars, mind you (Need for Speed U is still the pinnacle of realism on the console in terms of visuals). It’s more of a correcting of perception thing among the die-hard skeptics that have been hating on the console before it was launched who still haven’t been convinced even after some recent and great software releases.

Oh well, those folk may never be convinced (and it’s their loss), but as someone who owns and likes his Wii U quite a lot, I’m holding my breath that Slightly Mad Studios blows all those haters out of the muddy water they’re trolling in with a stellar version that wipes the smirks right off their faces.

On Rusty Trails: Black Pants Game Studio is At it Again With the Indie Winner-ness!

logo
iconWell, those five creative guys from Germany (no, not Kraftwerk!) are in the game kitchen cooking up what looks like another awesome game. Yes, Black Pants Game Studio (Tiny & Big in Grandpa’s Leftovers) is hard at work making their new game, On Rusty Trails (Guy Elvis in His Search for a Comfy Place to Stay), which has nothing to do with Jack Kerouac (maybe) and everything to do with fine and dandy platforming and comic art come to life in game for. And stuff.

Elvis (Custom)Oh, and you play as a guy named Elvis. Not the Elvis, mind you, as a lot of people share that name. Or perhaps it IS Elvis in a triangular metal machine suit? I didn’t bother to ask, so Black Pants isn’t telling. That would be absurd, mind you, but hey – I didn’t ask, remember? Anyway, as you can more than clearly see here, the art style is once again amazing and although this one’s a “2D” style platformer, the team’s quirky style seeps in here and makes this one more than worth a look.

Oh, wait – you want screenshots? Okay, here you go. Get ready to study them up close and personal-like, as they’re fairly MASSIVE once clicked on:

OnRustyTrails_TheRustyCity 02_OnRustyTrails_Lavakraft 03_OnRustyTrails_OtherLand_JumpThat 04_OnRustyTrails_RainyConflict 05_OnRustyTrails_ElvisSleepingInHisHouse

Currently in early alpha stage and set for a release sometime in 2015, here’s what to expect in the final version (plus more on the way, I’m betting):

Features
Slip into the Shifty Suit™! Wear these arcane but fine threads to change your appearance whenever there‘s a need to fit in. Avoid confrontation and do not leave your comfort zone!

Still Stepping on the Floor? Get your feet on the walls! Why, even on the ceiling! And then: Go walk there!

A Tale Told in Finest Comic Art. Stimulate your eyes and brains with a story about the loss of a low-rent flat, complicated misunderstandings and a looming war.

Saucy Soundtrack Guarantee! Another great selection of handpicked indie bands to discover!

A true Black Pants Studio experience!

How about some more screenshots? You did look kinda starved there…:

OnRustyTrails_Factory_Slippy OnRustyTrails_Intro_Elvis OnRustyTrails_Intro_ElvisHomeless OnRustyTrails_MixedLands_MixedFeelings OnRustyTrails_Suburb_BewareOfTheSlime2 OnRustyTrails_Suburb_GettingTheGear OnRustyTrails_Suburb_GoFYourself OnRustyTrails_Suburb_RainSuite OnRustyTrails_Suburb_ShiftySuite

Well, that’s it for now for this gallery, but I’m expecting more from Black Pants soon. Or later. Or whenever they provide updates. This one looks like it’ll be a ton of fun once it’s all done. Hey, that rhymes! Okay, let me stop here before something else falls out of my head. Good games make me giddy.

Monday Bundle Madness Continues: Get Your Deals Here!

IndieGala EMB 10202914 
More bundles of joy galore this week, ladies and germs! The IndieGala Every Monday Bundle this week is a wild one, with eight assorted games about horse breeding in a fantasy setting, an AWESOME Tempest clone (nostalgia alert!), a fun minimalist puzzle game based on Alice in Wonderland’s first glorious chapter, a great little physics-based robot game and more. Yeah, you NEED this. It’s only two bucks for 24 hours (well, $1.99, you nit-picking penny-pincher!) and you’ll never forgive yourself if you let yourself miss this deal. More deals below the jump (look out belooooooow!)Continue reading