Falling Skies Landing Hard on Consoles, Mobile In Autumn From Little Orbit

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Falling SkiesConfession time: I’ve never seen a episode of Falling Skies, so last year when I heard a game was in development, I was wondering what type of experience it would be with my fingers crossed it was going to at least be a genre I liked and not just another first or third-person action game that would be compared to superior genre entries and easily forgotten if it wasn’t good enough to grab the attention of the shows fans or gamers expecting something like what they know so well.

Today’s news that we’re getting this as a tactical strategy RPG for the Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC along with a mobile game called Falling Skies: Planetary Warfare is making me smile a bit more. Some screens to peek at from both versions (and I’ll leave it to you to guess which one is which, although it’s pretty obvious):

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Granted, these work in progress screens aren’t going to blow you away if you’re expecting a superior LOOKING tactical experience. On the other hand, this particular genre is known for games that may not look the best, but deliver the goods on the gameplay front.

I did take special notice that Little Orbit mentions the Wii U version FIRST in the press release, which is a good thing to me 9and probably a bunch of other Wii U owners). If the game is good, it’ll probably (and hopefully) use the GamePad as a key part of gameplay (which is a no-brainer in my book). Anyway, we’ll see what’s what soon enough. I’m hoping Little Orbit gets this game orbiting into the hands of editors post-E3 just so the folks who aren’t attending that madness (raises hand) can get some hands-on time and spread the word if the game works as it should. Back in a bit with more on this one. Maybe it will get me to actually check out the show at some point on DVD… We’ll see!

CD Projekt RED Has Got Some Summery Surprises In Store Soon…

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Well, well… it looks as if a few more developers and publishers are stepping outside the usual confines of E3 to show what’s cooking to fans directly as opposed to having news filtered through assorted outlets. CD Projekt Red is joining the club with this upcoming June 5, 2015 conference that will no doubt be a showpiece for the PC and console versions of its eagerly awaited RPG The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. As you can see from this teaser below, I must be psychic or overstating the obvious (or both):

 
I also just NOW realize from watching that video that I’ve been pronouncing gog.com incorrectly for YEARS. Oops. Oh well, I bet a lot of others have been too, so I don’t feel bad at all. I do wonder how massive that Collector’s Edition will be for TW3, as the one for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Extended Edition was pretty hefty from what I recall. Well, we’ll see in a few days, right?

Among The Sleep Launch Trailer: Baby Steps Better Be Big Ones In This Unique Horror Game…

 
Krillbite Studios creepy horror game presented from the viewpoint of a two-year old, Among the Sleep is now available for purchase on Steam, gog.com and the Humble Bundle Store, so if you’re a fan of horror-themed video games and want something that’s fresh and shows off indie development at its finest, well… you know what to do. While it’s not the only game like this out there (Baby Blues has been on Desura for a while), Krillbite’s game takes a more colorfully stylized and surreal approach to its visuals and story. That talking teddy bear kind of freaks me out (even if he’s supposed to be friendly!). Naturally, you’ll want to NOT let your own two-year old anywhere near this game unless you like changing diapers three times as much as you normally do during the average day. Then again, I bet a few adults would pee or poop themselves if they played this just because they jump out of their skin at the drop of a hat…

IndieGala Asks “Got A Dollar?” As It Hits You On The Head With A Crazy Deal And Takes It Anyway…

indie encore bundleOkay, so maybe you missed out on some of those Monday bundles over at IndieGala or perhaps you wanted some titles and not others in certain bundles. Well, I guess today’s your lucky day (or yesterday was if you saw this deal when it went up then), as this “new” bundle is a mix of the best games from the others rolled into one fine deal.

The minimum here is ONE measly buck for six games including the unsettling psychological horror adventure hit The Cat Lady, Tobe’s Vertical Adventure, Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, Lume, Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden, Strategic War in Europe and C-RUSH. All in all, a nice mixture of games to dive into when you have the time and as this dollar deal ends in a day, you’ll need to act pretty quickly. In addition, there are only a set number of these bundles going for that buck before the price jumps, so it’s best to spring quickly here. While you’re at it, don’t forget to grab your FREE (while it lasts!) Steam code for Afterfall: Insanity Extended Edition, as they’ve giving away a bunch of them for the price of a click. You can’t beat that deal at all, kids!

Bugbear’s Next Car Game: Still On The Way, But Getting There Is Half The Fun…

Yes indeed, Bugbear Entertainment’s Next Car Game STILL needs a proper title, but that’s not stopping it from becoming a big favorite among pretty much anyone who’s gotten the chance to try out one of the many tech demos or preview builds. The developer is still taking pre-orders for the game (which is also coming to Steam) and even offering up Kickstarter-like bonuses to those who spend a bit more loot such as getting their names in the game or allowing a set number of users to design their own custom rides for all to use. One of the coolest things anyone can grab of (if they have the money to buy and space to use it) is Fanatec’s SPECTACULAR selection of racing game seats, wheels, shifters and such that make any driving or racing game an even more realistic experience. As you can see in that video above, The setup Bugbear is using (which includes Fantec’s Universal Hub) is quite modular, allowing many steering wheel variants to be used.

Now, the only thing the game needs is a proper console version, although the original crowdfunding drive fell short of that goal. My hope is that the PC version does well enough and gets enough attention that at least ONE of the big three companies sees that as a chance to get a great destruction derby racer back on the market for their systems. Granted, both Sony and Microsoft have marquee racers and may pass on this one (and too bad for them if they do!), but Nintendo hasn’t had a GOOD first-party realistic racer for ages (although Need For Speed Most Wanted U is hands-down the best racer with actual licensed cars in YEARS on a Nintendo platform), so a big fat pipe dream is seeing them wise up and at least look into sending Bugbear a few dev kits so they can either port thew game over or come up with something new and just as fun on that hardware. Granted, that’s a slim chance, but hey – one can only hope, right?

It May Be A Holiday, But Bundles NEVER Sleep!

 
Okay, I’m still kind of in holiday mode as a trial just to see how I handle time off and it’s not going well. Argh. Thankfully, the fine folks at IndieGala, Humble Indie Bundle, Indie Royale, Bundle Stars and a few other places know how to get me back on track (sort of). IndieGala’s Every Monday sale this week has six games, Today’s Humble Bundle is ALL Total War series all the time and an extra year or so because it’ll take you at least that long to go through the epic Napoleonic saga they’ve got up for sale today, Bundle Stars has more Steam games than you can shake a stick at and Indie Royale has nine games up for a really sweet price. I’d write more, but you can click away and see for yourself. Hmmmm. I need a nap now – that was hard work for a day off!

Today’s Humble Daily Bundle is All About Going Deep And Long (or Short)…

 
As in DUNGEONS (and get your mind out of the gutter, please!). Three indie games for up to ten bucks or more are on the plate today. Paper Sorcerer, Legend of Grimrock and Desktop Dungeons all come VERY highly recommended from yours truly as each is a decidedly different take on one of my favorite game genres.

 
Pay what you want for Paper Sorcerer, go above $3.21 for that and Legend of Grimrock and ten bucks or more nets you all three games. Yes, it seems odd that Desktop Dungeons ends up being the “big” game here, but given that you can learn to play it quickly and games tend to last about ten minutes or so, the potential millions random elements here give the game infinite replay value. Anyway, if you’re not going anywhere this holiday weekend, you know you may as well buy a few games, support charity and have something else to do other than stare at the walls for three or four days. Get to it, then!

Have I Got My Goat Yet? Not Quite Yet, But Yes Indeed I Will…

 
Okay, I still haven’t played Coffee Stain Studios’ awesomely busted Goat Simulator yet and I’m so ashamed. Well, not really, but you know what I mean. Here’s a game that’s right up my twisted alley and I haven’t bought it yet nor done much other than post a few videos and yak about what I’ve seen. Hey, blame it on too many games, not enough time and me wanting to do so much stuff that even my mailboxes have given up on hoping I’ll get to reading EVERY message in them. I try, but then I get to reorganizing emails by importance and everything goes to hell in a hand basket like an intentionally broken indie game that everyone wants to play but some don’t quite get too because they already have too much on their plates. Wait, we’re back at the beginning of this story again? I thought it was a RIGHT turn at the last sentence! Darn. Hmmm… let me pull over and take a nap. Back in a bit…

Update: the game is getting a patch next month? Well, it’ll still be funny and busted, but local split-screen multiplayer will be added. That’s cool if you like that sort of thing, by the way…

Today’s Humble Daily Bundle Is All Mixed Up In A Good Way. The Weekly Bundle? Just BUY IT!

 
Let’s see now, we’ve got goats escaping, a pair of retro RPGs that looks as if it was made in 1990 or so, an offbeat puzzle game with a very weird looking insect and a card battle game that’s quite addictive for almost anyone who picks it up. Yup, that’s what you get today PLUS two game soundtracks when you grab this Humble Daily Bundle. Pay what you want for the two Soulcaster games, six bucks or more gets you Escape Goat 2, but you should bump THAT up thirteen cents for Incredipede, I say. Or just pony up ten bucks or more and get everything and Ironclad Tactics, which should heel you busy for quite a spell.

As for that Humble Weekly Sale this week… Wow! Continue reading

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II Launch Trailer: Hat’s Off (Again) To The Monster Killer!

 
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.