Review: TRI: Friendship and Madness

Posted on October 26, 2014 by geelw

Platform: PC

Developer: Rat King Games

# of Players 1

ESRB Rating: N/A

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 →

PlayStation Store’s Sale of the Dead Brings You Some Scary Good Bargains…

Posted on October 25, 2014 by geelw

(shakes fist at monitor)… Stupid Sony. Having another PSN sale on some stuff I might want just when I’m poking around for something light and kind of fluffy to play between bigger games. Yeah, I got Dead Nation (finally) for under 4 bucks, but stopped there because I do have some things to take care of here outside the gaming sphere. Anyway, check out the long list of games, movies and TV shows (okay, mostly movies and TV shows, as the game presence is a bit limited this week) for some decent deals if you’re looking to stock up on content for one of your consoles or that Vita you’re not telling anyone you own for some oddball reason.

Or, hell… at least get Dead Nation if you own a Vita. It’s a ton of fun so far and I just may want someone around to hop online with in the not too distant future…

Bayonetta 2: A Few Firsts for Nintendo to Celebrate…

Posted on October 25, 2014 by geelw

I got a nice and hearty laugh yesterday thanks to the following email header: “A sexy, all-new action game available now” and that’s because it was an email from Nintendo. I don’t think any of their in-house advertising has previously used the word “sexy” (feel free to correct me here), so that’s what made me laugh so much. From now on, I want Nintendo to find any way to squeeze the word into EVERY game they produce. Let’s see Bayonetta outfits in that next Metroid game (whenever it gets made), the character herself pop up in the new Smash Bros. game, an Amiibo figurine just because she needs one and what the double heck, why not get Princess Peach out of that pink getup and Zelda out of her usual fantasy schmatta and into something more… ~~sassy!~~ er, SEXY!

Oh, the possibilities are endless, folks… Continue reading →

Stuff I Need to Play (at Some Point): Pier Solar and the Great Architects (PC)

Posted on October 24, 2014 by geelw

Yaaah! When did this slip out? Oh, September 30? Well, I wasn’t paying attention, but this one’s on my list of too many games to buy and play. *Sigh*… well, given that I have the Genesis version here and have made it about halfway through, I know what to expect already. That said, the HD visual upgrade makes this one the one I’ll probably default to once it gets purchased. So many games… so little time, grrrr!

Review: Kromaia

Posted on October 24, 2014 by geelw

Platform: 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

Posted on October 24, 2014 by geelw

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!

Review: Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2

Posted on October 23, 2014 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3

Developer: Monkey Bar Games

Publisher: Bandai Namco Games

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Official Site

Score: B (80%)

If you’re one of those gamers who demands innovation in your sequels, Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 isn’t going to be that game you’ll reach for in your library when you want to play something drastically different from the original. On the other hand, if you’re a kid (or have a kid) who’s a fan of the show or like me, someone who appreciates a solid entry in what could be a yearly or so series that’s fun where it needs to be, then this sequel gets the job done as it should. Of course, there’s room for improvement if this would-be franchise want to have a wider appeal outside the ages 5-8 set (don’t let that E10+ rating fool you one bit), but I’ll touch on what I think is required below…

Continue reading →

Rainbow Skies Trailer: That PS3 and Vita? Not Dead Yet, Folks…

Posted on October 22, 2014 by geelw

Okay,I’ll admit to being a bit late to the Rainbow Moon party, but ever since I picked it up for my Vita earlier this year, it’s been one of those games I’ve been playing quite a lot of when I get the chance. SideQuest Studios made quite a fun and challenging strategy RPG that, despite some flaws was and is worth picking up (whether or not it goes on sale). Anyway, the developer is going to be releasing a indirect sequel called Rainbow Skies set in a different world with three different protagonists to play as (so far). I like that there are some nice visual improvements over the last game (which was already great-looking, by the way), although it would have been nice to see the grid-based combat in action here. Well, I guess that’s what future new trailers are for, right? Anyway, Rainbow Skies is coming to the PlayStation 3 and Vita (so far) at some point (soon?). Keep and eye peeled on this one, especially if you’re a big RPG fan who wants a game with plenty of teeth that wants to test you at every turn…

Monday Bundle Madness Continues: Get Your Deals Here!

Posted on October 20, 2014 by geelw

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 →

Graal Seeker Update: Extended Campaign + Some Music Lessons For You Potential Backers…

Posted on October 18, 2014 by geelw

Meanwhile, back in crowd-funding land…

With only 16 days left in its Indiegogo campaign, Lugludum Game Studios’ work in progress tactical/RPG Graal Seeker is jockeying for a Steam Greenlight spot, so help them out with a vote and a pledge if you haven’t yet. This latest devlog is a total educational hoot, as it shows how the music and some of the sound effects were done (go, Guillaume!). You may want to fund the game just so he doesn’t come after you with some of those weapons he has! Then again, that might make for a heck of a stretch goal – get the sound guy to chase you around a room so he can record screams for the Graal Seeker sequel!

Finally, PR guy Thibaut Trampont wants you to bug the dev team on Reddit tomorrow:

Ask Us Anything (AMA) on Sunday 19th October:
We will be on Reddit to answer all questions the 19th October at 3pm UTC with the guys from Battle Brothers, That Which Sleeps and Dungeon Kingdom. This can be a great opportunity to satisfy your curiosity about how indie developers like us make RPGs. The link will be shared on twitter the day of the AMA.

Follow Thibaut Trampont on Twitter here: @ttrampont – and go get this game funded! It looks like it will be quite a bit of fun and certainly a unique experience for SRPG fans who want something more than anime-based fantasy games in their libraries.