Rising Star Games has been keeping the Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut flame alive first with some nice DLC updates from the game’s developer and now, through this set of Home avatar extras, a Raincoat Killer outfit (I like Red Seeds Killer better, but when in Rome…) complete with axe and *woof!* a dog companion named Willie.
These goodies are now available for purchase NOW (along with the other cool virtual items in that video below:
Platform: PC (also on PSN/XBLA/Nintendo eShop)
Developer: Iron Galaxy Studios/Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
# of Players: 1 – 4
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Score: A- (90%)
It’s really too bad developer Iron Galaxy didn’t make its version of Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara compatible with Windows XP simply because I’d bet a dollar that people still using that older OS would get a hell of a lot more of a kick from this pair of classic Capcom arcade hit than a chunk of more current OS users filling up the Steam forums with all sorts of complaints about everything from the visuals not being worthy of the system requirements to the game not working properly on certain systems or supporting any other peripheral except an official Xbox 360 controller. Us non-picky oldsters who prefer XP because 90+ percent of the games we run ARE old news to you big-riggers out there (long live gog.com!) would be all over this game like white on rice (or brown on rice is you’re into that variety) and even though we only make up less than 8% of Steam users (according to Steam), that’s almost a potential 8% more people buying and possibly NOT bitching about the graphics and having to use one controller type that works perfectly as soon as it’s plugged in. But I digress…
Platform: Xbox 360/PC (also on PS3)
Developer: Dontnod Entertainment
Publisher: Capcom
# of Players: 1
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
Score: B+ (85%)
A stylish and thrilling combination of cinematic elements and action featuring a memorable new character, Remember Me is a grand example of the “shut up and play it!” game. You can be on the sort of clueless “Well, my friend says he heard it’s not like so and so…” side of the fence, or you can step right up, slap your money down and enjoy a well made, always entertaining and somewhat innovative thriller that, while borrowing elements from a few sources, ends up feeling original and refreshing on a few fronts. This is a game that, if you’re in the mood for a good story (save for a slight stumble near the finale) delivers on that promise pretty well. While it may not seem sequel-friendly, the overall experience makes you want to see a second game that features a lot more of the richly detailed 2084 Neo-Paris developer Dontnod Entertainment has created.
Well, oh yeah! If I weren’t up to my nose hairs in WAY too much E3 stuff (enough to last a few weeks’ worth of coverage), I’d most definitely be back in Greenvale enjoying this new DLC for Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, now available on PSN. Yeah, you KNOW you want it… and boy are you going to get it. And sooner than you think, I bet.
And hey! Whaddya mean you need a review before you buy this? OK, OK… here you go. And yeah, I’m biased in favor of quirk over quality, so sue me – the game is awesome and weird as hell, but it all works!
Speaking of work… OK… back to work (again). Too much to do and not enough hours in the day as usual!
Platform: Xbox 360
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
# of Players: 1 – 2
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
Score: A- (90%)
Calling Resident Evil Revelations a mere “port” actually does it a tiny bit of a disservice, as Capcom didn’t simply press some magic upscaling button to get this great, formerly Nintendo 3DS exclusive onto PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U. The game’s character visuals have been completely redone in HD, there’s a brand new monster type added to the game, a few new modes and a good deal more (especially for Wii U owners, I hear) that make this one a must by for any non-3DS owner who missed out on this as a portable game experience. If you’re one of those longtime series fans overwhelmed by the crazy kitchen sink that was Resident Evil 6 (I actually liked the game’s chaotically schizo overkill amount of content) or the nonstop MP-centric focus of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (which was fine, provided you played with like-minded friends), RER’s return to greatness will bring a smile to your face at the return to classic form. Continue reading
Platform: PlayStation 3
Developer: Access Games
Publisher: Rising Star Games
# of Players: 1
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
Score: A- (90%)
Just like its original incarnation as an Xbox 360 game, Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut is a victory of surprising supernatural and surreal substance over what’s expected by some as visual “style” in a game this generation, and that’s exactly what makes it just as much fun to play as before. Actually, better aiming, vehicle controls and a handful of PS3-specific features make this the content superior version, as do the new brief movie segments that add a tiny bit more lore to the story. The frame rate takes a dip here, but this new “flaw” actually adds an even more dreamlike quality to the game and definitely isn’t as bad as some have noted. I’d gather some new players won’t notice it all that much because the game’s general weirdness in every area demands and commands one’s complete attention. Continue reading
Platform: PlayStation 3 (also on Xbox 360)
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
# of Players: 1
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
Score: A-
My favorite fantasy game (as well as the one that got played the most) of 2012 was Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma thanks to the level of immersion it offered as a single player experience, the massive land of Gransys and its assorted dangers above and below ground, tons of hidden secrets and unique Pawn system. It was impossible for me to not spend at least two to three hours at a minimum exploring outside the main quest, poking about in areas and often running like hell from some high-level monsters just to beef up my character a few more levels and hire some more powerful pawns just to drop back in and kick that big boss and his minions around. Of course, there was that cranky, level-shifting Ur-Dragon to give me fits a few times until it was able to be defeated multiple times, coughing up some cool treasure, but that’s a book I can write some other time.
Anyway, this year, we get a wonderful expansion, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen that packs in the original game with some nice fixes and an all new massive underground dungeon and rewards geared for high-level players only. Make that high-level players with a ton of patience willing to go through hell before they reach high water, as DD:DA is even more brutal than the original, but in a good way…
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Dean Forge adds some user-requested features to his chilling little indie horror game’s first chapter, so… let’s get ready to run-ble! Yep, now your amnesiac party yacht castaway can run from that creepy-ass lumberjack, who by the way, gets an AI boost of his own. You’ll also find that teddy bear a lot more useful font of info and there are some other tweaks. Still, the game has its sense of scaring the poop out of you intact, so if that’s up your alley (and er, don’t take that personally), boogie on over to Desura, Game Jolt or ModDB, grab that update and scare yourself silly (again)…
Dean Forge Studios’ methodically-paced, unsettling horror game Lumber Island is one of those well made indie games that’s great and effectively creepy as it puts you through its paces, but it’s hard to see it not being so as soon as you fire it up.
The first moments where the game credits play out (as if you’re watching a film) as your character makes his way slooowly up a dark pathway on the island he drifts to in that small boat set an appropriately chilling mood, so play this at night for best results. As you cautiously make your way around with that flashlight you’re fortunately equipped with, the beautiful Unity engine visuals pull you in even further to the madness about to ensue…
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*Yeah, yeah, it’s been a WHILE since I reviewed an indie game here on DAF, but that’s because I’ve been downloading SO many of them and am slowly but surely going through what I can when I can. It’s YOUR fault, developers for churning out so darn many cool games. It’s a hell of a challenge, kids. Anyway, more indie reviews to come on a hopefully semi-regular basis…Onward!
Damn you, Pushcat! There goes an hour wasted playing you (again). Granted, I did go in thinking I’d get a timed “grab the gems, get out of Dodge” game like my beloved Crystal Mines, but Pushcat’s a lazy bastard and that makes for a much better game that will burn up a few brain cells as it gets more challenging. There’s NO timer ticking down and forcing you to make mistakes and by the time the game’s handful of enemies and explosive surprises appear, you’ll have built up a healthy enough stock of lives that make the going not frustrating at all. The game’s combination of Boulder Dash, Crystal Mines and Match-3 gameplay makes it instantly addictive to puzzle fans, the retro visuals are sharp and cute, and the game has an amazing, catchy soundtrack made up of a bunch of ragtime and other ancient classics that has to be heard to be believed… Continue reading
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