More Monday Bundles to Mix Things Up

Posted on April 6, 2015 by geelw

I must be psychic or something. I was recently telling a fellow horror game fan how I wished one of the indie bundle sites would do an all-horror game deal and *BOOM!* IndieGala Every Monday Bundle, anyone? $1.89 for seven Steam horror games today – the price jets up a bit on Tuesday. Well, that was fast and yeah, I’m looking over my shoulder for a sack of money to fly into my hands from somewhere. Okay, nope on that loot-fest? Damn. Hard work over get rich quick daydreaming it is!

Meanwhile, over at the Humble Bundle site, this week’s deal is Humble Mobile Bundle 11, featuring seven games for an average of $4.29 with MORE titles to be added next week. These time-locked game deals are wonderful because while you don’t know what’s coming, they’re worth the money because the added free games are usually something cool you’ve never played previously. Here’s what in the deal so far:

Nice, huh? Anyway, go get yours out of the two deals or get both because you’re spending a little and getting quite a lot as usual. Now, all one (or all) of these bundle bargain sites need to do is add “create your own bundle” deals where buyers can choose from a long list of indies for a low price point and my psychic powers will be fully revealed (cue ominous music)…

Project Root: OPQAM’s Retro Inspired Shmup Reverbs The Nostalgia Meter

Posted on April 6, 2015 by geelw

Coming up on the radar from publisher Reverb Triple XP is Project Root, an arcade-style space shooter with a nicely retro vibe and shiny modern visuals. Headed to PS4, Vita and Xbox One on April 28 after landing on Steam last year, the game packs in a few fixes over the original version as well as Cross-Buy for PS4 and Vita owners.

Developer OPQAM has added a great little twist to the usual side or vertical scrolling shmup by giving players a full 360 degrees of movement, allowing them to play levels as they see fit. If you know your game history fairly well, you’ll see that this free roaming style of shooter isn’t *new* by any means if you’re old enough to remember Thunder Force II on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive (or Sharp X68000 PC if you’re REALLY old school*). The chance to preview the game via a work-in progress build popped up recently and yes, when opportunity knocks, an return call must be made… Continue reading →

Some Late Bundles For Your Sleepy Saturday

Posted on April 4, 2015 by geelw

Yeah, yeah… it’s Saturday and I’m posting this IndieGala Friday Special Bundle now. I had a little computer hiccup yesterday before I could get to this deal, so it’s a bit late. Anyway, get three games for a buck or a dozen for $2.99 this time. Flip a coin and choose the latter if you need a hint. There’s a nice set of stuff here from a Match-3 puzzle game, a few adventure games and even a couple of retro platformers with some shooters tossed in for good measure.

Also, if you poke around the IndieGala Store and actually buy something there, you get a free gift just in time for Easter:

Yup, it’s a real game! You can also get another freebie just for stopping by in the form of Space Hack, a single player action/RPG set aboard a spaceship besieged by tons of bug-like aliens. It’s old, but quite addictive once you get into it.

Over at the Humble Bundle, you can scoop up six really hard games in the Humble Weekly Bundle: ARGGGHHH!! These games are hard! Bundle. I’ve only played three of them, but can confirm that you will indeed want to toss a controller or keyboard at something if you’re the impatient sort. The Humble Store has a crazy sale on Deep Silver titles all weekend, so check out that link for a nice assortment of titles from a few genres.

Finally, Bundle Stars has the awesome Vortex Bundle, a total STEAL at $2.99 just for the Alien Breed Trilogy. If you’re not into shooting xenomorphs while being scared half to death, there are a bunch of other titles in that bundle bound to please. And don’t forget to check out the Bundle Stars Store for MORE great deals on single games. Hmmmm. I think that’s it, but I’ll let you know. Oh, right – check out Indie Royale, Desuragog.com, and of course, gog.com for even MORE deals!

EDF 4.1 Import Update: Better Bug Blasting, But Still No News For Western Fans

Posted on March 31, 2015 by geelw

All the small to large improvements are making Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair an absolute must for series fans worldwide, but there’s still no big news about the game outside of the Asian market. I’m hoping that this doesn’t mean this PS4 exclusive is being forgotten for a US and European release, but let’s see what happens as E3 approaches. Granted, this IS a niche title from small but very talented developer Sandlot that hasn’t blown away those gamers who expect every new title they play to be the best-looking and easiest to hop into game experience. EDF games tend to be simple on one hand, but packed with confounding quirks on the other. This new video from D3Publisher addresses some of the issues as it points out some of the changes implemented by the dev team. Changes I hope we EDF fans get to see HERE at some point. I’d guess that’s all up to Bandai Namco these days, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that whomever gets the publishing rights gets some news out sooner than later.

Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim Steam Bound: A Throwback That’s Actually A Keeper

Posted on March 26, 2015 by geelw

Xseed Games is giving PC gamers who just so happen to be fans of Nihon Falcom’s classic RPG franchise something else to smile about as the publisher is bringing an enhanced version of Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim to Steam and other digital delivery platforms sometime this spring. This won’t be a straight port of the former PlayStation 2 and PSP-only title, either. In addition to the expected higher resolution visuals and full USB controller support, the PC version of Ys VI will also feature full widescreen support, checkpoint warps, and an optional “Catastrophe Mode” in which healing items can’t be purchased or stored and are instead used automatically on pickup.

In other Xseed news, the company has also announced that it’s somewhat racy open-world brawler Akiba’s Trip: Undead and Undressed will also be PC-bound. As with Ys VI, this version will feature Steam achievements and USB controller support plus the “Visual Editor” feature from the PlayStation 4 version of the game. The latter feature makes it possible to completely alter the game’s appearance through a control panel that lets players mess around with the lighting and rendering effects. Sure, this one’s not for all tastes, but it’s one of those games that’s got a solid sense of humor about its content and is definitely geared towards a certain type of gamer (cue whatever otaku music is in your head).

Bundle Stars Swings For The Fences With The All Stars Bundle

Posted on March 25, 2015 by geelw

System Shock 2. Magicka. S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Clear Sky. Deponia. To the Moon. Mount & Blade: With Fire And Sword. Prime World: Defenders. Tropico 4. In case you missed out on these past to current PC game classics, Bundle Stars is bringing you the chance to grab eight great games for a mere $1.99 in the All Stars Bundle. This is one of those those no-brainer bundle deals that would make a perfect gift for someone getting started in PC gaming as each game has something different to offer. It’s also a great way for gamers who’ve yet to try some of these gems get to do so without busting their wallets.

Once again, the folks at Bundle Stars do it up right and as usual, your wallet will thank you for not emptying it while your backlog will growl at you for adding more stuff to it that requires a working time machine in order to fully enjoy. Hey, perfection is overrated these days, I say. Go get some games, support charity and never have the old excuse “I have nothing to do with my free time!” ever again.

Get Your Gurumin Goodies Before The Game Gets Gotten

Posted on March 24, 2015 by geelw

Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure hits Steam next week (March 30) and publisher Mastiff is dropping all sorts of cool arty freebies for Nihon Falcom fans interested in doing a bit of digital wallpapering on their assorted devices. Click on over to this site for some PC-friendly free stuff and this site for some mobile-friendly freebies. As for the game proper, here’s what to expect next week:

Non-linear game play in over 30 stages set in a variety of environments
24 non-player characters, 48 unique enemies, and more than 90 items to collect
11 costumes to unlock, and 15 equippable headgear to level up
Challenging boss battles, puzzles, and traps
Mini-games galore
Hidden characters, alternate gameplay modes, and other secrets
Beautifully updated graphics with full HD support
Soundtrack available on iTunes
Over 50 in-game achievements to unlock

Um, I think that’s it. Well, until next week when the game lands and Falcom fans worldwide get to check it out. We’re a small and loyal bunch of folks, but we do support our favorite developers when they get out the games we want to play.

PSN Flash Sale: Break Your Backlog With 81 Great Game Deals

Posted on March 21, 2015 by geelw

As soon as I saw this PSN Flash Sale page, this scene from The Bridge on the River Kwai popped into my head and made me cackle madly for a few seconds:

(thanks, The Dork Knight!)

Anyway, wow. Don’t pass this one up, folks! It’s ONLY available to US PSN users, doesn’t require a PlayStation Plus account and as you can see, covers PSOne Classics, PSP, PS Vita, PS2, PS3 and even four PS4 titles! I had measly $1.82 sitting in my account for a while doing nothing. Now, all but 3 cents is left because I couldn’t pass up two older PSP games I missed out on. I was tempted to spend more money, but I’m needing to save up for a new TV and some other stuff that can’t wait. That said, YOU know you need about a dozen or more of these games for under a buck each, right? RIGHT? Yeah, I knew it. Go spend frivolously and report back on what you bought so I can live a bit more vicariously than usual.

Work Those Zen-Like Reflexes in This Bundle Stars Deal

Posted on March 21, 2015 by geelw

It’s been a long and hard week for some of you, I know, I know. What you need is something calming and stress relieving to do that’s not too taxing, so why not try a few games out bound to get you calmer? Bundle Stars just happens to want to chill you out a bit with The Zen Bundle, a collection of ten great games for a mere $2.49. Yes, twenty-five cents per game experience! The cool thing is what’s here ranges from short and thought-provoking to quirky and compelling. There’s fun to be had here in all these games, even the oddball “bullet hell” of Danmaku Unlimited 2. I have some of these games already, but I’d get this for Mountain:

and probably give another copy of the slyly sexy Luxuria Superbia as a random gift to someone who needs a game to play with that special person in their life. Hey, I’m good like that when it comes to digital delivery surprises:

As usual, you get a bunch of cool indie games for your backlog, some of your money goes to charity and everyone’s happy! Sure, it’s spring and you can run around in the melting snow all day, but if you’re not quite ready to have hungry squirrels jumping on your head in the park while you run in circles screaming, why not stay in for a bit and RELAX?

FUND THIS! Toe Jam & Earl: Back in the Groove Kickstarter

Posted on March 20, 2015 by geelw

Six days to go and I wish I had about a half million bucks to throw at this Kickstarter project just so it could get onto the Wii U as a stretch goal. Still, with just about $70,000 left to go before it’s fully funded as a PC, Mac and Linux game, it’s worth helping get ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove made if you remember the original Sega Genesis/Mega Drive game and its somewhat under appreciated sequel, Panic on Funkotron. Here’s a peek at an early version of Back in the Groove from the game’s KIckstarter page:

In terms of the art style of the new game, I like it quite a lot, but the more colorful and distinct look Panic on Funkotron had made such a strong impression on me that I’m slightly sad to see it not make a complete comeback. That said, those “stacked” levels are awesome to see in that early footage. Also great is the return to the roguelike play of the original that featured randomized levels, enemies and presents. Couch co-op is back, but with four players instead of two and online play is on board for those friendless types who need to reach out and touch someone. Just kidding on that last sentence, but TJ & E was (and is, as I still have my Genesis copy that gets whipped out from time to time) a game that worked best with a buddy next to you on the couch to work with. Or elbow in the ribs at when they weren’t doing what they needed to do.

Anyway, if you like what you see, do what you need to do and tell some friends about this one. They need some old-school retro rap roguelike love in their lives too you know…