Nope, I didn’t forget about you, Project CARS. I’m still holding out hope that the Wii U version is as wonderful to play as it’s promising to be and makes those who only own that console and not an overpriced gaming PC at least happy to have a decent licensed racer. While other consoles and PC have gotten some stellar realistic racers, the amount on Nintendo’s home consoles is embarrassingly low. Well, the amount of GOOD licensed racers, to be precise. Yeah, yeah, I’ll check this out on the PC, and PS4 at some point. But my Wii U needs this game just to shut down the haters who don’t own one who still think it’s “underpowered”. So, Bandai Namco Games… let’s do this! March 2015 is rolling up sooner than you think…
Bundle Stars, you rascals. Getting out another great deal on this cold and snowy day and me, too damn busy to play anything thanks to poring over CES news. I shake my press release filled fist at thee, then realize this deal goes on for two weeks. Oh, okay. Well, for the rest of you with time enough at last on hand, if you have $2.49 burning a hole in your digital wallet, you should get the Abstract Bundle not because it’s dirt cheap, but because of the nicely weird mix of games this time out. Me, I’d drop that loot just for the chance to play Vangers again after too many years. This 1998 open world driving/sci-fi RPG hybrid is just too offbeat to describe other than to say it’s like a cerebral version of Mad Max as re-imagined by some talented Russian developers who worked in a free-form style of storytelling and gameplay that’s still unique. Intentionally tough at the outset and vague if you’re not reading dialog and thinking about what was said, the game is strangely addictive and those voxel graphics give the game a strangeness that still works in its favor.
The other game well worth that money is Knights of Pen and Paper, a double throwback that references the good old days of Dungeons and Dragons plus some of the classic console RPGs from the 1990’s. This one’s less tricky to describe but still going to be weird to some new to the experience. I’ll let the game page description take over here:
Take on the roles of in-game players taking on the roles of their characters in a traditional pen and paper RPG session in the ultimate meta role playing experience.
Yeah, it’s that quirky, but quirky is good in this case. There are eight other fun games in the bundle from “old” reliable hits like the two PixelJunk games to more recent oddities that will bring a big grin to your face once they click with your smarter parts. Anyway, I’ll shut up now and post this so you can grab this deal and get your own game on. Play a little for me, please. I may not be coming up for air in a while…
Poor Sony has been through the wringer this year. Between “hackers” hitting a few of the company’s entertainment divisions and among other things, knocking PSN offline for a bit over the last holiday weekend and a truly crazy class action lawsuit allowed to proceed, all of 2014’s successes seem so very far in the past. Nevertheless, PlayStation Plus subscribers will still be getting a bunch of free games as usual. January’s list of freebies is a nice one indeed, but at this point, it’s all up to whether or not PSN will be running properly so gamers can actually get all of that content. The privileges of membership, indeed…
Grip Games is at it again with a cool enhanced update to one of its popular titles. Unmechanical Extended Edition is coming in 2015 for PS3,PS4, Xbox One courtesy of Grip and developers Teotl Studios and Talawa Games. Given that the original game was a critical success on multiple mobile platforms and PC, a console version with a bit more content was pretty much a no-brainer. Exclusive to the console versions is a new chapter that allows playing of the puzzle/adventure/platormer hybrid as a new character. Grip has also announced the Vita version of the game has been canceled, at least for the time being. The press release notes this, however:
While it is possible that this version will eventually be released, it definitely won’t be simultaneously with other versions.
Ouch. If speculation must be made, I’d imagine that getting Unreal to play nice on the Vita is probably trickier than expected. That or there are other issues keeping this one from its Vita debut. In any event, if Grip and company manage to work things out and get the game up and running, an update will be posted as soon as any news arrives in the inbox here. In the meantime, here are five screens to check out.
Right now, sometime in January 2015 looks like when we’ll see Unmechanical Extended Edition land safely on home consoles. Stay tuned for more on this one…
As I noted last week before I even got a review code, Dejobaan Games’ Elegy for a Dead World is probably a game that will get non-gamers to play it. After firing up the game last night and taking it for a brief spin, let’s just say that it’s everything I thought and then some. I’ll save the longer words and high praise for the full review, but this may be the surest cure for a case of “writer’s block” you’ll ever see. Just for kicks, here’s a list of the first writing prompts I saw when I chose a world to explore:
The Proud History of a Dead World
Freeform Writing
Grammar Workshop 101
Ozmandias by Percy Shelly
The Destroyer of Worlds
I Thought ___ But You ___
Ten Rhyming Couplets
Bad Poetry You Wrote on the Bus
The Diary of a Young Girl
Other than Freeform Writing, each prompt has a brief description of what’s required. I did a world and at the end, was prompted to edit or share my work. I chose not to share it, but was surprised to see a story from someone else to read waiting for me on a new screen. Nice. The game not only encourages you to write, but to read and rate other works submitted by players. Things are really going to get interesting now. I just hope I have time to read what’s looking like a growing library of short stories, poems and other writing exercises…
Yikes. You know, there’s a very good reason I don’t follow and post every sliver of game news, nor do I care about some off the “news” that stirs certain areas of the internet up into a frenzy. At the PlayStation Experience in Las Vegas last weekend, one of the “big” announcements was the legendary JRPG Final Fantasy VII coming to the PlayStation 4 in 2015. At the time of its release back in 1997, it was not only a system seller for Sony’s original PlayStation, but one that bought millions of new players into CD-based gaming on a console, as previous games in the series has only appeared on cartridge-based systems. There was a PC version released back in 1998, but other than a recent re-release for modern PC’s, some excellent and jaw-dropping fan-made modifications and a beautiful remake of the game’s opening movie as an early demonstration of the PlayStation 3’s power, Square Enix has pretty much moved on from the very idea of a proper remake of this classic… Continue reading →
Well, oopsie. Remember that Godzilla game Namco Bandai was only releasing in Japan I wrote a little post about back in September? Oh, how wrong I was about that game staying overseas. But here’s a case where me eating crow pie is a something I don’t mind doing at all. In fact, make mine a double, please. Check out the big reveal trailer below. Earplugs in, first. It’s LOUD:
The Japanese version is out this month, but Bandai Namco Games is going to be taking time to properly localize the game and get it out in North America and Europe in Summer 2015 for both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. Excellent. If you watched the September trailer along with this new one, you’ll see that the game looks quite spectacular and fans should be pleased that they’re finally getting a decent Godzilla game this decade.
“But what’s it about?”, you ask? Funny you should ask, kids. It’s late and I’m lazy… so let’s go to the press release!
COMPLETE & UTTER DESTRUCTION
Godzilla, the King of the Monsters, first appeared in 1954. Scientists studied Godzilla and found that they could harness energy from the monster. Called “G-Energy,” this seemingly endless source of power was used to better the lives of all mankind. 60 years later, just when mankind’s memory of the beast faded, Godzilla appeared again. Godzilla destroyed at will, all in search of more G-Energy. Such irony, the same G-Energy which was used to better the people’s lives, also caused Godzilla to awaken. Can the G-Force, mankind’s last hope, stop Godzilla? What fate awaits Godzilla once he has consumed all of the G-Energy, and grown to his full potential?
Bash your way through over 20 stages of mayhem. Explore Mission Mode, Diorama Mode, and King of Monsters Mode! Collect G-Energy in each stage to Power-Up your Godzilla up to 100 Meters tall! Your offensive and defensive prowess will increase with your size.
Okay, that sounds like a cross between a super awesome sci-fi flick and an Enzyte commercial at 3am (remember Smilin’ Bob?), but for Godzilla fans like me, it’s all good. Expect more on this one soon. I can now go to sleep a very happy guy. See you tomorrow, folks!
I know of a few people who hate the act of writing and don’t go near videogames, yet happen to be big fans of fantasy and science fiction. I also know a few writers who don’t much like those genres and aren’t gamers, so it’s always tricky talking to them about games I think might change their minds a tiny bit. When I got a note today from Dejobaan Games about checking out their upcoming adventure game Elegy for a Dead World and watched the video above, every light bulb in my head went off at once (ouch!). I think I’ve found my gateway game, ladies and gents. As you can see, the game encourages its players to write about what they see onscreen in a manner somewhat like PC text adventure games back in the 80’s.
Or, to be a bit more precise:
In Elegy for a Dead World, you travel to distant planets and create stories about the people who once lived there.
Three portals have opened to uncharted worlds. Earth has sent a team of explorers to investigate them, but after an accident, you are the sole survivor.
Your mission remains the same: survey these worlds and write the only accounts of them that outsiders will ever know.
The game will have three worlds to explore, all based on the works of British Romantic Era poets:
Shelley’s World, based on Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley Byron’s World, based on Darkness by Lord Byron Keats’ World, based on When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be by John Keats
As you explore the landscapes, writing prompts will appear onscreen guiding you to write about objects you come across in any way you see fit. It seems that some prompts will ask for certain styles of writing while others will be free form assignments. The possibilities for creative freedom are boundless and it seems that this game may also make a handy tool to inspire non-writers to get their brains percolating. The game itself as well as what each player creates are only the beginning of the adventure. Dejobaan is hoping players will want to share their unique stories with others. There’s an option to have your words put into print using a few online book printing services or users can log into the Steam Workshop to read others’ tales and share their own. One of the best things about the game that makes it easy to recommend are its fairly low system requirements. The game will run on Windows (XP and up), Mac, Linux and SteamOS enabled systems. There’s no doubt Dejobaan wants as many people as possible to experience this one and write their own stories as they play.
Interestingly enough, I’ve always thought I’d be a lousy writer of fiction, but Elegy for a Dead World is certainly going to get me thinking outside the box I’ve tossed my brain into. We’ll see what happens in a bit, but I’ve got ideas bubbling up just from looking at screenshots. Back in a bit…
Well, this one’s a nice surprise. I was thinking we’d see a new chapter in the horror-themed Lumber Island saga from developer Dean Forge (the original and its sequel come highly recommended), but it turns out his next game is a total departure from the horror genre. The Great Story of a Mighty Hero is certainly one of the most generic-sounding game titles I’ve heard in a while, but it’s intentional, as is the game’s lovely polygon cartoon art style and tried and true hack & slash gameplay. If that’s Unity being used here, it’s certainly getting a nice looking game as you can see below:
Now, the game is supposed to be up and ready to go according to Forge’s site, but Desura hasn’t gotten around to getting it live and ready to try out yet. Boo! Oh well. I can wait a few more days just because I’m a big fan of this type of game (serious to silly) and I want to see how all that hard work turned out. If anything, getting this for the weekend would be sweet, as it would take my mind off the coming ceiling and wall repairs this Friday and all the noise, dust and daily super-cleaning of the apartment needed. Fun diversions such as this are great for helping save one’s sanity, that’s for sure…
It’s same old story, brand new engine time for Jeff Vogel and his small team over at Spiderweb Software, but this is a really good thing for fans of the developer’s work. This time, their classic RPG Avernum II is getting a complete makeover as Avernum II: Crystal Souls, set for release soon on PC, Mac and assorted devices. Spiderweb’s complex and engaging role-playing games have always been unique because of their sticking to what Vogel likes and not what the game marketplace “demands”. This means no flashy 3D engines or “uncanny valley” visuals, dense stories filled with loads of text and some intriguing characters and a simple to learn yet tough to master combat system.
Fully exploring every nook and cranny in a Spiderweb game takes a good deal of time, that’s for sure. But playing through each of their games reveals what happens when people who love what they do get to stick to their guns and make what they want to make with little to no compromise. I can’t wait to take this one for a spin and I’m betting like the company’s recent games, it’ll run on almost any machine that uses Windows XP and up without taxing the hardware. That’s excellent for dinosaur PC users like me who don’t play online or waste too much time being “social” babbling about how Spiderweb needs to finally make a polygon-heavy title that requires the latest 3D card (or two) just to get running. There’s still no school like the old school because you don’t need to blow a hole in your wallet to simply enjoy a damn good game, folks…
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 