The Count Lucanor Wants To Haunt Your PC Soon

Posted on February 29, 2016 by geelw

Funny that I come back from the almost but not quite dead just in time for The Count Lucanor to want to kill my remaining free time.Why is that poor pixelated piggy getting whacked on the butt on the left? My curiosity is piqued and I’m suddenly feeling guilty about having a bacon craving a few hours back that went away a few seconds later.

Coming to Steam March 3, 2016 from indie developer Baroque Decay caught my attention a while back with its dark theme and pretty pixel art style which has since expanded to include some nice animated cut scenes that seem almost Ghibli-like:

But there’s a more grim tale at work under all that cuteness, of course. How grim? I do intend to find out and let you all know, ladies and gents. Hey, when a press release or game page notes comparisons to The Legend of Zelda and Silent Hill, that game NEEDS to be played. Back in a bit with some sort of update.

Portal Knights Early Access: Fun As Heck (But Fixable)

Posted on February 25, 2016 by geelw

While I’ve only sunk about an hour in so far to the Early Access Steam build, Portal Knights is so far, pretty darn good. It’s not quite the Minecraft-like game some think (which is a good thing), but a pretty new action/RPG with (so far) smallish worlds and a light crafting element that doesn’t get in the way of players who just want to whack as wee beasties and level their avatar up. Again, I haven’t played enough to write up a decent review or even and solid impressions other than most everything works quite well. My archer seems to have an issue dodging when I hit the correct keys, but she hasn’t died a horrible death by slime or other low-level monster just yet. The game looks and sounds great so far, but it would have been nice to have a few more character customization options out of the gate.

Still, it’s early and bugs will be squashed, feedback will be listened to and when it’s really ready to shine, I’m predicting Portal Knights will be the go-to game for players looking to try something new and hopefully get few friends to give it a go as well. Okay, stopping here for now. I think I hear a level up calling me.

Dark Souls III “True Colors” Trailer: Ghouls Just Want to Have Fun

Posted on February 24, 2016 by geelw

So, yep. Using the Cyndi Lauper version would have made this bleak gameplay video a wee less gloomy, but this new-ish version works beautifully. It’s great to see Bandai Namco and veteran developer FromSoftware not only making sure Dark Souls III is the best entry in the series to date, but making sure veteran players know that the new game isn’t going to make it any easier on those stepping into its deadly world for the first time. All that dying badly does come with the reward of finally figuring out how to clear areas without taking much damage as you lay low foes that previously gave you problems.

Of course, clearing one area out just means those new enemies with completely different challenges await. But hey – one set of problems at a time, right? Once you dive into Dark Souls III, you’re not coming up for air any time soon. Unless you try and escape in order to go try and do something else. The game won’t like that one bit, by the way.

PC Review: Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders

Posted on February 20, 2016 by geelw

Platform: PC (also on PS4, Xbox One)
Developer: Artefacts Studios
Publisher: Microids
#of Players: 1
MSRP: $29.99
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Official Site
Score: B+ 85%

In Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders, you play Hercule Poirot, the dapper detective with the well-trimmed mustache whose “little grey cells” got him through plenty of crime solving tales made famous by the author and represented in books, on stage, screen and yes, videogames. Developer Artefacts’ decision to make their Poirot so close to the source leaves exactly no room for intentional player error or many non-Poirot like affectations to mess with the formula. While this results in a game that’s impossible to “lose” because you’ve made a serious error in judgment or otherwise, it does deliver the proper feeling of the man at work as a series of not so random alphabet-related murders unfold.

Part of what makes the story and game so intriguing is the killer’s choice of Poirot as the person to mail clues to each crime to before he commits them. The killer’s confidence in taunting and tasking Poirot to track him (or her) down means there’s a certain sort of methodical insanity at work that’s somewhat fascinating. In this modern information age where under some circumstances, electronically sending death threats like that would (or should) lead to a suspect most likely being caught before they got too far into the alphabet, the 1935 setting means those mailed letters give the killer time to plot and Poirot time to think. The unfortunate side effect is a new crime scene and recently killed body to pore over for evidence, but as they say, nothing is indeed perfect, mes amis… Continue reading →

Sadame Looks Like An ARPG Winner on the 3DS

Posted on February 11, 2016 by geelw

If Sadame is what I think it’s aiming for, I’m going to love it even more than I did when I saw the art and trailer below. coming from Rising Star Japan, Intergrow and Mebius, the upcoming game looks like a nice Diablo-inspired chase ‘n chop set in feudal Japan with four playable classes, loot to collect and some particularly pesky bosses to take down. SOLD! Even better, it’s coming sooner than later, arriving February 25 on the eShop for JRPG fans looking for something a bit different yet somehow comfortably familiar. It’s too bad this one isn’t Wii U compatible, as it would be even cooler to play this on a larger HD set at home. But hey, that’s what sequels are for, correct?

Continue reading →

Toydriver: Screwy Idea’s A Time-saver For Your Toolbox

Posted on February 10, 2016 by geelw

Toydriver

Ha. Toy Fair 2016 hasn’t even begun and I’ve already found one of my favorite items that’s not a toy. If you’re a parental unit with active kids (or kids you’d like to be more active), you’ve probably dealt with the dreaded battery change in that favorite toy or electronic something or other where screws needed to be removed. Those old days of lost battery covers has been replaced with trying to find the right screwdriver or finding one but needing an extra bit of force you may not have to get that cover off, dealing with recessed screws and some kid(s) waiting impatiently to get their game or whatever back on. Well, Toydriver is here to the rescue!

And yep, that’s the second best use of a Prince song clip that one an get away with legally I’ve ever heard. Nice. Anyway, I’ll see if I can give one of those Toydrivers a test drive when I scoot by their booth over the weekend. If it’s sturdy enough, I can see it as a great multi-tasker that only needs extra bits for things like game consoles and other devices. Hey, I’m all about making cool stuff like this work even better.

One Upon Light: Boxed In Braniac Braves Brightness

Posted on February 8, 2016 by geelw

Rising Star Games has a really nice, stylized top-down puzzle game on PS4 now and coming to PC later this month in the form of One Upon Light, the award winning 2014 game from Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD Game Lab). As you can see above and below, the black and white visuals pack quite a punch as The Scientist needs to make his was out of that deadly lab without letting any sunlight touch him. I’d gather there’s a story-based reason for all that crate shifting and light avoiding, or else it’s an “inspired bu a true story” game about every gamer who’s ever spent too long indoors binge-playing that latest RPG or other favorite title. Yeah, that’s a lousy stereotype… but I just know some of you out there just yelled out “That’s the story of my life!” and choked a little on that Mountain Dew you were swigging. Continue reading →

10 Cloverfield Lane TV Spot: Bowl of Confusion Slightly Spills Some Secrets

Posted on February 7, 2016 by geelw

Okay. Yeah… I’d almost forgotten there was some *big* sports-ball game on TV to-day. Then again, to me all these major event deals tend to blend together to me especially with this non-stop sporty thing that has balls of all shapes and sizes in the air and on the ground 24-7. *Yawn*, but more power to those who can stay glued to the tube or pony up the mortgage money to go see in person and overpay for food and lodging their favorite things in the world (well outside breathing, family and such). Continue reading →

Portal Knights: Mine and Craft Your Way Through This Keen-Looking ARPG

Posted on February 5, 2016 by geelw

Portal_Knights_LogoHD

PortalKnights_AnnounceScreens_35_Knight 505 Games and veteran developer Keen Games have something cool cooking up that’s going to probably be pretty hot soon. Portal Knights is headed to PC via Steam Early Access on February 25 and based on the trailer and screens, should make fans of games like Minecraft and Fight the Dragon quite giddy.

Confession time: other than watching a few friends play and taking over for one when he had to take a phone call (I got to beat up on some Creepers and do a bit of building for maybe half an hour), I haven’t really played enough of Minecraft to have a decent impression of what it’s all about (whaaaaat?!). But I’ve sunk too many hours into many of Fight the Dragon’s short user-created maps and appreciate much of what that game has brought to the table in terms of customization and how easy it is to get into while being incredibly challenging and rewarding.

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Portal Knights looks like a ton of fun based on the trailer alone that shows it’s got a bit of backstory to it. The art style is slicker and more appealing than the two aforementioned games, but as usual, graphics are subjective and gameplay is absolute. So it’s in the “What happens when I pick up a controller or mouse and keyboard” stuff where my main interest lies. An adjustable camera view is hopefully in the options mix, as the trailer’s combat sequences are a tad too close in for my tastes. Okay, I hate getting jumped by off screen enemies or not knowing how much room I have to run away screaming when trouble gets too close. Your mileage may vary, as usual.

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Mining and crafting aside, if the fantasy elements of the game can grab players from the outset and keep them hooked in for the long haul while getting regular content updates and fixes, Portal Knights could be a contender to the throne. We’ll see soon enough, though.

DOOM: Campaign of Pain Awaits The Hardcore FPS Fans

Posted on February 4, 2016 by geelw

doom-frontcover Ha and double ha. Releasing DOOM on Friday the 13th (5/13/2016, to be precise) is a PR masterstroke created courtesy of the calendar naturally falling on that date and players worldwide hoping the final product is indeed ready for its garishly gory close up on day reserved for superstition and bad luck galore for those who believe in such stuff.

From the video below the jump (it’s kinda NSFW with all that mostly demon blood and bits splooshing all about), it’s clear to this writer that the game recalls the original’s unrepentant and dark tone, amped-up modern visuals side.

Remember, folks: you’re NOT buying DOOM because you want happy-happy rainbows and flower-draped unicorns prancing about with flitty faeries giggling psychotically as rosewater (gently) sprays into your face from your PC’s speakers. You’re buying DOOM because you know what you’re getting into: One space marine on Mars stuck in a ravaged space base racking up a rather impressive and insane body count comprised of demons who’ve entered the place through a recently activated portal to hell.

Yikes, but hey – simpler is best in a game like this, particularly is it’s trying to get the feel of the original games right. “Nailed it!” is what Bethsoft and id want to hear (or “BFG’ed it!” or “Chainsawed it!” if you want to get into the proper game groove lingo stuff) from fans this May and if that trailer is any indication, they’ll be hearing that and more.

Speaking of more: click below if you darrrrrrre… Continue reading →