Reviews & Articles

It’s somewhat amazing that in the year 2013, pixelated graphics and high-definition polygons exist side by side. What’s even more amazing is that games are not being assessed just on the art style alone, it’s how well everything is pulled together and succeeds in helping the game obtain greatness. So allow me to introduce you to an indie game that will eventually be a household name: Anodyne.

I’m not too sure if there is a good reason why individuals like optical illusions. Life is full of these illusions. Some are fun, such as the stereograms and the flat holograms while others are more serious such as side mirrors of cars. So what’s the point of mentioning all of this? It’s the basis for an indie game known as Mutant Mudds.

When it comes to what games to play, I like playing the hero. So I’m not sure why have I enjoyed Saints Row: The Third.

There’s something to be said about “irony.” And as a trope, it’s one of the hardest to master. Perhaps that is, in itself, ironic — or not. So what’s the point of this quick English 101 lesson that far too many individuals improperly use? It’s rather simple: It’s the basis for the game Unepic.

Back in 2008, I had my hands dipped in several indie games. While this exposed me to games I may have missed on my radar, I had no money to indulge in them past the demo. This brings the review to one game that I completely forgot about: Hinterland.

I have a soft spot for dungeon crawlers. I cannot really explain it. I think it has to do with my personality: I’m very curious and, if it isn’t in a drawer or nailed down, chances are I’ll pick it up and riffle through it for a bit. Oh yes, this typically isn’t a good idea as people do not want their private spaces violated and I’m no different. Thankfully, the genre allows me to express this trait without the legal or interpersonal issues becoming apparent. Welcome to one of my favorite games from college: Wizardry 8.

Back in the summer of 2010, I was fortunate enough to attend that year’s E3. While there, one of the highlights was that I got to meet Erin Robinson. She is one of the few indie developers who actively tries to keep the adventure game genre alive. What was special about that year was that she was talking about her game, Puzzle Bots, and meeting folks at the Indiecade booth. Fast forward a couple of years and it has only been recently that I got my hands on that said game.

Horror is a challenging concept to do well. Many games (and movies) go for the thrills simply because it is easier than taking the time to craft a chilling universe. There are a multitude of methods of doing so, some with greater effect than others. I don’t pretend to be an expert on horror as I can’t stand the movie genre. Ironically, the video game genre of horror intrigues me. It doesn’t help that I don’t like blood and guts. So I go for the psychological version. I have currently gotten my hands on one of the most intriguing and truest psychological horror games in recent years: Lone Survivor on PC.

I love the indie gaming community because developers tend to feel free to experiment with gameplay and narrative. Sometimes things are a bit disjointed. Of course, this is to be expected considering that the majority of developers lack the budget to make their games shine like the majority of console games. So this makes Dark Scavenger the entire game cooler to me.

Shazbot is a word in the Tribes universe that implies displeasure, usually if used repeatedly, at losing a match within Tribes: Ascend. I’m not sure if I’ve caused many folks to have to use the keystroke to cause their avatar to say that, but really I’ve had too much fun playing Tribes: Ascend to have it really matter. I normally chuckle when I hear it and get ready for another round win or lose.

Believe it or not, I’ve raised a fair amount of different animals. I’ve taken care of goats, llamas, chickens, sheep, dogs and parrots. While that may sound like bragging, the point is that I know a bit about animals (and I love them, too). Goats are by far, the most interesting and intense.

When was the last time you played a game that was inspired by real-life events? Munchies’ Lunch is a cute family logic game whose story figuratively honors the struggle and tenacity of one family to leave a country (in this case former Yugoslavia) torn by civil war. Munchies’ Lunch starts with a family that is separated in a fantasy land ruled by the evil Hungries. The main protagonist of the game is Mrs. Munchie, a mother, who with her two kids needs to traverse the game’s dangerous land to reunite her family.

It has been a few years since the last Penny Arcade Adventures game was released. And it was a fun, though short, game. There was talk of a third game, though it quickly became accepted that it was stuck in developmental purgatory due to the developer Hot Head Games becoming absorbed in their own personal projects (among other unknown factors). So it was a pleasant surprise to see the third installment, Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode 3, on Steam for $5. So was it worth the wait?

LaserCat follows a feline who happens to be made out of a laser. Anyway, his best friend Owl gets kidnapped by an evil toad and hides 30 keys throughout his master’s castle for LaserCat to find. So like any good kitty, he goes off to save his friend.

So I sat down for A Farewell to Dragons, expecting it not to be a first-choice game for me — a hardcore Bethesda/Bioware fan — but it wound up being a pleasant surprise in its own way. What I found was not the riveting storyline that would string me along in an epic of binge playing. Instead, I found myself sitting for shorter play sessions, taking the story at my own achingly slow pace and seeing a bit of the world around me. Especially early on when you could watch hunters wander through the woods and fight any bandits they came across.

The official name on the splash screen is Engaged to Kill — which is pretty appropriate. This is a hidden-object game that wrapped in a police procedural. A lot of hidden-object games hang their scenes together by the loosest of threads. This game actually makes sense within the overall story. It’s a refreshing change.

Zombies really are the best videogame enemies, aren’t they? They can be bashed, sliced, shot and blown up — all without the slightest twinge of guilt. No one knows this better than Capcom, who presented the sequel to their ultraviolent zombie game, Dead Rising 2.

I have a soft spot for first-person dungeon crawlers. And it shows in my back catalogue of reviews. I think it has to do with immersion, which is a big part of the reason the shooter genre has embraced it. The role-playing genre, on the other hand, has moved away from it in favor of third-person camera angles, which allow for more dynamic presentation. It’s also far more practical. It’s challenging to create a world from the first-person perspective because every little detail has to be just right. This is the tone that needs to be kept in mind with the Legend of Grimrock, an indie first-person RPG.

My first memories strategy space gaming are from Masters of Orion, one of the best 4X games ever. This is arguably the granddaddy of all space strategy games that followed. Following in its ion trails, we have Sins of a Solar Empire, an ambitious RT4X game, developed by Ironclad and published by Stardock. If you're a space strategy junkie then this is a must have game. Its expansive detail, and easy pace, combined with stunning graphics screams play me. The gameplay is deep and expansive yet the hours will go by fast as you build your empire from a single planet to a mighty empire.

World of Warcraft is an all-around good time. Its no wonder this game has topped the MMORPG genre for so many years. Every so often, a phenomenon hits the gaming world — no matter the genre — that appeals to a very large population. And with constant growth and change, the game keeps its players coming back for more.

I love retro games from my childhood. Of course, this is to be expected as I was a kid during the 1990s, and this was the time that challenging simplicity reigned. Admit it. We love many old-school games for the fact that they allow multiple play styles and the strong level design. However, what would it be like if Mario got stuck in a well and there was nothing to save him? And the way to get out was a puzzle in and of itself? Tobe’s Vertical Adventure might provide that answer.

I grew up playing the Medal of Honor franchise and loving every single minute of it. I never thought it could get any better than any of the previous ones I owned. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I can sum up Plain Sight in three words: suicidal ninja robots. Given that — and the fact I have a love of ninjas — I can tell you this title intrigued me from the get-go. After I setup a username and password, I jumped into the list of games for the multiplayer-only shindig. Robot ninja decimation would soon commence.

Whenever I think of indie gaming, especially from the mid-’90s, my mind always goes to game developer Jeff Vogel. And I’ve been a fan of his work ever since I played Exile II: Crystal Souls on the old 7.5 system Mac. I have always thought highly of his work. Jump forward nearly 15 years, and Vogel has rebooted his signature game for the second time. That game is Avernum: Escape from the Pit. And as I played this game I wondered, why is every developer and publisher returning to their back catalogue?

I enjoy satire. In fact, it’s a central component of comedy. Practically every comedian is making fun of something. Think about some of the longest running comedians: Phyllis Diller, Bill Cosby and Steven Colbert (to name a few).So how about a game that satirizes games in general? This is the basic premise of DLC Quest.

Pacific Storm is a real-time strategy game that focuses on the Pacific theater of operations during World War II. The game can be played from both the U.S. and Japanese sides in two campaigns, which range from the historical 1941-1945 war to a more balanced campaign. There are also some stand-alone, mission-type battles with historical and interesting "what if" scenarios.

I was there in the beginning — to watch the first bricks laid at the great foundation of the Lego Universe experiment. I never thought I would be there to see it all come crashing down. But I saw it — the horror, the end of something so great. Then I realized, “Eh, not really.”

Fever Frenzy is a task-management game for the medically inclined. (OK, so no real medicine is involved.) Charlie and Hannah have just graduated from medical school. You get to pick which one you want to play. At their graduation party, there is a wild outbreak of a mysterious virus. The world is in danger, and you must save the day.

As an avid gamer and dabbler in the development arts, I usually consider myself a pretty good and fair judge of videogames. However, Global Agenda leaves me in a state of dumbfounded bliss, which totally contradicts everything I would normally judge a game on. At first glance, I am tempted to say this game is one of the infamous “love it or hate it” breed, but after a month of playing, I still do not know for sure which I fall into.

The return of the turn based space strategy game (for me)! Oh no!! Save me! I remember playing these games in the 90s, and oddly, they have all been pretty much the same game with just new branding/gimmicks, or shiny graphics since. This genre essentially hasn't changed over time, at least to me. Maybe I have been burned out on strategy games, so now I tend to get bored quickly with them. I love strategy games most times, but this genre here.. well it can bore me with its plain un-originality. So I am here, trying to hope for the best, and hide that maybe I am a little.. biased.