July 27 – August 2

Section: 

We're approaching the dog days of summer, and you know what that means: Lots of people complaining that there are no games coming out!

Those people, and I say this with a heart full of understanding and respect, aren't looking hard enough. If there's one thing I've learned from contributing to The Week Ahead, it's that there's always something that I want to spend money on, or at least add to my wish list for when I have money in the budget to spend.

This week is a prime example. Sure, none of the big studios are releasing anything splashy, but there's plenty out there if you dig a little. Heck, somebody even released a game for the Kinect, which is nearly as much of a surprise as when I found out they actually released Battlesphere on the Jaguar.

So what tickles my fancy this week?

Well, I could go with Deficis, a game in which you play as the engineer responsible for evacuating an entire planet of people who don't understand why you can't just point the pointy end of the ship "up" and light a big rocket. Unfortunately, that sounds a little too much like my actual life (minus the spaceships and global extinction event), so I can't really get all the way behind that one. I could also go with The Swindle, which is a game that can't decide whether it's steampunk or cyberpunk, but does let you play a renowned cat burglar trying to steal the state-of-the-art security system. It's not every day that you play a steampunk Luddite trying to stop the forces of progress to protect his job. It's like someone read about the etymology of the word "sabotage"!

Instead I shall pick the game that is at once well in my area of interest and well outside it, kind of like a backward Venn diagram. It has all of the wacky, borderline-offensive humor that only a one-person indie development team can get away with, which I love and want as much of as possible. On the other hand, it's an RTS, which is a genre where that my incompetence is second only to my unhealthy fascination.

In Defend the Highlands you command a band of Scottish warriors as they use full-auto turnips and cheese-wheel launchers to defend their porridge from invading Englishmen, who lob teapots at you, and Irishmen, who use potatoes in an offensive fashion. Build your porridge cannons and shoot Welsh Cavalry riders right off their sheep! It's like Orcs Must Die had a baby with Monty Python, and Brutal Legend was the midwife! Sold, sold and sold! (When I have money for it – I blew this week's gaming budget on the PC re-release of Deadpool.)

What other, more respectable games might our merry band of rebels be interested in?

Chris "C" Cesarano

It turns out burning through episodes two and three of Life is Strange last week was a good idea, as the fourth episode hits digital shelves this week. I have no doubt that the lengthy release schedule is not only done to ensure the best product possible, but also so that the fifth and final episode releases just in time for games journalists to be thinking of their Game of the Year awards.

I don't expect Life is Strange to take home the Best of 2015, but the writing, puzzles and choices available are awfully engrossing and are definitely giving Telltale's own games a run for their money in a genre they've been dominating. So my pick of the week goes to Life is Strange, Episode Four: Dark Room.

Erik "wordsmythe" Hanson
Three reasons I'm picking The Swindle:

  1. I'm sorta fascinated by historical Luddism.
  2. It's the clever kids who did Time, Gentlemen, Please! and Ben There, Dan That.
  3. They feature the following in their pre-launch FAQ:
Q: Can I pre-order it?
A: No no no, you should never pre-order games. Wait for the reviews.

Felix “Nickname” Threepaper

Swindle looks nice and has a fine pedigree, but games with procedurally-generated levels haven’t found their way onto my lawn, even though all the neighbours have one these days.

On the other hand, post-apocalyptic RPGs are not just “on” my lawn; they’re the weathered, paint-chipped gnomes arranged in the centre. ICY pits you as the head of a nomad family during a post-apocalyptic ice age. While survival and keeping the group together is the prime directive, you may also be able to piece together what happened to the world. Stats and skills will affect how you solve problems. I’m not sure if there’s a combat system to speak of, but I’m drawn by the developer’s focus on generating interesting narrative choices.

This week:

PC

  • Abducted
  • Legend of Kay Anniversary
  • ICY
  • Pulsen
  • Kyn
  • Another Star
  • Life is Strange: Episode 4
  • King's Quest: The Complete Collection
  • Also the King's Quest still/again. I don't know. I'm sorry.
  • The Swindle
  • Colonial Conquest
  • The Viceroy
  • Absolute Drift
  • Magic Duels: Origins
  • 82
  • Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom
  • Super Space Meltdown
  • Bombernauts
  • Defend The Highlands
  • Deficis
  • Geocore
  • Close Order

PS4

  • N++
  • Life is Strange: Episode 4 - Dark Room
  • Legend of Kay Anniversary
  • Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment
  • The Swindle
  • Never Alone: Fox Tales

Xbox One

  • Life is Strange: Episode 4 - Dark Room
  • The Swindle
  • King's Quest Chapter 1: A Knight to Remember
  • Squid Hero for Kinect
  • Magic Duels: Origins

Wii U

  • Legend of Kay Anniversary
  • The Swindle

PS3

  • Life is Strange: Episode 4 - Dark Room
  • Lost Dimension
  • The Swindle

Xbox 360

  • Life is Strange: Episode 4 - Dark Room
  • Masquerade: The Baubles of Doom

PS Vita

  • BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma Extend
  • Lost Dimension
  • The Swindle

Nintendo 3DS

Comments

The Swindle is good. Tried a demo of it at PAX East this year and chatted with Dan or Ben for a few about it. Not an immediate pickup but it's definitely worth playing at some point.

King's Quest: The Complete Collection

Well that explains why the 2006 collection disappeared off Steam a couple months ago. Hopefully, Vivendi Activision Sierra figured out how to actually make it not suck like the last time.

*does Google search*

Oh, it's just a single package for the new game. Well that's not confusing at all!

N++ for me.

garion333 wrote:

N++ for me.

I almost went with that one. I love the N games but I've played every release that series has had and none of them felt as good as the original free online version that I played years ago.

Life is Strange is a definite for me. I am interested in Lost Dimension as well--another crazy Atlus game.

ICY is tempting me . . . .

Excited about Life is Strange: Episode 4!! Will definitely play that day one. And still excited about King's Quest, of course.
I have to say, DoubtingT, you're definitely one of my faves here on GWJ, your writeups are always such a treat.

jrralls wrote:

ICY is tempting me . . . .

That's just August talking.

Eleima wrote:

I have to say, DoubtingT, you're definitely one of my faves here on GWJ, your writeups are always such a treat. :)

Well, if you have to say it then I sure won't stop you.

I'm going to go blush and run away now.

Well..defend the highlands manages to hit what looks like EVERY offensive British sterotype in the book. Particularly the Scottish ones.

So that's something of an accomplishment I guess.

Not surprisingly the devs aren't even close to being Scottish (they're Australian).

King of Dragon Pass is coming out on Steam this week. Not a new game by any stretch and it's been on GoG for a while, but a Steam release is new.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/35...

Are we sure about King's Quest this week?

pyxistyx wrote:

Well..defend the highlands manages to hit what looks like EVERY offensive British sterotype in the book. Particularly the Scottish ones.

So that's something of an accomplishment I guess.

Not surprisingly the devs aren't even close to being Scottish (they're Australian).

Good on us Aussies, proudly displaying our nuanced and sensitive approach to race and culture *sighs*.

Stele wrote:

Are we sure about King's Quest this week? :D

Can we really be sure about anything?

Magic: Duels Origins, or Origins Duels? Magic: Duels: Origins? f*ck it, can't wait!

Oh no, stereotypes, I shudder to think of them. /sarcasm
My Welsh, English, but mostly Scottish blood boils nary a bit.

Been enjoying the heck out of King's Quest. Fantastic so far (I'm maybe an hour and half in, but it still feels pretty early.) ICY looks great and is definitely on my radar.