Everywhere I look there are mobile-phone ports! It’s like the restaurant wars in Demolition Man, except the only game company left standing is Zynga.
There are three games that have my attention this week. The first is Positron, which I am tempted to get only to have it in my library before Disney’s cease and desist order comes through. The second is Airline Director 2, which is a sim game with such bad user reviews that I almost can’t resist it.
Almost.
For my game of the week I choose Midvinter. A point-and-click adventure game in the mold of Samarost that explores Swedish folklore. I chose it in part because I like how hard the developer is selling the angle that the game was made in six months by one person. It speaks to a certain desperate plea to not judge the game too harshly, while at the same time setting up the theme of the victory lap if the game transforms into a critical darling. Also, as a cold-weather person, I have a fascination with any country that has a significant percentage north of the treeline. It’s the sort of country that a boy from Buffalo can plan his retirement cruises. So Midvinter it is. A game designed to help me through the tortuous heat that is surely just around the corner.
Felix “Actually, his full name was In My Humble Opinionotep” Threepaper
There’s not much in my wheelhouse this week. Battleborn may not be the first FPS MOBA, but it’s the first to basically call itself one. It’s colourful, frenetic and I have no idea if it will play well. We’ll judge its success by the number of Let’s Plays it generates.
Push Me Pull You joins you and your partner at the waist in a Noby Noby-type body to wrestle another conjoined duo. Every action affects the other team and your partner. This is the latest in a string of games that blend co-op with frustrating controls. Imma call it “QWO-OP”. Will it be “LULZ Ahoy” or “Griefer Central”? Probably both.
Fans of the Sesame Street Pinball Number song will enjoy marble-platformer Hyposphere.
Otherwise I’ll throw my GOTW to Castle Heist: Episode 1. This is a “pure” stealth game, which means: no being seen, only sneaking. I have no idea how deep the mechanics go beyond “find clues and alternate pathways”. The only inventory items I have seen are maps and notes. Still, it looks intriguing for those who bemoan that you can “action” your way through too many stealth games these days.
Chris "C" Cesarano
It's slim pickin's this week. While there's technically "something for everyone", I'm not sure that something is particularly enticing. On the indie front, there's Castle Heist: Chapter 1, seeking the hearts of those disappointed in the latest Thief reboot's efforts. Unfortunately, as gorgeous as the game looks, aspects of the trailer give me the impression that the game's a bit unpolished. Kathy Rain looks like Jessica Jones meets Full Throttle, though I'm not quite sold on the writing quality. Prog. 1 looks like a story-based platformer whose core concept might be more pretentious than your high school's prog-rock band. Yon Paradox seems to be a Walking Tron Simulator. Lastly, Fragments of Him looks to be the Smelly Hippie Gamer pick of the week.
I'm tempted to ditch capitalism and don the Woodstock poncho, but instead I'm going to choose Shadow Complex Remastered releasing on PS4. Cheap? Cheating, perhaps? Honestly, it's the only thing I plan on spending money on this week, so may as well be honest about my choice. It really does hit all the right spots for a Super Metroid mega fan, after all.
This week:
PC
- Airline Director 2
- Battleborn
- The Beggar's Ride
- Castle Heist: Chapter 1
- Color Chaos
- Cyber City 2157: The Visual Novel
- Earn to Die 2
- Fantasy Tales Online
- Fragments of Him
- HACK_IT
- Hyposphere
- I and Me
- Imhotep, Pyramid Builder
- Kathy Rain
- Liveza: Death of the Earth
- Magic Quest
- Midvinter
- Mystery Castle
- Parkitect
- Positron
- prog.1
- The Temporal Invasion
- Spunk and Moxie
- Yon Paradox
PS4
- Battleborn
- Coffin Dodgers
- Neverending Nightmares
- The Park
- Push Me Pull You
- Shadow Complex Remastered
- Table Top Racing: World Tour
Xbox One
- Battleborn
- Coffin Dodgers
- The Park
- SUPERHOT
Wii U
- Touch Selections
3DS
- Pocket Card Jockey
Vita
- Neverending Nightmares
- Ray Gigant
[/list]
Vive
- Astral Domine
Comments
May 02-08? I just read the "Crypt of the Necrodancer tldp" article though, could just be a Time Warp
I might play Battleborn's campaign, but I doubt I'd play its competitive multiplayer modes.
Shadow Complex Remastered is a must buy though.
I'll get Tabletop Racing by default as part of PS+, so I guess I'll try it.
I need to look into The Park and Neverending Nightmares.
I think it says a lot that I saw the header image and thought "Why is Nathan Drake in there? Uncharted 4 isn't this week...."
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Ray Gigant is on my radar (horrible name that it is), as all Experience games have been. One of these times they're gonna hit on a Wizardry-like formula that truly entices me. One day.
How did I live before digital distribution of old, cheap games?
MilkmanDanimal wrote:You did live before digital distribution of old, cheap games. Now you just play games.
HACK_IT looks interesting.
But that could just be my affinity for Hacknet talking.
Send your email to [email protected].
Ack! Fixed.
Google images says the guy doing the kicking is from Shadow Complex, which surprised me because the only thing I knew about Shadow Complex was that it was like Metroid. I was expecting pixelly graphics and space suits, instead I get side-scrolling Alpha Protocol.
Jonman Wrote:
Yes, you can cancel Darksiders, but only by using your Sony Golds. Which, while pretty good, aren't a patch on Zelda.
I'm A Steam Curator!
It's too late. I've seen everything.
Steam
Probably time to switch to ISO 8601, eh?
Words... are a big deal.
Jill Lapore wrote:Editing is one of the great inventions of civilization.
Screenshot from the trailer:
I bet the naming and shape of the "character" is intentional to gain attention, but I couldn't resist posting that image after laughing when seeing it.
Steam: [GWJ]MeatMan | "Now I know where to go if I have a hankering for testicles." –Higgledy
Yes! Kathy Rain!
ahem.. /end of plug
I`m Artsy Partsy Gun For Hire
Oh I definitely realized that after reading everyone else's choices. It just shows how closely Nolan North's characters were made to appear for a while. I mean, speaking of Alpha Protocol, his character in that pretty much looks the same, right down to the haircut.
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Generic Brown-Hair White Male character who is the defacto main character in a bazillion games. See: Mad Max, Last of Us, Just Cause 3, Mass Effect.
How did I live before digital distribution of old, cheap games?
MilkmanDanimal wrote:You did live before digital distribution of old, cheap games. Now you just play games.
Castle Heist looks like it'll deliver on my dream of being a castle-dwelling floating map that gets shot at the slightest provocation.
Gravey, I'm never sure, on a scale of 1-10, just how serious you are when you post. – Minarchist
My understanding was that the official protagonist of Mass Effect was a woman.
Also, Rico Rodriguez is Mexican.
But I understand your point.
Jonman Wrote:
Yes, you can cancel Darksiders, but only by using your Sony Golds. Which, while pretty good, aren't a patch on Zelda.
I'm A Steam Curator!
Yeah, but the protagonists of Uncharted, Shadow Complex, and his character in Alpha Protocol don't just have similar features, they're all basically Carson Daily clones. They could literally be the same person. They don't even resemble Nolan North aside from skin tone and hair color, honestly.
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You can totally be white and Mexican, for whatever that's worth.
Words... are a big deal.
Jill Lapore wrote:Editing is one of the great inventions of civilization.
I've been following Fragments of Him closely as (full disclosure) one of my high school besties is involved - one of the devs was a student of his, and I think he did some work on early versions.
The good news is that it's been getting some really glowing write-ups. The bad news is that I doubt I'll play it, as I have a huge aversion to grief-porn. But if that's up your alley, it sounds well worth checking out.
You've never known true joy until you've shaken a lich stick at someone.