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Thursday, 16 April 2015

Early Access Thursday

1. Sovereignty: Crown of Kings by Slitherine
The old Empire is crumbling. Younger hungrier realms wait like vultures for their chance to pick at the carcass. Thus begins the grand campaign of Sovereignty. Rule your realm wisely and decisively. Play as the Boruvian Empire and try to recapture former Imperial glories. Or play any of 34 other realms, each with their own rich history, culture and play-style.


Price - £18.99

Opinion - A deep and rich grand strategy game - a bit like a fantasy Crusader Kings but with tactical battles and tons of features.  Think I'm going to buy this one...


Game Website

2. Space Beast Terror Fright by nornware AB
S.B.T.F. is a very hard arcade-style / rogue-like / perma-death first person shooter. You play as Space Marines who must brave dark, claustrophobic and terrifyingly intense Space Beast infested spacecraft in order to extract critical data and lucrative upgrades. Can you make it out alive?


Price - £10.99

Opinion - A first-person horror shooter, reminding me a bit like the premise of Space Hulk.  The gameplay does look very good though (similar to Halo) and the option of split screen co-op is a real plus.


3. March of War: Face Off by ISOTX
Face Off is a collectible card game combined with tile based tactics. Playing units to the battlefield is only the start - once they're in the field, you will take advantage of their combined strength to outflank your opponent. By controlling the battlefield you will deal domination damage to your opponent and will seal their fate.


Price - Free-to-play

Opinion - An interesting concept combing a CCG with tile-based combat.  I've already given it a quick whirl and it is a lot of fun, once you get the hang of it.  As it is free-to-play, it is definitely worth giving a go.


Game Website

4. Strife by S2 Games
In Strife®, you will assume control of a powerful hero. Each hero is uniquely designed to embody a play-style or idea, and heroes are by far the most important aspect of any game of Strife. As a hero, you will decide how the game flows, how quickly it progresses, and whether the outcome is favourable for your team. All Strife heroes are freely available from your very first match!


Price - Free-to-play (paid starter packs available)

Opinion - A free-to-play game akin to League of Legends but more focused on team work.  Worth looking at and giving a go, particularly as it is free-to-play.


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Wednesday, 15 April 2015

Greenlight Wednesday

A nice eclectic mix of games on Greenlight this week, here are my top 5:

1. Outland 17: Void of Liberty by Grenade Tree Games
Outland 17: Void of Liberty is a sci-fi tactical RPG based around the events of the American Revolutionary War. Earth's population has swelled, leading to a strain on her resources and a wider gap between the wealthy and the impoverished. Stations are being built outside of the Earth’s orbit to explore more possible resources and to alleviate the burdening population.


Opinion - A great concept based on the American Revolutionary War, but set in space.  Nice graphical style and interesting looking gameplay - this is my favourite of the week.


 2. AD2460 by Fifth Season
AD2460 is a WMMO (Web-based Massively Multiplayer Online) science fiction strategy game. Set in a distant future, the game revolves around a race for the resources of the universe. You take control of your own homeworld and work to develop its technologies, facilities and military power in order to secure raw materials to improve your might in the universe. Along the way you will need to work together with other players in order to better protect your interests and grow.


Opinion - An interesting MMO sci-fi strategy game - a bit like Master of Orion as an MMO.  Looks like it could be a winner if they get it right.


Game Website

3. TGL: ThanksGiving LIFE by DDT Games
"TGL" is a Open World Practical Life Tycoon & GOD simulation game in which a user acts as a god of the imaginary world and realizes dreams and desires of A.I. characters believing they are human beings.


Opinion - TGL is an interesting concept, a bit like the sims but more surreal.  Check out the greenlight link for a better idea of what it is all about.
4. The Union: Fighting for Lesser Evils
The Union is a Turn Based Strategy Game on a Hex Grid.  The War against the united forces of the overworld, consisting of the humans, the elves and the dwarfs has been won. But even some years after the triumph the promised wealth and prosperity hasn't reached down to the lower classes.
In fact the labour and living conditions are worse than ever before. The working class is suffering and bleeding out.  This is the time where The Union is formed.  Fighting for the rights of the lowlifes, the outcasts, and the lesser evils. A civil war is about to erupt where brothers are fighting brothers. A war between Zombies, Skeletons and Demons.


Opinion - A hex-based turn-based strategy game with good graphics and interesting characters.  Check out the demo build on the Greenlight Link for an interesting half-an-hour or so of gameplay.



5. Bigger in Texas by Bleed Indie
Bigger in Texas is a single player western adventure for Windows, Mac, and Linux. In the game, you are an average everyday Texas man whose hat has been stolen by a group of outlaws. You're now on a journey to find your precious hat and avenge every hat in Texas. Along the way, you'll encounter a wide variety of characters and destinations all in an effort to find your baby.


Opinion - Finally we have Bigger in Texas, my left-field pick this week. A pixel-based adventure where you play as a cowboy looking to find your hat...!  From playing the demo (on the kickstarter link) the game has great humour and gets you hooked in pretty nicely - worth a look. 


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Tuesday, 14 April 2015

Kickstarter Tuesday

A really nice selection of games this week, with different genres, ambitions and funding goals.  Here's this weeks run down of the Top 5 Kickstarter games.

1. Little Devil Inside by Neostream
Little devil inside is a story about a college professor who investigates paranormal activities. With you!

Funding Goal - $250,000 (Australian) by Monday 25th May

Opinion - I love the graphics style, the atmosphere and the premise.  Check out the trailer above for a full appreciation of it.  I think this is one I'm going to be backing.



 2. Outward by Nine Dots Canada
An open world RPG with co-op and survival elements. To be released on PC and consoles.



 Funding Goal - $150,000 (Canadian) by Sunday 10th May

Opinion - Who doesn't like an open world RPG? Outward also has a significant survival aspect which I think will add a lot of immersion to the game, as long as it doesn't make it tedious (like some survival games do). There is also a co-op element which is a massive plus.  This is a game definitely worth keeping an eye and to consider backing.


Developer Website

3. DreamCage 28 by Big Loop Studios
When It was sleeping everything was paradise. Now that It is gone, what happens to its dreams? Game for PC/MAC, Android and iOS.




Funding Goal - $10,000 by Tuesday 12th May

Opinion - The (kind of) sequel to the fun short game Escape from 26.  Like its predecessor, it is set in a unique world (this time inside a birdcage!), as well as an ambience that hooks you in to the world.  If you enjoy adventure/point-and-click games, this is worth checking out.



4. Solar Crusaders by Puremana Studios
Solar Crusaders is a multiplayer strategy game featuring an open world sandbox, real-time battles, and simulated game economy.




Funding Goal - $30,000 by Friday 8th May

Opinion - An interesting 4x space game that has everything you would expect from 4x titles, but with what looks like a little bit more.  This includes a simulated economy, an impressive and dynamic AI, as well as (most importantly) the game being multiplayer.  If they get this right, this could be a cult hit.



 5. Wildfire by Sneaky Bastards
Manipulate fire to terrify enemies and slip through their grasp in this stealth platformer where everything burns!


Funding Goal - $10,000 (Australian) by Wednesday 13th May

Opinion - A 2d pixel adventure where you use the environment (mainly fire) to defeat your enemies.  Gameplay looks interesting, enemies diverse and a good story to back it up.  For something a bit more casual than the others in this week's Top 5, it is worth a look.




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Monday, 13 April 2015

Kickstarter February Recap

February wasn't a great month for my picks, with only 6 out of 20 meeting their goal.  However the 6 that did make it are a nice mix of big names and smaller indie titles.  Here they are:

Car Mechanic Simulator 2015 by PlayWay
New cars, new tools, new options, more parts and much more fun in the next version of Car Mechanic Simulator! Take your wrench!



 Funding raised - $22,866


Developer Website

Sim Hero v2.0 by Geek Fever Games
An RPG/Simulation game where you manage groups of adventurers & send them into dungeons. A cross between an 8-bit RPG & a Sports-Sim.

Funding raised - $942


Developer Website

 Undworld Ascendant by OtherSide Entertainment
Join the original creators of Ultima Underworld on a quest to rekindle this legendary fantasy RPG series.



 Funding raised - $860,356


Developer Website

Sneaky Ninja by Starfall Studios
Sneaky Ninja is a 'Mario' meets 'Mark of the Ninja' 2D stealth platformer for PC/Wii U. The kind of stealth game Nintendo would make!



 Funding raised - $10,867

 Kickstarter Link

Developer Website

 Tahira: Echoes of the Astral Empire by Whale Hammer Games
A turn-based tactics RPG about a princess, set during an age of darkness after the collapse of space faring civilisation.



 Funding raised - $68,755


Developer Website

 Happy Hell by Occultimate Games
A 3D platformer set in cartoon Hell. Sell Spooky Poo's soul to The Devil in exchange for black magick powers & one wicked wish.



 Funding raised - $14,161


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Friday, 10 April 2015

Indiegogo Friday

Just one Indiegogo game to mention this week but I didn't want it to miss out due to a lack of other candidates.

Shallow Space: Insurgency
Shallow Space: a 3D space RTS game with customizable ships, immersive campaign, multiplayer, & more




Funding - $85,000 by 5th May

Opinion - I love space RTS' with a lot of depth and Shallow Space looks like it fits the bill.  Particular highlights for me are: combat, variety of starships, customisable ship and the story behind the single-player campaign.  I'll be backing Shallow Space and if you like games such as Homeworld then you should consider doing so as well.

 Indiegogo Link

Game Website

Demo Links
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Thursday, 9 April 2015

Early Access Thursday

Fallen: A2P Protocol by Red Katana
A post-apocalyptic, turn based, tactical combat and strategy game where you lead your caravan on a quest for revenge.


Price - £10.99

Opinion - This ticks a lot of boxes for me, with tactical combat, strategic elements and a good story. You can see the influences from the recent XCOM series and that is no bad thing considering how awesome it was.



Captain Forever Remix by Pixelsaurus Games
Can you create the raddest spaceship? Captain Forever Remix is the spaceship builder roguelike. Voyage across the Solar System and blast apart randomly-generated enemies for spare parts.



Price - £10.99

Opinion - Create your own spaceship, defeat enemies, scavenge parts and build again - I can see this game being extremely addictive!


Game Website

Hover: Revolt of Gamers by Fusty Game
Created and developed by 3 young independant developers, "Hover: Revolt of Gamers" is a futuristic 3D parkour game in an openworld. Halfway between the crazy universe from Jet Set Radio, the interactivity of Mirror's Edge and inspired by movies like the 5th Element or Star Wars ; "Hover: Revolt of Gamers" takes place in another world where you're in charge of a band of Gamers revolting against anti-video-games laws opressing the city.

 

 Price - £14.99

Opinion - A crazy concept and a a crazy setting but it looks like it would be some high-paced fun, though I imagine you would definitely need a controller for this.



Eastside Hockey Manager by Sports Interactive
Eastside Hockey Manager: Early Access offers fans the most realistic, in-depth and immersive simulation of hockey management available, giving them the chance to manage club or country in any one of the world’s top hockey-playing nations.

Price - £9.99

Opinion - If you are fan of the Football Manager series and/or a massive fan of Hockey, then this is going to be for you.


KeeperRL by Michal Brzozowski
KeeperRL is an ambitious dungeon simulator with roguelike and RPG elements. Take the role of an evil wizard and study the methods of black magic. Equip your minions and explore the world, murder innocent villagers and burn their homes. Build your dungeon, lay traps and prepare for an assault of angry heroes.

Price - £10.99

Opinion - A really interesting concept that I do want to see more of - almost like Dungeon Keeper meets a rouge-like.  Check out the steam link for a proper description of what it is all about.


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Wednesday, 8 April 2015

Greenlight Wednesday

A lot of games to filter through from the last couple of weeks but I've managed to narrow it down to a top 5:

1. Kieru by Pine Fire Studios
Kieru is a unique first person multiplayer stealth game, set in a stark, high contrast world where life and death is literally black and white.


 My Opinion - A great graphical style and a unique multiplayer experience, I think Keiru could be a big hit.


Developer Website

2. Alchemist's Awakening by Osaris Games
In Alchemist's Awakening, you are a young alchemist who is still discovering how much power he has.



 My Opinion - Graphics and combat reminiscent of Elder Scrolls games but with the added elements of building through your alchemist abilities.  Looks interesting, particularly if the story matches up to the gameplay.


3. Temporal Ascendance by Vlad Volynin
Temporal Ascendance is a single-player RPG revolving around action and adventure. It features a massive fully explorable world with fast physics-based spell combat. It focuses greatly on adventure, exploration, customization, and difficulty.



 My Opinion - A beautifully created world with a really interesting colour-scheme.  Needs more information about combat and story at the moment but if it can match the setting, then it could be a winner.


Game Website

4. The Secret of Tremendous Corporation
In the near future, thanks to copyright and patent law abuse, all of the gaming industry became controlled by one corporation, producing low quality but highly profitable casual freemium games and ceasing development of any other more ambitious genres. Any game development outside of the company became outlawed, ending the era of indie games.



My Opinion - A nice parody take on the games industry but with a cool art style and a wicked sense of humour.  Check out the trailer to fully appreciate what it is all about.

Greenlight Link

5. Run Postman Run by Bob Games
Run and jump in a complex steampunk city to deliver letters while surviving hordes of vicious dogs using non-lethal weaponry and awesome abilities!

 

 My Opinion - A different take on platformers where you are a postman delivering letters...in a steampunk world.  It has my vote, if nothing else for its uniqueness.

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