Stellaris is a divisive game. It shares the familiarity felt throughout most Paradox games, but—like its cousins—has an intense focus on one particular element. This has been Paradox’s MO for a while; where Crusader Kings takes on lineage, Victoria focuses on Industry and the Pops that drive it, and Hearts of Iron intently examines combat. …
‘Dark Souls III Developed by: FromSoftware, Inc. Published by: Bandai Namco Entertainment Available on: PC via Steam (reviewed), PlayStation 4 (reviewed), Xbox One Release Date: April 12th, 2016 The Dark Souls franchise essentially began with the seminal Demon’s Souls on PlayStation 3 in 2009, and quickly became a larger-scale cultural phenomenon than anyone would have expected out of FromSoftware, …
Hyper Light Drifter Developed by: Heart Machine Published by: Heart Machine Available on: PC (Steam, Humble, GOG.com) — consoles to follow Release date: March 31st, 2016 Like light itself, Hyper Light Drifter is something that seems to move faster than you can follow. The combat is quick, with death only one wrong move away; beautiful …
Grim Dawn Developed by Crate Entertainment Published by Crate Entertainment PC — Steam, GOG, DRM-free Released Feb. 25th, 2016 Grim Dawn has quite a history. In April of 2012, about a month before Diablo III would release to excitement, skepticism, and dismay, Crate Entertainment quietly launched a Kickstarter campaign for their game to a horde of hungry …
It’s a pretty good bet that you had a decent December 25. Spending time with, or as they case may be, away from your family or just basking in the loving glow of rampant consumerism. Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, it’s a day off from work, school, or whatever. For most people Christmas …
A long time ago in an issue of a gaming magazine there was an email in their “Letters to the Editor” section that went along the lines: “Please help, I’ve accidentally purchased Dungeon Lords“. The response was telling the poor person to burn their computer, and the CD, and try and move on with their …
It’s Doom‘s 22nd birthday today, which is great because it serves as an excuse to talk about Doom again. Despite its age, Doom remains one of the best shooters ever made, only bolstered by the community that it has fostered over the years. There’s little more satisfying then blasting an imp to shreds with the …
There was a time where I admired Tripwire Interactive. Red Orchestra remains one of the most interesting multiplayer shooters I’ve ever played, and Killing Floor is an excellent alternative to Left 4 Dead in terms of pure, unabashed zombie slaying. It was because of this that I took a risk and purchased Killing Floor 2 …
We’re clearly living in a golden age of CRPG games. Titles like Shadowrun: Hong Kong, Pillars of Eternity, Wasteland 2, and Divinity: Original Sin hearken back to the old days of PC RPGs in the best way possible, with massive stat sheets and huge, reactive worlds to play around in. These games offer hundreds of …
Buckle up, it’s history time. Blood Bowl was originally conceived as a tabletop fantasy sports game, loosely based on American Gridiron Football. It was created by Jervis Johnson for the British games company Games Workshop, who were responsible for other tabletop games, such as Warhammer, and Warhammer 40K.
The open beta for DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront is currently available for download on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The beta will last 5 days (ending October 12th), and includes 2 different multiplayer modes, as well as a singleplayer/co-op mode. The first multiplayer mode is called ‘Drop Zone’, it’s an 8 vs 8 mode with …
SOMA Developed by Frictional Games Published by Frictional Games Available on Windows, OSX, Linux, PS4 Exploring the mechanics of horror seems to be Frictional’s mission given the almost complete stylistic backflip they have taken with their latest game, SOMA. The majority of SOMA is set in and around the futuristic underwater research facility PATHOS-2 after …
There’s a moment when you’re playing Her Story where you begin to really grasp the depth and scope of what its creator is attempting. For me, it came when I looked at the scattering of post-it notes stuck to my laptop and realized I still wasn’t sure at all where the truth of the story lied. …
Zenzizenzic Developed by bitHuffel Published by Adult Swim Games Available on PC Zenzizenzic brings the classic twin-stick gameplay of Geometry Wars to the PC audience in a frenzy-filled package, as the PC has never been a place to call home for many of the genres great achievements. For the unversed, twin-stick gameplay involves navigating a character, in …
Legends of Eisenwald is a hybrid of RPG and strategy elements from Aterdux Entertainment. Originally conceived as a Kickstarter, the title likens its gameplay to that of a Knight-Errant Simulator. Typically, turn-based battles have been simplified here to overcome one of the biggest challenges in the genre, a lack of dynamic gameplay. Aterdux Entertainment envisioned …
In the many, many (many) retro throwbacks that have appeared over the last decade, there have been a lot of things that have consistently worked toward a titles success, from the deliberate nostalgic touches, to the grueling difficulty curves, to the catchy music that has become such a staple of these type of games. Tembo the Badass Elephant does indeed bring these three standards to the forefront, as expected, but where it really shines is with the sense of joy and silliness that it uses to present itself.
Beginning with a successful Kickstarter campaign back in March 2014, The Red Solstice quietly gained support with coverage from major gaming sites and steadily growing interest on the backburner from tactical shooter and strategy fans alike. Now, with over $60k pledged by fans and a year and a half of development, how has the game fared?
Her Story is far from a typical game. There are a great many arguments that could be made toward its gameplay and scenario that stray far from convention. Although unusual, these differences make for a compelling experience. Her Story uses multiple strengths to make a game unlike any other in recent memort and for that reason alone it is worth trying. That it revives a old gaming convention and makes it new again, is just icing on the cake.
In Traverser, the new game from Swedish studio Gatling Goat Studios, you play Valerie Bennet, daughter of Raven Corporation employee/inventor Linus Bennet. The sun has died and forced mankind to move underground. Now, Raven Corporation controls breathable air, holding it like a bribe above the citizen’s heads.
With Curtain Call, we asked our team what some of their most memorable and satisfactory finales were in the realm of gaming, and these entries are the result. Please note that they may include a bevy of spoilers concerning the endings in question and the plots they pertain to. You’ve been warned! As much …
The popular simulation game franchise, The Sims, just released it’s umpteenth expansion pack. This new pack introduces hot tubs and a gaggle of new clothing options. It seemed like a cash grab on EA’s part, and for $10, it didn’t seem to add a whole lot of content to a game barely past it’s third …
Two procedural games stood out at the PC Gaming Conference- Strafe and Enter the Gungeon. Strafe for the sheer amount of pixel blood and bile, and Enter the Gungeon for the number of bullets filling up the screen and a sweet, sweet dodge roll. Strafe entered this world with a face-melting trailer on Kickstarter. After successfully being funded, …
This E3 was all about dream projects finally coming to life. One of biggest one of those has to be Shenmue 3 and now it is finally possible. Sony announced at their E3 2015 press conference that Shenmue 3 was going to be hitting Kickstarter and it is now in the fans hands to make it happen. …