I’ll start (and end) by saying that after a couple hours with Jagged Alliance: Flashback, I’m genuinely excited to see the finished product. Dropping down in the jungle as a nameless, balaclava-clad soldier sent on a rescue mission is a great way to set the tone of what’s to come. With just a few clicks … Continue reading
Omerta: City of Gangsters is in the witness protection program. Unfortunately, it hasn’t moved far enough away from its old neighborhood to be truly free from its troubled past. Allow me to explain. Sometimes, when in the course of reviewing events, it becomes necessary for a writer to acknowledge the poetical bands which have connected … Continue reading
Tropico 5 is addicting. I came to that realization some time around 1 a.m. after completing a campaign stage, seeing the next scenario I’d be facing, then clicking on the island I wanted to start on. Internally I had that same argument as I had with my parents when I was a kid: “I know it’s … Continue reading
I’d like to begin by saying that I have no idea what the X’s stand for in a 4X strategy game; I’d like to begin by saying that, but sadly, it would be a lie. And I also wish the reason I knew what each X signified was because I say or write the words, … Continue reading
Ever since Nintendo created the iconic Zelda characters, they have more or less been the standard by which all other adventure platformers are judged. As a result, gamers picking up The Last Tinker: City of Colors bring a lot of expectations – ones which, much to its credit, Tinker tries valiantly to satisfy. Unsurprisingly then, … Continue reading
Whenever I play an RPG on the computer, since the days of Baldur’s Gate I’ve employed a simple and effective system. At any point in a game where I’m about to take action, or have barely succeeded in some risky maneuver by a lucky roll of invisible dice, I make a separate save file. To … Continue reading
Age of Wonders III needs a tutorial. Like, a proper, “arrows pointing to things described by text bubbles,” kind of tutorial. Sure the Tome of Wonders is great and offers you all sorts of hints, but it’s the digital equivalent of an instruction manual – the kind we always set aside because we want to … Continue reading
War. War never changes. But what does change are names and likenesses, to protect the innocent. And as a result of that, you’ve likely never heard of the original Wasteland, released back in 1988 on the Apple II. The reason you’ve never heard of it is because EA kept the rights to that official name, … Continue reading
Starpoint Gemini 2 opens with some haunting music you’ll swear was lifted straight from the Mass Effect series, and as such it perfectly sets the stage for exploring space. Given a massive universe to wander through, the mechanics of the game have a deep intricacy where even simple decisions like moving forward carry tactical weight. … Continue reading
It’s been awhile since we’ve seen a good W,A,S,D RPG – though Legend of Grimrock had some great moments, being completely confined to a dungeon feels claustrophobic. Thankfully Might & Magic X: Legacy brings us back to the good old days of open world exploration, with simple (but hard to master) mechanics that gamers have … Continue reading
Insurgency had quite a bit of promise when we previewed it back in September, where the strongest thing the game had going for it was the nice little niche it filled between realistic shooters (such as Red Orchestra) and arcade shooters like Call of Duty. Unfortunately, after some fine tuning, the creators at New World … Continue reading
First off let’s clarify: it’s the dungeon that’s endless, not this preview, which itself should not be regarded as a vehicle of torture. Nor in fact should this indie title be regarded as a vehicle of torture either, despite its current level of difficulty. Dungeon of the Endless purports itself to be a “rogue-like dungeon … Continue reading
The Novelist is a game that features tons of reading and forces you to work at maintaining fictitious relationships while offering you the opportunity to ironically neglect real ones of your own. Taking the role of a friendly poltergeist who inhabits a summer home the Kaplan family has come to occupy, you’ll float around the … Continue reading
Do not buy Dark Matter. Though it’s likely a game you’ve heard plenty of, that’s a result of its infamy. Being one of the only games I’ve personally heard of to be pulled off of Steam as a result of consumer complaints, Dark Matter initially made a name for itself as, “That game that has … Continue reading
Let’s face it: Netflix has a Queue capacity of 500 titles for a reason. We browse, we see something interesting, we add it, then it’s promptly forgotten, until eventually the wealth of titles sitting there that we know we’re supposed to be interested in is just too overwhelming. If only there were someone willing to watch all … Continue reading
