While I am constantly amazed at the long-term support iOS game developers put into supporting their customers, I also know that it cannot last forever – revenues for old games diminish, and new projects need the time and resources. So while it is sad that Spacetime Studios is dropping some older games, it isn’t surprising – or even bad!
I loved Duke Nukem 3D from the moment it was released for the PC in MS-DOS, which was 19 years ago this week. Since then I have played it on Mac, Windows, OS X, iOS, Android, the Nintendo GBA version, and most recently the Playstation Vita. VoidPoint has acquired the rights and is publishing a ‘Hail to the Chief’ collection!
Wow! 2015 is already off to any amazing start in terms of gaming! We’ve seen great stuff for iOS, Android, consoles, Mac and PC in just these normally quiet first few weeks. Now we are seeing another Steam Early access launch. This time it is for a competitive online shooter, Ratz Instagib which is just out and already popular!
More than two years ago I posted a review of PC action-RPG sequel Torchlight II. I called it “pretty much the realization of the Bop-It Extreme mantra ‘do it the same … but BETTER’.” I also noted the Mac version ‘coming soon’. Apparently ‘soon’ means 28 months, as Runic games announced a February 2nd release in a funny video.
Developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Square Enix, Life is Strange releases the first episode (“Chrysalis”) in an interactive adventure drama video game series that will release at least four more episodes, which will be continuously released in six-week periods.
Last week I reviewed ‘Satellina’, the puzzle in motion game I called a rare ‘simple to learn but constantly challenging’ experience that is well worth the $1.99 cost. This week as promised Moon Kid has released the game for Android on the Google Play store, and has also unleashed a free download from the game’s unique soundtrack! Check it out!
One of the great things about the recent rise of indie gaming is the sustained support for games over a long period. Successful online tactical RPG strategy game Pox Nora was purchased from Sony by the original developers who had founded a new studio called Desert Owl Games. Now they have released their first expansion called Ronin.
Last summer GRIN Studios had a Kickstarter for their unconventional un-fairy tale Woolfe: The Red Hood Diaries. Woolfe looks at the adventures of an adult Red Riding Hood as she seeks to avenge her parents deaths. The game was successfully funded, and is progressing towards release. Now GRIN announces that the game is available for Early Access on Steam.
When my kids were young, it was the early days of educational computer games, and we were fortunate to have some awesome experiences with software that was interactive and educational. Times have rapidly advanced, and now a new game called Dino Tales presents an interactive world for kids to create and explore using methods including SIRI technology ‘word wheels’.
Last fall G5 Entertainment released G5 Jackpot Casino: Free Vegas Slots for the iPad, a free-to-play casino game with plenty of in-app purchase options. While slot machines and gambling games really aren’t my thing, the quest-based gameplay was engaging and offered loads of incentives to keep playing. What was missing was an iPhone version – which arrives now!
Two of the biggest trends for indie games recently are so-called ‘roguelikes’ and space-based simulations. Add real-time shooters and you have the recipe for a fun and addictive game that will appeal to a broad cross-section of players. That is what Stellar, a roguelike space shooter, is offering in a game with a planned 2016 release date. Check it out!
One of the fun things in first-person shooter games is all of the weapons you can play around with … but it also gets pretty silly in terms of what you are able to carry by the end of the game. Pistols, machine guns, shotguns, grenade launchers, missiles, etc! Now Mythbusters is going to try to carry it all!
Brian Fargo and inXile Entertainment had a great 2014 with the release of Wasteland 2. Now they are returning to the property that inspired their first game a decade ago, as they have announced officially that they are working on The Bard’s Tale IV. The last official entry in the series was all the way back in 1988!
One of the best and most successful movies of the last year was The LEGO Movie. The quality and broad appeal surprised many viewers, and the video games were also quite enjoyable and high quality and popular with gamers of all ages. Now The LEGO Movie Video game has launched for iOS devices for just $4.99 – check it out!
When I wrote about the official announcement of Avernum 2: Crystal Souls last year I noted that I had missed the initial release of the first three games, and only played parts of them since. In 2012 I played and replayed Avernum: Escape from the Pit, and now I have played Avernum 2: Crystal Souls and completely loved it!
Over the last several years card-based role-playing games have matured and branched out beyond just a few archetypes. While doing so they have also wrapped fully immersive games around the card-battle mechanic, making it easy to forget that there is even a card battle there! Honorbound has been a successful genre game, and is now expanding! Check it out!
Club Nintendo gave gamers extra real-life items (with free shipping) for their purchases when entering/registering codes as members in this Nintendo customer loyalty program for about six years. Now, Nintendo has informed U.S.A. and Canadian members that they can earn more “coin” amounts before Tuesday, March 31, 2015 and spend their remaining amounts before Tuesday, June 30, 2015.
I remember when MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) launched in the late 1990s, allowing us to jump back to the joy of the games we loved in the early 1980s arcades. MAME has provided nostalgic fun for millions of gamers over the last two decades, but even better is games like Spirefall that recapture those feelings in a new experience!
Every year Steam and GoG.com and GamersGate and other services offer huge discounts on games during their holiday sales, and gamers on web forums lament their ever-growing backlog and the impossibility of ever finishing the games they just bought, let alone the rest. Now SteamLeft will quantify your backlog so you know just how dismal things really are!
While Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth launched just three months ago, the legendary strategy game create is already preparing his next bold adventure – Sid Meier’s Starships, which is coming later this year to Mac, PC and iPad. The game will offer some connectivity to Beyond Earth, but is its own grand adventure. Check out the announcement info!
I love Phoenix Online Studios because whether they are developing or publishing, they manage to put out some hilarious and high quality games. So when I hear they have something in the works – I want to know about it! The newly announced Supreme League of Patriots looks hilarious and engaging and like just the sort of amazing game I’ll love!