PC Gaming

Disney Kills Off LucasArts, Here are Their Five Best Games!

Game Diary

Disney Kills Off LucasArts, Here Are Their Five Best Games

Game development studios, like any other company, are subject to the whims of their corporate masters. So when Disney bought LucasFilms and LucasArts last year I thought there were two potential outcomes – either rebirth or death. I just didn’t see them letting the studio continue to languish. And while it is a sad day, the reality is that LucasArts has been largely a publishing and licensing house for a number of years. But they remain the source of many of my favorite games, so as Disney kills off LucasArts, here are their five best games! For more specific details,…

Divinity Original Sin

Crowdfunding, Game Diary

Divinity Original Sin Launches Kickstarter Campaign

Increasingly developers are not just looking to Kickstarter for full funding of a project, but also to help get specific features into a game, deliver multiplayer or extended art or something else. Developer Larian Studios looked at what they could do themselves, and decided that with a successful Kickstarter project they could realize all of their goals for the game. Personally this was an ‘insta-back’ for me, as Divinity Original Sin Launches Kickstarter Campaign! Project Title: Divinity Original Sin game for PC (potentially also Mac/Linux) Status: Active Closing Date for Funding: April 26, 2013 URL of the Project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/larianstudios/divinity-original-sin From…

Mage's Initiation

Crowdfunding, Game Diary

Mage’s Initiation Brings a Classic Sierra-style Adventure Game to Kickstarter!

There are various reasons to back a Kickstarter project: you might directly want to experience the product, or perhaps like the idea and want it to happen, or maybe the project is in an area you feel is underserved, or maybe the project is funded and you see benefits to the ‘stretch goals’. Whatever the reason, it is important to keep up with new projects as they come along … because there is some great stuff happening and you don’t want something to go unfunded because you forgot to check in for a month! I had heard about this when…

Telepath Tactics

Crowdfunding, Game Diary

Sinister Design Re-Launches Telepath Tactics Kickstarter!

Last fall Sinister Design, creators of the excellent ‘Telepath RPG: Servants of God’, launched a Kickstarter for its ever-expanding game Telepath Tactics that would allow Craig Stern to properly complete the game with all of the desired features. That effort failed to gain proper support, but Stern he had learned from the attempt and knew what to do going forward. Now he is back as Sinister Design Re-Launches Telepath Tactics Kickstarter! For a while now developer Craig Stern has been talking up the progress on his turn-based game Telepath Tactics – and now he has launched a Kickstarter effort in…

Avadon 2 The Corruption Prepares to Bring Epic Fantasy RPG Back to the iPad

Game Diary, News

Avadon 2 The Corruption Prepares to Bring Epic Fantasy RPG Back to the iPad

Spiderweb Software brought us the first full-scale, hardcore RPG with Avadon: The Black Fortress, now Jeff Vogel with the announcement of Avadon 2 The Corruption prepares to bring epic fantasy RPG back to the iPad! The game is the middle of the planned Avadon Trilogy, and you return to the Black Fortress as a spy and warrior fighting those who are the enemies of Avadon. Your word is law and your power is great, but your foes are powerful as well and you will need to use all of your skill and cunning to thwart the threat. In Avadon 2:…

Neverwinter Nights 2 'Mysteries of Westgate' - a Retro Romp Review

Game Diary, Reviews

Neverwinter Nights 2 Mysteries of Westgate – a Retro Romp Review

Type of app: RPG adventure pack Platform/where to buy: PC; available at GoG.com Developer: Ossian Studios (full game published by Atari) Just over a year ago I looked at the Mac App Store release of Neverwinter Nights 2, which included only the core game without expansions. And while we still don’t have the expansions for the Mac, recently fans of the game got an unexpected treat – a DRM-free release of NWN2 Complete on GoG.com! Included in this is the single official third-party ‘adventure pack’ for the game, Neverwinter Nights 2 ‘Mysteries of Westgate’ from Ossian Studios. To celebrate the…

GoG.com Brings Greatest Shooter-RPG System Shock 2

Game Diary

GoG.com Brings Greatest Shooter-RPG System Shock 2 Back!

Today we get great news with the announcement that GoG.com brings greatest shooter-RPG System Shock 2 back, and that it is playable on modern PCs! Many younger gamers know System Shock 2 as the ‘sprititual inspiration’ for the Bioshock games, but System Shock 2 does so much more. It is a masterpiece of writing, gameplay, timing, environment, design, music and more. What makes System Shock 2 such a milestone in gaming is the way it advances the entire state of gaming. You can play as one of three characters – the psionic power-wielding agent, the master hacker naval officer, and…

GoG.com Adds 10 New Mac Games for January!

Game Diary, News

GoG.com Adds 10 New Mac Games for January!

The answer to the question ‘where do I get Mac games’ has changed over time. A few years ago you would answer ‘I’m sorry dude, really sorry’. Then along came Steam, then the Mac App Store, and most recently GoG.com. Now you can proudly answer that there are great choices and prices at Steam, GoG.com and the Mac App Store. And GoG.com is advancing at an amazing pace, today announcing the addition of 10 Mac games to their roster. And like every other game, you now get the Mac and PC version of the game as well as all the…

'The Walking Dead: A Telltale Game Series' Review

Game Diary, Reviews

‘The Walking Dead: A Telltale Game Series’ Review

Ever since winning Spike TV’s 2012 Game Of The Year award, Telltale Games has been topping yearly ‘best of’ lists like crazy. Yet, with all the press, there’s still a fundamental question to be answered: what’s so good about the new Walking Dead game series? It’s just a tie-in, right? How can a licensed, downloadable title be anything more than a cash cow? As it turns out, Telltale Games had an answer. The studio, while previously known for its mediocre, licensed work (CSI, Back To The Future) has finally done something remarkable. They’ve crafted an episodic series that manages to…

Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition Wows on iPad, Adds Little on PC - Review

Game Diary, Reviews

Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition Wows on iPad, Adds Little on PC – Review

Type of app: Role Playing Game (RPG) Platform/where to buy: iPad; available in the App Store , PC version available through BeamDog Developer: Overhaul Games / BeamDog Description: * 80 hours of Epic RPG adventure * Over 40 classes and kits * Over 100 spells * over 150 magical items * New adventure: The Black Pits, a thrilling combat adventure * New character: Rasaad yn Bashir, a Calishite Monk searching for answers. * Available for purchase: New character: Dorn Il-Khan, a half-orc blackguard with a history of violence. * Available for purchase: New character: Neera the Wild Mage, a half-elf…

Indie Project 'Kentucky Route Zero' Brings Magical Realism to Games

Game Diary, News

Indie Project ‘Kentucky Route Zero’ Brings Magical Realism to Games

Indie developer Cardboard Computer has just released ACT I of their IGF-nominated  five-part game series. Entitled ‘Kentucky Route Zero,’ the work is being described as a ‘magical realist adventure game.’ The project was awarded finalist status at the Independent Games Festival, and looks to become a promising piece of modern art. As far as gameplay is concerned, players will be treated to classic point-and-click adventure-style puzzles. Imagine a fusion of ‘Monkey Island’ with elements similar to those found in “Like Water For Chocolate” or “Love In The Time Of Cholera.” As described by the studio themselves, the game will be…

Murim Wars Massively Multiplayer RPG for iOS and Android Coming in December!

Game Diary, News

Murim Wars Massively Multiplayer RPG for iOS and Android Coming in December!

As more and more mobile gamers are connected to high speed networks and are looking beyond simple puzzle games, genres previously tied to computers and consoles have sprung up on mobile devices. Of course, having the graphics capability to run those apps is also a big bonus! It seems that every few months we see a new game that expands the realm of possibilities for online interaction in a mobile setting. In just a couple of weeks we will see a new MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) for mobile devices – this is a genre previously restricted to…

Sinister Design Launches a Telepath Tactics Kickstarter!

Crowdfunding, Game Diary, News

Sinister Design Launches a Telepath Tactics Kickstarter!

I have written several times about the cool hybrid indie RPG ‘Telepath RPG: Servants of God’, and while I never finished the review I started, it remains a unique experience and one of the best indie games I have played this year. For a while now developer Craig Stern has been talking up the progress on his turn-based game Telepath Tactics – and now he has launched a Kickstarter effort in order to deliver a game with a robust single-player experience and more graphics content than the original simple turn-based multiplayer game he planned. Project Title: Telepath Tactics game for…

Legend of Dungeon Opens Up Kickstarter Effort, Launches Free Demo

Crowdfunding, Game Diary, News

Legend of Dungeon Opens Up Kickstarter Effort, Launches Free Demo

I wrote about the teaser trailer for Legend of Dungeon last week, noting that the title sounded like a joke. Developer RobotLovesKitty got back to me and mentioned that it actually started as a joke – but then stuck! They also mentioned that they were launching a Kickstarter to fund even more features for the game – and offering a free demo! Project Title: Legend of Dungeon game for PC/Mac/Linux Status: Active Closing Date for Funding: 12/16/2012 URL of the Project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/robotloveskitty/legend-of-dungeon From the Creatives: As you explore the sparsely lit dungeon, gather items and battle monsters you will no doubt…

Two Longest Running TV Shows Dedicated to Video Games to End

Editorials, Game Diary

Two Longest Running TV Shows Dedicated to Video Games to End

Enjoy watching “X-Play” and “Attack of the Show” while you can because the cable channel G4 will cancel them by the end of 2012. “X-Play, which began airing on April 28, 2003, and now airs on Weeknights at 6:30 p.m. EST with new episodes from Monday through Wednesday, and “Attack of the Show,” which began on March 28, 2005, and is now airing live on weeknights at 7 p.m. EST, will only have original episodes until the end of this year.

XCOM Enemy Unknown Video First Look Review!

Game Diary, Reviews

XCOM Enemy Unknown Video First Look Review!

Type of app: Strategy Platform/where to buy: PC; available at Steam Developer: Firaxis / 2K Games Description: XCOM: Enemy Unknown will place you in control of a secret paramilitary organization called XCOM. As the XCOM commander, you will defend against a terrifying global alien invasion by managing resources, advancing technologies, and overseeing combat strategies and individual unit tactics. Major features: As I noted in my video review of Borderlands 2 here, sometimes the best way to get a feel for a game is to simply show it on video. So I have taken the opportunity to review the opening levels…

Torchlight 2 Video First Look Review

Game Diary, Reviews

Torchlight 2 Video First Look Review

Type of app: Action-RPG Platform/where to buy: PC (Mac coming); available on Steam Developer: Runic Games Description: The award-winning action RPG is back, bigger and better than ever! Torchlight II takes you back into the quirky, fast-paced world of bloodthirsty monsters, bountiful treasures, and sinister secrets – and, once again, the fate of the world is in your hands! Torchlight II captures all the flavor and excitement of the original game – while expanding the world and adding the features players wanted most, including online and LAN co-op multiplayer. Torchlight II is fast, fun, and filled to the brim with…

Spec Ops: The Line Video Review

Game Diary, Reviews

Spec Ops: The Line Video Review

Type of app: Third Person Shooter Platform/where to buy: PC; available at Steam Developer: Yager / 2K Games Description: Spec Ops: The Line is a new original title from 2K Games that features provocative and gripping Third-Person modern military Shooter gameplay designed to challenge players’ morality by putting them in the middle of unspeakable situations where unimaginable choices affecting human life must be made. Features include, a gripping, storyline reminiscent of Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness but set in a ruined Dubai, tactical squad-based Delta Force gameplay throughout a horizontally and vertically oriented world, devastating sandstorms which can be…

Borderlands 2 Video Review

Game Diary, Reviews

Borderlands 2 Video Review

Type of app: First Person Shooter Platform/where to buy: PC; available at Steam Developer: Gearbox Software / 2K Games Description: Borderlands 2 is a hybrid First-Person Shooter, RPG game focused on over-the-top co-op play, and set in the open-world game environment of the planet Pandora. The second game in the game series, Borderlands 2 raises the ‘loot and shoot’ action of the original game with an even larger and more detailed world to explore, an updated gun system, a new cast of characters and character classes, and integration of storyline with action. Major features: I reviewed the original Borderlands here,…

Avernum Great Trials Trilogy for PC Review!

Game Diary, Reviews

Avernum Great Trials Trilogy for PC Review!

The Avernum series from Spiderweb Software is one of the classics of indie gaming and of the RPGS in general over the last couple of decades. Earlier this year Spiderweb released the revamped version of the first game in the series for Mac, PC and iPad. Now they have ported the final three games, known as the Great Trials Trilogy, to Steam. I had played them when they were originally released so I was thrilled to get an excuse to go back and revisit these classics. Let’s see how they play several years later! The Hype: Avernum 4 takes place…