Tag: Preview

Backer Build Preview – Phoenix Point

I love X-COM, which I think I’ve stated a few times. When the chance presented itself to back the new game by Julian Gollop. the creator of the very first game in the series, UFO: Enemy Unknown and the first set of classic X-COM games—before the Firaxis remake—I jumped at the chance and became a backer for Phoenix Point.

Last week, the cool guys at Snapshot Games sent me a press early access version of the backer build coming out today, so I could take a look and see just how the game is shaping up. Below you’ll find a video of my latest session, up to the point when the game crashed on me. A minor issue with a preview build when the game is this fun.

But before we get to it, let’s discuss what’s new, what I liked and what I think they could improve on before the final release: Continue reading Backer Build Preview – Phoenix Point

Backer Demo Opinions – Blasphemous | Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

In the past year I’ve backed a fair amount of projects on a few crowdfunding platforms and among them are The Game Kitchen’s wonderful souls-like (or Metroidvania, really) Blasphemous and Koji Igarashi’s Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, both taking us to gothic lands to fight unspeakable evils, though the former having a much deeper religious subtext than the latter. Over the past few months a few backer-only or backer-first demos have appeared and I finally got around to downloading my own little copies and giving them a go, perhaps a little too late to give proper feedback but I’ll try to do so anyway. Continue reading Backer Demo Opinions – Blasphemous | Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Preview – Lamplight City

The last Grundislav Games titles I played were Shardlight and A Golden Wake and I absolutely loved them. Now I’ve received a nifty preview key for their upcoming title, Lamplight City, and you bet I had to take a look. And to make it more interesting, I’ve done my preview in video form! Continue reading Preview – Lamplight City

Modding Classics – Blood Omnicide

One of the drawbacks of focusing on older games, to record playthroughs of older titles is that you have to deal with the inevitable bout of software and hardware incompatibility. Recently, I’ve been bashing my head against the wall trying to get Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain to perform properly, without success until just a day or so ago.

But before then, I had to make plans, and one of them involved an incredibly ambitious mod called Blood Omnicide. Continue reading Modding Classics – Blood Omnicide

Preview: Golem Gates

I’m usually not a fan of card-based games unless they’re card games. Ok, that didn’t make much sense. Let’s try again: I like card games like Hearthstone or Magic the Gathering, Gwent and so on, CCGs, TCGs and deck builders. Those games where the cards are the game. What I’m traditionally not a fan of are those games in other genres that use decks and cards, such as RTS or RPGs using decks, say Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories or Children of the Zodiarcs.

Funnily enough, I kinda like both of those examples, because they’re very good implementations of the cards and deck mechanics in other genres. But it’s something that can go in horrendous directions unless done properly.

So, when I got the information on Golem Gates, a real-time strategy title on Early Access and featuring cards, I had that involuntary groan when I suspect the experience is going to be awful. But as always, I said yes, because despite my misgivings and fears, there might be a jewel of gaming there, and unless I give it its fair shake, I won’t find out. Continue reading Preview: Golem Gates

Dragon Ball FighterZ – Beta Weekend Impressions

I’ve had my eye on Dragon Ball FighterZ for a while now, always keen to look at whatever little footage crossed my path. When Bandai-Namco offered a code for this weekend’s beta, I jumped at the chance and joined many others in testing the network and online components of this Dragon Ball fighting game.

What did I think? Well, before I tell you that, let me first state this. I’ve played many Dragon Ball fighting games over the years, in 2D and 3D, standalone or part of long series, and the best among them, for me, is Dragon Ball Budokai Tenkaichi 2, the Wii version in particular. I sunk hours on end into that game and had some of the most intense and amazing matches I’ve ever played in fighting games, especially with one of my closest friends, where our matches went on as we learned to counter each other’s moves.  Continue reading Dragon Ball FighterZ – Beta Weekend Impressions

Preview – Felix the Reaper

Being DEATH must be an interesting line of business. Making sure people meet their maker, or you, at their appointed time to keep the cosmic wheels turning properly. We’re used to seeing DEATH as this grim figure, as serious in his demeanour as his task entails, though if Terry Pratchett is to be taken as a guide, DEATH will have a biting wit and a knack for sarcasm.

But what if DEATH enjoyed his job, put a little soul into it and danced his way to your grave? That’s exactly what the in-development Felix the Reaper has for us, a boogieing, pumping Grim Reaper, enjoying some sweet tunes while he arranges the cosmic forces to make sure someone bites the dust! Continue reading Preview – Felix the Reaper

Preview – Tanzia

Some time ago I received a preview key for an action RPG called Tanzia by Arcanity Inc., which opted for an MMORPG feel and control scheme for its action. From the few screenshots and videos I’d seen before giving it a try, it looked pretty interesting, with a strange blue character blasting things to bit on a tropical island.

Now that I’ve had a chance to play around with the Early Access build, I can say that there’s a lot of potential in the title, but it’s too rough to enjoy right now, with some bizarre design decisions that make the action feel like a slog instead of a fun time. Continue reading Preview – Tanzia

Preview – Growbot

A few days ago, I received an email from Lisa Evans, the sole developer behind Growbot, a point & click adventure game, being responsible for all programming art and writing, with the music composed by Jessica Fichot.

Lisa’s background is in illustration for children’s books and even if she hadn’t told me, I would’ve guessed it from the wonderful character and scenery art. Not only is it beautifully detailed, telling as much of a story as the characters and journals do, but it has a paper-like quality, as if it had all been lifted from a lovely story book. Continue reading Preview – Growbot

Bear With Me – Episode 2 Playthrough

Last week I published a preview of the second episode in the Toy Noir episodic point & click adventure game Bear With Me.

Along with that preview, I posted the first part of the Bear With Me Episode 2 playthrough I recorded while getting the article together, and this week I’m following up with the rest of the episodes, I hope you enjoy them. Continue reading Bear With Me – Episode 2 Playthrough