Crypt of the NecroDancer is the first rougelike game I’ve played in a long time that I felt like I was always on the cusp of victory, instead of always on the brink of defeat. That was by design though. Vancouver based developer Brace Yourself Games intended their title to be approachable and fair, while still encouraging players to learn the nuances of the game and raise their skill level high enough to see continued success. The idea is clearly working for them, as...
Parallax scrolling. The technique is a time old tradition in gaming. Multiple background images are layered behind one another and scroll at different speeds to give the illusion of depth. In the 8 and 16-bit era of games, this was almost ubiquitous for what was arguably the most popular genre around: platforming. You don’t see this technique used much these days, at least in the truest sense. 3D graphics and gaming engines allow more detailed and interactive...
It’s amazing what a small team of developers and fans can do when they truly believe in a product or idea. Never was it more apparent to me than when I was first exposed to Undead Labs and “State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition” at PAX East 2015. Having never played the 2013 release on the Xbox 360, the entire concept of the game was first shown to me right on the show floor. The enthusiastic personal walkthrough I received from an Undead Labs representative was...
In the 90s, I spent a lot of my weekends at my friend Derek’s house. He had very generous parents back then… generous enough to buy all the cool stuff I always wanted but never got. From the expensive Nerf guns, Power Ranger weapons, to the Pog collection in the neighborhood, It was easy to be jealous of the guy. For some time, the thing the other kids in the neighborhood envied the most was the Sony PlayStation. He was the first kind in town to get one, and we...
Ori and the Blind Forest is a rare treat, something we don’t much see in the game industry. Hailing as a metroid-vania style side scrolling platformer game, Ori puts you in control of, well, Ori. A white guardian spirit who has fallen from the spirit tree, Ori is accompanied by the Sein, the games equivalent to Zelda’s Navi. After starting up Ori, I was more drawn in to the games beautiful story then I have been with many other games, truthfully brought to...
Castlestorm: Definitive Edition is truly definitive. The re-release of Castlestorm and its two expansions: ’From Outcast To Saviour’ and ‘Warrior Queen’ in 1080p, 60fps have found a home on the next-gen systems.
The undisputed king of twin stick shooters is back for another round. I have great memories of playing the original Geometry Wars on my Xbox 360. What I love about it is how simple it is to play and how much fun it can be compete against the high scores of friends. I was very excited to learn the series has come back for a third round, this time on both current gen and last gen systems. The third Geometry Wars game from Lucid Games, a studio containing much of the staff who...
As with most rogue-like video games, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is very tough. From endless assaults of enemies to a single bad room that can take you down to 0 hearts from a full tank of them, there are many situations that will frustrate even the most seasoned players of the genre. Having experienced countless of these scenarios in the past week I decided I would hand out a couple of tips comprised of valuable information I have learned in my time exploring the...
The Shovel Knight, defeated by fate, has spent many years gardening in obscurity. During his absence the world has fallen into chaos. The land is rife with villains that need spaying and you’ve got just the tool for the job. So take up your shovel, knight, and scoop yourself out a steaming pile of justice.
The year is 1960, World War II has long been declared over, yet the world is strange. The world is not as we know it, however, as Nazi controlled Germany has been declared victorious. You are B.J. Blazcowicz, a few hours ago you were in a mental asylum – a place you’ve called home for the past six years, trapped in your own mind after nearly being killed by the leader of the Nazi army, General Deathshed. “What about the resistance?” you ask, grasping at any small...
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