I haven’t been playing many new games lately, and the one I seem to be coming back a lot is Banished. The game was recommended to me by my ex-coworker, and even though I got it a long time ago, it took me some time to get into this entertaining and demanding sandbox-type game. (more…)
The Flame in the Flood was one of the games I found through GOG.com. The graphics looked interesting, and so did the game play featured in the trailer: sail your raft, craft all the necessary items, and survive the wilderness. How could I resist this game for long? (more…)
Even though my favorite video games are the ones offering rich stories and immersive worlds, I also like to play managerial games from time to time as they provide unique challenges, encourage planning and problem-solving. So every once a while a managerial game sucks me in for long hours, and this time it was Stardew Valley’s turn. (more…)
Guild of Dungeoneering was one of those indie games I’ve never heard about until it popped in my GOG suggestions, and I always hesitated to get it. The sketch-like graphics had their unique appeal, but the game play itself didn’t seem to offer enough engaging. As you can guess, I got it during one of the sales, when I accidentally watched a trailer video for the game which featured a fun song to match the not-so-serious interface. The game promised building my own dungeon and letting an adventurer in on what seemed like a digitalized version of early Dungeons&Dragons dungeon crawls. (more…)
With all the positive impressions I’ve had about Shadowrun Returns and Shadowrun: Dragonfall, it was certain I’d play the newest installment of the acclaimed cRPG series. As the Kickstarter campaign hit stretch goal after stretch goal, I expected the game to be even better and more exciting than the previous parts, yet I hope the developers would manage to keep what was the best in the previous games: Shadowrun’s mood, interesting characters and engaging story. Did they succeed? (more…)
I’m not particularly happy with how young adult so called “dystopias” distort the post-apocalyptic genre (and the Huxley and Orwell dystopia in the first place), but that’s a rant for another time. Needless to say, I prefer the mood set by Fallout 2 (and Fallout 3 too), even if not fully realistic, surely more gritty and pos-tapocalyptic than the “youngsters against oppressing faction” we get in books and movies nowadays.
That’s why NEO Scavenger caught my attention. I’ve never heard about the game, but the reviews promised a survival game, and I got hooked when I’ve learned they didn’t just mean slaughtering endless waves of mutated animals and raiders. In fact, when playing the game, you’ll more often find yourself frantically trying to run away from a famished dog than tryingto take it down. Because fights mean wounds and wounds in post-apocalyptic world can kill you faster than you can say “young adult dystopia”. (more…)
Some of you might remember the awesome series Heroes of Might and Magic that brought an excellent turn-based strategy and RPG elements together, and created a memorable and colorful world. I followed the series up to the fifth part, and although some hardcore fans argue the changes to the system, I still enjoyed the campaigns and gameplay. But at the same time the fairytale-like graphics made me miss another game, probably less known, but darker… and as entertaining as HoMM: Age of Wonders. That’s why I couldn’t say no to GOG.com sale (thank you, GOG!) that offered me both parts of the game I started playing when I was still in high school (and that was quite a long time ago).
Age of Wonders got me glued to the screen for the long hours with it’s multiple choice plot line, dark graphic and generally less fairytale feel. It ensured I stayed immersed with the journal entries of the main character (that I got to create and keep throughout the campaign, just like in any “proper” RPG) and made me replay the campaign choosing different paths to the victory. I confess, I was more inclined to play with the Dark Elves’ Cult of Storms faction than to help High Elves’ Keepers, but all in all I’ve finished the campaign playing both sides… or so I remember. (more…)
More than video games, I love a good tabletop RPG game and in the past I used to play regularly (and still would if I had a chance), so I wasn’t unfamiliar with the name “Shadowrun”, though I never get to play the tabletop version, and when Shadowrun Returns emerged on the Kickstarter, I didn’t think much of it. I didn’t get the game until much later, when Shadowrun: Dragonfall was already out. A friend recommended it to me, so I purchased the bundle and found myself immersed in the dark and rich world of magic, technology, powerful corporations, and shadowrunners. (more…)
I’ve been a gamer for about as long as I’ve been writing stories. First on Atari XP, then on Intel 386, and finally on stronger PCs and laptops as well as game consoles. Whenever I need to relax a bit and I’m too tired to read, I switch a video game on. Games also help me when I search for inspiration, so it seemed like a good idea to share all the games that support my procrastination … erm, I mean my writing. These can be critically acclaimed and world-wide famous big games, little flash applications or classics only really old people remember. (more…)