Author Archives: Mike Geib
First Look: Memoria – the Adventure Game from the Glory Days, Fun and All
The glory days of LucasArts point-and-click adventures were great days to be gaming. I personally cut my teeth on Maniac Mansion, and after that the rest was history. Games with puzzles, wit and humor were the norm. The Monkey Island’s of yesteryear now reduced to Kickstarters and episodes. But Daedalic Entertainment hasn’t forgotten. With just a sneak peak at its classically-designed adventure game Memoria, it is very clear that this game has packed everything that made the oldies great into [...]
Nether Preview – Survive the Teleporting Zombies (and the Boredom)
Teleporting zombies. Yeah, you heard me. Nether, the latest survival FPS MMO to come from Phosphor games, is quite the challenge – and not just because of blinking zombies. Set in a sprawling cityscape loosely based on Chicago, this survival MMO is enjoyable but not without its pacing issues.
Road Works Review – I Have No Lower Score to Give
Simulation games and their ilk are enjoyable to gamers for many reasons. They give players a high level of control over a world, can fall inclusively between a range of open sandbox to goal-oriented, and create a high opportunity for meaningful emergent narratives. Road Works by TaxSoft is a sim game in which the player is tasked with building a network of roads and managing several structures in order to meet certain profit goals. It could not be a worse [...]
Hyper Gauntlet Review: Slow Ramp-up, Addicting in the End
Reflex games can be pretty addicting. Giving a player a set of obstacles to pass with an immediate feeling of gratification only to slam defeat upon them in a way that makes them think, “I can totally do better than that,” is a specialty of such titles. Tempest, Flappy Bird, the list goes on. Hyper Gauntlet – Legacy of Nozzlethruster III is a game of reflexes and focus from Udell Games. It can take awhile for the action to get [...]
1849 Preview – This ‘yere’s a Promisin’ Tycoon Game! Yeeee-haw!
The American Wild West. During the expansionist years of the States, the places to be were the developing colonies and eventually states of the midwest and west. Though the time was not without the atrocities man so often commits against his fellow man (see the Transcontinental Railroad and the Trail of Tears), it was still a time of adventure and riches – for some. 1849 – the game, not the year – is a small scenario-based city building game. Centered [...]
The Helixianism Religion Textbook – 2034 Edition
Twitch Plays Pokemon (TPP) is a social experiment involving thousands of players playing one game of Pokemon Red simultaneously. Check out Sharon’s article and this podcast for more info! On February 12th 2014, a social experiment rapidly grew into something far beyond its initial scope. The concept was this: Give thousands of anonymous individuals control of a 90s JRPG, and see what happens. Surely the process if not the result would be worth seeing. Using Twitch, a video streaming website, [...]
Grimind Review – The Good Outweighs the Bad
Playing Grimind was a lot like having a rapid series of mood swings in my adolescent days; shifting rapidly between frustration, mild terror, smug confidence, and everything in between. It doesn’t always make for a good experience, however Grimind managed not to piss me off too much and overwrite its enjoyability.
Katsucon Musings on the Phenomenon of Fire Emblem Awakening
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of travelling to Washington D.C., through a window between the snowstorms that paralyzed the East Coast of the U.S., for Katsucon 2014, a convention centered around anime, manga, games, and general nerdery. All forms of nerd are welcome. Much like the media-grabbing San Diego Comicon, these conventions are host to a multitude of cosplayers dressed up as their favorite characters from various anime (I myself was Gilgamesh from Fate/Zero), movies (Elsa from Frozen was [...]
Ar NoSurge and Ciel NoSurge Go to Playstation Plus – in Japan
Ar NoSurge and Ciel NoSurge will be joining the Playstation Plus cause in Japan, signifying developer Gust’s support for Sony’s new online service, which has recently come under attack as being too risky and unattractive for publishers.
Stein’s Gate gets English Trailer and Confirmed Released Date
“Good news, everyone!” “What is it, Professor Barnsworth?” “Stein’s Gate has gone Golden!” Yes, printing has begun on the hotly anticipated visual novel from 5pb and Nitroplus, and localization company JASTUSA has confirmed the listed release date.
