Thursday, September 29, 2011

Games You Should Know About... XBOX Live Indie Games 4: Match of Titans

Originally, the subject of this Games You Should Know About... was going to be Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, which came out in an HD collection for the PS3 this week.  Both of which are fantastic games, but the only way I wouldn't say what any game critic worth their salt has already said (which is "buy this game, dammit!") is by telling all the haters to go fuck off.  All I could really add to the subject is just me griping that those who bitched about these games have an imagination and attention span large enough to fit on the head of a pin (that means you're mentally bankrupt, asswipe).  So, in the spirit of repetition, "buy this game, dammit!"

Fortunately, September has been a pretty good month for XBOX Live Indie games.  I've got three new titles available that I think are worth five times the small amount of Microsoft Points they're asking for.

First off, since Halloween is soon approaching, I thought I'd get a jump start on a game perfect for sating your uncontrollable hunger for 8-bit horror.  Now, I know the market is flooded with zombie-apocalypse-survival-horror games, and XBOX Live Indie is no exception, but this is a zombie game with some real substance and staying power.  Load your shotgun and prepare to run from Dead Pixels (clever name).

This official art definitely adds to the game's feel
of watching an old grindhouse zombie movie -- Nice!

Created by Scottish indie developer CANTSTRAFERIGHT, Dead Pixels feels like a cross between Left 4 Dead and River City Ransom, though the plethora of inspirations and in-game references span the gamut of zombie movies, video games, etc.  You play as a lone survivor (or a pair of survivors in a two-player game) who must plow through a horde of zombies to "get to tha' choppa'" and escape.  Just so you know, these zombies are the radioactive brand, created from spilled nuclear waste, not the viral outbreak or the necromantic kind.

The game has you going further and further to the right (though you can go left to get something that you didn't pick up earlier), shooting zombies, looting buildings, and trading with makeshift stores for guns, ammo, and toilet paper (yes, you can sell toilet paper to them).  The further you go, the more varieties of zombies you come up against, each kind harder than the last.  Though the zombies don't say things like "Barf!" at the bottom of the screen, they do leave behind money to collect.  You can also upgrade certain abilities at stores to make you a better zombie slaying machine.

Gameplay is extremely fun and harder difficulty settings add more streets for you to run through to get to the goal, which allows you to customize your game length.  The best part about Dead Pixels is that the developer has promised add-on content (what he likes to call "free DLC") for every sales milestone the game reaches.  After three days in the marketplace, the game already reached its first milestone (4,000 units) and he is working on a new game mode called "The Solution."  It also seems that there'll be another add-on after that, since the second milestone (10,000 units) was recently surpassed.  If you want to keep track of the add-on developments and sales milestones, check out the official Facebook page.

Oh yeah, did I mention it only costs a buck?



Up next is Robotriot, an action platform game from Retromite.  In this game, you play a robot who looks like the love-child of The Black Hole's V.I.N.CENT and T-Bob from MASK.  Your job is to infiltrate rogue spaceships and disable their power cores so that your boss can have them towed.  Yes, the hero of the game is a robo repo man.


Of course, just like in the real repo business, you have to deal with people trying to stop you from taking their transportation.  Though, instead of the hung-over guy in a wife beater and soiled boxers pointing a shotgun at you, you're dealing with security systems rife with robots, gun emplacements, and hazardous obstacles.  Fortunately, you have some firepower to keep things even.  There's a lot of shooting switches, finding keycards, and using moving platforms to satisfy action platform fans.  While this is usually not my kind of game, I found myself enjoying this one.  One thing I will say is, for a game that only costs $1, the graphics and music are really good.  It looks and sounds like a high end 16-bit game.

If you like exploring levels with platforms and switches and shooting up enemies, pick up Robotriot.  It's also going to be available on Android phones as well as the iPhone and iPad (not that I'm interested in doing anything on my phone other than making calls, but whatever floats your boat).



Speaking of high quality games, our final game, Wizorb, is a thing of beauty.  Imagine a game like Atari's Breakout or Taito's Arkanoid, add magic spell power-ups that are fueled by a magic meter, some RPG elements, and a healthy dose of monsters, and you have Wizorb.  While this may be the first work from Tribute, the Montreal based development team that made this game, I could have sworn this game was made by seasoned veterans of the industry.  Don't believe me?  Just take a look at the website for the game.  There's not much to it, right now, but it looks great.

The high production doesn't end there, either.  The graphics are beautiful, the sprite animation is silky smooth, and the soundtrack is great.  Wizorb looks like a highly polished and rare game for the Sega Master System -- maybe even Super Nintendo.  Fortunately, it's an unbelievably gorgeous and extremely fun XBOX Live Indie game for only $3.  This is a MUST BUY.


Storywise, you play Cyrus, a wizard with the rare and mysterious power of the Wizorb, who must save the kingdom of Gorudo from legions of monsters.  While you're saving the kingdom, you'll come across a town that needs your help in rebuilding (by spending gold, of course).  Each building you repair gives you items or new options, such as a store, to help you on your quest.

I've only played the game for about five minutes, but I can already tell this game is a solid winner (I played the demo.  Once I get my first paycheck from my new job, I'll drop the funds for this one).  With fantastic graphics and sound and awesome gameplay, you have no reason to skip this game.  Buy it.  Seriously, buy it.  Just friggin' buy it.



One more game to mention, though you won't find it on XBOX.  While digging up some info on these games, I came across another game called Ninja Senki.  Some of you may have heard of it, since it came out last December.  If you haven't, it's an old school action platformer in a similar vein to the Mega Man series.  It's only available for PC, but it is free to download.  Check out the website and enjoy.

Hope that buffet of cheap games holds you over until the next crop.  I'll see you guys next week.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Some Dragon Quest-ness and the 75th Birthday of a Legend

So Square Enix is celebrating 25 years of Dragon Quest (like many other classic NES franchises).  While the Dragon Quest games have been successful in the U.S. (initially under the name Dragon Warrior), it's the Japanese gamers that made the franchise a phenomenon and kept it alive for so long.  Of course, Square Enix rewarded them with the Dragon Quest 25th Anniversary Collection for the Wii, which features the Famicom and Super Famicom emulations of the first three games (known as the Loto Trilogy) along with a bunch of extras.  Needless to say, it's not coming out Stateside.  C'mon, guys!  First, we are denied Xenoblade and The Last Story (even though they were released in Europe) now this?  Seriously, Nintendo of America, it's like you don't want people to buy the Wii.  What the hell is wrong with you?!

For those of us who do not live in Japan, all we can do is salivate at these videos.  This first one is the Japanese trailer for the collection, featuring all the great extras that are included.  So friggin' jealous.



Next is the anime intro to the game, which was done by the same animation studio who did the intro for Dragon Quest IX, Kamikaze Douga.  The intro summarizes the legends of the great hero, Loto, and his descendants that are the focus of these first three games.  Enjoy.



While there's probably no chance in hell we'll get the anniversary collection, we do get some Dragon Quest games coming our way.  For those who enjoy the pet monster offshoot of the franchise, Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2 came out recently.  Of course, Japan also got an expanded version of the game, Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2 Professional, which came out last March, but the American release is of the original game.  Whatever.



Then, there's Dragon Quest X, which will be the first time, since Dragon Warrior IV, that a Dragon Quest game came to a Nintendo home console in the U.S. (Dragon Quest V and VI came out for the Super Famicom in Japan).  Here's the trailer from this year's Tokyo Game Show.



Yeah, I can't wait to play it, either.  It's supposed to be available for the Wii and WiiU (whether or not it makes a difference which system you play it on is unknown to me).

Okay, one more video.  Today would have marked Jim Henson's 75 birthday.  Though he died 21 years ago, his vision and legacy still live on.  Here's one of my favorite Muppet moments.  Happy birthday, Jim.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Dungeons of Time - Sagave Worlds of MARS


I think it's time we go back into the dungeons, once again.  Today, we're going to take a look at a game from Adamant Entertainment.  These guys have been making products for numerous RPG systems: Mutants & Masterminds, d20 Modern, D&D 4th Edition, Pathfinder, and, of course, Savage Worlds.  Some of their upcoming projects that might interest you include a mash-up of wild west and wuxia (like in those classic kung fu movies) called Far West and an RPG based on the adventures of the original six-gun, six-string samurai of science, Buckaroo Banzai.  Whether or not these games will be available for Savage Worlds is unknown to me.  We'll just have to wait and keep our fingers crossed.

However, today's game in question is actually from a few years ago.  Back then, I became enamored with Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series of books, which dealt with a civil war veteran, John Carter, being astrally transported to a fantastical version of the planet Mars and his adventures there, among other things.  He became one of my favorite characters, along with Conan, in fantasy/sci-fi literature.  With the Barsoom series, Burroughs popularized the Planetary Romance genre (also known as Sword & Planet).  His stories inspired writers, filmmakers, and game designers.  To prove that, I present to you the first Sword & Planet game for Savage Worlds: MARS.


MARS originally started out as a campaign setting for 3rd Edition d20 system.  After 4th Edition came out, Adamant decided to move the game over to Savage Worlds.  MARS will be very familiar to fans of Barsoom, but there are many differences.  For instance, almost every race in MARS only has two arms; no four armed Tharks or White Apes, here.  Speaking of White Apes, they are a sentient, warlike race with their own kingdom (think Planet of the Apes meets ancient Rome).  The Grey Martians, an octopoid race, battle in giant tripods, just like those found in H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds.


What you will find in MARS that is reminiscent of Barsoom is exotic locales filled with ancient ruins and strange beasts, once venerable empires using strength and cunning to survive in a fading world, savage races to wage war with, cool gadgets, such as flying ships and radium guns, and all the action, adventure, and intrigue you'd expect.

While three of the native races (Red Men, Green Men, and White Apes) can be selected for player characters, many people will probably want to play a human (like John Carter or Ulysses Paxton).  Not only is this option available, but there are published adventures that deal with one or more Earthlings mysteriously appearing on the Martian surface, whether they're the player characters or NPCs.  The Grey Men, however, are strictly an NPC race, as they're meant to be the strange, subterranean menace to the surface dwellers.  Another "race," the Synthe-Men, are homunculi who were charged with the duty of maintaining and protecting the Martian canal system (which makes it difficult to justify one as a player character).

If this sounds like your idea of adventure, then check out the entire line of MARS products at DriveThru RPG (this page contains products for both 3rd Edition d20, which are now defunct, and Savage Worlds).  While Adamant is busy working on other stuff, at the moment, they did promise more adventures and supplements will be available in the future.

If, however, you are interested in a more authentic approach to Barsoom for your Savage Worlds game, I recommend Savage Barsoom.  This blog contains lots of helpful information for creating games in Burroughs' version of Mars, including articles on races, creatures, culture, religion, technology, and more.  He also has links to companies that sell gaming miniatures for the different races/creatures of Barsoom.  Definitely go check it out.

Until next time, make sure to keep your hands of my dice.