Indie games are quite unlike any other genre of games. They can take an idea that would sound crazy in any other format, and turn it into a compelling, immersive game. 'Lets make a game where the players move giant blocks, to survive', sound familiar? That's because I just described Minecraft. One thing I like about games like this is that it has so many different aspects that don't seem like they would mesh well, but somehow they manage to conceive a game that does exactly that. Sounds a little like a chef just throwing random ingredients into the pot. Some rhythm, a little dungeon crawling, RPG, and rogue-like for good measure. Eh, Voila Crypt of the Necrodancer.

   The music, it compels me to WRECK SLIMES! The game play in CotND (Crypt of the NecroDancer) is most interesting in the fact that everything revolves around the music. Why? Because you're a zombie whose heart is controlled by a NecroDancer. The story is simple, Candance (you) is looking for treasure, but when she enters the dungeon she falls to her death. When she awakes she finds that her heart beats as if it were a drum, eager to get her heart back she goes in search of the NecroDancer.

 Move over WASD

The game uses only four keys, the arrow keys. These control where you move: up, down, left or right. They also control what items you use, which are selected by inputting two keys at once (for example left + right). There is nothing else you need to remember in terms of controls. But don't let the simplicity of the controls fool you, the dungeon is anything but safe. The game doesn't try to hold your hand too much. There's a short tutorial, but that's about it. Mostly you've got to figure it out on your own.

But is the music good?

For a game based completely and utterly around music, the music needs to be good. That depends, for instance, is the color purple your second favorite number? It's a matter of opinion, as it always is with music. If you're asking my opinion (and I hope being a total retro head has some merit), then yes, the music is bloody terrific. No tune is a pushover, each one is absolutely amazing in its own right; and they never grow old. You might have to replay a level hundreds of times because you are a scrub and you need to 'git gud' (i know that feel), so replaying a level with the same song will happen. I found that no matter how many times I had to replay a level, it was always amazing to listen too.

If you do somehow get tired of a song (no idea how that would happen), the developers added a truly magnificent option. The ability to add your own songs, indeed. Ever felt like cracking skulls to Daft punk? Perhaps stomping wraiths to Prince? The possibilities are as endless as your music library. You'll have to have mp3's however. So perhaps not endless.

Pixel art? What's that?

So as you might be able to tell, I enjoy pixel art. So let me tell you that this game doesn't disappoint, but then again its nothing spectacular. There are no wondrous views like in Dark Souls and the dungeons aren't as atmospheric as Shovel Knight. But it fits sooo good. I honestly have a hard time thinking of a different art style that would work, plus, pixel art, am I right?

Mod it till it crashes.

Maybe you get bored with playing as Candance, or you want the shop keeper to be that creepy old man who gives you the sword in legend of zelda. Well guess what, you can. I love games that allow for modding, and actually encourage it. You don't limit your game to whatever you put in, but you give the community free reign to craft as they see fit. The amount of content in that game skyrockets, as does re-playability. Some mod for the 'kek', others for creativity's sake. Don't ask whether you should, ask if it'll look alpha when you wield the master sword.

Final say:

I am enjoying every second I play this game. It looks amazing, feels amazing, and sounds like the gods had synthesizers instead of lutes. The game is still in early access in steam, but with the amount of content already in the game, and the active community, there's a whole lot more game to look forward too. So if you don't mind paying up early, this game is definitely worth it.

            So hold on to that dagger son, and what ever you do. Don't you drop that beat.

Reason 1: The Story

Reason 2: The Director

Many of you know that who directs the film can either make it or break it depending on how they interpret the source material. A good example would be Joss Whedon when he directed The Avengers, whereas a bad one would be M Night Shyamalan when he directed that godawful film, The Last Airbender. Now the director that has signed on for this film is Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment who has directed the fantastically scary films The Ring and The Grudge which both follow under the same kind of psychological horror that Five Nights pulls of quite well. If anyone can make a good film based on that game, it'll be him.

Reason 3: The Original Creator's Involvement

"The story really lends itself to being a movie and it taps into a largely unexplored niche of horror that a lot of people will be able to relate to."

Blues and Bullets is a story driven episodic adventure that puts you in the shoes of Elliot Ness, a retired cop that gets dragged back into the life he thought he left behind. Developed by A Crowd of Monsters, Blues and Bullets is a unique blend of Telltale's The Walking Dead's gameplay and L.A. Noire's tone and themes while still maintaining it's own identity.

Blues and Bullets' story is very well executed that takes some of the common cliches found in Noir drama and adds a new spin on it.

The overall plot deals with the heavy subjects of murder, mutilation, torture, and revenge – topics that can only make a good story if executed perfectly.

The story follows Elliot Ness, a former cop and now diner owner, as he gets pulled into a job by Al Capone. The story isn't as straight forward as it seems with curveballs being thrown at you to keep you on your toes.

Elliot himself is surprisingly charismatic and likable with realistic motives and the personality of a retired law enforcement officer just trying to live the rest of his days happily. Though, not everyone's life can be so happy and it seems Elliot's can't be either.

The developers have done a fantastic job of keeping the Noir story in balance with the tone and atmosphere they have created with the soundtrack and visual style. This looks to be one of those stories that sticks with you long after you've experienced it all the way through.

The graphics in Blues and Bullets are rather impressive considering the engine it was made with, but boasts an even more impressive art style.

If you are a fan of the Sin City films, then you are going to love the visuals in Blues and Bullets. The game mainly features a black and white art style, but with accents of red to show off smaller details – and blood, lots and lots of blood.

The graphics just ooze with Noir mystery that will make you want to investigate every item of the environment to unlock back story and reveal more about the world the game takes place in, but the graphics aren't without their own flaws.

Some of the animations within the game are stiff and robotic, and lips won't always match up to some character's dialogue. Blues and Bullets isn't very well optimized either, with only 4 changeable graphical settings; Resolution, Full Screen, Quality, and Visual Effects. Because of this, I had trouble playing through Blues and Bullets at a stable FPS.

Don't expect to be just walking around and talking to people like similar games of this genre. Blues and Bullets does a fairly well job of including exciting action set pieces that don't feel tacked on with no rhyme or reason.

On top of investigating and shooting, you will also piece together a gruesome murder to figure out how to proceed with Al Capone's task. This was a gameplay element I was pleasantly surprised to see and I hope it is used again in future episodes.

There are also quick time events with Blues and Bullets. It's understandable to be turned off by this element, but there aren't many and they are fairly easy to accomplish once you've encountered them.

The soundtrack of Blues and Bullets fits the tone of the game perfectly.

Ranging from more lively upbeat songs to more quiet and somber tracks.

The same can be said for the voice acting. No one phones it in here and all the actors make this feel like you are actually watching a Noir film drama.

Also, the voice of Geralt from The Witcher series voices Elliot Ness, which is a great addition. Elliot's sort-of-not-really sidekick who accompany's him throughout the majority of the game has a more softer and down to Earth voice which is a great contrast to Elliot's gruff monotone voice.

Overall, I very much enjoyed my time with Blues and Bullets and will eagerly await the release of episode 2. The developers were able to succesfully blend everything great about Noir mystery dramas and turn it into a fantastic game.

The story, the graphics, and the gameplay tied up neatly with great voice acting and a stellar soundtrack make for an incredible experience that I won't be forgetting anytime soon, regardless of it's minor flaws.

Submerged is minimalistic "relaxporation" adventure developed by Uppercut Games that puts you in a post-disaster world where you mosly scavenge for supplies to save a dying boy's life. Submerged is completely combat free and, instead, focuses all it's efforts on story and gameplay. With the post-apocalyptic art style of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and the beauty and relaxed gameplay of Journey, will Submerged sink or swim?

Submerged begins with Miku and her wounded brother, Taku, arriving in a flooded and abandoned city in order to find supplies to keep Taku alive from his injuries.

The story seems simple enough and it remains that way until you begin finding story art cards that provide backstory on Miku and Taku before arriving in the city, and the flooded city as well.

I never really found myself caring all that much about Taku, but I did find myself very much caring about Miku and the city itself. I cared more about Miku's safety than Taku's, but that's probably because Taku spends the majority of the game lying on a bench and not doing anything. Though, to be fair, he is dying, but Miku's safety came first in my eyes.

The city's story and what happened to the people is also quite interesting. It's also quite interesting with how these stories unfold. You have to boat around the ruined city and collect story art cards that piece everything together, but you won't find them in order of story events. The story won't become completely clear until all the story cards have been collected.

Also, the developers created an entirely new language to further emphasize just how far society has fallen. If that's not impressive then I don't know what is. Though, I do have a gripe with the story. (The next tidbit isn't REALLY a spoiler, but rather, a broad statement with no specifics.) [spoiler]Over the course of Submerged, the game, begins heavily implying that there's going to an emotionally devastating ending that will leave you in tears, but there's a complete cop out. I wish it had gone with the course it was going because it was shaping up to be one of those endings you're going to remember forever; like Telltale's The Walking Dead and The Last of Us.[/spoiler]

Made with the Unreal 4 engine, Submerged, can look downright beautiful. The beauty is especially realized when the day becomes night and rain begins to pour down.

It's clear the developers knew just how beautiful the game is because there's a "Make Postcard" option that allows the player to stop time and rotate the camera around Miku and create absolutely gorgeous screenshots.

Allow me to put it like this: Submerged is so beautiful that I ended up using the "Make Postcard" option to take beautiful screenshots every time I was in game. Every time I started up the game; I saw something new and beautiful. Unfortunately, though, the graphics aren't perfect.

Upon closer inspection, some noticeable textures seem blurred and a bit dull. The framerate will even drop quite frequently and, seemingly, out of nowhere. At one moment, the framerate dropped so low that the entire game stopped and I thought it had crashed but, fortunately, it came back in a split second.

The gameplay in Submerged mainly consists of climbing and navigating the city streets with your boat. This creates a strong sense of relaxation.

Watching waves roar around as whales and dolphins swim by feels so relaxing. From an artistic standpoint, it's great, but from a gaming standpoint; not so much.

Sadly, the gameplay in Submerged gets redundant pretty quick. Gameplay in Submerged can be summarized in this order: boat, climb, collect ration; rinse and repeat. This was something I was afraid of and my fears were realized.

At first, I didn't think this would be an issue, but it slowly began feeling tedious and I realized that I wanted to do was sail around and admire the beauty. You can do just that, but you have to boat, climb, collect ration to progress the story. Once you complete the game, you unlock an "Explore" mode that allows you to explore the game world and collect missed story cards and boat upgrades free from distractions. This was my favorite aspect of gameplay.

The soundtrack is where Submerged REALLY shines. Composed by BAFTA-Award Winner Jeff Van Dyck, Submerged's soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful and intensely elevates the sense that you are alone in this post-apocalyptic world.

From somber melodies to more uplifting tracks, Submerged's soundtrack is one I hope to purchase and listen to whenever. It's quite amazing to stand on the edge of a decaying ruin with nothing but the wind and a quiet song playing evoking many emotions.

Submerged is just one of those games that help further the proof that video games are capable of becoming high art, but the redundant gameplay and weak ending hold Submerged back from realizing it's true potential. This beautiful apocalypse accompanied by gorgeous visuals and a haunting soundtrack makes Submerged an experience I won't soon forget.

If you care for the artistic nature of Submerged then I highly recommend it to you, but if you don't care about any of that then this may not be for you. Otherwise, Submerged is an experience worth checking out.

Having been the inspiration for the Fallout series and given a new chance at life with a sequel on Kickstarter, Wasteland 2 is back again with the "Director's Cut" that includes a number of new features and improvements on top of the Wasteland 2's original game.

Developed by inXile Entertainment, Wasteland 2: Director's Cut is an open world turn based RPG that sets out to improve on many of the issues players had with the original release of Wasteland 2. These improvements overall affect the graphics, gameplay, and sound design.

Wasteland 2's story begins with the death of a fellow Desert Ranger named Ace. The circumstances of his death are very suspicious, so General Vargas tasks a team of recruits, under the code name "Echo", to investigate Ace's death and figure out who was really behind it.

Nothing from the story has changed since Wasteland 2's original release, but what has changed is the amount of voiced dialogue. Over 8,000 lines of new dialogue was recorded for the Director's Cut and it shows. Not every line of dialogue was voiced, but it is still a welcome addition to hear exceptionally more line spoken. All the new spoken dialogue sounds just as believable as the voices in the original release of Wasteland, so there are no poor performances to speak about.

The visuals in the original release of Wasteland 2 weren't bad by any means, but weren't anything special either. With the upgrade to Unity 5.0, inXile were able to improve the visuals.

All the textures in the Director's Cut look much sharper and the frame rate seems to be much more stable as well. It's clear a lot of hard work went into reworking the visuals and that this isn't just a quick port job to consoles.

Unfortunately, despite the clear upgrade, the visuals for the Director's Cut still aren't anything special which is a shame because the game itself is special. Though, if you are coming off of the original release of Wasteland 2 then you are going to notice the visual upgrade and appreciate the game even more.

On PS4 and Xbox One, Wasteland 2: Director's Cut runs at 1080p 30fps and remains stable at that; for the most part. I briefly stated that the frame rate seemed to be more stable in the Director's Cut than in the original release, which isn't a lie, but there were a few time I ran into a drop of frames when enter a random encounter. They were few and far between so it wasn't anything that hindered the gameplay.

The thing I was most worried about for the Director's Cut's journey to consoles were the controls. It was going to be tough for inXile to pull it off, but they did it. These are some of the best controls from a PC ported game that I've ever seen. The face all do what you would expect (X for interacting and O for canceling), but the triggers are where the magic happens. When the left trigger is used it brings up all of the skills you can use at that given moment, and when the right trigger is used it brings up all of the combat options you can use for the given situation.

If I did have a complaint regarding the controls, it would be that the map is still somewhat difficult to navigate and I could never really tell if I was heading in the right direction when I was trying to get to a new undiscovered location.

Gameplay in the Director's Cut remains largely the same, but with the exception of one feature that makes Wasteland 2's gameplay feel even more involving.

During combat, you now have the option to bring up a "Precision Strikes" menu that allows you to pick individual body parts of your enemy to attack. If you are familiar with the original Fallout games then you will feel right at home with the combat.

There are a lot of variables to consider when using this Precision Strikes mode though. Things like weapon level, elevation, and cover can either make or break a successful strike. I just wish that this system would factor into damage a little more. Rather than, say, shoot at a raider's arm so they can't hit you as properly, the Precision Strikes mode really is only for increasing the likely hood of you connecting a shot.

To further add to the feeling of role playing, inXile have added a "Quirk" system. This system is similar to perks, but this gives your players a "quirk" that usually has a great benefit and an equally impactful drawback.

Of course, this isn't necessary and you can choose to forgo a "quirk" altogether, but I wouldn't recommend it if you are trying to role play.

The character creation also remains untouched from the original release of Wasteland 2. Being able to create your basic look and giving yourself a decent starter outfit is nice, but I can't help but feel this feature to be lacking. I suppose I've been a bit too spoiled with other RPGs and their robust character creators.

Never did I find did I find a face (or "head") that I liked and same goes for hair style. This is a game that could have really benefited from an in depth character creator since you are encouraged to make your 4 person squad by creating each member individually.

Usually, I can never get into turn based games. I want to like them so much, but for some reason, I can never just sit down and play them. Then Wasteland 2 came along and changed that for me. Wasteland 2 was already a fantastic game in it's original release. Now with the release of the Director's Cut, it could have only gotten better, and it did. Wasteland 2: Director's Cut is a truly unique experience that you won't find elsewhere in the PlayStation Store or Xbox Live Marketplace.

Developer Frogwares and publisher Bigben Interactive have unveiled their new entry in the Sherlock Holmes game series entitled Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter.

Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter is a detective crime thriller set for release in Spring 2016 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The following comes directly from Frogwares and Bigben Interactive's announcement:

"Featuring taut action and investigative work, Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter, the eighth and latest entry in the franchise, will push your abilities to the limit in a one-of-a-kind interactive experience.

With numerous suspects in each investigation, every choice you make could drive the story in unexpected – and possibly deadly – directions.

• Take on five thrilling and confounding cases.
• Freely roam an expansive landscape of playable terrain.
• Maneuver fast-paced action sequences to challenge your every gaming skill.
• Play a unique blend of game mechanics that lead to an unprecedented experience.
• State-of-the-art graphics bring the streets of Victorian London to life.
• For the first time in his storied career, Sherlock Holmes’ ruthless logic is overwhelmed by family stories, irresistible emotions and an occult revenge."

Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter will be shown exclusively to the press during Paris Game Week from October 28th, to November 1st.

Speaking of gameplay, this game is a rogue-like hack 'n slash that sometimes breaks out into a bullet-hell style game. The character you choose also affects the game. Feel like running around dealing tons of damage? Barbarian is the class for you. Feel like playing a shoot 'em/bullet-hell? Pick the archer.

This is a great rogue-like hack'n slash with some awesome RPG elements, and even though it isn't finished, it's already an amazing game, and I would recommend it to everyone.

Originally posted on Steam on 7/24/15

(Originally posted on Steam on 1/9/16)

Many Hitman fans have been waiting for a true sequel to Hitman: Blood Money for years. So with Hitman 2016 still a short wait away, is Alekhine's Gun the worthy spiritual successor to Blood Money and Death to Spies 2? Developed and published by Maximum Games, Alekhine's Gun is a 3rd person, stealth action adventure set during the height of the Cold War.

I'm a firm believer in saying that the quality of a game's graphics does not reflect the quality of the game as a whole, but just how bad the graphics are has to be addressed for the people that do care. Textures are flat, animations are stiff, and the lighting is jagged and all over the place.

This is a game that looks like it could easily run on a PS2, but has trouble running on a PS4. Not even a minute into actually playing the game, the frame rate tanked below 20fps as soon as I moved the camera. It's clear that the frame rate isn't capped, so one second you are at 60fps, then the next you are chugging along at 24fps. There are other games on the PS4 that have superior graphics, but still never drop below 60fps. The fact that this game does though makes no sense.

What technically counts as a story for Alekhine's Gun is a thinly spread doomsday plot that only exists to have you travel to various locations from the 1940's through the 1960's. You must travel to many different environments around the world, over the span of 3 decades, in order to eliminate targets, destroy sensitive information, and gather intel in order to keep the Cold War from boiling over. This story is primarily played out with single frame, black and white drawings with voice overs. For some reason, even these cutscenes suffer frame frequent frame rate dips.

Alekhine's Gun would have benefited greatly from a "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."-esque spy plot. You already play as a Russian spy, and there is an American CIA agent you save that is suspicious of you. Instead, we're stuck with a game that takes itself much too seriously. Which wouldn't have been bad if the story was actually engaging.

The bits of story that are actually fleshed out are the backgrounds of your targets and how they connect to real world events of the time. It's clear that the developers spent a lot of time studying the world's history during the Cold War. It's genuinely interesting to see how these fictional events would have fit in the real world.

Here is where Alekhine's Gun shines bright, the gameplay. Maximum Games were able to take the best elements of Death to Spies 2 and Hitman: Blood Money and put them into one game. As you progress through Alekhine's Gun, you will be given more and more unique ways of disposing of your targets and completing your objectives.

Simple ways of eliminating your targets, such as choking and poisoning, will eventually turn into electrocution, accidental chandelier positioning and BBQing gone wrong. Admittedly, not as unique as the ways of killing your targets in the Hitman entries, but Alekhine's Gun still offers a vast array of elimination and opportunities. Although, performing the same kill over and over will probably burn you out, so make sure to either take breaks or change up your play style from time to time.

Loadout and gear customization isn't as in depth as, say, Blood Money, but it certainly comes in handy with the 11 open levels you are tasked with completing. All the environments feel distinct and fun to play in. From a Nazi castle, to a busy hotel in Switzerland, to a mob boss' huge villa in New York The entire level is open to you from the get-go as well, so there's no need to wait for the other half of the map to unlock when the game deems you are worthy to proceed.

One welcome addition is the ability to save and load whenever you want. This may seem like something that isn't praise worthy, but it's a feature that is seemingly omitted from almost every faux mainstream stealth game nowadays. What may irritate many more modern gamers is that Alekhine's Gun lacks a basic autosave feature. So make sure to save before you do anything risky, or else you will be forced to replay from your last manual save point.

Is Alekhine's Gun a bad game? No, a bad game is a game that fails to achieve what it was aiming for. Maximum Games aimed for a fun, Hitman-esque stealth game in a Cold War setting, and they succeeded with that. Many people seem to forget that not every game needs to be Citizen Kane or a work of art to hang in a museum. Some games just want to be games. Although tripping over a few graphical and narrative hurdles, Alekhine's Gun core experience is a fun stealth romp that hearkens back to the days of Hitman: Blood Money.

Momodora: RUtM (Reverie Under the Moonlight) is a game about a small priestess named Kaho who comes across the lands to a foreign kingdom where a dark magic has been slowly encroaching into hers. Kaho is no ordinary priestess though; she wields a small maple leaf that doubles as a sword/fan/thing? She also wields a bow, of which she is seemingly a master at. Her travels bring her to Karst City, the home of the kingdoms queen and hopefully an answer to where the curse is coming from.

Don't Ask me to explain. It's magic, there is none.

The games art style is obviously pixelized, but it makes the game look very charming. Combined with the music it can be very atmospheric at times. Mechanically the game works very well, combos feel satisfying to land, multiple times in a row with a few shots from the bow for good measure. But the thing to tie it all together is the dodge mechanic. A short and simple roll in one direction is by no means exciting on its own, but with a quick paced combo'em up style combat system it makes everything feel tighter. Granted your i-frames won't always save you. The game also packs a few upgrades/items that make things a little bit spicier. As well as the staple healing item in the form of 'Bellflowers' that work on a charge system (reminds me of orange juice for some reason).

Its obvious that Momodora: RUtM pulls inspiration from several sources, being a metroidvania, but packs quite a unique feel that sets it apart. It is however fairly short, and is possible to finish in one sitting (including all item collection, if you really wanted to). But has an NG+ system along with several hard to get achievements for those completionists out there. If you're experienced with metroidvania styled games you'll find this one easy enough to progress through, with just enough challenge to keep you trying again and again. If its too easy you can ramp up the difficulty all the way to hard, you masochist.

Beware amazing chest, in short try attack.

In my opinion the game was a blast; a short little gem packed with action and some good ole-timey exploration. However I feel like it could have been so much more. More enemies, more bosses, more challenge, more areas, more more more! But having played the previous iterations of the series I can say for damn sure that this is by far the best, in every way.

The story however for me is the most lacking aspect. Characters in the game operate similarly to those in Dark Souls where you'll encounter them at certain points of the game if you aid/interact with them. Dialogue is sometimes weird in English (likely a byproduct of translation), and the story arcs are a little confusing sometimes, but it's a minor gripe.

Whatever you say, Sans.

Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight is now available in the Steam Store for 8.99 Euro, 9.99 USD. A reasonable price when you consider its replayability.

Recommended? Yes, definitely for those who enjoy the metroidvania genre. And for some if their looking for a game to pass a couple hours with and not have to get completely stuck in.

A solid 7/10. Hopefully enough incentive for another one to be made.

http://www.bombservice.com/momo4.html - Dev's Website.

The Game is set at the foot of an expansive estate, owned by a anscestor of the player's.The player soon learns that the ancestor has been secretly excavating beneath his manor releasing a great evil upon the world. Horrified and broken, the ancestor took his own life, leaving his hamlet in ruin. And so, the player steps in, inheriting their relative‘s lands and are set to undo the corruption that was unleashed. Controlling a group of four heroes, and a force of many more, the player is tasked on exploring and clearing wide variety of areas, ranging from undead infested ruins to twisted and cavernous coves. Each successful expedition into the the ancestor‘s lands uncovers more of its dark past and brings the hamlet closer to its former glory.

Darkest Dungeon delivers an unique and powerful aesthetic feel combining a grotesque Gothic art style, robust soundtrack and well-crafted sound effects. Although, what really sets this game from others is its great narration. Mechanically the game is very satisfying, each attack, spell and action feel like they have great import to a missions sucess. Obliterating the enemy front line with one well placed crit is indescribably fun. A unique game mechanic that makes Darkest Dungeon's absurdly difficult combat less impossible is the death's door mechanic. Once a hero reaches zero health, they do not instantly die, but rather, are put to death's door, where each hit on that hero has a chance to kill them. Having a hero brought to death‘s door is always terrifying, as the player is trying desperately to try and save the hero, delaying their inescapable end.

Another particularly striking aspect of this game is its stress mechanic, which introduces a psychological aspect to the game. Throughout the quests heroes will accumulate stress during battles and through object interactions and once they've had enough of the horrors, they will become afflicted. These afflictions greatly hinder their combat ability, stresses out their party and are overall unpleasant to have. Thus, stress relief comes into place taking up a huge part of this game. After the quest is over, a stressed hero could be sent to one of the many stress relief activities inside the tavern or the abbey, for a small fee, of course. However, if an afflicted hero fills their stress bar for a second time, they are treated with a heart attack, which immediately puts them at death's door, or if they are at death's door- instantly kills them. To sum, this mechanic is in place to make the heroes more human, it shows what inner turmoil a hero would actually face when traversing grim and harsh dungeon halls, forced to fight for their lives.

Darkest Dungeon is a brutally punishing and difficult game, that‘s what it‘s famed for. In the very start, right after the opening cinematic the player is treated with a little disclaimer warning you about the perils they will face ahead, stating that their favorite heroes will indeed succumb to the evil therein. But there's still an option for more casual players to disable a few hard game mechanics in the options screen, making the game so much easier.

To add, the game has a lot of riveting content, plentiful of fleshed out bosses and some replayability with NG+. For completionists, there are quite a few hellishly difficult and rare achievements to be had on steam.

In the end, I find this game worth all the time I had spent on it, even though the game felt a little bit grindy and repetitive at the end while preparing my expeditions to the final quest. Still, I had many really memorable moments while playing this game.

Also, there‘s an argument to be made that the game is too RNG based. That may be true to some degree, a good player is more than capable of keeping their heroes alive, no matter how grim things look, there is always the retreat button, which is often overlooked by most players. Having over two hundred hours of experience in this game I managed to beat NG+ only losing three heroes. RNG is not that terrifying and can be easily countered by good party compositions, equipment and planning, if you asked me.

8/10, Atmospheric, memorable and challenging game, yet a bit grindy at points.

Darkest Dungeon is available on steam for 22.99 Euros, 24.99 USD. The price may be a bit steep, but you‘re getting a lot out of this game.

The game still gets occasional updates, you can find out more about them before they get released on the game‘s website www.darkestdungeon.com

I would most definitely recommend playing this game for anyone who enjoys a challenge and appreciates a grim, Lovecraft inspired aesthetic. This game will definitely keep you engaged for weeks.

YouTube sensation Brent Black, who is better known as Brentalfloss from his video game songs with lyrics videos, has announced that he launched a Kickstarter for a brand new comedy-based party game that he and one of his friends, Julian Spillane, have been working on.

Much in the same vein as The Jackbox Party Pack and QuipLash, Use Your Words! will display the game on a main screen or monitor and input will be through a compatible device's web browser like a smart phone, tablet, console, or PC. The Kickstarter only needs $35,000 to reach its minimum goal and judging by the video it looks extremely promising; I hope that the stretch goals are reached as well. You can pledge whatever amount you want here, but until then, I'll be seeing you.

DISCLAIMER:

I have not been paid for this article, but I have donated some of my own money to the Kickstarter.

The premise of the game at first glance seems to be like most in the survival horror genre, survive until you die. What makes the game unique is that its utterly pitch black all day, everyday. Thankfully it seems like you can through various means and tools, create life affirming light. Unfortunately for you there are mobs of zombies who are attracted to any and all sources of light. So an interesting dilemma is offered to the players, how do you survive when you can't see anything and any light you turn on will bring zombies like flies to a neon light. Live only off what every light your torch provides or look for greater sources of light, and of safety or at least some safety.

Darkness Overrun hopes to be a open world, with a lot more ground to explore that what was shown in the reveal. It also will have base building. So hopefully you'll have the chance to go full I Am Legend and pimp a sweet pad to keep the zombies out and the light in.

The game is obviously in pre-alpha so it's a very long way from being done, but Shadow Zone is going to have a alpha demo live soon so you'll have a chance to play for yourself. If you're interested in keeping up to date with whats going on you can follow the studios Twitter @SZSGames.

Tengami is an amazing point and click puzzle game, that uses a stunning pop-up book mechanism along traditional Japanese art and storytelling. While being a short game with only three levels I still logged 2.2 hours of gameplay from start to finish.

With a 3D environment made in a origami style world. This is one of the most amazing games I have played. Along with amazing Dynasty era soundtrack that fits the mood of each level. After an update this game is flawless, there are NO bugs, and everything works perfectly.

The puzzles are fairly easy, and even if you get stumped there is an official walkthrough, along with a few secrets.This game is a great stress reliever, it plays like a virtual zen garden. This game has a great replay value, I have seen others log in as much as 13+ hours of game play.

This is a great debut for Nyamyam, the UK developer of Tengami. I can not wait to see what they come out with next. I see a bright future for them. Released last year on IOS and WII U. Now the game is available on Steam for PC and Mac for only $.9.99.

The Technomancer

Actual RPGs are hard to come by these days. Many people mistaking label leveling up a skill in a linear corridor shooter as an RPG, but developer Spiders know the truth. The Technomancer is an open world cyberpunk RPG set on Mars with a heavy emphasis on storytelling and unique melee combat. The Technomancer is also a spiritual successor to the severely underrated Mars: War Logs. Spiders have a proven track record when it comes to developing a proper RPG with compelling story aspects, so we're excited to see if The Technomancer can keep Spiders' track record polished.

We Happy Few

If you thought the underwater city of Rapture from BioShock wasn't fueled by enough fictional drugs, We Happy Few is for you. We Happy Few is a psychological horror game set in an alternate 1960's England where all citizens are required to take a drug called "Joy." More about the game will be known once it is released to Steam early access and Xbox Game Preview July 26th.

Cuphead

Cuphead is a 2D platformer with the artstyle of a 1930's cartoon. At the beginning of the game, the player loses a bet with the devil and spends the rest of the game attempting to repay the lost bet. Recently announced for Cuphead were more platforming areas to compliment its brutal boss fights. One of Cuphead's hooks is its punishing difficulty. See for yourself.

Vampyr

From the developers that brought you Life is Strange... comes Vampyr. Vampyr is a third person RPG that casts you in the role of a doctor turned vampire as he deals with the duality of saving lives and taking them. The video game industry has been absolutely starved for a good vampire game since Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. Let's hope that Dontnod Entertainment can revitalize this undead genre.

Yooka-Laylee

Banjo-Kazooie fans rejoice! No longer are you trapped under the mighty boot of Microsoft. After a very successful Kickstarter, many of the original Rare Ware developers were able to fund the Banjo-Threeie that we never got. Yooka-Laylee is a third person platformer that takes more than a few pages from Banjo's playbook. The colorful, cartoony visuals are back, as well as the collect-a-thon gameplay that gamers from the early 2000's know and love.

In an industry that has seemingly forgotten how to make a proper RPG, Spiders have to once again remind us what an actual RPG looks like; and that RPG is The Technomancer. Developed by Spiders and published by Focus Home Interactive, The Technomancer is a third person RPG in the same vein as its predecessor, the criminally underrated, Mars: War Logs.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. So it's a good thing that The Technomancer's weakest link happens to be redeemable. The Technomancer puts you in the shoes of Zachariah Mancer; a newly initiated Technomancer that is contracted to work with a powerful corporation on Mars. Unfortunately, revealing any more of the story would spoil too many of the twists and reveals. Oddly enough, many of the big twists aren't all that surprising, but the smaller, more character specific reveals, are much more surprising. The main story in The Technomancer isn't all that interesting or engaging, and mainly serves as a means to shuffle you along from one place to another.

Luckily, this is easily redeemed by the fleshed characters you meet along your journey. Zachariah isn't alone on his quests. You will also have two companions with you at all times, and you are able to choose from a large, diverse cast to bring along with you. Taking the time to speak to your companions is crucial as it not only will that unlock new quests, but it also allows you to get to know them. Almost all of you companions feel like real people with real goals. Given the desolate nature of the game, you will often hear a saddening story from a companion's past that is genuinely believable due to the writing and delivery by the voice actor. I haven't genuinely cared about a cast of characters like this since Mass Effect 2 from all the way back in 2010.

The world of The Technomancer feels well crafted and each location's culture and populous differ from each other. I can't say that it feels like a living, breathing world as you play because it doesn't. Sure, you will occasionally pass by groups of NPCs in city hubs talking about events that are unfolding, but these interactions are few and far between. Locations can range from giant mega cities constructed by corporations with a government run purely by corporate interest in mind, to slums put together over decades by people with scrap metal they happen to come by, to baron wastelands once inhabited by early settlers of Mars. Once you begin to tire of a city hub, you will be introduced to another filled to the brim with even more lore and quests.

One feature The Technomancer would have benefited greatly from was a codex for all the lore and characters. The world of The Technomancer is one of the most original and interesting I've seen in almost 10 years, but the only way to learn more about the game's lore is to ask certain characters about locations and factions or eavesdrop on NPCs speaking to one another.

Being that this is an open world RPG, you will eventually have to make moral decisions that will affect who lives and who dies or your own personal karma and reputation with other characters. Most of the choices you will have to make are fairly binary that have little lasting impact on you. The biggest punishment you'll get is a lowered reputation level for a certain faction, but that may also cause you to no longer be able to receive quests from the faction you scorned. In fact, there are a few decisions that are some of the most morally ambiguous I've ever seen in a game, especially for some of the companions and quests towards the end.

As a third person RPG, The Technomancer could have gone one of two routes; it could have been a generic cover shooter or it could do something original. Thankfully, we got the latter. Technomancers, themselves, are highly skilled warriors that are capable of using mage-like abilities to control electricity in battle for offensive and defensive purposes. The Technomancer focuses almost solely on melee combat, of which, there are three combat stances/modes: Warrior, Rogue, and Guardian. All of which are just as important as the others.

Warrior allows you to wield a two handed staff that swings somewhat slow, but deals a considerable amount of damage. You won't be able to block with Warrior though. Your only defence is to dodge. Rogue gives the player a short blade in one hand and a gun in the other. The attacks from the rogue stance are quick, but don't deal a lot of damage. The gun in this stance is similar to Bloodborne's as it is more of a defensive weapon to disrupt attacks with. Again, you can't block with this stance, but you can still dodge. Guardian, the final stance allows the player to wield a blunt object and shield. The attacks are about as fast as the Warrior stance, but you can actually defend yourself with the shield.

Initially, it seemed as though all you had to do was tap X until your enemies died, but you'll quickly realize that will only result in your own untimely demise. The enemy AI will adapt if you begin mashing one button and promptly counter you dealing massive damage. So you should be ready to change stances quickly, and adapt to the enemy and situation as you'll find one strategy isn't strong in every case.

Technomancer abilities do seem seem a bit underwhelming with their extent being electrifying weapons and shooting lightning from your hands to temporarily stun your opponent. You do feel a sense of superiority as a Technomancer since you hardly ever face enemies that have similar powers. Although this will amount to nothing if you take the combat as a joke because you will quickly realize that, if you aren't thinking, the enemy can get the upper hand and kill you.

In The Technomancer, exposure to the sun on mars will cause severe radiation sickness and transform people into mutants with deformed bodies and altered DNA. This is something that is explained in the opening cutscene and through a few other cutscenes along with the existence of the mutant factions in the game that have been exposed to the sun. Since The Technomancer already has a day/night cycle, this idea sounds great. You would only be able to leave cities at night to avoid the exposure to the sun resulting in the death of you and your companions. Sadly though, this isn't an actual gameplay feature. The only times that the sun's radiation is any danger to anyone is during cutscenes. Otherwise, it's purely aesthetic. That is such a missed opportunity for a unique gameplay mechanic.

You have no idea how refreshing it is to play an RPG that has the guts to tell you that you can't have every perk and ability in one playthrough. You will have to play through The Technomancer multiple times to see and experience everything it has to offer. For me, that's a proper RPG. You are more than welcome to level up each combat stance and pick new perks, but you will have to choose wisely. Often times you have to choose between perks such as doing more damage in a certain stance or increasing the likelihood of getting a critical hit. You can't have both. The Technomancer also isn't afraid to throw you in a big world and let you figure everything out. After a short combat tutorial, which you can choose to skip, you are on your own. It feels wonderful not being treated like a child and being led around by your hand.

Creating a game with a lived in world, compelling characters, and fully fleshed out combat just wasn't enough for developer Spiders. On top of everything The Technomancer has to offer, you are also given an in depth crafting system not unlike the crafting in Spiders' previous game, Bound By Flame. Almost every item of clothing and weapons can be upgraded and health items can be crafted.

In the world of The Technomancer, you will be able to find varying qualities of metal and leather, and misc items in containers and on defeated enemies in order to craft and upgrade items to survive longer on Mars. The upgrades for articles of clothing typically fall under three levels of damage reduction, disruption, and energy regeneration. Whereas, weapons can be upgraged for either increased damage, increased disruption, or increased critical hit chances. Again, just like the skill system, you can't have it all at once and will be forced to swap out and choose each upgrade.

You will often find yourself digging in trashcans or dead bodies looking for the last ingredient for your upgrade, or scrounging up enough money to afford a recipe to craft better upgrades. The crafting system is much more in depth and involving than I thought it would be and is almost a game in itself. Some enemies may be more susceptible to disruption, and some enemies are mainly susceptible to critical hits, so you will need to swap out your increased damage upgrade for an increased disruption upgrade or critical hit upgrade.

Don't expect the latest AAA lensflare simulator when picking up The Technomancer. Textures aren't anything to write home about, but some of the vistas can be downright breathtaking. There were multiple times where The Technomancer rendered me immobile as I stared at the awe inspiring view. As for texture models, they are serviceable, but in the current year just don't stand up to most games released so far. But if you only care about graphics, please stop playing video games.

The version of The Technomancer I played the most was on Xbox One. Obviously, it wasn't as graphically appealing as on PC, but some of the textures were surprisingly bad. Character and weapon textures were okay, but many of the rocks and buildings in the world looked almost untextured and seemed to be only a flat color. Despite this, the Xbox One version ran smoothly and hardly ever fell below 30 frames.

I mentioned briefly before that the voice acting is delivered well enough to compliment the writing and make characters believable. That is with the exception of whomever is voicing the playable character, Zachariah. His performance is constantly fluctuating between perfect delivery and "that tone has nothing to do with the situation." It's a shame really, because his performance is crucial to keeping players emotionally invested in the story, and I believe that's partially why I found it so hard to actually care about the main story. It's a good thing that your companions and the actual world of The Technomancer make up for that make up for it.

The soundtrack for The Technomancer can only be described as synth slathered supremacy. It is a large conglomeration of many instruments, but seeing how this is a cyberpunk game, synthesizers are the star of the show. The Technomancer knows when to expertly cut through a tense moment with a brooding 80's synthesizer that even Charles Bronson would approve of. And then the game knows when to play a soft melody during an emotional scene. Every track compliments the given situations and never feels out of place.

The Technomancer achieved everything it strived for. A non-linear, proper RPG with an emphasis on storytelling and combat. Admittedly, it stumbled over a few hurdles, but was still able to finish the race gloriously. For me, it's safe to say that The Technomancer is one of the best game of 2016. An indie developer was able to make a cyberpunk RPG to rival Mass Effect, one of the biggest AAA franchises on the market. Take that in, and do yourself a favor, don't miss out on The Technomancer.

What do you call a decent enough PC game ported poorly onto consoles? Well, now we can call it 7 Days to Die. Developed by The Fun Pimps and published by Telltale Publishing, 7 Days to Die is a first person, zombie survival game not unlike DayZ. Although more akin to Minecraft than DayZ, 7 Days to Die has a stronger emphasis on crafting and defense from zombie hordes. Regardless of the overall quality of 7 Days to Die on PC, this review is for the PlayStation 4 port.

7 Days to Die doesn't have a single player story, per se, but you can find and complete quests scattered throughout the world. The way you acquire these quests is actually fairly unique. To start a quest, you typically find a note on a dead body or at a deaddrop. This information will be logged under your quests menu.

The quests themselves aren't all that interesting though. Just the usual, "Here's where to find good loot. I'll mark it on your map." Not bad, but leaves much to be desired. It's still a nice addition that I'm glad was included. Another neat addition is the tutorial repeating for every new game, this is actually a nice addition so you won't have to constantly consult wikis and 'how-to' videos, just so you can craft shoes.

Unfortunately this is where everything falls apart. First, the HUD and menu interfaces. Clearly no foresight was used in transitioning the HUD and menus from PC to console. During actual gameplay, your quick select items are on a row at the bottom of the screen. To switch between these items, you use the left and right shoulder buttons. This actually works and I had no problems with using it. But if you want to go into your inventory, you press square or X by default, and trip over the controls trying to navigate through.

In order to make selections in your inventory, you are given a circular cursor. Cursors work great on PC, but on consoles? Not so much. You'll find yourself highlighting or hovering over the wrong items even though are trying to aim it elsewhere. It'll be too slow at first, so you can change it in the option menus, but you can never find a perfect setting. It'll accelerate either too fast or too slow. It was an absolute nightmare to go through my inventory and was not a pleasent experience.

You are able to change your inventory categories such as items, character, map, and quests with the left and right shoulder buttons. That was the only part of menu navigation that actually worked fine. There were many occasions where I needed to navigate inventory to grab an item to save myself but the game's inventory sytem made it impossible. Note to future developers and publishers: cursors do not work well on consoles.

The graphics in 7 Days to Die are jaw dropping, but not in the way you might think. The textures on PS4 are unacceptable. These kind of low res textures wouldn't have been acceptable for a PS2 game, let alone a "next gen" console. Most, if not all textures are completely flat and are only one or two colors with no detail. This genuinely baffled me. I figured that I would just have to stand still for a second to let the textures load in, but they never rendered.

Apparently we got a new Silent Hill game after all. Konami must have just renamed it 7 Days to Die. Actually, that's not what happened. 7 Days to Die on PS4 just sports an incredibly low draw distance. You are only able to see maybe 20 feet ahead of you before you are met with an empty fog void. There isn't any subtlety to this fog wall either. It's almost a completely flat wall that moves as you do, and barely covers the spawn of terrain and objects such as trees and buildings.

Animations are no different. Everything looks so stiff and unnatural, save for a few animations on zombies. It will look good on occasion when a zombie stumbles back from hard hit to the head. The same can't be said for player animations though. In first person, even your hand looks like it popped a Viagra or two when you swing an axe or a club. Everything you do looks unnaturally stiff. Watching other players' animations in multiplayer is horrifying as well. You'll start to wonder who is really the lifeless. And this is all coming from someone who couldn't care less about graphical fidelity. Take that for what it's worth.

The gameplay suffers the same fate of borderline awful design as everything else. You start off by punching a tree to gather wood, crafting wood tools to gather stone, use said stone to craft stone tools and weapons, and eventually build your way up through the material tree. Sound familiar? Well, that's because it's the same formula used by every survival indie game since Minecraft. Movement is slow and clunky, hitting enemies or other players is a matter of luck, and there's no sense of accomplishment. It's a first person shooter without the polish.

Similar to every survival game ever, you have to constantly watch your hunger and thirst levels. Apparently you're Jabba the Hutt because you're hunger and thirst levels go down way too quickly. And good luck trying to find any food or water. 7 Days to Die is so stingy with resources. You can hunt animals with a bow and arrow, or you can get lucky enough to find some food and water in buildings. Those really are your only two options.

Surprisingly, there are lite RPG elements to be found in 7 Days to Die. The more you do any action in the game, you will grow stronger and better at that action or performance. For example, the more you chop down trees; the faster you can do it next time. This sounds all great on paper, but I hardly ever noticed any changes after leveling up one ability many times. Perhaps I'm jaded after coming from playing through a great RPG, but these elements feel like secondary ideas that weren't expanded on properly.

There isn't much to say about multiplayer. It's the same game just with other people, and the ability to grief and kill other players. It could make for a decent night of fun with a couple of buddies, but it's not at all fun with random people. You can argue that it adds to the 'you don't know who to trust' style of gameplay, but there is no fun trying to play a cooperative game with people who refuse to cooperate and will kill you as soon as you spawn. This wasn't only on one server. This was on every server I tried to join. People were either waiting around designated spawn areas to kill me and others or they just killed you on sight without ever finding out if you were friendly.

I haven't played a game this surprisingly bad in a long time. 7 Days to Die fails in everything it sets out to do, with the exception of its quest system, but that just isn't enough to save it. Unfortunately, I have not played the PC version so I do not have a frame of reference to work with. Maybe every aforementioned issue I found with the PS4 version isn't a problem on PC, and more power to PC players, but I can't recommend this game to anyone that can only play on consoles. If you must play a survival game on consoles: get Ark: Survival Evolved on Xbox One, Minecraft, or just wait for DayZ to finally come to consoles.

Not only does the remake seem to be incredibly faithful to its source material, but it's also downright impressive just how far Night Dive Studios pushed Unity graphically. The System Shock remake also has the support of industry veterans such as Warren Spector (Deus Ex, Thief: The Dark Project), Paul Neurath (Thief II: The Metal Age, System Shock 2), and Brian Fargo (Fallout, Wasteland 2). Night Dive Studios have also contracted Chris Avellone (Fallout: New Vegas, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II) to help better translate the narrative of System Shock for the modern industry. If all that wasn't enough for you, Night Dive Studios have also employed Robb Waters, the original concept artist for System Shock (1994) and the BioShock series, to re-imagine his own work from 22 years ago.

If you are interested in trying this re-imagining of System Shock for yourself, you can download the Pre-Alpha demo for free from Steam, GOG, or Humble Bundle. If you are interested in checking out the Kickstarter campaign, or even backing it, it can be found here.

Prey for the Gods is a game where the scale is you=ants. Action is fast paced, and the world is brutal and unforgiving. Your survival hinges on killing the gods that you pray to.

Prey for the Gods is currently in Kickstarter and is being developed by No Matter studios, a team consisting of only 3 developers and composer Ian Dorsch. So far the game looks absolutely stunning, and promises to play with the tight controls of Bloodborne, the scale of Shadow of the Colossus, and an open world several times bigger than the bosses (I jest of course).

Brought to my attention by the Gods over at Indieformer, Prey for the Gods may very well be the next BIG game (heh). Currently 6k from the 300k goal with 19 days to go and a whole host of stretch goals we might get to see this game get made.

This has been a public service announcement, thank you for your time.

Links:

Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/802508750/pre...

and for more games in the works;

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHFDtPdTc-ymerPwh...

We've done it! With the help of our thousands of dedicated, passionate, and generous backers we've raised over $1.3 million dollars to bring System Shock back to life!

These last 30 days have been a wild ride but we've enjoyed every moment of it. From reading your comments, answering your questions, and interacting with you on Discord and Twitch it's been an experience we've enjoyed more than anything else. It's clear from the overwhelming outpouring of support that System Shock means so much to so many people and we're extremely honored that you've chosen us - and entrusted us with the monumental task of remaking one of, if not the greatest game of all time. No
pressure!

From everyone here at Nightdive...Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! We couldn't have done it without you and look forward to having you join us as we embark on our return voyage to Citadel Station!

Again...from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!

Stephen Kick CEO - Nightdive Studios

After over 20 years of waiting, perhaps this is the System Shock remake fans deserve. System Shock is expected to launch by December 2017 for PC, Xbox One, and PS4. Stay with us for future news on System Shock.

First of all, for a fan-made remake of a classic of disputable merit, this game is on point when it comes to quality. The world closely follows the same map layout and physics as the original Metroid 2 and fixes OH SO MANY problems that the original game had. Some examples include: a much larger viewing area as Samus's sprite in the original game took up around 2% of the screen (which is quite a bit when you consider the Game Boy's pixel ratio); a map and area landmarks to make it less likely to become lost; and better aiming and enemy AI. And if that wasn't enough, the game was pretty much given the complete "Zero Mission" treatment as additional abilities and skills from other games, new bosses, added puzzles, and new optional areas were added to flesh out the game even more. I particularly enjoyed how the developer managed to fit an escape sequence, a staple in the franchise, into the game; it made it feel more like a true Metroid game as a result. Further in the game, I noticed some of the music from the original was replaced with newer songs, but there is no real loss there as the original hardly had any music in it outside the main SR388 theme, the metroid fights, and the last 4 songs you hear in the game. This was a very welcome addition as the original music was so boring and uninspired; it didn't really fit the "Metroid" vibe. This labor of love is the Metroid game that we dedicated fans have been waiting for since the lackluster performance of Other M. Since it is free it is well worth the play, that is if you can find it now.

Score

All of these good points make me wonder though...Why did Nintendo issue the cease and desist? I get that they have every right to protect their IP by any legal means necessary, but was shutting down a fantastically made fan project after it had been finished really the way to go? Nintendo could have done so many things to protect their IP without stating some legalese to Milton. I have seen quite a few examples where fan projects have garnered attention from the companies that own the IP in question, but they managed to handle it much better than what Nintendo has done. I'll list a few examples:

• A while back there was a fan-made Mega Man game that was being developed by a very dedicated fan and they ran into a similar problem that Milton had where the company that owned the IP had taken notice and contacted the developer about the matter. BUT instead, what CAPCOM did was much better by comparison. They gave this fan their full support AND even helped them by loaning them some software tools to make the project go more smoothly. The finished project, Mega Man X Street Fighter, was eventually finished and released on CAPCOM's fan-site without a hitch.
• Christian Whitehead, the developer of some fan games of his own, was also contacted by a big name dev; Sega in this case. Because of the quality of his work, he and and another dev called Headcannon teamed up and worked with Sega to produce these very well made enhanced ports of the original Sonic the Hedgehog games. And now they're working on Sonic Mania, which is basically the ultimate Sonic fan-game.
• And last but not least, Black Mesa, a fan-made HD remake of the first Half Life game. Similar to the Mega Man and Sonic scenarios where the game was being made and the owners of the original IP caught wind of it and contacted the devs. But instead of going all "I'ma sue you" on them, they allowed them to finish the game AND legally sell it on Steam. Sounds like a pretty good deal if you ask me.

Now with these successful scenarios present, why hasn't Nintendo caught on yet? The fans obviously aren't getting what they want from the owners of the IP in question, so they take matters into their own hands. And what does Nintendo do? They get WAY too protective of their property and inadvertently squash the hopes and dreams of their fans. What they should do is contact the dev and pay him to port the game to one of their consoles like the Wii U or 3DS, but the chances of that happening are slim to none. Now I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on this matter. They're a big company in another country; they likely don't realize how much PR damage they're causing. But even if they did, they probably would still issue the takedown notice anyway because they are quite stubborn in that regard. Now don't get me wrong, this whole ordeal doesn't make me love Nintendo any less; it just makes me frustrated with them, like I would get with a family member. They still have a lot to learn, but until then, I'll be seeing you.

Military shooters are no stranger to World War II, Vietnam, modern day terrorist insurgency, and even the far off future, but what about World War I? Well Verdun has come to consoles to show that you don't need gimmicky gadgets and killstreaks to make a great shooter, but will the transition from PC to console affect the quality of the game?

Being that Verdun is multiplayer only, you would think that there is no story. That isn't necessarily true. The story of Verdun is WWI itself. Now that may sound like a cop out for writing an actual story, and it is and it isn't. During loading screens, there will be a short paragraph either stating little known facts about WWI or quickly summarizing the battle that was fought in real life on each map you are loading into.

Although I am already fairly well versed in the history of the first world war, I still found these loading screens to be incredibly interesting and overall helped bring the maps to life. If you aren't too familiar with the actual history of WWI, then Verdun is a great starting point to get you interested as well as being nearly 100% accurate. Who would have thought that a gritty first person shooter could be considered an educational game?

A game touting itself with a realistic setting and story needs equally realistic gameplay. Thankfully, Verdun delivers precisely that. In an industry where firearms have the penetration power of an airsoft gun on Viagra, it's so refreshing to play a first person shooter where guns behave how they're supposed to. Your enemies will go down in only one or two shots depending on the gun, and so will you. The amount of recoil each weapon gives off seems to be accurate to their real life counterparts, and they just seem like they have a certain weight to them while moving around.

You will have 3 game modes to choose from: Attrition, Rifle Deathmatch, and Squad Defense. Attrition is similar to team deathmatch in that whichever team gets the most kills wins, but in Verdun, each team has a set amount of "tickets." Whenever a player is killed, a ticket is deducted. The team with tickets remaining wins. Rifle Deathmatch is the standard free for all where there are no teams and everyone must kill everyone. Squad Defense is similar to any horde mode in other games. You and 3 other players must defend various positions on a map from waves of the enemy AI. This is the only mode that can be played solo. Attrition quickly became my favorite since it's the closest to an actual battle in WW1. Squad Defense was my least favorite due to the enemy artificial intelligence lacking any intelligence.

It may not seem like it, but Verdun is actually a tactics based game. Each team and subsequent squad have to work together to win. The team that has players running around trying to shoot everything that moves is very noticeable and will quickly lose to a well coordinated team. Your best option would be to use a headset as the leader of a squad to issue orders to other players, but you can also issue orders in game. Not everyone listens though, so you could be the only one working hard for victory whilst everyone else on your squad is running around looking for enemies.

Picking your squad, class, and weapons can be a bit of a pain. To do so, you must first pick which squad you want to join, choose which squadmate you want to play as, choose your weapon for said squadmate, then you can play. Problems arise when you want to play as a certain squad member or use a certain weapon, and another player is already using them. You can ask them in game if you can play as that character, but you will more than likely be ignored. It's not a horrible system, but perhaps being original isn't the best option in this sense. Creating a loadout for whichever team you're on has proven to be tried and true.

Artillery and phosgene gas mix things up in the heat of battle. As soon as you either hear or see the tell tale signs of artillery coming down, it's time to run, usually into the longing arms of your enemy. Same goes for running into phosgene gas, but you has a gas mask to help in that situation. The only drawback is that the mask significantly obstructs your view. I'd say that's better than destroying your lungs and dying painfully though. The frame rate does suffer a bit due to both of these. Whenever artillery rains down or you find yourself in a yellow cloud, there will be noticeable dips. Nothing too severe, but something worth noting and looking out for.

Verdun actually looks fantastic for an indie game. Weapons, clothing, and items look incredibly realistic, the firearms especially. The amount of "little details" is a work of beauty as well. Whenever you reload, you can actually see your character press the magazine release, watch the magazine release slide into the gun, and pull the magazine out. I've never seen that level of detail in a first person shooter before. I was actually so impressed that I had to constantly reload to take the best possible screenshot. See for yourself. Being able to turn off the HUD entirely to either take screenshots or to add to the realism is a welcome touch that more developers should consider implementing.

Sadly, environments don't get the same level of detail though. Dirt, grass, and foliage look alright, nothing special, but you can't inflict any damage to them. And I'm not talking about there not being destructible environments, which there aren't. I'm talking about just cosmetic details. Shooting anything in the environment won't yield a little cosmetic bullet hole. It may only be me, but that's something that really stuck out to me in an otherwise gorgeous game. An exception also comes in the form of the fire effects for the flame thrower. The fire looks so bad that it actually affects gameplay because it's often too hard to tell where your flames are going and how close you need to be to your enemies. Explosion, screen, smoke, and gas effects all look great as well. The blemishes the graphics have aren't enough to poison the well though. Verdun can be just pure eye candy at times.

Now just how authentic is this realistic WWI first person shooter? In a word: very. All weapons and armors are all period accurate and associate with the right military and nationality.

You won't find an American soldier with a German weapon here. Each nationality speaks the correct language and you can even shout orders to your teammates in that language.

Every map is based off a real battle fought in The Great War. The trenches give off claustrophobic feelings that triggers a sense of paranoia that an enemy could be right behind you at any moment. Given how authentic Verdun is, there is no flashy over the top action. Almost every battle will be in a trench whilst attacking or defending a part of the map. This will no doubt be a turnoff to those looking for cheap thrills, but those of you that can take the time to appreciate the authenticity of Verdun are in for a great and original time.

Verdun was already a fantastic game on PC, so it's a pleasure to see it translated near perfectly to consoles. Verdun doesn't need lensflare, dubstep, or cartoonishly over the top action to be a great game set in World War I. As cliche as it sounds, Verdun has a heart and soul that will be nearly impossible to recreate by another game. Simply put, Verdun is well worth your time.

Interestingly, I've never been too big into the RTS genre. Just like most things, I believed it had a rightful place in gaming, but I could never really get into it. If you like RTS games, you'll like Divided We Fall. If you don't, Divided We Fall isn't going to be the game that turns you. Does that mean it's a bad game? Absolutely not. From an RTS standpoint, and even in it's current state, Divided We Fall is very good game that could very well set new standards in its completed state.

After joining a server, and assuming the current match has ended, you will choose to join either the Allies or the Axis force. From there, your squad leader will issue commands to their entire unit. You're free to follow orders or disobey and run around until you're dead. The gameplay itself is very tactical and really forces the squad leaders and all other players to think since they are working against actual living people and not just an AI. Divided We Fall definitely has me raising an eyebrow in a new found interest in the RTS genre, although I can't speak for everyone in that regard.

Divided We Fall is multiplayer only. You are asked to create an account on a launcher, although it is not mandatory, and then you have a choice of servers to start out on. The best option would be start on Training servers to familiarize yourself with the mechanics of the game.

Perhaps it was the timing of my playtime, but almost every server I joined had the actual developers playing alongside us. Not to moderate and dictate how we play, but to play with us and make sure we were enjoying ourselves. They would even add to jokes and take the time to ask what we personally want to see added in the future. We were also told when updates are planned to appear and what would be included.

I'm not completely sold on it being multiplayer only though. AI squads would probably be just as good, if not better, than random people on the internet that can, and will, gladly disobey orders and end the match in a loss. The servers themselves are a bit laggy, but the developers have stated that these problems will be the first that will be remedied in the next patches. Still, I can't help but feel that multiplayer should have been a secondary gameplay choice rather than the main attraction.

As it stands, Divided We Fall is pretty basic in terms of RTS games, but some of the additions planned to be added are: better balancing, more maps, more nations to choose from, more weapons, and Steam Workshop integration. The words "Early Access" typically turn away many potential players due to the sheer volume of controversy that has followed in the past, but we shouldn't completely disregard a game for that reason. Especially since the developers do seem genuine in their plight.

Why are adventure games important? Because if the current state of the industry is anything to go off of, the adventure genre seems to be the only one capable of telling a story that can rival film and literature. Developed by Variable State and published by 505 Games, Virginia is an adventure mystery game with a cinematic narrative set in, you guessed it, Virginia. So does Virginia do right by the adventure genre?

In Virginia, players assume the role of Anne Tarver, a newly admitted FBI Special Agent. Anne is partnered with seasoned investigator Maria Halperin in the task of uncovering the mystery of a missing young man in the secluded, idyllic town of Kingdom, Virginia.

Unfortunately revealing anymore of the plot would be giving too much away. The story is told masterfully. Beginning fairly simple and straightforward, Virginia slowly spirals and twist into a convoluted web of intrigue. Thankfully, in this instance, "convoluted" is a positive rather than a negative. If the plot had been completely straightforward with no ambition to delve into the strange and abstract, we would be left with just another detective adventure. And when I say strange, I mean strange. Virginia's story is not for those expecting a run-of-the-mill mystery adventure or just another popcorn flick. Even Sherlock Holmes himself would be stumped by the final act.

Although the story is incredibly original, Variable State aren't afraid to admit that their narrative inspirations stem from detective television shows such as Twin Peaks and True Detective, and it shows. The Twin Peaks inspirations are front and center with Virginia's beautiful melancholy atmosphere and sprinklings of film noir. Without giving anything away, occasional surreal moments bleed into the plot that invoked happy, dark memories of NBC's recently cancelled Hannibal.

Without a doubt, the one aspect of Virginia that impressed me the most is that the entire story is told without a single utterance. This means the story is told through the environment and character reactions rather than painfully obvious dialogue. Even though the graphics are stylized like a fine painting, a character's facial expressions are detailed enough to easily observe basic emotions and thoughts. This is a narrative style I hope more developers adopt, but for now, Variable State made it work perfectly for Virginia.

Simplistic, yet beautiful, Virginia features a painterly art style steeped in an air of mystery. From the tiny details of a confidential FBI document, to the rural townscape of Kingdom, Virginia never fails to impress with its simple visuals.

To add to the cinematic feel of the story, Virginia is letterboxed like a film or a high budget T.V. show. Unlike other games that have toyed with this idea, Virginia's letterbox is never intrusive or distracting. In fact, just like a T.V. show or film, you will quickly forget that it's there. If that wasn't enough for you screen junkies, Virginia also recommends to the player that they keep the framerate locked at 30. Luckily, this is easily changeable in the options and runs just as fine at higher framerates. I replayed it at a locked 30fps, and besides some eye strain, I didn't notice any increased immersion. I do attribute the letterbox to increased immersion though, and I'm happy that it was there.

What more could be added to this mysterious world? A hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. How lucky of us then that we got exactly that. On top of providing a tone as a backdrop for a scene, the soundtrack also helps further the narrative. With the exclusion of voice acting and dialogue, the soundtrack lends a hand in telling the player what emotions Anne is feeling at a given moment. The symphony will ramp up as Anne is about to discover something or the music will slow to disheartening crawl as a situation becomes hopeless. The soundtrack for Virginia is one that I want to own.

Gameplay definitely sits as the weakest link of this chain, but if you have played any adventure game before, you know that's a statement applicable to just about all of them. Virginia is played entirely in the first person with the ability to interact with story centric items. While the story and graphics are incredible, the gameplay is remarkably linear. You are always put on a set path that you are rarely ever allowed to deviate from. I found this to be disappointing. The world that Variable State created for Virginia just begs to be explored.

Other than some feathers and flowers, there are no bonus items or documents for you to find. A note between two characters discussing the state of the town or current events, or really anything, would have only helped to add more life into Virginia. That's not saying the town doesn't feel like a real, living breathing place, but much more could have been added. The runtime isn't all that impressive either. I played through Virginia twice and manage to clock in at just under two hours each time. The asking price isn't very high so depending on what you think, this may be easily forgivable.

So does Virginia do right by the adventure genre and storytelling at large? Absolutely, yes. Virginia is a game that can be held as literary art. With all the makings of an unforgettable experience executed nearly perfectly, Virginia is certainly worthy of you time and money. We may never get a proper Twin Peaks game, but until then, Variable State has us covered with Virginia.

1. More often than not, when a fan-dev makes a fangame they are showing their appreciation to the company that made the original work. Most of the time they mean no harm in their intentions and just want to show how much they like the game or series that inspired them to make their own with their favorite characters. However sometimes when the fan project gets shut down, it breaks the heart of the fan sometimes even making them think that their favorite game company doesn't care about what the fans think at all.
2. They give potential future game developers a good jumping off point in which they can get into the field of game design, but if the project gets shut down relatively early in its development cycle, it becomes rather dejecting to the fan-dev thinking that game development just isn't for them.
3. Some fangames promote awareness of a franchise or series that might not be selling well or have been neglected by the owners of the original IP. Now this is where things get a little gray. Whether or not if the game gets canned, this still promotes awareness for the series in question. It just happens to work better if the game gets finished first.
4. Fans gain more from the experience of fangames and official works combined than from the official works by themselves. It is actually quite common for a fan to run into a fangame that is of extremely poor quality and makes them appreciate the polish that went into the official series more as a result. But in the event that a fangame is really good, it makes them not only appreciate the original work, but applaud the effort that the fan-dev made to make it as close to the original series as possible and anticipates whether or not if they will make anything original later.
5. Much like video game piracy, fangames WILL happen with or without the IP holder's consent and trying to police this and prevent it from happening is a fruitless effort that not only wouldn't accomplish anything, but would alienate any future game devs from making their own original work down the line.
6. Fan-devs gain more from encouragement than from a cease and desist. It costs nothing to allow them to keep their finished work up for others to play, and more often than not will not affect their sales much if at all. Most fan-devs even encourage the fans that play their games to buy from the original IP holders so as to offset their involvement in making their little project.
7. If a fan-game is good enough, it benefits both parties more if the original IP holders buy the rights to the fan work and/or ask them to port it to a system they regularly develop games for. Non-canonical works by the original IP holders do exist in the video game industry and fangames always fall under this as they have no legal rights to any of the characters, music, assets, etc. that they borrowed from.

Now with the advent of more user friendly game development tools like Unity, Game Maker Pro, RPG Maker, and the upcoming Mystic Searches S.T.A.G.E, it has become much easier for fans to get into game design. So what should the big gaming companies do? First of all the way I see it, STOP BEING SO STRICT. A hundred or so fangames that happen to contain assets from your works is not the end of the world. Your paychecks aren't going to be affected any from a few practice projects. Secondly, if you see one that looks promising, ENCOURAGE THE DEV. A few kind words can go a long way, especially if you can get a profit from it in some way, shape, or form. And lastly (and this is most important), if a popular fangame is of a series that hasn't seen the light of day in over a decade or so, TAKE THE HINT. It's obvious that the fans want that series to come back, but since you're not doing anything with it, they often take matters into their own hands. The only time you should break out the legalese is when a fan-dev is trying to make money off of their game when it contains many assets your company created. This should be done especially if that fan in question happens to work for a rival game company.

Only time will tell if gaming companies like Nintendo will loosen the leash they have on their property. Many gaming companies like Namco, Sega, and Capcom have already become more lenient on these matters, but while this is a step in the right direction, bigger gaming giants like Konami, Square Enix, and Nintendo still need to unclench and treat the fans as fans and not as parasites. But until then, I'll be seeing you.

It may only be September, but it's Halloween to me! And it seems I'm not the only that feels that way. Developed and published by Minor Key Games, Slayer Shock is the latest game in their collection of criminally underrated titles such as Eldritch and Neon Struct.

As soon as you start up Slayer Shock, you're thrust into a tutorial that intentionally misleads in its tone. Beginning with a dark track accompanied by creepy ambiance, it seems this another dark and gritty horror game. It's not until you kill your first vampire minion, the "Slayer Shock" title logo appears, and the song changes into a more fun and campy track that you realize Slayer Shock is a horror comedy in the same vein as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Evil Dead 2.

As for the actual story, there isn't much to say. You play as a nameless vampire huntress battling droves of vampires and other ghouls of the night out of your coffee shop HQ to save a fictional representation of Lancaster, Nebraska. The characters that work with you from your HQ don't really serve any purpose besides selling you weapons and abilities. You have the option to talk to them, and most of the time they will tell you what they are thinking or how they are feeling, but it's pointless when they are just walking vending machines.

The exclusion of a traditional narrative actually didn't bother me. The atmosphere and gameplay it had to offer is what kept me hooked. Of course a story, regardless of how campy it could have been, would have been nice, but Slayer Shock is a game that lends itself more to the actual gameplay rather than the story. You can actually customize your huntress a bit. Inside your coffee shop headquarters, there is a mirror that allows you to change your hand skin color and nail color. Not quite as in depth as Eldritch, but a welcome addition nonetheless.

Slayer Shock's graphics are stylized similarly to Eldritch and Neon Struct. That isn't bad, but it isn't anything impressive. Minor Key Games remembered that they were developing a game, and not an interactive movie, so photo-realistic visuals were not necessary. The gameplay is why you're here and it does not disappoint.

If you've played Eldritch, you'll feel right at home with Slayer Shock. If you haven't played Eldritch, shame on you. Slayer Shock expertly combines stealth, shooter, and RPG elements into one well made package.

Having adopted the surprisingly in depth stealth mechanics from Neon Struct, Slayer Shock can be completed entirely in stealth. Being able to hear not only your footsteps, but your enemy's footsteps as well should be a staple of any stealth game. Sadly, that isn't the case for most games that claim to be stealth orientated. Luckily, Minor Key Games knew better. Some missions even recommend using stealth and even encourage it by offering more rewards for completing the missions stealthily. Stealth is always optional though, so there is no need to fret if stealth isn't your thing.

Perhaps a bloodbath is more of your style? Fear not, Slayer Shock features enough blood to make even Sam Raimi jealous. To achieve this, you've gotta go on a loud assault. Instead of traditional firearms, you are equipped with some unique weaponry. Instead of a handgun, you have a nail gun. Instead of an assault rifle, you have a repurposed child's dart gun. Vampires hate holy water, but how are you supposed to spray them with it? With a squirt gun, of course! There are still weapons you'd come to expect like a stake, a crossbow, and even a katana. You start off with only one weapon slot for your stake, but can later upgrade to four slots using Slayer Shock's currency: vampire dust.

Lite RPG elements often find themselves into almost every game nowadays, but are usually pointless. That is and isn't true for Slayer Shock. The skills you acquire from your mentor are well thought out and necessary to better yourself as a vampire slayer, but other skills and accessories you can buy from other vendors are usually pointless. I only found myself buying these unnecessary skills after I bought all of the useful skills and all the weapons when I kept accumulating large amounts of vampire dust. It was still a nice option though.

The mission structure is well done and allows the player to tackle missions in whatever order they like. This adds a level of strategic managing because if you decide to put off a mission for too long, the threat level will rise and cause the enemies to become stronger and more plentiful. Slayer Shock does feature boss fights and does so in a unique way. Eventually, a boss will begin to appear in the missions you are tackling and force you to fight them, but will quickly disappear before you can kill them. You will need to pay one of your crew members a large sum of vampire dust to track down the boss. From there you can fight and kill him. The actual boss fights are unimpressive and are essentially just fighting a stronger version of the enemies you've been fighting for hours.

My only real complaint about Slayer Shock is the respawning enemies. It makes sense for some games to have respawning enemies, but not ones like this. Respawning enemies are what kept games like System Shock and its sequel from being perfect. It may not seem like a huge issue, but it gets incredibly frustrating trying to finish a mission stealthily when the room you just cleared out keeps getting repopulated every time you turn around. It's not really a problem if you plan on disregarding stealth altogether though.

It took almost 20 years, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer finally got a good video game in the form of Slayer Shock. 2016 has been a disappointing year for gaming, and the fact that an indie game such as this is able to give the AAA industry a run for their money in terms of quality is really saying something. Nevertheless, Slayer Shock is actually one of my personal contenders for game of the year. Despite a few hiccups, Slayer Shock is definitely worthy of your time.

(Disclaimer: Any and all content that this game's beta contains may be changed or altered in its final release. Please keep this fact in consideration while reading.)

The story is wacky, but simple. A young but passionate baseball player named Sally hits a homerun so hard that the ball speeds through space and crashes into an alien planet so forcefully that it makes a crater upon impact. As such the aliens get pissed and invade earth to exact their revenge. So Sally takes it upon herself to fend off the invaders with her trusty bat and ball. It gives of that early 90's style of creativity that you don't see very much. The story doesn't make much sense, but it doesn't have to as the gameplay is what matters most. I love games like this because the surreal plot makes for some interesting mechanics due to the setting that the story gave it. Most game companies don't seem to grasp this any more.

Now as for the game's controls, they are very responsive and I can't seem to find anything wrong with them. You hit the ball into the blocks and aliens on top half of the screen, you grab power-ups that you can activate at any time to make completing the stage easier, and you can slide along the ground to temporarily become invulnerable to enemy fire. You only get three strikes (HP) before you're out though, but I think that's more than fair considering that the game's challenge scales at a natural pace and you don't fail if the ball ever touches the ground; Instead you just lose the score combo you've built up to that point. I never felt like the game was unfairly difficult in the 5 stages that the beta offered at the time.

Now while there were so few levels in the beta itself, it did offer a level editor which I tried out to a fair extent. Now while it wasn't the most intuitive level editor I've used, I never found myself frustrated on how to use it. It was very easy to learn and placing blocks and enemies was quite painless because the whole system was tile-based. Now I have no idea if sharing levels will be a feature that will be added to it any time in the future, but I sincerely hope that the developers will at least consider it.

Overall, I had a ton of fun with what little was presented to me. The music was extremely well composed and had a Sega-like feel to it, the graphics and spritework was expertly made and was vibrantly colored, and the fact that it's gamepad compatible is just icing on the cake. I was especially impressed by the fact that it was made in Unity as the sheer abundance of crappy Unity-made games makes ones like Aliens Go Home Run! shine as a result. There are a few bugs here and there but due to it still being in its testing phase, that's to be expected. I personally can't wait until the full version of this game is completely finished and released on April 2nd, but until then, I'll be seeing you.

(Disclaimer: Like before, any and all content that this game's beta contains may be changed or altered in its final release. Please keep this fact in consideration while reading.)

So first of all, what can I say that hasn't already been said? Each of the 70 stages and 9 bosses have their own unique challenge to them witch gradually increase in difficulty as you play. But I did have one major problem with one stage and one stage only: 5-7. Every regular stage before and after it were perfectly fine and a lot of fun when it came to their difficulty relative to where it was placed in the game, but this stage in particular was severely unbalanced. I get that the game is still in beta and is currently being tested for bugs, but when I'm subjected to a bullet hell while avoiding mines AND those thwomp-like enemies for nearly an hour where every other stage took roughly 5 minutes (bosses at no more than 10 minutes), it starts to feel more like a chore. The only other gripe I had with the game is that some of the achievements didn't proc when they were supposed to, but that didn't bother me too much. I've never been big on collecting achievements in games.

Now that one stage didn't ruin my experience of this wonderfully crafted game. It would take a helluva lot more than one bad stage to make me hate a video game; I'm not that petty. So like I said, my overall opinion was largely unchanged. And now that I've beaten the game, I feel that I can properly score this game like I have in every other review I've done. So until next time, I'll be seeing you.

Score

The game was this minimalist 3D game that looked like Hitman GO, a strategy game Square-Enix put out a few years back. It was the simple indie look that made me want to play OK Golf.

The game is very simple to play. Swipe back, move your finger to direct where you want your ball to go, then release. Even though that sounds super simple, these courses are accurately real life layouts of actual golf courses around the world.

From the lake country of Georgia

To the desert landscape of Arizona

To the Zen gardens of Japan

To the islands of Hawaii

And the beach fronts of Miami.

These courses are very challenging. It took me multiple tries on many of them to get a birdie first try. Getting under par (birdie or eagle) gave me a full three stars. Even though I was screaming at my phone every time I missed the hole, I still did not want to stop playing the game like I do with some games after being frustrated by my failure.

The game has three single player modes per course. The first is Free Play. Free Play let's you practice each course as many times as you want. After finishing Free Play the course is opened to Championship and Timed Mode. Championship is a regular scored golf game. So the more you practice in Free Play the better you are in Championship mode.

I have not played every mode or have gotten to try the multiplayer feature yet. Though it looks like like it can be fun playing friends all over the world, as long as they have the game and are running off the same OS. You can even do pass and play if you're looking to have some fun at the bar with your friends.

Overall this is one of the best casual games of the year. Definitely worth the $3. Don't wait till it's on sale or in a humble bundle. Get this game not the overpriced coffee you don't need.

The Wonderful 102

I loved The Wonderful 101. It was one of the few modern games that was able to take me back to my childhood. Now when I heard that Hideki Kamiya, the game's director, had ideas on what to do for a sequel, that got me REALLY excited. This game was extremely underrated and the fact that it was a Wii U exclusive kinda killed any hope for the game to sell well. I just hope that Nintendo sees potential in the series since they own the copyright.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Director's Cut

Even though Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE was originally on my "to play" list, the censorship controversy that was surrounding it at the time kinda left a sour taste in my and many others' collective mouths. As such, I decided not to pick it up. BUT given the fact that it was on the Wii U, a console that was geared more toward younger players, it might stand a better chance if it were to be released fully intact and uncensored on the more mature-centric Switch, ESPECIALLY if they packaged it with all the DLC (even the hot-spring side story) on the cart. But that's just my theory.

The Zero Escape Saga

Speaking of Mature games, this series is grossly unheard of. I love me some quantum sci-fi and a good murder mystery as much as the next guy, but if you throw in some brain busting logic puzzles and a plot-heavy narrative not too dissimilar to the SAW franchise, then we got the formula for some interesting plot developments. I think these games would benefit best from being released as one whole package as once you start piecing the story together, it starts to become very difficult to put it down. Having them all together in one pack is just for convenience sake.

Solatorobo HD

Another underappreciated game, but for a different reason; its damn near impossible to get ahold of it for a reasonable price. Being a dieselpunk mech RPG set in a world of anthropomorphic animals, this game has a rather interesting concept but the execution is absolutely stellar. The only problem with it like I said is obtaining a copy. While I managed to get a copy on DS, that is the only system it is available for. Re-releasing it on a modern system like the Switch would be able to remedy this and give the game a second chance at life.

Mario & Sonic at the Dream Olympics

Now while I've greatly enjoyed this series, we all know that it has been less than inventive when it comes to making the Olympics fun for everyone, and even though I'm pretty sure the next game in the series (if there is one) is going to be Mario & Sonic at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games (God, what a mouthful), I really hope that they end the series with one final game and just fuse the Summer and Winter games into one pack and set it in both the Mushroom Kingdom and whatever the hell Sonic's homeworld is called nowadays. Maybe that would be the way to finally make the game fun for more than just a niche audience.

Wario Ware D.I.Y. Deluxe

There was one Wario Ware game that I feel didn't get the full use of the hardware it was produced for, and that was Wario Ware D.I.Y. on the Nintendo DS. Making my own music, comics and microgames was a lot of fun, but I felt that maybe it was a little bit limited with how the games were designed. I think if they were to bring this game back, they would need to include all of the content of the original DS game plus the companion game that was released on WiiWare, and give the player the ability to have make games that use the control pad and face buttons. That should drive the creativity options up a notch.

Ultimate Retro Game Challenge

My favorite reality show is Game Center CX on Fuji TV, so when I found out that the games based on that show were actually any good, I decided to pick them up. Now while I've never played the third game in the series as I've heard that it was quite awful, the first two games were some of the most nostalgic and creative games I've ever played on the DS. So what I think the dev of the first two games should do is compile all of the games and challenges from said games in one pack, and make around 8-10 more new games with 4 new challenges for each to justify excluding the contents of the third game. The real challenge would then be getting the game localized as only the first game was ever released outside of Japan.

amiibo Wars

The amiibo situation is starting to get a bit more under control now wouldn't you all think? That's why I think a new free-to-start amiibo game needs to be made to take advantage of this. When you consider the popularity of collectible object-type games in Japan like Kantai Collection, I think a tactical strategy game or a MOBA would benefit from this market the best. They're simple, easy to program, addictive when executed properly, and have great potential for additional content to be added to in the future. That, and I personally just want to see my massive collection of amiibo to get some use outside of unlocking some costumes or special missions.

Scott Pilgrim VS The World Collector's Edition

It was a real shame when Scott Pilgrim VS The World was removed from the PSN and XBLA online shops. It was a lot of fun and stayed quite true to its source material. But if in the event that the licensing issues are resolved in the future, I would want to see the game re-released in a physical format with extra content added. If it were to have all of the DLC, the complete film (and animated short film) in HD, a full color scan of the entire graphic novel all contained on the cartridge and a poster for good measure, I would be more than happy paying $60 for a game that would normally cost around $15-20.

NES Classic Collection

Okay now I know a lot of people, myself included, who were quite pissed when Nintendo ended production on the NES Classic Edition. That's why I propose that they port the contents of that device to the Switch, include digital scans of the manuals instead of scanning a QR code, and package it with a USB NES controller to hopefully give fans a similar experience and give them an alternative to something that was selling faster than a spare kidney on the black market. Plus it probably would be cheaper to manufacture something like that anyway and get away with selling it for $60. Plus if Nintendo really wanted to apologize, they could add another 10-20 games to it.

I continue to believe that the Switch has potential, but like any system on the market right now the games are what sells the system. Unless the console has games that people want to play, then there really isn't any reason to buy the Switch at all. This is still just wishful thinking on my part, but maybe and hopefully someone important in the gaming industry will see this and make some of these ideas a reality. But until then, I'll be seeing you.

Now while this isn't especially long for presenting new games, I'm sure a lot of you just want to skim this article for the key bullet points. So let's get started.

• First up was the unexpected surprise that Super Meat Boy would be getting an official sequel in the form of an auto runner platforming game called Super Meat Boy Forever. It will release some time in 2018.
• The King Knight campaign for Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove was officially revealed and would feature a brand new card battling minigame as half of its story. Shovel Knigh: King of Cards will release early 2018.
• An unusual puzzle game called Mom Hid My Game was announced and will launch later this year.
• A golf themed RPG called Golf Story was revealed and will launch exclusively on the Switch this September.
• A new rhythm game called Floor Kids was announced where the main focus is break-dancing. It will launch this holiday season.
• A beat-em-up game inspired by medieval history called Wulver Blade was announced and will launch this September.
• The popular Steam game Poly Bridge was revealed to be coming to the Switch and would release this holiday season.
• Kentucky Route Zero was revealed to be getting a Switch port and will be released early in 2018.
  
• An unusual underwater shoot-em-up game called Earth Atlantis will be coming out on the Switch first this Autumn.
• A community driven action game called Next Up Hero was announced and will launch early next year.
• We finally get a launch date for Steamworld Dig 2 being September 21 of this year.
• A new adventure game inspired by the culture of the Tarahumara tribes called Mulaka was announced and will be released early next year.
• A very cute looking action/puzzle game called Yono and the Celestial Elephants was announced. It will launch exclusively on the Switch on October 12.
• A very arcadey action RPG called Dragon Marked for Death was revealed and will launch this winter.
• Adult Swim Games announced a new game they would be publishing called Battle Chef Brigade which is part combo-heavy action game and part match-3 puzzle game. It will launch this holiday season.
• A brand new team-based shooter was revealed called Morphies Law in which shooting your opponents steals their mass and adds it to your own. It will launch this winter.
• Sausage Sports Club, a game where you duke it out as one of 4 floppy animal friends, will launch this Autumn.
  
• A procedurally generated action board game called Light Fingers was announced and will be coming out early in 2018.
• A fantasy action RPG, not unlike Diablo, called Nine Parchments was revealed and will launch this holiday season.
• And finally, a brand new game in the No More Heroes series was officially revealed called Travis Strikes Again and it appears to be a collaborative effort between Suda51 and potential indie devs. It will be coming out some time in 2018.

Now while that was the last of the direct, there were some other games shown off on Nintendo's official YouTube channel that weren't shown in the main video. You can see them in the sizzle reel here. I am especially excited for the new No More Heroes game and I'm sure it's going to be one helluva ride once its released, but until then, I'll be seeing you.

Now a year later cre-ture has rebranded the name simply to Session, and has launched a kickstarter that has succeeded it's goal of $62,935. At the time of the submission of this article the campaign has reached $118,019 and has completed 7 of its stretch goals. Though the campaign is being funded daily through the support it is receiving through all forms of social media, including gamers YouTube videos of them playing the game.

The great classic thing about how cre-ture is going about promoting the game is a free prototype demo. I remember playing that first Tony Hawk Pro Skater demo at my neighbor's house before the game was out when I was in highschool. It was just one level, but we played it like it was a fully developed game. You can spend the holidays mastering your skills and playing Skate with your friends, just like us old farts did back in the day.

You may be asking yourself. Why is this game the evolution of skateboard games? Well cre-ture posted on the campaign that:

Session focuses on the authenticity of skating, both in the way the game feels and is presented to the player. Based on this philosophy, each feature makes the game even more innovative, fun and respectful to the skateboarding culture. The main purpose of the game is to live the sport in its entirety. Feel what it is to be a talented street skater. Explore and tame the concrete, film yourself, your friends and share your footage on the internet with the worldwide skateboarding community.

So the game seems to give you the tools you need to become the best skateboarder in a virtual community of skaters. Though there is no point system so that means there is no ranking, this is all about earning respect in the streets.

Today is the last day to donate. This is a great gift for you or your Skateboard gaming friend. Along with supporting a great up and coming independent game company, and the next great skateboard game.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/100195109/ses...

Now while the NESmaker is technically already finished, it is only optimized to create adventure games much like what Mystic Searches is. So what Joe wants to do is refine it and add modules that will allow for more genres that can be designed with little to no effort, and have a built-in music making tool so one wouldn't have to rely on external programs like Famitracker. He answers many questions regarding the NESmaker in the video below.

The project only needs $32,000USD for the minimum goal, but if this program is going to be at its best, it needs a grand total of $256,000USD for all modules, the music maker, the Troll Burner demo, and the memory mapper to be developed for it. If you wish, you can pledge any amount you wish here. This software looks quite promising and I honestly would be extremely disappointed if it couldn't reach all of its stretch goals. Please pledge as much as you feel comfortable with, but until then, I'll be seeing you.

DISCLAIMER:

I have not been paid for this article, but I have pledged some of my own money to the original Kickstarter.

The narrative of the game is you are Ikk, who is on a journey to cheer up his only friend, Sally who is a giant landbound whale. While being mentored by Death (who supplies you with multitudes of abilities, along with an arsenal of guns, and ammo) you traverse an ever-changing land full of unwieldy creatures who don't appreciate your trespassing or Sally the whale.

The definition of insanity is doing the same exact thing and expecting different results. GoNNER definitely embodies the insane; just like The Binding of Isaac there is no ‚ÄúCareer Mode‚; though there are randomly generated levels that gets progressively harder as you vanquish your enemies one by one.

If you think you're getting the hang of the game, knock yourself down a few pegs as you try the latest daily challenge. I've made it a few levels in on a good day though there are some days that are just ragetastic where I can't even get past the first level. This game will leave you embarrassed, while crying live on twitch to a thousand followers retweeting the clip of you punching your green screen.

If you thought Edmund Mcmillen or Bennett Foddy where the only sadists in the indie game business well meet Ditto; he has been making indie games at his gaming studio Art in Heart for what looks like a good while now. With eight games he self released on itch.io, GoNNER is his first game being released with (Un)publisher Raw Fury getting it to the masses. If this Ditto’s Super Meat Boy or Qwop, I can't wait to see what he follows this amazing piece of art up with which has become one of my new loves and hates.

GoNNER is definitely one of the best indie games on the Nintendo eShop that went under my radar; And from what Raw Fury is putting out, they are the publisher that could be putting out my favorite Indie games for the Switch. 2018 is looking like another great year for the small developers making great games.

Cyberpunk 2077

I love me some good old-fashioned Sci-Fi, but if there is one thing that I need in order to get REALLY invested in it, it is aesthetic. Cue Cyberpunk 2077 by CD Projekt Red; when I first saw the game, I was not expecting an 80's punk rock style RPG mixed in with shooting elements. But in all honesty, I didn't know what to expect since this is my first experience with this game. If the immense praise that The Witcher 3 got is any indication of this game's quality, then I'm sure to pick this game up on day one, assuming I have the cash.

Kingdom Hearts III

The epic conclusion to one of the most beloved crossover game series of all time, Kingdom Hearts III by Square Enix and Disney is sure to sell like hotcakes. I have played a few games in this series and I've tried to make heads or tails of the overly convoluted plot, but to no avail. Hopefully this game will tie up some much needed loose ends so we can finally get the closure we've all been waiting for this January.

Starlink: Battle For Atlas

If any of you were hoping for anything to fill that Star Fox shaped void in your life, this game might be able to pull that off. Starlink from Ubisoft is an open-space adventure game mixed with Star Fox style dogfights and a toys-to-life-based vehicle customization, but thankfully the game does not require the use of the figures to unlock everything. They still look quite nice though and with the Switch version having Star Fox exclusive content, you might actually want to plunk down the $75 for the game's starter edition this October.

Cuphead: The Delicious Final Course

I LOVE Cuphead; everything from its gameplay, music, and art style has proven to me that classic animation is not dead. So imagine how elated I was when the trailer for the game's DLC dropped. The fact that we're getting a FULL new island with new weapons, bosses and a new playable character just shows that this game is a labor of love that deserves every dollar thrown at it. For me, 2019 can't come soon enough.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

I may not be a big fan of the Dark Souls series, but I love Bloodborne. Yes its difficulty is more forgiving than Dark Souls, but I was more drawn in by the setting and atmosphere than anything else. To me, dark medieval fantasy has been played to death, so the Victorian era horror that Bloodborne offered was a breath of fresh air. Hopefully the feudal Japanese theme that Sekiro will offer will do the same thing that Bloodborne did for me, plus I'm really looking forward to using that multipurpose prosthetic limb that the main character has.

Devil May Cry 5

I have a confession to make: I have only really gotten into one game in this series, and it was the DMC reboot by Team Ninja Theory. I'm not sure what the general consensus is regarding that game, but I had a lot of fun playing it; it reminded me a lot of Bayonetta in its presentation. Now I know that Team Ninja Theory isn't working on the latest installment in this series, but considering how similar the gameplay looks I'm sure that I'll have just as much fun, if not more.

Spider-Man

This is a bit of a big hurdle for me. On the one hand it's Spider-Man; a comic book series that I have loved since I was a child, but on the other hand it's a licensed game; a mark that usually doesn't bode well with me as most licensed games never really do too well, but damn does this game look GOOD. Insomniac did a fantastic job in capturing the look and feel of the Spider-Man comics and the updated costumes of the villains in this game look amazing. I also love that the game has heavy stealth elements and the combat makes use of the environment. I may have to bite the bullet and buy this game because it is starting to make me think that maybe licensed games now have a chance at being genuinely good.

Babylon's Fall

Very little was shown about this game other than some of the game's backstory and the developer behind it, Platinum Games, but considering that Platinum is the same company that has given us Bayonetta, Vanquish, Nier: Automata, and The Wonderful 101, I am more than certain that this game will be a great, fast-paced, high-fantasy action game. I'll be sure to get this game day one as well, once again assuming I have the cash.

Doom Eternal

Doom 2016 was a great way to breathe life back into a mostly dead game genre, arcade style FPS, and now that the game is getting a sequel, I can only hope for one thing with the new entry: More of EVERYTHING. I want to see more weapons, more gore, more demon types, more locations, and most importantly more insanity. Only time will tell, but if the previous game is any indication, I could see the Doom Slayer getting revenge on Samuel Hayden for trapping him back in Hell.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate

As if this was even a surprise. I can't wait for this game and so far the only things we know about it is that it has over 65 characters, over 80 stages, every character from the previous 4 and half games will make a return plus Inkling, Daisy and Ridley, 8-Player smash will make a return, several characters had some major tweaks to their movesets, many final smashes were overhauled to speed up the fights, and some new items, pokemon and assist trophies will make their debut in this entry. Besides amiibo support, we don't even know anything about any side modes, collectibles, or single-player stuff and I'm STILL excited. December 7th will be marked on my calendar, and I will be waiting.

So that's my list. I am likely going to go broke in the coming year or so trying to get all of the games I'm most excited for, and I only listed my top 10 here; there are many more that were shown at E3 that are now on my wish list. I just hope I'll be able to at least get the ones listed here, but until then, I'll be seeing you.

Going through the game you switch between realms to keep moving forward sometimes you need a spirit snake, who is a rock in the physical realm to follow you, so you can use that rock as a little hill to get to the level above you. So many spirit animals help you along your journey. When I saw this game I thought it was going to be more like Never Alone. Another platform game with an ancient tale of survival using the the spirit realm to move through the icy tundra of Alaska.

Though the two have some similarities, there are some big differences. In The Mooseman you can't jump. You just rely on your spirit animals to help you get from one end to the other. In Never Alone there is no switching between realms to get help from your spirit friends, and you have the ability to jump. The Mooseman is a game of isolation, where in Never Alone you have a white fox as your companion and protector.

The visuals of the game are taken from the roots in Perm Animal Style. Perm Animal Style is a unique metal plastic form, an animal style that existed till the XIIth century A.D. Which gives the game a very cool ancient looking feel to the levels, it's like cave drawings are coming alive in front of your very eyes. You don't see this from many games and it's very refreshing.

As I said in the beginning of this review this game has no fighting mechanic, because there is nothing to fight. Not everyone is good at fighting games, or even walking around in a 3D environment. Some people can't even handle the mechanics of Super Mario Brothers on the NES. Though games that are as simplistic as Mooseman gives those people a reason to pick up a Nintendo Switch and spend a hours trying to find all the hidden gems in the game. That's why I think this game and games like it are so important to the gaming community. So everyone can escape into a world unknown, to find peace and tranquility.

To me, the game feels like Borderlands textures meet the cartoon styles of Fleischer (Inkwell) and Disney Animation Studios. While the game has puzzle mechanics where you have to flip levers and switches to find items and the next open door reminding me a bit of the puzzle you would find in Portal. There is a lot of backtracking in the first few chapters that started to get old quick though was easy enough to breeze right through. I did get lost a few times trying to find a few switches and when I watched an old walkthrough I found out how much the game had changed from the earlier releases. 

One thing that I found out that some of the gameplay was different for me then it was when I finally found a walkthrough for the Nintendo Switch. I don't know if it was a bug or the game was made that way, but I really enjoyed the unique experience. The game still has some bugs to work out. Though it's way less buggy than Fallout 76, I found that I either had to restart or die to get the game to progress. Rooster Teeth sent me an email saying they are fixing known bugs, so there should be a patch sent out soon after they stop playing Super Smash Bros Ultimate.

You play as Henry Stein, a retired animator who used to work at Joey Drew Studios who returns after an invitation from his old friend and employer Joey Drew. To me, Joey seems to be a Walt Disney type visionary, and Henry is Walt’s old friend and partner Ub Iwerks. As you look around you find something called the Titular Ink Machine. While looking for items to turn the machine on you find a real-life Boris (Goofy type). Not knowing why Joey did this, you find tape recordings of Joey and the employees have been partaking in occult practices.

Though why bring these characters to life at all? You later find out that Joey’s investors were not happy with the studio and a new theme park. To bring something new to the amusement park landscape Joey wants to bring their mascot, Bendy, the dancing demon, and all of his friends to life with a brand new invention called Titular Ink Machine from the Gent Corp. Thomas Connor of Gent tells Joey that these creatures are soulless. Joey replies that he has thousands of souls to occupy the bodies. One of these people is desperate voice actress Susie Campbell. Joey tells her she will bring Alice Angle back to life once again after she takes part in Joeys "small project".

To me, this sounds like how Disney really runs things. Finding young talent promising the world, then, in the end, you’ll sell your soul and become something ugly you don't even recognize. I don't know if theMeatly and Mike Mood had the parallels in mind for the story. Though they really know how to bring my nightmares to life.

I really like some of the Easter eggs they have in the game. Benny's eyes are Pac-Man, there are times where Joey reminds me of Cave Johnson the CEO of Aperture Science in the Portal series. 

"Ok, let's stop it right there. I can only do so many takes of this trash a day. And tell the guys in writing I want more use of the word dreaming in every message. Keep railing on that, get it? Dreaming! Dreaming! Dreaming! People just eat up that kind of slop. Hmm What? It's still on? Well, turn it off, damn it!". - Joey Drew

Wally the janitor finds a big chocolate cake sitting in a chair. Yet another Portal node. I bet there's more that I didn't realize, so comment below on more. Another cool Easter egg is the posters you see on the walls are fan art that they put in the game, along with music created by fans. This is a first for me to see such community involvement in a game outside of it being crowd funded.

This was definitely one of the better first person games I played this year. If you're looking for something different to play this holiday season, Bendy is a good 6-10 hours of gameplay with new tools and a bonus level to play after the first go around. I have it for my Nintendo Switch. So it's great for those night time road trips. 

Following the plot from Soldak Entertainment's previous titles Zombasite and Din's Curse (both of which are not necessary for following the plot of Din's Legacy), the lands have been afflicted with zombism causing a schism in the Orc population and creating the Mutated. You are a Mutated under the service of the God Din tasked with unifying the lands and quelling the madness. 
Sound simple enough? Well, with the inclusion of many varying gameplay factors as well as a plethora of difficulty adjustments, your quest may come to an abrupt end sooner than you may think. You know your game experience will be difficult when the lowest difficulty is Normal and the highest difficulty is four tiers up at Ultimate.

If you're the kind of person that enjoys making life needlessly more difficult, then Din's Legacy has you covered. There are player difficulty modifiers that can make your experience all the more challenging.
Hardcore, which implements permanent death on your character. Semi-Hardcore, which causes your base health to be lowered upon death - not unlike Dark Souls II. 
Then there are difficulty modifiers for each game world you generate. 
Exploration, which features less monsters for more exploration of the world. Dangerous Monsters, which also features less monsters, but boosts their health and damage points. Overrun, for those who felt their weren't enough monsters in the world. Raging Hordes, which also includes more monsters than usual, but their health and damage points are lower than normal. And less stress, where harder quests are no longer offered to you, but you will earn less experience points overall.
All of these options are amazing to have, but a novice player will still have a difficult learning curve to overcome in order to progress and enjoy Din's Legacy. To them I give this most welcoming set up: Normal difficulty with the Exploration modifier enabled. While still not perfect for those new to action RPG's, that set up should be enough to keep you from throwing your keyboard through your monitor in frustration. 

Soldak Entertainment are no strangers to sophisticated leveling and role-playing mechanics, and Din's Legacy is no different. Din's Legacy features 39 playable classes with 8 of those classes playable from the get-go and the rest unlocked through certain conditions and/or challenge completions. These classes range from what's to be expected from any RPG to classes that are unique solely to Din's Legacy such as Reaper, Black Guard, Minstrel, and many, many more. With each class comes with base passive abilities, special attacks and the type of armor you can wear. This is where we enter mutations.
As you progress and complete certain actions your character will unlock mutations; be it positive or negative. These mutations can either boost already unlocked abilities or grant all new ones. For example: early into the life of my second character, I unlocked Extra Lungs which gave a permanent 15% boost to movement speed. That may not sound like much, but Din's Legacy can be much harder without positive mutations to give you a boost in battle. So here's another tip for the action RPG novices out there:
Pick the Necromancer class for your first playthrough. Once you've gathered up enough experience, unlock the Blight ability and use it as liberally as possible. Couple this with an NPC companion and you will be nigh unstoppable on your quest for Din. 

Just as your own character, enemies can also possess varied passive and status mutations and abilities that could even possibly match your own, and these aren't just bosses. Even regular enemy types can possess these abilities and kill you relentlessly until you've leveled up your own abilities to surpass them. Admittedly, this does sound frustrating on paper, but in practice it's actually a genius concept that's even better executed. Having standard enemy types that are genuinely on par with you in terms of abilities and combat prowess creates a natural difficulty curve that encourages the player to continue playing and leveling up in order to progress to the next area. 

Once you've created your character, you will be prompted to generate your world. Again, don't let this scare you. Din's Legacy does feature procedural generated worlds, yes, but each world you create is almost indistinguishable from a handcrafted world. There you can adjust pretty much everything to your liking including the world's pacing. Want a slower, more layed back paced game? No problem. Just set the pacing to Very Slow, but you will earn less experience points as a trade off. Are you awake at 3 in the morning on your sixth bottle of 5-Hour Energy and want a fast paced game? No problem. Just set the pacing to Very Fast, and you'll even earn more experience than you would on Normal Pacing. 

Many other developers boast about having a dynamic game world influenced by the player's actions, but so far Din's Legacy is one of the few games to actually live up to this promise. Each region you generate comes with unique win/loss conditions, typically being to keep your town safe and to push back the enemy, and your foes are plotting against you just as you are against them. Quests sometimes have certain parameter that must be met in order to complete them. Should you fail to, for example, kill an enemy boss, that boss' army could grow in numbers and make it much more difficult for you to defend your town and continue on your ultimate quest. From fortifying their defenses to initiating raids on your town, your enemies are just as cold and calculating as you are. 
War and Diplomacy are crucial to your success. If you are unable to strike up an uneasy cease fire with the enemy through quests, you may quickly find your town burned to the ground from an inevitable raid. Of course, every time one of these events are triggered, you will be notified and given the chance to defend your town, so you aren't completely blindsided when you return home and find only a single NPC left alive. 
Your character's world can quickly escalate from bad to very bad in a matter of moments with just how dynamic enemies and quests are. Should the enemies feel like it, they very well could commence a raid on your town the second you spawn into your world while you helplessly try to defend yourself and your town as an under-powered level 1 nobody. While uncommon, this certainly can happen. 

While Din's Legacy provides everything I, and many others, want out of an action RPG experience, there are some issues. Namely the difficulty and quest system. With the difficulty, some people will have a hard time getting deep enough in Din's Legacy to become hooked. As someone that played Diablo II to death years ago, even I had issues with constantly dying, failing quests, and ultimately watching my town burn to the ground and the game ending. I had to figure out which class, weapons, and abilities were over powered enough to get me through the difficult starting areas and eventually play the game as intended. While I do not mind a challenge, I can foresee this being an issue for some potential players.
This leads into the quest system. With a procedurally generated world, there are bound to be a few quirks. During my time with my first character, I was handed two quests to complete that were, unbeknownst to me, bugged. I was tasked with the killing of two mini-bosses, but once I arrived where these bosses were located, I realized they had spawned out of bounds and there was no way to get to them or bring them to me. Just to make sure, I scoured the surrounding lands to makes sure I wasn't in the wrong area, but to no avail. Sadly these were the only two quests I could take even with the entire map searched, and with no way to progress, I had to abandon this character and create another. I hope this was an isolated incident, but be wary should you choose to venture into Din's Legacy. 

Through the good and the bad, Din's Legacy is absolutely worthy of your time and money. Truly the most unique action RPG in over a decade? Yes, I would say so. Din's Legacy is just another example of just how great a game can turn out when it is made from the love and passion of a dedicated developer rather than for the corporate obligation of a AAA studio. There are certainly issues present, but the good far exceeds the bad in Din's Legacy's case. From the incredibly in depth role-playing mechanics to a truly dynamic world, Din's Legacy is unmatched in pure content for an indie game. The most heinous crime surrounding Din's Legacy is just how underrated it is. Do yourself a favor and check this one out.