GamingShogunMars: War Logs Review (PC)
Mars: War Logs aims for the stars with high ambitions, but ends up just missing its target. A budget title from Focus Home Interactive and Spiders, Mars: War Logs is an effort to give you a AAA experience in the same vein as Mass Effect or The Witcher 2 but the end result is a game that is hard to take seriously. There are plenty of redeeming qualities to Mars: War Logs that makes the game well worth its twenty dollar price tag, but with big issues in the story telling and voice acting, Mars: War Logs doesn’t quite deliver…
Surgeon Simulator 2013 Review (PC/Steam)
So there are people out there that simply won’t “get” this game whatsoever. These are often the same people who won’t spend $20 on the crane machine trying to win a stuffed animal nobody wants. They wouldn’t have stuck with Super Star Wars on the Super Nintendo or collected tickets in an arcade all night that gets you a pair of glow-in-the-dark fangs and a small spinning top. Maybe a whistle too, but that doesn’t matter… The whole point is that sometimes doing something difficult simply to get it done can be fun just to prove you can do it. …
StarDrive Review
The “strategy” game category tends towards vagary, covering such a diverse range of play from tower defense titles to micro-managing empire sims. They can be turn based or real time and “real time” can be warped to mean quite a few things too – the only fundamental guarantee on a real time game is that it’s not turn based. With other genres, such as first-person shooters, you generally know what you are getting into. There will be a weapon in your point of view and you will negotiate various maps and levels, shooting bad guys. Even those who argue how…
Poker Night 2 Review
Telltale Games has released their sequel to last year’s poker simulator with Poker Night at the Inventory 2, or just Poker Night 2 as I will be referring to it in this review. Last year’s version had decent game play, great voice acting and fantastic unlocks to get me to buy in for the $5.00 price tag, but after the unlocks were gone I soon found that the repeated jokes, lack of multi-player, and the absences of other game modes would keep me away from the game. With Poker Night 2, Telltale Games brings us another set of four competitors…
Dead Island: Riptide Review (PC)
It’s seldom that a game review causes me trouble. I play ALL kinds of games so I can be called on at a moment’s notice give a review from the standpoint of an everyman. I’m not bragging, I am simply admitting that I am a video game addict and have used my addiction to the benefit of others. So, as Dead Island: Riptide was coming in I tried not to pay too much attention to opinions one way or the other, just looking forward to giving it a go. Then, like a real riptide, I couldn’t help but get dragged…
Police Force 2 Review (PC)
I have some really fond memories of playing Sierra’s Police Quest series – even more with their SWAT series (Bring those back, people!). For reasons I cannot explain, I have always had an interest in law enforcement and the day-to-day activities that go along with life on the blue side of the law. Now, Excalibur Publishing’s Police Force 2 puts players in control of two British Constables. Not being a traditional US-based law enforcement game, for that reason alone, I had to checkout their US version of the game and see how they localized it. When beginning Police Force 2,…
KingsRoad Review (PC/Browser)
Just as they are celebrating 100,000 likes, we thought it a good time to talk about the Facebook browser launching game KingsRoad. A dungeon crawler with surprisingly good graphics, it is definitely a game to consider. Description: KingsRoad sets a new standard for gaming on Facebook! Embark on a journey across the kingdom of Alderstone to reclaim your land from the monstrous creatures that threaten it. • Engage in brutal real-time combat, explore a robust loot and skill system, and battle towering bosses – all rendered in stunning 3D graphics! • Discover powerful new skills as a knight, archer, or…
Evoland Review (PC)
The role playing game has had a long and storied history in the world of video games. Games like Ultima, Hydlide, and Final Fantasy has paved the way for today’s games, such as Mass Effect and Skyrim. The role playing game has gone through a massive evolution from the earlier days, in both game play and in technical aspects, such as graphics and sound. With Evoland, Shiro Games hopes to bring this evolution of the rpg to life with their own story. The concept of Evoland is very simple, you set out to save the world while finding upgrades to…
Another World 20th Anniversary Edition – A Review (PC)
Originally released in 1991 for the Amiga and the Atari ST, Another World (or Out of This World as it was known here in North America) was a brilliant platform game designed by French game designer Eric Chahi. Ported over to various other consoles a year later, such as the SNES and Sega Genesis, Another World was one of the top reviewed and loved games of 1992, both for its game play and its amazing world that the story takes place in. Having played the Sega Genesis version over twenty years ago, I can personally attest to how well received…
Bioshock Infinite Review (PC)
After finishing up the new Bioshock Infinite from Irrational Games, I am left in a state of reflection over what an amazing experience it was. The game starts in a very similar fashion to the original Bioshock: You are heading towards a lighthouse. This time, however, you are arriving there by way of a small rowboat. In fact, there are several Bioshock tropes that seem to have come back in this game. Instead of the first game’s “Plasmids”, the power-giving concoctions are now called “Vigors”. Instead of “EVE”, this substance is referred to as “Salts”. Visually, Bioshock Infinite is a…
StarCraft II: Heart Of The Swarm Review (PC)
Heart of the Swarm, the second in the StarCraft II trilogy of games, had me amped from the moment I heard its title announced. StarCraft is a franchise that prides itself on cutting-edge gameplay, great graphics, and terrific storylines. Sure, there are plenty out there who are only into the StarCraft series for the strong and often extremely challenging multiplayer aspect. Afterall, the first game in the series coined and added the phrase “zerging” to the gamer’s lexicon. These multiplayer-only gamers might not care about campaigns or storylines. Thankfully, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm is robust enough to satiate the appetites…
Reef Shot – A Review (PC)
Nano Games has released a new underwater exploring and photography game called Reef Shot. In Reef Shot, you are part of an expedition that is following the legends surround the lost city of gold, El Dorado. Before I get into this review, a little bit of disclosure is in order. In a former life, I actually worked as an archaeologist and spent many years studying New World archaeology, especially the contact period of the Spanish Conquistadors. As much as I tried, I could not keep my archaeology training out of this review, so I will have to discuss where Reef…
March of the Eagles Review (PC)
The historical based strategy wargame has an interesting place in my heart. On one hand, as a trained historian and archaeologist, I love trying to either recreate or change history through my actions. On the other hand, I have never been any good at these games since I cannot seem to micro-manage the economic systems, while supplying my troops, and fighting a war on multiple fronts. This is similar to my love/hate relationship that I have with real time strategy games, but I am far more interested in the historical aspects of the wargame. This time around, I take on the Napoleonic…
Rochard Hard Times DLC Pack Review (PC)
When Rochard came out back in November of 2011, I was the one lucky enough to get it to review. Even though it has been over a year, I still remembered the game fondly and was more than happy to give the game another play with the release of the new “Hard Times” DLC pack. In researching the DLC, I found out that it was made in response to some fans complaints which put forth that Rochard, though a fun and engaging game, was just a little “too easy.” The title of this DLC pack, “Hard Times”, refers to the insane…