Up late talking games & writing? You're...

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Games: Starting tonight’s update off, we’ve got quite a few new reviews up over at @Gamecritics.  If you haven’t already checked them out, here they are for your convenience:

Beyond: Two Souls by @FinalMacstorm

Lego Marvel Super Heroes by @JohnVanderhoef

Memoria by @TayoDK

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD by @MikeSuskie

Alien Rage by @KayinAmoh

Dead Island: Riptide  (second opinion) by @GC_Danny

Nothing new from me this week, but I’ve got a few things that are in the pipe and that should be up soon.  The list includes…

Deadfall Adventures on 360.  It’s a small-budget adventure game with a first-person perspective.  Lots of puzzles and too much combat, but still pretty enjoyable if you don’t mind games that don’t exist in the AAA space.  I can’t wholeheartedly recommend it, but if you’re looking for a good weekender and you like the idea of raiding some tombs and popping a few Nazis, then it’s worth a look.

CastleStorm on Vita.  I totally passed this one up when it first appeared on XBLA, but it’s now on Sony’s handheld and it feels like a pretty perfect fit.  Basically, your castle is on one side of a small level, and your opponent's is on the other.  You send soldiers to attack their gate while lobbing a bunch of random stuff at 'em with your ballista…  It sounds kind of simplistic, but the beauty is in the details and I couldn’t put this one down until I finished it.

Batman: Arkham Origins on 360.  It was a real miracle, but the PR Rep for the game (Hi Chase!) found a workaround for the bug that had prevented me from moving forward in the campaign, so I was able to go back to the game and finally finish it.  I was quite glad to do so since I had been enjoying it up until I hit that showstopper, so it was a real treat to get some closure there. After I rolled credits, I went back into the game and completed about half of the sidequests available…  The Mad Hatter and Shiva were probably my favorites.  

I know this game is getting poo-poo’ed by the legion of Arkham City fans out there, but as someone who didn’t care for City at all, Origins is much closer to the sequel I was expecting after Asylum.  That said, I really don’t think that the open world structure brings much value to Batman, and I hope that future sequels either abandon that approach or scale it back dramatically in favor of tighter, more focused levels.  Also, I’ve never been much of a Bane fan, but I will say that his portrayal in City was probably the best I’ve seen.  I enjoyed his inclusion a good deal, even if actually fighting him wasn’t all that great.

(And speaking of finding workarounds for bugs, just a quick note that I deleted all of the content relating to The Last Of Us from my PS3, reinstalled the game and copied the backup save that was stored in the Sony cloud, and I was finally able to get past the part that kept freezing on me in Bill's section.  I’m not planning on reviewing the game, but I was enjoying it very much before the glitchout, so it’s back in my console now and I’m looking forward to forging ahead.)

Malicious: Rebirth on Vita.  I’ve had my eye on this one forever and never took the plunge, but then I heard @Dits to talking about it on The Same Coin podcast and his words swayed me.  I’m glad he did because this is an incredibly interesting title that I’m enjoying quite a bit, although I will be the first to admit that it’s got some issues that are quite frustrating and a little hard to get past.  

In this one, the player takes the role of an artificial humanoid construct created by a circle of mages to eradicate an evil force from the world.  To do this, the construct must defeat several bosses and acquire their powers, straight-up Mega Man-style.  It’s basically a “boss rush” title where it’s all about fighting huge monsters without a lot of filler, and the art style and ambiance are superb.  The downsides are that some of the bosses can be incredibly frustrating, and there is a certain roughness to everything that prevents the title from meeting its full potential.  

Still working on completing this one, but as of right now it’s pretty clear that it’s one of those broken masterpieces that will probably inspire a small, devoted following and turn everyone else away.

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Oh yeah, I guess I got a PS4  the other day.  

The hardware is really slick-looking and the controller is great.  Big props to Sony to to to for some top-notch work there.  

Even more impressive is how easy everything was to setup.  I love that WiFi was a snap, logging into my PSN account was no problem, I was able to sync up my PSN iPhone app, and I even got the “share” function to work without a hitch – I haven’t been streaming anything yet, but I was stunned at how easy it all was, and I plan on streaming review games at Twitch when the opportunity presents itself.  (My page is http://www.twitch.tv/bradgallaway, in case you want to make note of that for future reference.)

So what about the games?  I didn’t think any of the retail stuff was worth dropping sixty bones on, so I skipped it all and stuck with the stuff that was available for download.

Blacklight Retribution: I didn’t spend a lot of time with it, but it appeared to be a pretty standard run-around-and-shoot-people-and-the-face type of thing, with a lot of customization options locked behind a a F2P paywall.  I bailed on it pretty quick and deleted it from the console.

Warframe: I really dig the biomechanical art style of this title, but I have to say that it was kind of disappointing.  It’s funny because I was really attracted to it when I first saw pictures of it running on PC, and after waiting all of this time, I guess it really wasn’t worth looking forward to.  

Basically, the player becomes a space ninja who spends most of his time shooting, and can whip out a melee weapon that feels quite cumbersome to use.  Real talk: if your game features a sword and I end up spinning around enemies in a circle when I swing it, you need to go back to the drawing board on that.  

There’s also apparently some wall-running and some “acrobatics” to do, but the characters all feel very stiff and awkward to me.  I was also incredibly not-impressed with the lack of tutorials and information, and some really strange UI choices.  On top of all that, the action started feeling repetitive after the first day, so I can say that I’m very motivated to push on…  I might dabble a bit more just because I like the art style so much, but it’s not clicking and seeing so many things (again) locked behind a F2P paywall is a big turnoff.

Resogun: this one is clearly the darling of the show with people who've picked up the console so far.  I played it for a few minutes and it seemed all right, although it didn’t grab me.  I’m not much of a score-chaser to begin with, but I’ll definitely go back and give it some more time once I get a few things off of my plate.

Contrast: was really looking forward to this, but haven’t had time to even touch it.  Impressions forthcoming.

By the way, now that the PSN Friends List limit has been increased to 2000, I’ve got plenty of room on mine to connect.  Feel free to send me an invite, and if you do, mention this blog in the message section so I’ll know to accept it. See you online!

********************PR/NEWS/INFO********************

Nordic Games has today unveiled the first of three gameplay trailers from the upcoming release of their action-driven first-person shooter Deadfall Adventures, out November 15th for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC.

The Sahara trailer gives players a glimpse of the North African region in the game. Here players will experience the intensity of the not-so-natural enemies in the stormy desert on a journey across the globe. It is just one of the many beautifully illustrated locations that players will explore for treasure, assuming the role of the action adventurer James Lee Quatermain.

Watch here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NskduT9oV50

Developed using Unreal Engine 3, Deadfall Adventures is full of spectacular jaw-dropping moments, set in picturesque locations including Egypt, Arctic and forgotten Mayan ruins in the jungles of Guatemala. Along the way, players will encounter fiendish puzzles, deadly traps and stunning set pieces, making this one of the greatest adventures ever told – let alone played.

Website: http://deadfall-game.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deadfalladventures
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/deadfalladv

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Kalypso Media is thrilled to announce that the fantasy themed hack ‘n’ slash Blood Knights is now available to download for Windows PC via digital download platforms for $14.99/£11.99/€14.99. The Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft version is available now with the PlayStation® Network version releasing on November 20th. 

Set in a medieval fantasy world, Blood Knights will feature quick, deadly combat, smart team-work and ferocious cooperative monster slaying. View the brand new trailer now for a look at the feared vampire hunter Jeremy, whose close combat fighting skills, strength and armor make him a formidable warrior. 

View the ‘Jeremy’ trailer for Blood Knights on YouTube here or download it here

View the ‘Alysa’ trailer on YouTube here or download it here

View the Announcement trailer on YouTube here or download it here

Blood Knights is a hack ‘n slash action - RPG, where the age-old war between humans and vampires is out-of-control and threatens to plunge the world into the abyss. The game combines spectacular combat with RPG elements in single-player or co-op mode. Blood Knights is developed by Deck 13 interactive, who have made a name for themselves with such titles as ‘Venetica’, ‘Jack Keane’ and ‘Ankh’. Set in a mystical version of the Middle Ages, Blood Knights is an exciting story about the Knights Templar and a legendary Vampire Hunter who finds himself bound by blood to the powerful vampire Alysa during a daring mission. The two must work together to break the blood spell and defeat the hordes of evil creatures who stand between them and their goal.

For more information about Blood Knights please visit www.kalypsomedia.com.   

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Midnight City, the recently founded indie label of Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of games for the mass market, is proud to announce The Bridge is now available on the Xbox Live online entertainment network from Microsoft for $9.99. The first console launch for the indie publishing super group, The Bridge brings a fresh take on physics games to the company’s ever-growing portfolio.

The Bridge offers a supremely cerebral 2D puzzle experience for those looking to bend their reality and perception of physics as they know it. Players join our stalwart, amnesiac protagonist through a journey into his heart, mind and soul to discover the life he’s forgotten. Throughout the story, players progress through detail-oriented, hand-drawn environments with aesthetics reminiscent of M.C. Escher’s artwork and style. In these fantastic puzzle rooms, players are asked to look beyond just the protagonist and into the world around them to solve each predicament. From the very start, The Bridge is designed to foster outside the box and critical thinking skills, leaving the player with a pronounced sense of intellectual accomplishment at the end of each level. Created to be both a stimulating experience and accessible game, The Bridge uses a minimalistic control scheme and effective, yet subtle tutorials through early gameplay to introduce new features.

The Bridge was developed by game designer and programmer Ty Taylor with artist Mario Castañeda; together they are known as the Quantum Astrophysicists Guild. The Bridge is rated E for Everyone and is now available on the Xbox Live Games Store for the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft for the suggested price of $9.99.

For more information, please visit our website: www.midnight-city.com

For more on The Bridge, please visit: www.thebridgeisblackandwhite.com

Follow Midnight City, Ty Taylor and The Bridge on Twitter: @Midnight_City https://twitter.com/Midnight_City

Casey Lynch Twitter: @Lynchtacular https://twitter.com/lynchtacular
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/midnightcitygames
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MidnightCityEnt

Ty Taylor Twitter: @IMakeIndieGames https://twitter.com/imakeindiegames

The Bridge Twitter: @thebridgegame https://twitter.com/thebridgegame

The Bridge Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBridgeIsBlackAndWhite

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Tic Tactics - A clever new spin on the legendary multiplayer game

With their first mobile game, Bag It!, Hidden Variable Studios created an underground grocery-stacking scene loved the world over. Now they are back in action with their newest creation, Tic Tactics!

In Tic Tactics, Hidden Variable takes one of the oldest and most popular games ever created – Tic Tac Toe – and elevates it to something that players over the age of 10 will actually want to play, blending instantly-familiar gameplay with strategic depth, turn-based mobile multiplayer, and a slick, stylish presentation.

If you know how to play Tic Tac Toe, you already know how to play Tic Tactics. The twist is that YOU decide precisely where to send your opponent with every turn. The more you play, the more you’ll be amazed by its strategic depth.

Here’s a little taste of features you’ll find in Tic Tactics:

• Classic gameplay reinvented

Tic Tactics takes one of the oldest known multiplayer games and brings it into the 21st century in a whole new way.

• Easy to play, rewarding to master

Although players will quickly learn the rules, they could spend a lifetime mastering all of its subtleties. Despite its depth, tacticians of all ages can start playing and developing their own strategies over time. Make your mark and start winning today!

• Stylish, clean, and bright

Tic Tactics greets players with a clean and playful visual style that is sure to satisfy everyone’s inner artist.

• Play with friends at your own pace

Tic Tactics makes it super easy to just jump in and play. Players will be able to connect to Facebook and challenge their friends to a game of wits. Only have 5 minutes to play a game? Hop into Tic Tactics, make a move or two and hop right back out. Players will be rewarded for checking in and making moves often!

• Prove you're the best

Tic Tactics features a player ranking system that matches up player’s with similar skill levels. Every match you play will be a battle, and the better you do, the higher your rank will grow. Become the best player in your circle of friends, then challenge other great players from around the world!

Tic Tactics will be available the world over on November 21st. Find out more at http://www.hiddenvariable.com/tic-tactics

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