Hold up, hold up... it has to be Friday still SOMEWHERE in the world right? So technically
I'm still good yeah? We're cool right? Ah well, better late than never and honestly
I love these weekly wrap-ups, so here we are! To be perfectly honest I've been doing a lot
of traveling this week, which means I've also had a lot of time to catch up on some 'Me
Time' when it comes to gaming on the go. The end result? I've kind of fallen in love again
with a few old titles again while also playing some new games to death. All-in-all a productive
week of filling the gaps!
Now, on to the news for Friday the 9th of September, 2011.
Last week we showed off a few screenshots from Tiger Style's upcoming title 'Lost Mars'
along with the supposed tagline of "What do you get when you mix one part METROID, one
part 1970s-era sci-fi film, and one part... gardening?!" This left us scratching our heads
ever so slightly, but a gameplay trailer released this week by the developers has gone a long
way to clear things up and now I'm just a tad excited to give this bizarre, yet intriguing
looking title a whirl.
Looking for a quick sonic-releated fix to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the "Blue
Hedgehog That Could"? Sure Sonic has come on hard times over his career, but the artificially-created
speed-demon that is Sonic still manages to bounce back and now you can take him for a
spin in a black-and-white endless runner that comes bundled with the free 20th Anniversary
Companion App. Aside from information about Sonic's history, you also get the free endless
runner an a 'lite' version of Sonic 4 in case you still haven't picked up the game. Definitely
worth grabbing if you have a chance.
File this one under 'interesting, but not quite interesting enough' - In what I'd like
to think is a continuing trend for companies like BrandyGames (publishers of fine game
guides for those who are less hardcore than others), an official companion App is now
available for Dead Island. Provided within are maps that help navigation; secret item
locations; and the ability to track your items... if you're willing to keep note of everything
manually. It's a step in the right direction, but much like the initial release of Dead
Island it feels a bit unfinished and some real connectivity would have made this App
a true winner.
I'm always reticent to announce sales on the Wrap-Up because there's every chance they'll
be gone once the video is up, but as of creating this video the sales for PopCap are still
live, so if you've not picked up titles like Bookworm, Peggle or Plants vs. Zombies and
needed a reason to do so, this is the time. Check out the company's page on iTunes for
more great deals.
And yes, I couldn't pass up on this one even if Richard already mentioned it on our site.
If ever there was a game I regret not finishing as a youngster, it's Another World. How I
could have possibly missed out on the game when I owned an Amiga is one of life's little
mysteries, but that only makes the announcement of a HD remake of Eric Chahi's (shy-eee) seminal
title all the more exciting. Having recently finished Chahi's XBLA title From Dust, I now
feel like I'm prepared to tackle the classic puzzle-platformer that mesmerized gamers in
the 90s. Oh and if you're worried about the whole 'HD' thing, you can swipe ala Monkey
Island to restore the classic graphics (but only if you really want to).
This week's mini-review checks out Gun Fu by Dobsoft Studios because there's always
room on your iPhone for a time-filler that expects nothing more than quick reactions
to keep you alert and interested. While one could be mistaken for thinking there's a link
to John Woo here, you'd be chasing the wrong thread as the game seeks to recreate some
of the fantastic visual scenes from Equilibrium - a movie that would have been disappointing
if it wasn't for this unique 'martial art'. Players are awarded scores for quickly dispatching
enemies, with an instant game over occurring if you let one stay on screen for longer than
1.5s. It's a harsh penalty, but one that also rewards fancy fingerwork such as double-taps
for dual kills. The art is minimalistic, but in keeping with the visual aesthetic of Equilibrium's
'dark room' scene, adding some challenge to the proceedings as enemies almost overlap
each other making it harder to know who has or hasn't been dispatched. Ultimately the
game is overly simplistic and you're likely to get bored after mastering the main game
(if you even get that far), but as distractions go it provides some excitement and visual
flair before fading away.
No prizes go to those who guess that Kairosoft's latest game Grand Prix Story manages to trump
the week's releases to grab game of the week. Just once I'd like to think another game could
grab my attention over 'yet another management game', but just as soon as I thought things
had become repetitive they throw me a curve-ball with this Game Dev Story-alike title that
has you starting again and again in order to conquer the world-wide Grand Prix circuit.
While it has some short-comings in terms of depth and repetitiveness, there's no denying
that if you liked Kairosoft's previous titles you'll be sucked in to this one too.
And that's another wrap-up in the bag. Feel free to like and subscribe or check out our
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