(Not) Just Another Brick in the Wall
A correctly-oriented screenshot from Against the Wall.
One of the primary strengths of videogames is their ability to make hypothetical worlds come alive. In the case of Against the Wall, an indie game in alpha by Michael Consoli, the world is an infinite vertical wall, made of interlocking bricks. All life—plants, humans… monsters?… well, no monsters that I encountered—cling to the side of this unforgiving plane. Against the Wall is far from finished, but it’s already shaping up to be a prime example of the experimentation, wonder, and fun that are often the hallmarks of the indie scene.
The Incredible Exposition of Alan Wake, Ep 4
A cardboard cutout of Alan Wake, gazing into your soul.
The last time I talked about Alan Wake, I mentioned a few of its more brilliant plot points from the first three episodes. Well, I’m still hooked, and I recently finished the game’s fourth episode. I must warn that there are spoilers to come, as episode 4 is entitled “The Truth,” and boy, what an apt name to call it by. So if you don’t mind this great game being spoiled, I’d like to talk about its gentle handling of exposition.
Jumping into Endless Space
Space, of the endless variety. You can even click this image to make the space appear more endless.
It’s usually a matter of policy for me to refuse to read impressions or reviews of games that I’m going to talk about in order to remain pure and unsullied by the opinions of others. In the case of Endless Space, due this summer from Amplitude Studios, I played neglectful mother and left that prohibition back at the supermarket. I can now think of three possible intros, none of them mine, and all of them quite good. The only solution, it seems, is to play it straight and tell you that Endless Space is looking great.
Escape from Chernarus!
Outside of our prison, Thomas and Pariah scavenge for weapons while I stand watch.
In the scenario Escape Chernarus for ARMA 2, the United States is planning a big old barbecue in Chernarus, and invites have been delivered to local insurgents via the usual special recon teams—one of which includes me (The Innocent) and Space-Biff! buddies Pariah and Thomas/Alikchi. Unfortunately, the dictator (or whatever) does not approve of the upcoming capitalist festivities, and has had us locked up. Escaping our prison should be no trouble, but the real question is: can we escape Chernarus? It’s 225 km² (the same map used in the Day Z mod), and we’ll have the entire Chernarussian Army harassing our every move.
The Incredible Plot of Alan Wake, Eps 1 through 3
Alan Wake, ancient-curse-solver extraordinaire.
I just finished playing through the first three episodes of Alan Wake by Remedy Entertainment, and I must tell you, it is so good. So good that I want to talk about the things it does really well, and the ways that it deconstructs the horror genre. I hope all you devs out there are listening, because from now on Alan Wake will basically be the definitive how-to when it comes to making horror games.
Day Z: Solving the Bandit Problem
Searching for food along the coast.
Last time I took a hike in Day Z, the hot new mod for ARMA 2: CO, I went looking for buddy Digital Pariah only to end up out of ammunition and trapped on a rooftop with a very agitated zombie. As it turns out, I was incredibly lucky to die of mastication/falling, as most rookies are killed by pesky bandits, who prey on the weak for their Makarov bullets and tins of beans.
So for my next outing, my goal was not only to avoid major populated areas (and thus, zombies), but to figure out some way to deter the bandits that stalk the shoreline of Chernarus. I think I’ve found a solution.
Warlock: Master of the Review
Warlock: Master of the Arcane, the new game from Paradox Interactive.
Gaze into that pic (gaze harder) and tell me it doesn’t look like Civilization V to you. Right, right—it doesn’t look like Civ V to you, but I’m sure you can see how everyone else might assume that Warlock: Master of the Arcane from Paradox Interactive is a mod-gone-commercial. Which is really doing it a disservice. Because even though Warlock looks like Civ V minus the culture and happiness mechanics and polish and broken tactical AI, Warlock has an abundance of soul. You know, the one resource that Civ V desperately lacked.
Day One in Day Z
My humble beginnings in Day Z.
When I came to, I was on the shore of Chernarus—225 square kilometers of zombies, bandits, and soviet architecture—and found that I’d lost all my gear, apart from a puny Makarov that I couldn’t remember carrying before becoming stranded, and a canteen of water, some bandages, and a tin of marginally-edible brown. This is Day Z, a mod in alpha for ARMA 2: Combined Operations, and in traditional zombie-narrative fashion, this is the story of how I died.
Chillin’ in the Pit
A wallpaper image for Avernum, courtesy of the game’s site.
I love a good surprise, which may be why I’ve been playing so much Avernum: Escape from the Pit, a remake of Avernum (1999), which was itself a remake of Exile: Escape from the Pit (1995). When I saw it available on Steam, I decided on a whim to see if Spiderweb Software’s brand of old-school goodness could take root in the thorny soil of my RPG-weary heart. I’m glad I took that gamble.
Find out why, after the jump (that was for you, wedge).
Sentinel Comics #135: Hero… to Zero!
Absolute Zero is decimated by Baron Blade’s first attack.
LAST TIME (SC #134) (you should read this before continuing), Absolute Zero of the Freedom Five was joined by the solar-powered Ra and the mysterious Haka to find and destroy Baron Blade’s Terralunar Impulsion Beam. The good Baron had the decency to establish his base camp amidst the ruins of Atlantis, off the coast of Madagascar, which made for pretty easy pickings for our unlikely squad of heroes. Unfortunately, the moment the Beam was deactivated (and the world saved, incidentally), Baron Blade himself showed up with one heck of a grudge. Already weakened by their attack on the Baron’s camp, our heroes sure are in dire straits, in…
Sentinel Comics #135: Hero… to Zero!
SPACE-BIFF! 