Point & Click adventure games have been around for a very long time; indeed, some of the earliest big titles were of this genre. We’ve had the Monkey Island franchise, Grim Fandango, Broken Sword – And then we had the Mystery of Time & Space (MOTAS). Recently on our Discord channel, I got into a conversation with Jason from VidyaSauce, who was live streaming himself playing Elea – A new game that identifies itself as an Indie Adventure game. When I saw the sci-fi theme of the game, I was immediately brought back to MOTAS – A game that I and my family loved to bits.
Point & Click adventure games have been around for a very long time; indeed, some of the earliest big titles were of this genre. We’ve had the Monkey Island franchise, Grim Fandango, Broken Sword – And then we had the Mystery of Time & Space (MOTAS). Recently on our Discord channel, I got into a conversation with Jason from VidyaSauce, who was live streaming himself playing Elea – A new game that identifies itself as an Indie Adventure game. When I saw the sci-fi theme of the game, I was immediately brought back to MOTAS – A game that I and my family loved to bits.
A LucasArts classic, before the company were dismantled, The Curse of Monkey Island is one of their most iconic titles. Whether you’re a long-time fan of the franchise, or just observing it for the first time, it’s fair to say that if you’re a gamer, you’ve probably heard of it! In this instalment of the Point and Click series, we join Guybrush Threepwood on his quest to save his fiancee, Elaine Marley. Will Guybrush be able to save her, or will she be a solid gold statue forever?
A LucasArts classic, before the company were dismantled, The Curse of Monkey Island is one of their most iconic titles. Whether you’re a long-time fan of the franchise, or just observing it for the first time, it’s fair to say that if you’re a gamer, you’ve probably heard of it! In this instalment of the Point and Click series, we join Guybrush Threepwood on his quest to save his fiancee, Elaine Marley. Will Guybrush be able to save her, or will she be a solid gold statue forever?
Strangely enough I played the parody of Myst before I even knew the original existed, a series of postcards with brilliantly crass and surreal humour featuring John Goodman as King Mattress. I loved it, but finding Myst was a revelation I don’t think I was entirely prepared for.
The Myst series is what made Cyan Worlds what they are today, though they’ve had a few older titles that are broadly forgotten along with a smattering of mobile releases that have gone unnoticed. Myst, it’s various sequels, re-releases and spin-offs are amongst the best puzzle games ever created, due in no small part to their use of observation and deductive reasoning rather than any dependence on the Lock and Key method I spoke of last week. They created worlds by the dozen, each with their own rules and internal logic that you uncover through studying the works of others and experimenting yourself, then using that knowledge to resolve the puzzles in front of you.
The question is can Cyan recapture the magic with a new title? Obduction is a title I picked up a while back, sincerely looking forward to something fascinating, something new. And as soon as I got past the title the whole thing crashed. Ahh well, nice new computer, nice new game… Continue reading “Review – Obduction”
Ever thought about having powers? These kids had no choice in the matter, for they’re Peculiar’s, a group of people who have powers which make them different from normal humans. Join Timlah as we check out the Tim Burton directed film – Miss Peregrain’s Home For Peculiar Children.
Ever thought about having powers? These kids had no choice in the matter, for they’re Peculiar’s, a group of people who have powers which make them different from normal humans. Directed by Tim Burton and written by Ransom Riggs, is this film as spectacularly different as we’d expect, or is it just not Peculiar enough for my tastes? Let’s take a look through Victorian England and take a step through a Loop.
Religion and science doesn’t usually mix, but in this title, they could be the combination that literally kills you. In the latest iteration of the Phoenix Wright franchise, we’re back with a vengeance – and this time, defense attorneys are in as much trouble as their clients. Join Timlah as we read through the courtroom dramas of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney!
Religion and science doesn’t usually mix, but in this title, they could be the combination that literally kills you. In the latest iteration of the Phoenix Wright franchise, we’re back with a vengeance – and this time, defense attorneys are in as much trouble as their clients. From religious ministers hellbent on making sure you fail, to divination seances designed to make your clients look guilty, this might be Phoenix’s toughest trial yet.
If you like point and click adventure games, then you’re going to thoroughly enjoy Gibbous – But what is it exactly? What makes this a Cthulhu Comedy Horror Adventure? Is it any good? Join Timlah as we look through the demo of Gibbous.
If you like point and click adventure games, then you’re going to thoroughly enjoy Gibbous – But what is it exactly? What makes this a Cthulhu Adventure? Is it any good? Join Timlah as we look through the demo of Gibbous.
Hello one and all, in this article I talk about the latest two episodes of GeekOut Plays Stonekeep, Episodes 22 and 23, where we’re making amazing progress. No GeekOut Plays Beyond Good & Evil this week, as I’ve been feeling poorly!
Hello one and all, in this article I talk about the latest two episodes of GeekOut Plays Stonekeep, Episodes 22 and 23, where we’re making amazing progress. No GeekOut Plays Beyond Good & Evil this week, as I’ve been feeling poorly. Sorry about that! So, onwards with this weeks Stonekeep episodes!
Multiplayer games are a staple in the video game industry, as a way to interact with others through the medium… Or just to show someone how l33t you are. However in recent years, a lot of multiplayer games have changed how they are played. No longer are we playing games of healthy competition, but more games are out there to show that you’re better for having played them longer than someone else. Join me as I take a look back through multiplayer games of old and how modern games tackle the communication between people.
Multiplayer games are a staple in the video game industry, as a way to interact with others through the medium… Or just to show someone how l33t you are. However in recent years, a lot of multiplayer games have changed how they are played. No longer are we playing games of healthy competition, but more games are out there to show that you’re better for having played them longer than someone else. Join me as I take a look back through multiplayer games of old and how modern games tackle the communication between people.
We’ll begin by taking a trip down memory lane, or for many of us, a year before we were even conceived. In the early 1970s, the first ever Pong consoles were released to the general public and people were buying them by the boat load. Well okay, perhaps not quite a boat load of them, but people all over were willing to get their hands on a way to interact with their television sets in more than a typical watch the broadcast way. They wanted to play Pong, a game that was only available in the arcades prior, in their home with their own friends without having to take change to play on the machines.
Whilst Pong was all well and good, it was just the first in a long line of easy games to pick up and play. We started to get games like Dig-Dug, Pac-Man, even games like Tetris supported more than one player after a while, for a little bit of competitive gaming between friends and family. But by the time the SNES was out, most of these simple two player games started to dwindle in favour for more complex, trickier to play single player games. Sure action games and fighting games were still popular enough to have two player modes, but games were already making their way into RPGs and more.
Spyro was one of many PS1 games that was incredibly popular but had no multiplayer functionality.
Now this isn’t to say that multiplayer games disappeared, but they had to evolve and adapt. Over time, we went on to playing less random action/adventure games, less platformers and more into shooters. These games were more like Quake and Unreal. Around the same sort of time, the PS1 came out and even more single player games came out. Games along the lines of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro. In the case of Crash, this was a platformer that did away with multiplayer all together, in favour of a more in depth story in the game. It’s not a traditional platformer, but it still is one. Hey, at the end of the PS1 years, my favourite RPG of all time came out: Final Fantasy IX. No main Final Fantasy game had done multiplayer at this point.
So shooters were the thing that really kept multiplayer going for a period of time, but then around the 2000s, the long standing MMORPG World of Warcraft came out. It’s incredible to think that next year the WoW community will have the Burning Legion to defeat in World of Warcraft. MMORPGs weren’t new… I was very accustomed to playing games such as Dark Ages of Camelot and City of Heroes at this point… But now the RPG genre was being more innovative and more involving of multiplayer, but really, this was a different way to play: This was about working together to defeat huge enemies, or fighting one another in intense battles. These are games of numbers, the more numbers you have, the better you do is the general rule of thumb.
Now we’ve got the indie scene, a thriving community with countless fun games to play. Since I got my OUYA last year, I have played many cool multiplayer games, such as Amazing Frog? and Hidden In Plain Sight (which is also on Steam). These games have brought back the sense of fun, the sense of pure silly gameplay along with a little bit of competitive nature and in some cases: skill of the game. But whilst multiplayer games never left us, it sure feels now that we’ve got a more diverse library of games out there. Now there are games for those who want to invest plenty of time, as well as games which you just put on at a party. What’s your earliest memory of a multiplayer game? Share your favourite multiplayer games in the comments below, or over on Facebook and Twitter.
P.S: If you are ever in doubt about a good multiplayer game to get into, consider getting a fighting game or a shooter. Those generally are multiplayer. If you want something a bit different, for fighting check out Guilty Gear, for the characters are so outlandish, you end up falling for each and every one of them. I personally like using Bridget and Faust as my guys. For FPS, I implore you to play the Unreal Tournament games. Those are my personal picks for franchises!
We might be digging ourselves a hole with this review, however we almost forgot to do a proper review of the indie sensation. From Creepers that pop out of the middle of nowhere, to Skeletons and Zombies, you can be sure to have yourself a fun survival game. Witches come out at this time of the year too, so there’s more to Minecraft than just a sandbox game – But how do all of the modes play out? Timlah checks out the mighty Minecraft for a full review.
We might be digging ourselves a hole with this review, however we almost forgot to do a proper review of the indie sensation. From Creepers that pop out of the middle of nowhere, to Skeletons and Zombies, you can be sure to have yourself a fun survival game. Witches come out at this time of the year too, so there’s more to Minecraft than just a sandbox game – But how do all of the modes play out? Timlah checks out the mighty Minecraft for a full review.
Point and Click Adventure game fans rejoice, for there is a video game series that manages to capture the glory of the old LucasArts classics! Whilst there is little out that that will be precisely what you’re looking for in terms of replaying games like Monkey Island, Deponia: The Complete Journey is a close shave to the games of old. So what is it like playing through this series and how does this particular title stack up to the golden oldies?
Point and Click Adventure game fans rejoice, for there is a video game series that manages to capture the glory of the old LucasArts classics! Whilst there is little out that that will be precisely what you’re looking for in terms of replaying games like Monkey Island, Deponia: The Complete Journey is a close shave to the games of old. So what is it like playing through this series and how does this particular title stack up to the golden oldies?
Story
In Deponia: The Complete Journey, you start off by playing as Rufus, who is a rather uncouth character. He is quick to point out the flaws of others without looking at any of his own, which is a perfect character to play as! He’s quite unlikeable in terms of character but has a certain charm in his own way, however I like that he’s like this. Rufus wants to leave the trash planet Deponia desperately. It’s a planet that’s filled with junk, junk and more junk so Rufus hatches a cunning plan.
As another one of his ingenious plans backfires on him and causes him to have to readdress the way he does things, Rufus sees the beautiful Goal and vows to try to help her out. He really should have left her alone as he causes her more trouble than good. Now Rufus makes it his goal to help her out all in the way pretending to be Goals fiancee because they look exactly the same. A common complaint all people suffer when attracting a partner, so I’m sure you’ll sympathise!
Graphics
As is now customary with our video game reviews, we believe pictures speak a thousand words. Here is a gallery of pictures from very early in the game:
Good language selection features
The main screen
The overworld is fun to look at!
Hey, who needs tutorials?!
The inventory system allows you to either click for it, or scroll the mouse wheel down. Inventive!
Rufus’ room. It’s actually tidier than I thought.
Struggles at the sofa.
Yikes, his ex sure hated him!
This world is freaking cool!
Except this miner guy, he’s not so cool. Good listener though!
Time to launch ourselves!
Amazing quality cutscenes
Rufus in cutscene format realising a flaw in his plan
Watching the show of Rufus flying!
Now he’s in trouble!
What a cool town this is!
Audio
The voice actors and actresses in this game are staggering, which helps to bring an air of realism to the world of Deponia. It’s honestly exciting hearing such clear voices and no over-acting for any of them. There are a few with wilder voices, but even then, it doesn’t detract from the characters at any point.
One special feature of The Complete Journey over previous versions is that it features commentary by the developers of the game. I love listening to the developers explain their decisions over some of the design and some of the lore of the game. They usually chat with an in-game character during their commentary parts, which is quite funny to listen to.
This game features a lot of dialogue and you’ll get used to just listening to them through several long events. Couple this with nice and clear sound effects and music for the game where the music isn’t too overpowering, and you’ve got a great game. One special nod from me however goes to the fact that they allow you to shift the sound of the music down and keep the vocals up. This is a blessing in disguise because I find that with a lot of games, if you have the music at the same level as the voice actors, you can’t hear them so well.
Overall
Give this game a go if you’re a fan of the old school point and click adventure games, with games such as Monkey Island, (Especially The Curse of Monkey Island,) at the forefront of the adventure game genre. Whilst that’s certainly true, we needed a modern day LucasArts and it seems that Daedalic Entertainment are our LucasArts. Thanks guys, you’ve crafted a truly entertaining game with some memorable characters. Especially that Rufut, as rude and as horrid as he is.
Have you played any of the Deponia games? I bought the game when it was on sale on Steam, which is a great way to pick up any game you feel like having a go at. As always, let us know what you think about the game in the comments below, over on Facebook or on Twitter.
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