In 2009 I picked up a game called Earth Defense Force 2017, it was one of the biggest surprises for me on the Xbox 360. The game perfectly recreated a B-movie style and atmosphere that I enjoyed. So when a sequel, Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon (EDF: IA), came out I was interested and when I found out it was available for PC I was even more interested.
Zen Studios has been a studio I’ve kept my eye on for quite some time. They made Zen Pinball FX2 which quickly became my favorite Pinball game, mixing arcade-style pinball with a more playable and interactive table. I was hooked instantly. So when I heard they had made a KickBeat which appeared to be kung fu inspired rhythm game, I knew I had to take a look as I used to play a lot of DDR and Stepmania.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night came to the public’s attention in May 2015 with Koji Igarashi (also known as IGA) announcing a new Kickstarter. The programmer and director of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (worth checking out) asked for half a million dollars to make another Castlevania-like game. Fans went crazy and easily topped that, giving over 5 million dollars to the team to develop Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
At 4.5 million, a promise of a retro style prequel game was made. Now on May 24th, 2018, we have received the prequel game name Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, with the actual Bloodstained Ritual of the Night coming hopefully this year. However, the prequel Bloodstained Curse of the Moon is being offered for 10 bucks, and that means it deserves its own review. I’m here to give that.
I’ve tried to start this review a few times, and the fact is I haven’t come up with an opening line. I’m looking at Ori and the Blind Forest today and the fact is, I don’t know if I have the words that are properly worthy of the game. Ori and the Blind Forest is just an amazing game, and worthy of praise, probably far more praise than it’s received. I’m going to try to do it justice.
Cat Interstellar is a rather interesting game. It’s also a very short game, however, even a short game deserves consideration. The game came to my attention when I saw it was inspired by Robert A. Heinlein’s work “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress”. So I was interested enough that I bought it and played it.
Ahh, Resident Evil, one of the most famous series in all of gaming, with so many different games in its history. The original tank based controlled puzzlers, the more action based and silly Resident Evil 4, the even more actiony Resident Evil 5. Now we have the First person horror game Resident Evil 7, which I hope to get to one day. And then there’s Resident Evil 6. This is… Resident Evil 6.
In 2014, Activision released Destiny. Destiny was the first game from Bungie after being a first party developer for Microsoft. It was met with optimism but it had some valid criticism. Three years later, Destiny 2 was released promising to improve on the original game and fix many of the problems with the original game. Let’s see how that went.
Kingsway might not be visually pleasing to the modern gamer, but it’s has a charm that older gamers will recognize. A style that is reminiscent of the days of Windows 3.1.1 or 95. Kingsway plays with the game within a game trope and develops a game inside an OS idea. It’s a clever concept if executed well. The game even starts with a POST screen.
In 2009 Platinum Games release Bayonetta, taking the stylized gameplay from Devil May Cry, amping it up to new levels, and releasing a stand out hit at the same time. They created something that deeply resonated with gaming culture for a long time both positively and negatively. I picked up it up in 2011 and played it and was blown away.
8 years after the initial release, Bayonetta was now owned by Nintendo, of all companies, and yet, Steam got a gift. The original untouched Bayonetta, back in the same form. So 8 years of progress has passed in this industry of games. Can Bayonetta still stand up?
80 Days is well written. I’m just going to start there. If I say nothing else, I have to comment on the level and quality of writing in 80 Days. To take on the writing style of Jules Verne and attempt to produce a game based on one of his books would not be a feat I think anyone can do with ease. Inkle studios tackled it and produced one of the more unique games I’ve played.
Kinglink Reviews 