A New Beginning: Final Cut Review

It isn’t very often that we see a game that is focused on a strong social or ethical issue. Games are so often seen as throwaway and juvenile, but we have seen, over the last few years, that there has been at least somewhat of a shift, with video gaming being taken more seriously as a story-telling medium. Story has always been important, and often very successful, in the adventure game genre. Thought of as the thinking gamers genre, the games have long been able to tackle more serious and adult themes, A New Beginning is no different and that is what really makes it stand out above its contemporaries.

Click here for the full review.

The Book of Unwritten Tales: The Critter Chronicles Review

The Book of Unwritten Tales may well have been stuck in development for a long, protracted length of time – due to a slow and mammoth task of localisation from German – but when it finally received an English-language version, the game was hugely impressive. A deep, complex story split between four heroes, detailed graphics that were full of character and a brilliant rousing musical score, with impressive voice acting. Not to mention a sense of humour that was legitimately funny.

So it comes as no surprise that a sequel was soon under way, and just over a year later, The Book of Unwritten Tales: The Critter Chronicles has emerged – actually a prequel to the first game – still following two of the protagonists we met before, namely the adventurer Nate and his strange, furry sidekick Critter.

Read the full review by clicking here.

 

Retro Corner: Christmas Special Two

Last Christmas the Retro Corner tried something a little different from usual. Instead of selecting just one title from the past to focus our attention on, we took you on a journey through some of our favourite seasonal video games.

So now that the nights are drawing in, the temperatures are dropping and Santa Claus is checking his list twice, the Retro Corner is once again feeling very Christmassy. As was the case last year, not all of the games are specifically Christmas based, but they will be festive or wintery in one way or another. We still also want to hear your own list of Christmas titles. What games do you hold close to your heart at this time of year?

See my selection by clicking here.

 

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Review

Video Game Designer Warren Spector helped change the face of flight simulators with the Wing Commander games in the nineties. Then he changed the way that we play first person shooters with Deus Ex in the noughties. Now, he has set it upon himself to update and change our views on a Walt Disney game, challenging our preconceptions and trying to open up the world of Mickey Mouse and his friends to gamers of all ages.

This began two years ago with Epic Mickey, but that game was only ever released on the Wii, and suffered from the being lost in a sea of children’s titles and casual games. It also struggled with an awkward camera and fiddly controls at the same time, but that hasn’t stopped Spector and his Junction Point Studios from working on a multi-platform sequel that looks to address some of these issues and hopefully find a larger audience for their title.

Click here for the full review.

The Walking Dead: Episode Five – No Time Left Review

The epic The Walking Dead: The Game, from Telltale Games, finally comes to an end this month - and the dramatic, shocking conclusion is bound to leave players in a state, possibly leaving them as an emotional wreck. The game really is that involving, and players have such a strong connection to the protagonists.

The story, of course, picks up where we left off, Clementine has been kidnapped by an unknown assailant and Lee is determined to track her down and save her. Whether any of the other survivors are there to help you or not depends on your choices in the past, and will make this episode quite a different affair from one player to the next. Of course, not everyone will be happy with the way the story develops, but Telltale do make us feel like what we have done did shape that outcome. More than in any other instalment in this series, the way that events play out here can differ greatly and all of the choices that have been made up to this point have some sort of influence to the finale.
Read the full review here.

Chaos on Deponia Review

As if one Deponia game a year wasn't enough, Daedalic Entertainment have now released the sequel to the smash hit adventure game, only months after the first. The original Deponia was stuck in translation and localisation hell for a long time - being a hit in Germany, but nowhere else.

Now both games are available in English, and Chaos on Deponia improves on its predecessor in almost every way - making it well worth a look.

Carrying on right where we left off after part one, we once again take on the mantle of Rufus, the scruffy yet well-meaning pauper who has found out about a diabolical plot to blow up his home planet of Deponia, by the evil Organon, a group of Stormtrooper-like baddies who police the luxury neighbouring world of Elysium. Rufus must get to Elysium himself and prove that there is life on Deponia that needs to be saved. To do that, he needs the help of Elysian lovely Goal, but her memory chip has been damaged so she can’t clearly remember the actions of Clefus, her fiancé, who is in league with the Organon.

Read the full review here.

Edna & Harvey: Harvey's New Eyes Review

Following on from Deponia, Daedalic Entertainment have been busy, and here they return to the series for which they made their name - Edna and Harvey. For the sequel, Harvey's New Eyes, we control a new character to the series - the quiet, innocent Lilli.

The game is still a crazy, violent, dangerous one - where players must help Edna escape the evil clutches of Dr. Marcel once again, and expose the exploits of the mad Doctor to the world.

Read the full review here.

Eurogamer Expo 2012: Hitman: Absolution Interview with Designer Torben Ellert

It might not be on the radar of every Adventure Gamer, but the latest game in the Hitman series - Hitman: Absolution is definitely a title that I am excited about. The Stealth genre does take a lot of ideas from traditional point and click games - such as timing, basic puzzles and a wide inventory of items at your disposal. These different elements aren't handled better than by iO Interactive, the makers of Hitman.

Hitman: Blood Money came out right at the end of the last generation of consoles, so it has been a long time since we last saw Agent 47 in action - what changes have been made ove rthe last five years? How will the addition of the exciting new online Contracts mode effect the evolution of the title?

I go straight to the source to try to get some answers, as I met with Contracts Designer Torben Ellert, at the Eurogamer Expo 2012. Read the full interview here.

Retro Corner: James Bond 007 – The Stealth Affair / Operation Stealth

In the Retro Corner at Godisageek.com, I take a monthly look back at some of the best - and worst - games of days gone by. To tie-in with the fiftieth anniversary of the james Bond film franchise, I decided to take a look at the often forgotten James Bond 007 – The Stealth Affair / Operation Stealth - a spying adventure game from Delphine.

Read more about this lost classic, that suffered from a case of double identity, and see if it is worth your time for a bit of undercover action. Read the full article here.

The Testament of Sherlock Holmes Review

Over the years, there have been numerous iterations and revisions of Sherlock Holmes in video gaming. Some have been far more successful than others, but Frogwares have held the license for quite some time, and are now somewhat synonymous with the Deer-Stalker wearing Detective and his medical sidekick.

PC gamers and DS fans have had the chance to play many games made exclusively for their platform, but whilst there has been one or two ports to home consoles, Frogwares have never developed for them specifically. That is until now, as The Testament of Sherlock Holmes was developed from the ground up for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with controls and gameplay systems designed to make the most of control pad gameplay. How does this transition work however, and will the game find a market on the much faster-paced consoles, with an audience which is used to action.

Click here for the full review.

Deponia Review

The latest Adventure Game from Daedalic Entertainment - the team behind the Whispered World and Harvey & Edna - is the beautiful 2D cartoon advenure Deponia. It has been long in development, and although it was released in Germany some time ago, it has only just received an English translation.

Deponia is a planet that is almost entirely covered in junk. There are a few settlements scattered across the planet, such as Kuvac, where inhabitants live within the rubble and re-use and recycle the trash in order to build homes, entertain themselves and even source their food and supplies. Enter Rufus, a good-hearted scoundrel who plans to leave the planet and find a better life on Elysium, the interconnected planet where most of the trash comes from. Rufus was left on Deponia at a young age by his father, and this only further fuels the fire of his desire to get away and better his life.

Read the full review over at Godisageek.com here.

Retro Corner: World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck

Over at GodisaGeek.com, I am responsible for a monthly column named the Retro Corner. On the first Friday of every month I run the rule over a Retro game - be it a classic or a disasterpiece. As this Blog is not only a tribute to Adventure Games, but Retro Gaming in general, I thought that these articles may also interest you, my readers.

This moth I look at World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, a forgotten gem back on the SEGA Megadrive - a sequel to the well-loved Castle of Illusion. Read the full article here at GodisaGeek.com.

Review of The Walking Dead: Episode Two – Starved for Help

Episode One of The Walking Dead brought us A New Day. If that episode set up the scene, introduced us to a group of characters and laid down some ground rules about how the rest of the series would progress, episode two pushes things a lot further and really tests your nerves and decision-making skills to breaking point.

The first entry in this new Adventure Gaming series from Telltale Games was a huge success, and was a breath of fresh air for the genre. Why not see how the second episode stacks up in the full review here at GodisaGeek.com.

Hoodwink Review



There is a bit of an uprising in games development recently in the less developed countries of the far east. Obviously, Japan has been the powerhouse that has been making classic video games since day one and China has been emerging for quite some time as well now, but smaller countries such as Malaysia and Singapore are now taking a foothold – with digital distribution allowing smaller development teams to share their games with the world – in a self-published state.

That is where Hoodwink has originated from. The Kuala Lumpur based team at E-One Studio have taken on the resurgent Adventure Game genre, and put a very eastern slant on proceedings, then they have mixed that with a Film Noir vibe; which is certainly very western. How does this mash-up gel together?

See the full review of this sci-fi tinged Neo Noir Adventure game here at GodisaGeek.com



Walking Dead Episode 2 Out Now

Since the first episode was released back at the end of April, it seems like it has been a very long wait for episode two of The Walking Dead: The Game from Telltale Games.

But for those of you who have been patiently waiting for it, good news! Episode 2 of The Walking Dead: The Game has been released for Xbox LIVE Arcade this week, with PC and PS3 versions to follow shortly.

This episode is ominously titled Starving  For Help, and although Telltale had planned for a June release, the game seemed like it was going to miss the date. However, the team were simply waiting on confirmation from the platform holders at Sony and Microsoft, and were able to quickly roll out the release.

I personally loved the first episode in the series, and recommend that you check out my full review of the game over at GodisaGeek.com right here.

The Walking Dead: The Game – Episode 2 is out on Xbox LIVE now and will be coming to PC and PS3 (North America) on June 29th. The European PSN date is currently in negotiation, Teltale hope that it will be available very soon.

Help Leisure Suit Larry Keep on Looking For Love in even more Wrong Places

As has been the trend lately - and following on from the hugely successfully Double Fine Adventure campaign - Al Lowe and Replay Games have decided to take to Kickstarter in an attempt to breathe new life into Leisure Suit Larry.

They are planning a re-mastered version of the first game in the series, and if that is commercially successful, they promise to remake other Larry games and to even start work on some new original Larry titles.

But they need your help. The Kickstarter project is nearing its end and they have raised almost 80% of their target total. Help Al Lowe reach his target by following the link and supporting retro Adventure gaming here.

And don't forget to check out my extensive interview with Al Lowe again, who was a fantastic guy with a lot of interesting stories - who really deserves our support. Read the full interview here.
Long live Larry Laffer!

Metal Dead Review

What happens when two Metal-heads find themselves in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? Walk Thru Walls Studios have answered that question with a game drenched in blood and zombie guts; Metal Dead. A game like Metal Dead would never have seen a paid release ten years ago. Games such as this, made by a small team and using a proprietary game engine, would have remained the reserve of freeware. Digital distribution has meant that independent developers can release their games to the masses, but still bring back a little income, by selling the title at an affordable price.

In the first of a planned series of Heavy Metal-influenced comedy adventure games, set in a post-apocalyptic world, Australian indie developers Walk Thru Walls have crafted a cartoon-affair where the comedy comes thick and fast; and black. Death is, of course, an over-riding theme, as with all zombies games and films, but the game truly revels in the over-the-top violence and gore that is caused by the spread of the zombie menace.

Read the rest of my Metal Dead Review at GodisaGeek.com

Gemini Rue Collector's Edition Review

Since 1997, budding Adventure Game Developers have been using AGS, a freeware development tool known as the Adventure Game Studio, to produce their own point and click games, attempting to emulate the 2D classics of old from the big names such as Lucasarts and Sierra. Many of these games are simply fan projects, gamers who want to create spin-offs from their favourite franchise, re-using sprites from existing games. However, there is also a solid community of developers who work on their games for years, and create fully-featured titles that are entirely their own work. One of these is Joshua Nuernberger, whose third Adventure Game made with AGS has come as somewhat of a revelation, and is now receiving a special Collector’s Edition boxed retail release, courtesy of Indie Game publishers Wadjet Eye Games.

Set in the year 2228, in a dystopian future where we find ourselves in the Gemini System, a system of planets controlled by the Crime Syndicate the Boryokudan. Throughout the game, players will get to control two protagonists; Azriel Odin, a former assassin for the Boryokudan who is now a crime fighter searching for his missing brother, and Delta Six, a man known simply as Charlie who finds himself in some sort of rehabilitation centre named Center 7, where he has just had his memory forcibly erased.

Check out the rest of my Gemini Rue Review at GodisaGeek.com

Catherine Review

Fans of the RPG series Shin Megami Tensei - Persona will already know how well Atlus can put together intricate inter-personal relationships and to craft exciting - although somewhat quirky stories. With Catherine, the company have produced the world's first Horror-Relationship-sim, role-playing game. How does that even work? And then consider that most of the game is played in Nightmares where men who cheat on their partners are turned into Sheep. Hmmm...

But the development team have crafted a compelling story that melds RPG elements with puzzle-game gameplay and relationship management, all in an Adventure-like format. The game isn't really an Adventure per se, but its strong story and compelling characters make it a title that most Advenutre Game fans will want to experience. Read all about the absurdity here

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Jurassic Park: The Game – Full Season Review

Telltale Games have really stepped up a gear with their licensed gaming properties. After their popular CSI titles and the great Back to the Future series, they have since acquired licenses for The Walking Dead and the Fables series of comics.

Most impressive perhaps, was the capture of the Jurassic Park license, and here we take a look at the full season of Jurassic Park: The Game. Played out very much in a Heavy Rain, Quick-time event style, the game focuses strongly on story and the results are very tense and well-suited to the subject matter. Telltale wisely abandoned their usual point and click interface for this title, and the game is fast and frantic due to this.

Does the game face extinction? Check out my opinion here.