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.