IndieCade 2014: Mini Metro
Living in the Los Angeles area has been my first encounter with a metropolitan rail system. I was not an eager adopter, by any means, but now that I’ve spent the better part of a year using the LA Metro for nearly all of my transportation needs, I (mostly) adore it. Because of this, while walking around the Game Showcase today at IndieCade, Mini Metro stood out more than its vibrant minimali...[Read More]
IndieCade 2014: Close Castles
I only had a couple of hours to spend at IndieCade today, and only a couple more that I can spare over the weekend, so I’m reduced to brief experiences with many of the festival’s offerings. One of the most memorable to come out of today was a game called Close Castles, from the maker of Threes. It was quick, smooth, and incredibly fun. Close Castles is a real-time strategy tower defen...[Read More]
IndieCade 2014
IndieCade was once referred to as "the video game industry's Sundance," and while it may not be the most apt comparison, there is a bit of truth in it. IndieCade presents an incredibly diverse variety of independently developed video games from all genres, including, sometimes, genres that are just being created. The games are presented at varying levels of completion, with some still being at the...[Read More]
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor’s Link to Tolkien’s Canon
Our review for Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is glowing, but I decided to cut a few hundred words out and set them aside on their own. These few hundred words address a simple, but important question: Does Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor fit within Tolkien’s established world? In the review, I answered “Mostly,” and that’s better than many attempts have been. As with Lord o...[Read More]
TRI Review
I love a good puzzle game. I especially love a good puzzle game that does something new and interesting. Portal, and the subsequent Portal 2, were knockouts that kept me coming back for more time and time again. When I sat down last month to take a look at Rat King Entertainment’s first effort, TRI, I instantly felt the same joy and intrigue as the first time I picked up a portal gun. I̵...[Read More]
KickBeat: Special Edition
The game’s story revolves around a love-struck and unlikely hero drawn into a battle for control of the world's music. Lee and Mei are the story’s protagonists, guided by Master Fu, the leader of an ancient, secretive sect of monks called the Order of the Melodic Fist, who have been the guardians of Sphere of Music for centuries.