Key

I want to talk about the stigma that revolves around the concept of Early Access games. The reason for this is because it seems as though there are two sides to this argument, and both sides are very strong in their opinion. On one side, nobody wants to have to pay upwards to 20-30 dollars for a game that isn't even complete, and on the other side, people don't mind spending the money to help the developer or developers involved turn the game into something that could potentially be amazing. I want to talk about which side I fall on, and shed some light into the topic in general.

So, as you can see above, the definition of an early access game is pretty obvious. You're paying for a game that hasn't been completed yet. You're probably thinking "really?, you're going to buy a game that hasn't been completed?" Well, for me, yes, I don't mind paying the money to play a game that already looks interested before the game even gets complete. There are a lot of games that are going the early access route, and a lot of them are already fantastic. Games like DayZ, or 7 Days To Die, ARK: Survival Evolved, and The Forest to name a few. These games even before they are officially released are still in development, but as it stands now, they are already a lot of fun to play. I mean...it should give you a pretty good idea as to how much fun they are as I have over 20 hours in 7 Days To Die alone.

From my experience, most early access games aren't meant to be a way for someone to just throw something together in 10 minutes and attempt to release it. Almost every single time i've checked out an early access game, the game is either close to being completed, or the game is so polished at it's current state that it's fun to play, and exciting to see the updates that come along with it. Most of the time, when i'm looking at the Steam store, the last thing i'm worried about is whether or not it's an early access game, because I'm probably going to enjoy the game regardless. Sure, early access games will come with their share of problems like FPS issues, graphics bugs, crashes, etc. But at the same time, you have to be excited for what the game could become if the developer decides to continue on with the game they've attempted to make thus far, which leads me to my next point.

One of my favorite things about early access games is the fact that even before the game is released, you can help the developer out by supporting their journey to finish a game that you would like to play. From what I can tell, the reason a lot of developers are going the early access route from the get go is for that reason, to gain a fanbase and to get some monetary support for their work. I honestly don't mind dishing out 10-20 bucks to help a developer make a game that they've wanted to put their soul into. Especially when, like I said, the game already looks polished and exciting even before it's initial release date. I say this, because a lot of early access games have successfully made it out of early access and have become full games, with continuous updates from the developers, and for the developers, they now have a steady and consistent flow of commentary coming from their fanbase. It's a really good marketing strategy to get your name out there, even if it means you have to label your game with the "early access" stigma.

At the same time, I do understand that people don't even want to touch early access games for the reason that it does cost money to buy a game that isn't finished, but again, it can be worth it in most cases, and it's always nice to see the development process of a game, and to see that the developers truly care about their product to dish out as many updates as they possibly can. Makes the 10-20 bucks you dished out to them seem far more worth it.

Key

PART II

Believe it or not, there are still a bunch of games I have not played, but have felt an itch to do so. So that's what brings us to a second part for this little series in here. Let's get right to it.



Golf With Friends is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. You play mini golf, with your friends. But god damn it looks like a good time if you get enough people to play. I could see myself spending quite a lot of time with some good friends trying to beat each other out on the various stages that this game already has. It's currently in it's early access stages, but the developer does update it frequently. Looks like a hell of a lot of fun, and will hopefully be experiencing that fun soon. MB Golf With Friends session, anyone?



I've seen a lot of people play Papers, Please but i've never actually experienced it for myself. From what I've heard, it is quite an exciting game and can be a lot of fun depending on the way you play it. I'm not too familiar with what it's about or what you do, but it does seem like an interesting and original idea. I don't know if I have any urge to play it anytime soon, but I would like to see what the hype is all about that surrounds it. It's gotten pretty good reviews on Steam as well, so that's always a plus.



Along with Papers, Please, I've also yet to try out The Stanley Parable, and again, there's a lot of hype around this game and it's gotten overwhelmingly positive reviews. I've never really understood what it's about, although I have seen some gameplay here and there. I know it's also meant to be funny in some ways, and I suppose I could get behind that.

Key

I recently picked up Stardew Valley and gave it a little spin. I'm not exactly sure how to feel about the game as a whole yet as I haven't really gotten too far into it, but I did play enough of it to give myself a good idea of what to expect.

As I mentioned in one of my posts before, I was and am still a pretty big fan of Harvest Moon, and so when this game was set for release, I checked out the screenshots and it was very complimentary to that game, and I mean very very complimentary. The games main goal is for you to play as a farmer to build up your land and make money, but the cool thing is, it's also got RPG elements thrown into it that you really wouldn't expect from a "city builder" / "farm simulator" type game. I really like the overall feel of the game where you attempt to make your farm, and make friends along the way. From the experience that I've had with the game so far, the interactions you have with the other people in your town seem really cool and it looks like you can attract those towns people to fall in love with you, or end up hating you in the long run. I also spent a little bit of time going into other peoples houses without their permission, which seems like a fun part of the game that I haven't really dove into much yet.

You probably think that a game like this wouldn't do well as an RPG because of the fact that you're basically playing a much more dumbed down version of Minecraft, but with RPG elements. I don't mean that in a bad way. The two go together really well, and especially with the way modern gaming is going nowadays, this one does a very good job of taking you back to the older style of gameplay and it allows you to do whatever you feel like doing with your town.

The only gripe I have with the game so far is the performance aspect. I've had a few times where my FPS dropped significantly due to rainfall or other aspects like too many pixels on the screen. However, my PC can handle things like that because I've played Minecraft and other higher graphics intensive games in ultra quality with no issue. That's probably more the fault of the game still being made by an indie developer.

The game does a fantastic job however at making you feel submerged in your farm, instead of it feeling like just another knock off of some other game. It's got a really rich soundtrack which I will talk about in another post, and it uses pixel graphics at it's finest. There's certainly a lot going for this game, so i'm excited to see what comes of it when the next couple builds arrive. It's got potential to be one of my all time favorite games, but we'll see what happens as the development process continues.

Key

Did you really think I was going to go the whole month without talking about one of the best releases of 2015. Hell, I'd even go as far as saying that this is the best release of 2015. Is it my game of the year for 2015? Quite possibly. I know what you're thinking, and yes, I am fully aware that this may not be an indie game, but...it did win an award for the best independent game of the year, so given the nature of that award, it gives me the right to talk about it, so i'm going to. I make the rules here, not you.

I'm going to start this off by saying that I'm not a huge fan of sports based games. Hell, I know they can be fun and super competitive, but in my earlier years of playing video games, I was never hugely into the basketball / baseball games, unless you count the countless hours I put into Ken Griffey Jr's Major League Baseball for the N64, but I digress. This game is perfect for the people that never really had a good experience or an experience at all with a sports game, because this game brings together both a sports related game and turns it into something revolutionary.

You may know Psyonix from another popular game they made known as Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle Cars, which at the time, I didn't even know existed, and man do I wish I could turn back time and play it, because Rocket League is it's successor, and done so in all the right ways. Psyonix as a developer is quickly becoming my favorite developers in this day and age because first of all, Rocket League has managed to not only brings in millions of players worldwide, but they've also managed to bring in countless dollars of sales while also maintaining a pretty good price tag for the game. Not only that, but every DLC that Psyonix has released for Rocket League has not exceeded 2$, which to me says more about the community engagement over the money they make. A lot of companies will make a great game and sell the game at a ridiculous price of 50-60$, and continue to release DLC's that also match that price tag, while not even bothering to make the DLC's interesting or engaging. Psyonix took a different route and decided from the beginning that it's more worth it to engage with their fanbase and give them great things for the game at a reasonable price. To me, that just makes the game far more enjoyable, because I'm not having to break my wallet every single time I want to buy some DLC's to make the experience that much better.

As I mentioned earlier, Rocket League has brought in millions of players around the world. Recently, they even added cross-platform play through Xbox One, so now you can play Rocket League from your PC with players on Xbox One and Playstation 4, which to my knowledge, is the first of it's kind. What better way to make the game that much better then to make it so everybody can play. It's a smart move on their part, and again, they have still managed to keep the price tag for the game at a fantastic deal. So, if you have any of those consoles, get your hands on it, it's worth the 20$.

Now my experience with the game has been a bit of an odd one, because although I have almost 150 hours in the game, I played this game pretty heavily when it was released, and then I took an extended break from it, only to come back to it recently and have fun with it again. When I say that, I don't want people thinking that the game stopped being fun for me. Honestly, more of it was due to being too tired to really get the full experience of the game, which I enjoyed from the beginning. The game has managed to so far stand the test of time for me, because a lot of the time, i'll play a game for about 50-60 hours before I start to get bored with it. Rocket League as I mentioned has gotten close to 150 hours out of me, and it continues to grow with every day I feel the urge to play it. Which is nice, because I like getting excited over a game that I was once super excited to play at it's release. There are times where I will get frustrated when I get thrown into a team that doesn't know what they're doing, but then i'll find a team that knows how to play the game really well, so that makes up for it. The recently added basketball servers are also really cool, though I will say that it definitely takes a different take on the Rocket League formula, but again...it's done really well and doesn't take away from the fun of the game. With the hundreds of different ways to customize your vehicle, mixed with the ranking systems, and even the streams for the tournaments that are held, my experience with Rocket League has overall been nothing short of excellent.

Two of my all time favorite DLC's that were released for this game would have to be the addition of the Delorean from Back to the Future and the Batmobile from Batman obviously...



It gets me excited to think about what Psyonix has next up their sleeve, because with each update they've put out, it's only made the game better each time. I've not been disappointed with any of the recent developments of the game, so it'll be cool to see where they take the game next, and i'll be right there with my car ready to play.

Key

As well as there being a large quantity of indie games making their debut over the last year or so, games that rely on survival in a post-apocalyptic world have also made their debut, far more recently than i've seen in some time. 60 Seconds falls into both categories, and does so wonderfully.

So, what is 60 Seconds. Well, it's a post-apocalyptic survival game. But not the type you're thinking of. When you hear post-apocalyptic, I imagine the first game you think of is Fallout. Well this game sort of follows that same formula, but in a different fashion. Imagine if Fallout were completely stripped of the adventure and RPG elements and brought it to it's simplest form, survival. The way the game is played is that you start off in your house as apocalypse nears closer and closer. The name 60 Seconds comes from the fact that you literally have 60 seconds to pick up as many supplies and family members as you can, and send them down to your fallout shelter to start your adventure. The game doesn't play like most survival games in the sense that you don't walk around or find items. Instead, it's more focused on a point and click function if you will. As each day passes, you have to choose certain options that either makes you send some family members out into the wasteland to find supplies or talk to people that have reached your fallout. In some cases, those decisions can be good decisions and have good outcomes. In some other cases, you can make a mistake by choosing that option which will either use the supplies you are trying to keep for as long as possible, and that can cause your chance of survival to dwindle very quickly. From what i've seen, the most important thing to bring into your shelter from the get go is water and food, because as the days pass by, you will need to feed and hydrate your family members. I suppose you could choose to leave some family members behind and pick up as much food and water as you can to allow you to survive on your own, but the ability to have the family members go out into the open is very useful if you want to have any chance of getting more supplies without feeling like you're going to fail right away. Sometimes you can use your family members as bait to see what the outcome of a certain option will have, which is a bit of a dark twist to choosing those options, but it can have some positive outcomes in the long run. For example, say you are given an option to send your son out into the wilderness, fully knowing that there is a toxic gas forming. You can send your son out to search for food that has been said to be near, but you risk your child getting sick, which will cause him to die quicker. But...the positive outcome of this is that you were able to track down more food to allow the rest of your family to exist longer. Those sacrifices will need to be made throughout your playthrough and sometimes, it can be difficult to make those decisions, especially if you've managed to survive for a long time.

The gameplay is really cool, and it pretty much covers everything you need to know about surviving a post-apocalyptic world, in a game sense. I enjoy the sense of urgency at the beginning, because it already puts you at the edge of your seat, and sometimes, it can be hard to find certain items like a fireaxe, or a radio, because each game you play, the items are put in different places. It's all about prioritizing what you want to bring with you, and leaving behind items that you know you won't need. If you don't find the items you want right away, you may end up finding them throughout your days in the fallout shelter, which is where sending out your family members comes in.

60 Seconds is certainly a good way to waste a few hours if you've got nothing else to play, but I wouldn't say the gameplay is as immersive as a lot of other post-apocalyptic games out there, mostly due to you not really being able to move around anywhere. But, if you're a fan of the more point and click style games, and you're itching for another post-apocalyptic style game, this one is definitely one to look into. It's still a great game for what it's worth.

Key

Everybody at this forum should know by now how big of a fan I am of Runescape and the lore that comes with it. Well, when I heard about a card based game that was coming out based on the game, I thought to myself "man, it's just going to be another Hearthstone ripoff". Let me say right now before I say anything else that I haven't actually played Hearthstone before, even though it's gained a tremendous amount of popularity through it's existence. I've seen videos and images of the game, and although it looks interesting, I never really found myself to be a big fan of card based strategy games. However, Chronicle: Runescape Legends seems to take the idea of a card based game and bring it to the next level.

Now I know what else you're thinking, "Ki, you're just saying it brings it to the next level because you're a big fan of the game in general." Well, part of that is true. But I read reviews of the game before I decided to spend my time on it, and the reviews for this game are exactly how I feel about the game. First off, you don't have to be a big fan of the game or the lore to really submerge yourself into the game, because the mechanics that the game offers allows for anybody to get into the game and have a good time.

Basically, at the beginning of each game, you start off with a hand of 7 cards, and these cards can differ from creature cards that you attack, to support cards that give your character health and armor. You can discard a couple cards at the beginning to get a chance to pull some of the cards that will give you an advantage. It's all based on luck though so you won't know if discarding a card that you could have used was a good idea until you start pulling cards from your deck that you can't use because you don't have enough gold, or it gives you a big disadvantage at the end.

You go through 5 chapters for every round, and each round, you have to play up to 4 of your cards in your hand that can either damage the enemy you are facing, or have it help you 100% by getting your armor and health and attack stat up to prepare yourself for the final battle against your rival. The play field is neat in the sense that you are watching the character you have been leveling up, reveal these cards one by one and reap their benefits, or disadvantages as the game progresses. So it's very immersive in the sense that you really do see what effects your cards have on you or your rival.



As you go through each fight, whether you win or lose, you gain experience in a number of different skills, and for your character in general, and you level up. Each time you level up, you have a chance to pull a new card for your deck, or in game currency that'll allow you to craft new cards to put into your deck. In the 2 hours I've played so far, I've found that I have changed my deck around at least 10 times. At the point I'm at now, I've found a deck that works really well for me, and I've been able to win a few games as a result. Again, it is based on the luck of the draw, so don't go thinking if you put a card in your deck that you know you can win with, 50% chance you won't even pull the card, or you'll play a card that discards that card altogether. I've found myself even taking a few minutes to decide what my next move is, because there are a lot of factors that go into it, and sometimes you make the right move, sometimes you make the wrong move. I recently had a game where the HP difference between me and my rival was literally 2 HP. My rival was able to get the last blow due to their attack stat being higher than mine, with how they managed their card draws throughout each chapter.

At the end of each game, you do end up fighting your rival on one on one combat. And it's all based on the stats you've conjured up throughout the cards you have played through each chapter. So you can go one chapter and only play cards that will support your character and not inflict any damage on your rival, or you can go full on tank mode and only play cards that will inflict damage on your rival, but have no benefit to your character. You have to be careful though, because the rival could easily be hiding cards until the last chapter to raise their stats to much higher levels than yours, and with that type of strategy, they can destroy you in the final battle.



A game like this is really refreshing and for a company to go the route that they did with a card based strategy game, it's certainly been done well. I'm enjoying the heck out of this game, even though i've lost most of the games i've played so far, but it's all a learning thing and you have to come to build a deck that will work in each chapter, so that each draw, you have something to play.

Did I mention the game is free? Yeah, it's free. It's on Steam, and I guarantee if you like Hearthstone, you'll love this game, and Hearthstone will fall into the dusty shelf because of how much you'll play this one instead.

Key

Do you understand what this means? This means that there is going to be hundreds upon hundreds of games that will be going on sale through Steam, and I plan on getting my hand on quite a few of them. It's the first day that I've seen games on sale, and i've already picked up two that i'm really excited about, and i've only spent close to 20$.

One of them is of course...


Euro Truck Simulator 2

I've been wanting to get into these simulator games for a while, and I absolutely loved what I saw with the first Euro Truck Simulator, so I figured i'd go ahead and spend the 5 bucks for the second game. I'm really enjoying it. It's great to be able to put some really calming post-rock or dark ambient in the background and take to the streets with your big rig. It's surprisingly relaxing as well. I could honestly sit here all day and drive all day. It's a very fun game, and i'm definitely happy to have gotten it.

Another one that I just purchased and am super looking forward to is...


Alien: Isolation

This game right here is a good example as to why I love these types of sales. This game is usually going for 50$, and right now, it's on sale for 12$. I've heard nothing but great things about this game, and I'm really a huge fan of the survival horror genre as a whole, so i'm really looking forward to playing this. It's gotten great reviews, and i've seen some gameplay of it, but I look forward to turning down the lights, and ****ting myself with fear as I play this one. I hope it's as scary as Amnesia: The Dark Descent is, because if it is, i'll love it.

Key

Continued from the previous post...

I can't stay away from the sales, even when my unemployed self tells me not to. My wallet can't take it, but the temptation is too much. I mean, how could you possibly give up sales that make a game 90% cheaper than it's original price. It's freakin' impossible. So, I've bought two more that I'm very excited about.


Super Meat Boy

I didn't even realize Super Meat Boy was on Steam until I saw it on sale for the summer sale. I put many hours into this game, and I love it to death, especially the soundtrack. I had to have it on Steam, and for less than 2 dollars, I couldn't pass it up. I played for about an hour and got frustrated, but that's the whole point of the game. It's still a really well made game, and I would've bought it at full price had I known it was on Steam, but whatever, I bought it cheap anyway.

The next one I just got was...


Age of Empires III: Complete Collection

I feel like i'm repeating myself when I say that you can't pass up these sales, but these are just ridiculous. This is a $40+ package for less than 10 bucks during it's current discounted price. I had to have it. Again, another game I played years back and had a **** ton of fun with, so now i'm hoping I can relive that fun with this purchase. Definitely some worse graphics than I remember, but I guess that's due to the evolution of graphics etc. Still a great RTS though.

The Batlord

*clicks on Steam... beats wallet until it stops crying*

__________________

Key

That's pretty much exactly how it goes. I can't stop buying games, and my wallet hates me for it, but it's just too good to pass up.