Kefling Apocalypse

For my money, Ninja Bee is the best and most consistent developer of down-loadable XBLA-style games. Where Pixel Junk seems to produce stylish hacketry--seriously, let's take a completely free game and slap some art from a boutique store on it--Ninja Bee puts out fun, well designed games that can be enjoyed in ten minute play sessions. Yet for some reason Pixel Junk enjoys undeserved praise, while Ninja Bee keeps working, unsung.

Well, hopefully that nonsense will end with their newest title, A Kingdom for Keflings. As seen in the video, I like the use of an in game avatar as the builder; opposed to the typical god-in-the-sky interface most of these games employ. It reminds me of those rowdy weekends wherein my friends and I, high on Doritos and Coca-Cola, would play hours long sessions of Herzog Zwei.



In case you're unfamiliar with Ninja Bee's fine assortment of games, here's a good place to start.

Project Disappointment

Fear was a solid game that was over-appreciated, as is their custom, by PC fps enthusiasts for its impressive technical qualities. Its biggest fault--more so than even the generic, Saturday morning cartoon look of the enemies--was the environments. Office buildings are terrible places to work; I don't know why anyne would set a game there.

For whatever reason, the devs decided to once more head back into the world of cubicles and break rooms. I was also hoping for a new villain, as creepy little girl spirits bent on indiscriminate vengeance is cliche at this point. Maybe I'll pick it up for the multiplayer that no one but the psychopaths who memorize spawn patterns will bother to particpate in.

Blah.

Game of the Year 2008: Confirmed

Perhaps you're thinking to yourself, "maybe he's jumping the gun here. There's a ton of great, high quality games coming out this year. And some people don't like games that give you the freedom to do whatever you want."

Just remember: you're dumb and John William is very, very smart.

Dude's hand to hand fighting a tank

Other than the original Xbox caliber graphics, I don't see what not love about this game. Admittedly, the very last sequence did remind of those commercials for the first Conflict game that showed Saddam in the player's cross hairs.

Finally, a game for douchebags by douchebags

It's hard to imagine how this game could be anything other than the best thing ever.

Darkness Is Spreadin'

I've noticed there's a general ennui among the gaming press about the new Alone in the Dark. Perhaps it's a simple case of seeing previews for a game for too long a time--this trailer is actually the first thing I've bothered to check out--but I think this game is promising. Granted, it's hard to discern if gameplay can match the hypnotic effect of the guy's leather jacket but there's plenty to be excited about here. I really like how the inventory screen is just him looking down at his belt and inside his jacket.

I just wish I could figure out why he wastes a bullet to obtain a sword...