Dear Esther

Dear Esther - 1DVD

Publisher: thechineseroom
Developer: thechineseroom & Robert Briscoe
Genre: Adventure, Indie, Casual

Already released in mod some time ago, Dear Esther will come out in full game. For the occasion, the game has been completely rebuilt, and the sets are now better than ever. Like what, the Source Engine can do good things.

Description:
“A deserted island…a lost man…memories of a fatal crash…a book written by a dying explorer.”

Two years in the making, the highly anticipated Indie remake of the cult mod Dear Esther arrives on PC. Dear Esther immerses you in a stunningly realised world, a remote and desolate island somewhere in the outer Hebrides. As you step forwards, a voice begins to read fragments of a letter: “Dear Esther…” – and so begins a journey through one of the most original first-person games of recent years. Abandoning traditional gameplay for a pure story-driven experience, Dear Esther fuses it’s beautiful environments with a breathtaking soundtrack to tell a powerful story of love, loss, guilt and redemption.

Forget the normal rules of play; if nothing seems real here, it’s because it may just be all a delusion. What is the significance of the aerial — What happened on the motorway — is the island real or imagined — who is Esther and why has she chosen to summon you here? The answers are out there, on the lost beach, the windswept cliffs and buried in the darkness of the tunnels beneath the island… Or then again, they may just not be, after all…

Dear Esther is supported by Indie Fund.

Features:

Every play-through a unique experience, with randomly generated audio, visuals and events.
Explore Incredible environments that push the Source engine to new levels of beauty.
A poetic, semi-randomised story like you’ve never experienced in a game before.
Stunning soundtrack featuring world-class musicians.
An uncompromisingly inventive game delivered to the highest AAA standards.

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Dark Secrets

Dark Secrets - 1DVD

Dark Secrets is a first person adventure game set in small isolated Scandinavian village. After five years, Arthur returns to home due to his father’s sudden death. He inherits the family’s old antique shop and the countless of strange objects within that his father had collected over the years. Through these mysterious objects Arthur begins on a journey to uncover the dark secrets that are hidden behind the façade.

Publisher: THQ
Developer: New Generation Software
Genre: Action, Strategy

Experience the rich immersive atmosphere of a beautiful yet haunting Scandinavian village brought to life.
Experience a deep and engaging story through the eyes of Arthur, and learn of his family’s troubled past as he unwillingly follows in his fathers footsteps.
Interact with several intriguing and colorful characters, each one with their own hidden motives and secrets to hide.
Solve tricky puzzles and interrogate the local villagers to uncover the truth.

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Chatting with Lijakaca about Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom

Hello friends! I'm sure you didn't actually think the Hakuoki release would come and go without me having something to say about it, right? Of course not! I was lucky enough to snag a review copy of the game for the ever-awesome Game Critics, but unfortunately it hasn't gone up on the site yet. But never fear – I have plenty of things to say about the game in the meantime.

First off, I had the fabulous oppertunity to ramble about Hakuoki and all things otome with the lovely Lijakaca of Lijakaca's Otome Gaming Blog. She is a mecca of otome gaming knowledge (her blog is a must follow for fans of otome games), so if you thought I knew what I was talking about, just you wait! (hint: I don't, usually) We had a great discussion about the game itself and also delved into otome game topics in general, so if any of that catches your fancy, I heartily suggest you check it out! Click on the handsome Hakuoki men below to give it a listen! Please be sure to tell me what you think in the comments... I'm still very new to podcasting, so any tips you may have that I can keep in mind for future endeavors would be greatly appreciated.

So what did I think of Hakuoki in the end? I'd like to save my final evaluation for the review when it goes up, but I do have some points in particular I can share:

• As if you couldn't tell from the screenshots floating around the internet and the art above, the game looks gorgeous. Though I didn't find the music particularly memorable, it wasn't grating, either.
• The story is engaging, and surprisingly in-depth, particularly for a game where many assume the main goal would be to hook up with the guy of your dreams. That incentive is there, but the romance aspect of the game is actually not quite as prevalent as I would have thought – a bit to my dismay, but will probably make the game more palatable to those who are not as interested in drooling over 2D hunks as I am. All in all, I think Aksys found a nice middle ground by choosing this as their first otome game. And yes, there is swearing!
• Speaking of swearing, I was a bit iffy on the localization at times. Though it is undoubtedly written well, I couldn't help but feel that Hijikata swore a bit too much and some of the written dialogue just didn't match up with the spoken Japanese in a way that sat well with me. That said, it's throughly enjoyable and immersive for an English-speaking audience, and I get that that is what Aksys is going for. Kudos to their awesome editor and translators for not botching it up. 
• So far, I've only "gotten" two of the six obtainable guys. I've done Heisuke's good and bad endings, and Hijikata's good ending. Though I liked Heisuke notably more than I liked Hijikata (he's a real jerk), I didn't find either of them to be particularly great. I hear Souji's where it's at, so I plan on making him my next conquest. For those of you wondering how much gameplay there is – one playthrough probably takes anywhere from 5-8 hours depending on who you choose, with Hijitaka's story being the longest. Once you've played through the 1st four chapters for one character, you'll probably want to skip through most of the dialogue during subsequent playthroughs, which cuts down on your play time significantly. 

All in all, I enjoyed my time with Hakuoki. I definitely suggest anyone who wants to try an otome game to pick it up, and would even recommend it to those who don't if they like a good story set in feudal Japan. My only wish was that it had more romance! And, in all honestly, a supernatural story mixed with historical fact isn't exactly my kind of thing, so I probably wouldn't have picked this up if it weren't for the fact that it was the first big name otome game to be released in English. 

But wait! Before you go, Video Game Writers is doing a giveaway where the prize is the game of your choice! So you could very well win a copy of Hakuoki, if you want! All you have to do is sign up for VGW on Google Currents for your iDevice or Android phone. An added bonus is you'll get to read news and reviews written by me (and some other people) in the palm of your hand! Neat, eh? 

Have any of you had a chance to play Hakuoki yet? If so, let me know what you thought! 

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Cannon Fodder 3

Cannon Fodder 3 - 1DVD

Publisher: Game Factory Interactive
Developer: Game Factory Interactive
Genre: Casual, Arcade, Real-time Strategy

The oldest or nostalgic players will certainly gave a little shudder when reading this post. A game title and a short sentence which rise to the surface a lot of memories since the license to Cannon Fodder appeared in 1993 on the Amiga. Today RELOADED brought to us the third episode

Description:
Cannon Fodder 3 is a tactical action game, which inherited the style and traditions of the original game. The war goes on and its scale is nearly the same as before. 500 conscripts are sent to meet their destiny. What awaits them? A general’s stars or a bed of honor?

These 21st century soldiers are equipped much better than their 1994 predecessors. They have 8 types of machinery, suitable for land, surface and airborne operations, as well as 17 types of weapon from assault rifles to the nuclear bomb.

Skirmishes take place all around the world and even in space! You’ll fight throughout the day and night, in hot and cold weather, in snow and rain. The enemy is skilled – there’re terrorists from all over the world and they have cutting-edge technologies at their disposal: teleportation and various mechanized combat systems. Our heroes will face great challenges – artillery strikes, insuperable force fields, automated turrets, suicide soldiers and giant humanoid robots.

Your savvy will come in handy: your actions aren’t limited to slaughter and destruction. You’ll have to capture enemy vehicles and bases, save hostages and rescue convicts, hold the line and shoot back from the turrets, search for data discs and spare parts, repair broken robots and bypass minefields. The high command carefully watches your operation’s progress: missions can be aborted because of major offence; minor misbehavior will be reprimanded, and great achievements will be rewarded with medals and promotions. In the end, the very best soldiers will receive the greatest reward: they will return to home camp where warm army barracks, hot army food, soft army bunks and a tender drill sergeant await them. Until the next time.

Features:

8 types of controllable machinery
17 types of weaponry, including tactical nuclear strikes and carpet bombings
Achievement system
Battles with unique bosses
Combat progress leads to new ranks
Special-purpose bonus items
Day and night missions, weather effects
Various locations: America, Asia, Russia, lunar and orbital bases

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Jagged Alliance Back in Action

Jagged Alliance Back in Action - 1DVD

Publisher: Kalypso Media
Developer: Coreplay GmbH
Genre: Strategy, RPG, Simulation

Jagged Alliance: Back in Action on PC is a remake of an excellent strategy-action game released in 1999, thanks SKIDROW…

Description:
Jagged Alliance Back in Action is a contemporary remake of the latest title in the much-loved Jagged Alliance series of turn-based mercenary-themed strategy games.

Designed from the ground up to offer a modern gaming experience, Back in Action showcases an updated isometric 3D look and interface, highly detailed character models and a variety of new gameplay features. Back in Action takes players to the fictitious country of Arulco, where a ruthless dictator has seized power and only a small group of rebels stand to resist him. Tasked with freeing the island from the dictator’s iron grip, players will command rebel and mercenary forces while using tactical, diplomatic and economic tools to keep troops supplied and ready for the next flight, all while commanding them directly in nail-biting battles.

Back in Action’s innovative “plan & go” combat system combines real-time strategy (RTS) with turn-based elements to guarantee that the intricacies of tactical warfare are rendered in dynamic, exciting gameplay. This challenges would-be commanders to master not only strategy and tactical combat, but also to maximize their team’s capabilities through RPG-like character advancement.

Features:

Unrivaled mix of combat (tactics), roleplay, business and strategy
Innovative “Plan & Go” combat system combines RTS gameplay with turn-based elements
Realistic war setting with authentic-looking firearms
Laptop/computer menu as a central anchor point for the player
Assemble your own unit of mercenaries from numerous unique mercenaries
Simultaneous control of multiple squads using a strategic map
Convincing characters who interact with and comment on the game events
All the dialog has audio
Acquire resources by capturing mines and encampments

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The Darkness 2

The Darkness 2 - 2DVD

Players will be taken down the brutal and personal path of Jackie Estacado, head of a New York crime family and wielder of an ancient and ruthless force of chaos and destruction known as The Darkness.

It’s been two years since Jackie Estacado used The Darkness to kill the men responsible for his girlfriend’s murder. He’s been unable to shake the memory of Jenny’s death since bottling up his supernatural power and now The Darkness wants out. A sudden, unprovoked attack by a mysterious organization known as the Brotherhood heralds the start of a full-scale war and opens the door for The Darkness to reemerge, setting Jackie on a journey to hell and worse.
Key Features

4-Player Co-op Campaign – Play as one of four unique characters each capable of wielding weapons infused with Darkness powers.
Quad-Wielding Chaos – Slash, grab, and throw objects and enemies with the Demon Arms while simultaneously firing two weapons, adding a new dimension to the FPS category.
Harness an Unstoppable Power – Master the Demon Arms and summon the powers of The Darkness for even more explosive gameplay.
Kill the Lights – The vicious powers of The Darkness manifest only in the shadows so use the environment to your advantage and watch out for enemies who will use light as a weapon.
Intense and Personal Journey – Experience a dark, twisted and gripping story written exclusively for the game by acclaimed comic book author Paul Jenkins whose credits also include The Incredible Hulk, Wolverine, and the original The Darkness game.
Distinctive Graphic-Noir Style – Graphic novel shading and color combined with the dramatic lighting of film noir pays tribute to the source material and brings the pages of the comic series to life. Inspired by the popular comic book series created by Top Cow.

System Requirements

Minimum:
OS: Windows XP/Vista/7
Processor: Intel Core 2 @ 2GHz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+
Memory: 1.5GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 10GB
Video Card: 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600 / ATI Radeon HD 2600
Sound: DirectX Compatible
Additional: Requires installation of Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable, DirectX and nVidia PhysX version 9.11.1107 (included with download)

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Crusader Kings II

Crusader Kings II - 1DVD

Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Paradox Interactive

SKIDROW releases a new strategy game called Crusader Kings 2.

Description: Europe is in turmoil. The lands are fragmented into petty fiefs, the emperor struggles with the Pope, and the Holy Father declares that all those who go to liberate the Holy Land will be freed of their sins. Now is the time for greatness. Increase your lands and fill your coffers, appoint vassals, battle traitors, introduce laws while interacting with hundreds of nobles, and create the most powerful dynasty of medieval Europe. A beleaguered king will always have friends to support him. But beware, as your rule and realm may find trouble when a loyal vassal becomes a bitter rival. Stand ready, increase your prestige, and listen to the world whisper your name in awe. In Crusader Kings II, players will get to control one of the great Christian Dynasties of the West, attempt to conquer all of Europe and liberate the Holy Land. The game explores one of the defining periods in world history in an experience crafted by the masters of Grand Strategy. Medieval Europe is brought to life in this epic title rife with rich strategic and tactical depth.

Features

Start a game in 1066 and forge 400 years of European history.
Take on the role of a Christian noble and carry them through the ages from Count to Emperor via the line of succession.
Gather Prestige for every successive character you play, furthering the glory of your dynasty.
Expand your feudal domain at the expense of your rivals.
Unravel the plots of your courtiers and vassals, each armed with their own agendas.
Re-enact the Crusades, defend against the Mongol onslaught, and form feudal nation-states.
Struggle with the Pope for control of the bishops.
Relive the Middle Ages with up to 32 other players in a competitive multiplayer mode

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The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim High Resolution Texture Pack DLC

The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim High Resolution Texture Pack DLC - 1DVD

Publisher: Bethesda Game
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Genre: RPG

the HD texture pack for Skyrim !

Description:
Experience The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim as you’ve never seen it before with the Skyrim High-Resolution Texture Pack. Make sure your system requirements exceed Skyrim’s recommended specs before attempting to install, including Windows Vista or 7 operating system, a minimum of 4GB of system RAM and a DirectX 9.0c compatible NVIDIA or AMD ATI video card with at least 1 GB of RAM and the latest drivers.

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