In Games Worth Playing I take a look at noteworthy games released during the previous month. It contains both a list of worthwhile new games and coverage of the most highly anticipated releases of the month.
Of course I can’t play every game that’s released in a month, but I’ll do my best to get a good sampling in. If I haven’t played a game and still list it, then that fact will be mentioned and the guiding commentary will be based off of reviews and player comments.
So if you’re looking for something new to play, then check back in at GameDrone every month for a list of games you might want to give a go.
Game of the Month
Outcast
April was a very busy month, filled with great indie games and re-releases of PC gaming classics, but only one game can come out on top. That this would be the re-release of Outcast is perhaps a bit of a shocker after we’ve had such a great month, but I simply don’t think there’s any other serious candidate.
Outcast is an open-world action game set in the beautifully crafted world of Adelpha. The controls take a bit of getting used to, but other than that the gameplay is surprisingly modern. It’s a third-person shooter with upgradeable weapons, great AI and useful gadgets such as a hologram projector that can lure enemies away from your position. On top of that, you can explore the world of Adelpha at your leisure, storyline or no storyline. And it’s all underlined by a beautiful orchestral soundtrack, with high quality voice-acting. The voxel engine also ensures it still looks reasonable today, which is quite a feat for a game that’s almost 11 years old.
Don’t be fooled by the modern gameplay mechanics and level of polish however, because Outcast’s true strength lies in how it differs from modern AAA action games. That would be the alien world of Adelpha, in which the developers actively try to immerse you. Outcast genuinely plays as if you were a special agent stranded on a parallel world with the mission of finding your team of scientists, closing the black hole and finding a way back to Earth. And despite the awesome weaponry (grenade launchers, flamethrowers, etc.) you do not get to blast through endless waves of enemies, skip through needless dialogue and watch bombastic cutscenes with zero subtance.
Outcast is all about the story, even when you’re simply exploring the world and not following your objectives. As a result, it is a very dialogue, trade and exploration heavy game that presents an epic story with a memorable and believable cast of characters and a beautiful rendition of an alien world, with alien language and culture included for the native Talan. It’s a slow-paced action game by modern standards, but oh so worthwhile for gamers that don’t suffer from attention deficit disorder.
You can get the newly re-released version over at Good Old Games.
Outcast still looks reasonably decent, if you take the low resolution in stride
Worthwhile Games
Beat Hazard – no hands-on experience
This indie-game presents a mix of Audiosurf and Geometry Wars. It’s an arcade shooter like Geometry Wars, except it loads up waves of enemies based on the mp3 you’re playing.
I’ve heard tell that it’s good fun, but haven’t gotten around to actually playing it yet.
Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West
An independantly developed Wild West multiplayer shooter. This third person shooter offers class-based gameplay in a variety of modes, ranging from straight-up Team DeathMatch, to more team-oriented modes such as blowing up specific objectives or stealing the other team’s gold stash.
The four classes each offer a very unique playstyle, from the sniping of the female Trapper to the rapid firing dual pistols of the Gunslinger. Each class also has its own aura, which reinforces the need to stick together in all game modes. The controls are solid and Lead & Gold is powered by Unreal Engine 3 so it also looks good.
I really enjoyed this game and it’s definitely a more long-lasting title than Plain Sight. However, it’s art direction and gameplay lean very heavily in the Team Fortress 2 direction, which makes it difficult to recommend unless you’re a real Wild West fan. It’s also limited to just 10 players per match, which is a shame because it would have been a much more memorable title if it had 32 player brawls.
Master of Magic – n0 hands-on experience
A classic game now playable yet again thanks to Good Old Games. Think Civilization with a fantasy setting and improved combat.
Master of Orion 1 + 2 – no hands-on experience
These old classics are lauded as the best 4X turn-based space strategy games in existence. So if you’re a 4X strategy gamer and haven’t played the Master of Orion games before, or just want to play them again on your modern PC, then you’ll want to pick these up.
Once again, they’re up at Good Old Games.
Plain Sight
A new independantly developed third-person action game that features ninja robots jumping across space levels. In this multiplayer-only game you collect points by killing enemies, but they only count when you blow yourself up. Oh and if you take down other players with your explosion, that results in a score multiplier. Oh and it has no up-and-down, with players being pulled to the nearest gravity source, whether it’s the roof of a building, the underside of a giant ball or a giant pillar.
It’s all a lot of fun to play and definitely worth looking into at its low price point. However, it’s not a good idea to play this if you’re prone to motion sickness: it’s fast-paced and very mobile, much more-so than even the likes of a Quake or Unreal Tournament. Plain Sight also gets old eventually, which is mainly down to the control system. You have to lock onto targets if you want to have any hope of reaching – let alone attacking – them and this system is too rigid. You can’t easily swap to a new target, which can make for lengthy chase scenes. Overall it always feels like you’re just not entirely in control and it’s more a game of luck than anything else.
Still, it usually makes for very enjoyable and hectic dashing swordfights. This makes it a nice in-between game, for when you’re not in the mood to play yet another round of Bad Company 2 or Quake Live and just want to have some quick fun.
Shatter
Some of you may know the classic game Arkanoid. In this game you control a little paddle and have to slam a ball into walls of blocks to gain points, but have to prevent that ball from going out of bounds with your paddle. Shatter is essentially a modernized version of this game.
You’re undoubtedly wondering why a remake of such an ancient and simple game would grace the list of worthwhile games. That’s because this indie game takes an entirely new spin on the Arkanoid concept and adds in great graphics and music. It still boils down to slamming a ball into blocks, but those blocks can contain powerups, come in different shapes and sizes, behave differently when hit and drop fragments when destroyed. And gathering these fragments increases the points multiplier.
You can also influence your ball’s direction with the pulling and pushing properties of your paddle. And you can launch multiple balls or fire a volley of bullets when your power bar is full. And to make it even more action-gamey, it also adds level bosses in the singleplayer campaign, which require different tactics to defeat.
Add in full Steam integration, leaderboards and achievements and you’ve got one little indie game that’s worth the price of admission.
Lead and Gold definitely doesn't lack in the visual department
Highly Anticipated Games
Grand Theft Auto IV: Episodes from Liberty City – no hands-on experience
These two ‘episodes’ took a long time to make it to the PC, just like GTA IV itself, but have been met with overwhelmingly positive reviews. The episodes will take about 20 hours to play through in all, but also add a variety of new multiplayer game modes, weapons, vehicles and music. The production values are mostly up there with GTA IV, although the story is a little weaker.
If you liked Grand Theft Auto IV, then there’s no reason not to get these episodes. They offer more of the same, which is a good thing.
Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse: The Penal Zone – no hands-on experience
The third season of Sam & Max is finally here and the first episode sets up an interesting new setting with super villain Skun’ka’pe. The humor is back, the play length is decent (3-4 hours) and the gameplay has been spiced up with some new elements such as a first person shooter like “Max Mode”.
Unfortunately it is the first episode of the season, so it spends more time lining up characters and events for the season than actually telling a story. Still, it manages to do well in the reviews and consistenly scores up there with the best episodes of Season 2.
Sam & Max fans won’t want to miss out on this one, but then they’ve probably already pre-ordered the entire season anyway.
The Whispered World – no hands-on experience
A new point-and-click adventure game with beautiful 2D art and great writing, but poor voice acting and puzzles.
Review scores are varied, but all agree that it’s an adventure game with great potential, but flawed execution.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction – no hands-on experience
Conviction is a controversial new game, because it utterly changes the base gameplay mechanic behind the entire Splinter Cell series: its stealth system.
In previous Splinter Cell games, enemies were something to be avoided and patience was rewarded over speed. The opposite is true in Conviction, with speed and gadgets being the key to remaining hidden, much like in Batman Arkham Asylum. This change has seen a positive reception by most gamers, but not all, so Splinter Cell fans might want to keep this in mind.
The singleplayer campaign lasts a measly five hours, but with exception of two missions has seen very favorable reviews. Two mechanics see especially positive response: the lack of loading screens, with levels being loaded in the background during cutscenes, and objectives being projected onto nearby surfaces rather than in some odd HUD construction. Supposedly it makes for a much more immersive game.
Which makes it a shame that the singleplayer campaign only lasts five hours, with the bulk of Conviction’s replayability coming in the form of its new co-op campaign and multiplayer game modes. If you’re not a fan of co-op games, then you may want to think twice before shelling out on the new Splinter Cell.
There is one thing that sours the deal greatly however, and that is Ubisoft’s UPlay DRM system. Splinter Cell: Conviction requires a constant internet connection, even in singleplayer. This is also dependant on the Ubisoft DRM servers, which have a tendency to go down quite regularly.
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