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
Sam & Max: The Tomb of Sammun-Mak
The third season of Telltale Games new Sam & Max series started nicely last month, but it’s this second episode that really kicks things into gear. The jokes are great, the puzzles challenging and the locations are unique and interesting, making it one of the best episodes in the entire series.
The Tomb of Sammun-Mak revolves around Sam & Max’s grandfathers Sameth and Maximus, who have to be guided through a series of adventures in order to secure the Devil’s Toybox from the Tomb of Sammun-Mak. What more do you need to know? If you like adventure games, then this is one you’ll want to have
Sameth and Maximus are the heroic predecessors of Sam and Max
Worthwhile Games
Eschalon: Book II - no hands-on experience
An independently developed isometric RPG that clocks in at over 40 hours in length. It features turn-based gameplay and supposedly excellent storytelling, but the graphics are a bit dated. Fortunately they look better in action than they do on the screenshots, because the animations are rather well done. Definitely worth a look for RPG fans that are looking for something new to play!
Unfortunately my list of to-play RPGs is so lengthy that I’m unlikely to get around to Eschalon until sometime next year, but it does seem like a good RPG.
EVE Online: Tyrannis
The latest free content patch for EVE Online adds numerous exciting new features, not the least of which is planetary interaction. With planetary interaction, players can create their own mining outposts on planets to gain additional resources and/or commodities in a full city builder style interface.
Also new are an in-game calendar and EVE Gate, which allows for players to access player profiles, evemail, manage contacts and see their calendar via their web browser. There have also been a lot of additional changes that are worthwhile for EVE Online players, not least of which are further speed improvements.
Heroes of Newerth
HoN is a competitive multiplayer game in which each player controls a hero class similar to a hack & slash RPG or WarCraft 3′s hero units. Two teams of up to five such players face off on a large map where the ultimate goal is to destroy the other team’s base. Meanwhile loads of NPC units are being pumped out from each base as support for the players and an easy source of experience points and gold. This gold can be used to purchase new items that improve the player’s hero.
This may sound familiar to WarCraft 3 veterans, because it’s an imitation of the popular custom map “Defense of the Ancients”. Heroes of Newerth obviously sports superior graphics, online connectivity and matchmaking features, but in essence it’s mostly the same game. And a good game it is, provided that you aren’t averse to competitive multiplayer games and a community similar to Counter Strike.
It’s unfortunate that Heroes of Newerth has inherited Counter Strike’s childish community, because the constant nerdrage tends to ruin the fun rather quickly.
Independence War Deluxe - no recent hands-on experience
Not a new game, but a very good one! Independence War is a capital ship space sim with a mission-based campaign structure and interesting backstory. It also features newtonian physics and pretty complex controls, but it’s definitely a game you’ll want to play if you’re a space-sim fan. Did I mention I’m a space-sim fan? I’m a space-sim fan!
Some things to keep in mind are that it’s a complex game and the voice-acting is not very good. It’s also not a free-roaming sim, but a linear mission-based affair and a joystick is required!
This package is a re-release over at Good Old Games that also includes the Defiance expansion pack. Check it out!
Star Wolves
A role-playing/strategy game in which you control a mothership and four fighter pilots in a space setting. It features a linear mission-based structure paired with excellent strategic gameplay and a surprisingly engaging universe. However the voice acting is probably the worst I’ve ever come across and the graphics aren’t all that great anymore nowadays (albeit much better than I-War).
As much as this sounds like a mix that cannot work, I actually had a lot of fun playing this game. It can best be compared to Nexus: The Jupiter Incident, which is also a great game, but significantly more strategic and prettier.
Definitely a worthwhile game for anyone looking for a good space game. That means you.
EVE has changed a lot since this picture was taken. Tyrannis is worth checking out!
Highly Anticipated Games
Alpha Protocol – no hands-on experience
Obsidian Entertainment is known for their fantasy RPGs, but with Alpha Protocol they’ve mixed things up a bit and created a third person RPG with a modern setting. The idea is that you’re a spy and get to go on all sorts of important missions and face a wealth of challenging moral dilemma’s.
Most early impressions seem to indicate that Alpha Protocol is very buggy, despite several major delays. It also sounds like the game doesn’t play so much as a spy game as it does a commando game, with it forcing action on the player. Yet many players seem to indicate that they like the gameplay and it reminds them of Deus Ex, albeit a bit more RPG-ish.
I can’t really recommend it at this point, but my copy is on its way and hopefully I’ll be able to post up some first impressions early next week.
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands – no hands-on experience
Ubisoft seems to be doing a lot of strange things lately. Ranging from DRM that actively seeks to punish legit users, to creating a new Prince of Persia game that isn’t a sequel of the last Prince of Persia game, but a sequel to the first game in the last trilogy. That makes it the sequel to Sands of Time, which Disney recently picked up and turned into a bad movie.
And The Forgotten Sands doesn’t look to do much better than Disney’s movie, because early reviews indicate a short and very mediocre game. It takes just 6 hours to play through the campaign, which doesn’t feature any notable scenery (the trademark of the Prince of Persia franchise!) nor a memorable or inventive story. Likewise, combat is repetitive and the only real highlight is the actual climbing with the new elemental-control theme that allows the Prince to freeze water and do other such fun stuff.
So you might as well dust off your copy of Sands of Time or Prince of Persia 2008 instead. They’re unanimously regarded as better games.
Split/Second: Velocity – no hands-on experience
An arcade racing game that focuses on environmental destruction. It sounds like a great game for fans of the genre, with a lengthy singleplayer campaign featuring plenty of cars to unlock. There’s also local 2-player splitscreen and online 8-player multiplayer, but supposedly the options leave a bit to be desired. There’s not much control to be had over server settings.
That being said, most reviews are very positive about this game, so if you like action-packed racing games, then this is certainly worth a look.
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Split/second feels like a revamped Burnout, and subsequently, the repetitive game play wears thin after only a short while. Looking into I-War though, flight/space sims are usually fun if made well :)