Pumpkin Preview 2014: Never Alone

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Never Alone is a very interesting game. It features beautiful and haunting art, clever puzzles and sumptuous visuals. More impressive and certainly more important is the story it tells. Never Alone is based on the Inupiaq tribe traditional story Kunuuksaayuka. The developers at Upper One Games have made it their goal to create games that "the voices and richness of world cultures to create complex and fascinating game worlds."

Pumpkin Preview 2014: Guns of Icarus Online

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

The few online games I play consist largely of combat action titles like War Thunder and World of Tanks. From planes to tanks to mechs, I've some outlet for whatever form of mechanized doom I wish to unleash. Until some time last year, there was a clockwork void in that collection. When I discovered Guns of Icarus Online, I was delighted. We recently covered the game's co-op mode after playing it at PAX. While the cooperative Adventure mode has not yet been released, yesterday's patch still gives players plenty to be excited about. 

Pumpkin Preview 2014: Crawl

Tuesday, October 28, 2014


It is time again for the Pumpkin Preview. The first of four pumpkins in our indie game lineup this year has become a permanent fixture in our local multiplayer circuit. Crawl is a competitive game for up to four players. The unpredictable dungeons and constant power struggles are enough to keep us playing into the wee hours of the morning.

A Tentative Stab at The Darkness: Destiny

Thursday, October 23, 2014


This won't be the first article I write about Destiny. It's difficult to say where I fall on the love or hate scale with Destiny and as I feel that out more and the game evolves (hopefully) I'll have more to say. There are things that I really love about the game and that keep me coming back but there are other aspects that I'm really disappointed in and still more that infuriate me. With all of these running through my head at once, pinning down my exact opinion is impractical. A walk through each of these disparate streams may bring us to a common source.

Shadow Of Mordor: Over Rock and Under Graug

Tuesday, October 21, 2014


Shadow of Mordor is the first "next gen" title I've played that has felt truly new and innovative. It's easy to bemoan the relatively short story, and I'm sure there is plenty ammunition for Tolkien purists to pick apart, but I've seen few games pull together their individual elements so well. Even tangential activities like relic hunting are tied into the narrative in interesting ways. The real star of the experience is the Nemesis system. Its dynamic enemies have given me numerous story worthy moments, a few I'll share here.

GOG Opens Signup for Galaxy Beta

Thursday, October 16, 2014


GOG, or Good Old Games has long been a champion for the players in matters regarding DRM. Back in June they announced GOG Galaxy, a proposed DRM free gaming platform. It maintains that every client service is totally optional and it will never force you to be online to play your games. Yesterday, GOG opened up enrollment in the beta program for Galaxy, tempting potential testers with a free copy of Aliens vs. Predator Classic 2000

North to the Future!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

I'd like to start this by saying that the game I talk about today holds a VERY special place in my heart.  Growing up in Alaska, I have always loved learning about the Alaska Native tribes and their culture, through field trips in school, all the way to volunteering at the museum for a couple of years.  What has always captured my attention are the stories; especially native legends (American and Alaskan). We can read these legends, we can listen to the recordings of great storytellers, but this is the first time that we can play and interact with the legends in video game format.

Never Alone (Kisima Innitchuna) is based upon the Inupiaq tribe traditional story Kunuuksaayuka, which is the story of a village that is consumed within a never ending blizzard in which a brave young girl, Nuna, embarks on a journey to discover the source.  The game developers worked closely with the original storyteller's daughter Minnie Gray to ensure the accuracy of the legend.  

What I'm Playing: October Update

Thursday, October 9, 2014
I've got a few games on my plate right now, as usual. KSP's latest update has given me new reason to crash ships into buildings, Destiny has a perplexing grip on me, and Shadow of Mordor has completely enthralled me (see what I did there?). Apart from the games, we have our annual Pumpkin Preview coming up, so keep your eyes peeled (again with the puns) for some of our handiwork soon.

GameLoading is a Comprehensive Indie gaming Documentary

Tuesday, October 7, 2014


Gameloading is a new documentary about the history and rise of the indie gaming movement. Don't confuse this with Indie Game: The Movie. Gameloading focuses less on the personal development struggles of  few designers, instead pulling back to encompass the scene as a whole. It's been hinted about and mentioned here and there for a while, but now it's Kickstarter campaign is wrapping up and they still need your support.

Portable Gaming Environment (With A Few Kinks)

Thursday, October 2, 2014

I had the good fortune to come into possession of a GI55 Sentry portable gaming environment during Pax Prime this year. This was actually something I was very excited about, because I live on an island near Seattle and have an hour trip in to town every day. I figured this was going to be an excellent way for me to spend that hour, and I immediately set about transferring my Playstation 3 to the unit. So far, no problems, the unit clicks in great and there's plenty of space for all the accessories.