Cures for the Gaming Blues - Some forthcoming releases

With the recent nonsense surrounding Mass Effect 3 and the series' indomitable 'fans', my cynicism for big budget games has started to reach dangerous levels. The blame for this rubbish without doubt falls across the board as the self-righteous ME fan's disillusionment is surely only encouraged by the growing incomprehensibility of the games publishing industry. Crippling DRM and unashamedly flagrant DLC have naturally worn down gamers and their response seems to have come in the form of miscalculated rage, which is, I guess, understandable. But with all these issues now clouding the general excitement and fantasy which game releases once inspired, it's worth turning to smaller games which, not without grand ambition, have managed to exist without all the marketing politics which now plague the colossal budgeted 'AAA' games.

Here are four forthcoming games which are looking pretty inspiring:

Dragon's Dogma OXM preview video

From Software's recent forays into the RPG showed that a little Japanese hardcore-ness can do wonders for the traditionally Western open-world fantasy RPG. This video from OXM shows that Capcom's upcoming open-worlder could be similarly invigorating. Seemingly lacking a fast travel option (this of course doesn't discount the obligatory mechanic showing up later in the game), there is an overall sense of danger and atmosphere which, if the Souls games taught us anything, can do wonders when becoming immersed in a game. The presenter's promise of depth to the 'pawn' mechanic also sounds great (if the game manages to deliver). I love the idea that the player will essentially be able to build their own party - if anything this reminds me more of Balders Gate than Elder Scrolls. 

Unlike the Dark Souls, whose open-world was almost wholly inhabited by baddies, Dragon's Dogma looks a tad more human. However I am excited by the idea of a truly challenging world to explore - the woods, while the video shows us little actual exploration, look both inviting and terrifying. Weirdly I'm most excited by the prospect of being caught short and having to run through the pitch black night with zombies on my tracks! Its an exciting propsect for what originally looked like a pretty standard RPG. 

Put simply Dragon's Dogma looks pretty great! Heres the video courtesy of OXM

Review: Vessel

Here's a review of the excellent Vessel I wrote for the website Rhythm Circus:

The Puzzle-Platformer genre has seen something of a renaissance in recent years. Thanks  to gaming platforms such as Steam, PSN Store and XBLA, these games  have found themselves a suitable home where they can gain a measure of success outside the money throwing competitions of the established games industry. Starting from the relatively simple design concept of the platform game many of these Indie titles have developed far beyond the realm of simplicity, with devs exploring new aesthetics and experimenting with game mechanics. Vessel, the first game developed by Strange Loop Games - a small developer based in Seattle - marks a strong step towards a grander aesthetic within the genre while still keeping experimentation close to its heart.

2 RPGs available to Download

A very quick blog:

I've just found out that two classic RPGs (both with suitably silly names) are available to download on PC so I thought I'd let everyone know!

First, which was released yesterday, is Ys: The Oath Felghana. It's a remake of Ys III in 3D and looked amazing on the PSP version released a couple of years ago. It's got a pretty standard plot but the gameplay is brilliant. It's much more action packed then many JRPGs and involves much platforming and button mashing. Great fun. I think that I'm going to wait for it either to come down in price - as things tend to do on Steam - or buy it next month. I'm really looking forward to replaying this game.

The second game, available on GOG, is the under-rated West meets East turn-based RPG, Anachronox. The turn-based combat was an unlikely model for an RPG developed by Ion Storm but it works perfectly well. The characters and story are incredible, the setting is bizarre and epic, and the dialogue is amazing! This is a game which I actually kind of forgot about until today, but I'm really looking forward to re-playing what I remember to be an incredibly fun RPG.