VideoGamer.com Plays January 13, 2013
What we've been playing this week.
Tom Orry, Editor - Paper Galaxy, iOS
I'm loving iOS gaming at the moment, spending more time playing on my iPad than any of my consoles. My game of the moment is the lovely Paper Galaxy, which falls into the endless runner/launch game camp while managing to feel quite different.
You are the moon, but you've caught a cold and got lost. You've got to find your way back to Earth by jumping from planetary orbit to planetary orbit, sneezing, using planets for boosts, and outrunning an evil giant crab. Essentially you've got to travel as far as possible, launching off planets, collecting stars, upgrading your abilities, then trying again. The formula isn't new, but the presentation is brilliant and the devs have nailed that 'one more go' hook that is likely to keep me playing for the foreseeable future.
Oh, and for those of you wondering: yes, I am still playing Football Manager 2013 at lunch times, and yes, I am still awesome.
Matt Lees, Video Production Editor - DmC Devil May Cry, Xbox 360
Just started getting my teeth into the new Devil May Cry, and I'm really impressed by everything I've seen. The art style and level designs are incredibly varied, and most of the weapons feel top-notch. Punching stuff to pieces with the Eryx gauntlets has been keeping a smile on my face for most of the week, and I've even grown to fall in love with the soundtrack. Yes, even the bits that sound a bit like dubstep. Someone call me a doctor, quick.
Matt Nellis, Video Producer - Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, PC
As you probably noticed from our recent livestreams I've been getting pretty heavily into Torn Banner Studios' first-person slasher. First-person melee combat, especially in a competitive game, is a difficult thing to pull off. Often you find yourself with no real sense of depth which leads to wild swings that gain little purchase. But for some reason it seems to just work in Chivalry.
Each weapon has a very deliberate weight, and even when you miss it can be used to your advantage, catching another foe unaware on your backswing. It's a horribly vicious game, with limbs and heads being severed at an alarming rate. And on top of all this it's a game that doesn't take itself seriously. The tutorial features some incredible (read: hilariously awful) UK regional accents, the battlecries (bound to the 'C' key) make me chuckle every time, and the animation of someone running away without a weapon just has to be seen (almost Benny Hill-esque).
I've now put more time into Chivalry than an entire playthrough of Spec Ops: The Line. And to be honest I'm enjoying the medieval combat a hell of a lot more.




User Comments
p0rtalthinker@ 87Sarah
87Sarah
Unfortunately it does seem like I can no longer pay my original save file though as at 13MB it seems too much for my playstation to handle. Just tried rebooting it for the 4th time and it's crashed again. I'm giving up this time.
Njeezy@ Jam_Sponge
Jam_Sponge@ Njeezy
Njeezy@ Jam_Sponge
Clockpunk@ Jam_Sponge
Jam_Sponge@ Njeezy
dav2612
Skyrim. This game seems to go on forever, which is something I'm glad of as I'm really enjoying it.
On the Vita Motorstorm RC has got some attention. I've been working on some times now that I have all 3 medals in every race.
And on Android and iOS I've been playing Hill Climb Racing. Thought it was ok on the first couple of shorts but now well and truly hooked.
@FM... thanks for the competition plug.
pblive
As usual, loads of iOS games I'm wading through. Highlights include Wake the Cat, another strong physics puzzler from Chillingo, and teh excellent Joe Danger Touch from Hello Games, which has managed to recreate all the fun of the console version while catering to the strengths of the touch screen.
Lastly I've been playing Anarchy Reigns a bit over the weekend. It's pretty mad stuff but great fun. Still building up my experience before taking it online, though.
thompo555
Speaking of Mods for Arma. I've left my DayZ survivor in a shed with a Winchester somewhere. I have no map which is handy! I should probably save him..
Njeezy
Ghost5
I've been playing nothing but SWTOR this week...
Got invited into a top Republic guild so I've been helping them out with some leveling and doing end-game content.
*cries*
FantasyMeister
I've also been gearing up and taking over my local territory, harassing the staff at Spice of Nepal, stealing regularly from Manor Motors just down the road, brutally murdering anyone who gets in my way (I killed 14 people on a wild spree in Bristol City Centre the other day) and dealing drugs and fencing stolen goods from all the local businesses around my house. Basically working my way up the Fishponds criminal pecking order and thinking about expanding to new territories to increase my influence. Oh, and that's a game too, Life is Crime on Android. Brilliant.
One of the forumites is holding a Hill Climb Racing long distance competition on the forums. It's free so be sure to jump in and post your best run. It's also seriously addictive.
In between beating up my phone with my fingers and the general population whilst humming JPop and tuning my car so I don't break my neck going over little bumps I've been playing lots of Poker via Texas Holdem Poker Deluxe, lots of tournaments as they seem a pretty surefire way for me to build up the $$$s.
What have all these games got in common? They're all FREE.
The XBox 360 actually has now been turned on this year simply to install Now TV free for 30 days and obtain 800 MS Points for free at the end of the trial. I now use it basically as the home entertainment hub that Microsoft keep wanting it to be, but at one hell of a cost to their gaming division.
Clockpunk
On my macbook Faster than Light has its hooks in me. Such an intricate level of involvement, and it is a challenge (which I love). There are a few additions I would like to see brought to the game, such as purchasable/scavengable AI crew (which could in turn add a whole slew of random encounter options), and perhaps a 'holo deck'-like relaxation area, to improve crew happiness (between battles, who need most recuperation? one/two per jump - tough decision). Other little bits, such as weapon visual variety and room decor (change as the equipment is upgraded) have been added through fan-made mods, but still... as I always say, it is the little touches that make a game stand out. Very much looking forward to seeing what (if anything) the devs may add down the line.
Console-wise, Retro City Rampage... well... of all the reviews I have read throughout the years, the one descriptor that I readily recall is for Serious Sam on the original XBox. It was described as being akin to a tin of Quality Street - colourful, sweet, and indulguous - however, after a few you would have a craving for something savoury... and that analogy fits RCR very well. Fantastic for short 15-minute bursts, otherwise the repetition could become a little overbearing. Some very fun weapons, though - using the flamethrower whilst trying to avoid being set alight yourself is really rather interesting!
Otherwise, my time has been spent with a new board game, called Finca. Starting to really get back into non-digital games this past few months...
Mintyrebel@ rbevanx