Posts

A-Z Backlog Challenge: Virtual Pool 4

Image
Virtual Pool 4 is solid simulator which gives you plenty of options to live out your fantasy as either a hustler or tournament player. There are a huge number of pool varieties such as 8 ball, 9 ball, 10 ball and straight pool. There are also many different rule variations so you should be able to find the one you are most comfortable or used to playing at your local pool hall. Snooker is also available if you prefer that. In the hustler career, you start with a little money in your pocket and start playing in someone's garage for small amounts of money. When you defeat the boss you  unlock a new venue.You can move between different venues as you progress. There are a number of players of different abilities and styles at each. There are occasionally tournaments at the venues which allow you to win a larger amount of money with less risk as much of the prize fund is sponsored. This is a nice change of scene from the grind of playing the same few opponents at each venue a...

A-Z backlog challenge: Unholy Heights Review

Image
Unholy Heights is a fun game which takes ideas from many different games or genres and combines it into a simple to learn, yet at times quite challenging package. You play as the devil and are looking to entice tenants to come to your building to give you money in the form of rent, as well as to protect your stash of gold from adventurers. This is an idea that has been done before in games such as Dungeon keeper but this has a different style and different features which make it unique. You start with what looks like a very cheap motel which can only accommodate four tenants but by the end of the game it will become a four story dwelling of sixteen. There are a number of different types of monsters who will come a look for a place such as elementals, demons, demi-humans and chimarae.  They all have differing stats: hit points, attack, physical defense and magic defense. They also attack from different ranges: melee, medium range, long range and super long range...

A-Z Backlog challenge: Tales from the Borderland review

Image
This is the best Telltale game I have played and I'm not the only one who think so . It's an enthralling adventure filled with beautiful scenery, interesting characters and moving moments. People are probably more familiar with A Wolf among us , Game of Thrones and Walking Dead but I think their writers excel when doing comedic tales such as this one and Back to the Future . Set in the Borderlands universe, the player controls two very different characters on their journey across Pandora and the Hyperion space station orbiting it.  Reese is a corporate flunky who, after being screwed over by a rival for a promotion, sets off to Pandora to buy one of the fabled Vault keys. He is the quintessential fish out of water in a world filled with unimaginable dangers. Fiona is a street-smart con-woman who,along with her sister Sasha, is involved in trying to sell the fake vault key to Reese.  There's a huge cast of characters to meet, brought to life by, for the m...

A-Z backlog challenge: System Crash Review

Image
System Crash is another single player Collectible Card game. However this one is a lot less rushed and more polished than Northmark: Hour of the wolf. Instead of using the tired fantasy theme which dominates CCGs, Rogue Moon studios is set in a cyber-punk future. You start the game as a hacker trying to make enough money to pay off an outstanding debt. As the game continues, you are drawn into a conspiracy involving corporations, crooked law enforcement and other criminal elements. There's quite a bit of text between missions but the writing is good enough and there's some decent artwork which keeps you feeling invested in the story. There are some interesting mechanics in the game which separate it from the norm. You have 4 columns to play your units. These will attack the enemy unit opposite them taking into account attack, defense and life points. If there is no enemy unit opposite, instead of decreasing the enemy life points you gain points yourself- as if your u...

A-Z Backlog Challenge- Rebel Galaxy Review

Placeholder not finished yet.

A-Z Backlog challenge: Quell

Image
I must confess that I actually bought this game as I had no unfinished games starting with a Q so it hasn't helped clear the backlog at all. That being said, it's a fun little puzzle game from Fallen tree games . The design is very simple. You control a drop of water and direct it to move left, right, up or down. It will only stop when it hits a wall or other surface. The first added challenge is spikes which can be safely hit from the side but the front. Later in the game green dots are added. As soon as these have been passed over once a block forms there so you need to ensure you pass over it at the correct time so you do not stop yourself from reaching an area you need to get to. The next addition is a sets of rings. When you pass through one ring you will be teleported to the other continuing in the direction you entered the first. Finally you will come across switches which change the direction of the spikes mentioned earlier. There are a fair number of s...

A-Z backlog challenge: Papers, Please

Image
Ever wanted to have the power as well as the awesome responsibility of an immigration officer, deciding the fate of the unfortunate souls who have spent hours queuing to get into a fictional country. No? That might change after reading this review. The nuts and bolts of the game are you scrutinizing the documents and stories of those appearing in front of you and stamping approved and denied. You need to check for details such as correct sex, passports numbers, cities where documents were issued and correct ministry stamps. You get paid per person you correctly deal with so it's a race against the clock as your salary aint great and you have bills to pay- food, rent, heat and sometimes medicine. The game makes the mundane interesting by including people offering you different bribes, telling you sob stories and later making you side either with the government or a group which is looking to bring them down. This is a game that was hugely praised by critics when i...