Reviving a classic series is always a challenge, but it’s even tougher when its very appeal (at least at this point) is in those nostalgic, dated mechanics. With Might & Magic X, Ubisoft is trying to do just that. It may be just the time, though, as indies and fellow revivals alike have prepared the audience, and the Heroes spin-off has kept the world and its creatures in the gaming consciousness. READ MORE
Done correctly, minimalist game design works extremely well at immersing the player in the game and enhancing their sense of accomplishment. Perhaps the genre that best exemplifies the benefits of minimalist design is puzzle platformer. In that respect, Toki Tori 2 shines as an example of how to do it correctly. READ MORE
During a recent interview with Geoff Keighley, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima discussed his reasoning behind the promotional campaign for The Phantom Pain, now officially known as Metal Gear Solid V. He did this to essentially get people actively chattering and deciphering the many mysteries behind The Phantom Pain and the then-unknown game developer, Moby Dick Studio.
While the secret behind this charade was pieced together rather quickly, it still led to many interesting and entertaining discussions that I truly missed getting involved with. It shows that developers like Kojima know exactly what they need to do in order to get people talking, and just how much fun it can be to speculate.
In one of my very first Unplugged columns (and again a couple of years ago), I mentioned Cheapass Games, the quirky brainchild of James Ernest that published several bare-bones board and card games back in the late ’90s and early 2000s. The company went into a self-described hibernation for several years, but came back in late 2012 with a Kickstarter for a deluxe version of one of its most popular original games, Unexploded Cow. While a free print-and-play version of this and other titles are still available on the company’s website, the deluxe edition includes features like cardboard money and quality cardstock, not to mention an actual box. READ MORE
Luigi may be portrayed as the underdog or second fiddle to his older brother in a lot of games, but in all fairness, he’s had a pretty great career. He gets to help Mario out without drawing the ire of Bowser. He travels around the globe, teaching children about famous artifacts along the way. John Leguizamo played him in a Hollywood film. Imagine the royalty checks! No risk, all reward.
Then Nintendo had to ruin everything. Dropping him into a haunted house against his will and arming him with a vacuum cleaner of all things, he had no choice but to face the reality-bending horrors of the undead all for the sake of his brown-nosing bro. Over ten years later, just when he was getting used to taking it easy again, Nintendo took it upon themselves to drag him back into the spotlight by slapping his face over the entirety of 2013. The nerve! And of course the first thing they do is throw another vacuum in his face. READ MORE
