It is every designer’s dream to create a breakout hit, and Kim Swift did exactly that with Portal. Then, in a move that shocked everybody, she left Valve to make games with friends and ex-FASA (Crimson Alliance, Shadowrun) employees. From that odd move, Quantum Conundrum was born, and it’s really difficult not to compare it to Swift’s first retail game since the two are so very similar. READ MORE
It doesn’t take a genius to see that Sony’s new PlayStation Vita is going through a rough patch as of now. Low sales and waning interest in the handheld make it a tough sell for the time being. Sony intends to ease this software dry spell with its own Gravity Rush, a sandbox game meant to demonstrate the Vita’s graphical capabilities and input options. Is Gravity Rush enough of a winner to carry the new system into prosperity, or does it fall flat on its face? READ MORE
I like dungeon crawlers quite a bit. Torchlight was one of my favorite games of 2009, and as soon as I get my new PC assembled I’ll be rolling my pennies for Diablo III. I also like controlling multiple characters, and RPGs tend to satisfy that need. Krater combines these two concepts and is a lot of fun all the while. You’ve accepted quests, found new weapons, and leveled characters before. And you’ll keep doing it here because it’s still satisfying to earn another skill or find a new and better weapon. READ MORE
Cipher Prime specializes in games with an unparalleled audiovisual flair. If you’ve played Auditorium, Pulse or Fractal, you’re familiar with the ambience that comes with one of the team’s titles. Splice, Cipher Prime’s new release, has that same sheen, and after some genre experimentation, sees a return to Auditorium‘s heavy-thinking puzzle formula. READ MORE
I am coming into this game biased. I’m a big Penny Arcade fan, I’m a big SNES-era RPG fan, and combining those two things is an easy match for me to get behind. Episodes 1 and 2 surprised me with how much fun I could have in combat that focused a lot on consumable items. Being a fan of old RPGs, I had to unlearn my hoarding. If that bottle of weaksauce would make things easier right now then I needed to use it. There’s another bottle around the corner anyhow. READ MORE
