Do you remember that old Mario Party mini-game where you and your friends would have to compete to see who could cover a blank piece of paper with the most paint in 60 seconds? Now imagine an entire game based around that simple, but wildly fun premise. Then ask yourself why nobody thought of this idea sooner.

I like a good fantasy role-playing game as much as anyone, but sometimes you just get that craving for a different setting. Like, any other setting. And while there are alternatives out there, not many involve leading a group of explorers through the New World of the 16th Century. Expeditions: Conquistador will do just that come May 30, turning the search for El Dorado into a tactical RPG for PC, Mac or Linux computers.

As I prepared to write this Contraption Maker preview, the realization of why my Grandma hates Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure suddenly hit me. It was, after all, the movie that introduced me to the beautiful chaos that is the Rube Goldberg device.

Do you make a fool of yourself whenever you play a standard trivia game? When asked to define bologna, have you ever answered “a cross-section of a dachshund?” Or have you ever offered “Twilight Sparkle” when a family member asked you to name a breed of horse? It’s okay. Loopycube has a trivia game that shuns traditional, stuffy questions in favor of something a little looser and quicker-paced. All In & Friends may be exactly what you need to rekindle your love of trivia.

I'm pretty sure it was Kanye West who once opined that no one man should have all that power. That's here on Earth though. Out in space, you can grab all the power you want as long as you've got the right ship and some allies to back you up. Oh, and you'll also have to be playing Pocket Galaxy, a multiplayer cross-platform space battle game getting ready to launch from Spectacle Games.

I’ve never really been a fan of fishing. I tried going a few times before with my dad, but it was always really hot and sticky outside, and I could never manage to catch anything bigger than my finger. You can’t really even talk to anyone while you’re fishing either, for fear of scaring all the fish away. Now virtual fishing, on the other hand, is definitely more my speed: where I can cast my line from the comfort of my couch and with the air conditioning on full blast as I wait for something to bite. And that’s why I’m so excited about FISHAO, which looks to bring the core concepts of fishing to the social gaming scene.

Sometimes the world seems like it’s moving too fast for me. I often find days where I’d like nothing more than to just turn off my phone for an hour, and go sit by myself in the park with something good to read. Ironically, the only thing I really want to be reading right now is an upcoming narrative-based adventure game called Alone in the Park. 

In the race for online games to go mobile, it doesn’t matter if you finish first: only that you make it there eventually. National Geographic Animal Jam will soon be added to the list of games that made it across the finish line, as the same team that created the kid-focused MMO is preparing to launch Tunnel Town on iOS. Get ready for all the bunnies you can handle, all for free.

Usually when you’re ready to release a new mobile game, you do the 21^st-century equivalent of shouting it from the rooftops. Some people do prefer a stealthier approach though, which is why we virtually stumbled across Dragons of Atlantis: Heirs of the Dragon on the Canadian App Store.  It’s a spin-off from the Dragons of Atlantis online game, and it’s getting ready to spread its wings and fly to iOS devices worldwide.

From the minds that brought you Towelfight 2: The Monocle of Destiny comes Quadropus Rampage, a bizarre, vaguely Rogue-like brawler starring a four-limbed cephalopod with a penchant for hitting things.

If you've ever been bummed that there wasn't a sequel to Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, get ready to hold onto your sanity. Nintendo may never get around to an official follow-up, but original creator Denis Dyack and Precursor Games are working on a “spiritual successor” called Shadow of the Eternals. And really, who isn't down for a little time-spanning mystery, murder and magick?

After the enormous success of 2012’s The Walking Dead, many gamers wondered what the future had in store for a developer as bright as Telltale Games. The point-and-click aficionados could have easily just put their heads down to work on The Walking Dead – Season Two (already announced for later this year) and called it a day. But no, Telltale has been hard at work on another episodic adventure set to debut this summer, and it’s one that’s already shaping up to be quite a strong contender for adventure game of the year in 2013.

To most children, shadows present an endless world of possibilities within the shapes cast on walls.  Young Didi understands this intimately: her imaginary friend Dawn has the ability to enter shadows and travel across them freely, exiting back to the “real” world at will.  Contrast puts you in the shoes of the shadow-walking Dawn as she uses her power to help Didi confront issues surrounding her family.

Get ready for a surprise reveal: Dracula is super-duper hard to kill. Even when the Lord of the Vampires is put out of commission (permanently or temporarily, depending on the mythology), his influence sticks around like a dark cloud. Ships suddenly seem to sail themselves, wolves start hanging around town, and bats seem to think they have the run of daylight hours. Dracula 4: The Shadow of the Dragon for PC, Mac, iOS, and Android revolves around one such mysterious Vlad-related phenomenon.

From the creators of The Book of Unwritten Tales, The Raven – Legacy of a Master Thief is a thrilling point-and-click adventure that’s full of spectacular burglaries and a dual storyline with plenty of twists and turns along the way. The conniving and devious art stealer simply known as “The Raven” has managed to evade the authorities for years (plus, he’s really into wearing these creepy bird masks). Will you be the one who is finally able to catch the thief and bring him to justice?

Give those drawing pencils and turn-based word tiles a rest for a bit, because Zynga has a brand new way to game in addictive short bursts. Solstice Arena will be Zynga’s very first mobile Massive Online Battle Arena (MOBA) title, and from the debut screenshots and gameplay trailer, it looks to be quite a fun and frantic take on the MOBA genre: with all sorts of Heroes from wizards to ogres casting spells and laying the smack-down in lush temple environments that feature cascading waterfalls and decrepit pillars.

It seems like darn near everyone wants to get their MOBA on these days, meaning it’s going to take something special to stand out from the crowd. Sneaky Gamesmight have found the right hook for Arena of Heroes, since the game will offer turn-based real time and asynchronous cross-platform play when it launches on PC, Mac and iOS in the coming months.

Sid Meier, the creative force behind the Civilization series and a bunch of cool games bearing his name, has a new freemium mobile game featuring turn-based World War I aerial combat. That should have gotten your attention. And better yet, we'll all be able to play it soon, as Sid Meier's Ace Patrol is slated to hit iOS devices on May 9.

Bigger isn't always better, especially when it comes to mobile games. Sometimes all you need is a fun way to kill a little time, and Winning Blimp is hoping everyone will be doing that by playing Mosaique. This futuristic and classily named puzzler is coming soon to iOS and Android, and while it's not easy to explain, it still looks awfully intriguing.

Few developers are as synonymous with the point-and-click adventure genre as LucasArts, but Daedalic Entertainment is rapidly working their way to a similar stature.  With their Deponia trilogy set to reach its inevitably charming conclusion later this year alongside the release of new IP The Night of the Rabbit, one might think Daedalic has already met their “on track to be the next LucasArts” quota for 2013.  That means the upcoming Memoria is merely icing on the platypus-flavored cake.