Joe Jasko

News
January 31, 2014
Free Games and Sales: The Room Two, European Mystery: Scent of Desire and more!
By Joe Jasko
Every now and then I love to take a break from playing all of the hot new releases in gaming and spend some time playing through some of the old faithful titles from years ago. Whether I never got a chance to play them way back when, or whether I just wanted to revisit their magic for pure nostalgia's sake, there's no denying that the lovely world of free games and sales has been making this feat all the more obtainable each and every day.This week we've got quite a few older games making the sales roundup, but just because they're old that doesn't make them any less fan-flipping-tastic! In addition to those, we've also got a catalogue-wide sale of 2K Games titles going on over at the App Store, and another Android game bundle that's truly out of this world."Decisions, decisions. Do you have any idea which games your money is going to flock to this weekend? Know about any other great deals in gaming that we may have missed? As always, don't forget to let us know by leaving a comment down below!
News
January 31, 2014
Game of the Month: The Banner Saga
By Joe Jasko
Wow, what a way to start off the year on a high note! We're only a month into 2014 right now, and we've already seen a number of wonderful game releases that put a big ol' smile on our faces. And not only were these games all great in their own right, but we even went as far as to call some of them early contenders for our next Game of the Year. Think I'm kidding? Well let's not forget that Gamezebo's Game of the Year 2013 was released at the tail-end of January last year, so anything is possible at this point!There's no question that January 2014 has been a month for long-awaited games to finally come to fruition: games that have been in development for so long that their names were starting to become something of a legend in of themselves. But boy are we glad that we actually got to play them now, because when it comes to an epic Viking-themed quest across the frozen tundra and a frantic multiplayer sword fight, I think it would be an understatement to say that it was more than worth the wait."So do you feel the same way as we do about January's shining stars in gaming? Were there any other strong contenders you think deserved a spot on our list? Don't be shy - we want to hear about them! And at least we can all agree on one thing for certain: if this past month was any indication, then we have an unbelievable year of games to look forward to.
Reviews
January 31, 2014
Bardbarian Review
By Joe Jasko
There has always been a fine line between a bard and a barbarian. In fact, the two traditionally couldn't be any more different: one is a highly refined poet from medieval culture, while the other is a ruthless warrior who often wields a club. But much like its name, Bardbarian from BulkyPix and Treefortress not only manages to weave together these two vastly different ideas in flawless fashion, but it also strings together a number of tried and true gameplay mechanics to make for one enjoyable and long-lasting defensive-adventure: one that the mobile scribes of our time are sure to write about one day.Let's start out with the game's story and presentation, which do just enough to set the stage for the onslaught of awesomeness that is waiting just behind it. Bardbarian is wonderfully self-aware and just downright funny, from our hero Brad's growing annoyance at having to save his town from evil yet again (and also being "tired of grinding XP and saving useless NPCs"), to the ironically-named Tutorial Goblin who helps you get into the basics of play.There's an inherent musical theme that runs throughout the story and gameplay, with Brad combining his deadly axe and a lute to make a truly rockin' instrument that lets him pull off some pretty sweet and power-inducing solos. Seriously - the gameplay will stop for just a second as the player activates a special power, treating everyone to a quick animation of Brad wailing away on his axe with pure metal passion. The whole thing has a huge Brutal Legend vibe going on beneath the surface, but the beautiful 2D visuals and smooth animations give the game its own unique sense of charm entirely.
News
January 30, 2014
Now THIS is a creative way to market your game
By Joe Jasko
The successful marketing of a new mobile game is by no means an easy task, especially when you're just a small team with limited funds like Australian developer Gnomic Studios. But that doesn't make the growing need to get your game out there for all to see any less important. So instead of emptying their wallets to buy all sorts of flashy advertisements for their colorful new action game Square Off, the creative minds at Gnomic did the next best thing: they asked real people to help stop a real alien invasion.On December 18th, 2013, the developer posted a fake advertisement in the "Volunteer" section of Gumtree, under the headline "Volunteers needed to suppress an Alien invasion." The fake posting had been written under the fictional guise of alien research extraordinaire Professor Claus von Zwerg, calling for anyone who was interested in saving mankind from the incoming invasion, and was accompanied by some ancient and conspiracy-ridden images taken throughout all of history."To make the whole thing just that more believable, Gnomic Studios even went as far as to create a fake LinkedIn account for Professor Claus von Zwerg, which you can view (and connect with!) right over here. They even bought old Claus his own mobile number, and recorded a fake voicemail message directing all callers and wannabe heroes to a micro page on the developer's website.Once the fake listing on Gumtree went live, Gnomic Studios saw the total number of views rise into the hundreds after only 24 hours, with 10% of visitors even taking the extra step to visit the Gnomic website. Michal Napora of Gnomic Studios told Gamezebo that the studio has reached out and tried to explain the situation to most of the people who professed an interest in the ad, although they are still waiting to see if they get any follow-up responses.
News
January 29, 2014
New iOS Games Tonight: Dungeon Keeper, Bloodstroke and more!
By Joe Jasko
Do you ever find yourself getting extremely sidetracked by the prospect of new mobile games? I sure know that I do. For instance, I've been trying to write this introductory paragraph for a good hour and a half right now, but I keep getting completely derailed by watching gameplay videos of all the great new titles that I'll be able to play for myself in just a few short hours.But I guess if you saw the great lineup of new games headed to the iOS App Store tonight, then you probably wouldn't blame me. After all, we've got a beautiful mobile reimagining of a classic from the 90s, the very first mobile game by a world-renowned filmmaker, and let's not forget a LEGO spin-off game that's aiming to tackle a completely new genre. The only good thing about getting so horribly sidetracked is that at least it makes the time go by just a little bit faster until all the new games start turning up to play!
Upcoming
January 29, 2014
The Mims: Beginning Preview
By Joe Jasko
Call me narcissistic, but sometimes it just feels so good to be a god - in a godlike video game that is! For you see, the god life actually chose me, when a stray asteroid careened into a spaceship carrying a crew of funny-looking orange creatures called the Mims. When the Mims crash-landed on some foreign planets, I just happened to be watching, and the next thing you now, these guys start depending on me to get them home safe. It's just good for them that actually doing so is nothing short of a godlike great time!The Mims: Beginning has been in development over the past 18 months by the three-man studio of Squatting Penguins, and although the game is about 90% complete at the time of this writing, they've decided to turn to Indiegogo for one final push of crowdfunding support. I recently had a chance to go hands-on with an early beta build of the work in the progress, and I have to say there are plenty of reasons to donate to the Mims' ambitious (and adorable) adventures."From the moment you first boot up The Mims: Beginning, you'll immediately get a feel for the game's lighthearted sense of humor and whimsical island settings. The titular orange creatures are always a delight to behold, whether it's in their cutscene dialogue referring to the player as "you, behind the screen," or just from watching the little guys meander around the greenery and wildlife that make up the main game's terrain.Playing an all-powerful god to the Mims is certainly fun, but it's also a big responsibility. The game weaves a number of classic strategy mechanics into its gameplay, and the main items on your god itinerary are usually getting the Mims to build various structures and power sources to harvest more Bio Mass for further exploration and discoveries. The Bio Mass substance itself is derived from island fruit, which must first be planted and extracted by your little orange colonists.
News
January 28, 2014
Hello Kitty joins Puzzle & Dragons
By Joe Jasko
Whoever said that a kitten and a dragon couldn't be best friends? Well I guess if you really think about it, one is a cuddly and fragile ball of fluff, while the other is a fire-breathing death machine with talons and scales, so maybe I can understand all you naysayers out there. But either way, that hasn't stopped GungHo Online Entertainment from announcing their latest Puzzle & Dragons collaboration today: this time with the adorable Hello Kitty World!Starting now and running until February 9th, Puzzle & Dragons players will be able to download an exclusive Technical Dungeon that features a colorful amusement park theme, four difficulty levels, and a slew of awesome "mash-up" characters taken from the two games, like Kitty Flamie and Kitty Bubblie, which can be earned by using a new Rare Egg Machine."On the flipside, Hello Kitty World players can also take advantage of the new crossover event by adding special Puzzle & Dragons-themed attractions into their Hello Kitty theme parks. See? And you thought that kittens and dragons would never get along!
News
January 27, 2014
The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot to enter full open beta in February
By Joe Jasko
We've been patiently waiting for quite some time now on the full-fledged release of The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot, the humor-induced fantasy game that has players taking control of a Knight, an Archer, or a Mage, and battling across the realm of Opulencia to snag as much enemy loot as they can possibly hold.Well now that the final Open House game event has come and gone for those lucky enough to get an early crack at the game, Ubisoft has announced today that The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot will officially be entering an open public beta on February 25th. That means that the potential loot that will be up for the taking will truly reach epic proportions next month!"In addition, the grand debut of the fourth playable character, The Runaway, will also be coinciding with the launch of the game's open beta. So set your calendars for the 25th of February my fellow loot hunters, and more importantly, make sure you guard your own shiny stash extremely well!