If programming video games didn't take all sorts of incredible smarts and highly refined computer skills, I'd like to think I would have created my very own gaming classic back in the day. Well now it looks like I might actually get my wish, with the latest 2.0 update to "apoplexy" this week, the free and open-source DOS level editor for the 1989 classic Prince of Persia computer game. The initial release of "apoplexy" actually popped up online over five years ago, but now this newest version has added the ability to create levels for 1993's Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame as well!I spent some time this morning fiddling around with the updated level editor and can happily say that it's not only super cool, but more importantly, super easy. The program basically divides up the classic levels of Prince of Persia and Prince of Persia 2 into a grid of vertical rectangles. By clicking on any given rectangle in the current level screen, you can swap it out for another rectangle that features a different environmental effect, such as spikes, enemies, or even just simple wall decorations. Each of these various building blocks is displayed for your quick perusal in an easily navigable grid-based menu of sorts."Additional features to the level editor include the option to change certain game events like music or checkpoints, and even cross-platform support that keeps the program interface both fast and stable during your editing. But of course, the best part of all is that you can then actually play your brand new Prince of Persia levels and bask in the glory of being the next greatest new-age DOS game developer! You can check out some more screenshots of the open source level editor and download the free application for Windows or Linux to give it a try for yourself by clicking right over here.
You know what's better than Dungelot? MORE Dungelot. The original netted a near perfect score in our review back in January 2013, and it looks like the folks at RedWinter Software are ready to revisit this refreshing roguelike with the release of Dungelot 2 sometime next month.While there's not a ton of info available quite yet on what we can expect in this sequel, the trailer below does give a great glimpse at the game in action. And it's clear that the art assets have been given a huge upgrade. Gone are the cartoony characters on the first, replaced by a more traditional fantasy art style.If you're wondering why you should be excited about this one, you really need look no further than the original. Either give it a download while you're waiting for number two, or read our review to find out why you should.
When you get this deep into a year-end countdown, you're starting to look at the best of the best. Everything on today's list, without exception, was a serious contender for Game of the Year. And while none of them snagged that brass ring in the end, there's no denying it: these are some of the best games that 2013 had to offer. If you only play five games from 2013, this is where to start.Of course, if you're looking to play even more than that, be sure to check out our previous best of picks for the year, which you can find at these handy links: #20-#16, #15-#11, #10-6, and +13.
In years past, the week between Christmas and New Years Day is when the annual "Best of" lists pop up. This year will be no different: Best of 2013 awards are already popping up all over the internet, Gamezebo included. From the best first-person shooters to the best puzzle platformers, seemingly every category gets its moment in the spotlight, and the games highlighted get one last pat on the back before a new year full of new games comes kicking down the door.The amount of games that come out every month (even more now that early-build releases are common) is overwhelming. Understandably, gamers simply don't have the time or the budget to keep up with every release. Plenty of great games flew under the radar this year, so I wanted to take a few moments to share with our readers ten awesome indie games that you may have overlooked in 2013.
There have been a ton of great new games to come out in 2013, there's certainly no question about that. But did you also know that a lot of our favorites from the past year were made by brand new development studios? It's true! We saw so many amazing high-quality debuts this year that we only thought it'd be best to point out which studios you'll want to keep an eye on in 2014 and beyond.At first glance, it's easy to see why every game on this list is positively stunning in its own right: from doing something vastly innovative, to just providing downright fun gameplay, it's evident that the teams behind them knew exactly what they were doing. But then once you realize that all of these games are merely the debut efforts of new studios that are still in their youth, then the excitement really starts to build when you start thinking about all of the second and third titles that are eventually going to come!"So here are our picks for the new developers and their amazing debut games that really wowed us in 2013. Want to rave about our choices? Know of a few other newbies that deserve a special mention? Leave us your thoughts down in the replies!
There were so many terrific games in 2013. SO MANY. It was incredibly tough to nail down our top 10. Almost everything you've seen so far in our picks for #20-#16, #15-#11 and even the +13 were all in consideration for the hallowed halls of 'ten'nery. Even some games that didn't even make our top 20+13.In the end we knew that our top 10 had to meet some pretty tough criteria. Maybe they were original; the sort of thing we've never seen before. Maybe they were impeccable; the absolute top of their game, with no competitor even coming close. Most importantly though, these were the games that stuck with us. They games we kept playing month after month or, if not that, that we've never stopped bringing up in conversation. These are the games from 2013 that we're going to remember.
Forget lumber, coal, or the milk of human kindness - Twitter is our greatest national resource. For many of us, it's where we go to find out what's really going on in the world. Not only is it the place where the news can break, but it's the place where news can happen. Even better, it's the place where we can interact with the newsmakers of the day directly.As always, there were plenty of great tweeters to follow in 2013. But five in particular gave us some pretty specific tweets that we're always going to remember, and each for very different reasons. Were there any tweets that stood out as a big deal in your mind this year? Let us know in the comments below, or, better yet, tweet us @gamezebo with your thoughts. Let's keep this thing in the Twitter spirit!
If you thought our picks for #20-#16 were great, wait until you see what we've picked to outrank them. Today's best of list features a healthy mix of puzzling, strategy, timing, and… zombies? Oh well - I suppose it wouldn't be a video game top 20 without a little zombie in there. After all, our 2012 Game of the Year was all about them!As we count down our favorite games of the year, we'd love for you to play along at home. Like our picks? Trying something new based on our recommendations? Have a "best of 2013" list of your own? Be sure to let us know in the comments.