When it comes a franchise with as much marketing and brand power as this, you just know it's only a matter of time until another big release comes our way. That's right, it's Angry Birds time again. Oh.. no, wait. I mean it's Star Wars time again. Hang on. It's BOTH?
The Ewok race is generally not celebrated as one of George Lucas's greatest creative triumphs. People squirmed uncomfortably when the sentient teddy bears smacked down the Empire in Return of the Jedi, and they began to fear something was wrong with Lucas's alien-making machine. Lucas verified as much some years later with the debut of the Gungan species in Phantom Menace.
It's common for hidden object games to take place in empty settings; most of them occur within closed insane asylums, condemned manors and abandoned villages. Mystery of the Ancients: Curse of the Black Water falls into the third category, and its not-very-unique premise sends you searching an abandoned seaside village for two missing scientists. Despite its solid mechanics, the game is unspectacular. In fact, the only thing that prevents it from being utterly forgettable is its unusually well-constructed bonus chapter.
Pid is an interesting collection of opposites. Its vision is equally futuristic and nostalgic. Its music is electronic yet organic. And its gameplay hook is brilliant but woefully bungled.
I witnessed a talk at the Game Developers Conference in Europe this summer, in which the developer behind Eufloria discussed the many advantages of basing your game around randomly generated worlds and levels. After playing Cargo Commander, I can see exactly what he means.
2012: the predicted year the world will end…for point-and-click adventure games. The genre has been around for decades, and coming up with new ideas is getting tougher. Developers have begun looking to the past for inspiration, and more recently, direct relief. G5 is trying their luck with 1997's Pilot Brothers, Zojoi is completely revamping 1987's Shadowgate, and DotEmu has traveled to 2002 and returned with Tony Tough and the Night of Roasted Moths.
As a person obsessed with all British TV comedy shows, I was surprised to only just now hear of animated sitcom Full English, launching on Channel 4 later this month and featuring numerous well known actors, including The I.T. Crowd's Richard Ayoade.
I can't wait for the inevitable day when we're able to transport ourselves into video games (that is an inevitability, right?). It's not because of the possibility to fly, or have superhuman strength; certainly not for the chance to shoot fireballs from my bare hands. Instead, I want to start a rehabilitation center for all the poor, naive characters who can't seem to stop walking themselves off of edges. Until that day comes, however, there's always Hairy Tales.