Verdict: refreshingly irreverent
In a Nutshell: Kingdom Elemental: Tactics is a slimmed down real-time strategy focusing on unit selection and combat.
“KE:Tactics takes core game play elements from real-time strategy, tactics, and role-playing games and combines them into a game that is painfully easy to pick up and play without committing your entire life, unless you have no life…in which case you may not find Kingdom Elemental to be an adequate substitute.”
Verdict: gorgeous
In a Nutshell: Project Aftermath is a new approach to real-time strategy with a very slimmed down resource management system and a greater focus on combat strategy.
“In the aftermath of a great war, when your enemy has wiped out everything you hold dear, the time has come to regroup and strike back. Enlist in the Morphid army and use all the weapons and genetic powers at your disposal to eradicate the New Order menace!
Project Aftermath is an Arcade RTS game where you command up to four squads of soldiers in exciting battles in a retro-futuristic world. Equip your squads to suit your playing style, researching new items using the spoils of war; choosing from over 100 different weapons, armour, power-up augmentations and spell-like special attacks. “
Verdict: strategilicious!
In a Nutshell: Spectromancer is a strategic card game similar to Magic: The Gathering.
“In Spectromancer, an online fantasy card game, players participate in a magical duel against other mages by strategically summoning creatures and casting spells. Each mage uses five magical elements during a duel – Fire, Water, Air and Earth, plus a fifth related to the specific mage type. There are six mage types in the game: Clerics use Holy power; Mechanicians use Mechanics; Necromancers use Death; Chaosmasters use Chaos; Dominators uses Control and Illusionists use Illusions. Players are able to duel against the computer or against other online players live.”
Verdict: Arcade-tastic!
In a Nutshell: Schiziod is a “gobble-em-up” classic and needs to be in a stand up machine in your local arcade or convenience store where you and your friend can vie for top co-op place with Slushies at your side.
“Schizoid, the most co-op game ever, is an action game for 1 or 2 players, who must cooperate to protect each other from barrages of glowing enemies.”
And the winner is . . . . .The MAW!
Verdict: yellow spacemen are annoying!
In a Nutshell: Can’t say that I’ve seen anything quite like Strange Attractors 2. Closest I can get is pinball of the distant future meets cosmic wooden labyrinth puzzle.
“Strange Attractors 2 is an evolution of its original one-switch predecessor. In it you use your ship’s gravity drive to navigate and escape from complex labyrinths full of secrets, hazards, and antagonizing screaming spacemen.
While the game’s controls have grown to include an “Anti-Gravity” button, and a “Shockwave” attack (bringing the number of inputs to a staggering three!), the game is still completely playable (including menu navigation) with a single switch.”
Verdict: The more I play this game, the more I like it.
In a Nutshell: Audiosurf is a rythm arcade racer with tracks built from your music library.
“Audiosurf is a music-adapting puzzle racer where you use your own music to create your own experience. The shape, the speed, and the mood of each ride is determined by the song you choose. You earn points for clustering together blocks of the same color on the highway, and compete with others on the internet for the high score on your favorite songs.”
Verdict: More, please?
In a Nutshell: Polarity is a short, concept proving side-scroller with an, ahem, “attractive” twist.
“Polarity is a 2D platforming/puzzle game based on the concept of magnetic forces.
The goal of the game is to navigate environments and solve puzzles by using your suit’s magnetic properties in interesting ways. you cna attract to and repel from objects, instantly switch magnetic polarity, or even boost the strength of your magnetic field for added abilities”
Verdict: wicked smart
In a Nutshell: This is a casual puzzle/platformer where the solutions require your current self to plan moves for your future self/selves, then to go back in time so that your past self/selves have cleared the path for your current self . . . ouch.
“It’s about a robot that goes back in time for some reason. (His best friend is a talking pie!)
Use your time machine to interact with past versions of yourself in this puzzle/platformer!”