Verdict: Avast! (sea of fun)

In a Nutshell: Lair of the Leviathan is the third chapter in the Tales of Monkey Island adventure game series.

(from the game’s website)

“Trapped in the belly of the beast, our hero encounters a surprising band of castaways, including the long-lost (and obsessive-compulsive) explorer Coronado De Cava. Can the Mighty Pirate win the suspicious De Cava’s trust? Will sexy pirate hunter Morgan LeFlay prove to be a ruthless enemy, or an unlikely ally? Will the group find La Esponja Grande in time to save Elaine from the rampant Pox of LeChuck? And will the world be crushed by the gnashing teeth of a certain demonic skull? Tales of Monkey Island’s moist and absorbing third episode, Lair of the Leviathan, will answer some of these urgent questions — and raise still more — as the five month adventure builds to its epic climax!”

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Verdict: Great game!

In a Nutshell: Sequel to the original MUA – the heroes’ Civil War gets more complicated when a new threat emerges!

(from the game’s website)

“The Marvel Universe is being torn apart. You and your tema of marvel Super Heroes help Nick Fury launch a secret preemptive strike against Latveria and Lucia Von Bardas only to have to thwart her retaliatory attack on New York City.

Coupled with oter Super Hero incidents, public sentiment turns against Super Heroes. The Superhuman Registration Act becomes law and Super Heroes must register as weapons of mass destruction and become licensed government agents with the United States government.

Lines are drawn as Iron Man leads the Pro-Registration side while Captain America leads the Anti-Registration side. You must pick a side and fight to determine the fate of the Marvel Universe and humankind.”

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Verdict: monotonous Arr.

In a Nutshell: The Siege of Spinner Cay is the second chapter in the Tales of Monkey Island adventure game series.

(from the game’s website)

“Guybrush’s adventures continue on the high seas as pox-plagued pirates lay siege to the innocent Mer-People. In between defending the Mer-People and dodging the persistent pirate hunter hot on his trail, Guybrush manages to catch up to his beloved wife and despised arch-nemesis — but their reunion is short-lived. Now Guybrush must focus on eradicating the Pox of LeChuck before more harm can be done. And as the Mighty Pirate draws closer to a cure, the waters will only grow murkier in this thrilling chapter of the epic saga.”

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Verdict: interesting

In a Nutshell: This is a first-person shooter/puzzle and was one of the 2009 PAX 10.

(from the game’s website)

“Tag: The Power of Paint, a first-person platformer created by seven RTIS and BFA students at DigiPen, was chosen from ten IGF Student Showcase Finalists as winner of the Best Student Game Award.”

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Verdict: delightful

In a Nutshell: This is a point-and-click adventure about a robot trying to save his girl and the leader of the city and was one of the 2009 PAX 10.

(from the game’s website)

“Machinarium is an independent puzzle / adventure game developed by the makers of popular web-games Samorost and Samorost2. A little robot who’s been thrown out to the scrap yard behind the city must return and confront the Black Cap Brotherhood and save his robot-girl friend. The game takes place in a strange rusty metallic city populated only by robots. The story is about a little robot who has been unjustly thrown out to the scrapyard behind the city. In the game he returns to the town where he meets the bad guys from Black Cap Brotherhood – they are just preparing a bomb attack on the central tower where the town ruler has residence in. Of course our hero must stop them and also rescue his friend robot-girl.”

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Verdict: soooo relaxing

In a Nutshell: Physics game about cell-like creatures and was one of the 2009 PAX 10.

(from the game’s website)

“Enter the ambient world of Osmos: elegant, physics-based gameplay, dreamlike visuals, and a minimalist, electronic soundtrack.

Your objective is to grow by absorbing other motes. Propel yourself by ejecting matter behind you. But be wise: ejecting matter also shrinks you. Relax… good things come to those who wait.

Progress from serenely ambient levels into varied and more challenging worlds. Confront attractors, repulsors and intelligent motes with similar abilities and goals as you.”

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Verdict: Sorta Fun

In a Nutshell: A swinging remake of an old action platformer.

(from the game’s website)

“Bionic Commando is back, now on the Xbox 360 [PS3 and PC], 20 years after the NES classic was initially released. And returning with it is the swinging bionic arm game mechanic that made it so popular and critically acclaimed. Bionic Commando makes the move to 3D, and gamers will be able to grapple, swing, and scale a giant environment filled with buildings, canyons, and more.”

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Verdict: cute and nostalgic

In a Nutshell: Interactive story book about a kid cyclops that includes a memory game and music videos.  This was one of the 2009 PAX10.

(from the game’s website)

“What is Bothering Carl? is the tale of a young cyclops named Carl whose laid back attitude is disrupted by a single nuisance. Readers will discover Carl’s dilemma and follow along as he tries to solve his problem in this colorful interactive adventure.”

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Verdict: 6-sided slogging

In a Nutshell: Story-driven turn-based strategy about elves and the control of magic.

(from the game’s website)

“The shadows of destruction begin to loom on the horizon once a human mage uncovers a dark and powerful secret dating back to the remote past of the Elven race. However, the Elves cannot allow this forbidden knowledge to fall into the hands of others and thus imperil the world. For the first time in countless years, this ancient race must venture forth and interfere with events transpiring in the lands of man.
With the renegade mage in their sights, the sorceress Gilwen and ranger-lord Seagate set off together, unaware that beliefs and friendships alike will soon be tested…”

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Verdict: my swash is buckled!

In a Nutshell: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal is the first chapter in the Tales of Monkey Island adventure game series and picks up where the Lucasarts Monkey Island series left off.

(from the game’s website)

“While explosively stripping the evil pirate LeChuck of his demonic mojo, Guybrush Threepwood inadvertently infects the entire Caribbean with the arch-fiend’s expelled voodoo, which threatens to transform buccaneers into unruly pirate monsters. Pursued by a notorious cut-throat Pirate Hunter and a creepy French Physician who believes that Guybrush’s eerily-infected hand holds the secret of eternal life, Threepwood sails the seven seas in search of La Esponja Grande, a legendary sea sponge with unparalleled voodoo exfoliating abilities. But little does Guybrush know, his quest is part of a larger, more sinister plot, and good and evil are not always as they seem…”

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