iOS, Android • When I first saw the news about Mordheim: Warband Skirmish this morning over at Pocket Gamer, I was excited. Other than Talisman, has Games Workshop done a mobile title not set in the Warhammer universe? Then I read the article and saw words like Skaven and realized my Warhammer ignorance was showing. Mordheim is set firmly within the Warhammer universe, just not the 40K one.
Pete calls me Duke. I am his Very Special Dog. You are probably thinking that all dogs are Very Special. Great! You are a good person. I like you.
PC, Consoles • The Surge is out, and by a piston’s hiss, is it grand. For good or ill, Deck13‘s futuristic brawler will be known as ‘that robot Dark Souls‘, and if it helps cut to the chase, then I’m all for it. FROM Software’s punitive dark fantasy has laid the groundwork for what has now been coined Soulslike, a tidy riff on the descendants and pretenders to Rogue. Soulslike it is. Industrial body horror Soulslike, even better.
iOS, Android, PC, Mac • While I don’t consider myself a huge Warhammer 40K fan (I like the ambience, but have no idea what the hell is going on), I do, much to everyone’s chagrin, enjoy Talisman. Thus, Talisman: Horus Heresy has a spot on my iPad and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Much like it’s fantasy-themed predecessor, Nomad Games is making sure T:HH stays fresh by routinely adding more content. Today we get two new warlords to add to your stable of armor clad goons.
PC, Mac, Linux • World-class style isn’t just reserved for the catwalk in Milan. Going by the likes of Mixed Bag, Santa Ragione and now Antab Studios, Milanese game development is about matching substance with impeccable visual kung fu. Having had my senses tickled by the likes of forma.8 (currently on sale, you know what to do), Futuridium (first-person or bust) and FOTONICA (PC or iOS; a personal pick for endless runner), it’s time to stir a little Last Starfighter into Lawrence Angelo’s coffee. Behold, the freshly-released GRIDD: Retroenhanced.
iOS, Android, PC, Mac • It’s been awhile since I’ve been on the Hearthstone bandwagon. I know it’s got polish on top of its polish and that, as far as digital CCGs go, it’s still a pretty great game. Still, there’s something that drove me away. I think it was the bloat of expansion after expansion and the focus on esports that made me feel like casual play wasn’t really something Hearthstone did well anymore. I just don’t have enough time to research a game in order to play it well. Also, I have Race for the Galaxy now, thank you very much. Still, it’s a big money maker for Blizzard and, as such, they keep showing it love. In a few weeks it will be getting a major update that adds a couple of new features that might make it easier for old farts like me to get back into it.
[What follows is an account of the campaign from the core set of the Arkham Horror: The Card Game, told from the perspective of a single card: Stubborn Detective. It contains minor spoilers, but, due to the variable nature of the campaign and the limited perspective of a detective interested in seeing the world through a comprehensible lens, keeps most of the discoveries hidden. Also, the Stubborn Detective remained true to his name, stubbornly refusing to be drawn during the final scenario, thus not being present to share any secrets from the campaign’s denouement. If you can’t tell, I followed Dave’s recommendation, and am very impressed by this game. – Kelsey]
iOS, Android, PC, Mac • Star Realms is one of those cardboard-to-digital ports that everyone seems to love. Even if deck-building isn’t your favorite mechanism, Star Realms just does everything so right that you feel the need to keep it installed on your iPad. Games can be played quickly, the entire game is remarkably cheap without any boosters to constantly buy, and it just feels like it was made for digital from the get-go. That said, it’s about to feel a lot different. The Star Realms you know and love is getting a complete makeover, and it’s coming on Wednesday.
PC, Mac, Linux • The current go-to city builder on my laptop is Paradox‘s Cities: Skylines. Looks like it’s getting some competition, and soon, from…Paradox? That’s right, Paradox is publishing another city builder in the near future, but set in the distant future, and I think both will coexist peacefully on my hard drive. It’s called Surviving Mars and it looks pretty freaking great.
iPad, Android Tablet • Back in April we mentioned that the mobile version of Prison Architect from Introversion and Paradox had soft launched in the Netherlands. Since then it’s launched in a few other places–Sweden and Australia–but I don’t live in those places so who cares, right? Stately Play is nothing if not all about me. MEEEEEEEEEE! What we really want is the full worldwide launch so I can do my Warden Norton impression wherever, whenever I want. Today, Paradox let us know that it’s coming. Soon.