Book of Demons turns the page and emerges from Early Access

December 14, 2018 David Neumann 2

PC/Mac • Book of Demons is a weird one. Part Action-RPG, part roguelike, part card game, and with a graphic style that I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen before. It appears to be an homage to the original Diablo, complete with a Deckard Cain-alike and an ominous cathedral whose depths you’ll be exploring for loot and glory. There’s also a big, red demon sitting at the bottom waiting for you. So, it’s a lot like Diablo, except when it isn’t, which is most of the time. Confused? Stay awhile and listen!

Just a friendly reminder that Grimvalor arrives tomorrow

October 9, 2018 David Neumann 21

iOS Universal • With our limited time for posting these days, I usually don’t post about the same game twice unless there’s something special about it. You know what I mean, it’s a Playdek or CGE release or a AAA game that managed to make its way to the App Store. Your standard weekly App Store releases are usually a one-and-done here on the blog [and then only when Dave can get his fat butt to actually sit up and write about them -ed.]. We’re breaking this rule today to remind you of the imminent release of Grimvalor for iOS. Don’t like the added attention this action-RPG is getting? Blame Pitta.

Gorgeous action-RPG, Grimvalor, set to debut on iOS October 10th

September 27, 2018 David Neumann 0

iOS Universal • It’s not often that a game trailer arrives and tricks me the way Grimvalor‘s has. I saw the trailer yesterday on Twitter and immediately wondered if this PC game would be making it to Mac and/or mobile so I’d be able to play it. Little did I realize that, no, it’s not for PC or Mac at all. This is an iOS-only game that looks like it stepped right off the bus to Console-ville. Of course, pretty graphics do not a great game make, so let’s take a look what makes the whole thing tick.

Blizzard reveals plan to get me playing Diablo III again. Put in on Switch

August 20, 2018 David Neumann 9

Switch • While the original Diablo and its much-lauded sequel are two of my favorite digital experiences, I have more of a love/hate relationship with the third installment. I bought it eagerly when it arrived, even taking a day off work to really sink my teeth into it. Within a week or so I was done. While the graphics were great and the mouse-destroying clicking was at the correct level, the ridiculous story, killing of the only character you give a shit about, and lack of any high-level content made it a bust. A couple years later the (only) expansion was released and I reluctantly crawled back in. Again I stopped after going through the new areas and leveling up a new Crusader. Eventually, however, Blizzard stumbled on the Season model where you could start a new character every few months, race to level up, with new and awesome loot to discover on the way. This hooked me pretty good and had me playing for a month or so at a time, then wait until the next season and start again. I had been doing this for quite a while until last winter when I’d had enough. Blizzard must have sensed my apathy and in a successful bid to get me playing again are going to offer Diablo 3 on Switch starting this fall.

Storm, Stone, and Salt – Sunless Sea: Zubmariner coming to PS4

August 5, 2018 Tof Eklund 0

There’s this obscure thing in gaming where some people, instead of or in addition to playing games on their a proper personal computer or mobile communications device, as HAL intended, attach things that look like gussied-up Blu-ray players to their home televisions and play “console games” on them. Well, some of these “console gamers” are in for quite a surprise, as the kind folks at Failbetter Games are bringing the best video and computer game of all time, Sunless Sea, complete with the Zubmariner expansion to a gaming console called the ソニー株式会社 プレイステーション 四,  roughly translated as “Sony Playstation Quatro,” and sometimes affectionately referred to as the “PS4.”

Gore-filled action RPG, Runic Rampage, comes to iOS/Android

November 2, 2017 David Neumann 5

iOS Universal, Android, PC/Mac/Linux • Next to real-time strategy, another major genre of game that has failed to make a huge impact on mobile is the Action RPG. There are a couple that don’t suck, Titan Quest for example, but there doesn’t seem to be a good way to translate the hectic craziness of overwhelming odds, combos, and tactical shenanigans that you expect in ARPG stalwarts, such as the Diablo series, to a touchscreen. Of course, me stating that a certain genre is neglected will be immediately followed by me stating that a new game in that genre has been released. I’m way too predictable, even for myself. That game is called Runic Rampage and yada, yada, yada.

Blizzard tries to breathe new life into Diablo 3 with upcoming Necromancer pack

June 21, 2017 David Neumann 11

PC/Mac, Consoles • Ever since the first Diablo appeared on PCs back in the mid-90’s, I’ve been a huge fan of the series. Unlike other RPGs with detailed character creation and gameplay so long that finishing a game felt more like a chore, Diablo was a breath of fresh air. Fast paced, new loot every time you played, and the ability to easily play online with friends, which was kind of mind-blowing back in 1996, Diablo was what my RPG-craving soul desired. Diablo 2 was an even better game, but Diablo 3 kind of lost the way. It was still fun, but it took an expansion pack and a lot of tweaking to get it to the point where it is today: a fun action romp that still falls a bit short of its predecessors.