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GameTap Thursday: Sam & Max meet the dark prince
This week GameTap takes Sam & Max to meet the man downstairs in the season two finale. Will the dog detective and his rabbity-thing companion survive to make a third season? We hope so. Ice Land 2 (Windows) - Mortimer the penguin must collect floating fish while not falling in the water because apparently penguins -- or, at least this one -- can't swim. Uru: Ages Beyond Myst (Windows) - Bend and twist the mind in this return to Myst. Tank Battalion (Arcade) - And somewhere in this blogger's mind he recalls playing this game at a dingy bar in Dorchester, Mass. during the early '80s while his uncle played pool... darn flashbacks. Sam & Max Season Two Episode 5: What's New, Beelzebub? (Windows) - It's time to go to Hell LLC in the last episode of the season. (Psst, cheapskates, we're also giving away some copies of the whole season too) After the break we've posted GameTap's list of free games, which adds Fastlane Pinball and King of Monsters 2 into the mix of 117 free titles.
GameTap Thursday: Mardi kicks up DiRT and Pop-A-Tronic Warlords
GameTap pulls one of its random Tuesday updates this week immediately causing us to become suspicious. There must be some dastardly trick in here somewhere for this April Fool's update to make sense?! Typically the Tuesday updates are only reserved for exclusive releases or holidays. We're pretty sure it's got nothing to do with this week's three new games. DiRT (Windows) - An exceptional racer that broke one of our writers. Hours of gameplay to be had for those looking for something between simulation and arcade style racing. Pop-A-Tronic (Windows) - It's a color matching casual game. As with all match-three color games it's best enjoyed with some pharmacological enhancement. Not that we condone such actions. Warlords (DOS) - A strategy game from many moons ago which eventually transformed into the Warlords Battlecry series. Well, there was nothing nefarious in that update. After the break we've posted GameTap's list of free games, which adds the enjoyable Mr. Robot and Captain McGrandpa -- Memory of the Forgotten. Qu'est-ce que c'est? What's Captain McGrandpa? Hmm, we may have to check out the GameTap forums later to see what this mélange of trick and treat might be.
GameTap Thursday: Baseball Mogul becomes Hot Dog King of Daemonica
GameTap adds one of the stranger Tycoon-esque games this week with Hot Dog King. It's not hard to guess the game is a hot dog store business sim, but the hook is that players hire big-breasted women to work the counter. The ladies are quite high maintenance, but they're also the main attraction of the store. It's so very strange. Baseball Mogul (Windows) - You play as a baseball team's manager. Yes, it's exactly as complicated as it sounds. Think of it as one of those hardcore submarine sims, only with baseball. Daemonica (Windows) - The town of Cavorn has some deep dark secrets in this adventure game. Hot Dog King (Windows) - Busty women serving hot dogs ... hmm, why do we suddenly miss Chuck? After the break we've posted GameTap's list of free games, with Rastan joining the ranks this week. Note: Next week's Gametap Thursday will actually be on Tuesday and will see the addition of various titles including DiRT. There's allegedly no reason for the early update.
GameTap Thursday: The Fire Flower Fleet Command Denied our Ops
GameTap brings us into conflict and then denies our operations this week with Conflict: Denied Ops. Yup, still one of the most foolish game titles in the past year. Beyond that there's a puzzle game involving flowers and a hardcore naval strategy game. This week's odd offerings are diminished by last week's new Sam & Max adventure. Conflict: Denied Ops (Windows) - Playing as a "deniable operative" you ... ohhh, now we finally get it. Fire Flower (Windows) - The only way out of the magical labyrinth in this puzzle game is to move flowers around. Fleet Command (Windows) - A hardcore naval strategy simulator. After the break we've posted GameTap's list of free games. New additions this week are Ball 7 and Qix. Still waiting to read some academic paper about Qix being a metaphor for claustrophobia and a person's struggle to break free.
GameTap Thursday: Sam & Max mush the Chariot of the Dogs
GameTap brings an all new episode of Sam & Max this week to give gamers their adventure genre fix. In the latest episode, Chariot of the Dogs, the dog detective and his rabbity-thing compadre search for the missing Bosko. Don't know who Bosco is? Then you're obviously not playing these games! Shameful! Sam & Max Season 2: Episode 4 Chariot of the Dogs (Windows) - Help find Bosco! Iron Warriors (Windows) - A game where you play as a tank commander in the former Yugoslavia during the Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian War. Seriously, that's what it's about. After the break we've posted GameTap's list of free games. New additions this week are Fatal Fury and Vulgus. There's also very little time left to check out Myst Online: Uru Live before it disperses into the void of the intertubes.
GameTap Thursday: Batman Returns with Aces of the Pacific (now landing in Port Royale)
Port Royale 2 joins the GameTap buffet this week for those looking to channel their inner accountant during the era of pirates on the high seas. It's hard to be an accessible economics simulator, but Port Royale 2 does it with ease (especially compared to its predecessor). GameTap also goes back to 1992 and brings us the Batman and one of the great flight combat simulators of the time. Aces of the Pacific (DOS) - It's like Wing Commander, just without space, lasers and evil space kitties. Batman Returns (Genesis) - Sorry, just keep flashing back to renting this game from the local video store as a kid. Local video stores without the words Blockbuster or Hollywood in the title, remember those? Port Royale 2 (Windows) - Arrrrrrrr, dominate your enemies by shoving doubloons down their throats! After the break please find GameTap's list of free games with new additions bolded for easy reference. Neo-Geo title Football Frenzy joins the cash-friendly line-up if anybody is looking for something a little more Tecmo Bowl and a little less Madden.
GameTap Thursday: I of the Dragon watches a Shadowgrounds Survivor while sipping Surakarta
It's still a while before Grimm shows up on GameTap this summer, so it's time to get back to checking the weekly updates and seeing what can keep those with ADGD (attention deficit gaming disorder) in check. This week GameTap adds a dragon game, the sequel to one of the better-than-you'd-think games on the service and a random board game. I of the Dragon (Windows) - OK, so this dragon game may not be good, but it still scored better than Lair on MetaCritic. Shadowgrounds Survivor (Windows) - The first Shadowgrounds is competent, but the sequel is much better. Just a twitch game that does everything simple and right. Surakarta (Windows) - A checker-ish game from Java. Time to free your mind and get abstract. After the break you'll find GameTap's list of free games with new additions bolded for easy reference. Thief: Deadly Shadows joins the list this week to stalk his next victim. The free list now sports 104 games and there are plenty of good ones in there for freeloaders.
GameTap Thursday: The Blood Ties of Largo Winch's Ball 7
An evolution of Breakout and a game based on a Canadian vampire show join GameTap this week. With all the GDC coverage though, let's get this out of the way and get back to everything that's going on. Also, in case you missed it, check out the screenshots for Grimm, which starts on GameTap this summer. Ball 7 (Windows) - Bounce the ball, break the bricks. The evolution of a tried and true classic gaming formula. Blood Ties (Windows) - Join Vicki Nelson and her vampire partner in this game based on the Canadian television series. Largo Winch: Empire Under Threat (Windows) - An adventure game where you play as a billionaire 26-year-old. Not a celebutant simulator. After the break you'll find GameTap's list of free games with new additions bolded for easy reference. Joining the ranks this week is Rogue Trooper, a good game ... especially for free. Don't forget, the death clock ticks on for Myst Online: Uru Live -- it will die in 43 days.
GameTap Thursday: Sam & Max cause Tuesday edition
Sam and Max have altered the space-time continuum and moved the GameTap Thursday update ahead by a couple of days this week. The dog detective and his insanely platonic life partner start their latest adventure, Night of the Raving Dead, today on GameTap and tomorrow on Telltale Games' website. Sam & Max Season Two: Episode 3 Night of the Raving Dead (Windows) - If you have any moderate love for the adventure genre and still haven't played Sam & Max ... well, we're just going to hope you've been off the grid for a couple years. Gondomania (Arcade) - A top-down vertical shooter from the late '80s where the protagonist rides a hover-bike and destroys everything in his path. Good times. After the break you'll find GameTap's list of free games for perusal. Aside from a few new additions this week (bolded), Myst Online: Uru Live still warrants a spin before it dies in 52 days.
GameTap Thursday: Get down with your Bagh Chal self
GameTap's additions this week take us from the depths of the Atlantic to the mountains of Nepal, but before we get to those games let's visit the local dive bar. This week's new game worth checking out is Fastlane Pinball, if only for the sake of comparison to all the other competent pinball games we've seen over the last few years. 1914 Shells of Fury (Windows) - Sink those pesky battleships in this WWI German U-boat simulator. Better yet, rent Das Boot (yes, yes, well aware it's a different war). Bagh Chal (Windows) - A board game from Nepal whose title roughly translates to "Moving Tigers." Certainly worth learning if you ever accidentally end up in Nepal and are forced into a life or death game of Bagh Chal. Hey, it could happen. Fastlane Pinball (Windows) - Um, it's pinball and it's good. That is all. After the break is GameTap's list of free games, which adds eight new games this week including Robotron 2084. Also, be sure to check out Myst Online: Uru Live for free before it dies in 57 days.
Gametap Thursday: Tube-It on the Futoshiki Shadowgrounds ... or something
GameTap delivers a sprinkle of random titles this week for subscribers. The two puzzle offerings, Futoshiki and Tube-it, are there if you need them, but the most enjoyment will probably come from Shadowgrounds. The basic gameplay of Shadowgrounds consists of running around and shooting things like Gauntlet in space -- and there ain't nothing wrong with that. Futoshiki (Windows) - Another Japanese number filling game like Sudoku or Kakuro. Yes, yes, both those games were originally American, but you get the point. Shadowgrounds (Windows) - A competent action game that has you blasting some aliens and generally having a good time. Tube-It (Arcade) - The forefather to the BioShock hacking game. Connect the colors through tubes from one side of the screen to the other. After the break is GameTap's list of free games, with Commandos 3: Destination Berlin being this week's new offering. With the money you save, you could do something in honor of Berlin ... like buying a currywurst. If you can't find one, make it yourself.
GameTap Thursday: Starscaping the galaxy one ship at a time
GameTap delivers with another indie favorite created by the company that built us Mr. Robot. This week Moonpod's Starscape joins the subscription lineup, bringing the frenetic action of a shoot-'em-up together with resource collection RPG upgrading elements. Ancient Wars: Sparta (Windows) - THIS IS SPAR ... actually, it's more like an Age of Empires wannabe. If you really need a sword and strategy fix GameTap also offers Stronghold: Crusader. Ingenious (Windows) - If you can't find the board game then this might make for an alternative. Starscape (Windows) - Shoot everything -- upgrade -- shoot everything again! Stays smart by combining different elements into the pseudo-2D top-down space shooter. Definitely also check out Moonpod's Mr. Robot. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games, this week soccer gets rational with Sensible Soccer. Wonder why they never expanded the franchise to Reasonable Racing, Balanced Baseball and Commonsensical Cricket?
GameTap Thursday: Gumboy rolls into town
This week GameTap serves up a little bit of whimsy and some decent puzzle action. Granted, this week's addition of D.N.A. to the service can't hold a candle to the crackpipe of Peggle, but it's still a good casual fix. GameTap also serves up indie title Gumboy Crazy Adventures. Somewhere between Kirby and LocoRoco lies Gumboy, check it out for something a little different. D.N.A. (Windows) - Combine proteins to keep your casual game addiction in check. Drop Team (Windows) - Boy was it tough finding info on this game we'd never heard of. Even Metacritic only has two disparate reviews. Gumboy Crazy Adventures (Windows) - Familiar to those who've played LocoRoco, but if you like your acid trips a little less cheery its worth checking out. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games, this week 1942 gets added to the lineup -- but make sure to first play 1941, the plots lead into each other.
GameTap Thursday: A new Sam & Max, what Moai could you ask for?
The dog detective and his rabbity-thing companion are back for "Moai" adventure in Sam & Max: Moai Better Blues. This time they hop over to Easter Island for some R&R, only to discover things are about to get explosive with a volcano eruption. That's the fine wine GameTap is serving up this week -- the service's other offering is a bit more vinegar. Sam & Max Season Two Episode 2 Moai Better Blues (Windows) - The second episode in the second season of Sam & Max's second coming. Jewelcraft (Windows) - You can find better color matching games on GameTap here, here, here, here and here. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games, including this week's addition, Black Tiger. Still haven't played any Sam & Max yet? Be sure to check out Episode 4 Abe Lincoln Must Die! in the free section to get your paws wet with punny humor.
GameTap Thursday: No, not that Vanguard
It's time to get back into the swing of normality after the holidays. GameTap is doing their stretches this week -- making sure not to pull a muscle with anything too exciting -- and offers subscribers a bunch of games from the Reagan administration. So put your hair in a scrunchie, get some snap bracelets, and enjoy GameTap's '80s offerings on your PC and Mac. B-Wings (Arcade) - A vertical shooter that we're sure will remind you of an intense game of Ikaruga -- OK, that's a lie. Express Raider (Arcade) - Can't remember ever seeing this in the arcades. Be a wild west desperado and relieve people of their cash. Vanguard (Arcade) - No, not Sony Online's flop. This is a horizontal space shooter from 1981. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games. The new cash-friendly titles this week are Puzzled, Art of Fighting and Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle. If you don't feel like stretching on those games before starting your workout to shed those extra holiday hand pounds, then go straight for Psychonauts or Tomb Raider: Legend.
GameTap Thursday: Street Fighter III: Third Strike's out
This week GameTap hadoukens the Dreamcast version of Street Fighter III: Third Strike onto the service. The game considered by many hardcore gamers as the last great 2D fighter is accessible for both PC and Mac users. The new GameTap titles this week (other than SFIII) are the remains of the year. Metal Combat (PC) - Just say no. Check out Mr. Robot. Mr. Robot (PC) - A little-known independent action RPG from a couple years ago that was well received. Check it out for something a little different. Putter Golf (Genesis) - Hardcore mini-golf. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Covert Ops Essential (PC) - Plan out the mission and repeat it a billion times 'til you don't get your whole squad killed. Classic Rainbow Six game. Sub Hunt (Intellivision) - A submarine game from 1981. Seriously. Street Fighter 3: Third Strike (Dreamcast) - We've gone over this. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games. The new free game this week is Texas Hold 'em and is bolded for easy reference. There will be no GameTap update next week due to the holiday, with the next update on Jan. 3rd.
GameTap Thursday: Going rogue trooper
It's another one of those "let's talk about the free game" weeks, with the under-appreciated Rogue Trooper entering free game rotation at GameTap. It's not mind-bendingly awesome, but if you're looking for a competent third-person shooter to play it certainly fits the bill. In case any Mac owners missed the big news last week, the new GameTap player is now fully compatible with Intel-based Macs. New games for GameTap subscribers this week are: Brigade E5 (PC) - A mercenary gets sent to South America to complete a mission. If you really, really can't wait until next year's Mercenaries 2 then this should make a moderate substitute. And by "moderate" we mean none at all. Texas Hold 'em (PC) - The gateway drug to playing games for real money online and losing your house. Seal of Evil (PC) - A Diablo-esque game that takes place in a Dynasty Warriors faux version of China. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games. Thief: Deadly Shadows and Psychonauts are still available, along with many of the Hitman games.
GameTap Thursday: Bite the Apple with a new player
It's been quite the devil and angel week with the GameTap news. Things were not well when it turned out GameTap was losing a good percentage of games due to contractual issues, but the service rallied yesterday with the good news that there was a new GameTap player which was fully compatible with Intel-based Macs. Enough about that, let's talk new games this week on GameTap. Perimeter (PC) - Do not miss out on Perimeter, a little gem that doesn't get its due. A race known as the Scourge can turn into your worst nightmares and in this RTS you'll have to keep the perimeter up and protecting your base. A great RTS for those who always wanted a game that was more defense than offense. Carrier Air Wing (Arcade) - A Capcom schmup from the early '90s, so you know it's competent. Blowout (PC) - Um, did we mention Perimeter? We're sure Blowout is fine, but seriously, play Perimeter. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games. There are a few new free games this week and they are bolded for easy reference. Thief: Deadly Shadows joins the free section along with John Romero's Daikatana. Keep working on Psychonauts if you have finished it. Mac users have access to the free games -- just as long as it isn't a "windows" game.
GameTap Thursday: Tryptophan coma
As for new game releases this week the entire industry seems to be in a tryptophan induced coma and GameTap is no exception. It's a quiet week for anything new in general. The new titles this week on the service are probably titles that a majority of people haven't heard of before and it won't alter your experience as a gamer if that's the case. On the bright side, GameTap has plenty of good games for the freeloaders out there, including last week's addition of Psychonauts.The new subscriber games this week are: GORE: Ultimate Soldier (PC) - A run-of-the-mill FPS. Mad Gear (Arcade) - A run-of-the-mill top-down '80s racing game. TOCA Race Driver III (PC) - A competent not-so-run-of-the-mill modern racing game. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games. The new free game Mutation Nation is bolded for easy reference. Topping the list of good free games is the aforementioned Psychonauts, but still available are several entries in the Hitman series, Tomb Raider: Legend, Ghouls n' Ghosts and Sam & Max: Abe Lincoln Must Die.
GameTap Thursday: Um, it's Tuesday, but free Psychonauts makes it all better
In honor of Turkey day -- the day the Turkish people served a native bird with tahini to a bunch of zealots and saved them from certain starvation -- GameTap has moved their new games from Thursday to Tuesday this week. Our entire concept of time is now completely out of whack. GameTap doesn't really have anything exciting on the subscriber front, but for all you freeloaders out there, Psychonauts is available for free this week. And seriously, if you still haven't played it and don't try it when it's free, you don't deserve your second serving of tryptophan this week.The new subscriber games this week are: Infernal (PC) - Um, we're pretty sure this was already on the service. 'Cause it was. Maybe we're missing something? Football Deluxe (PC) - The deluxe part means it's not fun for Americans... oh wait, the football part means that because it's actually soccer. Space Empires V (PC) - You can also check out Space Empires III and IV. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games. New free games are bolded for easy reference. Topping the list of additions is Psychonauts. There's also GameTap's continuing Hitman promotion leading up to the film's debut in theaters tomorrow.
