roguelikes
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'Hades' made me a believer in early access games
Hades is the game that finally got me to try an early-access release. I should explain: I generally feel you should buy a game only once it's been released and reviewed. In an era where physical stock is rarely a concern, pre-ordering games basically means you're giving publishers free money, but early access titles go a step further -- it's like paying to be a beta tester.
The Daily Grind: What does your Steam library say about you?
A weekend or two ago, I was paging listlessly through my Steam account, looking for something to grab me. Like a lot of Steam's members, I've got dozens of games I've purchased cheaply or been gifted but never got around to playing, so you'd think finding something would be easy! As I poked around, I wondered just how much my library reflected my actually gaming interests. I have a lot of MMOs, obviously, but just as many deep RPGs, clicky action-RPGs, sandboxes, and puzzlers. Oddly, I have a bunch of hardcore roguelikes even though I'm terrible at them and rarely play them, but for some reason, I can't stop buying them just to see if maybe this one will satisfy that itch. What about you, Massively folks? What does your Steam library say about you? Bonus question: How many games do you own through Steam and other digital distributors? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Inferno Legend moves into closed beta testing
Have you ever sat down to play Diablo III and thought that the game would be better if you were playing alongside the villains? Considering the fact that angels in that game are also tremendous jerks, it's kind of an understandable thought. Inferno Legend is meant to speak directly to that impulse, putting players on the side of Hell and the demons fighting back against legions of humans, angels, and similar antagonists trying to kick you out of hell. Taking the role of Vampires, Mummies, Cyclops, Faeries, or Samurai, players fight back in a turn-based Diablo-style environment. It's also boasting synchronization between browser-based gameplay, mobile clients, and traditional desktop clients, so you can play however you please while still making progress. The game has just entered its closed beta testing today, so if this sounds like just your cup of tea, you should go ahead and sign up in hopes of taking part. [Source: Changyou press release]
Teleglitch: Die More Edition review: Death and glory
My inventory is nearly empty. It always is, I don't know why I thought this time would be any different. My health is low and I haven't seen a can of rejuvenating meat in what seems like hours. Everything is completely silent. In front of me I see a pair of doors leading to the only area I have yet to explore. I take a breath and slowly walk forward. As the doors open, I hear the screams. A pack of things rush me and I only have a few shells left in my shotgun, not nearly enough to take down this frenzied mass. As I wait for them to get closer, I say my prayers and ready my last explosive. I place it at my feet and, at the last second, run back through the doors. The explosion echoes faintly and, with my gun raised, I wait to see what's going to come rushing through. This is Teleglitch: Die More Edition.%Gallery-194536%
Nethack your DS
John Harris's outstanding, exhaustive GameSetWatch column, @Play, focuses this week on the topic of homebrew roguelikes for the DS. There are a few roguelikes available in retail format -- the Pokemon Mystery Dungeons, Izuna, and, soon, Shiren the Wanderer -- but those are all examples of the "Mysterious Dungeon" subgenre, and also cost money, which these homebrew versions do not (barring the initial outlay required to run homebrew.) And these games are the good kind of free, not the 'five-finger-discount' kind.Not only does Harris provide a guide to different roguelike games for the DS, he kindly offers a guide to getting them on there. If you're a roguelike player, you may not be familiar with the concept of making things easier for yourself, but you may be able to adapt.
