Aladdin – Arabian Nights [Review]

Sometimes you just want to play something truly nostalgic, and what better way to scratch that itch, than firing up the old Super Nintendo emulator for some platforming in Aladdin. I know I’m waltzing into dangerous territory here, since I’ve heard that Nintendo fans can be very passionate. For those, I just want to say: show mercy. I’m no expert in retro-gaming intricacies, but from playing Aladdin, I learned that it’s a damn fine title. And it felt like a perfect platformer for someone not used to these old-school games—not too hard, yet, still challenging without being frustrating.

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Menace – Demo Impressions

Start the Cannon Fodder theme song, please

Finally, the Menace demo has arrived for us to download and play like the tactics starved maniacs that we are! So, how is it? I would say it’s okay, showing potential for the future. However, the high boardgame feel of it really surprised me. It’s a game that is a lot more abstracted in combat simulation, LOS (line of sight), and damage than I was expecting—especially compared to their last title; Battle Brothers.

For example, “overwatch” has been dumped in favor of faster gameplay, forcing you to move forward instead of turtling behind defenses to ambush the enemy. Fair, I guess, but it also means that the defensive safe playstyle that I like is out the window. And it feels a tad ridiculous that my special forces unit when having action-points left after a move, say up to a building, can’t defend themselves.

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