Dune 2000 – Cravings for Melange

It’s time to go back to 1998 and take a stroll down Westwood lane. Well, almost anyhow. According to the Wiki page, it was actually made by Intelligent Games Ltd, while Westwood published it, as far I understand. A bit surprising to me. But the genetics of a Westwood title can be found in Dune 2000. It even got the cheesy FMVs (full-motion-videos) between missions, and the engine used for gameplay is the Command & Conquer one. I remember trying this game back in the day, and I wasn’t too impressed, seeing as it was mostly a reskin of that game. However, now some 20 years later, I couldn’t care less. I should also add that Dune 2000 is a remake of the legendary RTS game Dune II: Battle for Arrakis. When that game came out, it blew my tiny mind. It was my first dip into the RTS war-gaming sea, and ever since then I fell in love with the genre. I suspect this story is the same for many millennials.

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Iron Tower’s new tactical RPG (maybe)

I’m not the biggest Iron Tower fan, seeing as their games (at least to me), are more of a CYOA (Choose Your Own Adventure) experience than a free-form RPG. But, it can’t be denied that they are hits within the cRPG community. Colony Ship and The Age of Decadence weren’t too liked by me, yet, it shows that they know their craft and have a specific style and tone they follow, regardless of my lack of appreciation. However, while successful, it seems the games didn’t bring in enough money, and for anyone that followed the drama after Colony Ship‘s release knows that the future looked grim for the studio. Then, the other day, right out of the blue, they announced they are working on a fresh new game, and it certainly has me curious!

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Cralon – what is this?

It was a sad day when the legendary developer Piranha Bytes was shut down. But seeing as they floundered the Elex 2 release, it might not have been too unexpected. However, out of the ashes, something new can rise, and it wasn’t long before Jenny and Björn Pankratz announced their new study Pithead Studio. And the other day, they released their first video from their new upcoming dungeon crawler, Cralon. These guys work hard & fast, as I thought we were years out, but here we are! Check out the video below:

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Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer – Demo Impressions

Kathy Rain has become older, as we all do, and is now running a private investigation firm in Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer. However, things are not going great, with her finances in the gutter. But as luck will have it, the struggling city she lives in is having their first serial killer. The stumped cops are so out of their depth, that they are offering a juicy six figure reward for any lead that will lead to the killer’s arrest. A perfect opportunity for Kathy to save her business!

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Gothic 1 Remake – Demo Impressions

The first demo that was released a couple of years ago for the Gothic 1 Remake wasn’t met with much positivity. It had awkward combat, with what I remember, pretty stale dialogue. So, have the Spanish team Alkimia Interactive learned anything from the feedback provided then? Well, I’m glad to say: a resounding yes. The demo now feels like a totally different game from the old release, much more in line with the classic Gothic title. The tone, and feel of it is there, and the combat system has changed for something much more fun!

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