The Black Pits (Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition) [Review]

The Black Pits is Beamdog’s arena expansion that came with Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition when it was released years ago in 2012. And here I thought it was high time to finally try it out. Now, this little side-adventure isn’t much more than a string of fights put together, but it does have a story, and a prominent antagonist (Baeloth the Entertainer) that will make an appearance again in the future Beamdog releases (The Black Pits II: Gladiators of Thay and Siege of Dragonspear) and Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition itself. Effort was made to at least have the main bad guy in a continuation of sorts, which is nice, as Baeloth is one of the best parts of this expansion besides the battles.

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Star Wars: Zero Company – Three Strikes and You’re Out

Finally, a long-sought-after turn-based tactical game in the style of an X-com-like is here, and simply, it’s good. Now, that’s not to say it doesn’t have problems, because it does, but in a general sense, Star Wars: Zero Company is a welcome addition to the genre and should satisfy the call for squad-based combat. I might as well make one thing clear already. This is not a battle simulation in the style of Jagged Alliance 3—it’s more of an Xcom 2 (nuXCOM) game, with perhaps even a stronger focus on board game rules, gameplay and combat abstraction. But before we get into that, let’s talk about the story, which is a huge focus in Zero Company, maybe to its detriment in some cases.

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Currently Playing: Vultures: Scavengers of Death [Almost a Review]

After reaching about the halfway point of the new release Vultures: Scavengers of Death, I decided to make an appreciation post in favor of the game. The reason: It’s a pretty good indie game, and it’s probably the best iteration for anyone looking for the classic Resident Evil feeling, where mood and atmosphere have been captured splendidly—and it’s not even in the same gameplay genre! So, read this article from someone who is currently knee-high in zombies—meaning, don’t take it as a full review. Here goes.

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Xenonauts 2 – The Boys Are Back In Town [Review]

After a thousand years in space, slowly floating from one uninhabitable planet to the next, the distress call was finally picked up by HMS TomsGamingVault, and the package was retrieved. After carefully thawing out the mysterious object, it—lo and behold—turned out to be the sequel for the awesome Alien defense simulator Xenonauts—the people of Earth cried out in rejoicing! Hence, the artifact was named Xenonauts 2.

Now, the question to ask—is it a worthy successor, or not? Read below and find out!

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The Dark Rites of Arkham – The Swearing Detective [Review]

The Dark Rites of Arkham could exist in the same world as Dreams in the Witch House, going by the visual style and gameplay. However, the one thing that crashes the illusion is that the story of Walter Gilman and the Witch is in The Dark Rites of Arkham. Don’t worry, this is not a best-of-Lovecraft kind of tale, even if most games that tackle the cosmic horrors of H. P. Lovecraft, end up becoming just that. There are many clear references, though, but the location and setting explain that to a degree—shielding itself from most of the been-there-done-that type of feeling.

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Menace – Early Access Impressions

Why did they only give us one flashlight?

The early access release of Menace is here, and after giving it twenty sweaty coffee-infused hours like the nerd that I am—I’m ready to give my first early impressions. While I do feel it’s a much better experience than the demo, since we are actually in control of progression and the campaign now—sadly, my issues with the general gameplay remain. This means that the combat is still mostly abstracted, with a strong wargame (board-game) feeling that work against the immersion in parts.

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