“It’s rare when a game’s sheer beauty and elegance has the power to hook me from the very moment I start playing. Toren’s story-driven puzzle adventure follows the tale of a young girl trapped inside a crumbled tower guarded by the doom-inducing gaze of a horrific monster who watches from afar. But it’s far more than that. Every facet of her meticulous ascent through the ominous spire — from her initially playful outlook to the way time rapidly ages her as she climbs higher — has a poetic grace to it that simply captivates. The early stretch of this indie held me transfixed to my PC screen, yet one niggling question remained: Can immaculate style and storytelling keep bare-bones gameplay afloat? ”
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“Poor Flo, she always seems stuck picking up everyone else’s slack and single-handedly saving the day, yet she still manages this with a skip in her step and a cheerful smile. The greasy apron-adorned, hard working star of the Diner Dash series is about to embark on a whole new challenge-filled journey in her first adventure game. Gamezebo recently sat down for some hands-on time with Avenue Flo, and we’re pleased to report this new twist on the series is going to be a blast.”
“Imagine living in a society so accustomed to war that its citizens simply can’t cope with not killing each other en-masse for any extended period of time. Unsettled by lasting peace, the restless populace in The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces craves constant bloodshed, smoldering wreckage, and destruction. Hopping into the cockpit for a test-run of Project Aces’ upcoming anime aerial combat sim, we gave the people what they asked for.”
“Any RPG fan will tell you it can take between from 30 to 60 hours of hardcore level-grinding, adventuring, and monster battling to beat an average game. If that seems way too long, you’ll greatly appreciate Half-Minute Hero’s warp-speed take on the classic RPG. It boils down the typical trappings of the genre into their primordial elements and douses the whole thing with rocket fuel. You’ve got 30 seconds to save the world – try not to freak out.”
“As in the movie, the vicious murder of a Japanese housewife unleashes a horrific curse that inevitably spreads death and dismemberment to anyone who comes in contact with it. This spells bad news for Erika Yamada and her entire family, who find themselves in an unfortunate “tag: you’re it” situation. Billed as the Wii’s first “haunted house simulator,” The Grudge unravels the gruesome tale with a first-person account of each family member’s attempt to claw their way through creepy locations and stave off being eviscerated by evil for as long as possible.”
“Not one to shy away from publishing games with a quirky premise and an equally absurd presentation, NIS America is championing yet another deliciously peculiar PSP title that tips the strangeness scale on its end. If you thought the publisher’s recent Disgaea spinoff, Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero?, was a mouthful, prepare to get bowled over by Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do To Deserve This? It’s a heavily retro-inspired dungeon creation defense game that’s as bizarrely captivating as its outrageous title.”
Nathan Meunier - Freelance Writer / Author / Indie Game Developer 