Metro: 2033 came out in 2010 and quickly impressed critics and gamers alike with its many graphics and less-linear campaign. The sequel – Metro: Last Light – was nearly lost in the Zone thanks to THQ’s financial troubles, but was rescued by the uber-feminists at Deep Silver. But should they have bothered, or should Last Light have been left to perish from radiation poisoning?
By this point, even the more casual gamer (ESPECIALLY the more casual gamer) should be aware of so-called ‘tap’ games – the overtly simplistic, drop-in drop-out scourge of social media and the App Store. It’s a prolific disease, to say the least. Popular titles include The Simpsons Tapped Out!, Jurassic Park Builder, The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-Earth and the big bad granddaddy of ’em all, the insufferable abyss that is Farmville (and its host of irascible clones). C’mon, admit it – you’ve tried one of these, at the very least. Odds are you’ve spent hours and hours engaged in the virtual equivalent of building a sandcastle. Thing is, sooner or later the tide’s going to come in, leaving you to wonder… what’s it all about then?
We interrupt the regularly scheduled programming to present you with a post-apocalyptic diary of a different sort.
Burroughs, Kerouac, McCarthy, Ballard and Hunter were all near Washington D.C. when the apocalypse struck. It was as if fate brought them together – five men who had plumbed the depths of the apocalypse or the road, of madness and despair in their writing.
All they have is a wood-paneled wagon, carpool dragons and hundreds of miles of road ahead of them.
[The Organ Trail began life as a free, zombie-apocalypse parody of the 1970s eudcational game The Oregon Trail, but the Director’s Cut is an expanded, commercial release that sees Organ Trail leave its parody roots partially behind. I initially thought this would be a done-in-one, but this particular adventure is more sprawling than the simple graphics might lead you to believe.]
We don’t really do general news here at weekendwarrio.rs, but this week has seen a spate of things that are – as they say – relevant to our interests. Good news on Nidhogg, Satellite Reign and Teleglitch after the jump.
After years of growth in North America, PAX – the Penny Arcade Expo – has finally spread its wings and soared further afield. PAX Australia took place in Melbourne over the weekend, and we were there to get all the latest scoops.
Maybe.
I don’t actually remember anything from the weekend. I only just got back to Brisbane after a horrendous couple of days hitchhiking (always remember, Gas, Grass or Ass), and I have no showbags, no press badge, no photos, just these random scrawled notes and some poorly photoshopped images. I won’t let a temporary fugue state get in the way of true and proper journalism though, dear readers, that isn’t in my nature.
Tangiers hit Kickstarter last week – a stealth game that is sure to gain a lot of interest thanks to its its unique setting, style and set of inspirations. Brought into existence by Andalusian, it’s a wholly original take on the stealth and exploration popularised by the likes of Thief, but with mechanics and a setting inspired by surrealism, Dadaism, Burroughs, Ballard, Lynch, Throbbing Gristle and more besides.
It’s a pitch with a lot of promise, so to find out more, I got in touch with Alex Harvey – one half of Andalusian – to talk all things Tangiers.
Part VII – Dr. Bloodroubles
I have travelled far and wide, I have recovered valuable artifacts, I have helped my fellow Stalkers, and I have put a lot of bullets in a lot of arsehole faces. The beautiful skies of Chernobyl have always sat above me, until now. Now I descend into the Earth where darkness and horror inevitably awaits.
[This is my first experience with Shadow of Chernobyl. It all began here. I’m playing it with the STALKER Complete 2009 mod after community recommendations, and the FOV Switcher after a headache kicked in.]
Gun Monkeys is a game. It’s a game I rather enjoy playing, as you may have gathered from reading this. Sometimes words are not enough, and pictures (which are worth a thousand words, apparently) just won’t suffice… Lucky for us, on the 8th day Cronenberg created VIDEODROME.
We’ve got a Gun Monkeys double feature, so keep your lookin’ balls on the picture radio below.
I have to admit I was quietly hoping Tangiers would appear on Kickstarter after seeing an early preview at some other games site. Well, I’d prefer it to appear on my computer, ready to play, but for many indie developers these days Kickstarter is an important step between taking up ideaspace and taking up hard drive space.
So what is it, and why do I care?
If Mass Effect 3 was a person I, Dr. Bill Gull Ph.D., would diagnose them with severe depression. Jesus Christ, Mass Effect 3, get some help!
I get it – sacrifices must be made, war takes its toll, not everyone can be saved, grimmedy grimmity goo – your shit is sooooo dark and gritty.
I get it: you’re serious, man. Heavy. And, for me,occasionally a bit of a drag.
Weekend Warrio.rs 