Monday, April 11, 2011

8 Games Worth Playing, 2011 Edition - Part 1

Here are four out of eight more games I've played and enjoyed in the past year since writing the previous installment.

Same as before - these games aren't all brand new, but I've only gotten around to playing (or finishing) them in the past 12 months:

  1. His Dark Majesty - a Turn Based Strategy game inspired by Advanced Wars and Battle for Wesnoth for 8-bit Ataris(!). You start every turn moving your miscellaneous fantasy-themed units (such as archers, knights and catapults) and attacking the enemy units. A lot of the strategy depends on correctly positioning your troops for the attack & retreating your wounded before they are killed. Surprisingly enough, His Dark Majesty remains a truly enjoyable game long after the novelty of playing an Atari 8 bit game wears off.
  2. Revenge of the Titans - the game pits itself as a mix RTS and tower defense, and manages to become greater than the sum of its parts. You have to position defensive towers and buildings in strategic choke points against the approaching titans, add support add-ons to boost their powers and mine the minerals for money before the time runs out. A really nice twist on old genre. It is easy to start playing this game but very difficult to stop!
  3. Steambirds - a turn based strategy game (can you detect a pattern?) where you control fusion-powered airplanes in a fictional world war against the onslaught of enemy planes and zeppelins. Unlike His Dark Majesty, Steambirds is not grid based and the main challenge lies in setting your speed and trajectory beforehand on in order to gain an advantageous position against the other aircrafts.
  4. desktop dungeons - part roguelike, part puzzle game, this is truly an original creation. Pick your race & class and venture forth into a single screen dungeon where all enemies remain stationary and various items and spells are spread across the level. Going into a previously unseen tile regenerates your health and mana and creates an unusual playing experience.

Coming up in the next installment: Captain Forever, vvvvvv, chime & Ascii Sector.

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