Most Goth - Nosgoth Preview

   (Note: At the time of writing this article, Nosgoth has a very small population. Therefore, I couldn't play Siege mode because I couldn't find a match for it. Here's a Youtube video, courtesy of onrpg, showing Siege mode along with general Nosgoth gameplay.)

   Nosgoth is a third-person action shooter game developed by Psyonix, published by Square Enix, available on Steam, and currently in Closed Beta. It has everything you could expect from a multiplayer spin-off of the Legacy of Kain franchise, and is every bit as serious.

   You are placed on one side of a war between humans and vampires for control of the land. Shoot down the vampires with cunning and teamwork, or crush the humans with brute strength and superpowers. You're going to have to learn how to do both, because you switch sides at half-time. Do you have what it takes? Are you willing to ruthlessly rip out a human's jugular directly after swearing to wipe the land of bloodsuckers? Try not to think about it too hard.

Zombies Monsters Robots - ZMR Review

   Zombies Monsters Robots (ZMR) is a third-person shooter developed by Yingpei Games and published by En Masse Entertainment for it's North American release. Currently in Open Beta.

   Following the commands of an overenthusiastic commander, you and your elite team of mercenaries fight against various entities for fun and money. As the name implies, you will be fighting various zombies, monsters, and perhaps even a few robots.

Elite.

   The gameplay is very heavily PvE-based and plays similarly to a game series called Gears of War. You control a character from an over-the-shoulder perspective and can squash against walls and barriers for cover. Once there, you can blindfire from behind the wall at the expense of accuracy. There are also PvP modes if you get tired of shooting AI. More on that later. First...

Should I Write Shorter Reviews?

  This is an honest question. My reviews are different than what you would normally read for a given game since they tend to be extremely detailed. But is it that necessary? Could I still bring up all of the relevant information on the pros and cons in less words?

   Probably not, and I don't plan to shorten most of my reviews. But I do want to post more often. I'm thinking of writing shorter, "mini" reviews for some games. Good idea or bad idea?

Bryce Island - Dead Island: Epidemic Preview

   (Note: The game will be a bit prettier than it appears here. I have shadows turned off.)

   Dead Island: Epidemic (or DI:E) is an action-MOBA and zombie-killing game developed by Stunlock Studios, published by Deep Silver, and currently in Closed Beta. It should be noted that the original Dead Island developers, Techland, stopped working on the series after Dead Island: Riptide. Stunlock Studios is the team responsible for Bloodline Champions. DI:E will be a very different game than what Dead Island fans will be used to and Stunlock's previous game never got too popular before fading into obscurity. Despite all this, DI:E is an interesting game and should attract a healthy amount of players.

   There are currently two modes. Horde Mode for killing zombies and trying to clear a map with the best time, and Scavenger Mode for PvP. What sets DI:E apart is that Scavenger is played with three teams, 4 vs. 4 vs. 4. Each team attempts to capture flags and collect supplies while stopping the other two teams from completing the same objective. Of course, zombies attack you during all of this, and zombies are neutral. Basically, imagine playing Left 4 Dead but the other survivors are trying to kill you, too. That is Dead Island: Epidemic. But let's discuss the deeper details...

Postpone - Hearthstone Review

   Hearthstone is a virtual collectible card game (CCG) developed and hosted by Blizzard, and planned to be available on iOS and Android devices.

Totally staged screenshot, I'll admit it.

   There are currently nine heroes, each of which has a special skill they can use once per turn along with a set of cards unique to them. Pick a hero, make a deck, draw your cards, and destroy your enemy as efficiently as possible. Hearthstone has the same premise as most TCGs, whoever reaches zero health first loses, but is designed to be more accessible to new and casual players. There are less phases and steps than you may be used to and games are short, but there are some extra features to keep you playing time after time.