This spiritual successor to the Japan only Namco X Capcom brings together characters from 3 different companies to do battle in Strategy Rpg Greatness. An ancient treasure has been stolen, causing rifts between worlds, bringing together characters from several different franchises. However, the storyline is all just an excuse to bring over characters from various Sega, Namco, and Capcom franchises. It’s not just popular franchises like Street Fighter, Resident Evil, and Tekken either (although those are included) but there are characters from God Eater, Sega’s Shining Force, Sakura Wars, and even Dynamite Cop to name a few. Since you’ll probably be unfamiliar with most of the characters you’ll encounter, the in-game Crosspedia tells you everything you need to know about whoever shows up. Characters are grouped together in teams of two, with some teams containing an optional support character. When you engage an enemy in battle, it’s a side scrolling fighting game style battle sequence when you try to do as much damage to the enemy as possible before using up all your moves. You can even call in a nearby team and support character for assistance. The game is incredibly casual, as a character’s turn doesn’t end until you end their turn manually or they engage an enemy. You can move freely within your characters allowed move area, and use items as many times as you want. If a character is knocked out, reviving them is as simple as going next to them and saving them. During the game, you’ll hear tunes from each of the games represented, and you’ll travel to somewhat familiar locations. While the storyline doesn’t make any sense at times, you’ll have to much fun with the characters to care. Fans of strategy RPG games will want to pick this game up, and if you’re familiar with any of the characters represented, you’ll enjoy the game even more.

On its surface, Sleeping Dogs looks like your average Grand Theft Auto ripoff, and the similarities are there. You drive cars around an open world while taking on missions at your leisure. Hell, before Square-Enix picked the game up, Activision was slated to release it as a True Crime sequel. However, if you dismiss this as yet another GTA clone, you’d be cheating yourself out of one of the best and emotional stories of 2012. In the vein of Hong Kong crime movies such as Hard boiled and Internal Affairs, Sleeping Dogs’ story and gameplay will keep players hooked in a surprising way.
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A while back I featured another fan-made Mega Man project, Mega Man 8-bit Deathmatch. SInce all seems to be quiet on the blue bomber front as of late, here is another fan-made Mega Man title. Unlike MM8DM, Revolution is more of a traditional Mega Man game in the 8-bit style. It’s a follow up to the storyline of Mega Man 8, as it involves teh evil energy which was a plot point of that game. Other than that, it’s the usual Mega Man style gameplay, there are 8 robot masters, you have to take them on in a certain order, you gain their weapons upon their defeat, and when the 8 robot masters are gone, you take on Wily. Fans of the series wouldn’t have it any other way. Download it from here.

I really hate zombies. I know I said this before, but I really, REALLY, fucking hate zombies. I hate that they’re being rammed down my throat and shoehorned into every comic, tv show, video game, or movie that I see. However, I can appreciate a game that does something different or unique with Zombies. Which is why Undead Lab’s Cryengine-powered State of Decay is this week’s $20GOTW.
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After 14 years, the super ninja of the future has finally returned in his own game. What’s more, unlike 2000’s too-easy Strider 2 and U.S gold’s non-canon Sega Genesis sequel, this is a sequel that finally does justice to Strider. Developed by Double Helix, who also produced the successful Killer Instinct reboot, Strider brings back Capcom’s ninja hero on a clean slate to introduce him to a new generation of gamers.
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Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Asylum wasn’t just the first good Batman game since the 16-bit days (well, the first good Batman game that didn’t involve Lego at least), it did for the caped crusader what games like Spider-Man 2, Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, and The Punisher did for their respective heroes: It put players into the role of a comic book superhero like never before. You weren’t just moving him around the screen and punching out opponents, you could make Batman do all the cool stuff that you saw in the comics and movies. You could sneak up behind enemies and take them out one by one, hang from above and dive in on a hapless foe, and effortlessly take out groups of armed thugs with little or no effort. You could even tap into his detective skills to find hidden objects and secrets. The game’s sequel, Arkham City (hinted at in a secret hidden room in Arkham Asylum) gives players an entire open world to experience.
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While certain “Hardcore” gamers will forever debate whether or not tablet gaming is ‘legitimate’, games like The Room are deep enough for core gamers to appreciate while at the same time providing unique gaming experiences that have mechanics only possible in mobile gaming. The object of the room is to use clues and intuition to unlock a series of devices. You’ll tilt, scroll, and drag objects across the screen of your tablet as you unlock the mysteries of the strange devices you encounter. The game is short in length, although a sequel features even deeper gameplay, and sheds even more light on the secrets of the device.

Created by Indie developers Endless Fluff games, Valdis Story is the type of game that would have been a best seller if it had been released on the Playstation, or even the Super Nintendo. Valdis Story’s graphics and sound are a work of art, the story is intriguing, and the Castlevania: Symphony of The Night style gameplay isn’t bad either. Valdis Story began in 2007 as a free game on the developer’s website. The game was given a kickstarter for a full scale release, and the kickstarter was successful, with the game even being greenlighted for Steam this past October. In fact, you might have picked it up for cheap during one of those Steam sales.
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