We here at the Powet Municipal Court accuse the defendant, one 1337 Game Design of providing a fun and engaging 80s sitcom-style turn-based strategy experience, and we present this intro video as evidence.
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Before I started last month’s Halloween motif, I did re-visitations of several old school Disney games. Now that it’s November, I thought I would bring you one more. Of course seeing as how Halloween was 2 days ago, lets take a look at one of Disney’s darker properties: Gargoyles.
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This is the fourth and final of our special series of horror-related $20GOTW for the month of October.

Developed by Ukrainian developer Action Forms, Cryostasis is a unique (if flawed) first person psychological horror game. Stepping into the shoes of Russian meteorologist Alexander Nesterov as you explore the remains of a shipwrecked nuclear ship as you try to figure out what happened to the crew, many of whom having turned into mindless beasts. With his ‘Mental Echo’ ability, you can enter the memories of the crew members, figure out what happened to them, and even try to change their fate. The game takes place in the North Pole, so naturally, you will be cold. The warmth will serve as your life meter, so you’ll have to find sources of heat to stay alive. Cryostasis moves along at a slow and linear pace, although the story is compelling for anyone who sticks with it. As Lost Planet showed players, the icy north cam be a good setting for video games, particularly horror.

Movies based on video games are a lot like video games based on movies. They’re trying to cash in on an existing franchise and are usually almost completely devoid of any quality. But there are exceptions! Every once in a while there are games like Golden Eye which buck the trend. There is even the occasional movie based on a video game which isn’t completely horrible. I have a strange fascination with movies based on games, both the bad and the good.

Part of enjoying a video game movie is managing your expectations. I don’t think it’s fair to ignore that a movie is bad but there’s no sense in getting your panties in a bunch when a director you don’t like becomes attached to a film based on your favourite game. This list of the top of the top will demonstrate that even at their best video game movies are not ever treated with a ton of respect. If Uwe Boll or Stephen Sommers aren’t doing your video game movie, the alternative isn’t that Christopher Nolan does it, it’s that no one, or someone worse, does it. With that in mind, enjoy my top 5 favourite video game movies.

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Monster in My Pocket was a kids franchise that was fairly popular in the early 90s. The line consisted mainly of small action figures (similar to the Muscle figurines of the 80s), although there was also a short-lived comic series, an animates special, a board game, a trading card line, and this video game from Konami. Playing as either Frankenstein’s Monster or the Vampire (or both is playing in 2-player simultaneous mode) you make your way through 6 stages in order to stop the evil Warlock. You’re traveling throughout mundane environments like a living room and garden, but since you’re pocket size, these environments become quite dangerous. Both characters are equal in terms of skill, although they can do a double jump as well. Several monsters from the line show up in the game, and the package even contains an exclusive figurine. While this game was nothing special, it was a remarkably good NES game which you and a friend could spend an afternoon playing.

UbiSoft recently threw it’s hat into the Digital Distribution ring with it’s own Uplay service.

Like it or not, digital distribution is here to stay. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing though. For a PC gamer like me, having my games on Steam and downloading them whenever I get a new computer beats the shit out of having to install all my games from disc and entering in product keys. For a console gamer, you can pick up some of the best current and old-school games without leaving your couch. Heck, for smartphone users, you can access fun games with the click of a button. Console development is leaning towards digital distribution, and PC gaming has already been there for years. Several digital distribution services have popped up, each with their own selection. Here are 5 of the best, chosen by their selection, prices, and ease of use.
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In space, no one can hear you scream. Before Pitch Black, Dead Space, and any other space horror, there was Alien. The horrifying Xenomorphs scared moviegoers shitless throughout 3 films (and a forgettable 4th along with the two Alien vs Predator movies), hundreds of comic books, and several video games. Alien Trilogy, an FPS from the 32 bit era, bought players up close and personal to the xenomorphs like never before. While it clearly pales by today’s standards, Alien Trilogy matched the dark mood of the films like no other video game before it, and few games have afterward. Playing as series heroine Ripley, you shoot your way through a storyline loosely based on all 3 films in the franchise as you shoot various Aliens throughout an abandoned space colony. It’s you, along against the aliens in the colony’s dark hallways. While the graphics show their age, and the level design tends to be a bit confusing, Alien Trilogy stands as one of the best FPS games of the 32-bit era. There is little chance of it being available in any form, so this is a disc you’ll have to hunt down.

Last week we took a look at the new features in WWE 13. I know a lot of you are disenchanted with the mainstream videogame wrestling scene, so here is something for you too! The developer of $20GTOW alumni Action Arcade Wrestling is hard at work on the sequel to the Xbox Indie smash hit. Every aspect of the game is being improved, from the create a wrestler to the animations. Check out the developer’s first video blog up above, and the other 3 below. This may not be the rebirth of No Mercy, but the developer is packing some really cool stuff in this game. Also of interest is ProWrestling X, a PC game inspired by classic N64 wrestling titles. It’s on Steam Greenlight, so please vote for it so we can have it available on Steam.
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