Back in the 90s, there was a little known game called Barkley: Shut Up and Jam. It had it’s high points, but really, it was a little more than a rip off of NBA Jam, which was released a short time before. It got a sequel which was just as forgettable. Years later, a group of developers known as ‘Tales of Games’ used a copy of RPG maker to create a sequel. Instead of another NBA Jam clone, this sequel would instead be a role playing game about one of the greatest ballers in the sport. Oh, and according to it’s creators, the game’s story is canon.
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Hoard is an example of why a game doesn’t necessarily have to have complex graphics or gameplay to be fun. In Hoard, you control a dragon, and your job is to cause as much chaos as you can while building a stockpile of gold. You steal treasure, kidnap princesses for ransom, burn down buildings, and scare villages into offering tribute. Of course you’ll have to deal with wizards, knights, thieves, and other dragons. Up to 4 players can participate in either co-op or competitive modes. While the game is simple enough to get into, the gameplay mechanics are deep, and as you progress, strategy and planning become important. You can upgrade your dragon’s abilities, and the upgrades you choose also fit into your strategy. Hoard may not be Call of Duty, but at least it’s good for a quick fix. And really, who doesn’t want to be a badass dragon?

Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh was the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran. He won Time Magazine’s ‘man of the year’ award for 1951, and was even called ‘The George Washington’ or Iran. He nationalized the oil industry ticking off the British. The C.I.A led a coup against him, removed him from power, and replaced him with the Shah of Iran. In this free-to-download game (I use the term ‘game’ in passing) developed by Peter Brinson and Kurosh ValaNejad, you get to learn some history about one of the world’s most misunderstood regions, and it’s got a pretty unique art style to boot. Don’t worry, I won’t beat you over the head with round 56789324324 of the ‘games as art’ debate. I’m just saying though, if you’re one of those people that think it is, then this is another piece of evidence supporting your argument.
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To the layman’s eye, Terraria may seem like another Minecraft rip off. However, if you give this platformer a chance, you’ll find a bit more to it than that. After customizing your character, you are then given several tools for digging. All you have to go on (beside the game wiki) is a man who offers you a few hints as to what to do. Your task ideally is to build, build, build. Your tools give you the means to gather the materials you need to build houses, weapons, and other supplies. The houses allow people to move in, and before long your empty world is a village full of people who can provide goods and services. Oh, and there are also enemies to fight. The slimes and other small creatures you battle during the day are rough enough, but when it gets to night, you’ll have to deal with zombies, demons, and other strong creatures. Thankfully you can create weapons that will come in handy. The game encourages exploration, but it’s imperative that you concentrate on building. The game also features online multiplayer. The game controls well with a keyboard, but it would benefit from keypad/joystick support. The game is fun and addictive, and you’ll want to go deeper and deeper as you play, and the game’s 16-bit pixelated art style will appeal to old-school gamers.

Global Warming, Climate Change, or whatever you want to call it, is a great source of controversy. There are many who believe that it is a very real possibility and a serious threat. On the other side, there are people who believe that Global Warming conspiracies are part of an anti-corporate/anti-christian conspiracy to raise taxes and give power to big government. U.K-based Independent developers Red Redemption seem to be on the former side, and have produced the game Fate of the World, a successor to thier 2006 browser game Climate Challenge.
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The world is coming to an end. Unlike 2 weeks ago, it really is happening this time. Instead of some douche evangelist, it will end at the hands of a mythological demon with a fish for a head. There is no way to prevent it. Instead, it falls upon you to gather everything that was great about the world so you can build a new one. You’ll do so by controlling an avatar which rolls over everything it wants to gather, causing it to stick to him. Waitaminute, where have I heard this before? Okay, so TWEOTW may share some similarities with a certain game created by Namco, but if Saint’s Row taught us anything, it’s that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So if you got a few bucks, you can download this fun title. It may not be original, but it is fun.

Super Meat Boy is a clever throwback to 2D platformers of the past, bringing with it a insane sense of humor and an even more insane level of difficulty. As the title character, you set out to rescue your girlfriend Bandage Girl from Dr. Fetus, a fetus in a glass jar and tuxedo. No, I am not making this up. You pursue him throughout over 300 levels, along with hidden warp zones and alternate ‘Dark World’ versions of levels. The levels are chock full of hazards. You can expect to die and die often. At the end of the level, you are treated to a replay of your progress including all the death’s you’ve suffered trying to complete the level. You can unlock characters from other indie video games such as Braid’s Tim and Bit Trip’s Commander Video. Each of these characters has their own unique powers, and some are needed to access the game’s collectables. The game has a unique art style that smacks of retro 8 and 16 bit games, although it clearly won’t be for everyone due to it’s heavy difficulty. If you appreciate hardcore challenges and miss gaming’s classic era, then Super Meat Boy is for you.

This Past week, Portal 2 hit stores everywhere. If you don’t have enough money for it, don’t worry, there is another first person shooter/puzzle hybrid you can check out in the meantime. The Ball, developed by Swedish developers Teotl Studios, was originally intended to be a mod to Unreal Tournament 3. Instead, the developers moved it over to the Unreal Development Kit in order to release the game as a standalone package. You play as an archeologist trapped in a cave. You encounter two artifacts: a large round ball and a strange gun which you use to control it. You use the ball to solve puzzles, defeat enemies, and explore the secrets of the underground cavern. The game’s physics makes the puzzles unique, and the Unreal Engine 3-powered graphics make the game look gorgeous. It was entered into Epic’s �Make Something Unreal� annual contest, and was also included in Valve’s �Potato Sack Pack�, a Steam promotion featuring several independently developed games that were discounted and bundled in anticipation of Portal 2’s release. So if you’re done with Portal 2, or just don’t have the money for it yet, pick this up in the meantime.