Sometimes, gamers don’t necessarily need a game that reinvents the wheel, adds a new concept, or had a deep storyline. Sometimes, we just want something that’s fun. Alien Shooter is just that game Created by Sigma Team, Alien Shooter is an arcade-style top-down shooter with RPG elements. Playing as a soldier sent to clear out a laboratory infested with Aliens, you shoot your way through the game’s semi-destructible environments while killing every alien in your way. You gain money which you can use to purchase weapons and upgrade your abilities. Alien Shooter Complete is a 4-pack which contains Alien Shooter, Alien Shooter Revisited (A remake of the first game), Alien Shooter 2, and Zombie Shooter, which is like Alien Shooter, except that the aliens are replaced with Zombies. Alien Shooter2: Conscription, a recently release sequel, is also available in most places that downloadable PC games are sold. There is not a whole lot to it, but then again there doesn’t have to be. Alien Shooter is a fun filled game that takes up back to the days of our youth.

Note: This game is also available on Xbox 360 and PS3, but not for $20 or less.

2007’s Portal was a surprise hit. A puzzle/FPS hybrid, Valve’s shooter made players think in ways they haven’t since Tetris all those years ago. Last year, Valve released a surprise sequel to their sleeper hit, and its even more insane than the original. Once again, players take control of Chell, who has just awakened from cryogenic sleep. Although an AI drone tries to help you find your way, before long, you reunite with the evil A.I Glados, who is ready to put you through a series of ‘tests’ once again, and she is just as sarcastic as ever. If you think this is going to be a rehash of the original, think again. Several new dynamics have been added to the puzzles, taxing you to come up with some creative solutions to make your way through the trials. Since a number of years have passed since the original, Aperture Science Labs isn’t in good shape, and you’ll see that reflected in the levels. When you think you know what’s in store, a plot twist takes the game in a whole new direction. If you got a friend, there is a new Co-op mode in which you and a friend play as two robots who have their own storyline. PC players have access to the Steam Workshop, where they can build and download new levels. An unsuspected sequel to an unsuspected hit, Portal 2 is even more fun than its predecessor.

Blend one part of Legend of Zelda with two parts Roguelike, mix in a tbsp of biblical allegory, and blend with one cup batshit insane, and you have the Binding of Issac. Created by Edmund McMillen, the demented mind behind Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Issac will attract fans with its addictive roguelike gameplay and disturbing plot and setting.

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This $20GOTW comes to us courtesy of Jeff Vogel’s Spiderweb Software. Founded in 1994, the company specializes in RPGs in which gameplay and story take precedence over graphics and sound. The company is also notable for prioritizing Mac development over Windows. Often times, the company develops its games for Macintosh before porting them to Windows. The company’s games are geared towards hardcore RPG fans, and while they lack the bells of whistles of games like Skryim and Dragon Age, their stories and gameplay give mainstream RPG franchises a run for their money. Case in point, Geneforge. While the first Geneforge game was released in 2001, you’d think the game came out in 1987. However, it’s unique gameplay, specifically the ability to summon creatures and create an army of your own, were ahead of its time.
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The Digital Novel is a genre of gaming that isn’t popular over on this side of the Pacific due to its heavy emphasis on story rather than action. However, this title from independent developer Christine Love is worth checking out for its non linear storytelling, although clearly it isn’t meant for everyone. Designed as a spiritual successor to her two previous games Digital: A Love Story and Don’t take it personally babe, it just ain’t your story, Analog’s deep story and 59,000 word count will keep open-minded players hooked.
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Designed by Dan Dixon over the course of a 15 year period, Universe Sandbox is exactly what the title implies: a sandbox allowing you to play with the universe. Not so much a computer game as an education tool, Universe Sandbox is a gravity simulator. While it simulates our universe, you can pretty much adjust and test anything within the game, from the size of the planets, position of bodies, to collisions of stars and planets. There are several simulations included with the game, and you can edit them as you wish. So if you want a look at how our solar system looks, or bring about the apocalypse, then you’ll want to download this game. Makes for a good science project too.

Could the console and PC wars have been snuffed out in the early ’80s if NES hadn’t been released? Or was Nintendo’s intervention in the market overblown? Vinnk and Sean ponder the rift between PC and console gamers, those who do both, and what kinds of games seem to be better suited to one over the other. Are the two devices on a collision course? Or is the idea of a Steam Box or other PC-based “console” nothing more than a fever dream?

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If you’ll be my bodyguard, I’ll be your long lost pal.
This week the trio of Zac, Adam, and Jordan ponder life on Earth after the Apes or Vandal Savage take over. We’ll also talk about Steam as a service that could evolve into hardware if the rumors are true. Finally some Playstation Vita dissection to round out the show.
We stay on topic a lot and it was not easy to do that. Enjoy!

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Direct Link:Powetcast 115: Rise Of The Planet Of The Steam
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