Fortune Summoners Review

Fortune Summoners: Secret of The Elemental Stone (PC)
Developed By: LizSoft
Published By: Carpe Fulgur
Date of Release: January 30, 2012
Price: $19.99

Holy cowbells! Another quality Carpe Fulgur release!

KABOOM! Carpe Fulgur has seized the day again! The ace 3-man localization team behind the English versions of successful cult hits Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale and Chantelise - A Tale of Two Sisters have proven once again that lightning CAN strike more than once, three times in this case. The three prodigies have toiled restlessly to grace us english-speaking gamers yet another awesome title from Japan, and this time the genre is new ground for the team... Metroidvania!




Fortune Summoners: Secret of The Elemental Stone is a highly-polished sidescrolling action RPG that follows in the footsteps of such titles as Castlevania: Symphony of The Night and Ys III, though with an awesomely cute aesthetic. Players take the role of Arche, an adorable young sword-toting girl who sets out on an adventure as she moves to a new town with her family. Little does she know that the quiet town of Tonkiness will be the very place where she finds her true destiny. Arche ends up enrolled in the local magic academy, despite being clueless about the mystical arts. In typical jrpg fashion wacky hijinks ensue, friendships are forged, and soon the heroes are off to save the world!




Ehhh, well maybe things are not QUITE that cliche. Fortune Summoners is definitely on the retro side, however in a good way. The charming 16-bit era graphics fit together wonderfully with the whimsical soundtrack. Fortune Summoners would have felt right at home on the original Playstation. The gameplay feels like a tribute to some of the best action-rpgs of the era, seemingly drawing inspiration from Zelda II, Actraiser, and Ys III. In all you will be controlling three characters: Arche; our sword-toting heroine, Sana; a water mage, and Stella; a rather snooty fire mage. Only by mastering the strengths and weakness of these three characters and learning to combine their talents will players be able to succeed.




Although the general concept may appear to be standard fare for the genre by now, Fortune Summoners manages to avoid feeling cliched mainly because it is filled to the brim with the trademark Carpe Fulgur charm. It is simply a must buy for anyone who is a fan of their previous works, and for jrpg and metroidvania fans alike. The asking price may seem a bit steep, but you get a good 25+ hours of solid RPG goodness for your investment. Here's hoping that Carpe Fulgur keeps the awesome hits coming!

Titan Attacks! Review

Titan Attacks! (PC)
Developed By: PuppyGames
Published By: PuppyGames
Date of Release: February 3rd, 2011
Price: $4.99

Back in the glory days of arcade gaming one pioneering title was a must-play: Space Invaders. A simple affair, it had players piloting a tank to shoot down ranks of enemy invaders as they slowly descended towards earth. Since it was released many games have tried to successfully emulate the classic gameplay it offered. Titan Attacks! by PuppyGames is one such attempt, however it takes the general gameplay concepts of space invaders and makes them it's own through a wealth of tweaks and additions.




If you have played Space Invaders then you will feel immediately at home with Titan Attacks!, with it's familiar descending queues of alien spacecraft waiting for you to blow them apart. The graphics are of the usual awesome caliber you would expect from PuppyGames, with plenty of retro flair. The music is also quite amazing, offering a wonderful techno-industrial soundscape to keep your ears happy as you dispatch your otherworldly foes.




Between each wave of enemies you have the option to use the money you collect to upgrade your tank, and after grinding a few levels you will have quite a death-dealing war machine at your disposal. With it's stylish retro-modern sensibilities and compelling gameplay, Titan Attacks! is definitely worth it's $4.99 asking price.

Unstoppable Gorg Review

Unstoppable Gorg (Steam)
Developed and Pubished By: Futuremark Games Studio
Date of Release: January 19, 2012
Price: $9.99



I am afraid I must start this review by revealing to you, dear reader, that I despise tower defense games. Now it's not that tower defense games are awful mind you, it is merely the simple fact that I am quite terrible at them. So imagine my surprise when Futuremark Games Studio comes along with Unstoppable Gorg, I am not terrible at Unstoppable Gorg, in fact I am quite allright at it. Futuremark has crafted a fine entry into the tower defense genre, and it is honestly quite revolutionary.




I say that Unstoppable Gorg is revolutionary not just because it brings such a new experience to the table, but also for the fact that the gameplay itself is quite revolutionary. You see, most tower defense games have you constructing your defenses along the enemy path in an attempt to block the advance of the oncoming hordes. However once you place your units, there is no way to move them, they sit there until the end of the turn. This is not the case with Unstoppable Gorg. As you construct your defenses you will notice that they are in orbit around your planet, and you can revolve said orbit at any time you wish, hence the revolutionary gameplay.




Amazingly deep gameplay can only hold a game up so far however, and so Unstoppable Gorg's charming presentation comes into play. With live-action cinemas styles after the sci-fi exploits of the 1050's, players will certainly be captivated by the story. The graphics during gameplay however are a modern marvel, and blow away nearly everything else in the genre. From the stunning production values to the top-notch gameplay, I can wholeheartedly recommend Unstoppable Gorg to even the most discerning tower defense fans.

UPDATE! A demo of Unstoppable Gorg is now available for the PC and the MAC, including 4 levels (plus movies) from the full game!

PC Demo

MAC Demo

Pineapple Smash Crew Review

Pineapple Smash Crew
Developed By: Rich Make Game!
Published By: Rich Make Game!
Date of Release: February 02, 2012
Price: $9.99 (Steam)

Ahhhhhh, the good old twin-stick shooter! Ever since Robotron 2084 hit the scene the genre has take off with such successful hits as Smash TV, Total Carnage, and Geometry Wars. And now here in 2012 we have Rich Make Game!'s Pineapple Smash Crew. The object of Pineapple Smash Crew is simple: BLOW SH*T UP! Players take control of a 4-man team of mercenaries who have been tasked with various missions which take place on randomly generated levels. Players have a standard machine gun attack at their disposal, as well as a massive variety of grenades to choose from.





The graphics of Pineapple Smash Crew are quite incredible, managing to convey the charm of retro 8-bit goodness in full 3D. I find the general graphical design quite similar to the original Megaman Legends, which is always a good thing. The soundtrack (by chiptune master Syphus) is mindblowingly awesome as well, and for those who are interested the entire album can be purchased on bandcamp.




The only thing that Pineapple Smash Crew lacks is multiplayer, however as it was made by a one man team it is an understandable omission. The replayability of the randomly generated missions more than makes up for the lack of multiplayer. With it's tight controls, charming graphics, stunning soundtrack, and all-around awesome gameplay, Pineapple Smash Crew is definitely worth your 10 bucks. I say go for it!

The Simpsons Arcade Review

The Simpsons Arcade (XBLA/PSN)
Developed and Published By: Konami
Ported By: Backbone Entertainment
Date of Release: February 3, 2012 (XBLA), February 7, 2012 (PSN)
Price: $9.99/800MSP

Are you ready to Doh! it all over again?



Back in 1991 when the Simpsons tv series was just starting to pick up steam, Konami was hired to create an arcade game based on the series. What resulted was one of the most amazing arcade beat-em-ups of the era. Running on the same engine that powered 1989's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Simpsons Arcade was a smash hit that readily devoured the quarters of fans. The Simpsons Arcade is arguably the greatest arcade game to ever be based on a cartoon, with it's incredibly true-to-source graphics and animation, and the full cast of characters voiced by their original actors.




The plot for The Simpsons Arcade is not exactly groundbreaking, but it does work. The Simpsons family collide with Smithers during a bank robbery, and Maggie ends up being kidnapped by Smithers after she replaces her pacifier with a diamond that he dropped in the scuffle. The rest of the family take off behind them in hot pursuit, fighting Mr. Burns's goons through an absurd misadventure. You can be assured that there will be plenty of wacky hijinks along the way. Players will have to make their way through Downtown Springfield, Krustyland, a nature reserve, and even a surreal dreamscape.




As simple as it is, the gameplay holds up well despite the game's age. As you make your way through the various stages you will be using mainly standard brawling maneuvers, though occasionally you'll find an interesting weapon or two lying around. The Simpsons Arcade definitely hails from the days when a game would hand out as many cheap deaths as possible to relieve players of their quarters, though you have many options for managing this situation. You can choose to have a limited pool of quarters, free play, or even a survival mode which grants you only one life with no continues.




Backbone Entertainment has added a wealth of unlockable extras to The Simpsons Arcade, including sound tests, music tests, and an excellent online multiplayer mode where four players can work together online to save Maggie. Of course local four player multiplayer is still available, and what better way is there to play a game such as this than to have 3 of your friends right there with you. As a standalone game The Simpsons Arcade may not impress as much as some of today's titles, but as an experience it definitely shines. If you are an arcade fan or into the Simpsons in general you cannot go wrong with this one!

Burgertime World Tour Review

Burgertime World Tour (PS3/Xbox 360/Wii)
Developed By: MonkeyPaw Games/Frozen Codebase
Published By: Konami
Date of Release: November 15, 2011
Price: $9.99

Way back in the early 80's if one was to step into an arcade, it would not be uncommon to see a bright orange cabinet with a burger-toting chef painted on the side. Said chef is none other than Peter Pepper, star of the classic BurgerTime. Sadly in this day and age, BurgerTime is mainly but a fond memory for arcade devotees, and if mentioned to younger gamers the name may merely cause a craving for fast food. However there is no need to fear, as MonkeyPaw Games has teamed up with Frozen Codebase to bring us BurgerTime: World Tour!




BurgerTime World Tour is a complete re-imagining of the original recipe which has been built from the bun up to satisfy the appetites of modern gamers. That is not to say that those who are searching for the distinct umami of nostalgia will go hungry, as the basic ingredients of gameplay have not been tampered with. The juicy patty has been gently seasoned with the finest graphical upgrades, and now it offers a whole new perspective of flavor.




In BurgerTime World Tour players once again guide chef Peter Pepper as he climbs to the top of the burger industry. Standing in his way are rival chefs, and an army of evil food items such as fried eggs, hot dogs, and stinky Limburger cheese. However these foes can be stunned with a blast of pepper, and thrown into the mix to create interesting burger creations that will give you bonus points. The object of the game is still the same: run over the tops of each burger ingredient to knock it down to the next platform, until the whole burger stacks at the bottom.




The main difference this time around is instead of being on a single screen, the stage is now a rotating cylinder. Various powerup items are also thrown into the mix, though their use is completely optional. At the end of each world you'll face off against a beefy boss battle that will test your burger-building skills. Rounding out this delectable meal like hot salty fries is the new multiplayer mode. Players can take their pick of chefs hailing from each country in the game (as well as a certain robot overlord from a rival site). At $9.99, Burgertime World Tour is definitely an extra value combo, and even the hungriest gamers won't need to supersize after they get through all 50 levels.