Trading and Mining in X Rebirth

The highly anticipated sequel of the science fiction sandbox series X by Egosoft continues to impress with the latest video published to showcase improvements in the trading and mining functions of the upcoming game. With detailed functionality and impressive visual representations that's exactly the kind of feature that makes X Rebirth stand out from the crowd as it all helps in realizing a much more authentic universe with a real economy and people or situations that affect it and you can freely attempt to take advantage of, if you choose to. Enjoy.

The Rain Begins with a Raindrop

Raindrop is a first person horror adventure. Unlike titles like Amnesia that it might seem to resemble, it will throw you in a large, open and very dangerous world where you will have to survive using items found or crafted by yourself, and of course solve riddles. For now this is essentially all that is known about it, but a second teaser has just been published and while it may not show too much the game already seems rather impressive, especially for an independent production of this sort. Enjoy it.

The Adventures of Dreaming Sarah

Dreaming Sarah is a cute platform game with exploration, puzzle solving, items to find and characters to meet that I've lately been following over at the TIGForums. There won't be any weapons or enemies present in this game, though it will still be possible to die by various other hazards, after which players will merely transport to the last encountered checkpoint. Its creator plans to release the full version of the game on the first day of the coming new year but for now you can simply watch the latest teaser video and then download the game's first early demo that just became available through its Indie DB profile page. What are you waiting for?

Play Cacto Loco Now

Cacto Loco is a retro shooter with beautiful graphics and intense action of high difficulty. Resembling games like Shock Troopers the stages often change direction and scrolling isn't automatic but instead follows the character you control. Unlike that classic SNK title you are actually able to shoot in eight directions independently of your movement, kind of like an upgrade to the good old Robotron or for the younger amongst you the common "twin stick" shooters. Although the demo version you can download is quite premature the game already seems professional in every aspect, starting from the funny intro song, while the gameplay will definitely excite genre lovers. If you're still not convinced simply watch the trailer. Enjoy and stay tuned for more.

Metroid + Monkey Island = The Fall

As you can probably tell this is a game set to contain action, exploration and riddles that require interaction with the environment and objects, all of it presented in lush 2D. Its plot will give you the role of an artificial intelligence that takes control of a high tech combat suit whose unconscious owner you will be protecting. Unfortunately, you must also obey functionality rules that often hinder your progress and you need to inventively work around. For example in the gameplay video below you will see that by purposefully putting the life of the pilot in danger you will enable an emergency condition and gain access to previously locked functions.

Βeyond Eyes Looks Dreamy

Beyond Εyes will be an exploration game in which you have control of a young girl who happens to have lost her sight. The disappearance of her small friend, a cat that visited her every day, will be the incentive she needs to set out into the world, which will in your eyes gradually take form under her footsteps, after her touch or via the various sounds she hears. It's a game with a unique, pleasant artistic direction, as you will see in the first footage below.

Light: Metal Gear What?

Update:  A crowd funding Kickstarter campaign is now live, with a base goal of £20.000. The lowest tier awarding backers with the game is now £10 (which is about 12€, the £8 tier was limited and now out of stock). Check out the campaign page for more information about it.

Original report: Light is an upcoming game for Windows, Mac and Linux with minimalistic graphics and a top down view, yet strategic gameplay assigning players with targets they will only reach by avoiding guards and hacking computers that change the environment to their advantage. Although it's currently in an early alpha phase it already appears to be a serious entry in this beloved genre.

Contagion: A Source Based Zombie Game

Update: A crowd funding campaign for the game is now live. The base goal is $50.000 and the lowest tier awarding backers with the game upon its release is $10 (about 7,50€). A detailed gameplay overview video explaining various mechanics and showing off some rather polished features marks the occasion. It's certainly worth watching and may just convince some of you to help the project.

Voidnex: Frontier's Spiffy New Look

Space themed video games seem to be making a glorious comeback and Voidnex: Frontier has a different take on the subject. While the developers don't seem to explicitly describe it as such focusing instead on the strategic aspects, for now it appears to resemble a space RPG, the story mode of which will see you guiding your fleet through the universe in a race towards the fabled galactic core where fame and fortune await, while setting up trading networks and engaging in turn based battles as you establish your very own financial empire on the way there. A unique sandbox mode will also be included providing a procedurally generated quest line, while the game's features go as in-depth as the ability to recruit, train and assign ships to individual crew members. The project is, if nothing else, ambitious. The latest video showcasing its updated visuals and combat engine however shows it could be a lot more than that.

 

The Charmingly Tactical Halfway

The independent team Robotality is developing a new strategy title set to release for Windows, Linux and Mac and pit you against an alien threat that has invaded your spaceship. While playing you will need to explore its claustrophobia inducing areas and try to survive by strategically using your squad, to which new members you meet will be added. The game is turn based and each member of the crew will accept 6 basic commands, from moving and attacking to using items and personal skills. On your way you will also discover details of a story that reveals how and what exactly happened. For now, enjoy the first footage that through an early alpha displays the basics of the combat.

Eden Star Gets on Greenlight

Eden Star is a game that seems to resemble a blend of the experiences offered by titles like Minecraft, Portal and Mirror's Edge, yet it also develops its own unique identity. Within a constantly expanding world, players will be tasked with overcoming lethal enemies and environmental obstacles by using their agility and the powers of destruction and construction that will be offered. Τhe project has been in development for some time but today marks its unveiling on Steam Greenlight alongside a new trailer that is certainly worth watching.

Hyper Light Drifter

Alex Preston has a dream. A game for Windows taking place on a world with forgotten civilizations and technologies unearthed by those called Drifters, one of which will be its protagonist. The last will have the ultimate goal of a cure for the disease that torments him, yet won't be able to ignore the lost histories discovered. The game will be a 2D action RPG inspired by the best classics of the genre, with forests, ruins and more peculiar areas for exploration within a large seamless world full of secrets, enemies and puzzles similar to Zelda and with a variety of equipment reminiscent of Diablo.
 

Incognita: Turn Based Stealth

Incognita by the independent Klei Entertainment, developers of acclaimed games like Mark of the Ninja among many others, is a turn based strategy game with a twist. It initially seems to resemble XCOM with slick 2D visuals yet it is focused on the stealthy tactics employed by a small team of agents with different skills as they infiltrate target areas and in tandem complete objectives.

Tesla Effect: Tex Murphy's Return

Tesla Effect was funded via Kickstarter with the intent to be released by the end of 2012, something that sadly didn't happen. Today the second trailer of the game comes to ease the mind of anyone who was starting to get worried about the product, by extensively presenting a sequel faithful to the legacy of the classic Tex Murphy adventures, with great variety in the environments players will explore and the characters they will interact with. Naturally, humour dominates the atmosphere though many scenes seem far more serious. The new release is set simply for early 2014, for the PC through the Steam platform and other stores.

 

Child of Light: Playful Art

Ubisoft newest creation which will arrive next year for PC and next generation consoles has artistic tendencies, not only in its beautifull drawn graphics but also in the writing as poetry dominates all the dialogues. The gameplay comprises of platform style wandering - though the protagonist is able to fly which means there's no difficulty in this phase, only exploration - in two dimensions and battles obviously inspired by the JRPG series Grandia, which with the right strategy allow the interruption or even cancellation of enemy attacks. The game's faity tale of a story follows Αurora, a young girl who is transported to the painted world of Lemuria, where in order to return home she must confront the Queen of the Night and free the sun the moon and the stars, something she will do with the help of strange companions. Enjoy the first trailer.

 

Steam Marines: The First Commercial Version

Steam Marines is a science fiction roguelike with a twist as players will have to fight against hordes of aliens and robots, within levels that are randomly generated every time, by strategically utilizing the skills of not only one character but a whole four-member squad of space marines, alongside all the items they can find. The game was previously free but its developers have decided that the latest version if the point to start charging (for now $4,99 which is 4€) for the privilege of the entertainment it can offer. Watch the new trailer released for its promotion and download the versions offered as a demo before deciding if you agree.

 

The Coral Cave: A Watercolor Adventure

The team of Atelier Sentô is currently busy developing the traditional adventure The Coral Cave with even more traditional watercolor techniques. The game will take place on an island of the Okinawa archipelago where a young girl, Mizuka, will try to save her village by entering a mysterious spirit world. The just published first video of the game showcases one of its first areas, validates the choices of the developers and confirms their artistic talent.

 

Eldritch: A First Person Roguelike

Eldritch is a first person roguelike with a setting inspired by the works of famous horror author H. P. Lovecraft, although it looks far cuter than one would imagine by this description. It's being developed by twin brothers David and J. Kyle Pittman who recently left their careers in AAA productions to form Minor Key Games and through it create the experiences they truly desire. Watch the first trailer of the game which will be released in the middle of next month, with available preorders costing $15 (about 11€) and offering access to the current beta.

Space Engineers: Space Age Construction

Space Engineers is the next project by Keen Software House, known for the Miner Wars games. According to the developers the idea has existed since 2002. At the time the existing technology was unable to support the concept, but its development is finally viable. The core of the gameplay will be the construction and maintenance of space ships and stations, which will behave realistically and even allow for their dismantling or destruction. It will also be possible to play it competitively as a tactical shooter, though ideally players will wish to avoid personal confrontations and instead rely on constructed machinery and fortifications to deal with enemies.

Descent + Quake + Diablo = NeonXSZ

Τhat's the rather bizarre formula the developers of NeonXSZ claim to have used, combining elements from all of these legendary yet very different games in order to offer a new action packed sandbox experience. Utilizing the famous six degrees of freedom it will thrust you into a procedurally generated world with four warring factions and yourself making your destiny by choosing your missions while enhancing your favorite ship with 700 different upgrades and many more weapons.

The Curse Lives

Curse started a few years ago as a Half-Life 2 mod. With a setting inspired by ancient Egypt it offered a first person adventure where combat was secondary to exploration and solving environmental puzzles. The creators now utilize the Unity Engine to redefine the experience as a full game for Windows and Mac, where a dead Pharaoh attempts to discover the truth behind a myth concerning immortality. The first teaser of this new direction is here.

Mighty No. 9: Mega Man Who?

Capcom may have been disappointing fans of the blue robot but the (among many other achievements) creator of the series Keiji Inafune wishes to please them. With his company comcept and an all star team of veterans with tradition in Mega Man games he has started a Kickstarter crowd funding campaign with the goal of developing Mighty No. 9, an all new yet familiar side scrolling action game.

XCOM: Enemy Within Trailer

XCOM: Enemy Within was recently unveiled as the first expansion to the successful strategy game XCOM: Enemy Unknown. It will be released this November for Windows, Mac, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and will include new enemies, battlefields and multiplayer content. More importantly, it will allow you to research and develop upgrades for your soldiers, either via genetic manipulation or with mechanized equipment, to give them a fighting chance against the new challenges. That's exactly what this new trailer showcases.