My feelings towards Bejewled-inspired puzzle games has been lukewarm at best, even when the game is recognizably good or prettied up by Square-Enix. Not to say it's a bad basis for game design, just that it was one I didn't think was for me. But Clash of Heroes took me by surprise with an intelligent twist on the whole "Battle Bejewled" formula with a design that gives a lot of meaning and tension in your choices. Describing it is a bit hard, but once you get a hang of the basic idea, the game then adds a bunch of ways to maximize your damage if you're patient and have some foresight. Playing optimally takes work, and it's a lot of fun once all the different tools and variations are in play.

The game also has a very modular design in pretty much every aspect: every unit has a different way to deal damage and a different timing on when they deal it, the items you equip and the spells you cast can have a significant affect on what your strategy will be going into the game. And on top of that, each army comes from six different races who all play very differently from each other.

In short, this is a thoroughly excellent strategy game that delivers much more than anyone would have rightly expected from it. It's often on sale for $2.50, and a bargain at twice that price.

Waking Mars is an alien botany gardening sim, which is a string of words that instantly sold me on this game. You essentially create ecosystems by planting seeds that grow into plants, building "biomass" to unlock new areas and move forward. It's not so much a puzzle game for most of its run as it is a game of discovery, observing how different plants react to each other and trying to build a stable enviorment while only understanding part of what you're doing. Most of the game's delights are in that process of discovery. I've played a lot of novel games, and this one felt like it was exploring a new, fascinating gaming idea, where you model little ecosystems on the fly.

Unfortunately, it never goes very deep- completing most of the areas is effortless, and while the story leaves a tantalizing hook dangling for you to resolve, doing so apparently requires getting a perfect score in every area. Getting that score means messing with a lot of finicky parts that I thought was too frustrating to be worth the time. I wish the game went deeper by creating new puzzle areas and challenges, instead of forcing you to be a completionist. So I never finished this game, but the five hours or so I put into it were pretty rewarding. Bonus points for the amusing way your AI-assistent speaks: video games have a lot of "funny" talking robots nowadays, but this one is especially good.

You'll probably be seeing it a lot in indie bundles, which is where I got my copy. Pick it up if you have a few hours to spare for some inventive gaming.

You would think, after reading so many great reviews and reflections that this game provoked, that there wouldn't be much point in playing it, but you'd be wrong. I knew what I was getting into when I started the Line, and it still hurt. I don't even like Military shooters, probably for the same reason The Line doesn't, and I still felt implicated in its vicious takedown of casual, jingoistic murder simulators. And that touches on the real reason every gamer should play this, because it's not really about how horrible shooters can be, it's about you. It's about what point in the game the violence becomes too much, and you have to decide whether to keep going. It's the gaming equivalent of smoking in a locked car, and getting to the point where you will break the windows open to get fresh air.

I thought I knew where this was going. and I still wasn't ready for it. It's a package of heartbreak and pain, and an antidote to one half of the two part formula that creates America's brand of violence and racism. It can't do anything about the people who make the shit, but it can change those who play it/watch it/read it.

Most great games with a message make me think about the game. The Line makes me think about me. That might be a bigger accomplishment.

ARPGs haven't changed much- it's mostly about killing things flashier for prettier loot. Din's Curse is the exception. Its random quests and villagers give each town you must save more character than all the lame pulp lore Blizzard invested into Diablo 3. It's also more intense because after the first village, you're always pressed for time as the quests you must do pile up & the monsters start to invade the village you were sent to save. People will die if you negligent and starve if you are greedy- neglect them for too long and divine punishment will fall on you. This game of karma inverts the priorities of every other ARPG- and makes for an amazing game as a result. It's also highly customizable, with plenty of ways to ratchet up the difficulty if you want to be hardcore beyond simply making monsters have more health. While the actual fighting is lackluster, its creativity in nearly every other aspect of ARPGs makes it a must play.

This is an excellent, unconventional strategy game. Unlike other strategy games, your goal in Crusader Kings 2 isn't so much to conquer anything- though that can be a goal- as it is to ensure your dynasty's survival against complex intrigue, Muslim invaders, and other countries who have claims to your land. Powering this game is a complex dynasty simulator that simulates the actions of every single dynasty and the Middle East, creating an alternate history that you are just another part of. The complex interface will put people off, but the most rewarding part of the game is digging through the masssive amount of information the game provides to discover the motives and stories of your rivals and allies. This game naturally creates intriguing stories of ambition, assasination and sister-fucking that rivals A Song of Ice and Fire. In fact, there's even a great mod that lets your play in the world of A Game of Thrones!

Oh Cave Story, you make me so mad but I love you so. Retro indie platformers are as numerous and iffy as Zombie Survival Strategies among nerds, but this is not only the one that probably inspired them all, it's still the best of the bunch that I've played. The shooting and platforming is fun and challenging, especially once you get the machine gun, which shoots bullets so hard it rockets your little body into the air, giving you a nice form of psuedo-flying. On top of all that, it has an involving, well written story.

That said, t's challenging to the point where it often feels unfair, though not undoable. Unfortunately, the toughest parts are almost always preceeded by a lengthy, unskippable cutscene, a problem that the + edition apparently never fixed.

The plus edition only adds some challenge modes as far as I can tell, so I don't think it's worth ten dollars since the freeware is still out there and easily, legally available. But if you see it on sale for a buck or two, buy it

Terrific competitive multiplayer game with short sessions and great action. Love this game, and it desperately needs more exposure. So glad to see it on Steam!