Promising daily bundles (including – currently – a repeat of their D&D bundle from earlier this year; and the under appreciated horror Alan Wake plus its follow-on American Nightmare), the sale is presented with a little dig at one of the big talking points from E3 – the issue of DRM. Billed as the “2013 #NoDRM Summer Sale”, GoG claim to have “good news for gamers who don’t want to be treated like criminals”… although as GoG have always provided titles DRM free, this means that the NoDRM issue is more about the upcoming consoles than anything done differently by GoG. That, and being able to hijack the #nodrm hashtag discussion of course.

Other promises include 500 titles at 50% or more off – 150 of those being 85% – and a new selection of titles for the Mac, including System Shock 2 finally making it to the platform 14 years after initial release.

The sale is due to continue until the 5th of July; however, Torchlight is only free until 20th June at 2pm BST

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After a heartbreaking experience with her first kiss, Anna Marie is left with the realization that her touch itself is deadly. Any amount of skin to skin contact causes a deadly transfer of memories, feelings, and even life force itself that Anna Marie is powerless to control. Her only option, as she sees it, is to disappear – and so she left her home, and everything familiar, to strike off on her own.

But life isn’t easy for someone forced to cover nearly every part of her body to protect those around her. Of course she can tell no one, but her look isn’t doing her any favors in the jobs department. Wearing gloves and a leather coat in the heat of a Mississippi summer, combined with the pure white streaks that appeared in her hair after the fateful first kiss, don’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence in prospective employers. Making ends meet is a constant struggle, but when Anna Marie meets a young man in just as much trouble as she is, she can’t stop herself from trying to help him out – even if it means going hungry herself.

Rogue Touch is the tale of Rogue, in between. Of course, fans are familiar with her fateful first encounter, the streaks in her hair, etc. – but what went on the years in between discovering her abilities and being master of them? How did she get her name? Where did she learn to control those abilities? Rogue Touch gives some of the answers, and hints at more, with a touching story  that takes you inside the young mind of a developing Rogue.

Her struggle to keep herself from causing harm with her unwanted abilities is profound, particularly as she begins to fall in love with the unusual man named Touch. Even more so, learning to use her abilities when necessary to protect what she holds dear is a constant balance. Should she touch someone, even inadvertently, it causes an instant coma or even death – a useful tool should her life truly be threatened, but a difficult moral dilemma indeed. On top of that, should she decide to use her deadly force, she must face the prospect of carrying that person along with her – thoughts and memories that are not her own, values that may not mesh with her own – for the rest of her life.

Rogue Touch fills a void in the life of Rogue, with an adventure filled tale of life and death, love and romance, past and future, that will keep you guessing till the end. Comic fan or not, it’s a gripping read that puts you inside the head of a truly intriguing character.

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Jennifer Walters is a highly successful lawyer who just can’t seem to hold on to a job. She’s having a few issues in the boyfriend and apartment side of things too. See, Jennifer is polite,  reserved, and well behaved – but her alter ego, She-Hulk, is most definitely not – and Shulky has burned a lot of bridges. But Jennifer has a plan – a resolution, in fact – that is going to get her derailed life back on track.

Marta Acosta brings a lighthearted look into the surprisingly average life of a superhero. The She-Hulk Diaries pick up where most superhero tales leave off – the real life portion of things. And life isn’t all that easy for Jennifer Walters. She-Hulk, being the Amazonian hunk of gorgeous party animal that she is, tends to cause an awful lot of damage to Jennifer’s more demure wardrobe. And as much as the public adores Shulky’s wild ways, no one wants to stick around to clean up her messes – so Jennifer is left to pick up the pieces, literally or figuratively. So when Shulky is demoted to local crimestopper, Jen feels now is the perfect time to shelve her alter ego for a while, and concentrate on making her life the way she wants it to be.

Nothing is ever that easy, of course, and everything from old flames to catty co-workers to evil doctors stands in the way of Jen’s happiness. The Avengers mansion has closed its doors to her, she keeps getting bills for the damage she causes when she saves the world, and the man she loves is engaged to another woman. But it’s not all bad; old friends are still around to lend a hand (or an ear), her best friend has always got her back, and all of New York is just plain getting nicer. One might even say suspiciously nicer. She may not have the life she always dreamed of, but one thing’s for sure – things are about to get interesting.

The She-Hulk Diaries is just a really fun read. Everything about Jennifer Walters is just so darn relatable – she is a normal girl, doing her best to find her way in a messed up world. And Shulky? She’s the party animal inside all of us – brassy, loud, sexy, and completely unapologetic. It’s the perfect combination of sugar and spice, and a great read for Marvel fans old and new.

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As we enter the world of Rush Bros, we are introduced to two brightly colored DJ brothers, each determined to prove to the world that they are the best. How will they do that, you ask? Well, as you might guess from the flashing lights, the pounding bass, and the throbbing speakers – they are going to race through a mega hard platformer. *record scratch*

Everything in Rush Bros, from the excellent soundtrack to the clubby look, would have you believe that you are playing a music game. Instead, it is a platformer – but one that is music inspired. The songs that you choose subtly influence the levels that you race through, which is a pretty cool concept. Unfortunately the effect is not nearly as pronounced as it should be, but combined with the fact that you can choose from the pretty much awesome game soundtrack or your own tunes, it’s a fun hook.

As you begin the game, you are given the choice between arcade mode (the single player aspect of the game), same screen versus, or steam multiplayer. After selecting a mode, you can then choose the color of your player, as well as which level you want to play. Right from the start, you can play any level you like, but the difficulty ramps up pretty quickly so taking a chronological approach is a good idea until you get the hang of things. The game suggests you use a controller for best results, but if you don’t have one handy, you can use W, A, S, D to move and space bar to jump. Either way, the controls aren’t super responsive, which can be a little frustrating in a game where split second timing is often a must.

In the single player arcade mode, there isn’t a whole lot to the game beyond running your way through super hard levels as fast as you can. On your own, that sadly gets old after a while. Luckily enough, the multiplayer mode makes up for that in spades, and it’s here that you’ll fall in love with the game. Grab a buddy to play multiplayer with, and the same game goes from frustrating and a bit repetitive to absolutely hilarious fun – and I really can’t pinpoint why.

The multiplayer doesn’t add anything in the way of choices really. You’ll have the same chance to select DJ color and level, and you can also choose between split screen or full screen. Then, you’re both off to tackle those still difficult levels – but somehow, in a race against each other instead of against yourself, it’s all good fun. Perhaps it is the simplicity of it, perhaps it is the simple fact that watching your friend’s character get bumped back half a level by some sneaky arrows is just plain giggle inducing awesomeness.

Rush Bros is a game that is hard to pigeon hole. I love the vibrant, club inspired colors and graphics. The environments are colorful and cartoony, with all kinds of mind boggling traps and puzzles to work your way through and even bonus power-ups sprinkled throughout. The music – it’s the best part, really. The soundtrack that comes with the game is the sort of stuff I’d happily jam to with or without the game, and the ability to import your own music is just gravy. All of those things should add up to an instant favorite – but it just doesn’t. If you’re looking for a single player platformer to fall in love with, this likely isn’t the game for you. Fortunately, the addictive simplicity of the multiplayer mode is enough to salvage the experience and make Rush Bros a game worth checking out for gamers looking for some fun with friends.

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The power of the SID chip cannot be underestimated. While the technology is archaic by any standards, it still created some of the most distinctive game music of the 80s… and the music of the C64 games will probably live on past any desire to actually play those titles. There are still active communities compiling the original files to play now, or trying to update them through remixes, or even just resurrecting the technology in unexpected manners…

In it’s press release, Blaszczak described the development of the album. “[The anniversary] got me thinking about all the wonderful music from that time, from all the games I loved playing back in the 80s. A few weeks later I was experimenting with some 8-bit sounds, and the album just seemed to evolve from there into a full 15 track monster.”

The album is currently available on Bandcamp for $1, although more can optionally be paid; this is apparently a special price for the next two weeks only. Of course, if you prefer iTunes the album is available there too.

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An interesting and preposterous concept in equal measure, The Purge deserves some credit for proposing and exploring the morality of the premise, as we follow Ethan Hawke’s affluent suburban family who are forced to test their respective moral compasses when their home comes under attack.

It’s certainly a fresh and new addition to the home-invasion genre, and although it tries hard to be a horror and borrows heavily from predecessors such as Ils (Them), The Strangers and at a push, Funny Games, it’s devoid of any scares and relies heavily on its violence instead. Not to say we’re treading into torture porn of gory territory here, but there is plenty of gun violence.

As a result, and despite the thoroughly exciting final third, The Purge unfortunately fails where it aims to deliver. With a running time of less than 90 minutes, we don’t get to know the characters well enough to emphasise with their moral predicament, and their indecision and constant mind changing just becomes quite frustrating rather than thought-provoking.

This sums up one of the main problems with the film, in that the characters are so painfully under developed, they’re essentially clichéd entities employed merely to complicate the scenario, unnecessarily so. With two teenage children who disappear and reappear on the scene every 30 seconds to create a forced sense of peril and subsequent relief, you can’t help but wonder just how much shorter the film would be if they just stayed in the same room together. Running around the house forever searching for the missing / hiding / sulking teenagers is the criminally underused Lena Headey, utterly brilliant and menacing as Ma-Ma in Dredd, but with absolutely nothing to do here apart from cut a frustrated figure (how much of that was acting, I wonder?).

Ethan Hawke coasts through the film as the focal figure whose principles are tested when he has to make a choice between right and wrong and how his decision will affect his family. Unlike in his previous foray onto similar turf in the excellent Sinister, where he superbly portrayed a man  obsessed and on the verge of a meltdown, giving a compelling performance as he cycled through the emotions, he sadly has no substance to build on here and simply goes through the motions as the weak script dictates.

The problems continue; a ridiculous and ill conceived, albeit brief, subplot involving the daughter’s boyfriend left me wondering exactly what the point in it was. Some truly painstakingly atrocious acting from those who played the next door neighbours left me cringing and embarrassed. An over-used gimmick which appears to have been stolen in design from Toy Story was presumably deployed to add a different visual approach and create an air of suspense, but this ultimately proved redundant due to the lack of scares, thrills or tension.  Finally, any credibility remaining intact was continuously pushed to the limit as events unfolded with such coincidental convenience that I actually wished the film was longer to give it a chance of redeeming itself.

Its saving grace was the deliciously disturbing and intimidating performance from Rhys Wakefield as the mob leader who threatens Hawke’s home. A captivating and commanding screen presence finally brought about a sense of menace and danger which contributed to the enthralling final half hour, but ultimately The Purge let itself down in far too many areas that it couldn’t recover from.

Forgettable and disappointing albeit with just about enough to it to lift it above poor. That being said, I am still wondering just how much the audience is supposed to relate to people who live in a house so huge that it’s possible for them to get lost in it.

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Juche Strong is a short film by director Rob Montz. Featuring footage shot in North Korea, the film takes an in depth look at the role of propaganda in the North Korean mindset, giving viewers a look inside the mindset of typical North Koreans. This is an important film in many ways, because it answers that often asked question of why North Koreans are so loyal to a way of life that seems so unfathomable to outside eyes. Juche Strong often dazzles with beautiful footage of traditional North Korean dancers decked out in vividly colored attire, crisply uniformed military marches, and children beaming with pride. It also shows a variety of different locales – all of which seem to feature statues or other ornamentation of the ruling family.

Citizens there are constantly bombarded not just with images of their beloved ruler, but with the idea of him as something of a benevolent father figure as well – with the outside world being portrayed as a sort of wicked creature who is trying to oppress them. These statues, songs, appearances, and more are explained in the film as part of larger mission to make the outside world the enemy, and the ruling family the only protector who can keep them safe. Though many have predicted the collapse of the Kim regime for decades, Juche Strong shows not only how it has remained in power for so long – but why it will likely continue to for years to come.

A variety of people are interviewed on the subject of North Korean propaganada, from a psychologist to a professor of North Korean studies, to a defector of the country, and all give some really good insights as to why the propaganda machine works. The defector, in particular, is able to really give viewers a look inside the mind of a typical North Korean, as she confides that, “North Koreans would continue to praise our leader, even as they starved to death.” While such self sacrifice is near unthinkable to the Western world, they don’t believe that they are oppressed. The propaganda works, because it is so perfectly tuned to the North Korean psyche. That is the aspect of this film that I found the most compelling: Juche Strong is not a film about North Korea; it is a film about the North Korean people and how they perceive themselves.

Juche Strong is an eye opening film that gives viewers a look at North Korea from the inside. Though it features often stunning footage of the country and its people, the true draw to this film is the insight into how and why the propaganda works. If you’ve ever wondered about North Korea – not just its leaders, but the people who live there, and why they seemingly continue to support their own oppression – then this is the film for you. More than that, it is a film that examines the psychology of how an oppressive regime can remain in power so long, and I found that fascinating.

*Juche Strong is available for purchase at juchestrong.com.

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In The Last of Us you play likeable but stoic Texan Joel. Unlike the more dynamic, almost superhero-esque, character of of Nathan Drake, Joel is more your everyman type of guy. He’s resourceful, sure. He’s a pretty beefy guy and has his wits about him too but those things aside he’s just an average fella trying to make his way in the world when the pandemic hits.

20 years after that fateful night Joel is trying his best to make ends meet in Boston. Running weapons and supplies with his partner Tess he’s just about managing to keep his head above water. That is until he’s tasked with delivering a young 14 year old girl called Ellie to someone on the other side of town.

From here on out you experience the world through Ellie. Sure, you PLAY as Joel, but your exploration and introduction to the shattered world around you is done purely through the eyes of young Ellie. You see Ellie was born into this world. Into a world after the deadly fungus had spread. Her entire world before this day had consisted of the city areas she could manage to get around without getting torn apart by infected, savaged by marauders or shot by the army. As you proceed on an unprecedented road trip across the US your wonder and questions about the rich detailed and chilling world are also Ellie’s.

The Last of Us looks gorgeous. Seriously you’ve not seen a game look this good before. Sitting and watching the trailers for upcoming next generation titles at this years E3 there’s very little in it. The fidelity and depth to the world that Naughty Dog have crafted for The Last of Us is simply stunning. From the trademark cinematics to the eye wateringly smooth animation the game looks incredible both stationary and moving. Wonderful lighting, creepy as hell enemies and diverse areas to explore. The real star of the show goes to the world in general though. It’s hard to explain but the world doesn’t feel like a game world. It has a real lived in quality. The evidence of a horrific history is strewn around the landscape.

Musical score is on par with previous Naughty Dog titles which offers a sweeping soundscape that brings the game together. The voice acting exceeds the incredibly high standards set out by the Uncharted series with superb performances from Troy Baker as Joel and Ashley Johnsson as Ellie cementing the already superbly written dialogue.

The relationship that grows between Joel and Ellie could have been handled with ham-fisted hollywood ploys. Easy story beats and plot direction could have been gained by heading straight towards a paternal relationship for the two characters. What develops though is organic, believable and just incredibly well written.

Playing the game is almost as wonderful an experience as enjoying the story unfold. The game does borrow from the Uncharted series – heck it’s the same engine after all. The third person movement and gunplay all play out in a similar way to the previous PS3 games from Naughty Dog. The similarities pretty much finish there – apart from the partner actions like opening doors together or boosting someone up to a higher ledge.

Ammo in The Last of Us is hard to find. You’ll manage a reasonable amount on the default difficulty but you’ll need to make every shot count. Weapons are varied enough with different pistols, rifles and shotguns accompanying a 2013 standard issue bow. You can also collect melee weapons from the world around you. Items like wooden planks, pipes, bats etc can also be modded in the games crafting system. Combat always feels taught and frantic – Joel isn’t some one man killing machine. This is clear when he gets into fist fights and the combat is brutal, bloody and brawling.

Many areas are crawling with infected or marauders. Sometimes so much so that you’d be stupid to just run in guns blazing. Many fighting areas require a mixture of stealth, strategy and combat to progress through. This lends a much more methodical pace to the game – making areas where you can run about and roam freely feel liberating. Using the R2 button Joel goes in to an advanced listening mode. What this equated to is akin to Batman’s Detective Mode in the Arkham series by Rocksteady. It allows you to see the outline of enemies, watch their movement and listen in to their conversations. Upgrades can be purchased through the game that increase the range of the mechanic.

The real time implementation of healing and crafting adds to the tension as well. Huddling down to bandage a wound or craft a new medpack or shiv is a calculated thing. Do it in the wrong location and you’ll be swarmed but “runners” in no time at all.

The Last of Us is arguably Naughty Dogs longest title to date. A rushed play through would likely see you reach the end of Joel and Ellie’s road trip in a round 12 hours. Those that take the time to explore the world – and you really should – will be looking at around 16hrs+. All this content and a well crafted mature story as well. So many times you see a developer aim for a more mature take on a story only to placate the masses with something that appeals to a lower common denominator. Naughty Dog pull back from this trend though, opting instead to portray a story, world and experience that is undeniably mature.

A few niggles do creep into the mix. Combat can sometimes devolve into frustration as you are repeatedly overwhelmed by enemies. A few odd AI issues with Ellie can break her believability – not normally a biggie in these co-op/escort style games but The Last of Us does such a compelling job of portraying Ellie as a real character it’s jarring when you see her act like a game AI.

Multiplayer is reasonable and offers up some lease of life to the game past the initial aspects of the main story. That said, like Uncharted’s perfectly reasonable multiplayer, I felt little compulsion to actually invest any meaningful time in the mode. That’s no gauge of quality I assure you for what is on offer is fun and well rounded and fans of the Uncharted style of multiplayer will be well catered for here.

Final Thoughts

The Last of Us is the crowning jewel of the PS3 era. Sure the console has years to go yet but, like God of War 2 for the PS2, The Last of Us shows the pinnacle of what the platform can deliver.

Not only that Naughty Dog has, with The Last of Us, managed to deliver us a game that not many other developers could have. The game is mature, gritty, desolate and depressingly oppressive at times. It’s a human interest road trip movie that you get to play.

There are a few flies in the ointment, no game is perfect in all respects. These small flaws are only evident because the rest of the game is just so above anything else on the market to date. I couldn’t justify taking marks away for what amounts to a couple of diamonds on a crown being less shiny than the rest.

The Last of Us represent a genre that is over run with titles. Zombie games are ten-a-penny these days. Naughty Dog could have gone easy on themselves and just put out a 3rd person zombie shooter and left it at that so they could concentrate on their PS4 titles. Instead they have taken the high value cinematic production skills they employed to make Uncharted and used them to blend some of this generation’s best games (Batman Arkham franchise, Fallout 3, Uncharted) and wrap those finely tuned mechanics around a mature script that takes its lead from the likes of The Road and The Walking Dead.

This title is a landmark in video games. The Last of Us will serve as the tentpole title for the PS3. The Last of Us is an essential purchase for any gamer or movie fan and worth getting a PS3 for if you’ve yet to take the plunge!

The post The Last of Us (PS3) Review appeared first on Games Fiends.

Aaron is a young Jewish boy attending a boarding school in Brooklyn in 1946. He is often teased by the other boys because of his pronounced stutter, but Aaron is still confident in himself and proud of his family back in New Jersey. As the book begins, Aaron and his classmates are told by their tearful Rabbi that a new group of twenty boys will be joining the school. All of the new boys have come from Poland, and all of them have lost their parents to concentration camps.

Daniel, one of the Polish boys, has been assigned to live with Aaron and his two other roommates – brothers who delight in mocking Aaron for his speech impediment. Though the boys are mostly welcoming to Daniel, he is resolute and silent, bringing nothing with him other than a small tin box. Most of the short book centers around the growing friendship between Daniel and Aaron, and the mystery of what is inside Daniel’s beloved box.

If your kids are anything like mine, they know of the Holocaust – but on somewhat detached terms. After all, a tragedy on the scale of that one is really very hard for a young mind to grasp. What Greenhorn does, is take something that is so difficult to comprehend (even for adult minds) and makes it very real and relatable to the reader. Daniel and Aaron, their fast friendship, the mean kids in the school – even though they occur at a vastly different point in history, are things that kids can relate to on a personal level. And it is that very kinship that is developed that makes the reality of how profoundly awful the Holocaust was sink in when the contents of Daniel’s box was revealed.

Since Greenhorn is a book intended for children, I wanted to get a view of it from that perspective – so I asked my son to read through it and give me his thoughts. He was very impressed with the book right from the start, told me how it helped him learn things about the Holocaust that he never knew, and even recommended it to his younger brother – high praise indeed. I was a little concerned that he might be disturbed by the subject matter somewhat (the Holocaust is a disturbing subject all around).

Skill level wise, Greenhorn should be an easy read for kids eight and up without a problem. Content wise, though, is a different matter. While nothing is graphic, the thought of all those kids losing their parents, and the truth of what happened to them, will likely be very difficult for many kids to process. And yet, it is an important subject to bring up, and for parents ready to discuss it with their kids, Greenhorn opens the doors quite skillfully for a thoughtful discussion on the topic. I recommend that kids read it with their parents, with a parents at the ready to answer any and all questions.

Greenhorn is a powerful story of the horrors of the Holocaust, and the healing power of friendship. Two boys from very different lives come together in a story as old as time – a tale of friendship. Due to the subject matter, parents should use their own discretion as to how and when they introduce the subject of the Holocaust, but for those who are ready, Greenhorn does a great job of introducing the subject in a way they can understand and relate to.

The post Greenhorn (Book) Review appeared first on Games Fiends.

Your first impression of the game comes in the form of a cutscene involving you and your superior officer. Like your favorite cop shows, there is plenty of drama and emotional outbursts to be had in this and the other cutscenes.The voice acting is pretty good, and the story is engaging and unpredictable. Unfortunately, rather than playing out in an animated scene, these cutscenes feature a series of pictures, and since the mouths (and everything else) aren’t moving, it’s rather confusing to even figure out who is saying what. Aside from that though, you’ll find little to dislike once the game itself begins.

In a hidden object adventure, obviously the most important factors is the jumbles themselves, and Righteous Kill does a good job of making them challenging without being frustrating. Even better, it does an excellent job of actually tying everything in to the story, giving you real purpose in each and every jumble you complete. Aside from a few mini games, your gameplay consists entirely of these jumbles. You’ll given instructions on where you are in the case – for instance, searching the crime scene for clues – and then presented with a series of locales for you to search for clues in. Each of these locales are a fixed screen object search, with a list of fifteen different items for you to find.

As you advance in the game, you’ll be going back to many of these areas again and again, as mounting evidence sends you back to look at things from a different angle. The location of all the objects in the areas are the same each time you visit them, which can start to seem a little tedious after a while – particularly since sometimes you are even asked to find a few of the same items you’ve already searched for. On the other hand, if you’re looking for an element of realism, Righteous Kill has it in this respect. Police work is a whole lot of revisiting crime scenes again and again as different evidence is uncovered.

There are not a lot of mini games in Righteous Kill, but here and there you are given one and it breaks up the action quite nicely. Like the jumbles themselves, these are done in a way that really supports the story and overall them of the game. You’ll be dusting for fingerprints, and re-assembling torn documents, and piecing together evidence like a pro.

Righteous Kill does a skillful job of bringing the atmosphere of an exciting crime drama to your hidden object fun. There isn’t a lot of filler; instead, you have hours of object jumbles to enjoy at your leisure – all tied together with a really interesting story line. Fans of hidden object jumbles and police dramas alike will find a lot to love in Righteous Kill.

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