 The Cave from Double Fine Productions is an ingenious, dark little adventure puzzle-platform game that lets you choose 3 characters to play with; each have different abilities and levels within the cave that are specific to their back stories. There are 7 characters total, so you can have a different experience every time you play! So far my favorite “character” is the set of murderous twins; so creepy and I thought that their story was the most challenging of the puzzles (so I felt very satisfied when I finally beat it). I also played with the Hillbilly carnival worker and the Adventurer archeologist, but I look forward to choosing from the Time Traveler, The Monk, The Knight, and The Scientist next time!
 Each level is different and at least one is specific to one of your characters, but you have to switch between all three of your characters to complete each puzzle. You choose to activate each character based on their unique abilities or location to open doors, repair devices, weigh down scales, etc. Your characters respawn automatically if they die, which helps save some time, but they don’t always follow your active character and you’ll have to keep switching between the 3 to get them all to where you need them to be. Each level is colorful and fun, yet dark and twisted at the same time –which really spoke to my macabre sense of humor. The puzzles to complete each level are pretty complex and must be executed in a specific order so don’t feel like you’re less of a gamer if you need to consult the Wiki for the occasional tip.
I want to play The Cave again soon and try out other combinations of characters and character-driven levels, but I just started playing “The Last of Us” and I’m hooked.
Unfinished Swan by Giant Sparrow is a wonderful, creative and collaborative masterpiece of your own making. You play as an orphan named Monroe who is armed with an unlimited supply of paint-filled balloons that you’ll use to uncover a world dipped in white, while chasing an un-catchable swan who leads you through a story book that will unite you with your father. Adorable.
A major fine artist cliché depicted in cartoons, movies, and television shows is an artist who is covered in paint-stained overalls, furiously throwing paint at a large canvas. As an artist myself, I hate making a mess –I stay away from large-scale work and especially the use of charcoal. But who hasn’t wondered what it would be like to throw a bunch of paint around like a child in desperate need of Riddlin? That’s the best part of Unfinished Swan! Unfinished Swan is a quick play, and I even had enough time to go back to each level and unlock all of the trophies! Each area that you visit gives you a different experience that will challenge your imagination while gradually adding more color into your world, yet at the same time holds to it’s beautiful, simplistic game design.
I want to play again, but I’ve been looking forward to playing The Cave since I saw the trailer at E3 2012! 
I’ve been meaning to download Journey by The Game Company for a long time. I had no idea what the big deal was, but it seemed like everyone was coming out of the woodwork to tell me to download that game. The fact that I was a year behind of downloading Journey was almost as bad as revealing to my college friends that I hadn’t seen Empire Strikes Back (don’t worry, that was 6 years ago and I have seen them all by now).
 My first impression of Journey was this: “Whhaaaa? Where do I go? Who is this little character? Why does he move so slowly? Where is that heavenly Tibetan bowl sound coming from?” My second impression was this: “Mmmmm…it’s like I’m taking yoga; I’m so relaxed right now. I love floating around. I don’t know who those other characters are. Here I go down this giant sand dune….weeeeee!!!!”
Journey is like being on Alprazolam –it’s so smooth, relaxing, you feel like you’re on a cloud and nothing can go wrong in the world. There are a few irksome moments where you have to restart an area because in your fluid, relaxed state, you fall off a platform and float down to the ground and have to start over.
 The magnificent visuals paired with the unique game play really help Journey stand out from the others. Even though I am set in my ways, there have been a select few games out there that I feel have really improved the way we control characters (Mini Ninjas, Heavy Rain), and I’m adding Journey to that list. I think the last level with the waterfalls is my new “happy place” when I meditate. Ok, I don’t really meditate, but I feel like I should start. Seriously, this game is like a beautiful dream.
I loved the length of Journey -I can beat it in a few hours! It was challenging enough to keep me interested, but not so challenging that it made me give up before I could reach the end. I feel like I have a lot less patience for games that take more than 3 deaths for me to beat an area, and I usually move onto another game, even after I consult the Wiki walkthrough. I don’t want to spend my rare gaming time by dying…..I’d rather start a new game and LIVE!
My last impression was this: "I DIED?! WHAT THE HELL? OH, cool....I'm reborn. Wait, those were other PEOPLE that were running around with me the whole time? Neat. I want to ply again, but first I need to play Unfinished Swan."
Whenever I engage in a conversation about the “good old days” of SNES gaming, my friends usually bring up Super Mario World, Mega Man X, Super Punch Out, Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario Kart. I loved SMW and SMK as much as the next person, but the following 16-bit titles are the ones that stuck with me. “Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars”
 Every other week I was begging my mom to let me rent this game from Blockbuster, and it only took 5 weekends plus rental fees for me to get through the whole game. I’d say that it was this game over any other back then, that really held my interest long enough for me to make the commitment to see it through the end. I just checked Amazon for a copy, and I practically did a spit-take when I saw someone was selling it for $1,297.50! That’s insane! Although I think $40 for a used copy is equally steep, so I’m going to keep rummaging through boxes at yard sales and swap meets until I get lucky.
“Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island”
 I still claim that this is my favorite game of all time –I have it on my Super Nintendo, Gameboy Advance SP, Wii Virtual Console, AND my Nintendo 3DS! It’s a classic tale of stealing babies, throwing eggs, licking shy guys, and getting high –what’s not to love? I will fight any person that claims that Mega Man is a better character than Yoshi! Don’t let my small stature fool you –I’m scrappy when I have to be. Side note: I’m surprised that adult Mario doesn’t have more issues based on his traumatic childhood, although he does smash his head into blocks quite often.
“The Lion King”
 I remember seeing the The Lion King movie in the theater and feeling like my 9-year old brain had exploded. The Lion King is STILL the highest grossing, hand drawn film of all time, and when they announced the video game release for Christmas that same year, we all rejoiced. I think Aladdin was my only experience playing a video game based off a movie at that point, but I wasn’t very critical yet, so I loved every game I could get my hands on. I had a blast roaring, running, and rolling around this game, and even now when I think of the most challenging moment of game play in my life, I think of escaping the stampede. Side note: Nala doesn’t appear as a cub or as an adult in this game…..which I prefer anyway, because their incestuous relationship really grossed me out.
“Donkey Kong Country”
 I have the best memories of playing this game with my sister –and back then, there wasn’t a whole lot that we agreed on. It’s amazing how video games can save your family when you’re snowed in for a few days in Colorado (and thank god the sequel came out during another big storm a few years later). This was the game that also sparked my interest in cheat codes and hidden areas –I started subscribing to Tips&Tricks magazine and I would research gaming chat rooms on the internet. I also have Donkey Kong Country on SNES, Gameboy Advance SP, and Wii VC. During the 2009 E3 conference, I was overjoyed to hear that they were reviving my favorite series with the release of “Donkey Kong Country Returns” on the Wii, so I ran out and bought a console as soon as I could! I wasn’t prepared for the let down that I experienced after playing it for an hour –the main reason being that I couldn’t use the classic controller like I was used to. So I’m glad I can still play the original to my heart’s content –especially because the Gameboy and Wii versions do not have all of the shortcuts or cheat codes. Tapping B-A-R-R-A-L during the game select screen will give you 50 extra lives!
“Speedy Gonzales: Los Gatos Bandidos”
This game slipped through the cracks until I spotted it at a vintage game store earlier this year, and the memories came flooding back. Another game that retails for $60+, which doesn’t surprise me because it was amazing, and fairly rare. The reason why this game was so engaging is because it resembled the game play in Sonic the Hedgehog, which I loved because I didn’t have a Sega Genesis. Speedy races through Mexican Villages trying to rescue his cousins who were kidnapped by cats, collecting cheese, and avoiding spikes, cages and pits. It didn’t get very high ratings, but I couldn’t put it down!
 Cthulhu World Combat Goal: $300,000 Deadline: December 3rd, 2012 All right H.P. Lovecraft fans, here's a mobile/tablet game for you! "Cthulhu World Combat" is a turn-based, cosmic horror game that you can play with your friends!  From the creator of the popular role playing game, "Call of Cthulhu", Sandy Peterson is just besides himself with excitement for the launch of "Cthulhu World Combat". Teaming up once again with artist Tom Sullivan, this duo has come up with some amazing game art and special Kickstarter prizes! Like a lot of popular turn-based iOS games, this game allows you to have many games going at once! Players can choose to be Cthulhu itself, or other characters! Donation perks include game art wallpaper downloads, ringtones, digital download of the game, buttons, tagging stencil kit, soundtrack, coloring book, game guide, t shirts, coffee cup, mouse pad (for a mobile game?), posters, and VIP passes to the release party!  Sir, You Are Being Hunted Goal: £40,000 Deadline:December 2nd, 2012 "Sir, You Are Being Hunted" is a British, open-world, stealth and survival computer game with a theme that Big Robot calls "Tweed-Punk Robo-Horror". Using their "British Countryside" generator to mathematically place each tree and blade of grass in this sinister environment, you get to roam around the island and fight aristocratic robots that are stalking you with shot guns, with the help of your ever-so-helpful Butler. The main goal is to fix the machine that brought you to the island so you can leave, all while scavenging and looting along the way.  I'm a huge fan of sniping in FPS games, so the fact that the combat of "Sir, You Are Being Hunted" is largely about traps, misdirection, and avoiding close contact with your enemies, is what really draws me to this game. But honestly, Big Robot already had me at "Tweed-Punk Robo-Horror". Perks include BETA access, digital downloads, soundtrack, t shirts, talisman rag dolls (cool!), board game, and your own character's back story written into the mysterious lore of the island! Please pledge!
 Axle Goal: $15,000 Deadline: November 18th, 2012  This was a fun pitch video to watch, with adorable game art and an entertaining team based in Orange, California. This multi-platform mobile game is visually addicting, and even though I haven't played it yet, I'm already hooked! You play as a bright and happy gear named "Axel", who is on a mission to fix any problem in the inner-workings of dark and edgy mechanical world. Motivated by their love of old school platform games like Donkey Kong Country and Sonic the Hedgehog, Fall Streak Studios incorporates similar satisfying challenges within "Axel" as you jump around and flow through the environment. You can play a clip of the music for this game on their Kickstarter page as well -they call it "an entirely original electro-swing" type of sound, and it's so much fun! "Axel" won first place at the IEEE Gamesig Intercollegiate Showcase, and if you like ingenious puzzle games on your Android or iPhone as much as I do, please donate and tell your friends about this awesome game! Perks include backgrounds, free copies of the game, stickers, game soundtrack, digital behind the scenes art book, posters, t shirts, an axle plushie and more!  Distance Goal: $125,000 Deadline: November 16th, 2012  Likening their PC/MAC game, "Distance", to the Rush and Wipeout racing series, Refract Studios want to bring back that arcade racing feeling that most of us fell in love with growing up and weave in the futuristic capabilities found in our wildest dreams. Where else do you get to drive a car that can boost, jump, rotate and FLY through a mysterious city, while slowly discovered it's shaded past?! With a popular racing game already under their belt (Nitronic Rush), I'm confident that "Distance" is going to be a new favorite of mine. Refract has a solid team, and judging by their first game, Distance is going to be unmatched on all three levels of visual, audio, and game play. Some of the awesome multi player modes in this game include tag, capture the flag, ghost racing, and more! "Distance" also gives you the capability to create your own levels that you can share with friends! Perks include early release of the BETA, soundtrack, poster, digital art book, t shirt, limited edition box for the game, custom billboards/tributes within the game, stunts named after you, custom vehicle within the game, and one of the coolest prizes that I've seen -Refract will build you an arcade cabinet of "Distance"!
Shaker Goal: $1,000,000 Deadline: November 4th, 2012 Loot Drop believes that current RPGs lack that certain "old school-ness", and they want to get back to basics in their latest project, "Shaker". This game is a sci-fi fantasy, party based, old school role playing game (mouthful) based in a bridge world between ancient medieval times and the future. You have 4 players that you can customize, and every decision affects the outcome of the game. Your character will be sent back to the past in hopes to correct the deadly chain of events that occurred before the world is supposed to end. Armed with a device that allows you to see into the future, you'll be able to check your progress until you get it right. The main character, Connelly, is pretty handsome, don't you think? Very Nathan Fillion-esque. :) Brenda B and Tom H are the 2 industry veterans who created this amazing game, and are big believers in the old school "box of trinkets and swag" ala Ultimate, and they won't settle for less when their game is published, so we'll have that to look forward to as well.  Perks include: Early copies of the game, concept art, wallpapers, soundtrack, adventurer's guide, medallions, t shirts, name in the game credits, and exclusive passes to the launch party! 10 backers will get the game hand-delivered to him/her on a red velvet pillow by Brenda and Tom! How cool is that? And if they surpass their goal, they plan to create 2 RPG games for the price of one -which sounds more like a Tenerus expansion, since they mainly refer to the medieval world in the game, Antera, and not so much about the futuristic world. Banking on the true old school fans of RPG, Loot Drop is hoping that with the help of Kickstarter, they can make their dream a reality. Main stream publishers are shying away from the indie game scene, and if you are a nostalgic gamer who is wishing for something new that carries that "back in the day" structure, then please donate. Lingual Goal: $5,000 Deadline: November 9th (my birthday!), 2012 The team at Tiny Factory is in the final stages of development for their iPad educational game called "Lingual". Using a flash card-like methodology, Lingual is a tool to help learn new languages/cultures in a fun and interesting way. The December release of Lingual will include English, Mandarin, and Spanish languages, with hopes to build expansions later on with more languages to choose from. This app looks like fun, and I know that I need a refresher on my Spanish, so I will definitely pick this app up in December! Perks include: personalized Tweet of thanks, educational posters, flash cards, video chat with the team in San Diego, vinyl stickers, beta tester position on the team, and a chance to choose which language they will put in the game next!
Hi gamers! I've been checking out some great-looking indie game pitches on Kickstarter.com! For those of you who are not familiar with Kickstarter, here's how it works: Anyone can shoot a pitch video with any goal amount they want, and they choose the deadline. They can also can designate perks to each donor -better perk for larger dollar amounts donated. If they do make their goal under the deadline, then they keep a large portion of it, but if they don't, then they walk away with nothing. Please contribute to the projects you want to see come to fruition! Even $1 helps! I've decided to shine the spotlight every week on 1 or 2 of these Indie Game pitches, but since this is my first entry, here are 4 of my favorites: 
Crumb Catcher Goal: $7,000 Deadline: October 21rst, 2012 This is a pretty straight forward mobile game -what food causes the most crumbs that will catch in your beard? Food combos earn you more points, and greasy/sticky foods make the crumbs stick together! You can play the Arcade Mode and defeat the "Beard Boss" or the Story mode and see your character grow up. Lots of characters to play with -how many pretzel crumbs can Abe Lincoln carry in his beard? How many doughnut crumbs can a lumberjack accumulate? Why is a ship captain eating so much pie? Perks include copies of the game, paper beard printouts, become a member of the Beardo Club, Metal Mutton Chops t shirt, and even become a character in the game! Project Eternity Goal: $1,100,000 Deadline: October 16th, 2012 The guys at Obsidian Entertainment are BACK, and looking better than ever! This online Fantasy RPG game uses tactile real-time combat, with rich character design and unique maps to explore! Perks include postcards, early access to their beta key, digital downloads, Collectors Editions of the game, cloth maps, a chance to design a weapon in the game, have a painted portrait of you in the game, and many more! The degree of imagination on this team is unfathomable, and I'm really excited to see how far they will take this game! Papier Goal: $140,000 Deadline: October 12, 2012 This mobile/tablet/online game looks like a lot of fun! Created by an Australian company called Spycraft Studios, Papier follows the main character, a little boy, who is searching for the stolen pages of his life story before the dark forces uses them to destroy him. Everything in this game looks like a page from a sketchbook, which gives it a very playful, whimsical look. Perks include copies of the game, soundtrack, t shirts, name in the credits, and a character likeness! I'm not just a sucker for an Australian accent -Papier looks great! Mindblown Life Goal: $60,000 Deadline: November 2nd, 2012 The team at Mindblown Labs in Irvine, CA are very enthusiastic about their idea for a social mobile/online game that combines entertainment and learning, and I agree with them! We need more learning games, and what's one of the most important skills that you need? Money Management! Perks include early access to game trailers, beta key, digital soundtrack, name in credits, and signed art book! This quirky, fresh-faced game could be the next big thing, so help Mindblown Labs reach their goal!
Welcome, fans of American McGee's Alice! We all know the Disney version of "Alice in Wonderland", some of us are familiar with "Alice Through The Looking-Glass", and a miniscul amount wishes they could forget Alan Moore's tales of Alice Fairchild from "Lost Girls", but how many of you remember American McGee's "Alice"?  "Alice" was a 3rd person shooter PC game that was released in 2000, and was one of the first computer games that I became addicted to (introduced to me by my awesomely-creepy ex boyfriend -no offense Matthew, but that's why I was attracted to you in the first place....so mysterious). McGee's dark imagination turns Alice's Wonderland (her mental "happy place" she often retreated to as a child) into a place of hellish horror after witnessing her family and home burned to the ground, and living in an insane asylum. Grotesque versions of the once lovable characters from her childhood now haunt and aid Alice through her journey back down the rabbit hole, and Alice has to fight off her enemies with her big knife, aka her "Vorpal Blade". As of 22 July 2010, American McGee's Alice has sold over 1.5 million copies! Ten years later, rumors of a sequel were starting to spread, and EA finally confirmed in early 2011 that they planned to release a sequel in June! In American McGee's "Alice Madness Returns", we find Alice in London, finally set free from the mental institution, but still struggling with her grasp on reality. She is still equipped with her Vorpal sword when she gets yanked back into Wonderland, but along with a graphics boost, this 10 year old makeover comes with additional weapons, skills, and more mutated iconic enemies for Alice to conquer!
Check out these haunting teaser trailers (the last one includes gameplay): Also, here's an interview with American McGee & RJ Berg about the game: Keep checking in with me for more updates!
2010 was a fairly big gaming year for me since I purchased my PS3 in late 2009 and my black Wii in mid 2010. However I logged most of my time playing “catch up” with games that had earlier releases; Uncharted, Borderlands, Lego Batman, Resistance, and Mini Ninjas. I only just had the chance to purchase and play two 2010 games and judging by most of the comments from my friends, I think I chose wisely. Those two games are Rock Band 3 on the PS3 (with the pro drum set), and Donkey Kong Country Returns on the Wii.
I was a very late Guitar Hero/Rock Band bloomer, and I kick myself for not jumping on the bandwagon earlier. Had I known how much fun it would be and how quickly I would adapt to playing the drums, I would have accepted more Rock Band party invites back in college. I bought myself the Guitar Hero World Tour band kit because by early 2010 it went down considerably in price. Most of you know the story of how I got a little too carried away one night and, in a fit of frustration (failed a Metallica song on medium 5 times in a row), I chucked one of my drumsticks into my flat screen, cracking my display. The first thing I did when I set up my new flat screen was beat that godforsaken song (98% baby!), but then shortly after, the red pad on my drum kit died. Even though I wanted a pro drum kit badly, I guarded my wallet like a Chomp Chomp (heh) up until my birthday. My GH drum kit was dead……I had a brand new tv…….GameStop had one PS3 pro drum kit left…..it was my birthday…….I might as well, right?
Rock Band 3 has an interesting collection of songs, due to introducing the key guitar to the band repertoire. While I enjoy Huey Lewis & the News and Warron Zevon as much as the next person, it’s still a little strange to see them sandwiched between Paramore and Queen. I’m not thrilled about the highlighted songs that COULD be in your library if you buy them on the PSN. Don’t trick me…..I appreciate the suggestions, but sometimes it just feels like you’re being mean. The pro drum options up the difficulty anti, and now not only do you have to quickly recognize the correct color key, you also have to differentiate between the shapes (square for drum, circle for cymbal). If you’re like me and should have advanced from “medium” months ago, but are too much of a chicken to cross the road to “hard”, then the medium pro gives you a nice bridge of comfort.
I should preface my review of Donkey Kong Country Returns with the fact that I’m not, nor ever was, much of a Wii fan. I bought it specifically for Netflix viewing in my room because it was cheaper than an Xbox 360. I was introduced to the Virtual Console and picked up a Classic controller so I could play DKC, just like old times. My world was rocked when I caught wind of the reanimation of my favorite game of all time (second maybe to Yoshi’s Island –which most of you know because I bitch about it incessantly for it’s unavailability on the Wii VC). Counting down to the release, I spent hours online watching trailers and videos of leaked gameplay on YouTube, looking at screen shots and reading reviews –soaking up everything I could to prepare myself before hand. Besides Rock Band 3, Donkey Kong Country Returns was the only game I gladly dropped $50 on as soon as it came out –ignoring the disapproving eye rolls from my sister at GameStop.
I’ve seen nothing but rave reviews for Donkey Kong Country Returns from long time DKC gamers, and recent Wii-hearts, but I think I may have let my expectations exceed a little too high this time. While the environment designs for each level are beautiful and the new characters are inventive, it was the music that grabbed onto my nostalgic heartstrings and ran for the hills. The music score for Donkey Kong Country Returns really does bring me back to the days when I was snowed in with my sister and we sat in the basement for days playing DKC on our Super Nintendo; tweaking from our 48 pack of Surge, our eyes glued to the screen like zombies.
Honestly Donkey Kong is really bulky and heavy –he’s hard to control because he easily falls off things and thumps around –which does make more sense for his character design, but if you’re used to DK from the SNES games, it can be a difficult adjustment. Diddy Kong is easier to control, just like in the original, but if you are playing with DK and jump with Diddy on your back, his little jet pack kicks into gear and you hover awkwardly for a bit –which will throw you off if you’re aiming for particular landing spot. This game really utilizes the background and foreground space –giving you longer level play and more hidden areas to collect more items. Speaking of items, there are so many new items to collect, it’s ridiculous! Bananas, puzzle pieces, letters…..if you love collecting items, this will blow your mind! The jury is still out on how I feel about the complexity of this game –does it improve the original or is it too distracting? Never underestimate the joy that can come from a more simplistic game –most of our favorite games are still the ones from the classic consoles, right?
There are a lot of things I love so far about Donkey Kong Country Returns, and I’m sure that as I play on, I’ll grow even more fond of it (I look forward to the mine cart levels), but the one thing that irks me to my core about Donkey Kong Country Returns is that it’s not compatible with the Classic controller. Maybe I’m just a Wii-tard, but I don’t have the vigorous yet graceful wrist control to be successful with the Wii remote. I’ll have to spend more time practicing with the Wii-mote this year –I picked up Mario Galaxy recently and I have a feeling that it isn’t compatible with the Classic controller. 2011 will be an even bigger and more eventful gaming year for me, since this year I plan to attend E3 and perhaps finally buy an XBOX 360 (we’ll see) to round out my non-portable console collection. Plus I still have Epic Mickey and Kirby’s Epic Yarn on my list to catch up on. I have my eye on an iPhone4, iPad2, and a 3DS –lots of gaming possibilities there! I’ll be working on more video game-based art; I’m currently designing a “gamer girl” pin-up series featuring a girl for every console –calendar, t-shirts, posters, etc. I’ll also be writing more game reviews on my blog , so stay tuned!
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The Cave from Double Fine Productions is an ingenious, dark little adventure puzzle-platform game that lets you choose 3 characters to play with; each have different abilities and levels within the cave that are specific to their back stories. There are 7 characters total, so you can have a different experience every time you play! So far my favorite “character” is the set of murderous twins; so creepy and I thought that their story was the most challenging of the puzzles (so I felt very satisfied when I finally beat it). I also played with the Hillbilly carnival worker and the Adventurer archeologist, but I look forward to choosing from the Time Traveler, The Monk, The Knight, and The Scientist next time! 
Each level is different and at least one is specific to one of your characters, but you have to switch between all three of your characters to complete each puzzle. You choose to activate each character based on their unique abilities or location to open doors, repair devices, weigh down scales, etc. Your characters respawn automatically if they die, which helps save some time, but they don’t always follow your active character and you’ll have to keep switching between the 3 to get them all to where you need them to be. Each level is colorful and fun, yet dark and twisted at the same time –which really spoke to my macabre sense of humor. The puzzles to complete each level are pretty complex and must be executed in a specific order so don’t feel like you’re less of a gamer if you need to consult the Wiki for the occasional tip. 
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