This week on my adventures through Greenlight, I continue to learn about games that no longer have that New Game smell, but are nonetheless worth delving into for a myriad of reasons. Unlike my preceding articles that seem to have some semblance of direction and organization, this week I relied on my Twitch stream chat to help me choose which game to play. May God have mercy on our souls.
Hello intrepid gamers. We’re back for another Greenlight Special. This week’s games focus on physics-based builders. I find game physics to be endlessly amusing, and I’m fairly certain many of you out there do as well, if r/GamePhysics is any indicator. I also decided to stream my adventures on Steam, and I was pleasantly surprised by the community’s interest. Onward!
I happen to have an incredibly well-versed boss when it comes to indie games. I draw a lot of inspiration from him, and often put myself in his shoes near as I can in order to make better decisions when it comes to work. At gaming trade shows, we spend a great deal of time checking out what’s new with the indie scene. In anticipation of GDC and PAX East, coming up in a few weeks, I thought I’d delve into more adventurous puzzle games since the theme of 2015 seems to be Adventuretime. I’m not complaining.
This week’s Greenlight Game is Albert and Otto, created by Nikola Kostic. Posted on Greenlight January 27th, this game already has a bit of a buzz surrounding it, and the community seems excited that this is in development. They have a working demo, and you have to email them to request a key, which I thought was smart. So, going through my Greenlight queue this week, Albert and Otto popped up and immediately stood out because of the stunning art style: minimalist 2D side-scrolling platformer with dynamic background, a monochromatic color palette, and creepy ambience tempered by moody, reverb-inundated music? Yes, please!
I love that word. Greenlight. To me, it represents possibility. Hollywood began greenlighting movies decades ago, and Valve’s Steam Greenlight seems to have perfected it: putting the release – heck, even the fate – of a game into the hands of the community. What you get are a multitude of community-supported adventures, creating diversity and driving innovation forward so what we aren’t left with as the only forms of entertainment are large, cookie-cutter carbon copies of the same buggy AAA-titles. Kinda makes you wish Hollywood would do a “Steam”.
Each week, I’ll dive into that seemingly endless pool found on Steam Greenlight, and bring you the best two games I can find before that looming deadline of Tuesday shows up demanding payment. Without any further ado…
The first game on our Greenlit Game list is Orion Trail, by Schell Games. From the Steam page: “Orion Trail is a single player choose-your-own-space-adventure where you must rely on your wits, your officers and your shit to cross the deadly Orion Trail.”
H1Z1 will launch on Steam Early Access today, January 15, 2015 at Noon PT (3pm ET). Join LockSixTime and Cyliena on Twitch for ZAM's H1Z1 livestream! We'll bring you all the action from the excitement of installing the game to the dashing hopes of not being mobbed by zombies (or other players).
Follow ZAM on Twitch now and we'll see you today at Noon Pacific!
Lindsay "geektr0n" Ferguson hosts ZAM's latest installment of Friday Update Arcade! Topics discussed are:
The Steam 2014 Holiday Sale has begun! Like past sales, it features daily deals, new deals every 12 hours and community choice deals. Many other games are discounted as well, so check up on your wishlist or just browse through Steam's catalogue.
Lindsay "geektr0n" Ferguson hosts ZAM's latest installment of Friday Update Arcade! Topics discussed are:
H1Z1 will be entering Steam Early Access on January 15, 2015. The cost is set at $19.99. SOE President John Smedley posted the following on Reddit:
Lindsay "geektr0n" Ferguson hosts ZAM's latest installment of Friday Update Arcade! Topics discussed are:
