Frozen Synapse PC Demo and Sale

By: Derek Yu

On: August 11th, 2011

Frozen Synapse, the simultaneous turn-based squad tactics game from Mode 7 Games, is half-off this weekend on Steam ($12.49). Also, a demo has been released for the PC version of the game (with Mac soon to follow).

TIGdb: Entry for Frozen Synapse

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Pax Britannica ported to Android, Still Free

By: Alehkhs

On: July 1st, 2011

No Fun Games’ one-button RTS, Pax Britannica, has been ported to Android. This port supports 2-player battles on the same device, or against an AI player if you’re by yourself. Like it’s computer (Win/Mac/Linux) counterpart, Pax Britannica for Android sports beautiful pixel graphics and easy-to-learn gameplay, as well as a price tag of ‘free.’

Game’s Site
Android Marketplace

(Source: IndieGames.com)

Infested Planet Beta

By: Derek Yu

On: June 23rd, 2011

The feeling of relief I had as I destroyed a particularly well-defended hive quickly evaporated when the aliens counterattacked me to the north. They had evolved a unit that could lay “mimic eggs” – the eggs exploded when your marines got close and released dangerous clones. With the help of this monster, the two flamethrowers I had on defense were getting overrun and I gave up two bases to pull back. I honestly thought it was a lost cause at that point, but carefully leap-frogging turrets turned out to be the perfect antidote to this new type of enemy, since they could fire on the eggs without triggering them. End result? A perilous victory that took the lives of 60-odd marines but also brought an end to nearly a hundred thousand horrifying xenos.

That battle was the hardest I’ve fought so far in Alex Vostrov’s Infested Planet, a spiritual sequel to his real-time strategy game Attack of the Paper Zombies. The highlight of IP, of course, is the alien enemy, which moves slowly but in large numbers, and adapts to you with a new upgrade each time you take over one of its hives. Build points that are gained after each capture can be spent on training marines and building turrets. Everything can be sold back at cost, so the key to success is to adapt with the aliens and maintain a nice containment on them as they grow more and more powerful. It ends up feeling a bit like a Tower Defense game, albeit one where you can actually counterattack and win.

Infested Planet was released yesterday as a public beta at $15, a 25% discount (35% if you enter the code “STARBEAR”). It’s a great game, and well-worth checking out. If you’re still unsure, read one of Alex Vostrov’s own battle reports, which lays out a Master-level engagement. It includes lots of nice screenshots to show off the vibrant visual design (courtesy of Mike & Greg‘s Greg Wohlwend).

Vertex Dispenser

By: Derek Yu

On: June 11th, 2011

Vertex Dispenser is a clever RTS where the goal is to overrun your opponents on abstract 3d worlds, claiming your territory vertex by vertex. The most interesting aspect of the game, in my opinion, is the resource management – resources come in seven different flavors, from blue, the least valuable, all the way up to white. The more nodes of a color you own, the faster that resource replenishes, but what color a node becomes when you tag it is dependent on the colors of the adjacent nodes. Specifically, it defaults to the lowest value color that is not present in the adjacent nodes. White, the most difficult color to obtain (because it requires that all six adjacent nodes are different colors), yields the most powerful abilities, and blue the weakest.

Getting the most out of the nodes requires some simple puzzle-solving, but it becomes much more difficult on a constantly changing battlefield where opponents are also expanding and poking at your defenses. It’s a cool idea, and despite the serenity of the abstract audiovisuals, Vertex Dispenser is pretty exciting to play at higher difficulties. The game comes with a single-player campaign, puzzle and battle modes, and the ability to play multiplayer games across platform (Windows/Macintosh).

Frozen Synapse Released

By: Derek Yu

On: May 26th, 2011

The simultaneous turn-based squad tactics game Frozen Synapse has been released, with a discounted launch price of $19.99. The game features 5 multiplayer modes and a 55-mission single player campaign. There’s no demo available, but if you purchase the game you get a free copy to send a friend.

Released: May 26th, 2011
Price: $24.99 ($19.99 Today)
TIGdb: Entry for Frozen Synapse

Natural Selection 2 Build 177

By: Derek Yu

On: May 25th, 2011

Unknown Worlds has released a new beta build of their FPS/strategy hybrid Natural Selection 2, and I thought I’d post some of the latest videos from NS2HD that show off the game. The top video is from the spectator mode and after the jump there are three videos that take you through an entire match from alien perspective.

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Rebuild

By: Derek Yu

On: May 20th, 2011

Sarah Northway’s Rebuild has racked up nearly 2.5 million plays on Kongregate, and it’s not hard to see why: the game’s zombie outbreak theme is married quite well with its city-building mechanics. Each day you can send your team out on various missions to scout, scavenge, and reclaim the city, block by block. Survivors can be recruited and trained in various roles, reducing the time and danger involved in carrying out these tasks. At night, the zombies can invade, so it’s important to bolster your defenses and leave some people (preferably soldiers) behind to guard.

It’s great fun, and there’s a lot of potential here for a sequel with more depth, more personalization, more possibilities. Thankfully, Sarah is already pursuing it! You can read about the development of Rebuild 2 here, on the blog she shares with her husband (Fantastic Contraption creator Colin Northway).

TIGdb: Entry for Rebuild

Preview: Xenonauts

By: Derek Yu

On: May 19th, 2011

Fans of Julian Gollop’s X-COM might be happy to hear about a project that’s heavily-inspired by the classic strategy game. Unlike the FPS reboot by 2K Marin (titled “XCOM”), Xenonauts follows the original closely in terms of design, and features Geoscape, base management, and air and ground combat. However, the creators are trying to improve on X-COM in a variety of ways – for example, by adding a directional cover system to the combat system. The game also takes place in the 1979, during the Cold War, and eschews futuristic human technology in favor of more recognizable weapons and vehicles.

Xenonauts has been in production for 18 months so far, and Goldhawk Interactive is taking pre-orders to aid the development – people who pre-order can help test various aspects of the game before release. For more information, check out this development blog on the PC Gamer website that highlights a lot of the new features. There’s also a two-page preview that should appear in the PCG magazine in July.

(Source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun)

Spy Party Early-Access Beta

By: Derek Yu

On: May 12th, 2011

Chris Hecker has been taking sign-ups to play a beta version of his current project, the multiplayer Spy Party. The beta costs $15 and will give you access to the full version of the game when it’s released. Chris has also released some interesting data regarding the first day and a half of sign-ups on the game’s blog.

Frozen Synapse Beta: Single-Player Campaign

By: Derek Yu

On: May 5th, 2011

Mode 7 Games has released a 55-mission single-player campaign to the Frozen Synapse beta that puts you in the middle of a power struggle between competing factions. The missions are slightly randomized with each playthrough, and run the gamut from escorts to assassinations to robberies. Along the way, a cast of characters will either help or hinder you.

The developers describe the single-player game in more detail here. There’s also a coupon that gives you 30% off the $25.99 price (“STANCHER” is the keyword). If you pre-order, you and a friend get instant access to the beta, including the new single-player campaign, as well as the full version of the game once it’s released later this year.