Preview Archives - Tech-Gaming

Firefights in the Alt-Czechia Underground: Kvark previewed

Robert Allen — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 02:59:00 +0000

Their hazmat suit might protect them from radiation. But it’s no match for a rusty wrench to the head. Sporadically, the difference between a Steam Early Access build and a full release can be negligible. That’s perfectly fine when the preview plays and offers the substance found in a retail game. But all too often, ...

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Digital Dragons 2023: A Bastion of Indie Innovation

Robert Allen — Tue, 23 May 2023 00:28:00 +0000

Before the pandemic instigated the cancellation of annual gaming conferences and this year’s E3 unceremoniously fell part, industry events were already growing stale. Sure, conferences always had the allure of seeing hotly anticipated titles publicly unveiled for the first time. But between the awkward banter delivered during pressers, the exceedingly scripted responses from public relations ...

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First Look: Super 56

Robert Allen — Sat, 20 May 2023 20:16:58 +0000

Step aside, WarioWare. Super 56 flings a procession of madcap mini-games at players, each employing a single-button control scheme. Moving through the aisles of indie games at Krakow’s Digital Dragons convention, it took a moment for my brain to assess each effort. But the second I saw a parody of Japanese Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga’s ...

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Riveting but Not Quite Revolutionary: An Early Look at Uragun (PC)

Robert Allen — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 02:41:59 +0000

Uragun, the inaugural effort from Warsaw-based Kool2Play, imagines a dystopian future overrun by artificial intelligence. Currently in Early Access, the game’s exposition is skeletal, with a brief prologue and a few lines of disrespect uttered by a succession of bosses. But the shortage of storytelling might be a good thing, as Uragun’s play seems more ...

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Facing the Undead and Uncertainty in Ed-0: Zombie Uprising

Robert Allen — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 20:16:43 +0000

If you only enjoy the kind of technically proficient but slightly sterile experiences offered by triple-A games, you might want to steer clear of Ed-0: Zombie Uprising. Released by D3Publisher, it recalls the inelegant but habitually entertaining experiences of franchises like Earth Defense Force and OneeChanbara. But instead of a centering exclusively on action, Ed-0 ...

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Instruments of Destruction (Early Access) preview

Robert Allen — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 01:15:28 +0000

Long for the days when a LEGO vehicles are plunged through a house of cards? Instruments of Destruction gives you the beaches and the hardware to make mayhem happen. Luke Schneider has an appetite for destruction. As a senior designer for Volition, he helped craft one of the best outlets for digital vandalism with Red ...

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Diplomacy Is Not an Option (Early Access) preview

Robert Allen — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 01:33:10 +0000

When revolution arises, Diplomacy Is Not an Option. Fortunately, substantial armies, siege weapons, and murderous meteors are on the table when you’re tasked with safeguarding a sprawling stronghold. Delve into Diplomacy Is Not an Option’s tutorial and you’ll probably develop an indistinct idea of what’s to come. Here you’ll reacquaint yourself with all the fundamental ...

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Not Quite Domesticated: Kukoos – Lost Pets

Robert Allen — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 22:02:36 +0000

Kukoos – Lost Pets has the appearance of a top-tier platformer. But a multitude of blemishes keep the effort from offering uninterrupted enjoyment. A well-designed 3D platformer can be almost a magical experience. From Banjo-Kazooie, Super Mario 3D World, and even New Super Lucky’s Tale, exploring methodically made environments, hunting down arrays of collectables, and ...

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Twin-Stick Substance: Synthetik 2 previewed

Robert Allen — Tue, 28 Dec 2021 01:17:56 +0000

Craving twin-stick action that’s a bit more cerebral than most reflex-driven titles? Synthetik 2 builds on the engaging foundations of its 2018 predecessor, requiring a quick trigger finger and more importantly, a prudent plan of attack. When it comes to twin-sticker shooters, I’m shamefully indiscriminative, trying every single new title I can get my eager ...

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No Plan B (Steam Early Access) preview

Robert Allen — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 05:08:49 +0000

Round up your squad, plot your path, and watch those corners while you strive to keep your teammates alive in No Plan B. Whether you opt for cops, robbers, or gangsters, there’s a wealth of strategizing found in both pre-made missions as well as player-designed ones. A multitude of games are built around the ‘breach ...

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Train Life: A Railway Simulator preview

Robert Allen — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 04:57:49 +0000

Whether you’re racing down the rails from the confines of a cab or calling the shots from the confines of your company offices, Train Life: A Railway Simulator offers affordable, Early Access enjoyment that largely on track. Sure, the car is the dominant method of personal transportation in the US. But as someone lucky enough ...

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Age of Darkness: Final Stand preview

Robert Allen — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 01:16:39 +0000

In need of a humiliation? If so, you might want to make Age of Darkness: Final Stand your next masochistic undertaking. Good luck with constructing a fortification that can withstand onslaughts of 70,000 simultaneous attackers. Years of gaming accomplishments can make you too self-assured. If that’s the case, Age of Darkness: Final Stand is ...

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Orbital Bullet (Early Access Impressions)

Robert Allen — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 16:18:49 +0000

With taut action, creatively conceived level structures, and more weapons, perks, and skills that most of its peers, Orbital Bullet’s Early Access release shows a lot of pugnacious promise. A developer once joked, “isn’t everything better with roguelike qualities?” After playing, Orbital Bullet, that playful statement seems to contain quite a bit of truth. At ...

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Order and Chaos Clash in King’s Bounty II

Robert Allen — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 02:29:53 +0000

Seven years after the release of King’s Bounty: Dark Side, developer 1C-Softclub returns with a follow-up that updates some of the timeworn traits while preserving the series’ turn-base battles. Much like the Wizardry series, which branched off into a mainline Western series and succession of spin-offs in Japan, King’s Bounty has a splintered legacy. Originally ...

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Open World Action Among the Clouds- Black Skylands

Robert Allen — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 15:13:48 +0000

With plenty of gunplay and ship-to-ship conflict, Black Skylands offers plenty of gratifying open world action. But you might want to wait for a bit more progress before heading off to the cloud-based setting. Wide-open, azure skies often signal tranquility. But that’s not the case with Black Skylands. Currently in an Early Access release, the ...

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Hands-On with Bang-On Balls: Chronicles (Early Access)

Robert Allen — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 17:22:27 +0000

If Bang-On Balls: Chronicles continues to build upon its prodigious foundations, this could becomes one of the most auspicious debuts for an indie developer. Despite being in an Early Access state, Bang-On Balls: Chronicles flaunts the kind of creativity and refinement often associated with premium priced games crafted by large studios. Seemingly, this proficiency ...

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Warpips (Early Access) preview

Robert Allen — Fri, 14 May 2021 19:15:51 +0000

From CastleStorm, Swords and Soldiers, to Metal Slug Defense, there’s a good chance you’ve played a 2D side-scrolling real-time strategy game. Even if you haven’t, the concept is rather easy to absorb. On each end of the battlefield are two bases which are able to spawn different types of units. Players don’t control most of ...

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Quinterra (Early Access) preview

Robert Allen — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 03:19:07 +0000

The best Early Access titles feel virtually complete. Built on seemly solid foundations, these games might need just a bit of additional substance before making the leap toward a final retail build. Then, there’s a second tier of game which offer fleeting glimpses of achievement. There’s just not enough completed development to ensure successful results. ...

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Fights in Tight Spaces (Early Access) preview

Robert Allen — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 16:23:01 +0000

Deck-based, ass-kicking action that’s even better than the B-movie title might suggest. If you ever owned a Sony PSP, there’s a good chance you might have played 2005’s Metal Gear Acid or the sequel released the subsequent year. A bold departure from the mainline titles of Hideo Kojima’s stealth-action series, the ACID series still focused ...

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30XX Early Access preview

Robert Allen — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 04:38:57 +0000

Mixing Mega Man X playability with some roguelike procedurally generated environments, 30XX is delightfully polished, even in its current state. There’s a multitude of ways that a procedurally generated Mega Man clone can go sideways. But nearly four years ago, Batterystaple Games and Fire Hose Games’ 20XX achieved the unlikely. The result was a game ...

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