In this installment of the Speculator, we’re focusing on the next Xbox. Will it play used games? Will it pack a new Kinect? Will it use Blu-Ray discs? READ MORE
January 2012
In this installment, we out-maneuver our friends in Hero Academy, out-maneuver the AI in Time of Heroes and out-plumb the destructive tendencies of alligators in Where’s My Water.
Hero Academy: Some of the best iOS experiences come when traditional game developers turn their attention to the platform. Robot Entertainment, creators of Orcs Must Die!, tried their hand at mobile development with Hero Academy, a freemium small-board strategy game that pits you against your friends. READ MORE
Here at Snackbar Games, we’re as interested in news as anyone else, and this week the big news is the newly revealed Nintendo Network.
TOP STORY: Nintendo Network on Wii U and 3DS
During an investor meeting this week, Nintendo released a ton of information regarding the Wii U and the 3DS. (Speaking of the Wii U, Nintendo is reconsidering the name.) As for the big news, Nintendo gave the first details on their new online service, Nintendo Network. In addition to allowing online tournaments and DLC downloads, it will include individual user accounts rather than hardware-based accounts. Mario Kart 7 is already using an early version of the Nintendo Network, as is Theatrhythm Final Fantasy.
This week, we’re sharing this clip of a few of Rhythm Heaven Fever‘s challenges, from protecting Edo from beasts of the shadow realm to making sure your girl doesn’t get hit by that soccer ball. If the final game (out February 13) is like what we played last summer, we’ll probably just shut our eyes and enjoy the beat.
As I mentioned in my Best of 2011 edition, Jay Cormier’s and Sen-Foong Lim’s Belfort (published by Tasty Minstrel Games) is a grand mix of various traditional Eurogame mechanics. Up to five players have seven months (rounds) to carefully place workers (elves, dwarfs, and to a lesser extent gnomes), manage resources, and vie for control of the five districts of the titular city as they race to construct it before the winter arrives and the yetis attack. That may seem like a lot — and it is. Early plays of Belfort will test you like few other games, and new players are likely to be overwhelmed by the options and strategies available. READ MORE
