Immortal Defense - Tower Defense with Serious Class

RunMan is probably the closest you're going to find to pure bottled glee on the internet right now, so let's take the edge off that high with a game that will probably make you feel bad.

Tower Defense games are ten a penny these days. Hell, you can probably find fifty for free before having to shell out that penny. This one is $15, though, and you'll probably want to pay up once you play the bumper-bonus huge demo. It's just that good.

Find the game and its demo here. Give it a try - it's clever, it's complex, the gameplay is varied and refreshingly different from the norm in the genre, and the story is just plain good. That's good in general, and not 'Good for a videogame'. There's a lot of style in the minimalist/oversaturated vector graphics, and there's a lot of subtlety to the music as well, which further helps carry the atmosphere.

Hit the Jump for the trailer, if words of encouragement aren't enough.

RunMan: Race Around The World - A Game About Doing Your Best!

A brief break from the crushing thousand-fathom-pressure depths of The Void for something much happier. A game about doing your best, and running really fast, and perhaps even combining these two.

It's a free, indie-developed platformer/time attack dealie with super-cute art and tons of soul and a fantastic soundtrack. It kinda plays like the old, good Sonic games, but with the camera zoomed out.

Watch the totally super-fancy fresh trailer here.

Download the game (FREE!) or donate money to the guys who made it (YOU SHOULD!) here.

And totally do your best.

Notes from The Void - Cycles 2 to 5

False starts, failure, overconfidence, lack of a game-plan, and even a minor bug (apparently fixed in the final release) have been tripping me up every step of the way. Such seems to be the nature of The Void. But I returned, learning from my mistakes, and bringing you yet another five cycles of posthumous diary.

They weren't kidding when they said it was hard. It's kinda refreshing, going into a game and actually having to experiment, explore and even fail under my own power. Not for everyone, but it's a definite change of gears from the current trend of failure being a second-to-second mistake, undone in another ten.

So, hit the Jump, tumble into the Nightmare, and claw your way back into The Void.

Notes from The Void - Cycle 1

Thanks to the lovely people at Ice-Pick Lodge and Mamba Games, I've found myself with a handfull of review copies to filter through my brain and turn into words. First and foremost of which is the english version of The Void. Recently given a 'directors cut' re-release in Russia with more content, an improved script, more levels and a more logical difficulty curve, this is the version we're getting. It has been out in Germany for a while now (and garnered some quite positive reviews), and the English version is due for release on the 23rd of October.

I've been warned that the game is strange, confusing, and possessed of a particularly old-school level of difficulty. So, rather than dive straight into writing a review and passing judgement, I'll start by chronicling my initial adventures into the cold, dark and alien place that is The Void. The latest game by Russian arthouse studio Ice-Pick Lodge, it's a first-person action/adventure game which defies traditional description.

It's available for preorder for £20 (free postage worldwide until October 10th) here, if you're willing to just jump in unprepared, but if you want to know what you're getting into, hit the jump, and descend. Oh, and click screenshots to view them in full size.

An Appeal From The Game Preservation Society - The Temple of Elemental Evil and the Circle of Eight

Some games aren't blessed with an easy life. Born to underfunded developers, jerked around by indecisive and focus-group-led publishers, and abandoned before patches can even begin to address the worst of the launch issues. Most of these games just die out, unable to support a fanbase despite whatever good intentions they may have had, leaving a legacy of dissapointment and disdain. Some, however, are lucky enough to catch the attention of dedicated fans, modders, hackers and more.

Hit the jump for the second in a series of quick looks at the best in revivals, fan-patches and independent translations. Today: The Temple of Elemental Evil as restored to something approaching glory by the Circle of Eight, who are possibly some sort of band of digital necromancers.

No Thinking Anywhere NEAR This Box - The GMod Idiot Box

It's not big.

It's not clever.
(Boy, is it ever not clever)

But it is funny.

It's the GMod Idiot Box, a skit comedy machinima series created with the fantastical Garry's Mod, jam-packed with stupid internet memes, movie parodies and running gags, and somehow ends up far funnier than it has any right to be, mainly due to it's creator - the creatively pseudonym'ed Bo Schitt - having a really good eye for comic timing.

So watch it. Personally, my favourite skit in the whole thing is the 'Meet The Spy' one in Episode 7. Why? The facial expressions are just perfect. Hit the jump for the first episode.

An Appeal From The Game Preservation Society - Front Mission 5 Translated

Every year, dozens of games are left abandoned, alone, unable to fend for themselves. Deprived of vital developer and publisher assistance, they wander store shelves and the internet aimlessly, looking for love and support. Most end up fading into obscurity, but thanks to the efforts of dedicated fans, modders, coders and hackers, a lucky handfull of these games get a second chance, and a new lease of life.

Hit the jump for the first in a series of quick looks at the best in revivals, fan-patches and independent translations. Today: Square-Enix's militaristic mech strategy-RPG Front Mission 5.

Madness Accelerant - Because clowns on fire are even worse than the regular kind.

Go on. You know you want to.

Somewhere in Nevada, a very angry man called Hank battles an army of (literally) faceless thugs, a probability-bending evil clown and The Savior, who is apparently some kind of evil bizarro-Jesus. And all for no good reason besides looking cool. This is Madness, one of Newgrounds longest-running animation series, and the creation of the man known as Krinkels.

And now it's a game, which you should play, because it's a brilliant bit of Metal Slug-esque boss rushery and wanton cartoon violence with some thumping beats to accompany it. It's hosted on Newgrounds, and developed by Tom Fulp, head honcho of the enormous flash portal, and won't take more than 15-20 minutes of your precious time to blast your way through. Arrow keys to move, A to shoot, S to jump. Play it now.