On the Shelves or On the Horizon: 2017’s Most Anticipated Video Games

In the film industry, January is used as a dumping ground for movies too embarrassing to be released alongside year-end Oscar bait. However, the video game industry often saves some of its most promising titles for the new year, to avoid competing with blockbusters during the holiday rush — and so, 2017 is off to a great start with a roster of new intellectual properties, and long-delayed sequels that reinvent classic franchises. Here are a few games already on shelves, and some of the most intriguing games on the horizon. Continue reading at ChelseaNow.com.

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Gizmos and Games as Gifts for Geeks

Geeks can be a fickle lot, especially when trying to buy gifts for them. New paradigm-shifting tech sometimes arrives with little fanfare. Early adopters of new gadgets are often filled with buyer’s remorse when their new toy turns out to be a dud. We tried out a few of the gizmos and games that are available this season, and came up with these prime candidates for stuffing nerdy stockings. Continue reading at ChelseaNow.com.

Con Champions the Artistic Virtues of Video Games

With grand narratives, soaring musical scores, and top-notch voice acting among its commonplace traits, the debate over whether or not the video game is an art form has moved being a simple “yes” or “no” question, to prompting more nuanced discussions of what constitutes art within the boundaries of a constantly evolving medium. Continue reading at ChelseaNow.com.

In Warhammer 40k’s “Eisenhorn Xenos” there is only war between story and gameplay

Eisenhorn: Xenos is a project with lots of crazy ideas. Take a successful tabletop strategy game like Warhammer 40k, then adapt it into a sci-fi detective novel, then adapt that novel into a video game that has no strategy. Madness, or brilliance? It’s a lot of both. The character Gregor Eisenhorn appeared in a trilogy of novels that are considered by Warhammer fans to be among the best literary adaptations of the game. Certainly someone could make a terrific game based on them, but the game that was released this month is probably not what fans were hoping for. In the grim darkness of game design, hope is the first step on the road to disappointment. Continue reading at Geek.com.

Valley combines your favorite games into one tiny package

The development team at Blue Isle Studios sure do love video games. Their new game, Valley, blends elements from half-a dozen recent hits and makes no effort to hide their inspirations. In it, an archaeologist stumbles into a mysterious valley, and almost immediately finds an experimental suit of power armor from a secret WWII army project. The player must restore balance to the fragile ecosystem of this once-idyllic valley, by mastering the enhanced running and jumping abilities granted by the suit, along with a gadget that grants power over the very forces of life and death! Continue reading at Geek.com.

Fall’s Best Video Games Beckon

The months ahead will see a glut of new video games scrambling to be the must-have holiday gift. However, recent releases have brought a swarm of titles that will keep players entertained until the big holiday rush arrives — and beyond. Among them are early Game of The Year contenders, high-definition re-releases of classics, and long-running hits that are still going strong, thanks to new content updates. Continue reading at ChelseaNow.com.

Bound will help you dance away your childhood trauma

The new PS4 game Bound is about a pretty princess ballerina, but there is more to it than prancing around in tutus. It has does have prancing (and twirling and fluttering and capering), but the game uses ballet to tell a story about a crumbling family and a child’s use of dance to escape the emotional trauma of her home. Bound combines elements of “Empathy Games” like Papo y Yo with platforming mechanics and gorgeous motion-captured animation to create an experience that will cut deeply into many players. Continue reading at Geek.com.