Posted in: Movies, Recent Updates, Video Games | Tagged: Castle Crashers, Charlie Murder, Dark Souls, Droqen, e3, Enemy Front, entertainment, Halo: Spartan Assault, Hopoo Games, Max: Curse of the Brotherhood, Probability 0, Radial Games, Risk of Rain, Rockets Rockets Rockets, Steam, Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, video games, Wolfenstein, Xbox 360

Live(ish) From The Games Shop – Probability 0, Rockets Rockets Rockets, Risk Of Rain

By Jared Cornelius

Well it's the week of E3 and as you can imagine no publisher or developer wants to get in the way of the onslaught of news that's coming out of LA this week.  That being said, there's not much in the way of games releases this week, so I'm going to do something a little different.  I'll still tell you about the week's new releases, but I'm also going to fill in the blanks with a few worthy indie titles to make up the difference.

So this week's only real worthwhile new release is Probability 0, from indie developer  Droqen.  Probability 0  is an endlessly platform game with a rather nontraditional twist of having you moving down instead of up.  It's also procedurally generated, meaning that every play through is different.  Probability 0 also has a rogue-like element that builds your character with special abilities the further you descend, but keep in mind the deeper you go the more numerous and powerful the enemies become.  Rogue-likes are also one life per run, so once you die, you start from the beginning without the abilities you've acquired in the last play through.  The game features a really grim and minimalist pixelated 2D art style that gives the game a genuine feeling of old school charm, think reverse, never ending, bleak, Ice Climbers for the NES.  I should note that technically Probability 0 has been available for sale on Droqen's website, but is being released on Steam on the 12th.

In games that you can already buy, ROCKETS ROCKETS ROCKETS is available in Steam Early Access.  The 2D rocket combat game from developer Radial Games, features, you guessed it rockets.  In what I can only describe as part one part air combat, one part LSD flashback, ROCKETS ROCKETS ROCKETS has you squaring off against AI and player controlled enemy rockets in a battle of air supremacy.  With the game being in early access the game is a little bare bones right now, but does feature bots for the single player enthusiast.  Radial Games have said they have much more planed for ROCKETS ROCKETS ROCKETS, including leagues, training, and Zen mode.  I personally found the game's thumping techno soundtrack and cool neon visuals to be worth the $5 entry fee.  ROCKETS ROCKETS ROCKETS is available right now on Steam.

Do you like your games tough as nails?  Then you my friend are the perfect candidate to play Risk of Rain from Hopoo Games.  Risk of Rain is an action 2D platformer with heavy rogue-like elements but the real hook is the games time mechanic.  Players can choose to stay in the level longer and discover the power-ups and secrets, but the longer you linger the more powerful and numerous the enemies become.  Enemies will spawn endlessly until a teleporter in each environment is reached, but you're then tasked with killing all the enemies that have spawned along with a heavy hitting boss monster consuming more time.  10 unique levels and player characters populate Risk of Rains punishing world, which you don't have to tackle alone thanks to online co-op.  Risk of Rain is no joke, maybe it says something about me, but its masochistic gameplay made me a fan of the rogue-like genre.  Risk of Rain is available right now on Steam and on Hopoo's website.

In our housekeeping for the week, members of Xbox Live Gold, can download, Dark Souls, Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, and the best 2D brawler since Castle Crashers, Charlie Murder on Xbox 360 this month.  Xbox One gets the mediocre Halo: Spartan Assault, and Max: Curse of the Brotherhood as well.  There are a couple of retail releases this week too, but nothing you want.  Enemy Front is out this week, but I've heard nothing about it and I can't imagine coming out the week of E3, it's anything other than shovelware.  It's a 3rd person World War II shooter, so if that's your thing, save yourself the trouble and go buy Wolfenstein.  How To Train Your Dragon 2 is out as well, but how many of you have been clamoring for the movie tie in game?

I already said it, but boy the release calendar is bleak this month.  With nothing to play, I'd whole heartedly recommend checking out these releases, they're all from indie developers that could use the support and are all priced accordingly.  For the price of a small coffee at a large chain coffee house, you can check out some awesome games and support the gaming community.  That's all for this week, but you can check out my other regular column, Typing on The Dead: Bleeding Cool's Walking Dead recap.  You can also check out some of my other random articles like First Person Boredom, and find out more by following me on Twitter @John_Laryngitis.  I don't bite, so come over and say hi, tell me I'm great, tell me I'm awful, tell me I'm great at being awful!

Jared Cornelius is some guy from New Jersey's coast who's got to go to school at a really inopportune time.  If you'd like to tell him about your incontinent timing, contact him on Twitter @John_Laryngitis 

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