Posted in: Movies, Recent Updates, Video Games | Tagged: Crypt of the Necrodancer, Danny Baranowsky, entertainment, gaming, Naighty Dog Studios, playstation 3, playstation 4, PlayStation Vita, Steam, The Last of Us: Remastered, video games, Zen Pinball 2: Guardians of the Galaxy

Live(ish) From The Games Shop: The Last of Us Remastered, Rogue Legacy, Crypt Of The Necrodancer, Zen Pinball 2 Guardians of The Galaxy

By Jared Cornelius

Welcome back to Live(ish) From The Games Shop.  With San Diego Comic Con and E3 out of the way, it looks like we're finally in the home stretch of summer.  I know we have a whole month left, but one of the telltale signs of summer ending is the games release schedule is picking up.  This week we have a single retail release, but it's one of the biggest critical hits of the last few years in a new generation upgrade, along with two very cool indie hits that shouldn't be missed.

Our lone retail release is The Last of Us: Remastered by Naughty Dog Studios.  The 3rd person action adventure game tells the tale of two survivors of a global plague traveling across the country trying to bring a possible cure to a resistance movement.  The Last of Us is one part Walking Dead, and one part Uncharted, with a completely serious story and an emphasis or horror, but with a solid 3rd person combat mechanic.  The games well-acted, has a dire tone, and thrives on little moments between the main characters.  While the PlayStation 3 version is only a little over a year old, the 2014 PlayStation 4 update features upgraded visuals, the Left Behind story DLC, as well as multiplayer maps and skins.  The Last of Us was one of my favorite gaming experiences of last generation, is well worth the price of admission, and should be considered one of gaming's mandatory experiences.  Fans of the Walking Dead and bleak experiences take special notice.  The Last of Us: Remastered released Tuesday on PlayStation 4.

What do you get when you mash up a rogue-like with Castlevania: Symphony of The Night?  The spectacular Rogue Legacy from Cellar Door Games that's what!  The 2D platformer takes you through the ages as an adventurer trying to conquer a castle, however being a rogue-like, every game is one life, meaning dying will send you back to the start, but as a new generation.  The son or daughter of your previous character takes over the quest and is given a series of traits to choose between before re-entering the castle.  It may be missing a foot pulse that will help suppress traps, ADHD that will move you faster, or color blindness that will put a monochromatic view on screen.  Bucking one huge tradition of the rogue-like, players may spend the gold collected on the previous run on character upgrades that carry over between characters.  Tackle the castle with 9 character classes with branching skill trees, and a sleek pixel art style.  Rogue Legacy released Tuesday for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita, and in even better news it's a cross buy game, so buy one and get'em all!  It's also available on Steam.

Dust off your dance pads and get ready to shake that booty with Brace Yourself Games' Crypt of The Necrodancer.  If you thought Rogue Legacy's mixed up of style was crazy, Crypt of The Necrodancer is a mash up rogue-like and rhythm game that can be played with a USB dance pad!  Crypt takes cues from rhythm games by challenging you to move and do battle with a musical beat, with players more successfully traverse levels and doing more damage by keeping in time with the beat.  Crypt of The Necrodancer is another rogue-like so expect a challenging difficulty with every death sending you back to the start.  The soundtrack was also composed by Danny Baranowsky, who did music for Super Meat Boy, but if that's not your thing, you'll be able to import your own tunes.   Brace Yourself Games are also giving you a wide variety of choices on how to play with gamepad, keyboard, or actual USB dance pads as an option.  Crypt of The Necrodancer is hitting Steam Early Access this week, so expect frequent patches and updates.

It's a pinball time of year! Only a few weeks ago I told you about the new season of Pinball Arcade, and now Zen Pinball 2 is releasing a Guardians of The Galaxy table to coincide with the movie.  Zen Pinball's had a great history of Marvel themed tables like Infinity Gauntlet, Moon Knight, and Spider-Man so fingers crossed for another winner.  The Guardians of The Galaxy table released Tuesday on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita.

I'm glad we're finally seeing a big box release this week, and the end of the summer drought, but I'm even happier to see these two cool indie games getting wide releases.  If you never listen to anything I say again, go check out Rogue Legacy and Crypt of The Necrodancer, they're both really interesting indie games that could use support an attention.  Looking ahead we seem to have retail releases every week so my job just became easier again!  Next week should have the updates for the free games on PlayStation and Xbox, as well as another rundown of indie's hitting the PC.

You can check out my other regular column, Typing on The Dead, Bleeding Cool's Walking Dead recap.  I also write random articles through the week that you can find out about by following me on Twitter @John_Laryngitis.  Stop by and say hello, I respond to everyone who messages me good, bad, or otherwise.  Until next time, Stay Gold.

Jared Cornelius is some guy from New Jersey's coast who wants a USB dancepad, but is having trouble justifying the purchase.  If you'd like to tell him about unnecessary peripherals, contact him on Twitter @John_Laryngitis

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