Posted in: Games, Movies, Recent Updates, Video Games | Tagged: #IDARB, Criminal Girls: Invite Only, Darkest Dungeon, entertainment, Game of Thrones Episode 2, video games

Sweet Release! Game of Thrones Episode 2, Darkest Dungeon, Criminal Girls: Invite Only, #IDARB, February's Free Games

By Jared Cornelius

Welcome back to Sweet Release! Bleeding Cool's look at the week's new video games.  After last week's stellar line up, the first week of February takes a bit of a step back.  Not every week can have classic game revivals and open world zombie madness, but it feels like we're getting close.  This is another big digital week as the only boxed retail game most likely won't show up at stores because of "racy" content.

As you may have already heard, the next episode in the Game of Thrones series from Telltale Games is out this week.  Entitled, The Lost Lords, this episode focuses on a character going to the wall and meeting the Knights Watch, so expect an appearance from one Mr. John Snow.  The fantasy adventure series is more talk than action, with a style and feel very much like the first season of Telltale's Walking Dead game.  No spoilers, just a friendly warning that episode one was pretty grim.  Game of Thrones: Episode 2 The Lost Lords is out this week on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, as well as Android and I0S devices.

While we're talking about bleak fantasy experiences, developer Red Hook's Darkest Dungeon  comes to Steam this week.  Another in a long line of successful Kickstarter "rogue-like" games, you're summoned to an ancient estate that holds a terrible secret.  Players recruit a traditional role playing game style party of healers, fighters, rogues and the like and battle with turn based combat.  Darkest Dungeon's big hook is playing with your parties' sanity, with survival, stability, and arcane horrors affecting the mental stress of your companions.  Rest, comfort, and well timed speeches will help manage the stress, but surviving means performing in combat as well as keeping morale high.  Darkest Dungeon has a really cool heavily inked art style, and a heavy depressing grasp on adventuring.  Darkest Dungeon released Tuesday on Steam.

If you haven't been getting your required amount of scantily clad anime ladies you could check out Criminal Girls: Invite Only from NIS America.  The management strategy sim/role playing game has you attempting to rehabilitate 7 girls who've been damned to hell.  By going "one on one" and getting to know them, you'll help them get their acts together and attempt to exit a tower out of the underworld.  This is another one of those titles that gets a little weird, with use of the PlayStation Vita's touchscreen and touchpad functionality.  Falling under the banner of, "You know if you like this" Criminal Girls mix of strategy, management, and dating elements and should satisfy the spreadsheet crowd.  Criminal Girls: Invite Only released Tuesday for PlayStation Vita.

Xbox Live subscribers are getting a treat this month with a brand new indie game for the Games With Gold program.  #IDARB, short for It Draws a Red Box, is a mash up of pixelated multiplayer sports madness.  Up to 8 players can get together for co-op on a 2D Smash Bros. styled multi-level map, where the goal is to get the ball in the net.  It sounds simple until the complexities of angling shots, player interference, and combo chain assists come into play.  Fast paced and frantic, it's meant to be enjoyed with others via couch co-op for the authentic punching your friend experience.  It's weird, fast paced, and ideally should be played drunk.  #IDARB is currently exclusively available on the Xbox One.

If you subscribe to either of the premium services, a new month means new free games.  PlayStation Plus has another strong showing with PlayStation 4 getting Super Giant Game's isometric hack and slash Transistor and brand new 2D hack and slash game Apotheon.  PlayStation 3 users get the poorly received revival of Thief along with open world mob game Yakuza 4.  Finally PlayStation Vita users get 2D platformer Kick & Fennick.  The cherry on top is all three systems get access to Cellar Door Game's superb 2D "Metroid-Vania" style platformer Rogue Legacy.

Xbox Live Gold users get the aforementioned #IDARB on Xbox One all month.  The 360 gets the overhead duel controlled puzzle action game, Brother's A Tale of Two Sons free until the 16th when it'll be replaced by tactical first person shooter, Sniper Elite V2.

That's all for this week sports fans, you can check out my other regular column, Typing on The Dead.  You should also go take a look at our very own Christine Marie's Live From The Comic Shop, that gets written live every Wednesday at Conquest Comics in Bayville New Jersey.

Jared Cornelius is some guy from the Jersey coast. You can find hom on Twitter @John_Laryngitis.

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