GOG just released the Warcraft bundle, which includes the original, Warcraft II Battle.net edition, and the corresponding expansions.
David Brevik (mastermind behind Diablo) on Twitter about appleās and Googleās upcoming game abo services:
āIām very worried about the future of the gaming market.ā
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Hereās my views on the Lorenzo Il Magnifico digital edition for Steam on Kickstarter.
Somebody here (I wonāt name names :P) has already made his thoughts knownā¦
This is an outgrowth of the digital games that you donāt really own (Steam, Epic, App Store, Google Play). The next step is to abstract away ALL of the game into a locked in service, which is what Stadia, the new Apple Games Service and the MS Xbox Version of game streaming are doing. Hell, PS+ and now XBL donāt let you keep the free games any longer.
Itās waaaay too late to be lamenting the state of the industry - itās been way to late for a decade now. Steam pulled off a masterful coup on game ownership - the industry is finally reaching the point where the majority of gamers donāt care whether they own their games any longer.
This why I still by physical as often as I can. Yes, itās more convenient to boot a game without putting in a disk or cartridge, but Iād rather own the physical copy in perpetuity than rely on a (paid) service telling me when I do or do not have access to a game.
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I like to buy a physical copy when itās a complete game, not tied to a digital online service, but some of those are sometimes hard to come by and you have to be willing to not take advantage of a digital sale.
For example, I was late to the Switch, and late to SteamWorld Dig. I enjoyed SteamWorld Dig enough that I decided to pick up the sequel, which had already been out so long, and popular enough, that a limited physical edition was released (digital SteamWorld Dig 2 on 21 September 2017, the physical edition looks like it came out on 19 June 2018, for PS4 and Switch). I could have gotten it cheaper on a digital sale, but I enjoyed SteamWorld Dig enough that I felt like the physical copy of SteamWorld Dig 2 would be a keeper. 
It doesnāt fit the typical fare that we talk about here, but I have to give a shout out to Rush Rally 3, which just released. Iād recommend looking it up and simply watching the video in the App Store. This is a fully-fledged and very well done rally game with excellent graphics, great control, a campaign, multiplayer, and everything else you would want in a racing game. In its own, thatās great. But here is what is most impressive:
Indie developer. A file size around 200MB. Compatibility with device running iOS 8 or later and as old as the iPhone 5a. And a premium price of $4 with no IAP!
That is how it should be done. Just compare this to the newest Elder Scrolls abomination from Bethesda and it is both incredibly impressive what Rush Rally offers and very sad what big developers do because they really only care about milking money.
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File this under āThings I just found out that I think are cool but everyone may already know about.ā
Apparently, in Minecraft you can buy an online service (I think it is $4/mo) that essentially creates a persistent server for you and 2-3 friends. Iām not interested in Minecraft, but I absolutely love the idea in general. Iād love a city builder/economic sim that does this. Imagine a Sim City-like game where you and a couple friends can run persistent sister cities and you donāt need to be online at the same time. I personally think that would be cool. Maybe Iām the only one.
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Nope. I thought Realms was a genius move for Minecraft.
Maybe of interestā¦
Cultist Simulator di Playdigious
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Iāve long been curious about this 1 but fear it might lack my definition of replayability. I know there are several different endings and routes the player can take, but am I right in my understanding that if I were to repeat the same steps of my last play through Iād get the exact same results?
I have no clue of what Iām doing but Iām liking this a lot.
Itās basically Fallen London: the card game.
I wish I could answer. Iāve played it a bit on Steam and still have no idea what the hell is going on (which is, I think, the point).
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The discovery of the paths to get to the endings is really the game. Thereās a fair bit of story hidden in the card descriptions and you rarely get the same starting cultists or investigators, which makes a massive difference in the way you build up your chthonic engine.
Iād say itās got a fair bit of replay-ability, but a lot of that comes from losing, then taking what you learned to trudge further the next time.
You CAN look up how to progress optimally for each ending, and that would knock your replay value down, but thereās still a solid amount of content in gameplay and lore there for less than a fiver.
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Played too much Cultist Simulator last night, huge headache today at work.
Sorry not sorry.
Game is awesome imho, couldnāt stopā¦did 3 complete runs (always failed) but each one was better than previous one.
Itās part boardgame, part narrative game, part deck builder.
Itās very difficult to explain but I echo others opinionsā¦if you like the general setting/ideaā¦go blind, donāt read anything.
Itās not that hard to figure it outā¦you will at first say something like:
āI have no idea of what Iām doing but the writing is goodā
then
āOhā¦then I need this not to dieā
then
āOk, I need this and this to free my imprisoned cultist to spread the word about theā¦ā
then
āI cracked it. Iāll get best ending in half an hour!!!ā
Of course 3 hours later you will die nonetheless, but you will experience always different stories in the same setting.
After a while, you will recognize the general color coding of the cards, looking actively for some cards while trying to avoid others.
Meanwhile you will be always entertained by really great writing, fast enough to be enjoyable without being too verbose.
If you can, I suggest to start playing on a bigger device, then move to iPhone (UI is great but you will want to know a bit of the cards/colors before stressing out your eyes).
Game supports seamless device sync via iCloud.
The best thing about the game is how well the deck building mechanics are tied to the narrative, every verb (the square icons) you combine with a card make sense from a narrative point of view creating a great story flow.
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Minos Strategos and Militia were great on Android. Looking forward to this one too, and Photographs is tomorrow.
This week needs to calm down.
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Found this in the Stonemaier Games newsletter, though apparently it was announced in the gameās Facebook group last week.
The digital version of Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig is coming out from Daisu Games in late 2019.
I played the game itself at the convention this last weekend (the write-up will be in my New to Me Games - March coming later this week.
I enjoyed the game, and it will be interesting to see what they do with the digital version, considering youāre kind of negotiating with the people next to you.
Edit: hereās my post about it.
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There is a new CCG on the AppStore called Spellsword Cards: Demontide. Normally my eyes would simply glaze over at the mention of yet another digital Hearthstone clone, except this one is notable for being a solo affair and it looks like the only IAP is a $3 full unlock. Could this be the next Lost Portal? Who knows. I may be putting a moratorium on most new purchases, but Iām putting this game on a wishlist to take a peek at somewhere down the road. If anyone has any experience with it, let us know.
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I dig it. Think theyāve got another Spellsword game in EA (at least on Android) thatās a really fun Slay The Spire-like with a progression more like Meteorfall or Night of the Full Moon.
Called Origins, but I think itās actually the sequel as the other was released a while ago.
If Iām honest, I like the UI (portrait orientation games are more my cup of tea) and progression a lot more in Origins.
As bad as this is it still manages to be a much better name than āKingdom Death: Monsterā.
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