Steam Quickies #5

Inside

Playdead

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Inside is amazing from the get-go and proceeds to get better, climaxing with a mind-blowing series of events that wouldn't be conjured up in your wildest dreams... or nightmares. My girlfriend was so scared that she had to put the controller down and walk away. She had to get Outside.

Playdead has assembled a roller coaster of intense situations and puzzles to boggle the mind for just the right amount of time. No challenge is so difficult as to interfere with the story which unfolds with no outright exposition let alone any dialogue whatsoever.

Don't play another minute of anything else until you've set aside three to four hours for Playdead's Inside. It's guaranteed to immediately mesmerize.

ABZU
Giant Squid
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I hope the old debate of whether or not video games are an art form has been put to rest. If there's anyone out there who still feels they aren't, I challenge them to play ABZU, the latest from the "art" director who collaborated with thatgamecompany to bring us the quintessential art game, Journey.

Prepare your eyes and ears for a good dazzling as you swim through lush waters, and keep your finger near the F12 button as you experience chilling sequences which are sure to overload your screenshots folder. ABZU is about exploring environments which aren't large and solving puzzles which aren't challenging. Pardon the pun, but ABZU is more about the "journey" than anything else.

Steam Quickies #4

Turok: Dinosaur Hunter

Night Dive Studios & Iguana Entertainment

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Attitude Era kids rejoice as an essential piece of the Nintendo 64 library is now on Steam. Night Dive Studios has introduced Turok: Dinosaur Hunter to the modern audience with slick visuals and a contemporary update to the vintage control scheme. Some classic gameplay elements, like limited continues, are kept unsullied for a difficult yet fair challenge. The same heart-pounding tribal beats return to accompany this super speedy first-person run 'n' gun platformer. Turok is still the ultimate action experience; the Predator of video games. Keep an eye out for Seeds of Evil in 2016.

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D

Factor 5

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Another N64 classic pops up on Steam. One of the premier dogfighters of all time, Rogue Squadron is still a smooth operator with plenty of replayability, but all is not well in the galaxy far far away. First off, you'll need a controller as the M/KB setup is awful. Also, there's only a few resolution options available, so prepare to play in windowed mode. Menus are unsightly, achievements are sorely missing, but the worst offender is the goofy default camera option which is set to hang back while your ship flies off into the distance. Star Wars Rogue Squadron 3D isn't a bad game by any means, but if the stage is being set for the remainder of a remastered trilogy, let's hope for better treatment.