Win $100 and meats in this Techno Kitten giveaway

[Update: Contest extended!]

YES! You read that right! The awesome people behind Techno Kitten Adventure want to give you money and delicious meat products. DELICIOUS! MEAT! PRODUCTS! Don't know what Techno Kitten Adventure is? It's a runner-style game where a cat flies through levels to crazy techno music. You can get the game on the Xbox Live Indie Channel for 240 MS Points and free on iPhone and iPad devices. The game has received multiple updates, with the latest being the "Meat Pack" add-on content.

We're picking three grand prize winners where each winner will receive:

• AN ASSORTMENT OF MEATS!
• $100 cold hard cash
• Plastic Kitteh hand-molded custom-painted Techno Kitten Sculpture
• Techno Kitten Adventure Tshirt
• Stickers

To enter, we want you to submit a creative Techno Kitten Adventure "Meat Pack" inspired video over on the Techno Kitten Facebook page (make sure you Like the page!) There are no restrictions to what you do in the video, just remember it needs to related to Techno Kitten Adventure and meat in some way. We'll be looking for the best three submissions to give the prizes to.

Really, anything goes so long as it's safe for work. Some ideas I came up with include dancing with your pet cat to loud techno music or eating meat while raving to loud techno music. The entire concept is open to your interpretation. You get the idea!

Three second place winners will get a Plastic Kitteh sculpture, shirt and stickers. Three third place winners  will receive a shirt and stickers.

You have until October 9 at 11:59PM CDT to enter and contest is open to anyone with a US based address that the prizes can be shipped to. Good luck!

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Some guy is Leon Kennedy in the next Resident
Evil film

I don't know how, but Paul W. S. Anderson still gets to make Resident Evil movies. I'm not complaining too much, because I must admit that those films are a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. Still, wow.

Anyway, series star Milla Jovovich recently confirmed on Twitter the identity of Leon Kennedy's actor in the upcoming Resident Evil: Retribution. Has anyone ever heard of Johann Urb? I haven't, but according to Wikipedia, his first film role was in Zoolander. Promising start to a promising career, no?

I guess he kinda looks like Leon, and I'm sure he'll do fine. Nevertheless, Brendan Fraser will always be Leon in my heart.

Milla Jovovich's feed [Twitter]

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Chinese pirates help Unity expand

I can't imagine ever seeing a general consensus when it comes to software piracy. Consumers, developers, publishers and the media all approach the situation from different angles and have different motivations and investments in the software. Unity Technologies, developers of the Unity game engine and editor, have added some more gray to the piracy canvass. John Goodale believes that China's culture of piracy allowed his company to make waves in the East.

I was an original DOS, Lotus 123 user. Then I heard of this thing called Excel, but I couldn't imagine going away from Lotus 123 -- it's what I knew. Then somebody gave me an illegal copy of Excel, and I loved it, and I've purchased it ever since... Piracy can be a way to seed a market. Nobody will ever fully conquer the piracy problem, but we can certainly turn it to our advantage, and I think that's what we've done in China.

Despite not being a big player in the Asian markets, the four cities with the most Unity sessions per month are Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai and Nei Hu. By getting this foothold Unity was able to secure $12 million in funding to expand their operations in Asia in July.

I'm always impressed when developers come across something that could be considered a major problem, yet turn it to their advantage. Major publishers like EA and Activision are more than happy to make their consumers' experiences less than satisfactory. They even attempt to cripple markets which allow less financially stable consumers to still experience their products, such as used games. By "going to war" with pirates they have made them even less likely to ever spend money on their new foes' products, while also harming their legitimate customers.

I think it's safe to say we'd all rather see companies innovate in the face of piracy, rather than just attacking consumers. I doubt we'll see that from larger developers or publishers, but we are already seeing it with indie titles. No Time To Explain even got a special pirate themed edition for pirates to enjoy. Pirates are still potential customers, but they probably won't change their habits if being an actual consumer means having to put up with DRM or multiplayer passes.

Piracy helped Unity's expansion into China [GamesIndustry.biz]

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Committed: Mystery at Shady Pines Review (PC)

Gamezebo Rating:

As you can probably guess from the title, Committed: Mystery at Shady Pines is set in a hospital/asylum; one that is quickly falling apart. When the game begins you find yourself strapped to a bed with no recollection of how or why you are where you are, or even who you are. However, your first task will be to get out of your restraints and escape your room.

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Hey! Those aren't the Ninja Turtles!

The game is called Ninja Turtles. The thumbnail is a picture of the Ninja Turtles. My friends, these are not the Ninja Turtles. Dear God.

Some clown must have had five minutes to kill and decided to play a big joke on iOS users. By ripping backgrounds from Contra, effects from Metal Slug, and possibly other game assets, then incorporating the world's sh*ttiest MS Paint art, this punk has duped a number of unsuspecting iThing users into dropping five bucks, thinking they were getting a game about those loveable, pizza-noshing amphibians. Who would do... just... no. Just no.

Worst part? This "game" has been available since August 18 and still hasn't been removed. Really great product evaluation there, Apple.

Ninja Turtles by Namphuong Star [iTunes]

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Heroes of Hellas 3: Athens Review (PC)

Gamezebo Rating:

In the third installment of the Heroes of Hellas series, we see the once beautiful city of Athens destroyed by raining fire, sent by evil forces. Athena has come to you for help, and has promised to reward you beyond your wildest imagination if you can help rebuild her city to its former glory and save her magical tree to restore her powers. Oedipus will help you along the way through this city-building match three game, which varies little from its predecessors.

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Oddly Enough: Peid Piper Walkthrough (PC)

Welcome to the Oddly Enough: Pied Piper walkthrough on Gamezebo. Oddly Enough: Pied Piper is a hidden object adventure game played on the PC created by Alawar Entertainment. This walkthrough includes tips and tricks, helpful hints, and a strategy guide for how to complete Oddly Enough: Pied Piper.

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Review: The Binding of Isaac

If I weren't already so fond of game jams -- and rapid prototyping in general -- The Binding of Isaac likely would have pushed me into such fandom. It began life as a week-long project between Team Meat's Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl, eventually growing to what it is now, a twisted roguelike centered around religious themes and classic gaming influences.

Given the unusual premise and genre itself, you might think that not everyone would be wholly receptive to this game. In my experience, though, people are coming in with an open mind and loving it. There are quite a few reasons why.

video details and more

The Binding of Isaac (PC [Reviewed], Mac)
Developer: Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl
Publisher: Edmund McMillen
Released: September 28, 2011
MSRP: $4.99

While The Binding of Isaac is indeed the story of a parent being asked to sacrifice their child in the name of faith, as the title would suggest, I don't see it offending players. There is a message about extremism in religion to take away, though it never really becomes preachy.

The setup is a good one, and it provides the necessary context for a lot of interesting elements found in Isaac. Having escaped to the basement to avoid his mother's wrath, you play a crying, naked boy who has to fight off monstrosities (some of which are relatives) with his tears.

Yeah, your starter weapon is projectile crying. So good.

The basement itself is split up into a bunch of single rooms, with much of the world design similar to that of The Legend of Zelda's dungeons. In fact, the game is broken up into multiple floors, each with an end boss to conquer before you can further descend. Between the bombs, treasure chests, and even keys, long-time gamers are going to feel right at home with Isaac's conventions.

Despite being a roguelike -- and as a result, having permanent death, randomization of items and levels, etc. -- this is very much an approachable game, even if it is at times immensely difficult. The mechanics are mostly straightfoward, and combat itself is familiar four-directional shooting.

The WASD keys are used for movement, with shooting assigned to either the arrow keys or your mouse. You are restricted to up/down/left/right firing, but enemies are balanced accordingly, and attacking from an angle can be done if you shoot while walking a certain way. The controls aren't as tight as I would've liked, but you get used to them eventually. Note: there is no native gamepad support.

Beyond your default attack, which can be upgraded through pick-ups to something other than tears, you can find one-time use items (pills and tarot cards), and you also have an equipment slot for items that recharge as you progress. Bombs, coins, keys, and hearts are also thrown into the mix.

The end result, thanks to randomization and a wide assortment of potential collectibles, means playing The Binding of Isaac won't grow old anytime soon. Having played for more than ten hours myself, I'm still coming across previously unseen items and enemies on a regular basis.

Perhaps one of the biggest selling points is the visual style. If you're at all familiar with Edmund's work prior to Super Meat Boy, you know what to expect. It's a wonderful blend of fleshy grossness and lighthearted, even sometimes cute, humor. (Disclaimer: I am totally into dark comedy.)

Going back to the items you can collect -- stuff like dog food, a wire coat hanger, and syringes -- they are actually visually represented by changes to your character's appearance. And since these stat upgrades stack, your character usually ends up looking pretty ridiculous.

Given the huge variety present in Isaac, not all playthroughs are going to be successful. This can be frustrating, but I feel like a reasonable amount of balance was reached given the variability. Even if you don't ultimately win, you're likely to come across enough new content to make the attempt worth doing; you lose your progress, but not your knowledge. That even goes for bosses, too -- there are around twenty in total, and almost all are satisfying to fight against.

Major props must also be given for the excellent soundtrack, which I personally adore. It's by Danny Baranowsky, who previously collaborated with McMillen on Super Meat Boy and has made a name for himself by contributing to other great independent games. Chilling, catchy, and very fitting.

The way in which content is accessed in Isaac is interesting. Beating the game unlocks additional levels, puts more items and bosses in the rotation, and probably something else I'm forgetting. Forgive me -- this stuff isn't exactly explained explicitly; it's a roguelike! All part of the fun.

There are also multiple playable characters and endings. For those wondering why there are individual Steam achievements for reaching the full conclusion nine separate times, there's a reason.

All told, The Binding of Isaac is a deceptively deep game. That it only costs $4.99 is nothing short of astounding. I don't see myself putting it down until I hit that magical 100% completion mark, which is hours and hours away at this point. This is one trip that I recommend to everyone open-minded enough to give it a chance.

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Love Story: The Beach Cottage

Experience the pureness and innocence of your first love in Love Story: The Beach Cottage. Haunted by memories connected with the Beach House left behind forty years ago, Sandra must return to the place she's been trying to forget all of her life to fulfill her father's last will. Help Sandra relive painful memories of the loss of her first true love, and become stronger in the process, in this unique Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!


Read The Full Article:
http://www.fenomen-games.com/love-story-beach-cottage.htm

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Fairway Collector's Edition

Spend some time on the Fairway and take on challenging courses! Try to stay under par and out of the sand traps and make sure your score stays as low as possible. Avoid the pesky gopher and other obstacles as you work through the different holes and try to become the best golfer you can! With awesome bonuses and fantastic minigames, Fairway is sure to keep you entertained.


Read The Full Article:
http://www.fenomen-games.com/fairway.htm

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