Derek C. Miller
This author account hasn't been claimed yet. To claim this account, please contact the outlet owner to request access.
Writing For
COGConnected Latest Reviews
Tired of just shooting at “the bad guys” in a shmup? How about pitting yourself against not only wave after wave of enemies but other players as well? That’s the concept of Rival Megagun from Spacewave Software. As someone who fairly regularly indulges in the shoot ’em up genre, this seems right up my alley. So let’s find out what it’s all about.
Last month we got a glimpse at the first chapter of Star Control: Origins. With some great voice acting and some interesting possibilities that preview gave, there was reason to be hopeful that the resurrection of the series would be a good one. Interestingly enough, it’s the second long-dormant series to make its return this week alone. Will Star Control: Origins be the return older players had hoped for, or perhaps the perfect introduction to a new generation of potential fans?
Dinosaur theme park, in terms of ideas, it doesn’t get much cooler than that. “I’m not worried. It’s just a zoo, Henry.” Well, for anyone that ever saw a Jurassic Park film, we know exactly how that all turned out. Even knowing that, we all still would want to give it a try. Frontier Developments, makers of the well-regarded management sim Planet Coaster, are giving players the chance to build their own dinosaur theme park in Jurassic World Evolution (Hubris not included). Management sim fans, dinosaur fans this is your chance to build your very own Jurassic Park.
How many new sports with any staying power have you seen in your lifetime? Chances are that answer is probably zero. That is unless college kids are still running around pretending to ride on brooms to play some Harry Potter game. Point is, creating an entirely new sport is hard and most of the time the ones that we do see are just variations on existing games, like mixing trampolines with Basketball. Sports video games are the same way – licensed sports games and then variations like playing soccer, but with cars. While we’re always seemingly looking for something new and unique in our video games, getting a new type of “traditional” sports game to stick is difficult. Staring down those odds are developers Roll7 with their new game Laser League.
The Middle Ages has long served as inspiration for RPGs. More often than not that inspiration has been limited to a Fantasy realm. The influence is there in Fantasy, of course, however, there are but a few that have a real historical context. Kingdom Come: Deliverance aims to not only tell a historical tale but also have players interact with that world in an accurate way as well. We’re all used to playing the powerful hero in RPGs but how about the not so powerful son of a blacksmith?
When a game series has spawned 68 titles over the past 22 years there tends to be some expectations on what newer titles in the franchise contain. What would a Lego title be without building, destroying, and a story with some amusing aspects? Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 is the latest to employ that time-tested formula but does that formula still provide a good game experience or have things gotten stale? Let’s dive in and see.
The summer is starting to wind down already. The party doesn’t have to stop once the fall gets here though. Join up with some friends and stab each other in a race to see who can get eaten by a giant serpent first. That’s probably not what you expected me to say, but that’s the goal in Nidhogg 2, the latest game from Messhof. If you missed the original, word on the street is that it’s kind of a lot of fun with friends. Let’s see if the sequel lives up to its predecessor’s reputation.