Feudal Alloy (PS4)

Often times in the heat and hype of Triple A, and indie game releases we see gamers prioritize their purchases more around the hyped bigger releases, than the ambitious smaller indies. I have no doubt most of you chose to skip out on this week's selection of odd PS4 indies in lieu of "RAGE 2". Much like I did. While "RAGE 2" no doubt deserves at least some attention the other developers unfairly face uncertain sales numbers, and unfortunately so in light of said scheduled releases. What if I were to tell you though that a certain indie titled, "Feudal Alloy" was good enough for your money? That it took an old genre that's been rung through the ringer time and time again, and made it it's own unique experience? An experience just as a good as some Triple A releases, if not better. Well, that's exactly how I feel about Attu Games' first indie entry on the PS4 store. I think that not only did the developer give their 110% in effort, but the presentation also reflects such quality. From the voice acted intro narration to the hand drawn, and animated art it all comes together better than a lot of the Metroidvanias I've see on the indie front in the past few years.

Lovecraft's Untold Stories (PS4)

Like one of my other all-time favorite Lovecraft inspired indies called "The Darkest Dungeon", "Lovecraft's Untold Stories" really captures the essence of Lovecraft's lore. The very effects of insanity, and fear in a world haunted by the Old Ones. This time around the developer in question allows the gamer to experience the disorienting fright in the roles of a handful of unique individuals. Each with their own backstory, locations to explore, and mechanics based on a sort of twin stick shooter build. Initially you'll get to reprise the role of a named detective who finds himself, as most unfortunate Lovecraft characters do, searching for clues pertaining to a missing individual in a mansion. Through the shotgun armed detective you'll search for clues in the form of items with textual descriptions, and face off against cultist, and other Lovecraftian horrors as you try to solve the mystery at hand without completely losing your mind. Choosing the wrong actions in multiple choice situations can make things hairy scary though by inflicting an abnormal sanity status. Ultimately warping your perception of the world around you, and bringing you closer to facing the sum of all humankind's fears. Those fears being the Old Ones themselves. Fear inducing Old Gods such as Azataroth, Shubb-Niggurath, Cthulhu, Nyarlathotep, and Dagon. You will traverse various locales inspired by Lovecraftian lore including mansions, port city, hospitals, the jungle. and even the world beyond. Making rounds from area to area unlocking the mysteries through the roles of a detective, a professor, a witch, a thief, and even a ghoul. Each with their own unique play style.

Black Paradox (PS4)

Like so many other indie developers in the industry Fantastico Studios tries to capitalize on 80's pop culture in their pixel populated game. Through a rogue-like shoot'em up called, "Black Paradox" they take the gamer on visually VHS inspired galactic bounty hunt in a spaced out DeLorean against seven lieutenants of an organized galactic crime gang known only as the Hellraisers. This flight, and fight for monetary compensation across the known and unknown universe has you manning in both single player, and two player local co-op a decked out, and upgradeable flying DeLorean, of all things. An unusual spaceship choice of sorts with the capability to not only utilize an impressive array of technologically advanced weaponry along with shields, and other add-ons of use, but also associated boosted stats that change accordingly to said equipped items.

Sonic the Hedgehog | A Movie Mistake, An Artistic Pisstake, or A Proper Effort Not to Copy SEGA's Mascot?

There have been all sort of video game to movie failures over the years. The artistic direction behind these cash-in ideas always seem to miss the mark of the video game counterpart's greatness. Whether it be with the story being told, the lore interpretation, or character design directors just can't seem to understand what makes our favorite video game icons so memorable. Perhaps they try so hard not to create a clone that they end up creating something else entirely as a result out of respect of the source material. That having been said I've personally seen worse character design than that of the latest Sonic the Hedgehog depiction. Case in point the Super Mario Bros. movie that made King Koopa (aka, Bowser) into something totally different along with the Goombas, and Big Bertha. I get that Sonic looks more humanoid, and that he's on par with the furry fetish, but I do believe his design is not the worst. If anything my main concern lies with the story being told, and the chosen actors and actresses. None of which look fitting of a Sonic the Hedgehog tale ... outside of Jim Carrey's Dr. Robotnik imitation ... though even that is not purely Dr. Robotnik if we were to be honest.