Well, it's The Vault you've been waiting for! Since it's pretty much been proven that gamers are physically compelled to read anything in list format published online, it's time for Tricky's Top 2013 games of 2013! 1. Gone Home! 2. A Dark Room! 3. Rogue Legacy! 4. Anodyne! 5. Super Hot! 6. Infiltrating the Airship! 7. GeoGuessr 8. Kentucky Route Zero! 9. Antichamber! 10. Crystal Story 2! 11. Room Gamma 12. Save The Date! 13. Simian Interface! And... uh, let's just say that the next 2000 entries are all Night Rider Turbo.
Right. Now that that's out of the way, let's ring in the new year with some excellent strategy, platform, and fighting titles from the JiG archives!
Phage Wars 2 - If I could create a virus in my laboratory, something contagious and infectious that killed on contact, a virus that would destroy all other forms of life, would I find that a good idea for a strategy game? Well, I'm with Davros on this one, because Phage Wars 2, the 2009 work by Joey Betz, is a horrifying piece of fun. With it's unique virtual-desktop presentation, Phage Wars 2 makes one microscopic blob consuming another microscopic blob much more enjoyable than it has any right to be. Because hey, that one's my microscopic blob! That I made myself! FOR SCIENCE!
Heir - It would be easy to dismiss Heir, Antony Lavelle's 2010 action-platformer, as merely a 2D version of Shadows of the Colossus. And maybe it is. But doesn't a 2D version of Shadows of the Colossus sound like it would be kinda awesome? And so Heir is as well. It may wear its inspirations on its sleeve, but climbing up huge creatures, desperately trying to seek out their magical weakness spot is as exhilerating in two dimensions as three. While Heir is short and has an ending that hints at a sequel that never was, it is an impressive work all the same.
Portal Defenders - I was a Newgrounds-er from way back in my angsty junior high years, and while I appreciate how the portal has matured along with me, I know that I can always count on the site to deliver a good dose of the old ultraviolence. Case in point: Portal Defenders, the 2009 fighting game by BoMToons. So few sites have built such a mythos behind themselves that a game like this, filled with recognizable characters and inside-jokes aplenty, would even make sense. But it helps, of course, that Portal Defenders is a great old-school style beat-em-up on it's own merits, even if you don't recognize every obtuse reference being made. And there are plenty.
While we welcome any comments about this weekly feature here, we do ask that if you need any help with the individual games, please post your questions on that game's review page. Well, what are you waiting for? Get out there and rediscover some awesome!
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