GamersGate daily deal: Bioshock Infinite (Steam) -75%.

New Hump Day Bundle on IndieGala

$1 for

Data Hacker: Initiation
Data Hacker: Corruption
Elements: Soul of Fire

$2.89 (first 24 hours)

Alter World
Night Shift
Crazy Plant Shop
500 Years: Act 1
New kind of adventure
Reach for the Sun
Top Hat
Mountain
An Imp? A Fiend!

I know a couple of what-some-might-call artsy developers. Weeks ago, when the Sunset devs imploded, I asked my friends if any of their [Tale of Tales'] games were worth a look, and they said that Luxuria Superbia was probably the best they had to offer. So based on that short comment, I bought it yesterday on IGS.

Perhaps I should have done some research. Because the game object seems to be to finger a selection of flowery tunnels to climax (somewhat abstractly). Not knowing this, I started it up with family present and soon felt awkward.

Still, it's colorful enough, the music is decent, and I can see why it might appeal as an art work. I was using a mouse, but dual thumbsticks is reportedly the more... involving means of input.

This is neither a positive nor a negative recommendation.

I was thinking about giving it a try, just so I knew what it's all about, but to me it seems like playing it with mouse or dual sticks would be somewhat beside the point. It sounds like it's explicitly made with touchscreens in mind. Which doesn't mean you can't play it with any other input, of course, but I suspect it's a quite different experience. So I decided to skip it.

It certainly seems geared to touchscreens, but I read several reviews that claimed that thumbsticks worked (in the suggestive sense).

I should add that it's not possible to impatiently explore the aesthetic range of the game. That is, if you excite the flowers too quickly, they are unsatisfied and you can't advance. So if you can't convince yourself that you're pleasuring digital flowers, the game is probably a dead end. That is, the mechanics can't stand without the mood. (So I couldn't get into it.)

You are 100% right in your assessment playing with a mouse doesn't feel at all the same and since it's a game literally about feel that really does change things quite a bit.
I like it for the zen aspect of slow is the answer in a super twitch based medium. I also like more artsy stuff so as stated by others your mileage may vary.

Bundle Stars has Demonicon: The Dark Eye on sale: 94% off, €2,51 in the EU (so probably around $2.50). It's a Steam key btw.

Also, the localized Gamesplanet sites (I was able to check, UK, DE, FR) have a summer sale going on. Of particular interest is that they do not use the same prices throughout - I managed to snag Doom 3 BFG Edition on the German site for €2,50 for instance - that game was still around €7,50 on the other sites. They have franchise deals and flash sales. The latter run for 24 hours only, so today's flash deals run for appr. 2 more hours.

Interesting...

Can't see how being all thumbs would improve the gameplay here!

Do you think this game would work with a standard tongue controller?

Inquiring tetraplegic gamers would like to know...

Hahaha! I remember being a little weirded out by this when my classmate showed this off in a computer lab. =P

I have a bit more credit left at GMG. Since it's the final encore of the sales, any of those games stick out as worth getting? Remember Me or Alan Wake is what I was debating.

Alan Wake I really enjoyed (but then I'm a Stephen King fan) - only heard good thngs about the other. Just checking cheapshark now to see the rest...


Edit:

Okay, my net is being poo right now, but for the price I do reccomend Planet Alcatraz - some similarities to the old Fallout games and also strategies like S2 and Marauder.

Needs to be played in Russian audio to enjoy it though as the international dubs are piss poor funny and bad!

Remember Me has only average scores and IIRC it got criticized for lackluster platforming that doesn't leave you any freedom or challenge but always points you to where to climb next. It also has some plotholes or implausible elements in the storyline. And I think the camera in combat isn't that convenient. But personally I really liked it. The setting is pretty cool, the music and its implementation into the gameplay is ingenious, and I found the "customize your own combo" mechanics awesome and the adventure-game-style messing with memories noteworthy. I also liked the characters. So while the average reviewer will probably tell you that the game is flawed, I thought it was quite good and original, and I had fun with it from beginning to end.

Alan Wake on the other hand has good story-telling but I found it hard to get into the actual gameplay (running from charging shadows, with your only way of defense a flashlight that you have to point at them for a while before you can shoot them, limited batteries and ammo, reach checkpoint, repeat).

On BundleStars:

Spellbound Bundle

$2.49 for 8 Steam games

- Letter Quest: Grimm's Journey
- Paranautical Activity: Deluxe Atonement Edition
- The Joylancer: Legendary Motor Knight
- Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition
- Vertical Drop Heroes HD
- Anoxemia
- Another Perspective
- Steel Storm: Complete Edition

Retro Battle Bundle

$2.49 for 8 Steam games

- F-19 Stealth Fighter
- 1942: The Pacific Air War
- B-17 Flying Fortress: The Mighty 8th
- Task Force 1942
- Silent Service II
- 7th Legion
- Across The Rhine
- Hyperspeed

The JAST USA VN bundle starts soon!
https://groupees.com/vn2


Background pic is from School Days

Oo, ta, this may be a must-buy!