Now Playing Cthulhu Saves the World

From Cthulhu's Steam page:

The lord of insanity, Cthulhu was all set to plunge the world into insanity and destruction when his powers were sealed by a mysterious sorcerer. The only way for him to break the curse is to become a true hero. Save the world to destroy it in an epic parody RPG journey of redemption, romance, and insanity!

So when I say Cthulhu Saves The World is already one of my favourite games of 2011 you can be sure I've not been swayed by its astonishingly precise pastiche of early 1990s JRPG cliches, strident synth music, chunky menus and all. It's simply a really clever, hugely enjoyable game, and it's as much honest tribute as cheeky spoof.  -Eurogamer

It's rare to find a game that is both entertaining and genuinely funny, and so far Cthulhu Saves the World is both.  -Joystiq

Scheduling an RPG as a game club game makes me a bit nervous because of the genre's generally intense time commitments, but I think this game could inspire much nostalgia-filled conversation about the RPGs of days past, so it's worth a go.  HowLongToBeat says 7 hours.  7 hours seems manageable.  Are you ready to laugh?  I'm ready to laugh!

Cheers,

Danny

Let's Discuss

The Omaha Game Club was started to bring together Omahans who love video games, and to provide structure to play and discuss games together.  We're three games into the summer, but thus far, few conversations about these games have taken place on this blog.  More than one member has pointed out this lack of conversation, and I agree it's an area that needs some loving.  As such, the club will not be playing a new game this week.  Instead, if they haven't already, I hope that members will write about the game club games they have played, post about them, comment on other members' posts, and incite some thoughtful discussion about Monaco: What's Yours is Mine, Kentucky Route Zero, & The Button Affair.

If you haven't played one of the three games the club has already played, this week is your chance to go back and delve in.  There are no rules or restrictions to what you write, so don't hesitate to post whatever you feel like typing up.

Next week, we'll start playing a new game as usual.  Hopefully by then we'll all be a bit more comfortable posting content on this blog, and discussions about the games we play will not be so uncommon.

Thank you to the members who have voiced their concerns in an attempt to make the Omaha Game Club something worthwhile.

Cheers,
Danny

What do you want to play next week?

I hope you all enjoyed The Button Affair as much as Marcus did!  I purposefully (and selfishly) chose a simpler, shorter game to play this week b/c my schedule was stupid full.  Next week, I've got some time to dedicate, so the beautiful people of the Omaha Game Club are deciding what we play!

Cthulhu Saves the World

Don't Starve

Kerbal Space Program

Since the club is currently still small, our process of voting is going to be a little different.  Rather than simply naming a game, name a game & include your reasoning for wanting to play that particular game.  Every valid & well-thought-out reason you provide counts as a vote for your selected game.  So, if you can rattle off 100 reasons, you can cast 100 votes.

I'll tally everything on Sunday night, and post a little something about the game that emerges victorious.  Go forth and vote in the comments!

Cheers,

Danny

Now Playing The Button Affair

We're playing a freeware title this week!

The Button Affair is a super stylish auto-runner revolving around a thief as he attempts a heist to nab the priceless Button Jewel.

Download the game here.

Cheers,
Danny

Now Playing Kentucky Route Zero

Welcome to week 2!

From Monday, May 13 to Sunday, May 19 we will be playing Kentucky Route Zero.

From the developer's Website:

Kentucky Route Zero is a magical realist adventure game about a secret highway in the caves beneath Kentucky, and the mysterious folk who travel it .  Gameplay is inspired by point-and-click adventure games (like the classic Monkey Island or King's Quest series, or more recently Telltale's Walking Dead series), but focused on characterization, atmosphere and storytelling rather than clever puzzles or challenges of skill.

The game is developed by Cardboard Computer (Jake Elliott and Tamas Kemenczy).  The game's soundtrack features an original electronic score by Ben Babbitt along with a suite of old hymns & bluegrass standards recorded by The Bedquilt Ramblers.

Kentucky Route Zero is episodic, and will release in five acts to tell its story.  Currently, only the first act has been released, but the second act is set to release in the next couple of weeks.  After that, Act 3 will release in July, Act 4 in October, and the final act will release in January of next year.

The game is available for PC, Mac, and Linux.  You can pick up all five acts on Steam for $25, or you can buy it all DRM-free directly from the developers.  Buying directly from the developers also nets you soundtrack mp3s, Cardboard Computer's private monthly newsletter, and a Steam key for the game.

Damn this game is pretty:

See you on the roads of Kentucky!

Cheers,

Danny

Monaco Co-Op

What times this week can you log into Steam to bumble through meticulously planned but hilariously executed thievery in Monaco: What's Yours is Mine w/ your Omaha Game Club brothers and sisters?

Leave a comment w/ all the times you're free, so we can get our group planning on!

Also, the club is currently experiencing an alarming dearth of sisters.

Cheers,

Danny

Now Playing Monaco: What's Yours is Mine

It has been decided!  The Omaha Game Club's inaugural game shall be Monaco: What's Yours is Mine.    Monaco won the 2010 Seumas McNally grand prize at the 2010 GDC Independent Games Festival, and was just released for Windows on April 24.

Monaco is a top down stealth/heist game with a retro aesthetic that is designed to be played cooperatively.  The Omaha Game Club will be setting up games of Monaco so members can play together and get a taste of that sweet, sweet co-op!  Also, there's a Monaco four-pack available on Steam, so members should coordinate their purchases to save some cash.

Andy Schatz, Monaco's lead designer/developer and founder of Pocketwatch Games, actually Skyped into an Omaha Game Developers Association Meeting in March 2012, and gave a great talk to Omaha's aspiring game devs.  That talk lives here!

Also, the Schatz man gave a kick ass presentation at GDC titled "How to Win the IGF in 15 Weeks or Less."  The presentation is free to view courtesy of the GDC Vault.  Highly recommended.

Brandon and Taylor (and any as-of-yet uninitiated members), get ready to heist some shit!  The games begin on Monday!

Cheers,

Danny