Alpha Beta Gamer

Zombies Monsters Robots (ZMR), is a fantastically over the top looking third-person shooter in which you’ll fight (yup you’ve guessed it) zombies, monsters and robots. It features a suitably ridiculous Sci-Fi story about humans inventing a cross-dimensional portal that allows a whole army of nasty Zs, Ms & Rs access to our world. Of course, they’re not just popping over for a cup of coffee, instead their plan is to kill, crush and destroy any humans they come across, including you.

Developed by Yingpei Games (collaborators on Gears of War), it’s a spiritual successor toMercenary Ops a hugely successful game with over 30 million registered users. Gameplay looks quite similar to the Gears of War series, with OTT weaponry and some masterful enemy design, up to eight players working together in co-op missions or 16 players going head to head (includes monsters Vs humans mode).

ZMR looks set to deliver some fun, team based third person combat with great visuals, style and enemy design. It’s Gears of War, Online and turned up to eleven.

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Rehearsals and Returns is a video game about conversations that will never take place. It’s a odd game where you’ll travel along a short platforming stage (in which you can’t jump!), then meet up with someone you know or someone famous (alive or dead), and offer them words of wisdom, love or hate.

This makes for some very interesting scenarios, as you meet people such as your dentist, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Osama Bin Laden, Tiger Woods and Patrick Swayze. As the games developers say ‘these days modern media lets us share all of our thoughts, but what would you say if no one was listening?’

It’s an interesting concept and a great art style, and while the gameplay does get a tad repetetive before the end of it’s short (30min/1hr) playtime, it’s worth playing through for the pay-off at the end.

Download the Beta, Free

Skyforge is a beautiful looking, highly-stylized Sci-Fi Fantasy MMORPG featuring fast paced and dynamic combat inspired by console action games. The game is set in a universe of gods and heroes, who utilize futuristic technologies to fight off dangerous creatures and protect their planet against space invasions. Throughout the game players will develop their immortal warriors into powerful gods dominating the battlefield as invincible giants.

As well as offering players the chance to play as gods, it also intends to offer a “visually stunning and highly visceral action-combat with a unique open class system and limitless character development” and “combat inspired by console action games”. So it should look pretty, have plenty of customisation options with fast paced, fluid combat.

It’s also worth noting that the team behind Skyforge have some considerable pedigree, being developed by Allods team (Allods Online) and Obsidian (The Stick of Truth, KOTOR2, Fallout: New Vegas).

Skyforge is certainly an interesting prospect for MMO fans, the rich world and backstory of Skyforge certainly sound compelling, and really, who wouldn’t want to play as an asskicking god?

Sign-Up for the Beta

Deadwood is a great looking twin-stick shooter/tower defence hybrid that that sees you scavenging and securing a base during the daytime and fighting off zombies in the night time. The Prototype is still early in development so obviously it’s not fully featured, but it already looks very nice and shows of the core gameplay pretty well. You can scavenge for resources, set traps, erect barriers, create choke points and shoot down the wooden zombies (Deadwoods), trying to survive as long as possible.

Once you’re finished playing the prototype, you’ll be given the option to leave feedback and sign-up for the fully featured Beta.

Download the Prototype & Sign up for the Beta (Win, Mac & Linux)

Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow comes Today is beautifully crafted 2D sci-fi point and click adventure inspired by The Secret of Monkey Island, Broken Sword, Day of the Tentacle, but has a more mature theme, similar to I have no mouth and I must Scream or Sanitarium.

It features a classic point and click interface, a mature and dark storyline set in a dystopian sci-fi world, an excellent soundtrack and a beautiful, stylish hand drawn art style. It really does feel like a classic old-school point and click adventure (albeit with prettier visuals). Featuring a puzzle style that will be familiar to anyone who has played a good point and click adventure before, with well thought out, logical solutions.

The world and storyline of Dead Synchronicity deserve special mention, with the world in a state of decay after it was his by something called ‘the great wave’, which destroyed all energy sources and communications, plunging the world into disarray. Worse still, a terrible disease is sweeping the population, turning them into ‘the Dissolved’, making them delirious, giving them supernatural powers and eventually killing them.

Throughout this, you play as Michael, a man who can’t remember his past, who’s trying to uncover what happened to the world, and eventually stop time itself from dissolving. It’s an intriguing storyline and a great looking game, full of interesting characters and ideas, and a level of maturity rarely seen in games.

Download the Alpha Demo, Free (Win & Mac)

Tri is a first-person 3D puzzle/platformer set in an East Asian abstract world where your objective is to collect three statues hidden within the level by jumping, sprinting, crouching and using the only tool in your arsenal; that tool is of course, the triangle! While the concept may sound elementary, Tri is a great brain-teaser where you’re faced with walls to scale up and obstacles to hurtle, forcing you to create triangles of different shapes and sizes in order to reach your objective. It’s mathematical!

Currently, those that download the Beta are limited to a single tower containing some relatively easy puzzles and exploration, however Rat King Entertainment promises much more including a “freestyle” aspect that will allow you to run off walls and ceilings along with vast new landscapes and huge towers to traverse. It’s an interesting game to say the least, and if you enjoy games like Portal, Qube, or antichamber, the Tri Beta is worth the download.

Download the Beta, Free (PC, Mac & Linux)

Of Guards And Thieves (spotted by burningyesterday) is an excellent multi-player top-down stealth/action game with fast paced arcade gameplay, where you can either play as stealthy Thieves or powerful Guards.

Guards have to guard 6 objects scattered across the map, with only one being the real target for the thieves. The guards don’t know which one the real target is though, so either have to guard all 6, or try and figure out which one the thieves are after. Guards win if they protect the object for the duration of the match and the thieves win if they escape with it.

Guards cannot see in the Dark, so must use their flashlight and other artificial light sources (which can be turned on and off) to see. On the other hand Thieves have night-vision goggles, so can use the darkness to their advantage, sneaking through the shadows, they can’t match the guards in a straight-up fight though, so must be careful not to get spotted. It’s like a big game of hide-and seek, but with knives and assault rifles.

Although Of Guards and Thieves is in Beta, it’s already a highly polished, balanced, fully functioning game, there are always plenty of games to choose from on the servers, and there’s even a perks and upgrades system, with unlocks gained through XP.

Of Guards and Thieves is a fantastic use of asymmetric multiplayer mechanics, both sides are great fun to play. Playing as a thief proves that stealth is much more satisfying when playing against real people instead of AI, while playing as a guard makes you feel some empathy for all those guards you killed in Metal Gear Solid, it’s a hard job!

Play the Beta, Free

Rambo: Last Blood is probably the best Rambo game you’ll ever play. Programmed by Naughty Dog Dev Peter Javidpour, it’s an inventive puzzle game with wonderful retro visuals, reminiscent of Swords & Sworcery, and an excellent sense of humour. With a full playthough clocking in at less than 10 minutes, it’s a short, sweet & entertaining game that just keeps throwing surprises at you. Highly recommended.

Play the full game, Free

Renegade X is a great looking, fan made multiplayer FPS set in the Command & Conquer universe, built on the Unreal Engine 3 and supporting up to 64 players. The game looks wonderful, with perfectly modelled C&C buildings, weapons and vehicles, it really does look and feel like an official C&C game (albeit in a first person viewpoint).

The FPS mechanics are excellent, allowing for fast paced, fluid gameplay, but there is also a large tactical element to the game. The main game mode (Command & Conquer) tasks you with destroying your enemy’s base while protecting your own. Players are able to manage their own economies, choose from over 30 weapons, 15 vehicles, and call in nuclear strikes, Ion Cannons, and airstrikes, and much more. Each team has a base of operations that composes of several key structures, each structure has its own purpose, so as they are destroyed, the team will lose a team bonus.

Renegade X is both a wonderful slice of nostalgia for those who love the C&C franchise and a refreshing new take on the FPS genre, making an excellent tactical FPS and the best C&C game for years.

Download the Beta, Free

The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot is a new game from Ubisoft Montreal that thrusts you in an outrageous medieval fantasy world called Opulencia, where wealth, status and show-boating are the name of the game. Build your own dungeons and pillage your friends ones, in this great mix of Dungeon Keeper and Diablo with a great sense of humour.

The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot is now in Open Beta on Steam, free, no keys required!

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