Game Dev Tycoon

A lot of people I follow online have been playing Game Dev Tycoon recently and it looked like a fun little game to play, so I downloaded the demo. After quickly reaching sales of over a million in the demo, I felt like I needed to buy the game (it's like £6, you can get it here, though I advise you to play the demo first) as I needed that little bit extra!

Now, you can get a pirated version of the game for free online- GreenHeart Games released it themselves, but the game will force you to lose through piracy, which is probably why this game has sparked so many people's interest.

Gameplay

Much like any other simulation game, you start off as a low-level player who has to make their way into the big league- you're making games out of your garage! Slowly but surely, you gain money from your games and also unlock other things such as the ability to create a game engine and to work for companies on a contract for a specific amount of money, which is handy if you're either running a bit low on cash or you're one research point away from the thing you really want to research. 

Technology and design

There are two main aspects of every game, technology and design. Some game types should be more heavily technologically focussed whereas others need to focus on design- the game only really hints at this at the review stage, unless you've done it really well.

The difficulty curve

This game starts off relatively easy, but as you gain popularity and money it becomes slightly harder. My advice is to stick to small games for as long as you can afford to and only make medium games for publishers (if you play the game and get your own office, you'll know what I mean).

The overall experience

Now, this game does have some flaws- for example, the majority of game developing relies on trial and error and the reviews you get shed very little light upon the problems your game actually has to bring it from a 10 score to a 5. However, I quite enjoy experimenting with all of the different combinations available to you so feel it was worth the £6 I spent on it.

MmRed

LIMBO

This title is a dark little platformer which incorporates puzzle solving to allow you to get through the game. You will die A LOT if you play this game, but each death either helps you work out a puzzle or makes it worth it when you don't die by falling off that rock for the nth time.

Yogventures (Alpha)

This game has been created by a games developer called Winterkewl, alongside the Yogscast. It's a fun little open-world game, but as with many Alpha builds it still has a ton of bugs.