Amazon keeps shoving these games out the door, so I gotta keep
reporting on them (it's one of those little-noticed clauses in the
EULA). So this week we get:

* Alpha Mission II
Would it surprise you to learn that this is yet-another NeoGeo port?
Given how SNK games constitute the majority of Amazon game offerings,
probably not. "Alpha Mission II" is a fairly standard shoot-em-up; not
really exceptional in anyway but neither does it suffer from any major
flaws. If you like shmups, this isn't a bad one, but don't expect
anything novel or mindblowing. And if you don't like shmups, this game
isn't going to convince you otherwise. But as a fan of SNK games, I'll
happily snag this one.

* 3 Count Bout
Good golly, another SNK/NeoGeo title. I am aghast. "3 Count Bout" is a
punch-n-kick tournament fighter, this one set in a wrestling arena.
Otherwise, it's quite standard to form, and lacks any real innovation
or excitement. It's an adequate game, but not really anything beyond
that. But, it's a NeoGeo port, so I gotta grab it.

* The Almost Gone
I can't say much about this game, since there's very little
information on what the actual gameplay of this title is. It looks
like a adventure/puzzle game where you view the world in small
3D-rendered chunks. The graphics - using detailed but flat-shaded
polygons - are appealing, but the gameplay mostly seems to be about
manipulating the view to find the necessary hotspots to move to the
next room. But maybe it's worth a look.

* Kardboard Kings - Card Game Island
This one seems to be another business management sim. This time you
run a shoppe that sells card games (more "Magic the Gathering" than
poker). Run your business, collect some cards for yourself, then host
a tournament to see whether you or your customers have the better
deck. Meh.

* Tandem: A Tale of Shadows
Another Indie platformer, another young child thrown into peril. I
really wish these developers would find another theme; it's getting
boring. Well, at least - despite any expectations set by the title -
this game isn't drenched in chiaroscuro. Instead, "Tandem's" hook
mainly seems to be that the player's POV switches from traditional
side-view to top-view. Is that enough to differentiate this game? Is
it worth playing? Well, it is free(ish), so it's hard to argue the
price.

Not really any exciting games this week. But it got me to log-in to
their website, so I guess Amazon counts it as a win. Will you fall
prey to their wily marketing tricks? Or are you going to pass on some
or all these games?

Until next week...