Invisible Gamer News

A Hand in the Darkness by Ertal Games is a BL Otome.  For those of you who were going to open a new window to look that up, let me save you a click: it's a visual romance novel but with boys kissing boys.  The game is available on Steam and from the developer's itch.io site.  The developer (a solo project, props and respect) writes in both English and Spanish, and while you might expect my major complaint to be about the translation quality, it's not. The game features three different love interests to pursue (and of course, get Steam achievements).  There's Damian, the rich rake who is unexpectedly mature; Rick, the smart one whose path I haven't finished yet; and Monty.  My problem with the game - which I enjoyed in all other respects - is Monty.  The stalker.  The controlling boyfriend who has no redeeming properties and causes a bizarre switch in the main character's behavior that I found both baffling and unpleasant.  Never have I rushed t...

I have a stack of articles to write up, mostly from Gen Con, and a full mailbox to go through of new things to write about. I also have some kind of horrible lung infection!  I refuse to say pneumonia.  I miss having health insurance. Oh well, hopefully I can get something done soon.

So, someone who has no idea that I am some sort of Internet blog-journalist-gamer-reviewer (I like to mix genres, okay) gave me a free key for the Early Access of a new game from Epic Games, Fortnite .  It's a... game where you gather materials, build forts, and then defend them from zombies.  You also attach weather balloons to vans, build possibly alien technology to combat zombies, and power things with blue goo.  And I thought I liked to mix genres....  Anyway, the game is fun, and does not take itself particularly seriously.  Except in the excellence of the mechanics. Building is fluid and simple, the harvesting mechanic is fun, the heroes and survivors all look different and interesting, and shooting/stabbing/burning/launching zombies is just as much fun as you think it will be.  The only thing I do not like is the minimap, which can be very confusing especially when searching for mission items in a party.  It's possible I am just directionally...

Need to make last minute changes to your hotel reservation? Gen Con housing will close at 11:59 pm (Eastern), Monday, July 31 .  Beginning at 12 am Tuesday, August 1, reservations holders must communicate all change requests and cancellations directly to their assigned hotels. Please allow 24 hours for reservations to transfer from the Gen Con Housing system to the Hotel system. Hotels will charge reservation holders a non-refundable deposit equal to one-night room charge + tax per room starting as early as Tuesday, August 1. The balance of room fees will be charged at check-out. Deposits will be charged to the credit card used to secure the room reservation.  If the credit card on file does not have sufficient funds or is no longer valid, the hotel may cancel the reservation. You can review and change your credit card number online by using the "Modify Reservation" link in your Gen Con account ("My Housing" or "Housing" once you have signed in to...

PAX Unplugged 2017 will be the first tabletop-focused PAX event.  Pax Unplugged will host a stable of prominent exhibitors, including Wizards of the Coast, Paizo, Fantasy Flight, Asmodee, and CMON, among many others. Tickets for the show are on sale now , and the event takes place November 17-19, 2017 at Philadelphia's Pennsylvania Convention Center. Part of Penny Arcade's international roster of events, PAX Unplugged will reflect the experience millions of PAX attendees have enjoyed for more than a decade, but with a spotlight on card, board and other tabletop games, celebrating the medium's rich and thriving culture. Attendees will have the opportunity to see the reveal of new and exciting titles, go hands-on with upcoming games, partake in tournaments and sit in on panels headlined by the industry's leading minds. While PAX Unplugged will cater to the tabletop industry and affiliated communities, a selection of video games featuring board and card game elements ...

Not just a band member.  Not just a musician.  Chester Bennington was a real person, and kind of a nerdy one at that.  I loved it.  I loved that I could listen to the music this man made without thinking that the band secretly wanted to erase me.  They did not, as many bands do, cater to one specific group.  They made music, and left it for you to decide if you wanted to listen to it or not.  But they also made games and played them, in addition to providing soundtracks for games.  They are on LINE.  They are on Discord.  Linkin Park is a pack of nerdy guys who make awesome music, and they lost a friend and a brother today.  I'm sad that I never got to see them perform live, and watch them not give a fuck that I was in the crowd, to see with my own eyes that I was the kind of fan they wanted. And, because someone else (Jamie Tworkowski, founder of TWLOHA , via AltPress ) has already said it better, I'm just going to quote here: ...

The Secret World is an awesome game with a great setting and a fantastic story.  Seriously, it has some of the best NPCs and villains of any game, let alone any MMO.  Recently, they underwent Yet Another Change and rebooted as Secret World Legends , a free to play shared world action RPG with modernized combat and streamlined story.  I cannot let their flubs with the billing system get a pass, but there is already way too much about that on the official Reddit so I won't go into much detail aside from saying, yes, I was one of the people who got utterly screwed by HiPay and as someone who has worked in financial services back when I had a job, I can say that their screwups are completely inexcusable and it is only happening because Funcom was being cheap.  Or their CEO is dating the CEO of HiPay.  One or the other.  Aside from that, Secret World Legends is pretty awesome and I hope they follow through on their upcoming plans . I am a competitively casual ...