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Last month I mentioned that I signed up for the Humble Monthly Bundle, where you pay $12/month to receive a bundle of games which are unknown to you until they're released. The first bundle was released on Friday, and out of seven games here are three that I've already downloaded and played some this weekend. These are really first impressions more than actual reviews, because I've only played each game for a few hours so far, haven't looked up anything on the games (except the Steam store page to make sure they were games I'd probably like), and have no clue how the games play beyond where I've got to so far.

Beseige
This is a very cute game, where your goal is to construct machines to take down whatever is present in each level...it could be some combination of structures and enemy soldiers out to destroy your contraption. That being said, the game is actually very laid back in the sense that you construct it with the game paused, try it out once built, and if it doesn't work, you just go back and alter it in some way you think will make it work better. There's no penalty for having to restart, and there's no price attached to the pieces you use to build your machines. The caveat is that the game intentionally seems to provide only the bare minimum instruction, leaving you to figure out how the parts work and how to mix them together to accomplish things...for example, how to build a machine you can steer.

I would say this is more a time-killer than a game, but it's very polished, very challenging, and very fun. You get a nice sense of accomplishment when you figure out how to construct something in a new way that allows you to beat the level. It's something I can see myself playing when there's nobody on Minecraft and I want to play something that's more freeform than your typical game.

Valkyria Chronicles
I'm usually skeptical of console ports, with their bugginess and odd keyboard configurations, but this one is very well polished and is one of the most unique games I've played in a long time...a combination of JRPG, strategy, and tactics. Without giving away the plot, basically your character ends up in charge of a squad of militia. You decide who you want to join the squad from a list, choose which members to deploy in a series of missions, and then control them throughout the mission. For successfully completing it, you get gold and experience, which you can use to upgrade your squad in various ways.

I haven't got far enough in the game yet, but I suspect that there are more rpg elements as the game unlocks more stuff. I've noticed that each squad member has an area listing who they like, which makes me wonder if there may be a romance element later in the game. Some also have traits such as 'fancies women' or 'fancies men', which give them better battlefield performance if they're around one or the other (presumably because they want to show off). I will say that one of the nicest things about the game are the many cutscenes where characters are talking. The game is nearly 20GB, and I assume most of that is from these video scenes.

Overall, I'm saving often (cause the missions are actually challenging), and I can't wait to see how the game progresses further. So far though, I find it an ingenuous combination of game genres coupled with an outstanding storyline.

SanctuaryRPG
I have to admit, I may have a bit of a bias that when I see a game with ASCII graphics I think it's going to be hard to even understand, much less play...couldn't have been more surprised. There's a bit of a learning curve, and a bit of a need to look up things to understand them, but overall it was really easy to get into it. Basically, you follow a storyline, proceeding from one area to the next, flaying through the baddies and defeating the bosses at the end of the levels. For this you get drops, experience, gold...your typical RPG.

However, I was surprised at all you could do...collect crafting materials and crafts, run a business, build a house. When my barbarian wasn't out saving the world, he ran a tavern, which not only earned him money but experience as well. He was also building a house, digging beneath it to collect iron that could be used for crafting. The game also has quests you can go on, but they're pretty basic, for example kill 5 enemies. For the format, though, it feels like a lot.

And then my barbarian died. Did I mention that by default death is permanent? You can turn it off when you create a character, but you get an experience penalty for doing so, and it's not really the way it's meant to be played. Overall, it didn't feel frustrating the way it does when my characters permadie in Diablo...just challenging. I'm looking forward to trying the game out again.