Gamezebo Rating:

We’ve all been there. At some point in our young lives, our fathers (who all may or may not be Dukes), task us with designing a kingdom using magical problem-solving skills. Old hat, right? It’s a rite of passage, similar to babysitting a younger sibling once you’re old enough, or cleaning the gutters once you’re tall enough. Citadel Arcanes makes such a mundane ritual like becoming the Grand Architect of a Citadel an engaging quest, so much so that you often forget the fate of an entire kingdom rests squarely on your shoulders.

If you owned a computer in the ‘80s or ‘90s, then you probably bought Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards. Wait, correction: it’s more likely you actually pirated Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards. It’s okay. No one’s judging you, least of all Al Lowe. In fact, Larry Laffer’s legitimate daddy wants to give you another chance to help Larry score true love.

The New York Times created a web game to accompany their article about casual games that’s very clever and fun to play. Basically, with your arrow keys to move and your “enter” button to shoot, you can shoot up and destroy every word and graphic on the web page. It’s really cool.

And it’s a good thing as well, since this is probably the most long-winded article about games I have ever attempted to read.

Gamezebo Rating:

I’ve always been a big fan of games as art, but at the same time, I’m also a big fan of mindlessly addictive games about fast reflexes and trying to outshine your previous score. With that in mind, On the Wind is a game that’s exquisitely tailored to my sensibilities.

Gamezebo Rating:

Thanks primarily to the work of Hasbro and Michael Bay, the great pop culture brands of the 80s live on in name, if not always in spirit. Fortunately, the minds at Mighty Rabbit Studios had a more direct dose of nostalgia in mind when they used Kickstarter to fund Saturday Morning RPG, a fun, clever iOS spoof of every show that made kids ask for the toys back when Ronald Reagan was president.

Jack Lumber is a log-slicing game that’s all about taking revenge on trees. Because let’s face it, trees suck. Who needs those stuck-up piles of wood? All just sittin’ there, smug-like, making…oxygen…

There are only a handful of game designers who can really be called a master of their trade, but as the mind behind the classic Gabriel Knight graphic adventures in the 90’s, Jane Jensen is unquestionably amongst them. Over the last decade she’s spent a fair bit of time creating hidden object games with Oberon Media, a company she co-founded, but as of this morning Jensen has announced a plan to return to her roots.

Gamezebo Rating:

Ever wonder what would happen if you combined the animal-flinging physics of Angry Birds with the match-three gameplay of Bejewled? We hadn’t either, but Triple Trouble (not to be confused with the Beastie Boys song) provides a unique, albeit imperfect, approach to this hypothetical matchup.

Gamezebo Rating:

Kyle Pulver is a bit of an indie gaming legend. If you haven't already, you need to download depict1 and Bonesaw: The Game, both platforming games that highlight the gloriousness of his work. He is a developer who clearly, deeply, madly cares about his output, and the sort of developer who should be fixed firmly on your radar.