Random Steam Review 2 - Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale

Ever wonder what happens on the other side of the RPG curtain? Sure, you frequent item shops in other games, but what about the poor schlub who had to buy your three hundred extra Mega Potions? EasyGameStation attempts to show you the answer with Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale.

You play Recette, a vapid, bubbly girl who inherits her father's sizable debt. Tear is your partner in business, a fairy sent from a collection agency who intends to get their money. The both of you open an item shop to try to raise the necessary money within a month's time.

As any adventurer knows, it's the dungeons that have all the loot. But Recette is not exactly the fighting type, so you hire a growing cast of odd mercenaries to venture in on your behalf and bring you stuff to sell. You spend your segmented days going between dungeon-running, buying items to re-sell, and tending the shop and its customers. As such, time management is key. If you spend all your time in the bowels of the earth digging up knick-knacks, there will be no time to open your shop and sell the things you get. And you'll need the time. You have only a set amount of time to pay off that money, and it's quite a lot. So much so, that you probably won't be able to pay it all off in the required amount of time, leading to a humorous game over screen. But not all is lost! Whenever you fail after the thirty day limit, the game restarts at day two, allowing you to keep all the money, items and experience you've gotten so far. You'll probably need to attempt this at least a few times to finally pay off the debt.

And once you do, it's not over! The game enters Endless Mode, which allows you unlimited time to get all of the many extras without the looming spectre of payback. You can use this time to unlock more adventurers, finish the item catalogue, or discover new dungeons.

VERDICT:  Recettear is a fun RPG full of Zelda-style action. It's well worth your cash. Buy it. Capitalism HO!

Random Steam Review 1 - Poker Night at the Inventory

So here I go in what I hope is a continuing series of game reviews. No scores, no politics, just a simple answer to the question, "Should I buy this?"

Let's kick things off with Telltale's crossover card game spectacular, Poker Night at the Inventory. It's a Texas Hold 'Em elimination tournament with some guest stars from radically different universes. The Heavy Weapons Guy represents Valve's Team Fortress 2, while the rest hail from Telltale episodic adventure games of their own. Tycho shows up from Penny Arcade fame, Sam from the Sam & Max series, and Strongbad from the popular Homestarrunner.com site. All four are fully-voiced, snarky poker nemeses, and must be run into bankruptcy immediately.

PNatI (snazzy acronym) is a simple, but polished, poker game. It is the Raisin' Cane's of video games; It does one thing, but does it extremely well and with a ton of charm. You, as the mysterious "Player," must sit down in a jazzy club with four questionable psychopaths, and proceed to fleece them out of their money. There's no crazy gimmicks, no arcade-style twists, no magical cards. It's just a game of poker, albeit with a torrent of commentary thrown in. It's a great game to relax with. You can kick back, play at a leisurely pace, and listen to the banter tossed around between the characters and yourself. Banter which, by the way, is both hilariously self-referential and totally inside for hardcore fans. Your fourth wall is not necessary.

Since it IS such a basic game, replayability may become a factor. Fortunately, the game comes with quite a few unlockables. New table and deck designs can be unlocked, as well as four items for use in Team Fortress 2 if you're keen on that game. If you like poker, and can stand playing game after game, you should be fine. It won't keep my attention for very long after I've unlocked everything, but considering the game is a paltry $4.99, you really can't go wrong.

VERDICT: Buy it. Go ahead. Treat yourself. It's cheaper than a six pack of beer, and lasts a hell of a lot longer.