Alex Orona and Super GG Radio's Betas of the Year | Winter Spectacular 2020
Hi, I’m Alex Orona, the host of Super GG Radio. An NPR of Illinois podcast that focuses on Early Access/Beta Tests/Pre-release demos as well as everyone’s ever-growing back catalogue. Along with that I am a writer/editor/interviewer for NPR of Illinois the Front Row Network, Third Coast Review and Nintendo World Report. Proud father and Chicago native. Here are the top Early Adopter beta tests we played in 2020.
Cat May Meow.
1. Gori: Cuddly Carnage:
If the idea of a cat dressed like Marty McFly riding a vulgar hoverboard fighting demon nightmare toys sounds interesting to you, keep an eye out for Gori. It’s a wild concept that plays like Devil May Cry mixed with Tony Hawk Pro Skater.
2. Hades:
Supergiant knocked it out of the park and sure, it’s received plenty of praise but the early access process throughout this game’s development is something to admire in and of itself. It was transparent and made you feel like you were part of the development.
3. Skater XL:
Leaning into the realism of skateboarding is a tricky thing. Skate 1-3 rode the line between sim and arcade. Skater XL is completely and utterly sim, the game only gets better through practice and repetition and if you were part of the beta, the game only improved and added more with each update. I may not be good at Skater XL, but I’ve spent hours in this sim knowing I’m not bad at it.
All you need to know about this game is Ron Pearlman has still got it.
4. West of Dead:
A roguelike western with Ron Pearlman as the narrator? Sign me up. This game has style for days with its art flourishes and cell-shaded style. It went 1.0 this year so grab this one!
5. ScourgeBringer:
Imagine Doom (2016) but a melee combat pixel art platformer. Sounds complicated but when the metal music kicks in and you are on a 30 hit combo killing aliens, it feels so good. This early access title is currently on Game Pass so give it a shot!
Editor’s note: I played a bit of ScourgeBringer and that game is really hard.
6. Not For Broadcast:
We’re fans of FMV (Full Motion Video) games over at Super GG Radio and Not For Broadcast brings a fun twist as you are a producer of a cable news show. You pick what cameras go where, when and how. Cutting, censoring and going to commercial are tricks of the trade necessary to keep your job. The actors are having a blast with their scenes and it rubs off on you. From watching an anti-bullying high school musical to a fake beer pong tournament with streakers, top to bottom a good hilarious time.
John Wick Hex isn’t the only John Wix-y game this year.
7. Fights in Tight Spaces:
Imagining being in a tight alley or small room, you fighting 4 other people. Now the combat is card-based, so to push someone into a wall is a 2pt card. You only have 5 pts to spare so better choose your moves wisely. Pick the best tactics to fight off your foes in this black and white stylized card game. This was part of the Steam demo festival and impressed me most.
8. No Straight Roads:
A character action game where you play as a rocker duo fighting off the evils of EDM. NSR mixes rhythm games with hack-and-slash combat with a kickin’ soundtrack.
I have a feeling this game is going to be big by time it is done.
9. Baldur’s Gate III:
I’d be murdered if I didn’t mention Baldur’s Gate III. Larian Studios is doing a great job with their early access endeavours into the D&D universe. While still janky, the development updates come with humour and hidden easter eggs. It shows they are really enjoying the ride with this one.
10. Kill It With Fire:
If your house is infested with hordes of spiders, my initial thoughts are to burn the house down. In Kill It With Fire, you do exactly that. You kill hidden spiders throughout your house hilariously with such weapons as Shotguns, C4, Flamethrowers, Ninja Stars and many more. A sleeper hit if there ever was one.
Runners Up
Family Man: Breaking Bad in Minecraft art. Dark and kooky.
Grounded: Honey, I Shrunk the Children but with survival elements. On XBOX Game Pass
Rogue Legacy 2: An upgrade to the original, the early access is still very early but fans of the game should be hyped to watch this sequel come together.
