Broforce

Since the 90s I have a deep love for 2D arcade shooters like Metal Slug. The problem is that in the end, these games aren't nearly as much fun as they look since they are designed for arcade machines. Like in the end, you can't play through them anyway, there is no proper level/save system and actually you are just supposed to insert tons of coins. Now BroForce finally manages to deliver the promised fun. The levels are short but furious, the boss fights are just about right: neither too easy nor extremely frustrating. Also this is the only game I know where the dozens of different characters with different abilities actually make sense. Usually you'd pick your favorite character and never switch. BroForce however just switches all the time (when you die or free a Bro to collect an extra life) which forces you to cope also with characters you don't like (as that stupid guy with dynamite and turkey bombs). So you'll die lots of times because you get the dumbest hero in the wrong moment, but then you just try again. It's also worth mentioning that the levels are nearly completely destructible which usually allows different solutions for reaching the target zone. And yes, sometimes this means you bomb away the only path left but then you just die and retry. And you really want to because even dying is part of the fun. Hell, that bloody nonsense made me smile most of time.

I've waited for this game to show up on GOG but never actually thought it would. When I saw it on the front page yesterday I instapurchased it. Up until yesterday I knew not much about it other than it was basically a shooter side-scroller similar to Contra. When I started playing instantly I was hooked. The action is gritty and fierce and it gets so crazy. If you're looking for a good side-scroller this is definitely it! Broforce is one of those rare games that are legitimately fun, you'll have much fun while playing it especially if you're a fan of 80s/90s action movies. Also there's coop and VS mode to keep you busy, ontop of a Campaign editor to make your own (one of the main reasons I bought this). I bought it on sale but would certainly pay full price, it's worth it.

Scroll shooter with destructible environment and references to action movie in the form of 32 totally different characters. Game marketed as chaos incarnate, but as usual in actuality it paced much slower and more tactical, since player have to compensate for different characters' abilities and play-styles. The satire is nice and choice of focus on heroes instead of actors let the game to have several different roles of the same actor from different IP. Also game uses some recent and some obscure characters, due to which it stands above nostalgia monetization like expendables (and expendabros). Though it would be nice to have some characters of Rothrock (Nikita would be nice too) and more asian actors like Li or Chan. Since they already using british Bond and french Leon and Lambert, they don't seem to be tied to 'murica narrative outside of diegesis. It starts very solid due to good level design, but in the middle interactive narrative is so non-generic the alien, that it turns into comics-level crossover "rocketeer and Raiden versus aliens". Thankfully final chapters go back to generic aesthetics so it returns to normal state. Though last mission is so long that you tied to a chair for couple of hours since there are no saves inside levels. It works totally fine on UWS UHD surround, but letterbox stylization is not wide enough fot this aspect ratio (as usual). Game looks nice, but shaking screen and a lot of chaos on suicide run is somewhat irritating, due to contradiction to optimal play-style. Overall the game is quite fresh and original and not full of memeseses and dumb nostalgia, all references are just for a flavour. Works fine plays fine and offers some new game-play mechanics.

I bought this game on sale, hoping that it would satisfy my pixel-art fetish until I found something more substantial. But what I thought would be a gimmicky "bargain bin" game turned out to be one of the best games I have played in recent memory. Read on to find out why… The Good: The first thing that struck me is how slick this game is to play. The characters move perfectly across the screen. For a game like this, where you will find yourself dodging dozens of exploding enemies while trying to climb up cliffs or blow holes through walls, that tight control is essential. And they got it perfect. That same effort they put in to make the game play smooth was also present in the art and style of the game. Every single aspect of it was consistently and lovingly crafted with a specific goal in mind. They were trying to connect you to a certain sense of nostalgia about those old 1980s and 1990s action movies, and once again they completely succeeded. It was humorous but also self-conscious, not just blindly pelting you with action movie troupes but really picking out what made them fun and making the whole game about that fun. If you haven't seen the trailer for this game yet I suggest you go and take a look at it. When I first saw it I thought they were just trying to be funny (and they are). But the game actually feels exactly like that cartoon trailer. That's no small accomplishment. The Bad: The only problem I encountered with this game is that some of the playable characters just felt weak and useless. Double Bro Seven and the Brocketeer in particular just could not pull their weight on the bro team, especially in the last third of the campaign. It took several shots from the Broketeer's pistol just to break one block or kill even the weakest bad guy. And when you have twenty bad guys on screen at once, some of them wanting very much to explode in your general vicinity, that pea-shooter of a gun was a real liability. Honestly though, I was switching between characters so often through the natural course of the gameplay that I hardly had time to feel the sting of frustration. Most of the other characters were a real joy to play, with weapons that blew the world apart in all these unique ways. The Verdict: This game was just fun all the way around. It has all the consistent style and polish of a well-crafted game, and it also has the flexibility that makes all the best gaming "war stories" possible. There is no hand-holding, and yet the game is at just the right level of difficulty and ramps things up at the perfect pace. If the screenshots and videos look even mildly interesting to you I would definitely suggest you get your hands on this title. I don't think you will be disappointed.