I don't want to recommend this game But God damnit it's fun. Hotline Miami [HM] has all of the elements of the single worst game ever made but, it pulls up its visibly soiled pants and walks about like a king. Early advertisements of HM showed itself to be a homage to old school top down GTA. What I wasn't told was that THIS version of GTA was oxygen deprived, exposed to category X drugs in utero, and dropped onto its head post-partum. This game is a frustration evoking, slap dashed mess; with graphics that are pixilated finger smears surrounded by MS Paint 16 colours cycling in repeat, and controls that are lifted from a cerebellum damage simulator. I have played graphing calculator games with more effort put into them. In Miami, sometimes bullets matter; other times they don't. Sometimes walls matter; sometimes they don't. Sometimes AI can't see you in the same room; other times the AI stalks you from the other side of the map, with you never seeing them, and murders you with a single off screen "hit". Inventory: why bother Line of Sight for the player: they forgot it Health bar: they forgot it too (you die on first contact, even if someone flicks a booger at you) And yet here I am, begrudgingly giving Hotmess Miami my recommend because it is fun as hell. The story is twisted and mischievous, and the soundtrack is killer. I hate that I love you, 7.5/ 10 (Review transferred from steam account; 17.2hrs of game play on record)
Every video game remake should follow the spirit of Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap. I did not play Wonder Boy on the Master System; the game is before my time. But with a toggle switch you can see the work that went into modernising this game. The graphics are detailed and pleasing to look at and the audio upgrade sounds excellent without any great deviation to the original. Which brings me to the controls. The controls on this game are heavily lamented throughout several reviews. Wonder boy's "feel" is different than most modern platformers but I really don't think it is that bad. The controls are not impossible to get used to. It is however, extremely difficult to get a flow going. Your movement is slippery and your attacks are generally made to a fixed point as opposed to an area in front of the character: think piercing damage instead of slashing. You are also unable to make a regular attack directly above you; although there are special items that will do the job. Defense is generally a passive ability so it is harder to time attack and blocks. There are minor variances between the different characters you animorph into, but overall the control over them is generally the same. I personally wouldn't change it. I like the challenge of getting used to new in game physics. Any great change in the handling in the game would take away from the homage being paid to the original and may have even broken the game. I had a blast everytime I played, If you love platformers, get this game. 8/10 (Review Transferred From Steam Account. 12.1hrs game play recorded)
In FTL you are the captain of star ship navigating the cosmos on a harrowing journey to escape “the rebels”. You manage your ship, fortify your crew, and fight enemies. It is a concept that is enjoyable to indulge in but there isn’t much to this game to keep me playing. It is a good little game for a few dollars. I admit I am biased. I am not a rogue lite fan or a fan RNG. I understand the merits of it. The rouge lite allows for the feel of a classic quarter muncher, and the RNG attempts at variety. The preceding merits leave rogue-lites lacking in narrative depth and actively deters vested interest.
To My Fellow Gaming Enthusiasts, Dead Cells is top shelf metroidvania and although in my opinion it tarnished by its roguelike elements and randomly generated levels, this has quickly become one of my favourite games. I haven't much to add to what has been said other than to concur that Dead Cells is a must have for metroidvaniophiles. Do buy on sale, His Royal Burgerfullness.
My Meaty Subjects: Four games in one nice neat little package, you really can't go wrong with Shovel Knight Treasure Trove. I am behind on the times but, if you were like me and you contemplating on getting this game, treat yourself. Shovel knight pays homage to the 8 bit console era with revamped pixel art and, the tongue and cheek wit typical of nostalgia game pieces. For any of you fellow old timers Shovel Knight has a level map system that is similar to Mario 3, plays like Zelda II The Adventure of Link or Faxanadu, and has boss battles like Mega Man. The handling, of course, has been up dated to provide a for a more enjoyable gaming experience than in the 8 bit days. However, I find that timing shovel strikes mid air especially ascent/decent is a bit iffy. The level difficulty of this game has a steady and increases rather quickly but the game doesn't punish you too harshly for failure. Shovel Showdown is a bit of a different beast. It is a 8 bit simulacra of Smash Bros. I have not played it in multiplayer yet but, it looks promising. Shovel Knight will be my go to game for a while. Master of Burgers All, BurgerOverlord
Artsy fartsy, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and a cello. This game is a painting with a sad girl and no fellow. Gris is visually enticing. The audio is beauteous and blends nicely with the visuals. The gaming aspect is, by contrast, strikingly bland. Gris is a platformer with some light puzzeling interspersed throughout the game. The controls are sluggish in that your speed feels unduly inhibited and your interaction with the anemic environment is sparse. The visuals are what make this game; without them Gris is rather stale. The Story: Despite glowing reviews for this title, Gris is a narrative failure. I managed to not read the plot prior to playing this game so as to see if my interpretation of the material matched the intended story. This was a story about sorrow and loss? I instead thought it was about a young lady coming to terms with her femininity. Art is of course open to interpretation. It is my opinion that Gris’ lack of plot clarity is due to there being no established symbolic lexicon or syntax within the context of its story. What do the colours mean? How is yellow different than red? Why does one appear before the other? What is the significance of voice/song in Gris? What initial symbolism shows us a connection between Gris and statue lady? What are the meaning of the animals how do they aide in the telling of this story? Everything looks good but means seeming little. I am equally perplexed at the exclusion of death or danger in a game that is trying to express loss and one’s journey through it. There are bosses in this game which are neutered of any menace, and ultimately significance, as there is no risk of harm to your character regardless of your input. Death need not be equivalent to violence as, many deaths happen non-violently. Gris could have depicted death symbolically and metaphorically by having an in game consequence/reward if you are captured by one of the bosses. Participation Trophy/10 (Taken from my steam review; 7.5 hours of game play)
