The title of this review doesn't refer to the tunes bundled with the game, but rather the fact that it happily generates levels algorithmically from your own music files. The end result is quite clever, and it is a fun and challenging shooter on top of this inspired novelty. There is a lot to do in the game beyond picking your own songs to play against. There are loads of power-ups and weapons, wave bonuses to earn, difficulty levels to unlock, and just general customisation all around. Don't let me four-star rating make you think there are glaring negatives to this game - I believe all decent games are three-star, and titles that excel beyond the average rate more. This game easily earns a star above the middling efforts, and is a solid recommendation for arcade fans with good music collections.
The finest game of its genre, at least in my experience, and the template for everything done right in games that followed. System Shock 2 (SS2) takes everything that System Shock did and improves upon. (The only exception being cyberspace, whose omission is either a negative or positive depending on your opinion of it in the first game). There is of course combat, as well as psionic abilities. This is enhanced by the addition of research, resource gathering, and weapon maintenance (which is another potential negative to some players). The plot and subplots are relayed to the player via communications, recordings, and "ghost" sightings, all of which immerse you in the events. Extra touches, such as the way enemies will talk to themselves, also add to the experience. Ostensibly an FPS, SS2 is deeper and smarter than that label first implies. Virtually everything that made the console game Bioshock such a hit happened here first, in a game that remains superbly playable to this day. By all means get this game if you are even remotely interested. I recommend you download the patches that upgrade the graphics and character models, as they do a fine job modernising the look of the game. And there are a number of fan missions of high quality that keep the fun going once you finish the game proper.
As a lifelong gamer (and occasional game designer), Botanicula is one of those titles that keeps me coming back to the hobby. Overflowing with imagination and charm, it wordlessly tells a story while also leaving the unfolding of that story in your hands. Centering on exploring, collecting, and click puzzles, the game also utilizes some neat physics (particularly elastic behaviours) and further requires you to use the members of your team effectively. The artwork is gorgeous, the music and sound perfectly integrated with the environment, and the creativity of the tree ecosystem is wonderful. And while I finished it in one day, it is an experience whose pleasure lasts much longer.
