Personally, I've never heard of Shock troopers until now. Still, it did surprise me with some pretty neat feature that differentiate the game from the competition ( of its time, I suppose). Gameplay wise, more fluidity that I've ever seen, in contrast with the other product of the same genre ( I'm talking about the ability to roll and not just being in the right spot in the right time). All in all, a good arcade game: enjoyable and pretty straight forward, packed with action. P.S. I won't write anything about the port, if you check out the other reviews, you'll see they describe plentily about its problem. Buuuut the game itself is quite enjoyable.
Prince of Persia, remake of the sand trilogy, is probably the second worst entry ( yup, I'm considering PoP 3d too) of the entire series. Just scroll past this comment and you'll see them in more detail in other reviews ( Listing them here it's simply a waste of time... although all the flaws could be summarized in ''dull'' and ''boring as hell''). Still, it does not mean the game it's without any credit: I believe the fights were orchestrated to make look like a beautifully choreography, and for its time some visuals are pretty immersive ( not all of them, others are again pretty dull and common). Plus, the soundtrack is on point and gives that PoP vibe that one could expect from the game. Problem is, everytime the game tries to do something inspired and unique, it always comes out as dull, repetitive and something seen a BILLION times. To give just an example, the game literally opens with something just so.. terribly common that you could literally mistake it for any single 3d platform rout there and you'll be unable to tell any discerning difference, and, although the intro was built to be a right-in-the-action experience, it was done so at the expense of.. everything else. So, worth buying? mmmmmmmm if you are a fan of PoP or platform games, yes... but only if discounted. If not: stay away.
Hocus Pocus, a great masterpiece from the past, full of Apogee style, dripping of the 90's. As for gameplay, it's you tipical Apogee platformer: masterfully crafted level design, a meaningfull roster of enemies and, of course, its undying humor , that so characterizes all Apogee production. However, it does have little niche inside, little features, almost that surprised me incredibly, such as teleport ( nothing out of the ordinary, buuut it does it extremely well combined with the whole level design) or the ability to climb stairs without need of jumping ( I know, it's stupid... but I dare you find another game with a similar feature). Plus, Soundtrack is surprisingly good and graphics are colorfull as ever. So, for any retrò or platformer fans out there, it's a big yes!
Moonstone: a hard days knight is one obscure gem ( personally, I've never heard of it until a few months ago), but man, it does feel astonishingly good A pixel glory quest where you'll be send searching for the mythical moonstones, to prove your worth to the gods of old. Gameplay wise, one to four player can play in a map ( just like some sort of party game) where you'll face terrible opponents ( although, after playing a few times, you'll be able to learn their pattern rather quickly) in a 2d environment The main focus of the game is swordplay ( with a little of knife throwing add to the mix) and, I must admit, the combat may be a little clunky, but otherwise, damn, it holds up really well, even to this day. Indeed, the fighting mechanics are well implemented and easy to learn without reading anything from the manual ( although you want to do it anyway, since it explains how shops, leveling up and other things work) It's rather simple: you go, kill, collect the loot and the keys, get stronger, defend yourself from other knights, KILL THE DRAGON ( if you do it, basically you have already won), face the final boss and return to the circle of druids in the right time to win the game What truly have attracted my attention is the care and passion that this game transpires: anything, from lore to visual style, will remind you of an epic adventure To clarify, the only reason I'm not giving a full 5 stars is for the clunkyness of the combat system, some later encounter that could have been done better and a lack of a righteous soundtrack in most of the game ( although sound is present, you'll hear music just in a few places. besides, the lack of music is truly a personal preference, not truly an objective criticism towards the game) So, do I advice 'tis piece of golden glory? YES, but for the most ''modern'' players, those who lack patient, may be a little boring. For all the retrò and nostalgia gamers, it's the saint grai.. I mean, the moonstone they were searching for!
Beneath a steel sky is one obscure gem, almost unique in its display of retrofuturism art style and cyberpunk feeling. That being said, the gameplay & its story are alright: they fit the tone of the adventure, although interactable objects, sometime, tend to ''blend in'' with the environment, makin' it difficult to see them altogether. Plus, i felt like the story was too ''rushed'', jumping through plot-point to plot-point. Beyond that, considering the time of its release, it's a solid game that even comes with its own guide in the installation folder! ( used it only a few times, I swear it) P.S. c'mon, it's free guys, it's a nice experience that everyone can afford!
Majesty is a game that paved a new way to conceptualize the management genre (although, unfortunately, not many have followed). Yup, that's right. It's not really an RTS game: all you do is build and set bounties for the heroes of your realm to collect, and let me tell you that this game is one of the most fun and difficult experience I've have ever played. Set in a fantasy world, you'll be the king and it's your job to be the ''quest giver'' of other's heroic journey, and for that alone this game is.. well.. gold ( pun intended). Again, you'll lack direct control over your heroes, but you'll be handling the economy and the strategy of your kingdom: setting up shops and guilds, where your unit will go buying whatever they need to complete their adventure ( I was also mesmerized by the ability to check, in real time, what they heroes learned or brought in their inventory). On top of that, this majestic ( sorry) piece will keep you wanting for more: the mission can be clear within an hour, but some of them ( actually, most of them) are difficult, and yet you'll do them again and again, slowly ascending through its difficult curve to finally master it. Indeed, Majesty is one of those game, addicting and challenging, but at the same time never tiresome or boring ( just frustrating in some mission, I must admit). So, worth buying? YES. As an old PC glory and a masterpiece from the past, its graphics, tone and overall unique gameplay have withstood the test of time and still to this day it's truly a ...majestic experiece!
Basically, is a parody of the 70' spy story, which inside contains parodies of other media, so many of them that even I, which consider myself a huge nerd, didn't recognized all of them. Soundtrack and, most importantly, visuals are on point, although the camera sometimes gives me a sense of vertigo. Gameplay wise... welp, there are some minigames interesting, buuuut if you buy this game, it won't be for the gameplay. ( which almost demoted this game into a 2 star, and still it reaches the 3 stars just by few millimeters). Is it worth it? mmmmm yes but it's really not for everyone, which is strange, comedy usually is but not this kind.
Ok, before someone cries for ''heresy'', let me explain myself. ( Half of this review will be spent discussing this theory, then we move on judging the actual product). SW: Republic commando is a strategic ( although sometimes it fails a little bit in this department) FPS inspired by many strategic FPS came before it. At the start, I made the simple analogy with ''band of brothers but in space'' ( which is also true but only if you stop on a surface level) but after some though, I noticed that it shares a lot of similarities also with the Halo saga, most notably two things: 1 - it was design to work for both console and PC, but clearly though primarily for the console, judging by the HUD, simplified strategic commands and shooting mechanics, ( plus , like Halo, shares the ability to create theme levels ( horror, infiltration inspired, ecc) and has a certain pace that is remarkably similar with the master chief saga), 2 - The settings, or rather, its massive soundtrack, which you could reply: ok, so what? Well, the whole point of the Halo saga was to create something memorable, and this was done by the feelings transmitted through surroundings and well, the music , which many FPS tries but little manage to came close to that feeling of glory and warrior's spirit that both Halo and SW:RC manage to impart, primarily, again, thanks to its soundtrack ( c'mon, tell me that Ka'rta Tor isn't one of the most well crafted piece you'll ever hear). Anyway, Finally speaking of the game itself, it's actually above pretty ok, and there's not nostalgy here : I played just some year ago and decided to play it again. Is it, however, truly worth it of 5 stars? mmmm no, and it's just enough for the four stars: the game isn't bad or anything, it just starts with great ideas but doesn't fully employ them. After a while, you'll feel a little monotony, but the game tries, to some extent, to not overstay its welcome. So, after all this, it's ok to buy it? YES, absolutely worth it!
Nox is one of those game that, no matter what, it stand true against the test of time. Indeed, Its core gameplay is something out of a diablo two-clone ( with little bits of divine divinity 1?) but with its own incredible style and quirks, such as environmental puzzles and interesting spells ( to be clear, they are not unique, but really well done, and also these features are made to work amiably together). Furthermore, the game wants the player to feel fast but deliberate in its action, with a reasonable amount of spells that allow a good gameplay's personalization, and that's not taking into account that the game offers three different classes with different spells lists. On top of that, all of the gameplay's mechanics are in perfect harmony with the difficulty of this game: never a moment feels dull or a mindless grinding, a terrible defect that many games of the same genre share. Speaking of the game's story, it oscillates between serious ( in-game story) and comedy tone ( cinematics), and it does a matching soundtrack ( with some epic tunes). But really surprised me is the graphics: always colorful, fun and made in a way that this game never looks old, but just stylish and cool. So, it feels, by this review, that this game is good but not truly a 5 stars, but trust me: to get me hooked in what it's basically a isometric hack'n'slash with a classical fantasy setting that I personally hate, you know this game is really outstanding. P.S. I'll write this here, if you don't want to search too long for the screen flashy problem: just change the compatibility setting in the .EXE file in windows 98, and the problem is solved 80% of the time.
Downwell is a pixel platformer/shoot'em up with a simple and yet winning gameplay that allows a lot replayability without... come to think about it, without introducing anything new in the runs ( if you don't consider the random levels). Anyhow, speaking of the gameplay, more you go down ( the well) more you can unlock abilities and, eventually, find shops in which buy further upgrades and such. Furthermore, if you are a fan of old portable consoles' pixel games , you can change filters to experience the game in a more fashionable way ( it's actually pretty underwhelming said like that, but it is a nice touch). All in all, I gave it 4 stars for the precise reason that manages to keep you hook with the most simplistic concept such as... falling down a well
