If I had to describe Botanicula in one word, I would choose 'joyful'. This is a game which revels in simple pleasures, and encourages you to explore and play with the beautifully animated world around you. If you can allow yourself to be sucked into the child-like wonder of the world, you will fall in love. The music, by Dva, is superb!
Alan Wake is a solid 3rd-person action game, but it's let down by a lack of variety across the board. There are scarcely half a dozen different types of enemies, and five weapons (two of which are shotguns), of which only two can be held simultaneously. The gameplay revolves around the concept of having to burn away the 'darkness' around an enemy with a flashlight before you can harm them with physical weaponry. This is an excellent concept in itself, but by the end of the game it feels extremely worn. With every enemy you encounter, you'll follow the same routine: get far enough away to burn them with light, then put them down with a handful of bullets. There isn't a single exception to this from start to finish, 'boss' fights included. Alan Wake's saving grace is the plot and the atmosphere it generates. I expected nothing less from the studio which created Max Payne, and Remedy really knocked it out of the park here. I was genuinely gripped by the story, which is split into six 'episodes' in the style of a TV show. The daytime segments, where you are given more free reign to explore the environment, are particularly excellent. If you enjoy being sucked into a game's world, Alan Wake will not disappoint, provided you can slog through the gameplay to reach the next bit of story. The only real let-down here is the lip-syncing on the character models, which is laughably poor for its time. As a game, Alan Wake is mediocre at best. But would I otherwise recommend it? Absolutely. For me, it all comes down to the plot, and how easily I can become absorbed in a game's environment and characters; Remedy did a great job on that. The real problem with Alan Wake is that it really feels like Remedy wanted to make a TV show, and accidentally made a game. Given that their upcoming game, Quantum Break, is reported to have an accompanying TV show, I can only hope they get the balance right the next time around.
My full review at Hooked Gamers: http://www.hookedgamers.com/pc/randals_monday/review/article-1364.html There’s a lot to like about Randal’s Monday, from the excellent writing to the pleasant visuals, and there are a good number of laughs throughout as you guide Randal through his own personal hell, tearing everyone else a new one as you go. Look past the surface, though, and the picture isn’t quite as pretty. The gameplay is too slow, the pop culture references too many, and the puzzles too obfuscated. When it comes to the fundamental elements that make up a point-and-click adventure, Randal’s Monday gets a lot right, but also makes some disappointing mistakes. Fans of Kevin Smith or of comedy adventures will want to at least give this one a shot, but make sure to have a walkthrough on standby – I assure you, you will need it. Pros: * Very funny throughout. * Excellent characters and voice acting. * A lengthy story means you get a lot for your money. Cons: * Too many unfathomable puzzles. * Lots of backtracking and lengthy dialogue. * Relies too heavily on pop culture references.
Although billed as a combat flight simulator, Terminal Velocity is very much an arcade-style shooter. Split into three episodes, you take to the skies in a variety of locations, blowing up enemy fighters, ground vehicles, and buildings. Each location has its own unique enemies, and a boss fight at the end, but they all play pretty much identically so don't expect any gameplay revelations after the first few levels. The game controls well with just the keyboard, which is how I played it. It also supports mouse and joystick schemes if you prefer them. There are some minor niggles (such as the automatic rolling of the ship if you bank too hard), but overall it's an enjoyable experience. Graphically, the game is from the early software-3D era, and anyone who finds ancient 3D off-putting will want to look elsewhere. Also, if you're prone to motion sickness this is definitely a game to avoid! As a pick-up-and-play arcade blaster, Terminal Velocity is a fun diversion and should not be overlooked if you can stomach the graphics. Gamers looking for something with depth and progression, however, will be disappointed.
The New Beginning makes a great first impression, with gorgeous artwork and a well-executed comic book style that reminds me of XIII. The gameplay is classic point & click, with two playable characters and an easy to understand interface. The puzzles are generally logical and well-integrated with the plot, but one or two of them do stand out as being overly obtuse. Thankfully, the game offers a 'skip' button for the trickier puzzles, which is a great addition for players who just want to get on with the story. As other reviews have noted, the storyline is focused on climate change, and can at times feel overbearingly moralizing. Anyone who is likely to find this irritating would do best to stay away. For everyone else, the plot is largely well put together and entertaining. The biggest let-down for me was the voice acting, which is some of the worst I've experienced. Nearly all of the actors have a stilted, robotic delivery, and many of the lines are misread. There are also a number of typographical errors in the text, and a handful of places where the text is in the wrong language entirely, but thankfully none of these interfered too much with the game. The game also suffers from a handful of annoying bugs, but I didn't encounter anything show-stopping. Overall, I do recommend the game to fans of the genre, particularly if you enjoy pleasing background art, but beware of the problems above.
