This isn't a bad game, not by a long shot. It is definitely flawed though. This is a fun little boomer shooter that answers the question: "Why DOOM wasn't set in a 'realistic' setting?" And the answer is: because everything looks the same. It's a fascinating piece that is a very good object lesson as to why setting is so important. So why don't we set a first person shooter in what looks like a brutalist downtown area with no night life? Because everything looks like office blocks with the occasional street sign, church, and subway path. Everything has a brutalist architecture because the devs were pioneering the idea of algorithmic co-operative play and they didn't give much leeway to the artists in the first area. Still, as I said, it isn't bad though. It has a very interesting team AI -- where they run around seeking out enemies to blast, and occasionally drop off because they go running after a horde or a turret in the most ill-advised way. I'm going to go back to it. Maybe the next few levels are more interesting. It has a sprawling map without much to find in it. Technically, though, it is well made for the time.
This game is the Starship Troopers game I always wanted. This is AWESOME!!! I have put so many hours into it. The game loop of thinking strategically, testing hypotheses, trying new units and abilities, and interesting mobs come together to make something truly special. I highly recommend Infested Planet!
I've never played a game like this - usually beat 'em ups have nice, straightforward healing mechanics. Mother Russia Bleeds is not for the feint of heart. You can't pick up and play MRB with your casual gamer girlfriend and awards you an achievement for starting the tutorial. This game demands you eat a mahogany chair while it beats you with the chair. It starts basic enough. Punching. Kicking. Running. Jumping. So far, so good. Next! Grappling. Throwing. Weapons. Getting the hang of this. Then combos, running slide kicks. Holy crap, did I just knock five guys over with another guy? Achievement unlocked! Then it brings in the Unique: health mechanics. Over the stages, you have to harvest your health item by sucking out the childhood memories of dying enemies with a syringe. That's a mental image I can never unsee. Then you find out, it is only CERTAIN enemies and there is no telling which ones will be harvestable. Their buddies dgaf, they are not going stand back and watch as you demonstrate impromtu vivisection (Impromtu Vivisection should be a DLC or track title). They keep coming. I may be paranoid, but I think they get MORE aggressive when there's a bastard writhing on the ground waiting to donate his memory of his first puppy. It's a Devolver Digital game. Vivid, highly polished sprites. MOSTLY fair. I think it's pretty BS that you end up pounding a guy's face when you are trying to knock another's teeth out. A rocking soundtrack. Get it. Get two, with the dealer edition. Unfortunately, there is no online multiplayer, but this is a game that BEGS to be played couch-coop. Grab a retro game controller (or an arcade stick), find a buddy or three, turn the volume up and prepare for a harrowing experience.
This is a love letter to a genre that doesn't seem to get much traction from people anymore. I am guessing that the people who didn't like this are not tuned in to enjoy something like this. If, however, you are tuned in to the wavelength, you are going to LOVE Final Vendetta. I would say this owes more to Streets of Rage than to Final Fight, which is not a bad thing given that Streets of Rage is definitely the better game. It has a fantastic, 90's EDM soundtrack and zen-simple move-set that makes it easily accessible. Grab an arcade stick or controller with a D-Pad for maximum enjoyment. I didn't experience any issues with the hit-boxes other reviewers mentioned. The pixel-art isn't stand out, and if I were to make a suggestion for a sequel it would be to pick a more interesting setting and utilize split complementary colors. That being said, it isn't ugly either. Overall, this is an excellent game, with excellent music, and excellent sound effects. It's great fun. I can't wait to see what these guys put out next.
These are initial thoughts, not a full review. I have not played the Fatal Frame games myself, but I have wanted to. Also, I am a bit of a wuss when it comes to horror games. I enjoyed games like Resident Evil 4 and FEAR, but these are action games with horror elements. Horror games are another beast entirely. People talk about how bad the controls are - and they are not wrong. Still, it is harkening back to games on the PS1 & PS2 that had janky controls. It could very well have been a deliberate choice to wrong-foot players and make them uncomfortable. After all, this isn't an action game; it is a horror game first and foremost. Having limited ability remap the controls (I can't use triggers? Really?) is surprisingly effective at wrong footing the player. Also the camera swings around a bit too freely, but this can also be a deliberate choice as it requires the player to maintain cool. One thing this game nails, though, is atmosphere. Linda walks slowly but has a run function and cannot run while taking photos. The first level's setting is unsettling. Everything looks dirty and cobbled together, like nature is encroaching on the location as it crumbles. Linda appears to wake up in this place without much more context than the player. It gives me the creeps to walk around this house that appears to have been recently abandoned. All in all, I'm looking forward to spending more time in this world.
This game is demented. I love it. It is definitely in the spirit of Super Meatboy Turbo. Adding hazards to Puyo-Puyo is hilarious and frustrating in that classic platformer kind of way. The music has a lo-fi Megadrive sound that I always thought was the height of cool.
I'm glad I gave into my impulse to buy Hands of Necromancy. As an enthusiast of all things IDTech1, I am always happy to see games like this. I'm only an hour into it, and so far it is a Metroidvania FPS in a fantasy setting. Nothing surprising yet, but it has many of the essentials down competely. This bodes well and I am looking forward to exploring this world. My one complaint is that the player character is in desperate need of a torch or lantern. This might be a pickup later on I haven't encountered yet. So far so good, I recommend picking it up.
I have a bad feeling about this. The inclusion of the enhanced edition is - fine, I suppose. I am leerious that it may mean that the original versions will be going away. I suppose controller support and split screen co-op are a welcome additions, but "Upgraded Visuals"? Upgraded how? In what little time I spent with the enhanced edition the only significan't visual change is the updated medkits - that bothers me more than it should. I really hope Microsoft/Bethesda is not going to be removing the original wads from purchase. It was a masterpiece as is, why do we need Bethesda.net support and pre-built mods? Doom is one of the easiest introductions to content mods out there.
I've had so much fun with the first one, but you don't need to play it to appreciate what this second installment is shaping up to be. It mimics the transition from Wolfenstein 3D to Doom with a dash of Quake. I liked it so much I uploaded my very first review on YouTube of this game. The game's story is Carmackian in philosophy: "it's expected to be there, but it's not important". You're a dude in a castle with things to kill. If you go a minute between killing things that's your own fault because this game will take you on a tour of pixelated gore to be marveled over. Some people will be turned off by the retro aesthetics. If that's you, you might still enjoy the streamlined shooting and reloading mechanics. Or you might enjoy the ability to upgrade your gear. The soundtrack is on point. It's fast and furious like the gunplay. The architecture is labyrinthine and hides secrets and traps for you to stumble onto. The enemy shapes are all visually distinct, even if actually picking them out in a group is a chore. Give it a whirl!
I have the Steam version of the game. I will probably pick this up again when it goes on sale so I can have a DRM free version. Civ4 is brilliant. It is more user friendly than Civ3 and has more features than Civ5 (culture flipping for instance). It makes me wonder what the heck Firaxis is playing at. But, Civ4 is a truly great game. If you like strategy games, it is hard to go wrong with Civ4.
