I adore this game - in fact this is the third copy I've bought! I even picked up the Xbox One version so I could have a physical copy. The original Surge came close - it had a neat setting and all the elements were there but it just wasn't quite hitting the mark. Here we have a fully realised setting (complete with goofiness), an expanded directional parrying system and implants! It's this latter part that makes it feel somewhat unique - giving your character special abilities. The battery system is clever too - making you play aggressively to fill up your battery to enable that all important health recharge. Yes - it borrows from Bloodborne a little - but it makes it feel part of this sci-fi setting. Load outs! You can set up 3 different sets of gear and quickly swap them via a menu during a run. You're free to swap your weapons at any time and have a favourites menu to allow toggling between them. And you can even pause to go to the loo. As I say - the most accessible and user friendly soulslike! What I personally find interesting about this game is how well all the systems gel. I'm someone who normally glazes over when being 'explained at' with a lot of game mechanics - here it just seems to flow naturally. Very much recommended and I hope we get to see a Surge 3. And bring back Stumfol!
This was a shame. I played a tonne of SFA2 on the Saturn back in the day - suffice to say it's the entry that got me into fighting games in the first place. I've still got it - and a working Saturn(!) - and of course there are multiple ways to play the arcade version anyway. I wanted to pick this up as a curiosity really. A relic of a bygone age of ports - but it's just too frustrating to get running properly on a modern Windows system. Disappointing - because it looks like it was a relatively well done port for the time (albeit from the PSX version). I just couldn't get it to run at a decent frame rate. Just stick to the 30th Anniversary Collection.
A few years back I bought a bundle of SNK games that were ported by DotEmu. All decent, bare bones emulation jobs. A few KoF games were included that I found impenetrable. Basically there was no practice mode and you had to cycle through 3 characters - so how were you meant to git gud? I recently decided to reinstall a KoF game - 98 to be specific - and to my surprise the original had been replaced by a new version by Code Mystics that included a practice mode. Heaven! I looked up Code Mystics and found they'd also ported Garou. Now this is the game for me as a hardcore casual - a practice mode and it's one on one. I can finally learn a character! Seriously - I wish Code Mystics were listed in the details for the product - I'll definitely be looking up their other ports (in fact just picked up SSV).
Look - I'm a cynical guy. I've heard the term 'games as art' so many times over the last few years - especially when it comes to indie games. How many walking simulators have we seen? Or glowing neon thing swallowing other glowing neon things to simulate marine life etc...? "Oh, it er...portrays mental health problems! Or something..." What I've always thought in the past is that a developer has found a pleasant graphics technique or art style and built an engine or environment based on it. And then they've thought "oh shizzle, we'd better put a game in there!". And to be honest, Flower is no different - but it just works. Maybe it is the fact that it is 'art' that the enjoyment of this is subjective. I certainly haven't gained any deep philosophical messages or spiritual fulfilment. What I have gained is chilled-out 30 minutes sessions of a petal blowing in the wind with a beautiful soundtrack before I get on to my next dose of reality - and that justifies it for me.
