I wish 198X had something like "Episode 1" in the title. I did not realize that it was the first chapter of a longer story when I purchased it. After completion, I can say that $10 feels a little steep for a game that is sub-2 hours and has a narrative that, while certainly intriguing, never quite makes it off the runway. In spite of the 5 distinct gameplay scenarios, 198X feels oddly more like an interactive story than an actual video game, in and of itself. This would be fine, but even in an episodic format, you still want each chapter to have some amount of closure. This is hardly more than a prologue that ends very abruptly. All that said though, this game has no shortage of heart. The whole package, from the design aesthetic (even beyond the gorgeous pixel-art), to the music (in and out of the games), to the individual games themselves, feels like it was produced by people who have true love and nostalgia for 80's life. The 5 games contained within the story feel more-or-less authentic. The final affair ("Kill Screen"), while possibly my favorite of the bunch, feels the least like something you'd have found in an 80's arcade. And all of the games feel just a touch more polished than the original games they pay homage to, but that doesn't stop them from hitting the mark when you are playing them. None of them are overly-difficult but you may find yourself challenged by a type of game you've just never been into or good at (for me it was the Shmup). But overall, 198X is fairly forgiving and you get unlimited "quarters." Also, props to the ambiguously androgynous main character. It's a very clever device to allow anyone to relate to this story. This will appeal to many, but understand what you're getting for your money. Even still, I genuinely look forward to seeing where the story of 198X is headed.
For anyone who has waited and hoped for years and years that Konami would make another classic 2D Symphony of the Night-style Castlevania, and been continually disappointed and frustrated that they don't, your wait is finally over. Bloodstained is Castlevania in all but name and after playing for even a short amount of time, you will find yourself forgetting that it doesn't technically carry the brand, It doesn't bring anything particularly new to the table, but it does everything you expect and want and does so spectacularly. It looks gorgeous and the gameplay is a beautiful return to form. There are plenty of good "Metroidvainas" out there but this is the real deal. This is Castlevania.
Project Warlock is a completely fun and simple first-person shooter with strong glimmers to Wolfenstein, Catacomb, DOOM, Heretic, Quake, Duke Nukem, and Blood (to name but a few) It's very hard to pin-down which classic shooter it feels most like. It really does combine elements from all of them. It's almost impossible not to feel nostalgic for 90's FPS's when playing this. The game isn't perfect, by any means. There is some definite slowdown in spots (particularly when using the machine gun) and a few small glitches here and there. The weapon switching system doesn't cycle through every weapon when using the mousewheel, and the lack of in-level saving feels unnecessary (though to be fair, the game is not super difficult and ammo/health items are plentiful, so you won't be dying all that often). Also, gamepad support is garbage (using my Logitech F30, easily the most universal PC gamepad, felt clunky and not all of the buttons mapped correctly) so if that's how you prefer to play, you won't be happy. But Project Warlock is a FUN game. It feels satisfying to play in a simplistic/classic type of way. The music is absolutely outstanding, the 8-bit style visuals are extremely cool, and the gameplay is fast and to the point with only a small dose of leveling/customization thrown in for fun. The levels are Wolfensteinishly horizontal and undaunting and the key-hunts are not tedious. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, especially if you're looking for a more modern-ish shooter with some substance and complexity to it, but it is almost sure to delight anybody who grew up with the granddaddies of the FPS genre.
I'm having a difficult time understanding why this exists. Forsaken was a marginally fun game, back when it came out but it didn't have a vast amount of relevance then, and has virtually none now. It's a mostly mediocre Descent-clone with an emphasis on racing and it does virtually nothing that hasn't been done better by countless other games. As for being "remastered," I suppose it does run at a higher resolution than it did previously...but that's about it. Sure, they've added a few "modern" settings to it but even if you crank everything up to the max, you'll still be looking at a bunch of blurry textures and extremely low-poly models. It really doesn't look much better than I remember it looking when it was new. I imagine that anyone with a specific nostalgia for this game will enjoy spending a few minutes revisiting it with a few less jaggies, but I doubt it's going to win over anyone experiencing it for the first time. A proper remake of Forsaken could have been very cool, but this... This just doesn't have much point.
