This game doesn't respond to any input other than WASD, making it impossible to play. For instance: need to jump with spacebar? Well too bad. It's not WASD, so it doesn't work. What blows my mind more than anything is the fact that they managed to make this game take up over 110MB of space. Oh well
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26671
Friday, May 31, 2013
Lucid Nightmare
Confession time: I goofed up yesterday. I reviewed 2 games from the 2012-2013 academic year even though I said i was going to save them for after I was done with the rest. I guess in the interest of consistency, I'm just going to keep running down the list as it continues to form and then catch up with the alphabetically earlier ones later. As long as I've reviewed all the games in the gallery on the moment of midnight on January 1, 2014, I'll be happy.
anyways, Lucid Nightmare is another title I'm not all too enthused about. My main problem with it is that it's not original. It gets its aesthetic and lever-switching puzzle system from Limbo, its enemy programming from Super Mario Bros and its life system from Sonic the Hedgehog.
I guess you could make a case that as long as a game takes elements from other games and combines them in an original, fun, or interesting way, then it's still a good game. I agree with that, and I do think Lucid Nightmare is a good game. It's functional and not too frustrating. It's just nothing you haven't played before.
I will nitpick and say that there are two things that could have been fixed. The sound your socktopus makes as it swings through the air is a little too loud and the hitboxes are a little too ridiculous for my tastes. I can be nowhere near an enemy and it can still hit me.
Well, that's all I got for now. Until next time, stay awake
links
Decent 80s hair metal band name: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24645
anyways, Lucid Nightmare is another title I'm not all too enthused about. My main problem with it is that it's not original. It gets its aesthetic and lever-switching puzzle system from Limbo, its enemy programming from Super Mario Bros and its life system from Sonic the Hedgehog.
I guess you could make a case that as long as a game takes elements from other games and combines them in an original, fun, or interesting way, then it's still a good game. I agree with that, and I do think Lucid Nightmare is a good game. It's functional and not too frustrating. It's just nothing you haven't played before.
I will nitpick and say that there are two things that could have been fixed. The sound your socktopus makes as it swings through the air is a little too loud and the hitboxes are a little too ridiculous for my tastes. I can be nowhere near an enemy and it can still hit me.
Well, that's all I got for now. Until next time, stay awake
links
Decent 80s hair metal band name: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24645
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Lucent
While this game holds slightly more of my favor than Lonely Knight did, it suffers from many of the same problems.
First, let's talk about something I didn't mention in my Lonely Knight Review. The spacebar should be the jump button. Lonely Knight at least had an excuse because spacebar was used to attack. Here though, it serves no purpose, which lead to a few cheap deaths early on.
The main problem Lucent has is that it's just substanceless. Each of the 6 levels are almost identical, so playing through them feels like busywork, especially when you've fallen off a cliff to your death and had to repeat from the checkpoint for the millionth time.
Also, if you're going to put enemies in your game that aren't at all threatening, they have to be satisfying to kill. The ghosts in Lucent are almost there, but storming past them and letting them get stuck on a piece of terrain behind you is just the better solution.
Overall, this game feels like it was rushed...thoughtlessly shoved together so the students could survive the day. Trust me, I know that feel. Speaking of which, There's a paper I should really be writing...
Links
New Scent: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26683
First, let's talk about something I didn't mention in my Lonely Knight Review. The spacebar should be the jump button. Lonely Knight at least had an excuse because spacebar was used to attack. Here though, it serves no purpose, which lead to a few cheap deaths early on.
The main problem Lucent has is that it's just substanceless. Each of the 6 levels are almost identical, so playing through them feels like busywork, especially when you've fallen off a cliff to your death and had to repeat from the checkpoint for the millionth time.
Also, if you're going to put enemies in your game that aren't at all threatening, they have to be satisfying to kill. The ghosts in Lucent are almost there, but storming past them and letting them get stuck on a piece of terrain behind you is just the better solution.
Overall, this game feels like it was rushed...thoughtlessly shoved together so the students could survive the day. Trust me, I know that feel. Speaking of which, There's a paper I should really be writing...
Links
New Scent: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26683
Lost in Thought
yep. mhm...broken. Takes me back to the good ol' days.
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26144
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26144
Lonely Knight
Friends, strangers, countrymen and otherwise, I've come to the conclusion that I simply can't reach my goal if I keep going on the way I am. Even with the school year winding down, these reviews take more out of me than you'd think. I try to comment on everything I can, but these reviews are going to have to become more frequent and less in-depth if I'm going to hit em all by the year's end. Yeah, it's true that I don't really put out quality content as it is, but I gotta do what I gotta do. Leave complaints in the complaint box.
Maybe I started with that because it's all true. Maybe I started with it because I'm in a crappy mood today. Maybe Lonely Knight just didn't give me much to talk about. The answer is all of the above, but I'm only here to talk about the game.
It seems to be a nod to the sidescrollers of the SNES, but only the really crappy ones. Your character moves way WAY too slowly, first off. This wouldn't be a problem if traversing the levels at the pace of a snail was fun or interesting, like it is in Dreamside Maroon, Bastion, etc, but the design is banal and dispatching enemies is frustrating.
The sword is nigh useless, mostly because it's too short. It makes hitting enemies feel more like a dice roll than a test of skill. Then again, I say the same thing about Link to the Past, so what do I know? In addition to your sword, you can also carry up to 5 arrows at a time. First off, why do the arrows spin when I throw them? I appreciate that it might be a bit difficult to aim a bow and arrow in a suit of armor, but if you're just going to chuck the darn things, why not make them throwing knives? Second, why is there no aiming mechanism whatsoever? The arrows just fly in what seems to be the most inconvenient arc possible and there's nothing you can do about it. Third, was there any thought whatsoever put into the placement of the arrow pickups? As I said, you can only carry 5 at a time, so why would there ever be two arrow pickups right next to each other unless there was an immediate situation which required 10 arrows to solve?
All in all, Lonely Knight is boring, unoriginal and not worth your time. Give it a miss.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay lonely
Links
Typical Night: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26682
Maybe I started with that because it's all true. Maybe I started with it because I'm in a crappy mood today. Maybe Lonely Knight just didn't give me much to talk about. The answer is all of the above, but I'm only here to talk about the game.
It seems to be a nod to the sidescrollers of the SNES, but only the really crappy ones. Your character moves way WAY too slowly, first off. This wouldn't be a problem if traversing the levels at the pace of a snail was fun or interesting, like it is in Dreamside Maroon, Bastion, etc, but the design is banal and dispatching enemies is frustrating.
The sword is nigh useless, mostly because it's too short. It makes hitting enemies feel more like a dice roll than a test of skill. Then again, I say the same thing about Link to the Past, so what do I know? In addition to your sword, you can also carry up to 5 arrows at a time. First off, why do the arrows spin when I throw them? I appreciate that it might be a bit difficult to aim a bow and arrow in a suit of armor, but if you're just going to chuck the darn things, why not make them throwing knives? Second, why is there no aiming mechanism whatsoever? The arrows just fly in what seems to be the most inconvenient arc possible and there's nothing you can do about it. Third, was there any thought whatsoever put into the placement of the arrow pickups? As I said, you can only carry 5 at a time, so why would there ever be two arrow pickups right next to each other unless there was an immediate situation which required 10 arrows to solve?
All in all, Lonely Knight is boring, unoriginal and not worth your time. Give it a miss.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay lonely
Links
Typical Night: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26682
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
LMNT
My eyebrow was raised skeptically upward upon reading the description of LMNT. It claims to pay "respectful homage" to a bunch of genres, claiming that it has "the best of all worlds." Quite an extraordinary claim, LMNT, and extraordinary claims warrant extraordinary evidence, so let's see what you've got.
Yikes! I haven't seen a file size this big since Crazy Cross! Guess we're in for a wild ride, kids.
My next warning came when I saw the name the devs were working under. "Senioritis."
Lo and behold, this game is a mess. I only got to the second world before it became too painful to carry on.
The first problem is just that this game is, to quote Dr. Steinman, ugly. It's almost as if each texture was designed by a different person who had no idea what the rest of the game looked like. Colors are bland yet conflicting, the textures blend together at a distance, the particle effects are nightmarish and it's all just a pain to the eyes.
The controls are stable, I guess, but the level design is so frustrating that the brief satisfaction of mounting a platform is swiftly overcome by the rage induced by getting knocked off by one of the most annoyingly designed enemies in existence.
If there's one thing this game does right (and I think there might be only one), it's conveyance. Yeah, remember that old gem? There's no mandatory tutorial and everything is explained to you through the mechanics themselves. Gold star for that, but a rotten egg sprayed with Febreeze is still a rotten egg.
Even though the game teaches you what to do, doing those things is unsatisfying due to frustrating and often self-contradictory design. So no, this game does not offer the best of all worlds.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay focused
Links
Everything, so nothing: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=18583
Yikes! I haven't seen a file size this big since Crazy Cross! Guess we're in for a wild ride, kids.
My next warning came when I saw the name the devs were working under. "Senioritis."
Lo and behold, this game is a mess. I only got to the second world before it became too painful to carry on.
The first problem is just that this game is, to quote Dr. Steinman, ugly. It's almost as if each texture was designed by a different person who had no idea what the rest of the game looked like. Colors are bland yet conflicting, the textures blend together at a distance, the particle effects are nightmarish and it's all just a pain to the eyes.
The controls are stable, I guess, but the level design is so frustrating that the brief satisfaction of mounting a platform is swiftly overcome by the rage induced by getting knocked off by one of the most annoyingly designed enemies in existence.
If there's one thing this game does right (and I think there might be only one), it's conveyance. Yeah, remember that old gem? There's no mandatory tutorial and everything is explained to you through the mechanics themselves. Gold star for that, but a rotten egg sprayed with Febreeze is still a rotten egg.
Even though the game teaches you what to do, doing those things is unsatisfying due to frustrating and often self-contradictory design. So no, this game does not offer the best of all worlds.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay focused
Links
Everything, so nothing: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=18583
Leshy
Leshy is another one of those games that is reliant on the player having aI mouse rather than a good ol' fashioned trackpad. I know this is kind of my fault, I mean, what kind of serious PC gamer doesn't have a mouse? But my damn laptop keeps breaking anything I plug into it, so until I get motivated enough to send this baby to a repair shop, I'm not going to be a great judge of this game's quality.
I did manage to scrape by using the scroll function on my trackpad for a little while before it got way too annoying. In that time, I discovered a simple game with tight controls, decent aesthetics, and a cool concept. Your goal is to collect spheres; for every 10 spheres, you can grow a little bigger and shrink a little smaller, thus opening up more areas of the map. This is one of the most creative and ingenious gameplay mechanics DigiPen has offered me so far. It gives the world a sense of vastness when you're small, making the feeling of empowerment that you get from scooting across previously treacherous terrain with your mountainous size all the more satisfying. I can only imagine how fun this game would be if I had a mouse. After all, it responded beautifully to any kind of input I successfully managed to give it.
Try it out for yourself if you have a mouse. I betcha it's one hell of a time. This is the most reluctant seal of approval I've given yet, since I'm basing it on something I haven't experienced, but I can tell that this game is very well made. Good job, guys.
Links
Big balls, little balls: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24627
I did manage to scrape by using the scroll function on my trackpad for a little while before it got way too annoying. In that time, I discovered a simple game with tight controls, decent aesthetics, and a cool concept. Your goal is to collect spheres; for every 10 spheres, you can grow a little bigger and shrink a little smaller, thus opening up more areas of the map. This is one of the most creative and ingenious gameplay mechanics DigiPen has offered me so far. It gives the world a sense of vastness when you're small, making the feeling of empowerment that you get from scooting across previously treacherous terrain with your mountainous size all the more satisfying. I can only imagine how fun this game would be if I had a mouse. After all, it responded beautifully to any kind of input I successfully managed to give it.
Try it out for yourself if you have a mouse. I betcha it's one hell of a time. This is the most reluctant seal of approval I've given yet, since I'm basing it on something I haven't experienced, but I can tell that this game is very well made. Good job, guys.
Links
Big balls, little balls: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24627
Law of the Sea
Much like me without coffee on any given weekday, this game crashes on startup.
Links
meh: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=470
Links
meh: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=470
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Last Stand
Last Stand attempts to marry my favorite and least favorite genres, FPS and RTS respectively. Similarly to Base Invaders, it realizes that placing walls and waiting for your money to increase so you can plant towers to inefficiently deal with the problem at hand makes for a frustrating and boring experience, so it lets you jump right into the action.
Last Stand is a game of ideas, not of execution. That's not to say the game is broken or anything, but it's not as polished as it could have been if the development process were not ostensibly so enmeshed with experimentation and brainstorming. To me, that's a good thing. Innovation is the name of the game, if you'll forgive the pun.
There were a few design choices that made getting right into the action and plowing through enemies fun. First off, when dealing with a swarm of little enemies like the ones in this game, getting close to them is often excruciatingly frustrating. This game fixes that by making the enemies unable to attack you. It makes you feel a lot better about going in guns a'blazing, but doesn't remove the sense of threat, as you still have a base to defend. Also, you get more money from enemies killed by hand than by turret, so there is ample incentive to get in there and start shooting.
The RTS aspect is also done well. The tutorials pretty much tell you straightaway which turrets are the OP ones, so pouring all your money into laser turrets only to realize that they're about as effective as a barricade of schoolchildren with spitball launchers is a mistake for which you have only yourself to blame.
This game requires you to make quick decisions...and I mean QUICK decisions. Once you get into it, the game truly pulls no punches. In fact, the difficulty curve is the thing that made me stop playing. It's simply too steep.
My only other gripe with the game is that in trying to create both an RTS and a FPS, it loses what makes each genre great. Shooting enemies is unsatisfying because you'll never be able to take out a sizeable amount of them without relying on your RTS skills; and the RTS element is unsatisfying because you'll never have enough money to do anything without relying on your FPS skills. This kind of conflict is what demolishes any sense of flow.
All in all, it's a fun, unique concept matched with somewhat clumsy execution. Not unworthy of your time, but nothing to take your breath away. That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay schizophrenic
Links
Dual Personality, the Game: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=445
Last Stand is a game of ideas, not of execution. That's not to say the game is broken or anything, but it's not as polished as it could have been if the development process were not ostensibly so enmeshed with experimentation and brainstorming. To me, that's a good thing. Innovation is the name of the game, if you'll forgive the pun.
There were a few design choices that made getting right into the action and plowing through enemies fun. First off, when dealing with a swarm of little enemies like the ones in this game, getting close to them is often excruciatingly frustrating. This game fixes that by making the enemies unable to attack you. It makes you feel a lot better about going in guns a'blazing, but doesn't remove the sense of threat, as you still have a base to defend. Also, you get more money from enemies killed by hand than by turret, so there is ample incentive to get in there and start shooting.
The RTS aspect is also done well. The tutorials pretty much tell you straightaway which turrets are the OP ones, so pouring all your money into laser turrets only to realize that they're about as effective as a barricade of schoolchildren with spitball launchers is a mistake for which you have only yourself to blame.
This game requires you to make quick decisions...and I mean QUICK decisions. Once you get into it, the game truly pulls no punches. In fact, the difficulty curve is the thing that made me stop playing. It's simply too steep.
My only other gripe with the game is that in trying to create both an RTS and a FPS, it loses what makes each genre great. Shooting enemies is unsatisfying because you'll never be able to take out a sizeable amount of them without relying on your RTS skills; and the RTS element is unsatisfying because you'll never have enough money to do anything without relying on your FPS skills. This kind of conflict is what demolishes any sense of flow.
All in all, it's a fun, unique concept matched with somewhat clumsy execution. Not unworthy of your time, but nothing to take your breath away. That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay schizophrenic
Links
Dual Personality, the Game: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=445
Monday, May 27, 2013
Last Dessert
Sorry to disappoint, but I don't have much to say about this one. Here's the thing: I like it...I like it a lot, but I know I probably shouldn't.
I'm an RPG fan, that's no secret. Maybe that's why I don't really care that literally every single fight in the game (including the final boss) can be beaten by mashing the attack command. Granted, I played on medium difficulty, so maybe things would be different on the hard setting.
I don't know, something about this game just oozes charm. One of the overworlds is shaped like a sunny-side-up egg, the characters are all cute and lovable, and the whole thing is just a joy to play. Hell, I even like the fact that the fights come and go super quickly. It makes grinding bearable.
Yes, this game is flawed, so I can't give it my seal of approval, but just know that I had a blast playing it. It's a very short RPG, so if you have half an hour to spare and like RPGs, I'd suggest plowing through it.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay scrumptious.
Links
Great, now I'm hungry: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26143
I'm an RPG fan, that's no secret. Maybe that's why I don't really care that literally every single fight in the game (including the final boss) can be beaten by mashing the attack command. Granted, I played on medium difficulty, so maybe things would be different on the hard setting.
I don't know, something about this game just oozes charm. One of the overworlds is shaped like a sunny-side-up egg, the characters are all cute and lovable, and the whole thing is just a joy to play. Hell, I even like the fact that the fights come and go super quickly. It makes grinding bearable.
Yes, this game is flawed, so I can't give it my seal of approval, but just know that I had a blast playing it. It's a very short RPG, so if you have half an hour to spare and like RPGs, I'd suggest plowing through it.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay scrumptious.
Links
Great, now I'm hungry: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26143
La Tortuga Rapida
This is another one of those online multiplayer-type games, so I can't really review it. From what I can tell, it's just Capture the Flag, so it probably wouldn't have won an points with me anyways. Oh well
Links
this: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=8725
Links
this: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=8725
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Knick-Knack-Knock
this gaem are hurt mai brain
*ahem*
Knick-Knack-Knock is a game in which you manipulate the environment in order to crush your enemies with blocks. It's a neat concept, so consider the first test passed. However, if there's one thing life in high school has taught me, it's that passing one test does not shield you from bitter failure in the long run.
I played this game twice. The first time, I ragequit on an early level because I couldn't figure out the controls. Then I started blogging angrily. I wanted to quote the game's instructions directly, so I fired it up again and was able to figure out the controls. Once I got that down, the game went from "saddening disappointment" to "inventive puzzle game" real quick.
Alright, let's do a good ol' analysis, shall we?
In terms of aesthetic, the game goes for a kind of pixel art-ASCII hybrid. I guess it's cute in its own right, but it kind of demands other design choices that infuriate me. For example, the music is just a 3-second loop that repeats over and over. If it were anything complex, the game wouldn't feel like something you could play in the 70s.
The gameplay is really where it's at. The controls are simple and intuitive with one really unique feature. The window that the game plays in actually behaves like it's a box that you can move around. By dragging the window around, you can manipulate the objects in the game. It's a neat way to break the fourth wall whilst enhancing the gameplay. This feature is the kind of thing that made me want to embark upon this blogging journey in the first place. Way too many of these games play it safe. I understand that these projects are a way of teaching students how to create games and therefore can't deviate too far from the standard formulae, but still.
For its smart level design and unique mechanics that genuinely caught me by surprise, this game gets my seal of approval (though I think it could've done without the pretentious visual style, but that's just me). Until next time, stay inventive.
Links
Name most likely inspired by a Banjo Kazooie level: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=18869
*ahem*
Knick-Knack-Knock is a game in which you manipulate the environment in order to crush your enemies with blocks. It's a neat concept, so consider the first test passed. However, if there's one thing life in high school has taught me, it's that passing one test does not shield you from bitter failure in the long run.
I played this game twice. The first time, I ragequit on an early level because I couldn't figure out the controls. Then I started blogging angrily. I wanted to quote the game's instructions directly, so I fired it up again and was able to figure out the controls. Once I got that down, the game went from "saddening disappointment" to "inventive puzzle game" real quick.
Alright, let's do a good ol' analysis, shall we?
In terms of aesthetic, the game goes for a kind of pixel art-ASCII hybrid. I guess it's cute in its own right, but it kind of demands other design choices that infuriate me. For example, the music is just a 3-second loop that repeats over and over. If it were anything complex, the game wouldn't feel like something you could play in the 70s.
The gameplay is really where it's at. The controls are simple and intuitive with one really unique feature. The window that the game plays in actually behaves like it's a box that you can move around. By dragging the window around, you can manipulate the objects in the game. It's a neat way to break the fourth wall whilst enhancing the gameplay. This feature is the kind of thing that made me want to embark upon this blogging journey in the first place. Way too many of these games play it safe. I understand that these projects are a way of teaching students how to create games and therefore can't deviate too far from the standard formulae, but still.
For its smart level design and unique mechanics that genuinely caught me by surprise, this game gets my seal of approval (though I think it could've done without the pretentious visual style, but that's just me). Until next time, stay inventive.
Links
Name most likely inspired by a Banjo Kazooie level: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=18869
Friday, May 24, 2013
Kitchen Khaos
Aside from this game's title's butchering of basic spelling, there is really only one egregious fault with it. It's multiplayer-exclusive. If you've read my other posts, you know that I'm an antisocial bum who doesn't have anyone but his technologically illiterate mother to play with. Actually, that's not entirely true. This time, I got my lovely girlfriend to try and play with me, but there was another problem. At the beginning of the game, it says "Xbox 360 controller preferred," but what it should say is "Xbox 360 controller required" because I couldn't get it to register my Logitech Dual Action.™ My girlfriend has some of those fancy shmancy Xbox controllers at her house, so maybe we'll go back and edit this review some other time.
oh well...until then, I guess.
Links
Kitchen Khaos: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24643
My girlfriend blogs too: http://vivalavidaconamor.blogspot.com/
oh well...until then, I guess.
Links
Kitchen Khaos: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24643
My girlfriend blogs too: http://vivalavidaconamor.blogspot.com/
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Kisses
Before I begin, let me address two things. First, I at some point in the next week or two, I'm going to need to send my laptop to the repair shop. I might be able to use my old machine (if it still works) to update the blog, but there's still a chance that I'll be going dark for a couple days.
Second, some of you out there may be thinking, "What's he going to do now that games from the 2012-2013 academic year are pouring in and disrupting the alphabetical system?" Well, my plan is to first ignore the games from this year and, once I've finished with the other ones, go back and review this year's installments before the year's end (hopefully).
Alright, enough beating around the bush, let's get to Kisses (you should totally use that line on a date. Guaranteed success).
So I started up the game, got through a few menus, and screamed very loudly. The avatar that is supposed to represent you is the most horrifying thing mankind has yet to contrive. I'm not going to dwell on this, but let me just say that the uncanny valley called...
After that, I sat through a competent if boring tutorial during which I was instructed about the mechanics of the game. Essentially, it's resource management with a pinch of romance...just a pinch. See, the game seems to center itself around building up relationships with AI of the opposite sex (and hey, no love for the gay crowd? Eh, whatever). Building a game like that is fine as long as the player can actually get invested in the characters. Otherwise, it just gets boring. Ever wonder why there are so many dating sims out there based on popular anime? It's because those shows already made their viewers care for the characters, so all someone has to do to make a decent dating sim is to take those characters and make them smooch. Easy.
So, needless to say, I won't be giving any kisses to Kisses any time soon. Apart from the boring relationship mechanics, the entire game boils down to walking to a place to collect resources, going back to your igloo to refine them, and then consuming them. It's terribly formulaic and gets real tedious real fast.
I do have to say, though, apart from its less than stellar design, Kisses is damn amazing on the technical end. The textures are pretty impressive, especially since this was done in 2003. The framerate is solid and I didn't encounter any glitches. So there, a diamond in the rough.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay warm
Links
Anti-Climactic Foreplay with People You Don't Really Care For: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=525
Second, some of you out there may be thinking, "What's he going to do now that games from the 2012-2013 academic year are pouring in and disrupting the alphabetical system?" Well, my plan is to first ignore the games from this year and, once I've finished with the other ones, go back and review this year's installments before the year's end (hopefully).
Alright, enough beating around the bush, let's get to Kisses (you should totally use that line on a date. Guaranteed success).
So I started up the game, got through a few menus, and screamed very loudly. The avatar that is supposed to represent you is the most horrifying thing mankind has yet to contrive. I'm not going to dwell on this, but let me just say that the uncanny valley called...
After that, I sat through a competent if boring tutorial during which I was instructed about the mechanics of the game. Essentially, it's resource management with a pinch of romance...just a pinch. See, the game seems to center itself around building up relationships with AI of the opposite sex (and hey, no love for the gay crowd? Eh, whatever). Building a game like that is fine as long as the player can actually get invested in the characters. Otherwise, it just gets boring. Ever wonder why there are so many dating sims out there based on popular anime? It's because those shows already made their viewers care for the characters, so all someone has to do to make a decent dating sim is to take those characters and make them smooch. Easy.
So, needless to say, I won't be giving any kisses to Kisses any time soon. Apart from the boring relationship mechanics, the entire game boils down to walking to a place to collect resources, going back to your igloo to refine them, and then consuming them. It's terribly formulaic and gets real tedious real fast.
I do have to say, though, apart from its less than stellar design, Kisses is damn amazing on the technical end. The textures are pretty impressive, especially since this was done in 2003. The framerate is solid and I didn't encounter any glitches. So there, a diamond in the rough.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay warm
Links
Anti-Climactic Foreplay with People You Don't Really Care For: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=525
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Kinetrix
Well, this one is kind of broken but not really. It's more my fault than the game's. See, my computer eats mice and the only mice that I own have long since been chewed through by something in my USB ports. Thus, I have to rely on the trackpad, which Kinetrix is not built for. It seems like a fun Tetris-y type game, but I can't judge it.
Maybe someone with a working mouse has some input...
Links
KinetriX: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1414
Maybe someone with a working mouse has some input...
Links
KinetriX: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1414
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Killblockmen I and II (kinda)
reeeeally short post today, guys. Fact is, Killblockmen is insubstantial and its sequel doesn't work...at least not for me at the moment.
So, let's talk about Killblockmen. It's an arena shooter where you're armed with a tommy gun with infinite ammo and ordered to kill blockmen. Sounds fun? Well, it's certainly not the next big blockbuster, but simplicity is bliss, right?
The problem with Killblockmen is that there's no variety. All you do is fire into a crowd of blockmen before they reach you. They can only use melee attacks, so this is kind of like a zombie shooter. You know how in Left for Dead the zombies can easily catch you from behind without you noticing? Well, take that and multiply the frustration by about a million, because there's no way to shove the blockmen off and only a few hits are enough to drop you.
It's a competently put together level, but not a very good game. I think of it as Painkiller but without all the creativity. If that sounds fun to you, give it a shot.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay genocidal.
Links
Kill Blockmen: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=420
Killblockmen2: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1639
So, let's talk about Killblockmen. It's an arena shooter where you're armed with a tommy gun with infinite ammo and ordered to kill blockmen. Sounds fun? Well, it's certainly not the next big blockbuster, but simplicity is bliss, right?
The problem with Killblockmen is that there's no variety. All you do is fire into a crowd of blockmen before they reach you. They can only use melee attacks, so this is kind of like a zombie shooter. You know how in Left for Dead the zombies can easily catch you from behind without you noticing? Well, take that and multiply the frustration by about a million, because there's no way to shove the blockmen off and only a few hits are enough to drop you.
It's a competently put together level, but not a very good game. I think of it as Painkiller but without all the creativity. If that sounds fun to you, give it a shot.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay genocidal.
Links
Kill Blockmen: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=420
Killblockmen2: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1639
Monday, May 20, 2013
Kabloom
Let's play word association, shall we? I say "Kaboom," and you say the first thing that pops into your head. What are some contenders? Violence? Anger? Explosions? Action? How about "planting trees?" Okay, you got me, that's 2 words, but that doesn't make the Title of this game any less silly....oh, wait. Ka-"bloom." I see what they did there....ugh...it's gonna be a long day.
In a nutshell, here's what you need to know about "Kabloom." It's not fun, it's not terribly interesting, but hot damn is it pretty. The cell-shaded look does wonders for my inner child, and wow does this game pull it off. Add to that the fact that you control the environment and you got yourself one good looking piece of software.
Of course, this is a "game," so let's analyze the gameplay. This is the kind of gameplay I'd expect from a "poetic experience" like Dreamside Maroon or, to a much lesser extent, Douse. The calming music, the lack of consequences and the pretty scenery set this game up for a perfect session of story time. So, how's the narrative?
It's unimaginative, dull and unoriginal. Maybe you think it's strange that the thing I critique most harshly in this game is its story, but come on! All the mechanics are centered around the narrative. The game even starts with a cute little nursery rhyme about the protagonist. This game is the equivalent of dog turds on a pedestal. You can extol the excrement as much as you'd like, but at the end of the day, it's still crap.
Still though, I'd say it's worth a playthrough just to experience the visual style. Once again...hot damn, this game is pretty
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay germinated
Links
Rosie the Environmentally Friendly Elephant (no, I'm not kidding): https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=8718
In a nutshell, here's what you need to know about "Kabloom." It's not fun, it's not terribly interesting, but hot damn is it pretty. The cell-shaded look does wonders for my inner child, and wow does this game pull it off. Add to that the fact that you control the environment and you got yourself one good looking piece of software.
Of course, this is a "game," so let's analyze the gameplay. This is the kind of gameplay I'd expect from a "poetic experience" like Dreamside Maroon or, to a much lesser extent, Douse. The calming music, the lack of consequences and the pretty scenery set this game up for a perfect session of story time. So, how's the narrative?
It's unimaginative, dull and unoriginal. Maybe you think it's strange that the thing I critique most harshly in this game is its story, but come on! All the mechanics are centered around the narrative. The game even starts with a cute little nursery rhyme about the protagonist. This game is the equivalent of dog turds on a pedestal. You can extol the excrement as much as you'd like, but at the end of the day, it's still crap.
Still though, I'd say it's worth a playthrough just to experience the visual style. Once again...hot damn, this game is pretty
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay germinated
Links
Rosie the Environmentally Friendly Elephant (no, I'm not kidding): https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=8718
Sunday, May 19, 2013
the ones that start with "J"
ooh, isn't this out of the ordinary? Well, don't get too excited. There are only 3 games on the list that start with "J" and one of them doesn't work. So yeah, this will be my first double-header review. Maybe I'll group these things together more in the future...maybe I won't. who knows.
Jet Packers is a fun, simple arcade game based on how high you can ascend. You need to collect fuel tanks in order to keep going, but watch out for those asteroids! Singleplayer mode is fun if insubstantial. Where I think this game really shines is the multiplayer. As usual, I didn't have anyone to play with, so I had to try and control both guys at once, but what I saw was potential for a heated competition. The bumping mechanics, the boosting that uses up some fuel...the game is filled with things to keep the experience engaging. Of course, since I didn't actually play multiplayer, this is all just assumption. The Singleplayer mode, the only thing I can really judge, was fun in a kind of Doodle Jump sort of way, but just didn't offer enough to keep me engaged for more than a few minutes.
Johnny Origin is a weird kind of broken. clicking on its icon just makes my cursor disappear until I alt+tab to a different screen...huh.
Junk Fighter is definitely the most intricate of the "J" games. First, let me address the title. I thought this was going to be a fighting game, but it's a space shooter. That would be the logical equivalent of me naming a boxing simulator "alien blaster 9000." But I digress.
This game has 2 different phases: the top-down space shooter and the ship builder. The former is a relatively fun challenge with a few minor design flaws and the latter is competently designed but not very rewarding.
First, the game part. The tutorial levels are way too long-winded and very clumsy at describing anything more complicated than "shoot the boss to kill it." After the almost insultingly easy tutorial levels, you will lose and lose a lot. The actual levels but the "hell" in "bullet hell." I think the main thing they were trying to accomplish with the design was making the player really feel challenged in customizing his ship. After all, a bigger ship with more guns can take down more enemies and reduce the amount of fire on the screen, but it will also be a bigger target.
And that brings us to the ship customization. The aforementioned quandry would make the customization screen fun and engaging if it weren't for one thing: the game already provides you with a multitude of ships far better than anything you and your puny brain can come up with. This completely defeats the purpose of the customization screen. The levels are way too brutal to allow you to screw around, so why would you not go with the professionally designed options? Even past that, the customization is far from balanced. The spread gun, as spread guns tend to be, is drastically overpowered, although with levels this brutal, it seems like the only way to win. It's not a bad game, but it can surely get frustrating.
Well, that's all I got for now. Until next time, stay diverse
Links
Jet Packers: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24359
Johnny Origin: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1407
Junk Fighter: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=8717
Jet Packers is a fun, simple arcade game based on how high you can ascend. You need to collect fuel tanks in order to keep going, but watch out for those asteroids! Singleplayer mode is fun if insubstantial. Where I think this game really shines is the multiplayer. As usual, I didn't have anyone to play with, so I had to try and control both guys at once, but what I saw was potential for a heated competition. The bumping mechanics, the boosting that uses up some fuel...the game is filled with things to keep the experience engaging. Of course, since I didn't actually play multiplayer, this is all just assumption. The Singleplayer mode, the only thing I can really judge, was fun in a kind of Doodle Jump sort of way, but just didn't offer enough to keep me engaged for more than a few minutes.
Johnny Origin is a weird kind of broken. clicking on its icon just makes my cursor disappear until I alt+tab to a different screen...huh.
Junk Fighter is definitely the most intricate of the "J" games. First, let me address the title. I thought this was going to be a fighting game, but it's a space shooter. That would be the logical equivalent of me naming a boxing simulator "alien blaster 9000." But I digress.
This game has 2 different phases: the top-down space shooter and the ship builder. The former is a relatively fun challenge with a few minor design flaws and the latter is competently designed but not very rewarding.
First, the game part. The tutorial levels are way too long-winded and very clumsy at describing anything more complicated than "shoot the boss to kill it." After the almost insultingly easy tutorial levels, you will lose and lose a lot. The actual levels but the "hell" in "bullet hell." I think the main thing they were trying to accomplish with the design was making the player really feel challenged in customizing his ship. After all, a bigger ship with more guns can take down more enemies and reduce the amount of fire on the screen, but it will also be a bigger target.
And that brings us to the ship customization. The aforementioned quandry would make the customization screen fun and engaging if it weren't for one thing: the game already provides you with a multitude of ships far better than anything you and your puny brain can come up with. This completely defeats the purpose of the customization screen. The levels are way too brutal to allow you to screw around, so why would you not go with the professionally designed options? Even past that, the customization is far from balanced. The spread gun, as spread guns tend to be, is drastically overpowered, although with levels this brutal, it seems like the only way to win. It's not a bad game, but it can surely get frustrating.
Well, that's all I got for now. Until next time, stay diverse
Links
Jet Packers: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24359
Johnny Origin: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1407
Junk Fighter: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=8717
Friday, May 17, 2013
Ivar's Adieu
Another day, another review.
on a scale of none to none, I'm feeling really uncreative right now, so let's just run down the good ol' list, shall we?
Preface!
Ivar's Adieu is a unique, 2-level platformer-type thingy. Both of the levels are designed like 2D versions of Super Mario Galaxy planets in that you always gravitate toward the center. To traverse, you use a hookshot type thing. That makes me think: what's with it with all the swinging mechanics lately? Ever since Froggle, which pulled off swinging mechanics like a champ, game after game has been using swinging as one of, if not the main method of transportation. Well, more on that later.
Visual Style!
Nothing wrong with the art direction, but I do wish the first level were zoomed out a bit more. It's good that I get a nice, big, clear view of every sprite with the camera zoomed in so much, but almost every time I merrily swing around looking for my objectives, I get blindsided by some enemy projectile just out of my FOV. At least have the camera shift a bit when I build up a decent velocity, dang...
Sound Direction!
All I have to say here is that I wish there were more than one song in this game's soundtrack.
Gameplay!
Of all the 2D games I've played recently that try to make swinging the main method of transportation, this game comes the closest to pulling it off perfectly. However, it's still very glitchy. Sometimes, a platform will act like a slingshot and send you flying in the direction opposite to where you want to go. The hookshot can also be used for combat, and I gotta say, I love it when games use motions like swiping your mouse (or touchpad, in my case) for combat. Very visceral. Very fun. This the combat in this game is like Chain of Command but better. I just wish Ivar didn't have such a placid and kind voice, because when I hookshot an innocent penguin and catapult him into his friend so that they both go tumbling to their deaths, I like to imagine I'm a hardened warrior rather than a kindergarten teacher.
This game was fun and unique. Other than sporadic glitchiness, I can't really find a fault with it. It's a neat, contained experience that doesn't take more than 10 minutes. Try it out for yourself. I don't think you'll be disappointed. This game gets my seal of approval.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay salty
Links
I'm versed in poo: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=479
on a scale of none to none, I'm feeling really uncreative right now, so let's just run down the good ol' list, shall we?
Preface!
Ivar's Adieu is a unique, 2-level platformer-type thingy. Both of the levels are designed like 2D versions of Super Mario Galaxy planets in that you always gravitate toward the center. To traverse, you use a hookshot type thing. That makes me think: what's with it with all the swinging mechanics lately? Ever since Froggle, which pulled off swinging mechanics like a champ, game after game has been using swinging as one of, if not the main method of transportation. Well, more on that later.
Visual Style!
Nothing wrong with the art direction, but I do wish the first level were zoomed out a bit more. It's good that I get a nice, big, clear view of every sprite with the camera zoomed in so much, but almost every time I merrily swing around looking for my objectives, I get blindsided by some enemy projectile just out of my FOV. At least have the camera shift a bit when I build up a decent velocity, dang...
Sound Direction!
All I have to say here is that I wish there were more than one song in this game's soundtrack.
Gameplay!
Of all the 2D games I've played recently that try to make swinging the main method of transportation, this game comes the closest to pulling it off perfectly. However, it's still very glitchy. Sometimes, a platform will act like a slingshot and send you flying in the direction opposite to where you want to go. The hookshot can also be used for combat, and I gotta say, I love it when games use motions like swiping your mouse (or touchpad, in my case) for combat. Very visceral. Very fun. This the combat in this game is like Chain of Command but better. I just wish Ivar didn't have such a placid and kind voice, because when I hookshot an innocent penguin and catapult him into his friend so that they both go tumbling to their deaths, I like to imagine I'm a hardened warrior rather than a kindergarten teacher.
This game was fun and unique. Other than sporadic glitchiness, I can't really find a fault with it. It's a neat, contained experience that doesn't take more than 10 minutes. Try it out for yourself. I don't think you'll be disappointed. This game gets my seal of approval.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay salty
Links
I'm versed in poo: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=479
Thursday, May 16, 2013
It Belongs in An Ancient Ruin
well, this one was fun!
Before we analyze, let's have a bit of context. You play as the explorer and spelunker Pennsylvania Smith...
...*disgruntled groan*...
And you steal artifacts from museums and put them back in ancient ruins where they belong...*mumbles*
Alright, well other than...that...I liked almost everything about this game. Allow me to elaborate:
At first, the game starts out feeling a lot like Trilby: Art of Theft, the game made by the great internet cynic Yahtzee Croshaw. You work your way around security cameras, patrolling guards, and police dogs to activate switches, steal expensive stuff, and progress through the levels.
Unlike Art of Theft, this game is also a platformer. That's an interesting combination: platforming stealth game. This intermingling of genres is something I'd like to see more of. Sure, there are only so many ways to do this before the Cooking Mama RPG graces us, but still...I will say, though, there's no way to take out a guard or two in this game like there is in Art of Theft. Sure, that might not have fit in with the game's mechanics, but I found myself wondering why a man capable of jumping three times his own height is somehow not fit enough to take down a cop with a flashlight at close range. Oh well...
The second half of the game ditches the whole stealth aspect and just becomes Castlevania. Mmkay. I can deal with that. I'm down. Let's see what you got, game.
From then on, the game becomes an only minorly frustrating platformer with an actual storyline to keep you motivated. It was actually very well paced. It all lead up to a tense escape scene with the final boss, which was immensely satisfying...right up until the very end.
*minor spoiler warning*
The final boss, in the very last screen of the game, is standing right on the edge of a cliff leading into a lava pit. There is a hook positioned just right for you to be able to tarzan swing and kick him to his death, which would have been hugely satisfying. Unfortunately, you just walk right past him and win the game...*Sigh*
oh well. The game did have some missed opportunities, and there were some frustratingly designed aspects (like the evil suits of armor that kill me every time or the velociraptors that jump out of the bushes and give you about 0.0000001 seconds of reaction time before they send you back to the checkpoint).
There's lots more I want to talk about, but this post is getting a bit too long already. I guess I can say that the game's best qualities are its conveyance, sense of flow, and art direction (even though I hate pixel art as a concept in the modern world, this was done pretty dang well). all in all, this game is very competently designed and was one of the more enjoyable DigiPen experiences. Good work, guys.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay swingin'
Links
I don't feel like coming up with a name for this one: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25076
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
iQ
God help me, I love puzzle games. After all, after a long day at school straining my mind for 11 hours straight and then coming home and squeezing some last precious drops of intelligence out to get my homework done, all I want to do is sit down in front of the computer and put my brain under some more stress.
I'm kidding, of course. I have nothing against puzzle games, especially if they're good. My girlfriend and I have spent hours playing that Tilt board game. Actually, iQ is quite similar to that game. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, lemme explain the mechanics of iQ. You push and pull blocks onto buttons using the force to advance to the next level. It's quite fun and it does everything it needs to.
See, this is my least favorite game to review because it's so simple that I've already said everything there is to say about it. It has all the makings for a perfect puzzle game that you'd expect to see on the app store or something. Based on that, I kind of have to grudgingly give it my seal of approval. I say grudgingly because this game didn't leave me with any kind of take away. It happened. I genuinely can't think of a flaw, though, so I guess iQ wins this round.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay smartical.
Links
eye que: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25111
I'm kidding, of course. I have nothing against puzzle games, especially if they're good. My girlfriend and I have spent hours playing that Tilt board game. Actually, iQ is quite similar to that game. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, lemme explain the mechanics of iQ. You push and pull blocks onto buttons using the force to advance to the next level. It's quite fun and it does everything it needs to.
See, this is my least favorite game to review because it's so simple that I've already said everything there is to say about it. It has all the makings for a perfect puzzle game that you'd expect to see on the app store or something. Based on that, I kind of have to grudgingly give it my seal of approval. I say grudgingly because this game didn't leave me with any kind of take away. It happened. I genuinely can't think of a flaw, though, so I guess iQ wins this round.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay smartical.
Links
eye que: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25111
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Invade-n-Raid
hmm...a 2-D adventure starring an interplanetary mining robot with an "-n-" in the title...something about this seems unoriginal...
Yep, this game is brought to us by two of the people on the Dig-n-Rig team (plus one new member, who ostensibly decided to get rid of that horribly pretentious pixel art style). Will Invade-n-Raid be as confusing and unrewarding as its predecessor? Let's find out.
This game is actually relatively simple and, best of all, unique. Go figure, right? In order to dig for minerals, you have to burrow into a planet, which, instead of just being boring and giving you the elements, puts you in a quick Astrobunny-esque collection mechanic, which I find to be a huge improvement. Getting minerals actually feels rewarding and fun now. Combat is a fun mechanic as well. Madly tapping the "E" button to eliminate certain enemies is immensely satisfying. Getting hit by other enemies because you didn't know they were invulnerable to your attack, on the other hand, is not.
Other than that, the only problem I had was that figuring out which way gravity points is a little confusing. You know that feeling in a Sonic The Hedgehog game (especially the 3D ones) where you're pressing one direction to build up momentum but then you enter a loop or a turn or something and you don't quite know whether to keep holding that direction or to switch to wherever you're facing now? Ugh, that could have been worded better but you know what I'm talking about. That is this game in a nutshell.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay stellar
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25885
Yep, this game is brought to us by two of the people on the Dig-n-Rig team (plus one new member, who ostensibly decided to get rid of that horribly pretentious pixel art style). Will Invade-n-Raid be as confusing and unrewarding as its predecessor? Let's find out.
This game is actually relatively simple and, best of all, unique. Go figure, right? In order to dig for minerals, you have to burrow into a planet, which, instead of just being boring and giving you the elements, puts you in a quick Astrobunny-esque collection mechanic, which I find to be a huge improvement. Getting minerals actually feels rewarding and fun now. Combat is a fun mechanic as well. Madly tapping the "E" button to eliminate certain enemies is immensely satisfying. Getting hit by other enemies because you didn't know they were invulnerable to your attack, on the other hand, is not.
Other than that, the only problem I had was that figuring out which way gravity points is a little confusing. You know that feeling in a Sonic The Hedgehog game (especially the 3D ones) where you're pressing one direction to build up momentum but then you enter a loop or a turn or something and you don't quite know whether to keep holding that direction or to switch to wherever you're facing now? Ugh, that could have been worded better but you know what I'm talking about. That is this game in a nutshell.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay stellar
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25885
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Insecticide
short review today, guys. Insert flimsy excuse here.
Insecticide is my new defensive evidence to show to anyone who accuses me of giving FPS games a free ride just because shooters happen to be my favorite genre. Don't get me wrong, the gameplay isn't as bad as Echo's was, but I still can't recommend it.
First off, let's talk level design. The game starts you off in an area with only common SMGs, pistols, and some weird flying centipede type things along with their spawners. Naturally, as a gamer, your first instinct is to wreck shop. So you fire upon the spawners, since they're the only things that don't move or try to kill you, only to find that their health bars are way too big. Killing things, at first, is boring, but it's almost stimulating. Less ridiculous movement patterns, health bars, aim assist...all of these things would have been useful here.
So then, you go and explore the vast, open landscape until you come across what I call the "fun zone." Here, there are rocket launchers and swarms of wasps galore to keep your interest. I like how the game gradually leads you into the intense action, but the beginning stages needed some polish.
Speaking of polish, what happened with those centipede enemy things? The wasps, houses, ground and hilariously named taxi cab all have at least a little bit of detail to them, so why not the first enemies you see? Maybe they were following the method of making the player explore to get the good stuff, but I don't know. It still seems a bit unrefined.
That's a good word for this game in general. It's unrefined. That doesn't mean it's not good and it certainly doesn't mean it has a shaky foundation, but it does mean I can't quite recommend it just yet.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay swarmin'
Links
Inspect Inside: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=512
Insecticide is my new defensive evidence to show to anyone who accuses me of giving FPS games a free ride just because shooters happen to be my favorite genre. Don't get me wrong, the gameplay isn't as bad as Echo's was, but I still can't recommend it.
First off, let's talk level design. The game starts you off in an area with only common SMGs, pistols, and some weird flying centipede type things along with their spawners. Naturally, as a gamer, your first instinct is to wreck shop. So you fire upon the spawners, since they're the only things that don't move or try to kill you, only to find that their health bars are way too big. Killing things, at first, is boring, but it's almost stimulating. Less ridiculous movement patterns, health bars, aim assist...all of these things would have been useful here.
So then, you go and explore the vast, open landscape until you come across what I call the "fun zone." Here, there are rocket launchers and swarms of wasps galore to keep your interest. I like how the game gradually leads you into the intense action, but the beginning stages needed some polish.
Speaking of polish, what happened with those centipede enemy things? The wasps, houses, ground and hilariously named taxi cab all have at least a little bit of detail to them, so why not the first enemies you see? Maybe they were following the method of making the player explore to get the good stuff, but I don't know. It still seems a bit unrefined.
That's a good word for this game in general. It's unrefined. That doesn't mean it's not good and it certainly doesn't mean it has a shaky foundation, but it does mean I can't quite recommend it just yet.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay swarmin'
Links
Inspect Inside: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=512
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Infinite Ion (guest review)
“Luis, my fellow game-whore who has given up on writing
guest reviews” he says. I’ll show him...I’ll show them all!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Oh. You’re here.
So after that very
appreciated character assault, I thought it my duty to write a review. And
yes, I will resort to cheap shots. Also, I’ll be reviewing it as I play, which
means that I get to yell more, but which also means that my analysis may not be
super spot on at times.
Pre-Game:
Infinite Ion is a
game made by a bunch of sophomores. Their opening description is that it’s a
“cooperative bullet hell shooter based on the concept of polarity, based on Ikaruga.” So, naturally, I had to go and
see what Ikaruga was all about. And guess what, Ikaruga is a single-player bullet hell shooter based on the concept
of polarity. Made initially for the Gamecube, you press A to (literally) flip
between what I’ll just call the good Arwing and the evil Arwing. The good
Arwing can’t be harmed by blue light bullets and the evil Arwing can’t be
harmed by darkness bullets. Clever, but not too interesting.
Now, this game is a co-op game, and I’ve basically come to
the conclusion that there are three kinds of co-op games on the market. Your
first kind of co-op game would be your Borderlands and your Halo 3, where co-op
is appreciated, but not necessary. Your second kind of co-op game would be your
Portal 2, where it’s entirely separate from the rest of the game. And your
third kind would be your Dead Space 3 and your Resident Evil The Last Few and
your Borderlands 2, where it doesn’t need to be co-op, but for some reason is.
Guess which one this game falls under?
The menu screen is pretty generic, with a small explosion
particle effect thingy going on in the lower left, and all the options and
stuff over a decidedly bland logo. The music is decidedly boring, because it
sounds like it uses the same keyboard that they did for Deus Ex, but without
all of the cool.
Also, since co-op is required, I’ve enlisted the help of my
sixth grade brother, Napoleon, also known by his real name Matthew.
Post-Game:
“Look, it wasn’t something I would play again. Maybe I would
give it one or two more goes.” This coming from the child that has poured so
many hours into the Virtual Hat Simulator that is TF2 that he literally changed
the Steam layout so that he wouldn’t be embarrassed by how many days he’s
wasted playing it so far. Suffice it to say, kid knows a good game when he sees
one.
Surprise surprise, the co-op “definitely was a feature, but
wasn’t really necessary. It could’ve just been an option and not really forced
upon you.” Honestly, he’s spot on. From a mechanical standpoint, having co-op
does open up quite a few avenues for development, but these devs basically seem
to have said “Ikaruga with a friend”
A solid third of the bullet patterns are specifically
designed so that you can only complete them if both players simultaneously
complete a specific and complex series of maneuvers. Which is not fun to do with
two people. With one person, the excuse is, “Oh, I’m an ass, guess I need to
pay more attention.” Here, you’re completely reliant on your partner, and not
in a fun way. The game is your typical twitchy bullet hell fair, so mistakes
are obviously going to abound, but when one mistake can lose you two of your
shared six lives (side note: shared lives = stupid. Don’t do it.) everything
becomes increasingly combative.
Gun upgrades are received through small gold coins of
various sizes dropped by enemies. However, there’s nothing that explain the
relative value of each coin, or how many you need to upgrade, etc.
The backgrounds were dull and uninspiring. The music changed
each level but was so bland that I didn’t even notice it. The sound effects
were...okay. Nothing more than they needed to be.
Honestly, I came away from this game thoroughly bored. The
reason being that aside from the glaring unnecessary co-op, this game is
just...dull. There’s nothing else that’s really wrong with it, but it’s just a
kind of bland paste. If anything, it just proves that Ikaruga had some really cool ideas and solid execution that they
tried their damndest to mimic and failed at.
Ion Paired: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25886
Shameless Plug: http://potentiallymeaningful.blogspot.com/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And thus, another honest day's work has been evaded. Thanks, bud. Since I don't have a mini-me to play with, you guys are just going to have to take Luis's word on this one.
Incandescence
Prior to playing Incandescence, I was notified by Luis, my fellow game-whore who has given up on writing guest reviews but not on playing these games for kicks, that this was the game controls like a cheetah with an inner ear problem. I'm paraphrasing, of course, but nevertheless, it's worth noting that I didn't go into this game very optimistically. That in mind, let's play this thang.
Well the controls definitely aren't great, but I've played a lot worse. Really the only problem is that the mouse sensitivity is too low, which wouldn't be a problem if the game allowed me to adjust it manually. Instead, I got a perplexing control options screen where the only options are "invert y axis" and a blank field for you to type stuff into, which does nothing. huh...
My main problem with the game is how it feels. Occasionally, you'll run into these glitchy-if-effective boost rails, which bring you up to a satisfying speed, but the momentum you gain from them runs out almost the instant you leave them. The rest of the game is pretty sluggish, all things considered. I'm just coasting around the city with no real sense of challenge or excitement. It's just plain ol' boring. If Igneous were paced like this, I would have torn it a new one because every other aspect of its design focuses on adrenaline. Incandescence, with its blue tonality, calming sound direction and placid control style, and consequence-free level design seems to go for a much more relaxing atmosphere, which is fine as long as there's something to keep me occupied. I need to derive some sense of fun from a game...that's why it's a game!
Imagine a game based on that one scene from Aladdin where you're just floating on a magic carpet through the clouds. No sense of danger, nothing standing in your way, you're just coasting. Every now and again a little piece of bread or whatever will float by that you can collect, but past that, nothing. Sounds fun, right? Yeah, I didn't think so. That's what Incandescence reminds me of.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay musical
Links
Ink on the fence: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24656
Well the controls definitely aren't great, but I've played a lot worse. Really the only problem is that the mouse sensitivity is too low, which wouldn't be a problem if the game allowed me to adjust it manually. Instead, I got a perplexing control options screen where the only options are "invert y axis" and a blank field for you to type stuff into, which does nothing. huh...
My main problem with the game is how it feels. Occasionally, you'll run into these glitchy-if-effective boost rails, which bring you up to a satisfying speed, but the momentum you gain from them runs out almost the instant you leave them. The rest of the game is pretty sluggish, all things considered. I'm just coasting around the city with no real sense of challenge or excitement. It's just plain ol' boring. If Igneous were paced like this, I would have torn it a new one because every other aspect of its design focuses on adrenaline. Incandescence, with its blue tonality, calming sound direction and placid control style, and consequence-free level design seems to go for a much more relaxing atmosphere, which is fine as long as there's something to keep me occupied. I need to derive some sense of fun from a game...that's why it's a game!
Imagine a game based on that one scene from Aladdin where you're just floating on a magic carpet through the clouds. No sense of danger, nothing standing in your way, you're just coasting. Every now and again a little piece of bread or whatever will float by that you can collect, but past that, nothing. Sounds fun, right? Yeah, I didn't think so. That's what Incandescence reminds me of.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay musical
Links
Ink on the fence: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24656
Friday, May 10, 2013
Igneous
I was excited to play this game for 2 main reasons. First, it's another IGF finalist. While that's by no means an end-all quality assurance stamp, it tends to act like it. Second, I have kind of an affinity for the word "Igneous" because when I was younger, my friends and I formed a band called "Igneus." Get it? Cuz we were a rock band...and we were hot...and we omitted a letter because we were clever like that...heh...hehe...ehhh...
well anyway, let it never be said that I'm a biased reviewer. Let's analyze Igneous as a game and nothing more, shall we?
The first thing I noticed about Igneous is that it proudly touts the fact that it was built from the ground up using C++. Wait a minute, doesn't that sound familiar? Why yes, Deity advertised itself in the same way. And, if you recall, I flipping loved Deity; it's probably my favorite game on the list so far. The graphical styles of the two games are similar, too. Huh...this game has set quite the challenge for itself by making me think of Deity.
The next thing I noticed is that the only two difficulty modes are "normal" and "impossible." Can't fault them for being direct, I suppose.
Alright, enough beating around the bush. Let's talk mechanics.
All things considered, this game reminds me more than Nitronic Rush than anything...oh, crap, wait...I'm not supposed to know about that game yet. Forget what I just said!
So, I started out this game on Impossible difficulty, and man, does it lead up to that name...I had to turn down the difficulty on level 2 (after all, I want to get some sleep tonight and I didn't know how long this game would be). Upon turning down the difficulty, however, the challenge factor took a disheartening turn for the frustrating. Every death was a cheap one. How the hell am I supposed to escape the falling ground when by the time it's started falling, I've already plummeted to my death?
Alright, let's take a step back and get the praise out of the way before I complain some more. At least until the cheap deaths kicked in, what this game did best was atmosphere. The intuitive control, the pleasant contrast of the visual style, the hectic music, and the jaw-dropping presentation put me right into that lovely state of flow. With the exception of Erebus, no game on this list has immersed me more in its universe.
Then, everything changed when the cheap deaths attacked.
And blah blah blah, I'd be talking in circles if I continued. Igneous is a great game that's sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. It's certainly a challenge for all those adrenaline-junky gamers out there. If you want a game that will put your ability to read the environment and make twitch decisions, this is your game. For utterly mastering that specific style of game, I'll go ahead and give it my seal of approval. I really considered withholding it because of the cheap deaths, but the game has so much to offer past that.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay molten
Links
Pig knees: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=8713
well anyway, let it never be said that I'm a biased reviewer. Let's analyze Igneous as a game and nothing more, shall we?
The first thing I noticed about Igneous is that it proudly touts the fact that it was built from the ground up using C++. Wait a minute, doesn't that sound familiar? Why yes, Deity advertised itself in the same way. And, if you recall, I flipping loved Deity; it's probably my favorite game on the list so far. The graphical styles of the two games are similar, too. Huh...this game has set quite the challenge for itself by making me think of Deity.
The next thing I noticed is that the only two difficulty modes are "normal" and "impossible." Can't fault them for being direct, I suppose.
Alright, enough beating around the bush. Let's talk mechanics.
All things considered, this game reminds me more than Nitronic Rush than anything...oh, crap, wait...I'm not supposed to know about that game yet. Forget what I just said!
So, I started out this game on Impossible difficulty, and man, does it lead up to that name...I had to turn down the difficulty on level 2 (after all, I want to get some sleep tonight and I didn't know how long this game would be). Upon turning down the difficulty, however, the challenge factor took a disheartening turn for the frustrating. Every death was a cheap one. How the hell am I supposed to escape the falling ground when by the time it's started falling, I've already plummeted to my death?
Alright, let's take a step back and get the praise out of the way before I complain some more. At least until the cheap deaths kicked in, what this game did best was atmosphere. The intuitive control, the pleasant contrast of the visual style, the hectic music, and the jaw-dropping presentation put me right into that lovely state of flow. With the exception of Erebus, no game on this list has immersed me more in its universe.
Then, everything changed when the cheap deaths attacked.
And blah blah blah, I'd be talking in circles if I continued. Igneous is a great game that's sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. It's certainly a challenge for all those adrenaline-junky gamers out there. If you want a game that will put your ability to read the environment and make twitch decisions, this is your game. For utterly mastering that specific style of game, I'll go ahead and give it my seal of approval. I really considered withholding it because of the cheap deaths, but the game has so much to offer past that.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay molten
Links
Pig knees: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=8713
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Ice Wars
Alright well this game didn't exactly "work" in the traditional sense...It crashed way too often to be considered playable. However, it did give me enough material to review it as if it did work...sort of.
Ok so the first thing you'll notice about this game is that there's no "how to play" screen. Oh good, you may say, Dean doesn't get to complain about the game insulting his intelligence by telling him how to WASD. Well, you're right, but as long as there are things in existence, mark my words, I will always find something to complain about. To be fair, I figured out everything I needed to within 5 minutes of playing, so the game doesn't convey things too horribly. It's just that they messed up a lot of simple things. Since when, for example, is it considered okay to highlight the names of the players' team in red? Especially considering that on the team selection screen, the player's name is in blue, this made figuring out who to click on more of a pain than it needed to be.
Anyways, what happens once you actually get the game figured out? Well, it's quite rewarding, actually. The concept alone is enough to sell me. This is what a "real time strategy game" should be! See, I have no problem micro-managing action points or resources or whatever if it means I can have a definite grasp of what I'm doing and how each action will influence the events of the game. This game pulls that off perfectly. You have no idea where your opponents are going to move or, therefore, where you should aim. You have to get into the head of the enemy and figure out what they're going to do and how to counter it. It's slow-paced, but really intense.
Everything else is really secondary. I would love to see a game like this get polished and re-released. I'm a stingy ol' miser, but even I'd fork over a few bucks on Steam or what have you for a version of this game that didn't crash every 2 minutes. Well done, DigiPen. This game, or rather the hypothetical functional version of this game, gets my seal of approval.
That's all for now. Until next time, stay chill.
Links
Rice Whores: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=509
Ok so the first thing you'll notice about this game is that there's no "how to play" screen. Oh good, you may say, Dean doesn't get to complain about the game insulting his intelligence by telling him how to WASD. Well, you're right, but as long as there are things in existence, mark my words, I will always find something to complain about. To be fair, I figured out everything I needed to within 5 minutes of playing, so the game doesn't convey things too horribly. It's just that they messed up a lot of simple things. Since when, for example, is it considered okay to highlight the names of the players' team in red? Especially considering that on the team selection screen, the player's name is in blue, this made figuring out who to click on more of a pain than it needed to be.
Anyways, what happens once you actually get the game figured out? Well, it's quite rewarding, actually. The concept alone is enough to sell me. This is what a "real time strategy game" should be! See, I have no problem micro-managing action points or resources or whatever if it means I can have a definite grasp of what I'm doing and how each action will influence the events of the game. This game pulls that off perfectly. You have no idea where your opponents are going to move or, therefore, where you should aim. You have to get into the head of the enemy and figure out what they're going to do and how to counter it. It's slow-paced, but really intense.
Everything else is really secondary. I would love to see a game like this get polished and re-released. I'm a stingy ol' miser, but even I'd fork over a few bucks on Steam or what have you for a version of this game that didn't crash every 2 minutes. Well done, DigiPen. This game, or rather the hypothetical functional version of this game, gets my seal of approval.
That's all for now. Until next time, stay chill.
Links
Rice Whores: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=509
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Hyper Air Rally
Hyper Air Rally reminded me at first of A Series of Tubes. Hang on, though, don't run away just yet. That was only my first impression.
Once I got to dig into Hyper Air Rally what I saw as a fun, adrenaline-fueled air race. Like anything, though, it could be better. The designers seemed to be talented but misguided. There seemed to be a lot of unnecessary effort that, if redirected, could have turned this unfinished yet entertaining romp into an experience to rival Diddy Kong Racing.
The controls, I'm not gonna lie, take a bit of getting used to. They commit the mortal sin of making the arrow keys the primary directional buttons; and even go further to insult me by making "S" and "D" into secondary directional buttons. Nonetheless, once you do learn them, navigating the racetracks can be fun, albeit unimmersive due to the physics engine.
Oh yeah, the physics engine is a sack of lard on a hot summer's day. When you collide with a wall, you just kind of stick onto it with no kind of rebound to get you back on course. This means one crash is, more often than not, not only fatal but also infuriating.
Those are really the only two complaints I have with the game. I can look at most of these games, pick out their flaws and think "okay, maybe they just didn't have the time or manpower to iron that out," but that's not the case here. Fact is, they just tried to cram too much into the game; therefore, they weren't able to perfect the parts of the game that needed perfecting.
The weapons are the biggest culprit. I never even figured out how to use the weapons and every time an opponent fired upon me, I was able to dodge it without even trying. The controls are hectic enough without the added stress of timing and aiming rockets, so the weapons are just superfluous. The icing on the cake is that there are tons of weapons on the customization screen, each one a subtle middle finger to me and my desire for the game to wow me.
Even with all that, I had fun with Hyper Air Rally. That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay aerial
Links
Sniper Pear Valley: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=491
Once I got to dig into Hyper Air Rally what I saw as a fun, adrenaline-fueled air race. Like anything, though, it could be better. The designers seemed to be talented but misguided. There seemed to be a lot of unnecessary effort that, if redirected, could have turned this unfinished yet entertaining romp into an experience to rival Diddy Kong Racing.
The controls, I'm not gonna lie, take a bit of getting used to. They commit the mortal sin of making the arrow keys the primary directional buttons; and even go further to insult me by making "S" and "D" into secondary directional buttons. Nonetheless, once you do learn them, navigating the racetracks can be fun, albeit unimmersive due to the physics engine.
Oh yeah, the physics engine is a sack of lard on a hot summer's day. When you collide with a wall, you just kind of stick onto it with no kind of rebound to get you back on course. This means one crash is, more often than not, not only fatal but also infuriating.
Those are really the only two complaints I have with the game. I can look at most of these games, pick out their flaws and think "okay, maybe they just didn't have the time or manpower to iron that out," but that's not the case here. Fact is, they just tried to cram too much into the game; therefore, they weren't able to perfect the parts of the game that needed perfecting.
The weapons are the biggest culprit. I never even figured out how to use the weapons and every time an opponent fired upon me, I was able to dodge it without even trying. The controls are hectic enough without the added stress of timing and aiming rockets, so the weapons are just superfluous. The icing on the cake is that there are tons of weapons on the customization screen, each one a subtle middle finger to me and my desire for the game to wow me.
Even with all that, I had fun with Hyper Air Rally. That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay aerial
Links
Sniper Pear Valley: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=491
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Hydroman
So this game is actually very similar to the last one I reviewed. It had the foundation to be a unique and fun little adventure but it messed up programming-wise.
Actually, this game also has a problem with momentum, but honestly that's the least of our worries. The main problem is how buggy this game is. The physics are non-existent. At any moment you can press space to leap from a rope only to get flung down into an abyss.
The game builds itself around swinging, which invokes a fun Bionic Commando kind of feel. The problem is that the swinging physics are so damn choppy that the whole game ends up feeling more like Sonic '06 in that the only way to prosper is to manipulate the glitches to your advantage.
Don't get me wrong, this game had a lot of neat ideas. In fact, I think that's its strongest point. swinging mechanics, proximity lighting...nothing too original, but they seem like well-implemented ideas. There's enough in this game to make you go "oh, that's kinda cool."
Unfortunately, that feeling is far outweighed by the overall feel. Everything in this game seems to be programmed to do the exact opposite of what you want it to do. Hitbox sizes are inconsistent, the rope mechanics are a nightmare, hazards and platforms are placed inauspiciously...everything.
This game was another swing and miss, but I can respect that. Yes, it has a lot of flaws...too many for me to recommend it, in fact. Still, it has an appeal.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay hydrated
Links:
splat: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25114
Actually, this game also has a problem with momentum, but honestly that's the least of our worries. The main problem is how buggy this game is. The physics are non-existent. At any moment you can press space to leap from a rope only to get flung down into an abyss.
The game builds itself around swinging, which invokes a fun Bionic Commando kind of feel. The problem is that the swinging physics are so damn choppy that the whole game ends up feeling more like Sonic '06 in that the only way to prosper is to manipulate the glitches to your advantage.
Don't get me wrong, this game had a lot of neat ideas. In fact, I think that's its strongest point. swinging mechanics, proximity lighting...nothing too original, but they seem like well-implemented ideas. There's enough in this game to make you go "oh, that's kinda cool."
Unfortunately, that feeling is far outweighed by the overall feel. Everything in this game seems to be programmed to do the exact opposite of what you want it to do. Hitbox sizes are inconsistent, the rope mechanics are a nightmare, hazards and platforms are placed inauspiciously...everything.
This game was another swing and miss, but I can respect that. Yes, it has a lot of flaws...too many for me to recommend it, in fact. Still, it has an appeal.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay hydrated
Links:
splat: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25114
Monday, May 6, 2013
Hot Chick
yeah, this game certainly turned me into a hot chick....er...wait, that came out wrong...
Hot Chick is a platformer based around bomb-propulsion mechanics. In short, it had a good foundation but failed in the implementation. Allow me to elaborate:
The number one problem with Hot Chick is the momentum. When you're in the air, you're pretty much inert. Even though this is technically more realistic than the Mario approach, it's a lot less fun. There's nothing quite as frustrating as frantically holding down a directional button trying desperately to mount a platform.
This flaw is made all the more menacing by the fact that you die in one hit. Not only is this going to lead to a lot of unwanted spike deaths that feel undeserved, but it also paves the way to getting suckerpunched by enemies you only saw once you propelled yourself toward them. This may be more a fault with the level design than the mechanics, but it still makes the game frustrating.
There are some good points to the game. The art direction is competent and it does feel rewarding to conquer certain environment puzzles. Essentially, whenever there's nothing around that can kill you, the game is fun. Dying in one hit and a lack of mid-level checkpoints make every hazard in this game a walk through hell.
Not the worst game I've played, but I can't recommend it. That's all for now. Until next time, stay hot.
Links
Title Pun Swing and Miss: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25440
Hot Chick is a platformer based around bomb-propulsion mechanics. In short, it had a good foundation but failed in the implementation. Allow me to elaborate:
The number one problem with Hot Chick is the momentum. When you're in the air, you're pretty much inert. Even though this is technically more realistic than the Mario approach, it's a lot less fun. There's nothing quite as frustrating as frantically holding down a directional button trying desperately to mount a platform.
This flaw is made all the more menacing by the fact that you die in one hit. Not only is this going to lead to a lot of unwanted spike deaths that feel undeserved, but it also paves the way to getting suckerpunched by enemies you only saw once you propelled yourself toward them. This may be more a fault with the level design than the mechanics, but it still makes the game frustrating.
There are some good points to the game. The art direction is competent and it does feel rewarding to conquer certain environment puzzles. Essentially, whenever there's nothing around that can kill you, the game is fun. Dying in one hit and a lack of mid-level checkpoints make every hazard in this game a walk through hell.
Not the worst game I've played, but I can't recommend it. That's all for now. Until next time, stay hot.
Links
Title Pun Swing and Miss: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25440
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Hookshot
yeah it's broken. Can't get past the menu screen. Unfortunately I don't even think I'll be able to get a legitimate review out today, either. Sorry guys.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Hollowpoint
Hollowpoint betrays everything you've been taught since childhood. Get ready to have your mind blown: turtles run fast. It all makes sense now! That explains how that one pet turtle I had that one time escaped so quickly while my dad was cleaning his tank. Golly gee...
Well other than that, Hollowpoint plays by the rules. Guns are fun, so let's make a game with them. The guns run on time rather than ammo, so it's another blank-minded shootstravaganza.
Alright, let's not pretend it's something it's not. Let's just judge it based on what it is. In a game like this, the most important factor by far is game feel, and Hollowpoint pulls that off pretty well. The guns are satisfying to shoot and galloping around looking for health and gun upgrades is definitely appealing.
Difficulty is fine. The game derives its challenge from the typical bullet hell formula: just throw a bunch o' stuff at 'em and see what they can do. Yeah, the levels are designed pretty haphazardly, but it works in this context.
At first I really liked the visual style, but once I got over the feeling of "I am a turtle killing things with high-powered weapons" I realized that there wasn't much variety to anything.
This is a delightfully average sensory stimulation machine. If that sounds appealing to you, go for it. It's certainly enjoyable, so if you're bored and feel like going on a rampage, give it a shot.
That's all for now. Until next time, stay shelled
Links
Hello, point: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=402
Well other than that, Hollowpoint plays by the rules. Guns are fun, so let's make a game with them. The guns run on time rather than ammo, so it's another blank-minded shootstravaganza.
Alright, let's not pretend it's something it's not. Let's just judge it based on what it is. In a game like this, the most important factor by far is game feel, and Hollowpoint pulls that off pretty well. The guns are satisfying to shoot and galloping around looking for health and gun upgrades is definitely appealing.
Difficulty is fine. The game derives its challenge from the typical bullet hell formula: just throw a bunch o' stuff at 'em and see what they can do. Yeah, the levels are designed pretty haphazardly, but it works in this context.
At first I really liked the visual style, but once I got over the feeling of "I am a turtle killing things with high-powered weapons" I realized that there wasn't much variety to anything.
This is a delightfully average sensory stimulation machine. If that sounds appealing to you, go for it. It's certainly enjoyable, so if you're bored and feel like going on a rampage, give it a shot.
That's all for now. Until next time, stay shelled
Links
Hello, point: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=402
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Hexcentric
hehe yeah this game is a bit hexcentric if you know what I'm saaaayinnnnnnnn
*ahem*
okay so this is one of those puzzle game type things that I'm not really good at so maybe I'm not the most reliable of sources to go with on this one. What I can tell you is that, from a game design perspective, Hexcentric tried to be fun for all the family and succeeded...to an extent.
The difficulty is perfect. The game modes range from the pathetically simple to the "I have no idea what's happening." Each game mode, regardless of your starting point, has pretty much the same difficulty curve, which is rather effective at reeling you into the game. Now, the question is: is the game itself fun?
Well it's an entertaining little toy, but I can't see myself ever investing more than a few minutes to tinker around with it. Honestly, there's just only so much tile arranging I can do before I start to get bored.
Again, the game is designed beautifully and it makes you feel kinda smart for figuring out how to play it (unless you click "how to play" in which case your only reaction will be "oh...oh that's kinda smart I guess")
If you like casual puzzlers, this is for you. If not, it's not. It's lacking in polish and depth, but a game doesn't need those things to be a fun experience.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay hexagonal
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=444
*ahem*
okay so this is one of those puzzle game type things that I'm not really good at so maybe I'm not the most reliable of sources to go with on this one. What I can tell you is that, from a game design perspective, Hexcentric tried to be fun for all the family and succeeded...to an extent.
The difficulty is perfect. The game modes range from the pathetically simple to the "I have no idea what's happening." Each game mode, regardless of your starting point, has pretty much the same difficulty curve, which is rather effective at reeling you into the game. Now, the question is: is the game itself fun?
Well it's an entertaining little toy, but I can't see myself ever investing more than a few minutes to tinker around with it. Honestly, there's just only so much tile arranging I can do before I start to get bored.
Again, the game is designed beautifully and it makes you feel kinda smart for figuring out how to play it (unless you click "how to play" in which case your only reaction will be "oh...oh that's kinda smart I guess")
If you like casual puzzlers, this is for you. If not, it's not. It's lacking in polish and depth, but a game doesn't need those things to be a fun experience.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay hexagonal
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=444
Helvault
You wanna know how to tell if a game may be oversimplified? If it only uses one button.
But seriously, folks. If that doesn't capture how simplistic Helvault is, nothing will. The only thing you have the power to do is jump. This makes the game easy to play, if nothing else.
The visual style is one step further than that whole "retro-NES" style I talked about in my Haven review and goes for something of a "retro-Atari 2600" look. The animations are limited and the whole thing is very plain. Nothing to behold but nothing to scorn.
The game itself, despite having literally the most simple control scheme possible, can actually get pretty intense. It goes for an arcade feel, which shows through its difficulty. Yeah, this game is a token taker, alright. See, the way you power up is by collecting more teammates, so when those teammates die, you get substantially weaker. You enemies, which kill you just by touching you, do not. Thus, it becomes nigh impossible to survive once a few of your guys get taken out. This isn't a bad thing, mind. I appreciate how unforgiving the game is, and since the game takes no time at all to get moving, it makes for a fun and intense experience. Who knew timing jumps could be so fun?
The other thing that can make this game super chaotic is that your teammates can spread out. See, they form a line behind you as you collect them, and they all jump simultaneously when you press the jump button. This means that if you have a large team, you're likely going to end up with three separate rows of platforms all being covered by your guys. Keeping track of your characters under these conditions can be quite exhilarating.
Yeah, that's all I got. Simple concept, fun game. Until next time, stay prehistoric.
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26008
But seriously, folks. If that doesn't capture how simplistic Helvault is, nothing will. The only thing you have the power to do is jump. This makes the game easy to play, if nothing else.
The visual style is one step further than that whole "retro-NES" style I talked about in my Haven review and goes for something of a "retro-Atari 2600" look. The animations are limited and the whole thing is very plain. Nothing to behold but nothing to scorn.
The game itself, despite having literally the most simple control scheme possible, can actually get pretty intense. It goes for an arcade feel, which shows through its difficulty. Yeah, this game is a token taker, alright. See, the way you power up is by collecting more teammates, so when those teammates die, you get substantially weaker. You enemies, which kill you just by touching you, do not. Thus, it becomes nigh impossible to survive once a few of your guys get taken out. This isn't a bad thing, mind. I appreciate how unforgiving the game is, and since the game takes no time at all to get moving, it makes for a fun and intense experience. Who knew timing jumps could be so fun?
The other thing that can make this game super chaotic is that your teammates can spread out. See, they form a line behind you as you collect them, and they all jump simultaneously when you press the jump button. This means that if you have a large team, you're likely going to end up with three separate rows of platforms all being covered by your guys. Keeping track of your characters under these conditions can be quite exhilarating.
Yeah, that's all I got. Simple concept, fun game. Until next time, stay prehistoric.
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26008
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Helios
"We are Daedalus. We are Icarus. The barriers between us have fallen and we have become our own shadows. We can be more if we join with you."
Helios is a 3D, straightforward space shooter. Its most distinguishing feature, if you ask me, is that it's played exclusively with the mouse. It's altogether functional minus a few manageable flaws and, ultimately, it's a fun experience. Here's why:
First, let's talk about presentation, which is something this game absolutely nails. As soon as you start it up, the game greets you with a fun, active electronic tune, which is a sped up version of a song I remember hearing in other games, so either the guys who provide DigiPen with their music were out of ideas or someone on this game's team decided to leave an auditory mark on their project, which I can respect.
The sun in the background contrasts beautifully with the space atmosphere (or lack thereof...hehe) and the bright trail of your ship is a delight to behold...not that you'll have much time to behold it, because as soon as the 30-second tutorial wraps up, you're launched into an onslaught of enemies and obstacles, all well designed and fun to shoot at.
Alright, let's get into the problems with the game. Really, there are 3 big ones: a sound glitch, the enemy fire, and the obstacles.
Let's start with enemy fire. It's tiny and impossible to avoid. Mostly, this is because if an enemy situates itself right in front of you, your ship will prevent you from seeing the enemy projectiles. See, in Starfox 64, the camera is angled slightly downward so that you can see enemies that are directly in front of you. As a result, every hit you take feels like you deserved it. Here, almost every time you take damage seems like a cheap shot.
speaking of cheap shots, let's talk obstacles: All-in-all, this game controls quite well, even on my trackpad. However, dodging the giant obstacles is made artificially difficult by some sort of design flaw I might be able to point out if I were a design student. All I know as a player is that one second the opening to escape unharmed couldn't be clearer and the next you've just collided with a piece of 3-ton space debris. Not fun, not challenging, just frustrating.
Speaking of space debris, there's the sound glitch. The first song you blast away enemies to is catchy and immersive. Perfect for setting the mood. However, at some point, whether it's when you collide with space debris or when 2 pieces of space debris collide against each other, that music will stop and you will be catapulted out of the experience. Couple that with the fact that collision sound effects are way too loud and you've got yourself a real sound editing problem.
Other than all that, Helios is quite fun and definitely worth your time. That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay inevitable.
Links
can't get away: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=18573
Helios is a 3D, straightforward space shooter. Its most distinguishing feature, if you ask me, is that it's played exclusively with the mouse. It's altogether functional minus a few manageable flaws and, ultimately, it's a fun experience. Here's why:
First, let's talk about presentation, which is something this game absolutely nails. As soon as you start it up, the game greets you with a fun, active electronic tune, which is a sped up version of a song I remember hearing in other games, so either the guys who provide DigiPen with their music were out of ideas or someone on this game's team decided to leave an auditory mark on their project, which I can respect.
The sun in the background contrasts beautifully with the space atmosphere (or lack thereof...hehe) and the bright trail of your ship is a delight to behold...not that you'll have much time to behold it, because as soon as the 30-second tutorial wraps up, you're launched into an onslaught of enemies and obstacles, all well designed and fun to shoot at.
Alright, let's get into the problems with the game. Really, there are 3 big ones: a sound glitch, the enemy fire, and the obstacles.
Let's start with enemy fire. It's tiny and impossible to avoid. Mostly, this is because if an enemy situates itself right in front of you, your ship will prevent you from seeing the enemy projectiles. See, in Starfox 64, the camera is angled slightly downward so that you can see enemies that are directly in front of you. As a result, every hit you take feels like you deserved it. Here, almost every time you take damage seems like a cheap shot.
speaking of cheap shots, let's talk obstacles: All-in-all, this game controls quite well, even on my trackpad. However, dodging the giant obstacles is made artificially difficult by some sort of design flaw I might be able to point out if I were a design student. All I know as a player is that one second the opening to escape unharmed couldn't be clearer and the next you've just collided with a piece of 3-ton space debris. Not fun, not challenging, just frustrating.
Speaking of space debris, there's the sound glitch. The first song you blast away enemies to is catchy and immersive. Perfect for setting the mood. However, at some point, whether it's when you collide with space debris or when 2 pieces of space debris collide against each other, that music will stop and you will be catapulted out of the experience. Couple that with the fact that collision sound effects are way too loud and you've got yourself a real sound editing problem.
Other than all that, Helios is quite fun and definitely worth your time. That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay inevitable.
Links
can't get away: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=18573
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