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
Friday, May 10, 2013
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
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