I don't know if it's the fact that the games today are getting less and less substantial, that my will is gradually decreasing, or some combination of both, but I don't have much to say about this one at all. It's one of those Asteroids-ey multidirectional top-down shooters. You know the kind. There are two main problems I have with this game: a design issue and a control issue.
First, this game is just way too cluttered for my tastes. There are bullets and enemies everywhere and getting hit by them seems to be more of an inevitability than an option. This is largely due to the control issue:
I don't know who on the dev team thought it would be a good idea to limit the movement buttons to the arrow keys as opposed to WASD, but whoever it was is responsible for 90% of the game's frustration. See, when holding the up arrow key, the left arrow key doesn't work, meaning you can't go forward and left at the same time. I know this isn't just a problem with my computer because I remember having the same problem on other computers, albeit with different programs.
That's all I got. Until next time, stay triangular.
Links
pew pew triangles: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25882
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Grimelins
yeah, there ain't much to say about this game. I feel a bit cheated because the game's description clearly mentions multiple bosses, but the entire game is just one boss fight. The description also mentions that you're "saving your friend," but again, no such thing happens.
Well anyway, the one boss fight that does occur is more formulaic than the front page of one of my physics tests. Step 1: throw bomb. Step 2: repeat until you win.
The only real plus to this game is the visual style. If this was just a test to see if the devs could make a functional sequence with really pretty 3D graphics, then I guess it succeeds. As a game, though, it falls flat.
That's all I got. Until next time, stay repetitive
Links
Don't move, little alloy: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25904
Well anyway, the one boss fight that does occur is more formulaic than the front page of one of my physics tests. Step 1: throw bomb. Step 2: repeat until you win.
The only real plus to this game is the visual style. If this was just a test to see if the devs could make a functional sequence with really pretty 3D graphics, then I guess it succeeds. As a game, though, it falls flat.
That's all I got. Until next time, stay repetitive
Links
Don't move, little alloy: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25904
GridWarrior
so yeah, it's allergy season again. I apologize for being a bit foggy-headed, but I...uh...what was I saying? Wait, where am I?
alright so GridWarrior is a really good game that gets screwed up by one design flaw. This kind of game is my least favorite to review because I really only have one thing to talk about. Anything else would be summary rather than analysis; if my English teacher caught me doing something like that, he'd break out the paddle again.
So what is this flaw you may ask? Well, first, let me talk a little bit about how the game frames itself...I mean analyze! I'm going to analyze how the game frames itself! See, different enemies use different kinds of weapons. You can get those weapons by whittling down their health and then using your grappling hook on them. This process is dangerous, as it leaves you open to attack and diverts your attention from the million other enemies on the screen. Thus, it makes for a really engaging player choice: "do I soak up the damage to get a new weapon or do I hold off?" That is, it would, if it weren't for this game's fatal flaw:
The sword is tremendously OP. There is not a single enemy in this game that can't be beaten by simply mashing right-click at them. The most efficient method of dispatching enemies is unlocked from the word go, turning what could have been a really fun game boring and repetitive.
Everything else in this game is great. Visuals, controls, everything. That one design flaw completely undermined an otherwise thoughtful game. Just goes to show how meticulous a dev team has to be. I mean, I was playing this game for like an hour before I noticed how powerful the sword was. Before that, I was having a blast.
Oh well. If you can convince yourself not to abuse the sword, I suppose GridWarrior can still be a fun experience. That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay unbalanced.
Links
right click your way to victory: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26007
alright so GridWarrior is a really good game that gets screwed up by one design flaw. This kind of game is my least favorite to review because I really only have one thing to talk about. Anything else would be summary rather than analysis; if my English teacher caught me doing something like that, he'd break out the paddle again.
So what is this flaw you may ask? Well, first, let me talk a little bit about how the game frames itself...I mean analyze! I'm going to analyze how the game frames itself! See, different enemies use different kinds of weapons. You can get those weapons by whittling down their health and then using your grappling hook on them. This process is dangerous, as it leaves you open to attack and diverts your attention from the million other enemies on the screen. Thus, it makes for a really engaging player choice: "do I soak up the damage to get a new weapon or do I hold off?" That is, it would, if it weren't for this game's fatal flaw:
The sword is tremendously OP. There is not a single enemy in this game that can't be beaten by simply mashing right-click at them. The most efficient method of dispatching enemies is unlocked from the word go, turning what could have been a really fun game boring and repetitive.
Everything else in this game is great. Visuals, controls, everything. That one design flaw completely undermined an otherwise thoughtful game. Just goes to show how meticulous a dev team has to be. I mean, I was playing this game for like an hour before I noticed how powerful the sword was. Before that, I was having a blast.
Oh well. If you can convince yourself not to abuse the sword, I suppose GridWarrior can still be a fun experience. That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay unbalanced.
Links
right click your way to victory: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26007
Friday, April 26, 2013
Gridiron Tactics
Usually when I give a really short review of a game, it's because I genuinely didn't finds it interesting and didn't spend much time with it. This is not the case with Gridiron Tactics, which actually held my interest for quite some time...30 minutes to be exact. It's appealing in all aspects: visually, mechanically, and otherwise. The fact is that I'm very tired and sick, so I just don't feel up to analyzing the game like I normally do.
I will say this, though. There is one thing about Gridiron Tactics that turned it into "just another game on the list." I'm going to go ahead and spit some more game knowledge that I got from Extra Credits and use the term "first order optimal (or FOO) strategies." In a nutshell, FOO strategies are tactics that require little skill but offer great reward. They can be very useful when they let a new player feel comfortable stepping up to the challenge of a game (see also: the noob tube or hundred-hand slap...yeah, I know, the Extra Credits guys already talked about this...I'm so original), but in Gridiron Tactics, using one simple strategy will hand you a victory every time. I'm not going to say what that strategy is in case anyone out there wants to try this game and figure it out for themselves, but I will say that the strategy gives the game a very unappealing difficulty curve that looks something like this:
______________
|
|
|
|_________________
^ ^ ^
start strategy is learned end
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay tactical
Links
One and Only Gridiron Tactic: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=428
A more informative and entertaining thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6op8eV5OBwE
I will say this, though. There is one thing about Gridiron Tactics that turned it into "just another game on the list." I'm going to go ahead and spit some more game knowledge that I got from Extra Credits and use the term "first order optimal (or FOO) strategies." In a nutshell, FOO strategies are tactics that require little skill but offer great reward. They can be very useful when they let a new player feel comfortable stepping up to the challenge of a game (see also: the noob tube or hundred-hand slap...yeah, I know, the Extra Credits guys already talked about this...I'm so original), but in Gridiron Tactics, using one simple strategy will hand you a victory every time. I'm not going to say what that strategy is in case anyone out there wants to try this game and figure it out for themselves, but I will say that the strategy gives the game a very unappealing difficulty curve that looks something like this:
______________
|
|
|
|_________________
^ ^ ^
start strategy is learned end
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay tactical
Links
One and Only Gridiron Tactic: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=428
A more informative and entertaining thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6op8eV5OBwE
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Grid
The first thing that impressed me about Grid was that the character on the title screen reacts to your input. This is actually a really smart way to deliver tutorials, or at least parts of them. After all, the first thing the player wants to do when he or she starts up the game is select "play," so when pressing an arrow key causes some kind of action to occur on-screen, the player is going to want to toy around for a bit. From there, the player can teach himself or herself the basic mechanics of the game before the game even begins. I like this game already! Let's see how long that lasts...
Grid is my favorite kind of game to review. Playing it was a genuinely enjoyable experience, but there are still quite a few points of constructive criticism I have, so let's get started:
At parts, makes you play at its pace. I've spoken briefly about this before, and although it isn't a huge deal in this game, it's just very frustrating when the flow of a game is interrupted because you have to wait for a platform to move to just the right place. In fact, I would say that immersion is the concept this game grasps the least. That much is evident from the death sequences. First off, when you die, you stay dead for just long enough for it to get annoying. Second, it's way too easy to die. I attribute this mainly to the isometric viewpoint, which messes with my perception of where certain platforms reside. An isometric viewpoint isn't an inherently bad trait; Bastion is evidence enough of that. I think the reason it doesn't work too well in this game is that every block really only has one texture, so it's very difficult to determine where one begins and another one ends. The same thing can be applied to your hitbox. It's somewhat difficult to tell if moving a bit to the right will put you in a blue block's line of fire or not.
Of course, this isn't helped by the control issues. I think the main issue I have with the controls is that there's no way to change direction without moving. This would have been very helpful in those certain instances where moving one simple pixel in the wrong direction would leave me tumbling to my death.
The only other issue I had was that some sound effects are just too loud. It can be very obnoxious when you're having a grand old time platforming your way to glory when suddenly your ears blow out because you forgot to mute your computer before launching a red block into a blue block.
Other than all that, though, this game's intuitive mechanics, fluid and fun feel, and semi-appealing graphical style make it an enjoyable new toy.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay cubical.
Links
A Little Cube Finds His Way Home: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26006
Grid is my favorite kind of game to review. Playing it was a genuinely enjoyable experience, but there are still quite a few points of constructive criticism I have, so let's get started:
At parts, makes you play at its pace. I've spoken briefly about this before, and although it isn't a huge deal in this game, it's just very frustrating when the flow of a game is interrupted because you have to wait for a platform to move to just the right place. In fact, I would say that immersion is the concept this game grasps the least. That much is evident from the death sequences. First off, when you die, you stay dead for just long enough for it to get annoying. Second, it's way too easy to die. I attribute this mainly to the isometric viewpoint, which messes with my perception of where certain platforms reside. An isometric viewpoint isn't an inherently bad trait; Bastion is evidence enough of that. I think the reason it doesn't work too well in this game is that every block really only has one texture, so it's very difficult to determine where one begins and another one ends. The same thing can be applied to your hitbox. It's somewhat difficult to tell if moving a bit to the right will put you in a blue block's line of fire or not.
Of course, this isn't helped by the control issues. I think the main issue I have with the controls is that there's no way to change direction without moving. This would have been very helpful in those certain instances where moving one simple pixel in the wrong direction would leave me tumbling to my death.
The only other issue I had was that some sound effects are just too loud. It can be very obnoxious when you're having a grand old time platforming your way to glory when suddenly your ears blow out because you forgot to mute your computer before launching a red block into a blue block.
Other than all that, though, this game's intuitive mechanics, fluid and fun feel, and semi-appealing graphical style make it an enjoyable new toy.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay cubical.
Links
A Little Cube Finds His Way Home: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26006
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Greed
This is one of those online multiplayer type games. Not surprisingly, there didn't happen to be anyone online when I tried to play, so I wound up trekking through an unimaginative map collecting coins with controls that make the game feel like Bubsy 3D on speed.
next!
Links
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)