So this game is literally unplayable without a mouse, and while this has been a perfectly good excuse for me to not review a game in the past, I figured since my last post was a not real exe, I owed it to you guys to find an old junker mouse and play. Appreciate me!
Ehh, even after that, this game is supposed to be played multiplayer....we've been through this song and dance before...
well anyway, this is a game that I can appreciate only from the perspective of a video game aficionado. Kind of in the same way food critics are required to speak well of certain types of full bodied yet utterly repulsive cheese, I feel obligated to give this game a nod because it's "really good if you're into that."
This game works rather similarly to a 3D Luminaria. Instead of guiding beams of light to certain goals via angled blocks, you're guiding quantized spheres. Insert physics joke here.
So why is this game so "good?" well I think it's because they had a lot of opportunities to screw up, but didn't take them. For example, most games that want you to rotate the world instead of the camera to adjust your viewpoint allow you to do so by holding RMB and moving the mouse around. This one, however, simply lets you use WASD, which is much easier to control.
The design is also laudable. There's not much to talk about here, but the 3D is pulled off nicely. Some may complain that the overgrown grass may get in the way of the spheres, but that annoyance is your own fault because of the ease with which you can fix your view.
In general, the game really makes you feel as if you have full control over whatever goes on. Any misstep is your fault and your fault alone. Of course, I'm saying this as a guy who played the game as if it were singleplayer, which essentially reduced the game to a couple of really easy puzzles, so maybe my opinion isn't really indicative of the final product.
Well whatever. I reviewed a game that ought not to be reviewed. My challenges for the day have been overcome. That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay bouncy.
Links
to blitz or not to blitz: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=493
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Operation Stop Core
Well, this was different...
I actually didn't get the chance to finish this game. I played it for over an hour (in that time I could've played 2 or 3 of the average DigiPen game) and I think I've concluded that it is, in fact, a quirky adventure game that feels a lot like Resident Evil without the zombies.
I found myself really impressed by how clever the game managed to be at times, and how clever I felt for figuring certain things out. As a game, Operation Stop Core succeeds in delivering a fun experience that will keep players coming back. It's silliness compensates for its lack of technical prowess in my opinion, but some people might not be able to put up with the graphics.
My favorite part of this game is how it doesn't take itself too seriously. As far as I can tell, some actions and items are utterly useless. My favorite example of this is being able to murder your partner and then resurrect him as if nothing happened.
There are very few mechanical problems with the game, but there's one in particular that bugs me. Cycling through your items is a pain and a half. Not only do they move unbearably slowly, but your inventory always starts in the same place. For example, if you need to use 2 keys, one after another, even though they are right next to each other in the inventory, you'll have to cycle through the whole thing again just to get to them.
So we know this game is good, but what makes it DigiPen good? What about it advances our understanding of the video gaming medium? Well, nothing. And you know what? I'm just fine with that. At the end of the day, I had fun. A lot of fun. I can't give it my seal of approval, since I haven't finished it, but check this game out if you like to think. You won't be disappointed.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay investigative.
Links
irrelevant name: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=502
I actually didn't get the chance to finish this game. I played it for over an hour (in that time I could've played 2 or 3 of the average DigiPen game) and I think I've concluded that it is, in fact, a quirky adventure game that feels a lot like Resident Evil without the zombies.
I found myself really impressed by how clever the game managed to be at times, and how clever I felt for figuring certain things out. As a game, Operation Stop Core succeeds in delivering a fun experience that will keep players coming back. It's silliness compensates for its lack of technical prowess in my opinion, but some people might not be able to put up with the graphics.
My favorite part of this game is how it doesn't take itself too seriously. As far as I can tell, some actions and items are utterly useless. My favorite example of this is being able to murder your partner and then resurrect him as if nothing happened.
There are very few mechanical problems with the game, but there's one in particular that bugs me. Cycling through your items is a pain and a half. Not only do they move unbearably slowly, but your inventory always starts in the same place. For example, if you need to use 2 keys, one after another, even though they are right next to each other in the inventory, you'll have to cycle through the whole thing again just to get to them.
So we know this game is good, but what makes it DigiPen good? What about it advances our understanding of the video gaming medium? Well, nothing. And you know what? I'm just fine with that. At the end of the day, I had fun. A lot of fun. I can't give it my seal of approval, since I haven't finished it, but check this game out if you like to think. You won't be disappointed.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay investigative.
Links
irrelevant name: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=502
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Operation: Chicken
I really don't have much to say about this one. It's just another 2.5D platformer, really.
The game starts with a coloring-book style series of drawings featuring a cat stealing eggs from some very Angry Birds (hmm...did I mean to italicize that?). After that, you've got to navigate through a platform-riddled world, moving down every last chicken in your path.
Visual style is nice. There are (barely) enough polygons to keep graphics-centric players reasonably quiet, but I have to say that there are way, way too many shadows. It's almost as if the designers didn't want to show off their work, so they just hid it behind a thick wall of shadow.
The game handles decently, but I got to say, it's unbelievably floaty (hmm...a platformer starring an orange cat with annoyingly floaty controls...that sounds familiar)...
The game starts with a coloring-book style series of drawings featuring a cat stealing eggs from some very Angry Birds (hmm...did I mean to italicize that?). After that, you've got to navigate through a platform-riddled world, moving down every last chicken in your path.
Visual style is nice. There are (barely) enough polygons to keep graphics-centric players reasonably quiet, but I have to say that there are way, way too many shadows. It's almost as if the designers didn't want to show off their work, so they just hid it behind a thick wall of shadow.
The game handles decently, but I got to say, it's unbelievably floaty (hmm...a platformer starring an orange cat with annoyingly floaty controls...that sounds familiar)...
Dun Dun Dunnnnnn
Seriously, though, this game's only saving grace is its Contra-esque focus on killing everything in your path. Like in Contra (and, ironically Bubsy), you die in one hit. This worked reasonably well in Contra and, you know what? It actually works decently here, too. The only problem is that enemies and their projectiles are impossible to see all the time. For instance, I once jumped off a platform and right into a sea of enemies that turned the entire floor into a dead zone. Because of things like that, this game is no stranger to the cheap death. That's what really held it back in my opinion.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay bubsalicious
Links
Monday, June 24, 2013
Onoma
The first thing I want to talk about with this one is the options screen. It's quite an interesting design choice that there are no options in the options screen...hmm...got a good feeling about this one.
So the main thing with this game is that I absolutely hated it in the beginning, but then it grew on me. I would notice a certain design choice and say "why would anyone do that? that's asinine," but then I would realize what it accomplished and I'd let out a big "ooooh now I get it."
For example, let's talk visual style. Everything is made up of neon shapes like you'd find in Asteroids, which is a tad on the unoriginal side. Both you and certain enemies emit these ridiculously long particle trails that look terrible at first, but then you see a little bit of an enemy's trail at the edge of a screen and go "oh now I know where to go. That was clever."
The mechanics are like that, too. I was just about ready to denounce this game because you move so unbelievably slowly; but then you get into a dogfight with a purple triangle and find yourself scrambling to out-maneuver it.
There's also this really cool mechanic where you are surrounded by an aura, and if an enemy gets inside that aura, your score multiplier goes up. That way, you as the player have to choose between staying away from dangerous enemies and going near them to get more points.
All in all, it seems like the developers knew what they were doing with this one. It's the kind of design a critic loves because everything seems to have a purpose...mostly. There are some things that I just don't understand about this game. For example, the music is really dark and scary but the sprites are all colorful. What kind of mood were they trying to set here? Because the "fight for your life/inevitable demise" mood the music seems to be going for just doesn't work. Also, you can't shoot through enemies, but other enemies can. I learned that lesson after one really enraging game over.
All in all, this game was kinda fun, but nothing to brag about. You can definitely appreciate the design and you can certainly learn from Onoma, but if you're just looking to have a good time, your time is probably better spent elsewhere. Good job altogether, though.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay thoughtful
Links
Oh no, ma: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24647
So the main thing with this game is that I absolutely hated it in the beginning, but then it grew on me. I would notice a certain design choice and say "why would anyone do that? that's asinine," but then I would realize what it accomplished and I'd let out a big "ooooh now I get it."
For example, let's talk visual style. Everything is made up of neon shapes like you'd find in Asteroids, which is a tad on the unoriginal side. Both you and certain enemies emit these ridiculously long particle trails that look terrible at first, but then you see a little bit of an enemy's trail at the edge of a screen and go "oh now I know where to go. That was clever."
The mechanics are like that, too. I was just about ready to denounce this game because you move so unbelievably slowly; but then you get into a dogfight with a purple triangle and find yourself scrambling to out-maneuver it.
There's also this really cool mechanic where you are surrounded by an aura, and if an enemy gets inside that aura, your score multiplier goes up. That way, you as the player have to choose between staying away from dangerous enemies and going near them to get more points.
All in all, it seems like the developers knew what they were doing with this one. It's the kind of design a critic loves because everything seems to have a purpose...mostly. There are some things that I just don't understand about this game. For example, the music is really dark and scary but the sprites are all colorful. What kind of mood were they trying to set here? Because the "fight for your life/inevitable demise" mood the music seems to be going for just doesn't work. Also, you can't shoot through enemies, but other enemies can. I learned that lesson after one really enraging game over.
All in all, this game was kinda fun, but nothing to brag about. You can definitely appreciate the design and you can certainly learn from Onoma, but if you're just looking to have a good time, your time is probably better spent elsewhere. Good job altogether, though.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay thoughtful
Links
Oh no, ma: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24647
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Oniro
Hey guys, sorry to be so lax about the blog lately, but I've had my hands full with a really big family event. Anyway, I'm here now and I'm going to try my best to give this game the review it deserves.
Oniro is, far and away, the most emotionally moving game I've played so far. Not a single word of dialogue is uttered in the entirety of the experience; the game relied solely on gameplay mechanics to tell its story. "Mechanics as metaphor" is the big word of the day. I'm not going to say any more than that for fear of spoiling the experience, but I'll just say that this game is a perfect lesson on how to use the game itself to convey not only instructions, but an immersive and fleshed out narrative.
If there's any game that deserves the title "Poetic Experience," it's this one. Normally, that title is associated with overly artistic pretension, but I really don't get that vibe from Oniro. The levels show quite a bit of variety and the central mechanics are very easy to learn.
Actually, let me talk about the central mechanics for a second. I honestly couldn't describe them to you. Objects that are close together can have their sizes manipulated, but, in line with the laws of alchemy, one block must decrease in size proportionally to another block's increase in size. Again, it's tough to explain, but I've honestly never seen a mechanic that both teaches itself to the player flawlessly and reinforces the narrative.
All right, I'm starting to sound like a broken record here, so I'm just going to let you chew on what I've said so far. I do have some problems with the game. It's one of those "beat it in one go" games, which isn't horrible considering how short and sweet the experience is, but come on, guys. It's not that hard to program in a save feature. Also, it's way too easy to put yourself in checkmate; whether that means falling down a hole or pushing a block a little too far, you're going to be pressing the "redo" button a whole lot. It's not a bad method of punishment, but it wears on the nerves after a while.
Speaking of wearing on the nerves, there is a 5-year old gnawing at my ankles at the moment, so I'm going to leave you for now. This game definitely earns my seal of approval. It definitely takes its place among my favorites. If you like a well-told and clever story, you'll like Oniro.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay subtextual
Links
Oh, Nero: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26730
Thursday, June 20, 2013
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