One of the biggest bummers I've faced in maintaining this blog is the tendency of the games on this list to fall into categories. There are, obviously, way more tower defense and RTS games on here than I'd like (but whatever, de gustibus non est disputandum, it can't be helped), but there is also a saturation of the kind of games I tend to like. A good platformer every now and again is wonderful, but make it a daily staple and before long you'll be crying out for something new and interesting...something like...survival horror.
I only recall one game on this list so far that can actually claim to be survival horror, even though it kind of tripped over the whole "survival" aspect, forgetting that games become significantly less scary when you play in god mode. That game is Erebus, and other than that one flaw, it certainly knew how to keep me on edge.
Stonewick Manor started out in a similar fashion. Its trippy screen effects and weeping cherubs that only move when you don't look at them had the little man in my brain screaming with terror...for the first 5 minutes of the game. Eventually, you realize that the little baby angels are literally the only threatening thing in the game. That doesn't sound too bad, right? After all, that one SCP: Containment Breach game was super scary and it used a very similar type of enemy. The difference is that in SCP, getting anywhere near the enemy would leave you with three of your vertebrae where your teeth should be faster than you can say "oops." In Stonewick Manor, I only got hurt once unintentionally, and all that resulted was the world's least intimidating hit sound effect and the loss of about a fifth of my health, which replenished the second I got out of the room. It was an almost cosmic loss of tension. Suddenly, the game became nothing but a fetch quest with a new coat of paint. Good try, Stonewick Manor. You made it one step past Erebus and made it actually possible to die, but you're just too anemic and nonthreatening to hang out with it and the other greats.
Well, that was a nice breath of fresh air. Time for some more plafromers....uuuggghhhhhh....
To be fair, Starside Continuum is not a bad platformer. It's actually very well put together and holds up fine save for some nitpicky things. For example, your armor is literally the exact same color as the background, making you seem more like if the dude from Perspective and King Fluff from Kirby's Epic Yarn had a baby and it went into space.
You are armed with devices that literally allow you to bend space and time to your will, yet you're only allowed to use them to combine certain items and make floating platforms. A missed opportunity, perhaps, but again, the game is far from boring. The mechanics are conveyed neatly without pandering and it's fun to toy around with different combinations of things to see what happens. It's like Dead Rising 2 but without needing to truck it back to a workbench every time you want to try something new. Definitely an improvement in my book. Of course, there are no zombies here...boo.
Starside Continuum is definitely the more competent of the two games, but Stonewick Manor is more interesting. Unfortunately, I've probably already spoiled the latter for you, but if I hadn't said all that stuff about the babies being harmless, you'd be on edge for a little while, I know you would. If you're a platforming enthusiast, I'd give Starside Continuum a shot. Will it blow your mind? no, but there's nothing to complain about, and hey, lesser games will have the gall to charge you upwards of $5 for a similar experience, so check it out if only in the name of opportunistic frugality.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay scary
Links
Pardon me, where are my Stonewick Manners?: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25905
Big Words that mean "Sci Fi:" https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25443
PS- yes, I know I skipped over Stone Age, but I had already written this by the time I realized it. Shut up...I'll get to it tomorrow...
Monday, September 23, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Starfall: Alyssa's adventure
I'm going to start out by saying that this game takes way too long to load up. I guess a game's gotta do what a game's gotta do, but I started this game up for a second time just to check and make sure I got the title right, but the loading screen had burned such an infernal memory into my brain that I alt+f4'd as soon as I saw it. So yeah, I'm not 100% sure this game is in fact subtitled "Alyssa's Adventure," so let's just call it Starfall
Starfall is a third-person platformer, and if I could maintain any semblance of credibility as a reviewer and just say "iz rly gud," I would, because I have very little to comment on that isn't simply a summary of mechanics....
...so here's a summary of the mechanics.
You have 3 abilities: dash, double-jump and platform. By right clicking in the air, you can place a platform underneath you, holding left click makes you go super fast, and you can double-jump. Pretty self explanatory, right? You use these three mechanics to reach the top of a spiral mountain type place and do some stuff with stars that I didn't really catch onto.
With a little more fine tuning, I would've been ready to call this game great...fantastic, in fact. The three movement abilities work together nothing short of beautifully. They allow for freedom while maintaining focus. If this game had abit of a bigger budget and was more open, even my Spartan behind would be inspired to fork up some cash to have it in my collection.
Now, when I say "if this game had a budget," included in that is the fine tuning I was talking about before. Sometimes, the mechanics simply refuse to work. Obviously, you can't double-jump from a platform and create another platform underneath you; such freedom would be game-breaking, but there's this weird half-second cooldown period between your moves that will undoubtedly have you fall into more abysses than you would like.
It's also worth noting that I got stuck in a loop in the level at one point, which probably means the level design should have been a tad more refined, but once I died and respawned without consequence Prince of Persia style, I was pointed in the right place, so who really cares. All-in-all, this is a very well constructed game. I say give it a shot. This one gets my seal of approval.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay stellar
Links
ponytail of destiny: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26170
Starfall is a third-person platformer, and if I could maintain any semblance of credibility as a reviewer and just say "iz rly gud," I would, because I have very little to comment on that isn't simply a summary of mechanics....
...so here's a summary of the mechanics.
You have 3 abilities: dash, double-jump and platform. By right clicking in the air, you can place a platform underneath you, holding left click makes you go super fast, and you can double-jump. Pretty self explanatory, right? You use these three mechanics to reach the top of a spiral mountain type place and do some stuff with stars that I didn't really catch onto.
With a little more fine tuning, I would've been ready to call this game great...fantastic, in fact. The three movement abilities work together nothing short of beautifully. They allow for freedom while maintaining focus. If this game had a
Now, when I say "if this game had a budget," included in that is the fine tuning I was talking about before. Sometimes, the mechanics simply refuse to work. Obviously, you can't double-jump from a platform and create another platform underneath you; such freedom would be game-breaking, but there's this weird half-second cooldown period between your moves that will undoubtedly have you fall into more abysses than you would like.
It's also worth noting that I got stuck in a loop in the level at one point, which probably means the level design should have been a tad more refined, but once I died and respawned without consequence Prince of Persia style, I was pointed in the right place, so who really cares. All-in-all, this is a very well constructed game. I say give it a shot. This one gets my seal of approval.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay stellar
Links
ponytail of destiny: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26170
Squishy the Starfish
You know, we've all got our problems in life. Maybe school's getting you down, maybe your boss is giving you a hard time, or maybe an oppressive blogging schedule that you set for yourself in late December is finally starting to drive you to the brink of insanity, but the bottom line is that every now and again, people need to unwind...escape, you know?
Squishy the Starfish aims to be a "feel good game." One that you can turn to when you need to turn your frown upside down. Aesthetically, it hits the nail right on the head. The pink pastel color scheme and ridiculously cheery visual style could make even the world's toughest man go "d'aww." The sound direction also nails it with those peppy steel-drum melodies, though the game allows you to import your own music, so if you feel like floating through the ocean as a smiling starfish while Murder Sermon plays in the background, you can do that too, you sick bastard.
The gameplay is, for the most part, done well. All you really do is use the mouse buttons to cast out one of your five starfish arms, which will then stick to a wall, leaving you to swing accordingly. Rinse and repeat. It works well enough, but lil' Squishy's arms are only limber when they're outstretched, so you can't aim your arm at all. You're put completely at the mercy of the physics engine, which will leave you patiently waiting for your arm's trajectory to line up the way you want it.
Apart from this frustration, I have nothing to complain about. If you put your arms in the right places, Squishy folds in upon himself, but I found that more charming than annoying. All-in-all, it's quite a relaxing game. I'd give it a shot if you're feeling down.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay squishy
Links
Happy Starfish Man: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=474
Squishy the Starfish aims to be a "feel good game." One that you can turn to when you need to turn your frown upside down. Aesthetically, it hits the nail right on the head. The pink pastel color scheme and ridiculously cheery visual style could make even the world's toughest man go "d'aww." The sound direction also nails it with those peppy steel-drum melodies, though the game allows you to import your own music, so if you feel like floating through the ocean as a smiling starfish while Murder Sermon plays in the background, you can do that too, you sick bastard.
The gameplay is, for the most part, done well. All you really do is use the mouse buttons to cast out one of your five starfish arms, which will then stick to a wall, leaving you to swing accordingly. Rinse and repeat. It works well enough, but lil' Squishy's arms are only limber when they're outstretched, so you can't aim your arm at all. You're put completely at the mercy of the physics engine, which will leave you patiently waiting for your arm's trajectory to line up the way you want it.
Apart from this frustration, I have nothing to complain about. If you put your arms in the right places, Squishy folds in upon himself, but I found that more charming than annoying. All-in-all, it's quite a relaxing game. I'd give it a shot if you're feeling down.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay squishy
Links
Happy Starfish Man: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=474
Saturday, September 21, 2013
apologies again
the past 2 days have been really hectic between school and my sister's birthday, so I haven't been able to post reviews. I know I'm behind schedule and I'm going to try my absolute best to fix it (which will probably mean a glut of 2-sentence reviews tomorrow, but maybe not so don't hold your breath). Stick with me, though.
Sorry again. I've still got 3 months to finish off the list, and I'm on page 8 of 10 in the gallery; this is before, of course, I go back and try to get all the games I missed due to their screwy release timing, but I still think I can pull it off.
Until next time
PS- to whoever has been +1ing all my reviews as of late...thanks. It really means a lot. I hope in a past life we were bros who would hunt warthogs together for sustenance and sport...Sorry, I'm tired. I should go to bed now...
Sorry again. I've still got 3 months to finish off the list, and I'm on page 8 of 10 in the gallery; this is before, of course, I go back and try to get all the games I missed due to their screwy release timing, but I still think I can pull it off.
Until next time
PS- to whoever has been +1ing all my reviews as of late...thanks. It really means a lot. I hope in a past life we were bros who would hunt warthogs together for sustenance and sport...Sorry, I'm tired. I should go to bed now...
Friday, September 20, 2013
Spirit Stone
Well, this was disappointing. I started up this game thinking it would be just another Alien Swarm clone, mostly because it's literally a mod of Alien Swarm, but then curiosity (and the words of my girlfriend who you should totally all visit at vivalavidaconamor.blogspot.com sorry I'll stop with the shameless plugs now) drove me to click on the "backstory" button. Upon clicking it, I was treated to a slideshow animation thing explaining the game's narrative that looked professionally done. I mean it droned on forever and way overstayed its welcome, but I'm a game critic, yo, not a slideshow critic. My point is that the quality of the slideshow whetted my appetite for the actual game. Then, I started up the main game to find something that looked completely different from Alien Swarm, unlike Rapidfyre, which I would go so far as to call a carbon copy. After seeing this, I was ready and raring to explore the world in front of me. I was going into this smiling a smile that I seldom smile. Then, the game froze up. HHHHHNNNNGG-
aaaand then I restarted the game. Hah! Had you going there for a second, didn't I? Well anyway, the game worked fine after that. More than fine, really. Well, since the game decided that a 5 minute slideshow about the story was justified, I guess I should talk about the story a bit. You are one of four brothers, guardians of the spirit stone, who must protect said stone from the evil minions of brother #5. Basically, you're in Lyoko killing X.A.N.A's minions. Wow, can't believe I managed to pull that reference somewhere in this blog. As far as motivation goes, it's pretty standard. There are a few holes and the plot as a whole isn't terribly interesting, but if you're one of those guys who can't get immersed in a game unless you know exactly who you are and what you're doing and why at all times, then this game has you covered.
Another thing to note: this game is sexy as all hell. When I say it looks like it could have been done professionally, I mean it. I don't know how many points I should subtract for it being a mod, since, as I said, it doesn't look anything like the game from which it was built, but at the end of the day, a pretty game is a pretty game. If you're into that stuff, you're in luck.
But of course, a game's looks should always take a backseat to its gameplay. So how is the gameplay in Spirit Stone? Well, for one thing, it's super difficult. I died on the first non-tutorial level because there were just so many enemies. A bit of a gentler difficulty curve would have been nice. The tutorial explains the mechanics fine, but I like to experience the tools I'm going to use before I use them. You can tell your little cousin all about how a hose works, but until you let him spray a brick wall for fun for a while, don't expect your daisies to survive when you pass the chores onto him. Catch my drift?
The mechanics themselves, though, are quite impressive. 10 points to the first person who, in the comments, tells me which review of mine this was from (I was too lazy to search for it myself), but remember when I said that the best way to make a tower defense game fun was to let you shoot things yourself in addition to all of that resource-mining tower-upgrading nonsense? Well, this game takes that lesson and sprints to Valhalla with it. The meat of the game is shooting baddies with your fantasy laser thingy, but you can upgrade your laser by upgrading certain guardians, or towers. See that? The tower mechanic is being used to serve the actual FUN part of the game, not the other way around. Beautiful.
While Spirit Stone doesn't have the most solid foundation of all the games on this list, it's certainly done the most it could with what it had. It's a wonderfully crafted mod (I guess. Again, I've never modded anything myself, so I'm just assuming) that shows off the talent of its creators. If I were a teacher, I'd give it an A. So yes, the seal of approval has been given. Congrats.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay spiritual.
Links
420 Spirit-Stoned blaze it up don't do drugs: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24913
aaaand then I restarted the game. Hah! Had you going there for a second, didn't I? Well anyway, the game worked fine after that. More than fine, really. Well, since the game decided that a 5 minute slideshow about the story was justified, I guess I should talk about the story a bit. You are one of four brothers, guardians of the spirit stone, who must protect said stone from the evil minions of brother #5. Basically, you're in Lyoko killing X.A.N.A's minions. Wow, can't believe I managed to pull that reference somewhere in this blog. As far as motivation goes, it's pretty standard. There are a few holes and the plot as a whole isn't terribly interesting, but if you're one of those guys who can't get immersed in a game unless you know exactly who you are and what you're doing and why at all times, then this game has you covered.
Another thing to note: this game is sexy as all hell. When I say it looks like it could have been done professionally, I mean it. I don't know how many points I should subtract for it being a mod, since, as I said, it doesn't look anything like the game from which it was built, but at the end of the day, a pretty game is a pretty game. If you're into that stuff, you're in luck.
But of course, a game's looks should always take a backseat to its gameplay. So how is the gameplay in Spirit Stone? Well, for one thing, it's super difficult. I died on the first non-tutorial level because there were just so many enemies. A bit of a gentler difficulty curve would have been nice. The tutorial explains the mechanics fine, but I like to experience the tools I'm going to use before I use them. You can tell your little cousin all about how a hose works, but until you let him spray a brick wall for fun for a while, don't expect your daisies to survive when you pass the chores onto him. Catch my drift?
The mechanics themselves, though, are quite impressive. 10 points to the first person who, in the comments, tells me which review of mine this was from (I was too lazy to search for it myself), but remember when I said that the best way to make a tower defense game fun was to let you shoot things yourself in addition to all of that resource-mining tower-upgrading nonsense? Well, this game takes that lesson and sprints to Valhalla with it. The meat of the game is shooting baddies with your fantasy laser thingy, but you can upgrade your laser by upgrading certain guardians, or towers. See that? The tower mechanic is being used to serve the actual FUN part of the game, not the other way around. Beautiful.
While Spirit Stone doesn't have the most solid foundation of all the games on this list, it's certainly done the most it could with what it had. It's a wonderfully crafted mod (I guess. Again, I've never modded anything myself, so I'm just assuming) that shows off the talent of its creators. If I were a teacher, I'd give it an A. So yes, the seal of approval has been given. Congrats.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay spiritual.
Links
420 Spirit-Stoned blaze it up don't do drugs: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24913
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Spherious
Yeah, I know I was supposed to have posted this review yesterday. And you know what? I almost did. I played the game, I had stuff to say...I was just too tired to think of a way to make it witty. And now guess what? I'm even more tired than I was before. Well, crap. I'd say I need a vacation but I'm only 2 weeks into the school year. It's gonna be a fun one.
In times like these, I need something to calm me down. A nice video game always helps. Spherious is a loyal companion always ready to be picked up and played. It's got your back when you're feeling down.
The game is a bit like Bejeweled; there are a bunch of spheres piled up on top of one another, numbered each 3-6. You can rotate any group of four spheres to try and make rows of the same number. This will upgrade the value of those spheres. So, for example. if you manage to get three 3s in a row, they will blink and transform into 4s. Get four of those in a row and they turn into 5s. Then 5s to 6s, and when you get six 6s in a row, the spheres disappear and you get points and happiness.
The first thing I noticed about the game was that the music kicks ass. Honestly, though, I don't know what to think about music in these games anymore. On the one hand I got the Astrobunny people saying they just select songs from a list, but on the other, I've got the Purge people sending me pictures of their ghetto music-recording equipment (seriously, go to the comments section of that review and check it out. It's super cool).
The game looks fine, too. Granted, it can't be too difficult to properly render spheres, but I can imagine people screwing it up way more than they did here. And yes, the game feel is fine. I wish that the sounds were a bit more enthusiastic and that the powerups were a bit more satisfying, but what are you going to do.
If you like puzzlers like you'd find on Popcap, check out Spherious. That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay super cereal.
Links
I've had enough of your sphere puns, DigiPen: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=449
In times like these, I need something to calm me down. A nice video game always helps. Spherious is a loyal companion always ready to be picked up and played. It's got your back when you're feeling down.
The game is a bit like Bejeweled; there are a bunch of spheres piled up on top of one another, numbered each 3-6. You can rotate any group of four spheres to try and make rows of the same number. This will upgrade the value of those spheres. So, for example. if you manage to get three 3s in a row, they will blink and transform into 4s. Get four of those in a row and they turn into 5s. Then 5s to 6s, and when you get six 6s in a row, the spheres disappear and you get points and happiness.
The first thing I noticed about the game was that the music kicks ass. Honestly, though, I don't know what to think about music in these games anymore. On the one hand I got the Astrobunny people saying they just select songs from a list, but on the other, I've got the Purge people sending me pictures of their ghetto music-recording equipment (seriously, go to the comments section of that review and check it out. It's super cool).
The game looks fine, too. Granted, it can't be too difficult to properly render spheres, but I can imagine people screwing it up way more than they did here. And yes, the game feel is fine. I wish that the sounds were a bit more enthusiastic and that the powerups were a bit more satisfying, but what are you going to do.
If you like puzzlers like you'd find on Popcap, check out Spherious. That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay super cereal.
Links
I've had enough of your sphere puns, DigiPen: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=449
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Spherical
(I couldn't resist...)
Spherical is a sumo wrestling game with spheres. I'd explain the mechanics more thoroughly, but I'm pretty sure you already know exactly how the game controls. You're a sphere. Ever played that one Mario Party minigame, Boulder Ball? Well, it's basically like that, except instead of trying to knock your opponent solely off edges, you can also try and knock them into little holes in the field.
Your primary focus, however, is going to be defense, not offense. One thing Spherical has that Boulder Ball omitted are the abilities to dash in whatever direction your momentum is pointed and to halt in your tracks. With these tools being very generously used by the AI, manipulating enemies is an exercise in futility. If you survive long enough, they'll kill themselves off eventually. I guess it's as good a way to design your game as any other, but it just doesn't feel as satisfying as does engineering my opponents' demises myself.
The game looks nice and feels fine. If that's all you're after, knock yourself out. That's all I got for today. Until next time, stay a'rollin.
Links
Newton Balls Gone Wild: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=18594
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