so, I can't get stronghold to run. Also, it's my birthday today, so I think my conscience can survive my taking the day off.
Peace and love.
Links
Stronghold: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26680
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Stratalyst Blastegy
A little part of me dies every time I review a tower defense game. I've said this many a time before, but I just don't even know how to judge the quality of a tower defense game. I can tell you how boring it was for me to play it, but that only tells you that I don't like the genre, which you all know by now. What am I supposed to critique, the rate at which baddies shuffle through your shoddily assembled defenses and kill you?
Another reason Stratalyst Blastegy is not nearly as fun to review as it is to pronounce is that it's just such an average tower defense game. There are killable things trying to kill you, so you have to put things in the way of the things that will shoot things at the things to make the things dead things. The 3D art is cool, I guess, but other than that, there's not much to distinguish it.
I suppose there is one unique feature, though, and that's that you can modify the baddies' paths by putting things in their way. The level is pretty much just a flat surface to start off with, but by building towers in the enemies' way, you can force them to take a more roundabout route, adding to the time they'll spend soaking up bullets. It's a neat way to add a layer of strategy (or, blastegy!) to the game, but that does little to distract from the fact that 90% of it is still waiting for your slow ass towers to kill enough enemies to let you build more.
Also, there's a bit of an issue with balancing. The only thing I ever ended up building was attack towers. There are 2 other structures you can build: slowers and slicers. The slowers, obviously, slow enemy movement, which is helpful, but they cost so damn much that I always decided it more prudent to slap another attack tower in the way. The slicers ostensibly damage enemies that are close by; they're cheap and very small, so they could be a useful tool in determining the enemies' routes before slaughtering them with attack towers, but they do so little damage that you're better off just using attack turrets from the get go.
So, yeah. Once again I have to conclude the review with "if you're a fan of this kind of game, you should try it out." For what it's worth, Stratalyst Blastegy's unique selling point was unique enough to sell a least a small part of me, so if you're a tower defense enthusiast, maybe you really will have a great time with this one.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay blastegical
Links
Strata bada bing bong: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1474
Another reason Stratalyst Blastegy is not nearly as fun to review as it is to pronounce is that it's just such an average tower defense game. There are killable things trying to kill you, so you have to put things in the way of the things that will shoot things at the things to make the things dead things. The 3D art is cool, I guess, but other than that, there's not much to distinguish it.
I suppose there is one unique feature, though, and that's that you can modify the baddies' paths by putting things in their way. The level is pretty much just a flat surface to start off with, but by building towers in the enemies' way, you can force them to take a more roundabout route, adding to the time they'll spend soaking up bullets. It's a neat way to add a layer of strategy (or, blastegy!) to the game, but that does little to distract from the fact that 90% of it is still waiting for your slow ass towers to kill enough enemies to let you build more.
Also, there's a bit of an issue with balancing. The only thing I ever ended up building was attack towers. There are 2 other structures you can build: slowers and slicers. The slowers, obviously, slow enemy movement, which is helpful, but they cost so damn much that I always decided it more prudent to slap another attack tower in the way. The slicers ostensibly damage enemies that are close by; they're cheap and very small, so they could be a useful tool in determining the enemies' routes before slaughtering them with attack towers, but they do so little damage that you're better off just using attack turrets from the get go.
So, yeah. Once again I have to conclude the review with "if you're a fan of this kind of game, you should try it out." For what it's worth, Stratalyst Blastegy's unique selling point was unique enough to sell a least a small part of me, so if you're a tower defense enthusiast, maybe you really will have a great time with this one.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay blastegical
Links
Strata bada bing bong: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1474
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
StoneAge and Strangeways (kinda)
Well, yesterday I reviewed an interesting mix: a survival horror and a platformer. Today, I played another interesting mix: a survival horror and a platformer. Huh...
Well, I use the word "played" loosely. Strangeways crashed at startup, so all that leaves is the platformer, StoneAge. Strangeways actually looked really good, though. Read the description on the game gallery and tell me that's not the coolest thing. Still, it is a senior game, so I guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up to begin with.
At least nobody can accuse StoneAge of overstaying its welcome. The levels are each about a minute long and there are a grand total of 4 of them. I was ready to call this game "just another plafromer" with nothing too interesting to talk about, but then the last level happened, which is, and I'm being as nice as I can when I say this, a very poorly designed level. The whole game until then had been about moving to the right, but suddenly you're expected to go downward. Not a big deal in and of itself, but the game puts hazards right underneath your field of vision. There's no skill to it, it's just memorization. Remember which areas to fall from are dead zones and which aren't.
So yeah. Today we had a game that didn't work and an anemic platformer that left a bad taste in my mouth. Doesn't make for the most interesting read, I guess, but whatever. That's all I got for today. Until next time, stay entertaining.
Links
Oonga Bunga: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25894
Strangeways: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1654
Well, I use the word "played" loosely. Strangeways crashed at startup, so all that leaves is the platformer, StoneAge. Strangeways actually looked really good, though. Read the description on the game gallery and tell me that's not the coolest thing. Still, it is a senior game, so I guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up to begin with.
At least nobody can accuse StoneAge of overstaying its welcome. The levels are each about a minute long and there are a grand total of 4 of them. I was ready to call this game "just another plafromer" with nothing too interesting to talk about, but then the last level happened, which is, and I'm being as nice as I can when I say this, a very poorly designed level. The whole game until then had been about moving to the right, but suddenly you're expected to go downward. Not a big deal in and of itself, but the game puts hazards right underneath your field of vision. There's no skill to it, it's just memorization. Remember which areas to fall from are dead zones and which aren't.
So yeah. Today we had a game that didn't work and an anemic platformer that left a bad taste in my mouth. Doesn't make for the most interesting read, I guess, but whatever. That's all I got for today. Until next time, stay entertaining.
Links
Oonga Bunga: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25894
Strangeways: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1654
Monday, September 23, 2013
Stonewick Manor and Starside Continuum
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...
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...
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...
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