Alright, chaps! Let's get this show on the road. I have latin and physics tests to study for, so there aint no time to waste.
Chronos is what happens when you throw Pacman, Snake, and a top-down puzzler like Amaia in a blender. Maybe toss in some LSD for good luck.
In terms of gameplay, it's your typical "collect key to enter door" spiel. Nothing you haven't seen before. In terms of looks, sound and feel, I'm guessing Chronos scored an A+. Nothing to complain about there. I do feel I should comment on how colorful the game is. Such an important part of game design is so often overlooked. When did game designers forget that the human eye likes to see color? I've heard the arguments that it tampers with realism or that it will break the flow, but Chronos serves as a perfect counterargument for that because it's so atmospheric.
The thing I like most about Chronos is the way controlling the character in and of itself serves as the most integral part of the level design. tap-to-go movement isn't really a new concept, After all, Snake did it and Pacman even did it with enemies. I must say, though, neither of those games quite match Chronos in terms of weaving it into the level design. You constantly have to think on your feet and react quickly, lest you be caught in the path of a wraith with no way to escape. It's hard to explain, so just play the game and see for yourself. This game gets my seal of approval.
That's all the time I have, folks. These tests aint gonna study for themselves. But hey, Winter Break is almost here. I don't want to promise anything, but I'll try and bring a sizable glut of reviews next week.
Until next time, stay diligent.
Links
Multiple red-haired, time-traveling swordsmen: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26001
^see what I did there?
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Chroma Clash
Wook a da pweety cowors!!
Alright, so here's the low-down on Chroma Clash. the goal of the game is to fill the map with more of your color than any other color. You spread your color by driving over non-colored or differently colored areas, dropping your color like a bad case of herpes at a drunken college party. In addition, you can sneeze little globs of your color by pressing space. These globules are useful not only for coloring the land but also for taking over cannons, which will then shoot larger globules of your color. Finally, there are powerups for you to collect. These powerups will generally either give you a permanent speed boost or drastically overpower your weapon for a short time.
Everyone is on an equal playing field in this game, so balance isn't an issue. The game feel is good for the most part (with the exception of trying to traverse up hills, which gives you that horrible feeling of "not gonna make it") and it's cheerfully fun to watch the drab environment fill up with bright pastels as you gleefully race around.
It's a very simple game, so this will be a very simple review. There's nothing really wrong with it, at least not wrong enough to annoy me, so I guess I recommend this game. Though, a game needs to have more than one mode of this kind of simplicity before it gets my seal of approval.
Give it a shot. It's fun, but we're still a while away from stumbling upon that gaming revolution that so filled my heart with hope when I uncovered this list
Until next time, stay colorful
Links
Probably a great game to play drunk: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=464
Alright, so here's the low-down on Chroma Clash. the goal of the game is to fill the map with more of your color than any other color. You spread your color by driving over non-colored or differently colored areas, dropping your color like a bad case of herpes at a drunken college party. In addition, you can sneeze little globs of your color by pressing space. These globules are useful not only for coloring the land but also for taking over cannons, which will then shoot larger globules of your color. Finally, there are powerups for you to collect. These powerups will generally either give you a permanent speed boost or drastically overpower your weapon for a short time.
Everyone is on an equal playing field in this game, so balance isn't an issue. The game feel is good for the most part (with the exception of trying to traverse up hills, which gives you that horrible feeling of "not gonna make it") and it's cheerfully fun to watch the drab environment fill up with bright pastels as you gleefully race around.
It's a very simple game, so this will be a very simple review. There's nothing really wrong with it, at least not wrong enough to annoy me, so I guess I recommend this game. Though, a game needs to have more than one mode of this kind of simplicity before it gets my seal of approval.
Give it a shot. It's fun, but we're still a while away from stumbling upon that gaming revolution that so filled my heart with hope when I uncovered this list
Until next time, stay colorful
Links
Probably a great game to play drunk: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=464
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Chain of Command
I'm running out of ways to introduce blog posts in my old age, so I'm just gonna dive right in.
Chain of Command is another shining example of "good idea, mediocre execution." Show of hands: who here likes Super Castlevania 4? Everyone? That's what I thought. Remember being able to make the whip go limp and flop it around all over the place? Wasn't that fun? Didn't you wish that part of the game was more effective? Well fear not, citizens: Chain of Command makes the flippy-floppy whip controls the center of the game. The only problem is that the whip is still about as effective as it was in Super Castlevania 4.
The biggest problem with this game by far is the hit detection. Other than that (and the sound direction, which I'll get to in a bit), this game is literally perfectly designed. Alas, the hit detection is so dreadful that the game is almost unenjoyable. The problem is that the whip has to be going a certain speed in order for it to do any damage to the zombies. That would be fine if the aforementioned speed wasn't so arbitrary. When I swing at a zombie, I have no idea whether I'm going to hit them or not. If the enemies behaved the way they did in Super Castlevania 4 and froze for a moment when hit with the whip, this game would actually be one of, if not my favorite, game on this list so far.
I have to talk about the sound for a bit. The music is kind of messy, but its an organic kind of "hey, at least they tried" messy. I can let it slide. What really grinds my gears is the chain sound effect. It's so loud! Any playtester should have picked up on that in the first moments of playing.
well anyway, aside from that this game is amazing. I love how the whip controls. You move your mouse to control your characters' arms, which in turn moves the whip around. It actually makes you feel like you're whipping zombies. I love the way movement feels, too. I swear, if the hit detection was better, this would be a contender for the best feeling sidescroller I've ever played. The game feel is that good.
Actually, now that I think about it, the level design could be better. I just didn't really notice because I was having too much fun killing zombies. Plus, there's really not much you can do with the levels given the control scheme.
This solid game gets my seal of approval, but with a little demerit on it for faulty hit detection. If you clean up your act, Chain of Command, you have a bright future ahead of you. As it stands, though, you're just another fun romp through zombieland.
Links
So close yet so far: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1417
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Cease Fire 2010 (2021?)
oh, my head...
First off, this game can't even get its own title right. On the game's webpage, it says "Cease Fire 2021," but when you download it, the file is called "CeaseFire2010." Let this set the mood of inconsistency and confusion that characterize this game as a whole.
I wasn't being sarcastic earlier. This game actually gave me a headache (though that may also be from rolling down a hill head-first during a sledding trip earlier today). I had to play without sound, because the gunfire sound effects overlap upon each other, amplifying them to the point of being agonizing.
The real problem, though, is the gameplay. Oh God, the gameplay. You cac pick among a variety of classes, which should make for good team-based combat. The problem is that each class is unbelievably frustrating to use. The control is off the walls! It's hard to explain, but the targeting reticle is always relative to the front of your vehicle, meaning moving the mouse one direction will yield any one of 360 results, depending on where you're facing. Trying to control something this batty while moving at speeds that are either way too fast or way too slow makes for one frustrating experience.
Honestly, though, I like that this game exists. It has much more of a right to be here than games like Cat Nap, which, in my opinion, teaches us nothing about game design. Cease Fire Whenever, on the other hand, is a brilliant example of how to make every single aspect of a team-based shooter frustrating. Think of it as a sort of how-to-not guide on how not to program a game. I think a game developer would do well to play this game in order to learn what makes games frustrating. This knowledge may end up improving the medium as a whole.
Obviously, this game is far from getting my seal of approval. However, I'm glad I experienced it. Give it a shot to see how frustrating a game can truly be.
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=510
First off, this game can't even get its own title right. On the game's webpage, it says "Cease Fire 2021," but when you download it, the file is called "CeaseFire2010." Let this set the mood of inconsistency and confusion that characterize this game as a whole.
I wasn't being sarcastic earlier. This game actually gave me a headache (though that may also be from rolling down a hill head-first during a sledding trip earlier today). I had to play without sound, because the gunfire sound effects overlap upon each other, amplifying them to the point of being agonizing.
The real problem, though, is the gameplay. Oh God, the gameplay. You cac pick among a variety of classes, which should make for good team-based combat. The problem is that each class is unbelievably frustrating to use. The control is off the walls! It's hard to explain, but the targeting reticle is always relative to the front of your vehicle, meaning moving the mouse one direction will yield any one of 360 results, depending on where you're facing. Trying to control something this batty while moving at speeds that are either way too fast or way too slow makes for one frustrating experience.
Honestly, though, I like that this game exists. It has much more of a right to be here than games like Cat Nap, which, in my opinion, teaches us nothing about game design. Cease Fire Whenever, on the other hand, is a brilliant example of how to make every single aspect of a team-based shooter frustrating. Think of it as a sort of how-to-not guide on how not to program a game. I think a game developer would do well to play this game in order to learn what makes games frustrating. This knowledge may end up improving the medium as a whole.
Obviously, this game is far from getting my seal of approval. However, I'm glad I experienced it. Give it a shot to see how frustrating a game can truly be.
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=510
Catalyst
Alrighty then, let's get this show on the road.
The first thing I'd like to say about Catalyst is that the description gave me high hopes. As I've said before, scrolling shooters are my personal favorite genre of video game. They have a very simple formula that equates to mountains of fun. It seems the perfect kind of game to be handled by the folks at DigiPen, because its simplicity also leaves a lot of room for creativity.
The main gimmick this time around is that before you start the game, you pick 4 out of 16 weapons to use. Those weapons correspond to the E,S,D and F keys, depending on the order in which you chose them. As a gameplay mechanic, this is pure genius in my opinion.
I feel it necessary to mention Starfox 64 again, which, if you'll recall, is my 2nd favorite game of all time. The main reason I love that game so much is that due to the multiple branching paths you can take to reach your objectives not only within the levels but in the game as a whole, every time you pop that game in, you'll be greeted by a new experience that's familiar enough to avoid that nervous feeling you get when trying out a new IP.
That said, the mechanic that lets you pick 4 weapons going into a level would be the icing on the cake for a game like Starfox 64. It would add that much more depth to each of the levels, and each playthrough would leave you thinking "what if I'd used that weapon on that level?" If executed correctly, this mechanic might make a good game amazing. In Catalyst, it makes a playable game amusing.
The main gripe I have with the game is that it's horribly balanced, and I mean horribly balanced. Some weapons are literally useless. The strangest of all turns you into what looks like the skeletal remains of a trout with a gaseous brown field surrounding you. I haven't found a single way to hurt the enemies with this thing, making it a "pick this and the game laughs at you" kind of weapon.
On the other side of the same coin is what I like to call the "doomsday ship." This weapon leaves a trail of anti-matter (or something) wherever you fly. If the trail makes a closed shape (see? 1st grade math terminology pays off), the space that shape occupies becomes a black hole, killing anything caught inside it. Use this, and it's pretty much impossible to die unless you want to.
Other than that, the graphics are nice, the character design makes me smile, the music does a great job of keeping the player engaged, and there are a good enough variety of weapons that actually do something to keep the game fun. This is one of those games that I would really like to see expanded upon. If this mechanic is designed well and implemented into a scrolling shooter with more than one setting and an actual plot, I would be the first one in line to buy it.
Until next time, stay inventive
Links
hopefully a CATALYST for change...heh: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=524
P.S the people who worked on this game didn't give each other titles, which reminds me of the way Valve makes games. Maybe take a hint, business people, this no-system system works.
The first thing I'd like to say about Catalyst is that the description gave me high hopes. As I've said before, scrolling shooters are my personal favorite genre of video game. They have a very simple formula that equates to mountains of fun. It seems the perfect kind of game to be handled by the folks at DigiPen, because its simplicity also leaves a lot of room for creativity.
The main gimmick this time around is that before you start the game, you pick 4 out of 16 weapons to use. Those weapons correspond to the E,S,D and F keys, depending on the order in which you chose them. As a gameplay mechanic, this is pure genius in my opinion.
I feel it necessary to mention Starfox 64 again, which, if you'll recall, is my 2nd favorite game of all time. The main reason I love that game so much is that due to the multiple branching paths you can take to reach your objectives not only within the levels but in the game as a whole, every time you pop that game in, you'll be greeted by a new experience that's familiar enough to avoid that nervous feeling you get when trying out a new IP.
That said, the mechanic that lets you pick 4 weapons going into a level would be the icing on the cake for a game like Starfox 64. It would add that much more depth to each of the levels, and each playthrough would leave you thinking "what if I'd used that weapon on that level?" If executed correctly, this mechanic might make a good game amazing. In Catalyst, it makes a playable game amusing.
The main gripe I have with the game is that it's horribly balanced, and I mean horribly balanced. Some weapons are literally useless. The strangest of all turns you into what looks like the skeletal remains of a trout with a gaseous brown field surrounding you. I haven't found a single way to hurt the enemies with this thing, making it a "pick this and the game laughs at you" kind of weapon.
On the other side of the same coin is what I like to call the "doomsday ship." This weapon leaves a trail of anti-matter (or something) wherever you fly. If the trail makes a closed shape (see? 1st grade math terminology pays off), the space that shape occupies becomes a black hole, killing anything caught inside it. Use this, and it's pretty much impossible to die unless you want to.
Other than that, the graphics are nice, the character design makes me smile, the music does a great job of keeping the player engaged, and there are a good enough variety of weapons that actually do something to keep the game fun. This is one of those games that I would really like to see expanded upon. If this mechanic is designed well and implemented into a scrolling shooter with more than one setting and an actual plot, I would be the first one in line to buy it.
Until next time, stay inventive
Links
hopefully a CATALYST for change...heh: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=524
P.S the people who worked on this game didn't give each other titles, which reminds me of the way Valve makes games. Maybe take a hint, business people, this no-system system works.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Cat Nap
yeah, I could certainly use a cat nap right about now.
badum tish. Ace in the hole.
Cat nap is a sluggishly paced 2D platformer that plays like it was made in one weekend with a higher-end paint software and a copy of C# for Dummies.
The game feel is nonexistent. There's very little feedback with the environment, and as a result, the game fails to deliver that sense of flow that characterizes most platformers that aren't based around puzzles. The framerate is almost uncanny, as it's just slow enough to cause the sensation of lurching, and it is not very easy on the eyes.
Honestly, I'd probably have a lot more to say about Cat Nap if I didn't quit so early. As soon as I got to the first enemy, I immediately submitted myself to it because I just wanted to die in order to make something interesting happen. To my dismay, I was teleported to the beginning of the level to complete a platforming segment that took me more than 10 tries. The level design is sloppy and unimaginative, so I had pretty much seen enough at that point.
The length of these reviews tends to correlate to the magnitude of the impression a given game made on me. The fact that this review is ending here might be enough of an indication that Cat Nap is probably not worth your time. This game brings nothing to the table that you couldn't get from playing any other platformer.
Links
another platformer, but this time with a meow: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24639
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Capture the Dude
Oh, ain't this just the most creative of titles? Before I get too worked up over this small detail, I'm going to use the (admittedly stupid) logic that this game was made in 2001, and thus I will regard it as if I were 6 years old.
HARHAR OMQ GUISE GET IT CUZ ITS CALLED CAPTURE THA DUDE HAHAHA CUZ ITS A DUDE AND YOU CAPTURE HIM HAHA ITS NOT CATPRE THE MAN OR CAPURE THE PRSON ITS CARPTURE THE DUDE HAHA YO MAN DAS SO FUNNY HAHAHA
*cough* okay, back to reality.
capture the dude is a simple game which I like to describe as "capture the flag meets Double Dragon." Essentially, you beat the hell out of people wearing different colored shirts than your team; then, once they've been sufficiently pulverized, you can throw them into your team's dumpster for a point.
I like the mechanic fine enough, and I can see this being a really fun multiplayer game. Screaming at your friend to let you go as he slowly inches nearer to his base seems like it would make a great multiplayer experience. The graphics are nice (considering when it was made) and the whole thing has a lot of charm to it.
Where Capture the Dude falls down most is in the combat mechanics. The hit detection is so miserably off, and pretty much all you can do in terms of combat is mash buttons. Simply put, these flaws make the core aspects of the game unappealing, and thus Capture the Dude doesn't get my seal of approval. I'm going to end the review here for 2 reasons.
1) I've said all that needs to be said and don't feel like sacrificing concision would add anything
2) I alt+tabbed out of this review 4 hours ago and forgot about it until now. so oops.
until next time, stay responsible
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=555
HARHAR OMQ GUISE GET IT CUZ ITS CALLED CAPTURE THA DUDE HAHAHA CUZ ITS A DUDE AND YOU CAPTURE HIM HAHA ITS NOT CATPRE THE MAN OR CAPURE THE PRSON ITS CARPTURE THE DUDE HAHA YO MAN DAS SO FUNNY HAHAHA
*cough* okay, back to reality.
capture the dude is a simple game which I like to describe as "capture the flag meets Double Dragon." Essentially, you beat the hell out of people wearing different colored shirts than your team; then, once they've been sufficiently pulverized, you can throw them into your team's dumpster for a point.
I like the mechanic fine enough, and I can see this being a really fun multiplayer game. Screaming at your friend to let you go as he slowly inches nearer to his base seems like it would make a great multiplayer experience. The graphics are nice (considering when it was made) and the whole thing has a lot of charm to it.
Where Capture the Dude falls down most is in the combat mechanics. The hit detection is so miserably off, and pretty much all you can do in terms of combat is mash buttons. Simply put, these flaws make the core aspects of the game unappealing, and thus Capture the Dude doesn't get my seal of approval. I'm going to end the review here for 2 reasons.
1) I've said all that needs to be said and don't feel like sacrificing concision would add anything
2) I alt+tabbed out of this review 4 hours ago and forgot about it until now. so oops.
until next time, stay responsible
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=555
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