An interesting thing happened the other day. I had some spare time, so I decided to go back and replay some old DigiPen games (because why else would I be keeping them all on my hard drive?) and I clicked, out of pure curiosity, on Data Runner. Much to my combination of surprise, delight, and dismay, it actually worked even though I declared that it was broken on this very blog.
This got me feeling kind of guilty. I felt like I should give that combination of Tempest 200 and the most annoying level of Spiderman 64 the review it deserved. Then I got thinking: what other games did I deprive of a review just because it didn't work for me? How come I can declare a game broken just for installing incorrectly, which seems to have been the case for Data Runner (and, indeed, Gnomble) yet I can spend half an hour searching for an alternate download of Crazy Cross?
At the end of the day, it just all comes down to a lot of factors: how busy I am, my mood, etc. There are going to be times when I don't review a game that has potential.
Fear not, though, for there is hope. Remember a while back when I got my buddy Luis to do my job for me? Well, I'm not above accepting other people's work for my "reviews" of broken games. If I say a game is broken but you can get it to work and you feel like writing up a short review, by all means, send it in. Also make sure to send me your name (or alias) so I can credit you. I know my audience isn't that big...not even close, actually...but still, there's a chance that someone out there would be willing; I'm gonna take it. After all, my miniscule audience has already proven that they care enough about these games to make contributions (that's right, Yose, I'm talking to you and your impressive fix for Claustrophere), and that was before I somehow managed to get at least one viewer from Poland...
Trust me, I'll review games myself whenever I can, but sometimes the cookie just doesn't crumble in my favor. It's like of the girl from Julie and Julia went to the store to buy the ingredients for her newest dish and they just didn't have any...stuff happens.
Well, that's all I got today. Until next time.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Gloom
That's right, you all know what time it is. Time for an Andrew Nack game! Let's see how this one holds up.
Another thing I found interesting is that the instructor for this game is none other than James Portnow, who writes for that Extra Credits thing I always link you guys to. Now that I think of it, why doesn't every game team credit their instructor in their projects? Ah whatever. The point is, this game is the product of a game designer whom I greatly respect and a game design instructor whom I also revere. Needless to say, my hopes are high.
Well, it certainly was an experience...very different from the typical...um...what the hell is this, anyways?
If you were to ask Andrew Nack, he'd probably say it's a "platformer RPG that focuses on minion control mechanics." I agree with that for the most part, though I'm not sure how much of an RPG it is just because you can upgrade minions. That's like calling Call of Duty: Modern Warfare an FPSRPG because you can put mods on your guns. Also, calling them "control mechanics" is a bit generous. The minions seem to do whatever they want for the most part
okay, that's a bit harsh. In all honesty, I think the controls are designed pretty ingeniously because I genuinely couldn't tell you how they work. They just...do. Honestly, I think that's Andrew Nack's strongsuit. He can really deliver on flow.
The story, while taking a backseat to the mechanics, is decent. I think I know a little bit about Portnow's storytelling preferences from watching Extra Credits, and this game is rife with them. Very little is explained about the characters and setting of the game, and when it is, it's always explained via chatter and otherwise auxiliary text. The game is never interrupted for the sake of storytelling or instruction, which is just one of the many reasons this game can send you into a trance and make you forget that reality exists...or does it?
at its core, Gloom is about getting from one place to another by mastering the mechanics. It allows for many varying play styles and the plethora of upgrades makes this game a replayable, unique experience. That said, there are some things I didn't like about it...well, really only one thing...a stylistic thing, too.
First off, let me say that in terms of visual design, you don't get much more talented than Nack. I'm a huge fan of the style of his other works, but this one...eh...it's a bit too....Limbo for me. Everything is a silhouette with the exception of the bright, glowy eyes of the characters. Couple that with the dark backgrounds and it's just a little too confusing to look at for my tastes. Of course, that's not helped by the fact that the characters don't seem to have any individual physics themselves. They're all just ragdolls to be thrown around in different sequences by the physics engine. In fact, the whole game kind of plays like a really in-depth Happy Wheels map.
Oh well. This is still a great game that I had fun with. It may not be perfect, but it tried something new. Not only that, but this is probably the most intricate game of Nack's that I've reviewed yet. I was never one to accept excuses, but I think "I'm one guy who had to design and program characters, levels and a crapload of upgrades" works in this context.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay imaginative.
Links
Hail the Great Pig: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26419
Another thing I found interesting is that the instructor for this game is none other than James Portnow, who writes for that Extra Credits thing I always link you guys to. Now that I think of it, why doesn't every game team credit their instructor in their projects? Ah whatever. The point is, this game is the product of a game designer whom I greatly respect and a game design instructor whom I also revere. Needless to say, my hopes are high.
Well, it certainly was an experience...very different from the typical...um...what the hell is this, anyways?
If you were to ask Andrew Nack, he'd probably say it's a "platformer RPG that focuses on minion control mechanics." I agree with that for the most part, though I'm not sure how much of an RPG it is just because you can upgrade minions. That's like calling Call of Duty: Modern Warfare an FPSRPG because you can put mods on your guns. Also, calling them "control mechanics" is a bit generous. The minions seem to do whatever they want for the most part
okay, that's a bit harsh. In all honesty, I think the controls are designed pretty ingeniously because I genuinely couldn't tell you how they work. They just...do. Honestly, I think that's Andrew Nack's strongsuit. He can really deliver on flow.
The story, while taking a backseat to the mechanics, is decent. I think I know a little bit about Portnow's storytelling preferences from watching Extra Credits, and this game is rife with them. Very little is explained about the characters and setting of the game, and when it is, it's always explained via chatter and otherwise auxiliary text. The game is never interrupted for the sake of storytelling or instruction, which is just one of the many reasons this game can send you into a trance and make you forget that reality exists...or does it?
at its core, Gloom is about getting from one place to another by mastering the mechanics. It allows for many varying play styles and the plethora of upgrades makes this game a replayable, unique experience. That said, there are some things I didn't like about it...well, really only one thing...a stylistic thing, too.
First off, let me say that in terms of visual design, you don't get much more talented than Nack. I'm a huge fan of the style of his other works, but this one...eh...it's a bit too....Limbo for me. Everything is a silhouette with the exception of the bright, glowy eyes of the characters. Couple that with the dark backgrounds and it's just a little too confusing to look at for my tastes. Of course, that's not helped by the fact that the characters don't seem to have any individual physics themselves. They're all just ragdolls to be thrown around in different sequences by the physics engine. In fact, the whole game kind of plays like a really in-depth Happy Wheels map.
Oh well. This is still a great game that I had fun with. It may not be perfect, but it tried something new. Not only that, but this is probably the most intricate game of Nack's that I've reviewed yet. I was never one to accept excuses, but I think "I'm one guy who had to design and program characters, levels and a crapload of upgrades" works in this context.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay imaginative.
Links
Hail the Great Pig: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26419
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Glo
meh.
I'm tired and frustrated today, so it's gonna be one of those reviews. It's not like this game gave me much to work with anyway. I ragequit pretty early on.
First off, let's talk about the control scheme. This is one of those "enemy-hell" kind of games where there are always a million and a half enemies on the screen and it's your job to dispatch them all. You never run out of ammo, and the special weapons are timed, meaning not only does the game not punish the perpetual use of LMB, it promotes it. I feel like if I had a mouse, it wouldn't be that much of a problem (especially if it was my old mouse where you could press a button and it would treat the mouse buttons as toggles rather than holds), but I have to say that this setup made the game very uncomfortable to play. Being a game that is not enjoyable physically certainly is falling at the first snail on the racetrack that you've mistaken for a hurdle.
The aesthetic is bland. The only appeal comes from the "neon light" look that I'm really getting tired of now. There doesn't seem to have been any real thought put into the enemy or level design.
Which leads me into the big problem. The reason why I ragequit. See, after a while, I realized that you automatically shoot towards your cursor, so I could just not touch my trackpad and circle-straffe around everything and be untouchable. Apparently, the game knew that I'd found out how to exploit it, so it decided to pull a complete 180 from being unfairly easy to unfairly...well, unfair. I was immediately blindsided by 5 enemies at once who drained all my health before I even realized I was taking damage. I was then taken to the very beginning of the stage.
A game that is designed like this does not deserve to be played. nope.
ok so maybe "meh" doesn't quite sum up my discontent for this game, but eh. It's what I'm feelin
That's all for now. Until next time, stay indifferent
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24641
I'm tired and frustrated today, so it's gonna be one of those reviews. It's not like this game gave me much to work with anyway. I ragequit pretty early on.
First off, let's talk about the control scheme. This is one of those "enemy-hell" kind of games where there are always a million and a half enemies on the screen and it's your job to dispatch them all. You never run out of ammo, and the special weapons are timed, meaning not only does the game not punish the perpetual use of LMB, it promotes it. I feel like if I had a mouse, it wouldn't be that much of a problem (especially if it was my old mouse where you could press a button and it would treat the mouse buttons as toggles rather than holds), but I have to say that this setup made the game very uncomfortable to play. Being a game that is not enjoyable physically certainly is falling at the first snail on the racetrack that you've mistaken for a hurdle.
The aesthetic is bland. The only appeal comes from the "neon light" look that I'm really getting tired of now. There doesn't seem to have been any real thought put into the enemy or level design.
Which leads me into the big problem. The reason why I ragequit. See, after a while, I realized that you automatically shoot towards your cursor, so I could just not touch my trackpad and circle-straffe around everything and be untouchable. Apparently, the game knew that I'd found out how to exploit it, so it decided to pull a complete 180 from being unfairly easy to unfairly...well, unfair. I was immediately blindsided by 5 enemies at once who drained all my health before I even realized I was taking damage. I was then taken to the very beginning of the stage.
A game that is designed like this does not deserve to be played. nope.
ok so maybe "meh" doesn't quite sum up my discontent for this game, but eh. It's what I'm feelin
That's all for now. Until next time, stay indifferent
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=24641
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Glitch
To me, naming a game Glitch is even more of a death sentence than naming a book "highly combustible pages" or a movie "someone dragged a key across the film."
Much to my delight, Glitch does nothing to deserve its name, in that it is one of the best games on this list so far. Yes, it's no secret that I'm a fan of the FPS, but there's a good reason for it. I have no problem tearing apart bad FPS games like Echo. Before this turns into some genre war, let me say that I judge all games equally, regardless of the genre. I have my preferences, but so does everybody. If I don't like an RTS, for example, it's not just because I find no joy in micromanaging things that feel so distanced from me that I may as well just be a spectator, but it's moreso probably because it conveys its instructions through text dumps, has graphical problems or what have you. I swear, I'm a totally credible critic.
Anyways, Glitch is one of those "beautiful in its simplicity" kind of things. As you guys can tell, it's late and I'm tired, so I'm not going to go into huge detail or spend tons of time looking through my blog archive for games to compare it to. I will, however, highlight some of the things I enjoyed about Glitch.
First, let's talk visuals. The stills for this game make it look absolutely awful, but once the polygons are in motion, it really becomes a feast for the eyes. All the colors are bright and contrasting, making everything easy to see.
The level design is...well, it's a bunch of narrow square platforms that connect on all four sides and wave up and down like the Tacoma Narrows bridge. Simple, but allows for a lot of variety (which is a good one-sentence review of this game as a whole).
What really sold me is the game feel. Usually, when I've been playing a game for about half an hour and I haven't died yet, I'll say "okay, let me just kill myself so I can see what the game over screen is like and get bloggin." I couldn't bring myself to do that in this game. I had to keep playing because I was just having too much fun. I attribute this mainly to the weapons. Each one is varied enough to be fresh when you pick it up. You can only hold one weapon at a time, but the stage is always littered with pickups. Dodging enemy fire and taking down tough targets is an immensely rewarding experience. This game definitely earns my seal of approval.
Links
pew pew yaaay: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1470
Much to my delight, Glitch does nothing to deserve its name, in that it is one of the best games on this list so far. Yes, it's no secret that I'm a fan of the FPS, but there's a good reason for it. I have no problem tearing apart bad FPS games like Echo. Before this turns into some genre war, let me say that I judge all games equally, regardless of the genre. I have my preferences, but so does everybody. If I don't like an RTS, for example, it's not just because I find no joy in micromanaging things that feel so distanced from me that I may as well just be a spectator, but it's moreso probably because it conveys its instructions through text dumps, has graphical problems or what have you. I swear, I'm a totally credible critic.
Anyways, Glitch is one of those "beautiful in its simplicity" kind of things. As you guys can tell, it's late and I'm tired, so I'm not going to go into huge detail or spend tons of time looking through my blog archive for games to compare it to. I will, however, highlight some of the things I enjoyed about Glitch.
First, let's talk visuals. The stills for this game make it look absolutely awful, but once the polygons are in motion, it really becomes a feast for the eyes. All the colors are bright and contrasting, making everything easy to see.
The level design is...well, it's a bunch of narrow square platforms that connect on all four sides and wave up and down like the Tacoma Narrows bridge. Simple, but allows for a lot of variety (which is a good one-sentence review of this game as a whole).
What really sold me is the game feel. Usually, when I've been playing a game for about half an hour and I haven't died yet, I'll say "okay, let me just kill myself so I can see what the game over screen is like and get bloggin." I couldn't bring myself to do that in this game. I had to keep playing because I was just having too much fun. I attribute this mainly to the weapons. Each one is varied enough to be fresh when you pick it up. You can only hold one weapon at a time, but the stage is always littered with pickups. Dodging enemy fire and taking down tough targets is an immensely rewarding experience. This game definitely earns my seal of approval.
Links
pew pew yaaay: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1470
Monday, April 15, 2013
Gigoon
Sometimes you play a game...sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't
Sometimes the game just doesn't load. Sometimes it doesn't let you get past its menu screen. In my opinion, the most disheartening kind of broken game is the one that looks like a functioning, finished product but is unplayable because of it's sloppy mechanics and blatant lack of playtesting. The last game I recall from memory that fit into this category was A Series of Tubes.
Gigoon can now be added to the list.
essentially, this game is Attack of the 50ft Robot if the robot was a brilliantly designed monster that, more often than not, refused to move. This game had the foundation to be the most fun thing since sliced yo-yos. The only thing I didn't like about Attack of the 50ft Robot was the visual style. This game looked like it was going to fix that, but broken mechanics ensured that no fun times would be had.
That's all I got for today. Until next time, stay mobile
Links
Move, dammit!: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=398
Sometimes the game just doesn't load. Sometimes it doesn't let you get past its menu screen. In my opinion, the most disheartening kind of broken game is the one that looks like a functioning, finished product but is unplayable because of it's sloppy mechanics and blatant lack of playtesting. The last game I recall from memory that fit into this category was A Series of Tubes.
Gigoon can now be added to the list.
essentially, this game is Attack of the 50ft Robot if the robot was a brilliantly designed monster that, more often than not, refused to move. This game had the foundation to be the most fun thing since sliced yo-yos. The only thing I didn't like about Attack of the 50ft Robot was the visual style. This game looked like it was going to fix that, but broken mechanics ensured that no fun times would be had.
That's all I got for today. Until next time, stay mobile
Links
Move, dammit!: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=398
Sunday, April 14, 2013
GeoWarfare
GeoWarfare advertises itself as an "RTS without the resource management." This resource management has ruined many a game before it, but that's due to poor implementation. I don't think resource management is, in and of itself, a problem, so removing it entirely might not be the majestic epiphany the RTS genre needs. Still though, the way it advertises itself denotes that it thinks of itself as very different, and I'm all about different. Let's see what it has in store.
Well, after playing with it for as long as it took to get me more bored than I was just sitting in a cafeteria waiting for my friends to get knocked out of a debate tournament one by one, I can make one definite conclusion...there's definitely no resource management.
Maybe I just don't understand how to play games like this, but I'm with Yahtzee on this one. sending hoards of my men to get slaughtered by equally numbered, equally armed, yet somehow infinitely more able to cut through troops then my guys just doesn't appeal to me.
GeoWarfare is probably the most simple an RTS can get and it's still too complex for me. Personally, I think this genre doesn't really deserve its moniker. I get the whole "real time" thing, but where does the strategy come in? Personally, every day I find more and more evidence for the theory that RTS games were just conceived for the purpose of attracting boring, self-proclaimed intellectuals who view the video gaming artform as the human equivalent of throwing poo at a wall and giggling. Thus, they were given a genre just as banal as themselves, with the title of "strategy game" to make them feel smart, which is what they thrive on. That title is doubly insulting because it implies that other games, even noble shooting galleries like Starfox 64, don't require strategy.
Perhaps I'm being too close-minded about the RTS, but honestly the only fun I've ever had with RTS elements is when I was playing Starfox 2, and that game wasn't even released. I had to play on an emulator.
Recently, I've attempted to inflate my own ego by looking at by viewership statistics, and it appears my meager blog has reached more than just my few close friends and the occasional DigiPen student. I've still got an audience small enough to make the world's biggest hipster squeal with glee, but I'd wager at least one guy out there likes RTS games. By all means, explain why. I've always held to the notion that there is beauty in every genre, but I'm having a rough time applying that notion to the RTS.
Well, there's my rant for today. Until next time, stay strategic.
Links
more splodey cubes: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=490
Yahtzee's feelings on RTS games: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6JNqMjouNc
Well, after playing with it for as long as it took to get me more bored than I was just sitting in a cafeteria waiting for my friends to get knocked out of a debate tournament one by one, I can make one definite conclusion...there's definitely no resource management.
Maybe I just don't understand how to play games like this, but I'm with Yahtzee on this one. sending hoards of my men to get slaughtered by equally numbered, equally armed, yet somehow infinitely more able to cut through troops then my guys just doesn't appeal to me.
GeoWarfare is probably the most simple an RTS can get and it's still too complex for me. Personally, I think this genre doesn't really deserve its moniker. I get the whole "real time" thing, but where does the strategy come in? Personally, every day I find more and more evidence for the theory that RTS games were just conceived for the purpose of attracting boring, self-proclaimed intellectuals who view the video gaming artform as the human equivalent of throwing poo at a wall and giggling. Thus, they were given a genre just as banal as themselves, with the title of "strategy game" to make them feel smart, which is what they thrive on. That title is doubly insulting because it implies that other games, even noble shooting galleries like Starfox 64, don't require strategy.
Perhaps I'm being too close-minded about the RTS, but honestly the only fun I've ever had with RTS elements is when I was playing Starfox 2, and that game wasn't even released. I had to play on an emulator.
Recently, I've attempted to inflate my own ego by looking at by viewership statistics, and it appears my meager blog has reached more than just my few close friends and the occasional DigiPen student. I've still got an audience small enough to make the world's biggest hipster squeal with glee, but I'd wager at least one guy out there likes RTS games. By all means, explain why. I've always held to the notion that there is beauty in every genre, but I'm having a rough time applying that notion to the RTS.
Well, there's my rant for today. Until next time, stay strategic.
Links
more splodey cubes: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=490
Yahtzee's feelings on RTS games: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6JNqMjouNc
Friday, April 12, 2013
GenJox
Alright, I admit I got a little heated in my last post. Certain aspects of game design just get me kind of...emotional. But I've cooled down now. I'm ready to take on the next challenge.
Much to my relief GenJox is an IGF student showcase finalist from the grand ol' year of 2001. Now, being an IGF finalist is by no means an instant indicator of quality (or even functionality if Commando Attack Sub is any indication), but it guarantees that at least one person playtested it...right?
well, yes. I would wager that multiple people playtested this one. The learning curve is a little too steep too fast, but once you get the hang of it, it's really fun.
It's your standard top-down bot vs bot deathmatch ordeal. you glide around the map, pick up weapons, use said weapons on other bots, profit. I honestly don't have much praise or criticism to offer, so I'm just going to comment on a few things that interested me.
First off, I don't think this game keeps score. It just seems to be an endless deathmatch (unless of course you play last man standing). It goes to show what this game is trying to be: a stress reliever. In that respect, it passes with flying colors. Since there's really no consequence for dying, you can just charge into battle carefree. That's not a positive quality in and of itself, but it's certainly great for catharsis.
uhm....yeah. That's it, really. It's a good stress reliever. I had fun with it, so yeah. Go nuts. Good job, DigiPen.
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=556
Much to my relief GenJox is an IGF student showcase finalist from the grand ol' year of 2001. Now, being an IGF finalist is by no means an instant indicator of quality (or even functionality if Commando Attack Sub is any indication), but it guarantees that at least one person playtested it...right?
well, yes. I would wager that multiple people playtested this one. The learning curve is a little too steep too fast, but once you get the hang of it, it's really fun.
It's your standard top-down bot vs bot deathmatch ordeal. you glide around the map, pick up weapons, use said weapons on other bots, profit. I honestly don't have much praise or criticism to offer, so I'm just going to comment on a few things that interested me.
First off, I don't think this game keeps score. It just seems to be an endless deathmatch (unless of course you play last man standing). It goes to show what this game is trying to be: a stress reliever. In that respect, it passes with flying colors. Since there's really no consequence for dying, you can just charge into battle carefree. That's not a positive quality in and of itself, but it's certainly great for catharsis.
uhm....yeah. That's it, really. It's a good stress reliever. I had fun with it, so yeah. Go nuts. Good job, DigiPen.
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=556
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