And speaking of fun arcade-type games, here's another one.
The game gontrols from a top-down view, kind of similar to Hotline Miami and the early GTA games. Funnily enough, once you mow down a few pedestrians with your fire truck, you begin to almost think you're playing a GTA game, but I digress.
Put Me Out is the journey of a fireman who wants to put out fires. That's it. You run around the overworld, following your compass to find the nearest burning building, and then use a variety of water-spraying methods, from water balloons to super soakers, to put out the fire.
The main problem I had with this game was the conveyance. Yes, we're going back here again. It's only really a problem in the first minute of the game, but many would argue that the first minute is the most important minute. Every 13 nanoseconds, you're stopped in your tracks to have the (relatively intuitive) controls explained to you by a librarian-looking woman. The problem is: they're xbox controls. All of them. If you're going to go to the trouble of incorporating an unnecessarily obtrusive tutorial, you can at least let the people who play on computers (you know, your primary demographic) understand what you're talking about.
Anyways, other than that, this game is a riot and I don't have much else to say about it. Every design choice seems to revolve around the central feeling of having a rip-roaring good time, and I can appreciate that in a game. It just means there's probably not a whole lot to analyze.
Upon the end of your time limit, you're shown an invoice that tells you how much you earned for your services, much like in the end of Starfox 64, and any game that reminds me of Starfox 64 is a good one in my book. That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay dry.
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=18539
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Purge
It's funny how prevalent certain things become after you start noticing them, isn't it? For 16 and a half of the 17 years of my existence, I had no idea that the British word for "flashlight" is "torch," but now that I learned that, for example, I see it everywhere.
The reason I bring this up is that, not too long ago, I compared a game I was reviewing to Bossinabox and Claustrophere. As it turns out, Purge feels exactly like a combination of those two games.
From Bossinabox, Purge gets its fixed-rail movement system, and from Claustrophere, it gets its crowded and hectic feel.
The two elements work together really well. Other than aesthetic things, such as the music sounding like something your little cousin would throw together in MadTracker2 before learning what VST plugins are, there's not a whole lot to complain about. It's a simple, straightforward arcade-type game. You like making things go boom? Purge is for you.
Actually, there is one fatal flaw. Again, it's not really the programmers' fault, but it just breaks the experience so much. Certain button combinations don't work together. For example, I don't believe you can move right and shoot diagonally down and to the left at the same time. This is because the arrow keys, those finicky little bastards, control your gun. It would have been nice to have the option to use the mouse, or even other keys such as "I,J,K and L."
Oh well. That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay cleansed.
Links
Bulimia Joke: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1642
The reason I bring this up is that, not too long ago, I compared a game I was reviewing to Bossinabox and Claustrophere. As it turns out, Purge feels exactly like a combination of those two games.
From Bossinabox, Purge gets its fixed-rail movement system, and from Claustrophere, it gets its crowded and hectic feel.
The two elements work together really well. Other than aesthetic things, such as the music sounding like something your little cousin would throw together in MadTracker2 before learning what VST plugins are, there's not a whole lot to complain about. It's a simple, straightforward arcade-type game. You like making things go boom? Purge is for you.
Actually, there is one fatal flaw. Again, it's not really the programmers' fault, but it just breaks the experience so much. Certain button combinations don't work together. For example, I don't believe you can move right and shoot diagonally down and to the left at the same time. This is because the arrow keys, those finicky little bastards, control your gun. It would have been nice to have the option to use the mouse, or even other keys such as "I,J,K and L."
Oh well. That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay cleansed.
Links
Bulimia Joke: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1642
Pudding Panic
yeah, this one didn't work either. All I could get to run was a level editor that I didn't bother looking into too much. Don't worry, though, I won't leave you hanging for 2 days in a row. I'll be back later with more review goodness.
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1547
Links
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1547
Monday, July 22, 2013
Psyched
It's a not real exe, but I found a demo reel on Vimeo that looks pretty cool. Kinda like a gravity gun-only game of Half Life 2: Deathmatch.
Links
http://vimeo.com/3478295
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1655
Links
http://vimeo.com/3478295
https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=1655
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Propero
Whoa! Hng-Oh God..
In my experience at the DigiPen Game Gallery, there have been quite a few racing games, and while many were good and many were bad, there were pretty much only 2 that actually made a lasting impression on me. Those two were Nitronic Rush, a game that delivered exactly the experience that was advertised with only very minor faults in level design, and A Series of Tubes, a game almost as diseased as its developers, who were stricken by a severe case of senioritis. What if I told you that Propero was like if those two games had a child?
It takes the high-octane, adrenaline-fueled gameplay from Nitronic Rush and its visual style and absurd speed from A Series of Tubes.
The final product actually works very well, and while it is plagued with some really irritating design flaws like the classic "esc" insta-closeout, the game as a whole has a reasonable difficulty curve and gameplay that will really make you grip the edge of your seat (or, in my case, just giggle a little bit).
You know how oftentimes I'll criticise a game for not having enough "polish?" Well, here's an example of a very unpolished game that's still incredibly fun to play. I was thinking of witholding my seal of approval for this one because of how unrefined it is, but screw it. I had enough fun to warrant giving this game the highest honor I can.
I would talk more about why, precisely, the game is good, but Blogger is giving me a weird glitch at the moment where I can't type anything unless the mouse button is being held, so instead of the rest of the review, here's a relevant image.
That's all I got for today, until next time, stay speedy.
It takes the high-octane, adrenaline-fueled gameplay from Nitronic Rush and its visual style and absurd speed from A Series of Tubes.
The final product actually works very well, and while it is plagued with some really irritating design flaws like the classic "esc" insta-closeout, the game as a whole has a reasonable difficulty curve and gameplay that will really make you grip the edge of your seat (or, in my case, just giggle a little bit).
You know how oftentimes I'll criticise a game for not having enough "polish?" Well, here's an example of a very unpolished game that's still incredibly fun to play. I was thinking of witholding my seal of approval for this one because of how unrefined it is, but screw it. I had enough fun to warrant giving this game the highest honor I can.
I would talk more about why, precisely, the game is good, but Blogger is giving me a weird glitch at the moment where I can't type anything unless the mouse button is being held, so instead of the rest of the review, here's a relevant image.
That's all I got for today, until next time, stay speedy.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Prominence
Prominence is a 3rd-ish person shooter where you shoot little bits of yourself to kill other enemies, which then turn into absorbable globules that make you bigger and, therefore, give you more ammo. You shrink in size as you take enemy fire or go out of bounds.
I say "3rd-ish" because the camera appears to be embedded inside you. I don't know, something about the angle is very weird...maybe it's because the camera is placed directly behind the character at all times, making you seem like a blue smudge mark on the lens.
Other than that, though, the central mechanic is solid and the gameplay is quite fun. It's another one of those small, time-wastey games like Bossinabox or Claustrophere. The shooting works well, and killing enemies is both challenging and satisfying.
I'm going to save us all some time and say that other than the less-than-beautiful visual style, the only real problem is the camera. It's especially aggravating when you go out of bounds without even knowing where the bounds are. The whole thing feels just a bit too disorienting.
All in all, it's a decent start but it needs a bit of tweaking. That's all I got for today. Until next time, stay big.
Links
Big Blob Kill Little Blob: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26677
I say "3rd-ish" because the camera appears to be embedded inside you. I don't know, something about the angle is very weird...maybe it's because the camera is placed directly behind the character at all times, making you seem like a blue smudge mark on the lens.
Other than that, though, the central mechanic is solid and the gameplay is quite fun. It's another one of those small, time-wastey games like Bossinabox or Claustrophere. The shooting works well, and killing enemies is both challenging and satisfying.
I'm going to save us all some time and say that other than the less-than-beautiful visual style, the only real problem is the camera. It's especially aggravating when you go out of bounds without even knowing where the bounds are. The whole thing feels just a bit too disorienting.
All in all, it's a decent start but it needs a bit of tweaking. That's all I got for today. Until next time, stay big.
Links
Big Blob Kill Little Blob: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26677
Friday, July 19, 2013
Promethia7
Ah, the noble shoot 'em up. In my opinion, some of the greatest games ever created operate under this name. These games tend to be created with only one objective in mind: fun. It's not about telling a story or advancing the medium, both of which are very venerable and worthwhile endeavors, mind you, but the shoot 'em up says "forget all that for now. You deserve to unwind, so here are some 'splodable things. Enjoy."
One branch on the tree that is the shoot 'em up is the bullet hell. Typically top-down shooters that flood the screen with so many enemy projectiles that attempting to follow them all will probably result in a brain hemorrhage. Done well, the bullet hell will allow the player to step back, analyzing only vague patterns along the screen, and enter a state of flow unlike any other. Done poorly, it's a frustrating, stressful mess that will have players throwing their controllers into various inorganic substances, screaming "I quit!"
Promethia7 is, thankfully, an example of a good bullet hell...half of the time. Essentially, there are 2 portions to each level in the game. There's the very short, enemy-filled pathway leading up to the boss, and then there's the boss battle, which is clearly the focal point of the level. In this way, the level structure is kind of similar to that of the Joe and Mac games.
Now, here's my question to the developers: what did you intend the player to do in those short passageways leading up to the boss? Did you want the player to actually take time dispatching each and every enemy? Because I just ran right past them as soon as I figured out that was an option. Sure, the enemies drop health and ammo when killed, but you'll spend way more of that stuff killing all of them than you will ever gain. Besides, the boss fights all have smaller enemies within them, whom you can kill and reap the same benefits.
See, in Joe and Mac, the pre-boss level made sense because there were powerups for your weapon and such that you could get there. These would in turn make the boss fights easier, but only if you were skilled enough not to lose half your health fighting the smaller guys. In Promethia7, there are no powerups, just items to replenish what you lost by being there in the first place. Thus, there's no reason to actually take out the guys before the boss.
That said, the boss fights are done pretty well. There's enough stuff on the screen to make the whole thing challenging, but not quite enough to drive the player into sensory overload. I still haven't come close to beating the third boss, but hey, that doesn't mean the game is unfair. Just that I'm not good enough to conquer it. If you just ignore the parts before the boss battles, this game ain't too bad.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay a'shootin.
Links
Esoteric Word Followed by Number: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26661
PS- there's a SWORD in this game? I only figured that out after I replayed it and clicked the "how to play" button for kicks and giggles. Good conveyance there, guys. 5 stars...
One branch on the tree that is the shoot 'em up is the bullet hell. Typically top-down shooters that flood the screen with so many enemy projectiles that attempting to follow them all will probably result in a brain hemorrhage. Done well, the bullet hell will allow the player to step back, analyzing only vague patterns along the screen, and enter a state of flow unlike any other. Done poorly, it's a frustrating, stressful mess that will have players throwing their controllers into various inorganic substances, screaming "I quit!"
Promethia7 is, thankfully, an example of a good bullet hell...half of the time. Essentially, there are 2 portions to each level in the game. There's the very short, enemy-filled pathway leading up to the boss, and then there's the boss battle, which is clearly the focal point of the level. In this way, the level structure is kind of similar to that of the Joe and Mac games.
Now, here's my question to the developers: what did you intend the player to do in those short passageways leading up to the boss? Did you want the player to actually take time dispatching each and every enemy? Because I just ran right past them as soon as I figured out that was an option. Sure, the enemies drop health and ammo when killed, but you'll spend way more of that stuff killing all of them than you will ever gain. Besides, the boss fights all have smaller enemies within them, whom you can kill and reap the same benefits.
See, in Joe and Mac, the pre-boss level made sense because there were powerups for your weapon and such that you could get there. These would in turn make the boss fights easier, but only if you were skilled enough not to lose half your health fighting the smaller guys. In Promethia7, there are no powerups, just items to replenish what you lost by being there in the first place. Thus, there's no reason to actually take out the guys before the boss.
That said, the boss fights are done pretty well. There's enough stuff on the screen to make the whole thing challenging, but not quite enough to drive the player into sensory overload. I still haven't come close to beating the third boss, but hey, that doesn't mean the game is unfair. Just that I'm not good enough to conquer it. If you just ignore the parts before the boss battles, this game ain't too bad.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay a'shootin.
Links
Esoteric Word Followed by Number: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=26661
PS- there's a SWORD in this game? I only figured that out after I replayed it and clicked the "how to play" button for kicks and giggles. Good conveyance there, guys. 5 stars...
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