Thanks! There's a chance I'll have to wait until my actual birthday party before I get it, which I haven't actually planned yet...
I guess I've waited this long, I can survive for a little while longer.
Thanks! There's a chance I'll have to wait until my actual birthday party before I get it, which I haven't actually planned yet...
I guess I've waited this long, I can survive for a little while longer.
Chalk up another quick game finished. This time its Costume quest by double fine. A JRPG game where players pick between brother/sister duo reynold/wren to save the other and halloween from candy stealing monsters. Our heroes have to find, build and use their costumes to overcome the various environmental obstacles and use their abilities to win in battle.
Honestly its a pretty light weight experience and its pretty easy. Combat is rinse and repeat/repetitive (as expected of JRPGS) and whilst it isn't terrible its not exactly indepth/compelling. Think of it more like my first jrpg. To its credit the story and characters are charming/creative but doesn't hide the somewhat lightweight experience.
if you got it on epic it was free. But i got it for like less then 3 quid and it was ok i guess. Got 7.5 hours out of it. Certainly will play costume quest 2 down the line but its a 6/10 for me. Ok and likable, but nothing special that makes it essential for jrpg fans let alone non fans.
Honestly its a pretty light weight experience and its pretty easy. Combat is rinse and repeat/repetitive (as expected of JRPGS) and whilst it isn't terrible its not exactly indepth/compelling. Think of it more like my first jrpg. To its credit the story and characters are charming/creative but doesn't hide the somewhat lightweight experience.
if you got it on epic it was free. But i got it for like less then 3 quid and it was ok i guess. Got 7.5 hours out of it. Certainly will play costume quest 2 down the line but its a 6/10 for me. Ok and likable, but nothing special that makes it essential for jrpg fans let alone non fans.
Another game finished, this time its Carrion.
Take control of a fleshy tentacle monster and run amok in the relith science facility devouring humans and growing stronger to ultimately escape. An interesting twist on the horror game playing as the monster, mixing both stealth and aggression to progress through the rooms. Admittedly, its quite easy as eventually you'll eventually have your own strategies dealing with the increasing number of guards and battle bots but its undeniably fun. Visually its well animated and captures that horror vibe wonderfully and its a gory treat.
Would i recommend it? its a bit short and a bit easy. I completed everything (achievements and all) in 6.3 hours. But its damn fun and worth a punt when on sale.
Take control of a fleshy tentacle monster and run amok in the relith science facility devouring humans and growing stronger to ultimately escape. An interesting twist on the horror game playing as the monster, mixing both stealth and aggression to progress through the rooms. Admittedly, its quite easy as eventually you'll eventually have your own strategies dealing with the increasing number of guards and battle bots but its undeniably fun. Visually its well animated and captures that horror vibe wonderfully and its a gory treat.
Would i recommend it? its a bit short and a bit easy. I completed everything (achievements and all) in 6.3 hours. But its damn fun and worth a punt when on sale.
Another doom Wad finished. This time its Doom Returns (v3.0) a megawad split into 3 episodes. its a sort of continuation of Doom 2 where doom guy has to travel back to mars and hell itself to seal the portal.
Lets face it, there wasn't going to be any wads that was going to beat Evilternity 2 in my play list, but Doom returns left a sour taste in my mouth. The main gripe for me is that for every good idea and level design, there is something that upset/offended me design wise. Pretty much all the gripes can be summed up with deployment of hitscan enemies.
On the one hand, Doom returns had some really good design and ideas. it implemented advanced features, graphics and strong level design capturing the environments nicely. but interspersed in some of these areas are just some absolutely horrible ideas. how about facing a spider mastermind with no cover? How about chaingunners snipping you across a map? how do you like pistol starting a map against 20+ enemies? near the end the archvile ambush of BS or the penultimate fight where you face off against Uber mastermind/cyberdemons + the monsters but not have the ammo do it?
Lets face it, there wasn't going to be any wads that was going to beat Evilternity 2 in my play list, but Doom returns left a sour taste in my mouth. The main gripe for me is that for every good idea and level design, there is something that upset/offended me design wise. Pretty much all the gripes can be summed up with deployment of hitscan enemies.
On the one hand, Doom returns had some really good design and ideas. it implemented advanced features, graphics and strong level design capturing the environments nicely. but interspersed in some of these areas are just some absolutely horrible ideas. how about facing a spider mastermind with no cover? How about chaingunners snipping you across a map? how do you like pistol starting a map against 20+ enemies? near the end the archvile ambush of BS or the penultimate fight where you face off against Uber mastermind/cyberdemons + the monsters but not have the ammo do it?
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Well that was quick. i had hoped that Cats hidden in a jingle jam would take me more then 10 minutes to complete, but i suppose there is only so many spots for 100 cats to be hidden in a picture. I like the artwork and the odd animations here and there, but i guess hidden object games are not my thing. Oh well.
i suspect the next game won't take me long to beat either...
i suspect the next game won't take me long to beat either...
So i completed the empty Shell prologue - a demo of sorts to the full game Empty shell. players get to play the first 2 sections of the game. played it normal and was suitably entertained. Amazingly, for a roguelike i was able to beat it on my first go. The giant hand at the end of the first map nearly got me, but otherwise wasn't too tough.
The thing that stands out is probably the atomsphere it really does capture the horror vibe and the story is pretty interesting as well with plenty of picks up and audio logs etc to pick up. Plus command line operated pcs. A Classified facility on some japanese island goes dark in the 1950s. An investigation team is initially sent but when they lose contact with them too, the authorities decide to abandon the facility and deny its existance. But in 1980s the authorities detect activity and another investigation team is sent. This time, with expendable assets - generally the downtrodden of society/homeless aka empty shells to do the task of investigating and resolving the mess.
Gameplay wise it plays like teleglitch the low poly graphics is because you're using 80s technology and visual quality those days aren't great. It plays well enough, but it could be improved. Inventory management is a bit of a pain i can't switch between multiple weapons unless i pause the game. It could use with some quick keys so i can use medication on the go, switch between multiple weapons or use a variety of gadgets and abilties on the fly instead of just one...
Second issue is that being top down view i can't see enemies hidden within a forest or covered in the ceiling it makes for a cheap tactic. So far, most of the monsters have been kind enough to just shamble forward into my guns. Speaking of enemies, there's very little definition to them, the bigger monsters and those that resemble bugs are easy enough, but the smaller human ones ae less identifiable until they start attacking.
So will i get the game? I might if the price is right, no rush tbh. i hear there is a sequel/spin off game (empty shell: in the loop) coming out.
The thing that stands out is probably the atomsphere it really does capture the horror vibe and the story is pretty interesting as well with plenty of picks up and audio logs etc to pick up. Plus command line operated pcs. A Classified facility on some japanese island goes dark in the 1950s. An investigation team is initially sent but when they lose contact with them too, the authorities decide to abandon the facility and deny its existance. But in 1980s the authorities detect activity and another investigation team is sent. This time, with expendable assets - generally the downtrodden of society/homeless aka empty shells to do the task of investigating and resolving the mess.
Gameplay wise it plays like teleglitch the low poly graphics is because you're using 80s technology and visual quality those days aren't great. It plays well enough, but it could be improved. Inventory management is a bit of a pain i can't switch between multiple weapons unless i pause the game. It could use with some quick keys so i can use medication on the go, switch between multiple weapons or use a variety of gadgets and abilties on the fly instead of just one...
Second issue is that being top down view i can't see enemies hidden within a forest or covered in the ceiling it makes for a cheap tactic. So far, most of the monsters have been kind enough to just shamble forward into my guns. Speaking of enemies, there's very little definition to them, the bigger monsters and those that resemble bugs are easy enough, but the smaller human ones ae less identifiable until they start attacking.
So will i get the game? I might if the price is right, no rush tbh. i hear there is a sequel/spin off game (empty shell: in the loop) coming out.
Another game finished. This time its Guns, Gore and cannoli 2 a side scrolling shooter set in the 40s continuing on from the previous game this time involving the nazis and more zombies. A cracking little game thats slick and feels like it plays better then the previous game. Admittedly, i only played it on normal and was able to beat it just shy of 3 hours (2 days of play) but since there was no achievement requirements for difficulty, i played it on normal and then went back to easy to finish off the achievements.
Would i recommend a play, i guess so, it isn't the longest game but it was jolly entertaining all the same. get on sale ideally you can normally get it less then 3 quid these days.
9 games down since beating assassins creed odyssey. Now, what indie game to play next?
Would i recommend a play, i guess so, it isn't the longest game but it was jolly entertaining all the same. get on sale ideally you can normally get it less then 3 quid these days.
9 games down since beating assassins creed odyssey. Now, what indie game to play next?
When you say you've completed it, do you mean you completed all scenarios/endings? I've only ever gotten to the boring endings, I couldn't (bother to) keep up with all of the timers the game throws at you.
Alan Wake 2. I got all the achievements, not to brag, but I'm bragging. :3 The game was amazing, and I had zero expectations for it. I never played the first game, never watched any trailers or gameplay of AW2; I just bought it and fell head over heels for it. The gameplay, the characters, the story, it was all so amazing. It's a shame that it didn't meet the publishers sales expectations, and even more of a shame that we couldn't buy a physical copy. 
McStabStab
Community Contributor
Epic releases are fairly consistent in their lower sale numbers unfortunately.Alan Wake 2. I got all the achievements, not to brag, but I'm bragging. :3 The game was amazing, and I had zero expectations for it. I never played the first game, never watched any trailers or gameplay of AW2; I just bought it and fell head over heels for it. The gameplay, the characters, the story, it was all so amazing. It's a shame that it didn't meet the publishers sales expectations, and even more of a shame that we couldn't buy a physical copy.
I've heard. I was talking to one of my friends or co-workers about this, and they brought this exact point up.
I'm just like, this dev needs some love, because the game was worth every dollar spent.
Kaamos_Llama
Moderator
I think Remedy werent unhappy with the sales so far, at least from what theyve said, cant speak to Epic. According to the web Control has sold 4 million since 2019 and Alan Wake 2 has sold more than Control had at this point already.Alan Wake 2. I got all the achievements, not to brag, but I'm bragging. :3 The game was amazing, and I had zero expectations for it. I never played the first game, never watched any trailers or gameplay of AW2; I just bought it and fell head over heels for it. The gameplay, the characters, the story, it was all so amazing. It's a shame that it didn't meet the publishers sales expectations, and even more of a shame that we couldn't buy a physical copy.
I have a feeling that if you make a really good game that fans and critics both like then it will keep selling steadily for many years to come as new people come to it. I think thats what Remedy are hoping to see happen as well.
McStabStab
Community Contributor
This is the last thing I'll say on the topic since we're going off the rails from the thread's discussion, but when you have a single player game as an exclusive, people don't mind waiting until the game is released on the platform of their choosing because there's no urgency to play a game that you're not going to be playing with anyone but yourself.
If / when the game is released on steam I'm sure the numbers will jump up substantially... I know I'm in no rush to buy.
Kaamos_Llama
Moderator
Youre right about Steam sales, but with as I understand it Epic in control of where the game is on sale this time I dont think it will happen until Sweeney admits defeat to Valve. So maybe never unfortunately.
Youre also right we're OT
As mentioned i've finished another doom megawad, Pirate doom 2 32 maps of small/medium maps with a pirate theme like the original.
I'll be brutally honest, although the early maps are well made, they're not exactly exciting or special. Compare it to PD1, map 2 you got to explore a port city and ends in an awesome pub brawl with AC/DCs highway to hell blarring out in the background or the circus or underwater pirate ship section. I stress, PD2 start maps aren't horrible, it just doesn't live up to PD1 one. I'll concede that PD2 has big shoes to fill because PD1 set the bar really high when it came to quality and ideas, but i was expecting more and PD1 certainly wasn't lazy enough to dedicate one map to a boss fight with a spider mastermind
Thankfully, PD2 halfway point does get better with some more interesting locals, like being swallowed by a whale, entering underwater /tropical temples and of course your standard Spanish forts. The game does save the best till the last 10 or so maps with some pretty exciting stuff like the pub brawl, the fight in the city at night, the light tower battle to reach a flying ghost ship to get passage to an island to descend into hell to finally fight your way up to Le Chucks tower (which is fantastically designed i might add). So i guess overall you could say PD2 starts off ok and finishes strong.
Difficulty wise, PD2 was fairly easy the same maps made it easy to blast through them in short order. Le chuck himself was fairly easy compared to the first one thanks to a larger arena with much more cover and the Grog bomb to do extra damage.
Presentation wise, can't really fault it, the original assets still hold up and the extra thunderous applause when you vanquish the spidermastermind or the cyber demon is a nice touch. The Revenant shooting parrots is still fantastic and hilarious to see.
So would i recommend PD2? i would still say so. Not as great as PD1 but its not without its charm and slick presentation. Its no Evilternity 2 but frankly nothing is going to beat Evilternity 2 (this year). Unless Evilternity 3 mysteriously appears 5 years early....
I'll be brutally honest, although the early maps are well made, they're not exactly exciting or special. Compare it to PD1, map 2 you got to explore a port city and ends in an awesome pub brawl with AC/DCs highway to hell blarring out in the background or the circus or underwater pirate ship section. I stress, PD2 start maps aren't horrible, it just doesn't live up to PD1 one. I'll concede that PD2 has big shoes to fill because PD1 set the bar really high when it came to quality and ideas, but i was expecting more and PD1 certainly wasn't lazy enough to dedicate one map to a boss fight with a spider mastermind
Thankfully, PD2 halfway point does get better with some more interesting locals, like being swallowed by a whale, entering underwater /tropical temples and of course your standard Spanish forts. The game does save the best till the last 10 or so maps with some pretty exciting stuff like the pub brawl, the fight in the city at night, the light tower battle to reach a flying ghost ship to get passage to an island to descend into hell to finally fight your way up to Le Chucks tower (which is fantastically designed i might add). So i guess overall you could say PD2 starts off ok and finishes strong.
Difficulty wise, PD2 was fairly easy the same maps made it easy to blast through them in short order. Le chuck himself was fairly easy compared to the first one thanks to a larger arena with much more cover and the Grog bomb to do extra damage.
Presentation wise, can't really fault it, the original assets still hold up and the extra thunderous applause when you vanquish the spidermastermind or the cyber demon is a nice touch. The Revenant shooting parrots is still fantastic and hilarious to see.
So would i recommend PD2? i would still say so. Not as great as PD1 but its not without its charm and slick presentation. Its no Evilternity 2 but frankly nothing is going to beat Evilternity 2 (this year). Unless Evilternity 3 mysteriously appears 5 years early....
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Well, i'm calling it. I can't be arsed to get the final Silver trophy. i beat the final map with a working arcade that generates profit. I was shy of 400k of the 1million i needed and frankly i don't care. I beat Arcade Tycoon.
Overall I did have fun with it. the idea of building/designing your arcade bring out my nostalgia for those places and visually it looks nice and appealing to play. Rewarding gameplay as i convert empty buildings into temples of fun and excitement. The Single player campaign you are restricted to the play area and tasked with completing enough challenges to unlock stuff like the next level or more amusements. The more amusements you unlock, the more you can cater to the tastes of your patrons. As you progress, the maps get bigger, more oddly shaped and expensive to rent (so you need to have a higher profit margin each time. I played it on normal and only the last 2 or 3 maps proved tricky and only at the start. Tbh my main strategy was mostly to spend as much time in shallow debt early on. I'll be buggered if i was going to lose investible cash on rent, it was smarter to use the cash to invest in developing/building the arcade (and in turn more money).
before i go onto the issues with the game, lets have a look at some of my arcades:
See a pattern? if you're going to play the meta, you have top opt for certain designs. The arcade carpet for example maybe the most expensive, but also the prettiest. I tried to have more variety but i was playing the meta so i just spammed the same designs. The patrons lack of taste ensured i got away with hideous carpets and wall paper.
Speaking of designs, whilst there are a whole assortment of things to decorate the arcade, the same problem again: play meta or have a visually "unappealing park" and the stats mean that somethings are absolutely worthless to invest in. in my case, i focused on the skeleton as the knights are 1000+ more yet barely increase. Other objects are more expensive but don't increase the stat. But the most shocking is perhaps the lack of stuff. Where are the metal railings? it just feels like an assortment of random bits or themed bits that just don't go toget. Like Farm, pirate, knights, a tank etc. If there had been a thematic requirement it might have spiced up designs (ie: sci fi arcade amusements should only be decorated with modern designs) or perhaps complementary objects boosted the appeal rating or something.
i could say similar issues with the number of arcades and amenities. For example, for food, the best good is pizza shacks. The problem is that you won't get variety ratings with pizza alone and all the lesser food shops (vending machines, burgers, ice cream) have little returns. i would have prefered if there was some way to upgrade the food/drink etc so that i could buy different stuff. But instead everyone is stuck with pizza and lemonade.
i do have some comments when it comes to gameplay and design elements. Too often i felt like i was exploiting's the game to win. one of my common exploits is without a doubt, spamming stars to completing secondary missions for cash. They might not do much for my appeal, that said its an easy challenge and cheap.
the other issues include a fixed camera which means that i can't decorate the walls in the SE corner. So the bottom corner is always going to be less appealing. the other big issue is the fixed camera i would love to deploy more stuff in the bottom corner but large objects (like the rides) take up too much space and even with transparency its not easy to build. Plus its absolutely naff to look at the back of a shop.
The new UI is pretty dire. Too much scrolling. I think it was tailored for steam deck and/or switch. Shame we couldn't have a more kb+m friendly version. I would have liked more visual bars/windows so i can keep track of stuff easier.
Technical issues. The game kept crashing. Ok i may have lost maybe a little time, but it gets annoying. But the biggest, biggest gripe? The bug where every time you load you run the risk of not being able to build anything. For some reason the floor disappears or classed as unbuildable. its easily rectified by loading the save game (assuming you didn't save the bug) or loading another save game. My advice? make multiple saves and be prepared to load your game x2 just in case.
So... would i recommend the game? i still think its good, but there could have been more that could have been done with it. i got it off my brothers collection (via family collection) so i got to play it for free. it had to be doing something right if i played it for 40 hrs.
Overall I did have fun with it. the idea of building/designing your arcade bring out my nostalgia for those places and visually it looks nice and appealing to play. Rewarding gameplay as i convert empty buildings into temples of fun and excitement. The Single player campaign you are restricted to the play area and tasked with completing enough challenges to unlock stuff like the next level or more amusements. The more amusements you unlock, the more you can cater to the tastes of your patrons. As you progress, the maps get bigger, more oddly shaped and expensive to rent (so you need to have a higher profit margin each time. I played it on normal and only the last 2 or 3 maps proved tricky and only at the start. Tbh my main strategy was mostly to spend as much time in shallow debt early on. I'll be buggered if i was going to lose investible cash on rent, it was smarter to use the cash to invest in developing/building the arcade (and in turn more money).
before i go onto the issues with the game, lets have a look at some of my arcades:
See a pattern? if you're going to play the meta, you have top opt for certain designs. The arcade carpet for example maybe the most expensive, but also the prettiest. I tried to have more variety but i was playing the meta so i just spammed the same designs. The patrons lack of taste ensured i got away with hideous carpets and wall paper.
Speaking of designs, whilst there are a whole assortment of things to decorate the arcade, the same problem again: play meta or have a visually "unappealing park" and the stats mean that somethings are absolutely worthless to invest in. in my case, i focused on the skeleton as the knights are 1000+ more yet barely increase. Other objects are more expensive but don't increase the stat. But the most shocking is perhaps the lack of stuff. Where are the metal railings? it just feels like an assortment of random bits or themed bits that just don't go toget. Like Farm, pirate, knights, a tank etc. If there had been a thematic requirement it might have spiced up designs (ie: sci fi arcade amusements should only be decorated with modern designs) or perhaps complementary objects boosted the appeal rating or something.
i could say similar issues with the number of arcades and amenities. For example, for food, the best good is pizza shacks. The problem is that you won't get variety ratings with pizza alone and all the lesser food shops (vending machines, burgers, ice cream) have little returns. i would have prefered if there was some way to upgrade the food/drink etc so that i could buy different stuff. But instead everyone is stuck with pizza and lemonade.
i do have some comments when it comes to gameplay and design elements. Too often i felt like i was exploiting's the game to win. one of my common exploits is without a doubt, spamming stars to completing secondary missions for cash. They might not do much for my appeal, that said its an easy challenge and cheap.
the other issues include a fixed camera which means that i can't decorate the walls in the SE corner. So the bottom corner is always going to be less appealing. the other big issue is the fixed camera i would love to deploy more stuff in the bottom corner but large objects (like the rides) take up too much space and even with transparency its not easy to build. Plus its absolutely naff to look at the back of a shop.
The new UI is pretty dire. Too much scrolling. I think it was tailored for steam deck and/or switch. Shame we couldn't have a more kb+m friendly version. I would have liked more visual bars/windows so i can keep track of stuff easier.
Technical issues. The game kept crashing. Ok i may have lost maybe a little time, but it gets annoying. But the biggest, biggest gripe? The bug where every time you load you run the risk of not being able to build anything. For some reason the floor disappears or classed as unbuildable. its easily rectified by loading the save game (assuming you didn't save the bug) or loading another save game. My advice? make multiple saves and be prepared to load your game x2 just in case.
So... would i recommend the game? i still think its good, but there could have been more that could have been done with it. i got it off my brothers collection (via family collection) so i got to play it for free. it had to be doing something right if i played it for 40 hrs.
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Another game finished. this time its Gun devil. play as a bad ass demon out to save his hot demonic wife from satan's son, who happened to take a shine to her. Well at least that was the plan, the game isn't finished. After 8 levels the whole thing just ends and the dev apologizes that it ends on a cliffhanger and the story isn't finished. Which is a shame tbh as whats there is pretty decent. Hopefully we'll get a full release for the game. one day.
Game took me 41 minutes to beat and was free. So, can't really complain tbh.
Game took me 41 minutes to beat and was free. So, can't really complain tbh.
So i had a spare week to spare before i sank my teeth into a larger AAA games so i reached for something from my back log. This time its Guacamelee 2, a metroidvania heavily influenced by mexicana and lucha wrestling. This time Juan is called upon to save not only his world but all the other universes in the mexiverse by going to the darkest time line to stop Salvador, a powerful lucha seeking the guacamole of the gods to revive him.
Like before the combat is pretty slick and damn fine like the first one. plenty of humor and the meme art style is pleasant and amusing to look which is accompanied by a equally pleasant soundtrack.
its not the longest game, i managed to beat it 100% in 13hrs. But no joke, the platforming parts nearly broke me. it requires a lot of precision and pressing as you switch between worlds to get around.
To get the best ending requires you to get the 5 pieces of the key and they are some of the brutally difficult challenges and after that you have to complete one final challenge to get your prize. The infinite polo shot which practically grants you the ability to fly. But yeah, i won't blame people for giving up as its bloody difficult.
There is DLC but its mostly for the proving grounds and being able to play as different characters (namely the villain's themselves).
The game does go for a relatively cheap price these days so its worth a punt. Certainly a look if you played the first one. Joypad is definitely recommended.
Like before the combat is pretty slick and damn fine like the first one. plenty of humor and the meme art style is pleasant and amusing to look which is accompanied by a equally pleasant soundtrack.
its not the longest game, i managed to beat it 100% in 13hrs. But no joke, the platforming parts nearly broke me. it requires a lot of precision and pressing as you switch between worlds to get around.
To get the best ending requires you to get the 5 pieces of the key and they are some of the brutally difficult challenges and after that you have to complete one final challenge to get your prize. The infinite polo shot which practically grants you the ability to fly. But yeah, i won't blame people for giving up as its bloody difficult.
There is DLC but its mostly for the proving grounds and being able to play as different characters (namely the villain's themselves).
The game does go for a relatively cheap price these days so its worth a punt. Certainly a look if you played the first one. Joypad is definitely recommended.
A couple more Doom Wads finished.
first up, Smash Doom TV the concept is inspired by the game Smash TV. it might be a simple arena shooter or some mappers might be inspired by the gameshow aspect implementing a studio or game show feel to things. For the most part the maps are entertaining frantic shooters. Think of it as a more bitesized version of speed of doom. Many of them are arena based and keeps players on their toes as they are overwhelmed by loads of monsters and are constantly on the move because cover is limited. Some maps do have gimmicks such as don't let monsters cross a line or don't step on the dangerous ground.
The one map i didn't really like was the last one. its a platform based nightmare of a map. Little cover, lots of monsters and the last part is nothing short of horrible. No cover, enemies spawn all over the place, there is little to no cover and the exit is hidden in an obscure location (you have to practically jump out of the final arena and inch across some walls to get to it).
Next up action Urban Brawl: Action DooM 2 + Dead of Winter. made in july 04- july 08 this is a TC inspired by brawlers. I was suitably impressed by it. the cell shared comic style works well and the artwork is nice, even if there is only a front sprite/picture and no side/or backs to enemies. A lot of effort went into it, there are plenty of neat little touches and ideas, such as enemies coming out of taxis, jumping through windows, moving trains and even playable gambling machines.
Combat wise its not particularly in-depth and even downright ropey at times. There's not much to it other then left click to punch, dbl tap right click for uppercut, a throw and ground pound. Whilst you can pick up a multiude of weapons from bottles, hammers, statues, etc again, not much to it. Things get a bit more dicey when you have to face off against projectile welding enemies and trying to take them down with melee whilst being shot at isn't fun. Luckily, there is enough ammo around and used in the right situations (ie: anyone with a gun) it should be manageable.
The game isn't long, with 9 maps but there is some attempts at branching paths (although it boils down to either the bridge or subway) and the later levels are certainly a lot more entertaining and exciting. Such as battling up a 80 floor skyscraper complete with casino and spa. Credit also due for having a boss that isn't the icon of sin. its an attack helicopter.
The game wad does come with a 2 map expansion pack, complete with reskinned models (all in winter gear) and some extra features. Pretty neat ideas, even if it wasn't entirely clear that i had to shoot the petrol cans when i got into the crack den. I just kept shooting the single guy that came through the door.
Final mention also to the sound track. Some real bangers and a lot of work went into them.
personally, i did have fun whilst it lasted. I do have gripes with the combat mechanics could have been improved with individual keys for kicks, punches or using the brutal doom move set, but this was made back in 04-08 so i can't complain that much.
first up, Smash Doom TV the concept is inspired by the game Smash TV. it might be a simple arena shooter or some mappers might be inspired by the gameshow aspect implementing a studio or game show feel to things. For the most part the maps are entertaining frantic shooters. Think of it as a more bitesized version of speed of doom. Many of them are arena based and keeps players on their toes as they are overwhelmed by loads of monsters and are constantly on the move because cover is limited. Some maps do have gimmicks such as don't let monsters cross a line or don't step on the dangerous ground.
The one map i didn't really like was the last one. its a platform based nightmare of a map. Little cover, lots of monsters and the last part is nothing short of horrible. No cover, enemies spawn all over the place, there is little to no cover and the exit is hidden in an obscure location (you have to practically jump out of the final arena and inch across some walls to get to it).
Next up action Urban Brawl: Action DooM 2 + Dead of Winter. made in july 04- july 08 this is a TC inspired by brawlers. I was suitably impressed by it. the cell shared comic style works well and the artwork is nice, even if there is only a front sprite/picture and no side/or backs to enemies. A lot of effort went into it, there are plenty of neat little touches and ideas, such as enemies coming out of taxis, jumping through windows, moving trains and even playable gambling machines.
Combat wise its not particularly in-depth and even downright ropey at times. There's not much to it other then left click to punch, dbl tap right click for uppercut, a throw and ground pound. Whilst you can pick up a multiude of weapons from bottles, hammers, statues, etc again, not much to it. Things get a bit more dicey when you have to face off against projectile welding enemies and trying to take them down with melee whilst being shot at isn't fun. Luckily, there is enough ammo around and used in the right situations (ie: anyone with a gun) it should be manageable.
The game isn't long, with 9 maps but there is some attempts at branching paths (although it boils down to either the bridge or subway) and the later levels are certainly a lot more entertaining and exciting. Such as battling up a 80 floor skyscraper complete with casino and spa. Credit also due for having a boss that isn't the icon of sin. its an attack helicopter.
The game wad does come with a 2 map expansion pack, complete with reskinned models (all in winter gear) and some extra features. Pretty neat ideas, even if it wasn't entirely clear that i had to shoot the petrol cans when i got into the crack den. I just kept shooting the single guy that came through the door.
Final mention also to the sound track. Some real bangers and a lot of work went into them.
personally, i did have fun whilst it lasted. I do have gripes with the combat mechanics could have been improved with individual keys for kicks, punches or using the brutal doom move set, but this was made back in 04-08 so i can't complain that much.
Well i'm calling it, i beat Dark souls 3. Too me less then 50 hrs to beat the main game and i decided i didn't want to do the DLC so it could have been a lot more. Plus i did call upon some allies during fights so it took a lot less time to beat some of the bosses.
Honestly not a lot to say about this one. i had fun and it was mostly smooth sailing, picked the knight and for the most part was protected fairly well throughout the game. Although luck was probably on my side as well, especially when i looked at a walkthrough for various bits and pieces to figure out where all the good items were and i could focus on exploring at my own pace.
That said, i did play the meta, so of course i maxed out the lotheric longsword rather then being my own man. but honestly tried the other weapons and I'm still a straight swords guy as its the perfect balance between speed and damage. The lotheric longsword itself has a good balance of range and dmg. Plus has a high then normal crit damage.
The only thing that stands out as a critism is probably at the start. Christ it took me far too long to realize that you had to fast travel to the castle walls to begin the game. i mean, if you don't notice the tab at the top for destinations like i did, you could be stuck for a while.
Honestly not a lot to say about this one. i had fun and it was mostly smooth sailing, picked the knight and for the most part was protected fairly well throughout the game. Although luck was probably on my side as well, especially when i looked at a walkthrough for various bits and pieces to figure out where all the good items were and i could focus on exploring at my own pace.
That said, i did play the meta, so of course i maxed out the lotheric longsword rather then being my own man. but honestly tried the other weapons and I'm still a straight swords guy as its the perfect balance between speed and damage. The lotheric longsword itself has a good balance of range and dmg. Plus has a high then normal crit damage.
The only thing that stands out as a critism is probably at the start. Christ it took me far too long to realize that you had to fast travel to the castle walls to begin the game. i mean, if you don't notice the tab at the top for destinations like i did, you could be stuck for a while.
Another game finished, this time its Beyond a steel Sky - sequel to the critically acclaimed Point and click adventure Beneath a steel sky. Set 10 years after the first game, foster continues his life in the wilderness (AKA the gap) , things come to ahead when a friend's son (milo) is kidnapped by slick looking androids. Foster pursues them and ominously it takes him back to a very much changed Union City. Foster has no choice but to enter union city to rescue milo and uncover the mystery as to whats happening. On the surface everything seems like a paradise but deep down something very rotten is breeding...
The game isn't bad, but it suffers from the longest journey / Dreamfall situation. Good, but the original was much much better. The puzzles mostly consist of just logic puzzles and moving flow chart boxes to mess around and also solve puzzles. The more annoying aspects is that you have to stand in the right spots or waiting for the right things to arrive. The puzzles themselves are relatively simple and it just becomes a systematic switching of bits. Even if you get stuck, there is a hint system if you really need it.
There's also plot holes as well. Joey or the android one was called kent, not joey. I can't remember if this was an optional conversation point in the original, but i'm pretty sure he was named kent and not joey. But the story is good filled with plenty of emotion and its delivers a decent story, although i don't know whether its because i played the original i truly appreciated the story. Those who didn't play it probably wouldn't know much, for example mrs piermont and roberts connection with her. But its a difficult balancing act catering to both new and old tastes. Should it have more nostalgia with more characters from the past making cameos? Tough call.
Speaking of Joey, he does make a return and again plot holes here. Joey circuit board talks which... Ok fine it probably has an onboard speaker. But its good to see Joey and his cynical/sarcasm is great.
Visually the cell shaded graphics are fine, but i would have preferred a more gritty or less cartoonly look to things, but thats a taste thing. I suspect it was supposed to mimic the comic book style and the city design is nice and well realized so conception wise its good.
So... do i recommend it? For those who like point and click adventures and its on sale, yeah why not. But for most people i really do recommend playing the FREE beneath a steel sky instead.
The game isn't bad, but it suffers from the longest journey / Dreamfall situation. Good, but the original was much much better. The puzzles mostly consist of just logic puzzles and moving flow chart boxes to mess around and also solve puzzles. The more annoying aspects is that you have to stand in the right spots or waiting for the right things to arrive. The puzzles themselves are relatively simple and it just becomes a systematic switching of bits. Even if you get stuck, there is a hint system if you really need it.
There's also plot holes as well. Joey or the android one was called kent, not joey. I can't remember if this was an optional conversation point in the original, but i'm pretty sure he was named kent and not joey. But the story is good filled with plenty of emotion and its delivers a decent story, although i don't know whether its because i played the original i truly appreciated the story. Those who didn't play it probably wouldn't know much, for example mrs piermont and roberts connection with her. But its a difficult balancing act catering to both new and old tastes. Should it have more nostalgia with more characters from the past making cameos? Tough call.
Speaking of Joey, he does make a return and again plot holes here. Joey circuit board talks which... Ok fine it probably has an onboard speaker. But its good to see Joey and his cynical/sarcasm is great.
Visually the cell shaded graphics are fine, but i would have preferred a more gritty or less cartoonly look to things, but thats a taste thing. I suspect it was supposed to mimic the comic book style and the city design is nice and well realized so conception wise its good.
So... do i recommend it? For those who like point and click adventures and its on sale, yeah why not. But for most people i really do recommend playing the FREE beneath a steel sky instead.
Zloth
Community Contributor
I finished up the DLC for Horizon: Forbidden West. My review in the other topic still holds. The DLC is (obviously) much much shorter than the main game, though I was surprised at how few side quests there were for it. The two sidequests I did find were bigger and better than the typical main game quests. I did have a little fun toward the end doing some stuff I didn't care for simply so I could take a screenshot where I've got 99 unspent skill points. I liked the final boss for the DLC quite a bit more than the final boss of the main game.
There's been a whole lot of <ahem> talk about Aloy being a lesbian in the DLC and how that's being rammed down everyone's throat. I thought Aloy and the other gal were going to be all over each other through much of the DLC! No. What you get is one kiss, and only if you pick the 'love' option. And then the relationship is immediately put on hold.
After 145 hours, I find myself wishing the game wasn't ending. I pity the game that has to come next; this will be a hard act to follow. If this game isn't in the upcoming Top 100, I will be griping about it!
There's been a whole lot of <ahem> talk about Aloy being a lesbian in the DLC and how that's being rammed down everyone's throat. I thought Aloy and the other gal were going to be all over each other through much of the DLC! No. What you get is one kiss, and only if you pick the 'love' option. And then the relationship is immediately put on hold.
After 145 hours, I find myself wishing the game wasn't ending. I pity the game that has to come next; this will be a hard act to follow. If this game isn't in the upcoming Top 100, I will be griping about it!
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