Eye candy on the PS4, some of the environments and scenes were pretty impressive. I thought it was a successful launch title - but the campaign felt very rushed and unoriginal. Not to say it wasn't fun, but there were a fair amount of invisible walls and other things wrong with the game that modern day shooters have moved on from.
A multiplayer mode seems a little more polished, and plays great with all the different classes, abilities and gadgets.
Killzone: Shadow Fall review
Posted : 11 years ago on 22 November 2013 11:10 (A review of Killzone: Shadow Fall)0 comments, Reply to this entry
Atom Zombie Smasher review
Posted : 11 years, 1 month ago on 22 October 2013 03:22 (A review of Atom Zombie Smasher)A great zombie title from Blendo Games. I was instantly addicted to the tower-defense-esque gameplay. At the root of the game you will be placing a evaction zone in each randomly generate area as well as barricades, ground troops, snipers, mortars, mines, etc... Then the game plays out as your helicopter flies in sounds it's fog horn, attracting all of the survivors in the area. You are able to move your troops around and such, trying to fend off the horde.
The camera is way above the city. You'll be above the clouds looking down. The helicopter and other larger placeable objects are represented by sprites however the zombies/civilians are represented by just little colored cubes. This isn't a problem, and works really well as you watch the little yellow dots run from the purple dots as chaos ensues.
The sound effects were simple but worked well. They are mostly made up of buildings collapsing and explosions, but they do the trick.
The overmap was fine, but could have been made into more. In the post-game there is a note about the history of the game, pointing out that the earlier game had a more complex overmap, but was cut down in the later versions to focus on the main gameplay. Overall the experience is fun, but it feels like it is missing something.
The "story" is very odd... It throws a bunch of random little comic strips at you, which are range from humorous to just plain confusing. They try to be very different, but I ended up skipping over some of it.
Lastly it is worth mentioning that the game has strong mod support to allow for anything to be changed in the game. I haven't looked into it closely but it was described as being able to change almost anything - I imagine you could change the theme of the game from zombies into something else entirely.
I plan on sinking many more hours into this; you can make your way through a campaign in anywhere from 1-3+ hours depending on your settings - which are fully customizable right in the menu. Addicting!
The camera is way above the city. You'll be above the clouds looking down. The helicopter and other larger placeable objects are represented by sprites however the zombies/civilians are represented by just little colored cubes. This isn't a problem, and works really well as you watch the little yellow dots run from the purple dots as chaos ensues.
The sound effects were simple but worked well. They are mostly made up of buildings collapsing and explosions, but they do the trick.
The overmap was fine, but could have been made into more. In the post-game there is a note about the history of the game, pointing out that the earlier game had a more complex overmap, but was cut down in the later versions to focus on the main gameplay. Overall the experience is fun, but it feels like it is missing something.
The "story" is very odd... It throws a bunch of random little comic strips at you, which are range from humorous to just plain confusing. They try to be very different, but I ended up skipping over some of it.
Lastly it is worth mentioning that the game has strong mod support to allow for anything to be changed in the game. I haven't looked into it closely but it was described as being able to change almost anything - I imagine you could change the theme of the game from zombies into something else entirely.
I plan on sinking many more hours into this; you can make your way through a campaign in anywhere from 1-3+ hours depending on your settings - which are fully customizable right in the menu. Addicting!
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Quarriors Dice Building Game -Box Version review
Posted : 11 years, 2 months ago on 11 September 2013 10:07 (A review of Quarriors Dice Building Game -Box Version)A great game where you and your competitors take turns buying creatures and spells (in the form of dice) to form your "deck". For those familiar with deck building games, this is a a dice building game :)
Each player rolls their dice for a random affect [on each side of the die] and plays their "hand" of dice. It plays quickly and has a lot of variation with different, random creatures and spells available each time you play.
I highly recommend this game to anyone who likes deck building games. It is great being able to shuffle by shaking a bag of dice rather than dealing with a deck of cards.
Each player rolls their dice for a random affect [on each side of the die] and plays their "hand" of dice. It plays quickly and has a lot of variation with different, random creatures and spells available each time you play.
I highly recommend this game to anyone who likes deck building games. It is great being able to shuffle by shaking a bag of dice rather than dealing with a deck of cards.
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Primordia review
Posted : 11 years, 2 months ago on 5 September 2013 10:09 (A review of Primordia)I was originally worried about getting hung up on the graphics and low res gui but ended up being so enthralled with the game that I didn't even notice. This ended up being a great game with characters that you really care about.
I give kudos to Wormwood Studios for creating a point-and-click adventure game that doesn't try and be over-creative with it's puzzle solutions. Only a couple times did I come across a solution that seemed to be overly complicated.
I also enjoyed the voice acting. It is worth noting that the main character is voiced by Logan Cunningham, the narrator in Bastion. I'm fine with reading text in games, but bad voice acting can ruin the experience for me.
The story was incredibly interesting. I couldn't get enough and found myself digging for little extra bits of history, which I normally don't do. A lot goes unexplained but I have high hopes that just leaves more room for a sequel/prequel.
I only had a couple of complaints. Some of the animations seemed a little half-assed. Some characters moved really well, but the main character moves choppy. There were also some oddities with pathing in different scenes of the game. Lastly was the cut scenes; in a game where graphics are simple, the cut scenes are where you can really convey the scene's emotion - but awkward pauses and limited/no sound for the scene (gun shot animations with no sound) seemed to take me out of the experience, rather than pull me in.
I only mention of the complains because they seem out of place. Lack of sound effects in the cut scenes when there is sound in rest of the game. Poor animations for just some of the characters. That is just me being too-critical. The game was great and I gave it a 9 because I will remember it for a long time and will continue to follow the studio in hopes that I see more from this universe.
I give kudos to Wormwood Studios for creating a point-and-click adventure game that doesn't try and be over-creative with it's puzzle solutions. Only a couple times did I come across a solution that seemed to be overly complicated.
I also enjoyed the voice acting. It is worth noting that the main character is voiced by Logan Cunningham, the narrator in Bastion. I'm fine with reading text in games, but bad voice acting can ruin the experience for me.
The story was incredibly interesting. I couldn't get enough and found myself digging for little extra bits of history, which I normally don't do. A lot goes unexplained but I have high hopes that just leaves more room for a sequel/prequel.
I only had a couple of complaints. Some of the animations seemed a little half-assed. Some characters moved really well, but the main character moves choppy. There were also some oddities with pathing in different scenes of the game. Lastly was the cut scenes; in a game where graphics are simple, the cut scenes are where you can really convey the scene's emotion - but awkward pauses and limited/no sound for the scene (gun shot animations with no sound) seemed to take me out of the experience, rather than pull me in.
I only mention of the complains because they seem out of place. Lack of sound effects in the cut scenes when there is sound in rest of the game. Poor animations for just some of the characters. That is just me being too-critical. The game was great and I gave it a 9 because I will remember it for a long time and will continue to follow the studio in hopes that I see more from this universe.
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Legend Of Grimrock review
Posted : 11 years, 10 months ago on 23 January 2013 12:17 (A review of Legend Of Grimrock)If you like rpgs and are not turned off by the turn-based gameplay, this game has a lot to offer. You create a group of 4 adventures and control the whole party, first person, through the mountain of Grimrock. There are puzzles to solve and enemies to kill. The game is not strong on story but it is interesting; you are simply dumped in the mountain as punishment for your crimes leaving you with hope of survival and finding the exit.
Everything in the main game is predefined, so nothing changes if you decide to play through more than once. It limits the replay but the game is heavy on puzzles which will keep you playing for a while. A level editor is also included which from my brief time with has proven to be very easy to use.
Well worth the money, especially if you can nab it on sale!
Everything in the main game is predefined, so nothing changes if you decide to play through more than once. It limits the replay but the game is heavy on puzzles which will keep you playing for a while. A level editor is also included which from my brief time with has proven to be very easy to use.
Well worth the money, especially if you can nab it on sale!
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Zeno Clash review
Posted : 12 years, 4 months ago on 25 July 2012 08:45 (A review of Zeno Clash)Fun though sometimes frustrating combat and a very strange story. It's almost like someone had a disturbing dream and then made a game in it's image.
It's always nice to see games try something new. Zeno Clash puts you in the body of the main character where you see through his eyes in a sort of true-first-person perspective. The combat is fun though it can be unforgiving, and it's worth noting that the game comes off as a little difficult because of it. Though with adjustable difficulty and a forgiving checkpoint system, the difficulty isn't an issue.
I found it seems the creators tried so hard to come up with such unique characters in the game but didn't put forth the effort to focus on them more. I was interested in hearing and seeing all of the different characters but the game just flew on by them.
Overall a fun game and worth trying for the neat combat system and odd story/characters.
*SPOILER*
The ending was a little odd and I didn't quite get it. I know there is going to be a sequel but it didn't really leave me hanging, just confused.
It's always nice to see games try something new. Zeno Clash puts you in the body of the main character where you see through his eyes in a sort of true-first-person perspective. The combat is fun though it can be unforgiving, and it's worth noting that the game comes off as a little difficult because of it. Though with adjustable difficulty and a forgiving checkpoint system, the difficulty isn't an issue.
I found it seems the creators tried so hard to come up with such unique characters in the game but didn't put forth the effort to focus on them more. I was interested in hearing and seeing all of the different characters but the game just flew on by them.
Overall a fun game and worth trying for the neat combat system and odd story/characters.
*SPOILER*
The ending was a little odd and I didn't quite get it. I know there is going to be a sequel but it didn't really leave me hanging, just confused.
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Zeno Clash review
Posted : 12 years, 4 months ago on 22 July 2012 09:07 (A review of Zeno Clash)Fun though sometimes frustrating combat and a very strange story. It's almost like someone had a disturbing dream and then made a game in it's image.
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Prometheus review
Posted : 12 years, 5 months ago on 24 June 2012 11:08 (A review of Prometheus)Quick review: Overall I found this to be an appreciated addition to the "Alien" universe. Though it got a lot of mixed reviews, and did have a few over-the-top moments, if you are a true fan of the Alien franchise, it is a definite must-watch. Would like to see a director's cut.
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Ready Player One review
Posted : 12 years, 5 months ago on 15 June 2012 07:43 (A review of Ready Player One)A book about the future. The economy has crashed and many people flock to a once-popular-mmo that evolved into something closer to a VR version of the internet. People socialize, play games and even have virtual jobs; for many people it is how they spend their day-to-day life.
The creator of the virtual world ends up passing away leaving behind a will dictating that anyone who is able to find an Easter Egg he hid inside the game will earn his estate.
A very cool book, and a quick read (384 pages). Filled with a ton of 80s pop culture, some of which I wasn't too familiar with (having been born mid-80s). I would highly suggest this book to anyone who grew up in the 80s/90s or enjoys gaming! Very nostalgic!
The creator of the virtual world ends up passing away leaving behind a will dictating that anyone who is able to find an Easter Egg he hid inside the game will earn his estate.
A very cool book, and a quick read (384 pages). Filled with a ton of 80s pop culture, some of which I wasn't too familiar with (having been born mid-80s). I would highly suggest this book to anyone who grew up in the 80s/90s or enjoys gaming! Very nostalgic!
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The Desert Spear (The Demon Cycle, Book 2) review
Posted : 12 years, 9 months ago on 4 February 2012 12:42 (A review of The Desert Spear (The Demon Cycle, Book 2))Does not disappoint. I really enjoy the world the writer has created with this series and eagerly awaiting the next installment.
*SPOILER*
This book picks up with Jadir's past as well as a look at his foreign cuture. It was a big change (and unexpected) from the first book but was great to read. After they author gives you a detailed look on Jadir it falls back into place with the group of protagonists and Jadir becomes a major character that some chapters revolve around.
The Warded Man is really fleshed out in this book and you get a good look on just who he is. The author doesn't really dive too deep into The Warded Man's mind but this isn't done with any of the characters, really.
*Bigger Spoiler*
The book leaves me wanting to read the third installment simply because it seemed it was leading up to a conflict that didn't happen. I am very curious to see what happens but dread having to wait for 3 more books to come out.
*SPOILER*
This book picks up with Jadir's past as well as a look at his foreign cuture. It was a big change (and unexpected) from the first book but was great to read. After they author gives you a detailed look on Jadir it falls back into place with the group of protagonists and Jadir becomes a major character that some chapters revolve around.
The Warded Man is really fleshed out in this book and you get a good look on just who he is. The author doesn't really dive too deep into The Warded Man's mind but this isn't done with any of the characters, really.
*Bigger Spoiler*
The book leaves me wanting to read the third installment simply because it seemed it was leading up to a conflict that didn't happen. I am very curious to see what happens but dread having to wait for 3 more books to come out.
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