by mento
The fifth one of these. Soon I'll have been reminiscing about the games I've beaten on Giant Bomb for half a decade. That's... yeesh.
Let's see what mischief I got up to this year, shall we?
(New for this year: Rankings! This list is almost useful consumer advice now!)
Showing 1-10 of 67 items
02/01. Honestly? A little underwhelmed. I liked 3D Land plenty, but this seems just a little too similar. I also take umbrage with its crappy difficulty curve and the more questionable additions to 3D Land's template. 30-Star Challenge Room? Get the eff out of here. (3 Stars.)
04/01. While it looks incredible and has a deeply affecting story, the two-stick, two-brothers control system is almost more trouble than its worth, especially if you get the two brothers on the opposing sides of the screen. It's remarkably short too, though I suppose it's only as long as it needs to be. It's a brilliant and moving adventure game, don't misunderstand, but I'm not sure I would have any problem naming ten better games from 2013. I mean, hypothetically speaking. (3 Stars.)
06/01. I liked Gunpoint a lot. I especially enjoyed taking my time and figuring out how each stage ticked, messing with the options I had available and divining the specific route each stage usually required. It's also got a sly self-deprecating wit, which is very much my kind of humor. Took me back to my days playing Bonanza Bros too, but I won't let that be a knock against it. (4 Stars.)
17/01. I liked Bioshock Infinite for the most part. I'm certainly not enamoured with it enough to have retroactively put it on my top ten, but its shortcomings in the combat were made up for by its interesting story and setting. It could do with less racism but then that's true of anything, really. (4 Stars.)
24/01. TSP's fine, it just bummed me out terribly. Haven't felt this unhappy after playing a game since Rhythm Heaven Fever. Man, do I have some weird reactions to things sometimes. (3 Stars.)
25/01. Well, just Part One so far. The puzzles are simple and the story predictable, but has a great storybook feel with its clever script and wonderful art. Clearly intended for kids, but I still enjoyed it. Can't wait for its conclusion later this year. (4 Stars.)
28/01. Man, has it been an underwhelming month. I haven't really been getting much sleep lately, in these games' defense. Valdis Story recalls, for me, that Hell Yeah! game from a few years back: Great presentation and style, good music (if a little too, well, histrionic?) but man is the studio's fledgling status a little too overt. From several major game design problems (don't make a Metroidvania and stash collectibles in a place you're going to permanently seal off! Yeesh!) to the many, many typos, Valdis struck me as a project a little too ambitious for the people making it. Hearing that it was a Kickstarter that did rather a bit too well doesn't surprise me in the slightest. But hey, freshman (well, sophomore, since they made some Match-3 game a few years back) efforts are what they are. Good chance they'll nail it next time. (Also, can we drop the whole "angels vs demons" thing? Always seemed a bit too Todd McFarlane for my liking.) (3 Stars.)
08/02. Felt like some Match-3. 10mil is what I consider to be the archetypal "good mobile game". It's a mere frippery, with very basic gameplay and progression mechanics, but it's fun and that's really all that matters. A well-designed game doesn't always need a thousand bells and whistles, it just needs to be entertaining. (3 Stars.)
08/02. Though a little twee for its own good at times, Thomas Was Alone is a great, imaginative little puzzle platformer with some superb writing that somehow manages to invest a lot of personality into a bunch of colored rectangles. If that's not impressive storytelling and character development, I'm not sure what is. (4 Stars.)
14/02. Remember Me will be one of those games like Enslaved that'll be fondly remembered for its unique world and characters rather than the many minor flaws which otherwise marred the experience. It's got a really fantastic combat system too, one that's somehow very customizable and dense yet simple to get to grips with. (4 Stars.)
