What's up?
by drrandle
Down Time There really is not that much going on in the industry right this very moment, so allow me to just chat some initial impressions of some games I've been playing. These are just some preliminary thoughts, not quickie-reviews. The full reviews will be coming at some point, some time. Too Human A game that has been in development for quite a while, Too Human shows less promise than some...
Down Time
There really is not that much going on in the industry right this very moment, so allow me to just chat some initial impressions of some games I've been playing. These are just some preliminary thoughts, not quickie-reviews. The full reviews will be coming at some point, some time.
Too Human
A game that has been in development for quite a while, Too Human shows less promise than some might have hoped. The primary game mechanics are very "you-love-it-or-don't." Whether it's the loot-dropping Diablo style, or the stiff/easy combat mechanic, people are finding plenty of reasons to not enjoy it. From this end of the spectrum, however, the game is great. Combat is a bit easy, but when your a god, it should be. Sure the camera is finicky, but I've dealt with plenty of games with uncontrollable (or minimum controllable) cameras in the past and viery few of them have been ruined by the situation. Mario Galaxy, Alone in the Dark (which had many other problems) and RE4 come to mind right off the top of my head. I think those games had arguably better auto-cameras, but I don't think this one is necessarily as bad as some people make it out to be. As for the direct dual-stick shooter-like combat? I find it really quick and easy. Not being a fan of overly-complicated combat and control schemes, I find that playing this game is in no way a chore.
Technologically, I think the game is almost there. The architecture, art design, backgrounds, character models, armor pieces, etc. etc. are all absolutely gorgeous. The game is eye candy, if nothing else. If only, if only, it ran at a locked 30 frames per second, I would probably chalk this game up for my vote of "Looker-o-the-year." That being said, Mass Effect suffered greatly, and I think for slightly less, so there we go.
The story so far is fine. I enjoy this take on old mythology, it makes this a more unique games than most thematically. What I've heard about how this whole shindig turns up isn't so promising, but we'll see where it goes, won't we?
Braid
I only manged to work through the demo, but I was so immediately inspired that I downloaded the full game... then... downloaded Geometry Wars 2 and proceeded to get lost. That's not talking bad about Braid though, the game has immediately sold me with it's charm and concept alone. On the surface it is an artsy looking run-of-the-mill platformer, but what the game manages to accomplish is strike me at a personal level with it's mind. The game is about Tim who is looking for a princess. The princess left Tim because of a mistake he had made. He had learned from his mistake, and will never make it again, but it is too late... the princess is gone. So Tim wonders what it would be like to live in a world that did not suffer our causality? What if you could make a mistake, learn from it, and then live life never having suffered the consequences in the first place? Behind that concept, the game has a "rewind" button. If poor Tim falls to his doom on some spikes, holding the button will pull you back as far as you'd like in the level... allowing to learn from your mistake, and continue life as though it had never been made. The idea is brilliant, and anybody who has ever... you know, lived, can probably relate to the arching concept. If 5 dollars more is too much to buy this game, then, let me be frank by saying fuck you, you don't deserve to play this game.
Geometry Wars Evolved 2
Bullet Porn at its best, GWE2 is a game chock full of addictive gameplay and visual appeal. Simple, yet ripe with glowey goodness, the visual style harkens to the old days of video games while providing you with the latest in sexy-looking-game technology. On top of that, the simple, refined gameplay is enough to make you lose yourself to hours of intense gameplay. The various modes (which I'm still unlocking) have all been interesting thus far, and we hope to see more soon.
What have you been playing, reader(s)? Anything of note? Have you something to add to my current list of games? Feel free to leave as many (reasonable) comments below as you would like!
Instrumental
Metroid Prime - Underwater Frigate Reactor Core