There’s been a lot of talk of Dark Souls lately. It seems like you can’t read a review without tripping over some reference to the series or a game being compared to it. However, Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption fully invites the comparison, and was absolutely cast in the mold of Dark Souls. It very clearly tries to ape its gameplay and rather than copy the experience wholesale, boil it down to a boss rush mode game with a few unique twists. But in excising everything else that makes Dark Souls, Dark Souls, it loses what makes that series special.
The Missing is one of those games that forces you to immediately reflect on the entire experience once the credits roll. As the game comes to a close you’re presented with some truths that reshape your understanding of everything you’ve seen. To properly discuss The Missing, delving into the details of the ending is necessary. It reframes the entire adventure and it’s why this game is worth playing.
At first pass, you may mistake Wandersong for a game about a bard who’s trying to save the world. I wouldn’t blame you, because while that is what it seems on the surface, more importantly Wandersong is a game about emotions and relationships. It’s about conquering your fears and adversity, doing what’s right even when everyone else is telling you it’s wrong. It’s about leaning on your friends when you can’t do something by yourself, and yes, it’s about singing your heart out even when nobody wants to hear you.
Back when the GameCube released, I developed a real love for rolling monkeys in balls along complex tracks while hoping to reach the finish line without falling off. Yes, Super Monkey Ball was truly something special. Later, during the Wii’s lifespan, a couple titles based around rolling marbles appeared under a new series, Kororinpa, scratching that same itch. These were incredible games that used the Wii’s motion control to great effect and since then I’ve been pining for more ball rolling goodness in whatever form I can get it. Enter Marble It Up, a spiritual successor to the Marble Blast series that had its final release on the PC and Xbox 360. While I missed these titles, if Marble It Up indicates their quality, I’m sure I’d have loved them.
The genesis of Freedom Planet is quite evident from the moment the game begins. Though you play the part of a purple dragon, it’s clear it could’ve just as easily been a blue hedgehog. However, there are a few changes to the classic Sonic formula that sets Freedom Planet apart as its own unique experience that merely wears its influence on its sleeve. The end result is a well constructed, fast-paced platformer that entertains from beginning to end.
I didn't buy anything on the Spring Sale today. Most of the games I wanted were stuff I'd like to have as physical copies, so even though they were at bargain bin prices, I'll wait to get hard copies later. I looked at the trailer to Thimbleweed Park hoping it was like The Cave, made by some of the same people, but it is a straight up point-and-click adventure. That's cool, but not my bread-and-butter. The puzzle/platformer that was The Cave was more my interest.
I don’t know about you, but when I hear about an indie developed game sporting a pseudo-16-bit pixel aesthetic I find myself rolling my eyes. This goes double when said game is an action/exploration game (“Metroidvania” if you’re lazy). I just find these types of games to be played out. However, if you tell me that WayForward is working on the game you pique my interest enough to plunk down twenty bucks on The Mummy: Demastered, a game I hadn’t heard of. Was my curiosity rewarded? Ehhh…
So much for my pledge to be more active with my posting here. I haven't posted since my last BaD post and even those weren't as frequent as I wanted them to be. Hopefully and currently, I will make more of an effort to be more active here.
We've all heard the tale of Mount Backlog, the mountain of games in our "shame" pile we have yet to get to. We want to experience all the games we bought on whatever sale made us think we were a nerd-Kardashian, prompting an ill-advised shopping spree wherein we told ourselves having $2 isn't near as satisfying as not having $2 and instead having a digital file we will never touch, but are glad we got at such a steal. Then that $2 gets multiplied about ten times or so, and about five of twenty of those digital files will be experienced, roughly three of them enjoyed on some level.
If you told me when I was a kid that Super Mario Bros. 2 was merely a localized version of a pre-existing game from Japan, I wouldn’t have believed you. But in fact, that’s precisely what Nintendo did for the US release of the next chapter in the Mario series. This was mostly due to the fact the original Japanese sequel was nearly identical to Super Mario Bros., only with slightly improved graphics. There was also concern that the game’s high difficulty would be off-putting for American audiences. The solution? Take Doki Doki Panic, swap out the main characters, slap a “Super Mario Bros. 2” label on that bad boy, and you’ve got yourself Nintendo’s best-selling game of 1988.
It’s been a pretty crazy week. To think I plopped $360 for a Nintendo Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is quite interesting. In a way, it reminds me of when I stood in line for the Nintendo Wii. I bought it strictly to play The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Yes, sure it was also for the Gamecube and Breath of the Wild is also on Wii U, but I was going to plop money on the Switch regardless. It was bound to happen. I’m a Nintendo fan. I’ve been a fan since I was 7 years old playing The Nes and SNES respectively. After spending a week in the Wild I figured I would offer up a little review or synopsis of my experience with the latest Zelda.
Woaah we're over half way there. Here's some games! Enjoy today's batch!
Christ on a bicycle its been a good year for games. I've been thinking of what i was going to put on my top 10 games of the year list and this is the not narrowed down list. This is the list of every game that I like and think people should play. There are a lot. Over thirty, and I have the feeling I've forgotten something important.
So I got Titanfall today with some birthday money, two copies, one for me and one for Mark. They were $8 each for XBO. I always wanted to try this game out. Well, while waiting for the install, I played a bit more Doom II and then this free-to-play game Battle Islands. Details follow.
I bought this in the Steam sale, had a chance to check it out with some frendly coworkers during some downtime. Some quick impressions to share, since Steam's sale is almost over.
Happy April Fool’s Day Pixlpeeps! I’m not a fan of all the tricks and what not associated with today so this is a safe zone. So how has the week treated you good people? My week has some ups and downs and today I need to take a break from exercise because around my shin it is a bit sore. Other than that everything is good and besides can you really complain when the weekend is here? Let’s get started with Quick Hits!
Good morning Pixlpeeps! In about 30 minutes or so I will be off to check out this flick during its really early showing
I've completed 2 games for the year thus far. Some of you may argue that one of the games isn't a true game but a demo.
Aside from some shitty weather and some much-needed vehicular repairs for my truck, 2015 ended about as good as any year.
