The brilliant designers at Housemarque (Super Stardust HD) have done it again! Resogun is a damn fine game and one hell of a PS4 launch title! Like its spiritual ancestor Super Stardust HD, Resogun is a twin-stick space shoot-'em-up that draws heavily from a classic arcade title; only where Stardust felt like an update on the formula for Asteroids, Resogun clearly takes its inspiration from Defender. Blast your enemies for points while rescuing humans for bonuses like shields, extra lives, and weapon upgrades. Tight gameplay, impressive graphics, and a challenge level that feels just right.... What can I say, I haven't loved a shooter this much since, well, Super Stardust HD. I'll also point out that this is only the second game that I've ever cared to acquire a platinum trophy for (the other being Resident Evil 5), so that's something. It's not going to blow anyone away with its visuals (though they are nice) or be heralded for its originality in game design, but it's a big thumbs up from me. Shooter fans and leaderboard chasers, this is your jam!
Grade: A
Fez - PS4
I had been intrigued by this game ever since I first saw it featured in the documentary film Indie Game: The Movie back in 2012. Though it has now been out for some time, it wasn't made available for my preferred gaming platform until just recently, so this is my first time experiencing it. Well, I'm glad that I finally got a chance to play this charming puzzle-platformer for myself. I won't go into too much detail on the mechanics of the gameplay, but I will say that the central idea of "rotating" a 2D world on a 3D axis works well and introduces an interesting new dimension (sorry) to the platforming and puzzle solving aspects of the game. With beautifully detailed 8-bit "pixel-art" style graphics, challenging puzzles, and a moody, relaxing, and somewhat melancholy soundtrack, there is a lot to like about this indie juggernaut. The only real issue that I had with the game was that I found some of the puzzles to be fairly convoluted and abstruse. I don't mind a challenge, but I never would have solved many of the hardest puzzles in this game if I hadn't turned to the internet. The cool thing is that you can still beat the game without uncovering each and every secret, but seriously, I think you'd need to have some kind of psychic connection with the game's creator in order to figure some of this shit out! Still, this is an enjoyable and surprisingly engrossing twist on the puzzle-platformer genre that's easy to recommend.
Grade: B
Mercenary Kings - PS4
Here's how I imagine the initial concept meeting for Mercenary Kings playing out:
Lead Game Designer: "Hey everyone, how about we make a lovingly detailed tribute to Metal Slug?"
Programmers: "Hell yeah! Metal Slug rules!"
Lead Game Designer: "It will be like Metal Slug in every way except that we'll add a reload button, tedious fetch quests, and a weapon crafting system that relies on random drops from enemies!"
Intern: "But won't that just slow things down and make the Metal Slug formula feel less fun?"
Lead Game Designer: "You're fucking fired, Jeremy!"
Programmers: "...."
Look, I see what the developers were aiming at with this one, but the formula just didn't work for me. There are some charming aspects to this game, particularly in the graphics department, but the gameplay itself just felt tedious. I'll admit that I didn't spend a whole lot of time with this title (maybe around 5 hours), but it simply didn't grab me. If I want to play something like this I'll just stick to Metal Slug.
Grade: C
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