My Month In Games: January 2016

Axiom Verge - PS4

If you've kept up with this blog over the years, you probably know that I love Metroid-vania games. The best ones combine tight platforming, copious upgrades, tons of exploration, and a bit of puzzle solving into a gameplay formula that I've always found highly entertaining. Axiom Verge received a fair amount of hype and accolades when it was released last year, but I waited to play it until I had the time to fully dive in an experience everything it had to offer.

To be sure, Axiom Verge offers just about everything a Metroid-vania devotee could ask for, but it ultimately falls short in one key way that left me feeling cold. It has a terrible story. It's funny really, because I would never have thought to include story in a list of must-haves for this kind of game. In fact, most of my favorite titles in the genre tend to offer up meager storylines at best, but something about this game's attempt to bring gravitas and a deep lore to the table struck me as particularly egregious. It's not that it's too heady for its own good, it's that its a mess of gobbledegook that does little to entice you to keep playing. Something about organic computers that dwell in a parallel dimension fighting off an unknown invader or some such nonsense. It's hard to piece together because most of the story is told through a series of cryptic notes that must be unearthed by the player and translated from an alien language. I mean, look, if you're going to make your players traipse through your game world to discover the magic device that translates a bunch of unreadable story beats (which you shouldn't do), at least have them make some kind of sense. And don't even get me started on the player character. The protagonist is so bland, and the game offers so little explanation as to why he's even there in the first place, that it just doesn't ever work.

Don't care, bro.

Another problem I had with this game is that it really is TOO much like Metroid. It looks like Metroid, it plays like Metroid, hell, it even SOUNDS like Metroid. And the parts that don't steal from that series were clearly lifted from other NES-era classics such as Bionic Commando and Blaster Master. I like a good 8-bit throwback, and I realize that nostalgia can be a powerful source of inspiration, but Axiom Verge just takes things a step too far.

Bionic Commando-esque

Again, Axiom Verge is very solid mechanically, and I give the game's sole developer Thomas Happ a lot of credit for his efforts, but in the end it just felt like little more than a love letter to Metroid written by an obsessed fanboy. Those who just can't wait for Nintendo to release the next 2D entry in that vaunted franchise might be pleased with what this game has to offer, but as for me, I need more than just a decent homage that exploits my love for the past.

Grade: C+

Nidhogg - PS4

Nidhogg is a cool little fencing game with solid mechanics and a surprisingly deep combat scheme. I appreciated the expressive animation, the trippy soundtrack, the pixelated environments, and the moment-to-moment intensity as I dueled my way past dozens of cunning AI opponents in the relatively short (around 2 hours) single-player experience.

Behold the mighty Nidhogg!

I didn't spend any time with the player vs. player aspect of Nidhogg, but with gameplay mechanics this solid I can see that aspect of this game having a long life amongst fighting enthusiasts.

Grade: B

LaserLife - PS4

Once in a while I like to browse the digital bargain-bin of the Playstation Store looking for hidden gems. I was drawn to LaserLife partially by its small price tag (I got it for around $3), but mostly by its title. I mean, come on, LaserLife? I HAD to see what that was about!

Turns out it's a decently constructed, yet fairly simple rhythm game with a "story" about recovering lost memories. Gameplay consists of using the analog sticks to guide two laser beams toward various targets while tapping the shoulder buttons in time with the music. In many ways, it reminds me - in a bizarrely positive way - of a generic console launch title. The graphics and sound are decent, if a little stark, and the gameplay concept is solid, if a little simplistic. I had fun with it for the first couple of hours, but once I got past the easy bits I ultimately found the control scheme to be rather problematic. My thumbs kept slipping on the analog sticks due to constantly pushing them in opposite directions while at the same time trying to hold them relatively steady, with the result being the dreaded "claw hands". It's tough to recommend for that reason, but otherwise, LaserLife is an interesting budget title with an intriguing aesthetic.

Grade: C+

Q*Bert Reloaded - PS4

Ah, Q*Bert, my old friend...you deserve better! This update to the classic action puzzler is dragged down by floaty controls and lacks much of the character that made the original great. Attempts to update the level design and the addition of time and scoring challenges also do little to freshen up the proceedings. A "classic" version of the game is also included in this package, but something feels off about it. I suspect that the classic version is actually a port of an earlier console build and not the arcade original. It's a bit of a shame, but Q*Bert Reloaded should be avoided.

Grade: C

Metal Slug 3 - PS4

I have always thought that I liked Metal Slug games, but the fact is that they're actually not very good. The sprite art and the animation are high points, but these games are ruthlessly difficult and clearly designed from the ground up to be chaotic, arcade-style quarter munchers. It was kind of fun to finally be able to blast through this with unlimited continues, but these games ultimately just feel unfair.

Grade: C

My Month In Games: Nov./Dec. 2014

Wolfenstein: The New Order - PS4

Alright, I may have mentioned this before, but in the interest of honesty and full disclosure I'm just going to come right out and say that I'm not a big FPS guy. Now, to be clear, I'm also not one of those people who thinks that everyone who plays Call of Duty is a Dorito munching, Mountain Dew swilling mouth breather. I mean, let's be real, the number of mouth breathing COD players is probably only hovering at about 75% of its total fanbase. Law of averages and all that.

Seriously though, I played my fair share of Doom and Quake back in the day; I even put in a good chunk of time with this game's 90s ancestor Wolfenstein 3D, but these days I don't play many FPS games at all and when I do I usually go for the more story driven ones (like Bioshock), and I NEVER do any online multiplayer. If I had to pick one main reason that the genre doesn't appeal to me, I'd probably say that it has to do with the general lack of variety in the gameplay. Staring at your hands and shooting dudes gets a little old.

And yet, despite my many reservations and personal prejudices, I found myself itching to play this game after hearing good things about its story, graphics, and straight-forward gameplay. In terms of its presentation, Wolfenstein: The New Order was clearly designed to hearken back to the days when FPS games were linear, story driven blast-a-thons. There's no squad-based tactics, no magic spells, and you won't even find the now ubiquitous regenerating armor mechanic. Heck, this FPS is so old school it doesn't even have a multiplayer mode.

So how did it work out for me? Not great! The graphics and sound are nice, but just about everything else falls short in my view. The combat feels dated and spammy, and the story, while it does have a very cool premise (the Nazis won WWII and you're fighting alongside a rebel resistance), is nothing short of ridiculous. In fact, I was so bothered by the unnecessarily difficult gameplay and the over-the-top story that I just couldn't bring myself to finish the game. Seriously, the main character begins the game having spent 20 years in a coma and he snaps out of it just in time to slaughter a cadre of Nazi soldiers who have invaded the Polish mental hospital in which he has been living. Oh, and did I mention that he's just as buff as he was before he slipped into a catatonic state? If the gameplay had been more interesting I might have pressed on just to experience the silliness, but I just couldn't abide.

Grade: C

The Evil Within - PS4

The latest survival horror creation from Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil, Resident Evil 4) is upon us and..... it's a little bit of alright! It plays and feels a lot like RE4, to tell you the truth. In fact, you wouldn't be at all out of line if at first blush you mistook this game for yet another entry in that vaunted series. Yep, it's a pretty good Resident Evil clone from the man who invented Resident Evil.

Much like its spiritual predecessors, it features a garbage story and loads of gunplay, as well as scads of shuffling zombies and other mutated freaks to kill. I get the sense that this game is Mr. Mikami's attempt to "right the ship" and appease the fans who have complained loudly about the more action oriented direction that Resident Evil has been headed in since RE5.  If this is indeed the case, then I must say that he has succeeded. The Evil Within is combat heavy survival horror that emphasizes resource management and ammo conservation while also incorporating stealth kills and character upgrades. The graphics are nice, the fighting feels good (though at times the stealth kills feel unnecessarily difficult to pull off without alerting the enemy), and moody vibes and jump scares abound.

It all works fairly well, and I had enough fun with it that I jumped directly into the New Game + after I finished my first playthrough, but the truth is that The Evil Within never really jelled for me. As I mentioned, the story is not just bad (well...let's say extremely mediocre), it's also borderline incomprehensible at times, and many of the game's themes and horror motifs are just beyond clichéd. Zombies in a run-down mental hospital...AHHH! The stealth elements and melee attacks also feel half-baked. In fact, most of the time they almost feel like red herrings; left in the game as a way to lure you into close quarters combat with the enemy. And let's be honest with each other here: as much as people like to talk about concepts like resource management and limited ammunition being tension heighteners in a game like this, I never feel hopeless while playing survival horror games. I mean, the game CAN'T put you into a position where you simply don't have the resources to advance, otherwise it would be a fundamentally broken game, no? I've always just found it weird how so-called hallmarks of the genre (e.g. limited resources), things that people seem to clamor for and don't hesitate to whine about when they feel they're not getting enough of it, just don't seem to hold up when you examine them closely.

In the end, The Evil Within stands as a fine example of the genre. Everything works well enough and some will undoubtedly be drawn in by its ham-fisted Lovecraftian story. There's no multiplayer or bonus modes, but I wasn't intrigued enough by the combat to be disappointed by the lack of any such extras. Bottom line, if you've been waiting for a "proper" followup to RE4 then you should probably check this game out. Those who may be looking for an experience more akin to RE5 or  RE6 could probably do better.

Grade: B-

My Month In Games: July 2014

Towerfall: Ascension - PS4

Towerfall: Ascension is a wonderful little retro-styled title that hearkens back to the days of the Atari 2600. Players take control of an archer who must nimbly combat foes in order to clear an area and move on. Gameplay is of the 2D platforming variety and each stage consists of a single "board" (that's what we used to call "arenas", kids!) that can be negotiated in order to give you a tactical advantage. Enemies can be dispatched by shooting them with arrows or by hopping on their heads, and powerups like wings and explosive arrows keep things fresh and introduce additional layers of strategy. What can I say? I was rather charmed by this deceptively simple, yet challenging little game. The gameplay is taut and the difficulty feels just right. There is a multiplayer mode that allows you to take friends on battle royale-style, but most of my time has been spent in the single player "quest" mode. I imagine that the versus mode would be fun to play against random strangers online, but the game doesn't have any matchmaking capabilities. Bottom line, if you're doing multiplayer, you're doing local multiplayer.

This game was just a treat to play and it's an easy recommendation for fans of action platformers. Some may find the $15 price tag just a tad steep considering the limited amount of single player content, but it's definitely worth a look for its finely tuned gameplay and solid level of challenge.

Grade: B

My Month In Games: April 2013

Bioshock Infinite - PS3

FAIR WARNING: Though I will try not to overdo it, there may be some light spoilers ahead.

It's not too often that I purchase and play the latest games right when they're released.  These days I usually prefer to try before I buy (via Gamefly) or wait it out and snap up a used copy online.  I think it has less to do with saving money and more to do with the fact that I just don't like to waste time playing bad games.  Actually, that's not quite right... I don't really mind wasting time playing bad games as long as they have some qualities that I find intriguing.  What I mean is that I like to do a bit of research about a game before dig in.  I read reviews, watch videos, that kind of thing.  I want to know ahead of time if I'm likely to have a satisfying experience.  Still, once or twice a year I like to give in to the hype and dive in to something new and big.  After all, if you don't jump into a game when it comes out --while everyone else is getting a feel for it and discovering it together-- you'll never get the chance to contribute to the conversation about it.

The Setting

I LOVED the setting for Bioshocks 1 and 2.  The underwater city of Rapture, with its art deco design and countless mysteries to uncover was really a character in itself.  Infinite's sky-city of Columbia might even be MORE intriguing if that's possible.  When we were introduced to it, Rapture was a city that had long since descended into chaos and death; all but abandoned by its populace.  It was still an incredible place to explore but Columbia may be more interesting because it feels absolutely alive by comparison.  In the early parts of the game there are ample opportunities to interact with and eavesdrop on the denizens of the city, and the incredible soundtrack, with its many "old-timey" renditions of contemporary rock songs, really imbues Columbia with a sense of place.  Plus, the amazing architecture? The gorgeous vistas?  Fantastic stuff!

The Gameplay

I'll level with you, when it comes to the gameplay there are things here that work and more than a few things that don't.  I don't have a ton of experience with first-person shooters, but from a mechanical standpoint Bioshock Infinite seems like a solidly built FPS.  That is to say, the weapons and the Vigors (Infinite's version of Plasmids) are all fairly easy to get the hang of and use effectively.  But there are problems with the combat.  I recently came across this statement from Johnathan Blow (creator of Braid) and I think he sums this game's combat issues quite well:

Playing Infinite, I realize that Halo-style recharging shields are actually a huge mistake in shooter design. But all shooters use them now. Since people are going to ask: There are two problems; one is about emotional pacing, one is about gameplay crispness and fairness. With shields, you are always doing okay in the medium and long term. They low-pass filter the emotional high of surviving a tight situation. You can have a tight situation on the order of 10 seconds, but not on the order of 5 minutes, which matters more.

The crispness problem is: In order to provide difficulty, designers now have to overwhelm your shields all the time, which means designing situations that are spammy (get hit from all directions so you can't process what is going on). These are confusing and not fun. These feel messy to play but they happen all the time because they have to. Or, like Infinite does, have super attacks that take away all your shields at once *and* 1/3 of your health, which feels steeply unfair.

So I mostly agree with what Mr. Blow says here.  I don't know if I like it when "tight situations" last nearly 5 minutes, but the combat does feel spammy.  Whether that was done to offset the rechargeable shields of for some other reason I don't know, but it's easy to get overwhelmed in this game.  Again, I don't have a ton of experience with FPS games so I don't really know what the alternative is in this case.  I guess it would be to give the combat a more deliberate, tactical pacing.  You know, slow it down, make it more about assessing a situation before you engage the enemy.  Either way, in the end it doesn't really matter because the game gives you an infinite number of lives, and there's no real penalty for death.  Hell, sometimes it's even the smart play to let the enemy take you out so you can respawn with more health.  It's not that the combat isn't fun at times, it is, but it's often overwhelming and it ultimately feels kind of inconsequential.  That's the thing about these Bioshock games; they're really more about the story and the setting than they are about combat and gameplay.  And speaking of the story...

I was also fairly put off by the skylines.

The Story

Alright, I promised I wasn't going to go crazy with the spoilers (and I won't) but if you're worried about them then this is the time to bail.  So, I have a major problem with the storyline for Bioshock Infinite and really ANYTHING that uses the plot device of multiple realities.  For those who need to be filled in, one of the main characters has the ability to open up "tears" in the fabric of space-time and pass through them into "other realities".  This plot device has the effect of COMEPLETELY REMOVING ALL STAKES IN THE STORY.  Honestly, if your heroes have the ability to "warp" out of a bad situation then why do we need to worry about them at all?  Further, if the "ending" to the story is just one possible reality, then somewhere out there is another "ending"...an infinite number of them in fact.  So what if a character dies or makes a poor decision?   Just hop through a portal and enter a reality where your friend is alive and your decision was the correct one.  See what I mean?  Why should I care when nothing is "real" or "permanent"?  That's not to say that the story is garbage, it's not.  I was actually a bit moved by some of the things I saw in the endgame sequences, but when it's all said and done you really take a lot of the emotional weight out of your story when you introduce the possibility of multiple realities, and I left the game feeling disconnected from the characters as a result.

  
Summary

Bioshock Infinite is a well crafted game with many highlights in its presentation.  The city, the music, and the graphics are all stellar.  Still, the nature of its combat and its storyline left me somewhat cold.  This is a perfect RENTAL game.  Much like any decent summer blockbuster it drew me in with is gorgeous presentation, and it was certainly entertaining, but it hasn't really stuck with me the way I hoped it would.

Grade: B-

Here is a video that features many of the fantastic "old-timey" versions of several modern songs.  Have a listen, it's one of my favorite aspects of the game.

My Month In Games: February 2013

The Unfinished Swan - PSN

I'll come right out and say it: I didn't really care much for this game.  I wanted to get that out of the way early because I feel as though I'm standing in the minority with that opinion.  Many others have been charmed by this quirky little title but I found it to be shallow, irritating, and, at times, rather frustrating.  The Unfinished Swan is a first-person platform/puzzler (kinda like Portal or Quantum Conundrum) that is initially very intriguing. You begin in a room where EVERYTHING is completely white and you can only begin to see the path by splashing black paint around, thereby creating some context and contrast.  Suddenly things begin to take shape; you are in a room and there's the door.  You walk through it and...more white!  Splash, splash, spalsh, a hallway.. the door to the outside.. grass, trees, buildings.. birds chirping overhead.  No enemies, no failure, just white on white everywhere you go and a limitless supply of black paint.  It's visually striking for sure, and it's actually kind of fun for awhile. 

Then, after playing for about five minutes, I realized that I had been mashing the trigger button over and over and that my finger was beginning to get tired.  Eventually I made my way to a castle where my black paint was replaced with water, and instead of using it to see things I was using it to make vines grow so that I could climb around and search for an exit.  Water, water, water..  mash, mash, mash...  After about 30 minutes of this I realized that my hand was really starting to ache from the constant button mashing this game requires!  This was also the point that I realized that this game isn't actually much fun.  Yes it's kind of cool in the beginning to splash the paint around and get your bearings, but once I realized that there's little else to do in this game it really got kind of irritating.  The whole affair kind of feels like a series of half formed gameplay concepts that are loosely tied together with a boring "storybook" style narrative.  There's just not enough here.  Watch a YouTube video of the beginning moments and you'll see the best of what this game has to offer.

Grade: C-

NiGHTS into Dreams - PSN
   

As much as I love gaming consoles there have been a few over the years that I never had much experience with.  Among them is the Sega Saturn.  It had its fans, but back in the day I could only afford one gaming console at a time and I went with the original Playstation.  What can I say?  I was still feeling burned by the Sega CD.  At any rate, even though I didn't play many Saturn games I was still aware of Nights and I had always wanted to give it a try.  Given all of that it's sort of ironic that I'm playing it for the first time on a Sony console, right?  Anyway, I really enjoyed this game.  Over the years people have struggled to describe its unique gameplay mechanics and I'm afraid that I won't be able to find the words to do it justice either.  It's part racing, part action, part total psychedelic clusterfuck...how's that for a description?  

 
Basically, you take control of a flying jester called Nights as he soars through a series of bizarrely beautiful landscapes collecting items and racing toward the exit.  Each level has four regular flying stages and is capped off with a unique boss fight.  Really, I just kind of dig everything about this unusual game.  It's fun and fast-paced, it's challenging, the graphics and music are fantastic (especially the HD graphics of the PSN version), and the boss battles are crazy.  Still, I realize that a game like this isn't for everyone.  It's very quirky and very Japanese, and it's kind of hard at first to even know what you're supposed to be doing!  I myself came very close to quitting during my first few hours with it, but I'm glad that I stuck with this unique little gem and I definitely understand its cult appeal.

Grade: B+

Warioware Touched - DS 

God damn I love these Warioware games!  For those unfamiliar with the series, the basic idea is that it's a collection of super quick mini-games (think 3-5 seconds each) that you play in rapid succession.  Most of the games are fairly easy to win, but the challenge comes in doing so many of them so quickly.  You're constantly changing your focus to a new game with a new objective and it makes for some twitchy fun!  I played the hell out of the Game Boy Advance and Gamecube entries in the series, and I thought for sure that I was going to love this one as well, but something about it just didn't grab me.  I think the main issue is that unlike previous Warioware games, this one is controlled entirely with the touchscreen and stylus.  This allows for the inclusion of "tap and swipe" style games that would have been impossible before the introduction of the DS (and that's good), but it completely does away with the more traditional mini-games that made use of the buttons and the control pad.  This ultimately has the effect of limiting the gameplay options as well as the variety and scope of the mini-games offered.  It all starts to feel kind of same-y after awhile and I found myself wanting to move on even before I had seen everything.  In the end, Warioware Touched isn't a bad game, just one that feels relatively shallow compared to previous entries in the series.

Grade: C+

Ikachan - 3DS

Recently re-released on the 3DS eShop, Ikachan is the game that designer Daisuke Amaya (AKA Pixel) made before creating the incredible Cave Story.  In it, players take control of a cute little squid named Ikachan as he explores an underwater cavern while helping other creatures along the way.  While not an actual prequel, this game definitely feels like a spiritual predecessor to Cave Story as the graphics, sound, character design, and plot will all remind you of that storied title.  It actually has a lot in common with Sega's Ecco the Dolphin series now that I think about it.  Exploring underwater caves, eating fish to stay healthy, communicating with friendly creatures, gaining new powers...  

The thing is, even with all of that stuff going on there really isn't much of a game here.  You can easily beat it in less than 2 hours.  With that in mind, I really can't recommend spending $5 to download it from the eShop.  I enjoyed this title for what it was; a short concept piece that ultimately served to inspire something greater, but the experience is a little shallow overall.  Have a look at a gameplay video on YouTube if you're curious, but don't spend the dough unless you can get it cheap.

Grade: B-

Gunman Clive - 3DS

I got this for $2 in the 3DS eShop.  It's a Mega Man clone with a western theme and a unique, minimalist art style. It totally fucking rocks.

Grade: B

My Month In Games: December 2012

Sonic The Hedgehog 1 and 2 - PSN
 

The first two Sonic games are free on PSN right now so I picked 'em up for old times sake.  I beat both of these games back in the day (yes, I got ALL of the Chaos Emeralds) but I haven't looked at them in at least a decade and I had a couple of thoughts while playing them again.

1. For all the emphasis placed on the speed of the character, Sonic isn't really all that fast paced of a game.  In fact, in most of the levels, Sonic's speed is his greatest weakness.  This game requires careful platforming in order to collect and keep the precious golden rings that allow you access to the bonus stages and your shot at the Chaos Emeralds.  Any time you get Sonic going at top speed you're essentially flying blind, begging to slam into an enemy and lose your rings.

 2. I have no idea how I beat these games back in the day without smashing my controller into a million pieces, as naturally acquiring the Chaos Emeralds in both of these games is crazy hard and requires more than a bit of luck.  Luckily, these PSN versions have savestates enabled, allowing you to save your game and retry at any point. Tedious, difficult challenges like these don't really exist in games anymore and I think the main reason for that is choices.  Nowadays, when it comes to gaming, we just have an incredible number of options.  If a game is frustratingly difficult then the audience will quickly move on.  Back when these games came out we simply didn't have the massive amounts of affordable, high quality gaming options that we do today.  Console games were expensive, the second-hand market was way smaller, and there were fewer sources for reliable, unbiased game reviews. These days, one can download free demos of the latest games, check out videos of the gameplay on YouTube, and if you STILL end up buying a bad game you can look to Playstation Network or XBOX Live and find dozens of amazing gaming experiences for $10 or less.  I guess what I'm saying is, old games are harder than new games.  They're generally shittier too, but definitely harder.  Ah, you kids and your modern conveniences...savestates, baby!

3. Mario is better than Sonic.  Always has been, probably always will be.

Grade: Sonic C/Sonic 2 C+

Resident Evil 4 HD - PSN

Well, this is the 4th time I've purchased this game.  First was the Gamecube version, then PS2, then Wii, and now PSN.  I know this game well, and like an old friend I always enjoy playing through it.  That sounded weird, but I think you know what I mean.  It was cool to play it in high def and with PSN trophies, but besides that there are no other additions to the game that I could see.  After spending a few years away from this game and mostly playing RE5 and RE6 I can see why the survival horror fans bitch about the current direction of the series.  The newer games ARE more action oriented compared to this one.  I've droned on about Resident Evil enough in the past, but I'll weigh in this way: between 4, 5, and 6, Resident Evil 4 has the best main campaign.  There's a good amount of action, the length and pacing are good, and the characters and bosses are memorable and engaging.  The combat mechanics aren't as evolved as those found in 5 and 6, but overall it has the tightest main campaign of the three.  When it comes to "The Mercenaries" mode, I have to give it to 5...maybe 6, no 5...  Trying to go back and play "The Mercenaries" from RE4 just doesn't cut it anymore, as it's slower, clunkier, and single-player only.  If you never played this game back in the day, it's still a hoot.

Grade: B+

Rochard - PSN

 Another freebie from Playstation Plus.  Shoot, now that I think about it, they should be paying me for all the mentions I give them.  You hearing me, Sony?  I like to be paid in nice, crisp, non-sequential bills, alright?  Anyway, Rochard was a nice little surprise.  It's a side-scrolling puzzle platformer that features a Metroid-like vibe.  Well, it's like Metroid in that it takes place in outer space and features puzzles and platforming, but no one will mistake fat, balding protagonist John Rochard for Samus Aran.  Good game!

Grade: B

My Month In Games: November 2012

Lollipop Chainsaw - PS3

Earlier this year, when I reviewed Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked for PS2, I mentioned that I might need to reevaluate my opinion on game designer Suda 51.  In fact, I even teased a forthcoming article in which I intended to play most (if not ALL) of his games so that I might chronicle said reevaluation.  Well, after playing this I have reevaluated my desire to reevaluate Suda 51 and I'm back to thinking he's a hack.  With Lollipop Chainsaw he has once again shown me that his philosophy of game design is high style, little substance.  The game follows the adventures of Juliet, a ditzy blonde zombie hunting cheerleader, as she uses her trademark chainsaw to rip through scads of undead freaks.  Like all of Suda 51's games this one is visually striking, juxtaposing rotting zombies with hearts and rainbows, but that's where the enjoyment ended for me.  Bad camera, generic hack-n-slash gameplay, copious amounts of unnecessary profanity...this game was clearly designed for 15 year-old kids and the type of people who think that schlocky horror films are the height of cinema.  Meh.  Meh, I say!!

Grade: C-

Quantum Conundrum - PS3

 A first-person puzzler in the vein of Portal, Quantum Conundrum changes things up by giving your character the power to change dimensions.  Take the "fluffy" dimension for example.  In this dimension, normal objects take on a fluffy, pillow-like appearance, and become much lighter.  A room might have a floor switch and an ultra heavy safe in it and the solution would be to enter the fluffy dimension, pick up the safe, drop it on the floor switch, and then switch back to the "normal" dimension so that the regular weight of the safe can depress the switch.  It's a lot of fun, and solving the puzzles gave me the same sense of satisfaction that I felt when making progress in Portal.  Not surprising, since it was designed by one of the lead designers of that game.  I will say that Quantum Conundrum lacks the same kind of "personality" that infested Portal.  It tries to capture a more whimsical tone, but in the end the game feels a bit sterile to me.  While that vibe may have worked for the "test chambers" of Portal, it seems a bit out of place in this game.  Still, it's a fun game that will get you thinking, and I have to give the developers credit for tapping John de Lancie (AKA Star Trek's Q) to play the narrator.  Recommended!

Grade: B

Pushmo - 3DS

I dig me some Pushmo!  This downloadable title from Nintendo is a great little puzzler that actually shares a lot of gameplay similarities with Catherine, another stand-out title that I reviewed earlier this year.  Players mush push and pull at a wall of blocks in order to climb to the top and clear the stage.  Unlike Catherine, there is no way to die or lose while playing a stage, so there's less pressure to solve the puzzles quickly.  Instead, players can take their time trying different things, even resetting the stage if things get completely FUBAR.  Its simple, charming presentation draws you in, and its bite sized levels make it perfect for playing on-the-go.  I'm still working my way through the game's 250-plus stages, but I enjoyed this game immensely, and I'm looking forward to playing its recently released sequel, Crashmo.

Grade: B+

Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy - 3DS

 It's a music/rhythm game that uses tunes from the entire Final Fantasy series.  Does that sound remotely interesting to you?  If so then you'll probably get some enjoyment out of this game.  Fans of Final Fantasy know that the music from that series is top-notch and Theatrhythm takes many of its iconic tunes and plants them in a fun "tap and swipe" style rhythm game.  I dug it.  You get three songs from each numbered game in the series and you can purchase even more songs online.  Yeah right.  This game is fun, it even throws some light RPG elements into the mix, but the gameplay gets old after a few hours and I can't imagine paying $.99 a pop for more songs.  It's a solid little rental title, but no great shakes.

Grade: B-

OTHER NEWS

NEO GEO X IS RELEASED

 That crazy NEO GEO handheld that I've been talking about was finally released, and it looks pretty cool!  It even comes with an arcade stick controller and a charging station that resembles the original NEO GEO system.  That AND 20 games...all for $200.  I'm seriously considering getting one.  Old school, baby!

Wii U IS RELEASED

Yep, it's out.  I'm smelling another Gamecube.  The controller seems cool though...

My Month In Games: October 2012

Resident Evil 6 - PS3

 As my regular readers know, I'm a huge Resident Evil fan.  I took an in-depth look at the demo back in September, and now it's time for me to tell you what I think of the game.  I won't bore you with exhaustive details or plot summaries before I give you the goods, I'll just tell you straight up: I really enjoyed this game.  Not that that should come as a huge surprise, but I felt the need to get it out there early as it seems there's a lot of hate out there for this latest installment in the series.

I'll be honest and say that the plot of the main campaign is pretty weak.  There are four different story lines, one for each of the game's main characters, but they all center around the same set of events.  Thus, it's really more like one main story with four different threads.  Either way it's not that great, but as I've said in the past, NO ONE should be playing Resident Evil for its boilerplate storyline.  It's fine, it works, but for me the real star of this series is the visceral combat, which RE6 has in spades.  My favorite bonus mode "The Mercenaries" makes a comeback and it's great fun.  My only real gripes have to do with the menus and some of the design choices related to weapon selection and character customization.  Basically they boil down to a lot of "I-wish-they-would-have-done-it-THIS-way-but-fuck-it-I'll-get-used-to-it" sort of complaints.  The point is that Capcom didn't fuck it up too much and therefore I'm happy.

Grade: B+

Mario Kart 7 - 3DS

So, I've played a lot of Mario Kart over the years, but I think I'm finally getting bored with this series.  There's nothing really WRONG with this game, I just couldn't get into it.  I think that this series needs to head in a different direction.  I can't say exactly what that direction should be, but I think it maybe needs to get a little more serious.  Tighten up the physics a little bit, relax with all the crazy powerups, maybe infuse it with some RPG elements like character progression and a career mode.  Someone let me know if they ever do that, okay?

Grade: C+

Alex Kidd In Miracle World - PSN

Recently released for $1 on Playstation Network, I had to pick up this retro treasure.  Meant to be Sega's answer to the original Super Mario Bros., it is, in many respects, superior to that hallowed game.  Where Mario could only run, jump, and occasionally shoot fireballs, Alex Kidd could throw punches, collect and use items, and even ride a motorcycle!  Oh and the boss fights?  Rock, paper, scissors matches.  Best two-out-of-three wins and the loser DIES!  It's an exceptional little platformer that still holds up (even if its protagonist didn't!) and it was fun to play it again...and with PSN trophies no less!

Grade: B