Category Archives: Reviews

REVIEW: Beat Hazard Ultra

by

I really didn’t want to write a review this week, but I’m having the hardest time finding something to write about and I already missed last week’s post since I was with my girlfriend all week, so I’m resigning myself to writing a review. Here we go!

Beat Hazard Ultra is, literally, a top-down shooter (think Asteroids) with music. It’s similar to Audiosurf in one very crucial way: you can use your own music, and that’s one of the main hooks of this game. Combine these two qualities and you’ve got yourself a great time killer!

Atmosphere (Music/Graphics):

Beat Hazard Ultra has a very modern-day Asteroids feel to it. None of the models really stood out, but what does stand out are the effects. The game pulses to the beat, and whenever you destroy something sparks fly from it and pulse as well. Really, I could call this game Asteroids: Club Edition and you’d get a good feel for how this game looks. Now, the cool thing is you can set how intense the pulsing is: from 50% to 200%.

Don’t use 200%.

The only problem with the effects is seeing the enemies can legitimately become hard when you’re on higher difficulties and the pulsing sparks, the ships, and your ships fire (which, by the way, also pulses) all blends together in one huge mix of lights and enemies. It’s cool to look at, but not only does it increase the difficulty, but it will seriously strain your eyes thanks to the strobe-like effects. In fact, the game’s title screen even warns you that it has some serious strobing in case you’re prone to seizures. I’ve gotten a headache a couple times when I had it on 100%, but at 50% it’s much easier on the eyes.

The music is a not really something I can write about because you can use your own (except for one of the achievements which requires you to play all of the built-in music), but for those wanting to complete said achievement: I liked some of the music, but I’m heavily biased towards house/electro/etc… so the rock and metal songs were really unpleasant when I played them. I haven’t touched them since I got the achievement (even the dance ones), though, because I can play anything off of my iTunes library.

Gameplay:

As I’ve said before, this game is very much like Asteroids. You’re a ship that flies around shooting asteroids and enemy ships. Sometimes you’ll get a boss, which is a beefed up version of an enemy ship, which are fun, and there are ‘mines’ which prevent you from shooting for a few seconds. As you play, you gather “super bombs” that clear out the entire screen, multipliers for score, and POW and VOL power ups, which increase the volume of the song and the power of your ship’s bullets. If you max out both, you reach ‘Beat Hazard’, meaning you’re at max power and the effects are maxed out. It’s a very simple game.

There are perks which can be unlocked by collecting money (like an ultra beam or shield), as well as unlockable difficulties, which are, unfortunately, pretty easy once you get a sizable number of perks, but that doesn’t take away from the fun because the more difficult it is, the more the screen explodes with lights and sparkles.

There’s also a survival and boss rush mode. The boss rush mode is really fun because at some point you find yourself with 5 bosses on-screen, and they’re all huge – it gets really hectic.

There’s also multiplayer, but I haven’t actually played that mode, so I won’t talk about that.

All in all, Beat Hazard Ultra is a one of those games where you play a couple songs and you’re satisfied, but you’ll keep going back because you’ll want to play to new music you get! If you’ve got some cash to spare and love music, consider picking up Beat Hazard Ultra!

Score:

Atmosphere: 9/10

Gameplay: 7/10

Overall: 8/10

Just sayin’

REVIEW: Bastion

by

1

After Steam’s Summer Sale (my poor wallet!), I came to the conclusion that I have way too many games to play, and so, after beating Pokémon Conquest, I jumped right into a new game that I should’ve played a looong time ago: Bastion. Bastion solidifies my belief that indie games, while shorter than most big console games, can be so much more satisfying when you take care to empower the strengths of your game.

Plot:

The plot is actually fairly straightforward. The Calamity, an event that turned the world upside down and inside out, has just happened, and you, The Kid, go to the Bastion, which is where everyone agreed to go in case something terrible happened. When you get there, you find that only you and a lone stranger have survived, and you’re tasked with building the Bastion. As you go looking for the cores that will power the Bastion, you find Zulf and Zia, two Ura who survived the Calamity, and learn some history of the world. The Ura and humans (or Caelondians, as they’re called), were once in a war, and after the Caelondians won, the two races worked for peace. However, the Mancers (a higher council in the city of Caelondia), didn’t like that there was even a chance of war, so they started working on The Calamity. I won’t spoil all of it for those who haven’t completed the game, but there’s a few surprises thrown in there. A very solid plot, and something that definitely moves the game along at a nice pace.

Characters:

The four main characters are all very interesting. You really only hear The Stranger (real name Rucks) talk, as he narrates, but you hear about everyone through “dreams” your character has. While you don’t interact with  them aside from hearing Rucks talk about them briefly while you’re at the Bastion, the dream sequences provide from backstory for each and ives you a picture of what they were like. In that sense, you do see the characters change and grow as the game progresses, especially once you hit the halfway point. I don’t want to spoil anything since it makes the dream sequences that much more satisfying, but they all have personalities despite not really interacting with them during the game itself.

Atmosphere (Music/Graphics):

Bastion’s music is fantastic. It’s atmosphere is fantastic. Everything involving these two things are fantastic. The enemies, the world, the history – it all blends together so well. All the little things about the game where Rucks tells you the history of every level before the Calamity struck is fascinating, and really immerses you into the world of Bastion, and the music just makes it better. It goes along with every stage almost perfectly, and it’s one of those I highly recommend you purchase and give a listen to even if you haven’t played the game.

Gameplay:

There’s something to be said about, “choose your own difficulty” games. Most of them offer you really deep gameplay, and this is no exception. In Bastion, there comes a point where you find a shrine and can invoke various idols to change the difficulty. These idols range from enemies moving faster to them them becoming invisible for a short time, and the beauty of the system is you can mix and match any idols you want for a unique difficulty every time. And the more difficult the game becomes, the more experience and money you earn. It’s a satisfying system, especially since none of them (except maybe the one that causes enemies to reflect attacks) are ridiculously hard. Having all 10 idols on is definitely a challenge, however.

Now, let’s talk about weapons. You get to choose from a myriad of weapons, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and the best part is they’re all balanced – you can use almost any combination and come out victorious, which I think is fantastic. You find the weapons as you go, showing you their strengths and weakness throughout the level. And to make sure you really see how good each weapon is, there are proving grounds for each weapons that grant you special skills for that particular weapon if you reach first prize.

And of course, the weapons can be upgraded. You can upgrade each weapon 5 times, and they’re all pretty ridiculous once they get maxed out. The BEST part about upgrading is there are two upgrades per level, and you have to choose one or the other (an example: more critical hit chance or more flat power), which makes you think about what kind of upgrades you want for the current level you’re going into.

There’s an in-game challenge system that gives you money for completing them, and that’s nice. Some of the challenges are difficult, and some you achieve as you progress. The small ones add up, though, and since the upgrades can get a little costly, it’s good money to have. Plus, it helps you master each and every weapon!

And the final part about the gameplay that I LOVE are the spirits. They’re drinks that, when consumed, grant you abilities (such as more health, life steal, etc…). Some of them grant you huge bonuses while also giving you a bad side effect, and the versatility of them allows you to mix and match spirits (you can only have so many equipped at one time) with your weapons, giving you a really unique way of fighting.

All of these things comes together to create a truly deep combat experience. I enjoyed every second of it!

If you’re looking for a game that offers you deep gameplay alongside great atmosphere, get Bastion. Get it right now since it’s only $15, which is a steal considering how great this game is. You won’t be disappointed!

Score:

Plot: 7/10

Characters: 8/10

Atmosphere: 10/10

Gameplay: 10/10

Final Score: 9/10

Oh, and the DLC for the game (a new mode and a new dream sequence) is completely free.

Just sayin’

REVIEW: Pokémon Conquest

by

1

When I first heard about Pokémon Conquest, I instantly thought to myself, “Why, it’s Pokémon and Fire Emblem combined!” Now that I’ve had my hands on the game for some time, I can safely say that it is indeed such a combination. Let’s take a closer look at this Pokémon spin-off!

Before we begin, let me say that this is not an actual combination of Pokémon and Fire Emblem, but rather a combination of Pokémon and a game series called Nobunaga’s Ambition, which is a Japan exclusive (as far as I know).

Plot:

The plot is pretty straight-forward: there’s a legend that says that the Warlord whom unites all of Ransei’s 17 kingdoms will have a meeting with its creator, a Pokémon of unimaginable power. This gives way to warlords who wish to unite all of Ransei and seek its creator. Some wish to capture it and abuse its power, others wish to simply unite Ransei. Nobunaga is one such Warlord who wants to abuse the Pokémon’s power to destroy Ransei, and you are the new Warlord of Aurora, now tasked with reuniting Ransei and stopping Nobunaga.

It’s good enough to keep the plot moving as you play, so I’m content with it, but I definitely wish the plot was more involved and tied in with gameplay.

There are extra stories to play besides the main game, but I haven’t gotten to those yet. I do hear they’re pretty good, though.

Characters:

A lot of the other Warlords have personality, but, to be perfectly honest, none stand out because of the way the plot moves forward. There’s nothing really deep about them besides that they act differently. I think Oichi is the most developed character so far, and she doesn’t really stand out, either. The rest of the warriors you recruit are NPC’s with the same patterns, so you get a lot of the same personalities. I understand why, but it definitely takes away from the game for me, a little.

Atmosphere (Music/Graphics):

The music is very medieval Japanese times, which is awesome for me. The battle music is great, and it definitely got me into each battle when I went to take over a kingdom, but other than that only a few pieces in certain levels really spoke to me. The world map music changes as you progress, which is nice because it gets a little bland at times. The graphics are decent overall, but the new character art for the Pokémon are awesome, which makes up for the graphics. A lot of the same kinds of areas are used, too, but the Warlord arenas are all pretty cool.

The atmosphere could have been incredible, but it’s just sub-par. While it is Pokémon, so 6-on-6 is the norm for battling, I wish the game could have used its plot more effectively and made you really feel like you’re raising an army as you conquer kingdoms. Before you even battle, you walk up to the opposing Warlord and chat with them. I would’ve preferred them just going in and invading like a true army.

Gameplay:

This is easily the best part of this game. You engage in (usually) 6-on-6 Pokémon battles with kingdoms as you conquer them, and are given certain conditions for victory alongside a time limit. It’s very cool, and the way the battle system works is great, with the whole host of Pokémon types and moves coming in and playing a part. It makes the game a little easy because each kingdom has its own type with one deviation to throw you off, but generally if you bring a team of a type that is super-effective against it, you’re going to win without even breaking a sweat.

There’s also an energy system which raise and lower a Pokémon’s stats, but these are negligible, at least for me. I’ve never had these greatly help or hinder me, but it’s something to keep in mind.

Recruit warriors and catching Pokémon are interesting, but ultimately simply and easy. Just beat a warrior’s Pokémon in less than 4 turns, with a super-effective move, or a critical hit to recruit them (with one extra requirement for Warlords), and for Pokémon, you walk up to them, click the “Link” button, and press the A button a bunch of times.

What’s cool about that, however, is the way the link system works. Each warrior has a “Perfect Link”, or a Pokémon they can reach 100% link with, meaning they are at their strongest. If you don’t have a perfect link, the % may be anywhere from 40% – 90%, which means they won’t be as strong. You can try to link with more powerful Pokémon by linking warriors with their suited types. Finding perfect links is part of the challenge, as building an army of perfect link Pokémon will be long, but it will make your army incredibly powerful.

What I don’t like about the link system is one thing: sometimes the evolution of a perfect link won’t be a perfect link, and that, to me, seems ridiculous.

What really makes this game shine for me is the delegation system and world map AI. As you conquer kingdoms, the CPU will actually start to invade you, and if you don’t have any warriors there, it will be taken and you have to re-conquer it. To prevent this, you can leave up to 6 warriors (including any Warlords you have recruited) at any kingdom you have conquered, and you can instruct them to train, search for Pokémon/warriors, or develop your army by searching for gold and raising their Pokémon’s energy. Careful delegation can lead to awesome results, and it’s cool when the AI invades and you’ve got a beefed up army waiting since you delegated.

There’s so much more to this game than just that – you have to pick and choose who goes to which kingdom to maximize your gold and training, who should you recruit, what Pokémon to link with, and so on and so forth. It’s actually an incredibly deep system.

Pokémon Conquest is a game that gives you a lot in terms of battling, but could’ve delivered more on its story. Still, as a Pokémon and Fire Emblem fan, I love the game, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Pokémon or Fire Emblem.

Score:

Plot: 5/10

Characters: 4/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Gameplay: 10/10

Final Score: 7/10

Just sayin’

REVIEW: Legend of Korra (Season 1)

by

Back when Avatar: The Last Airbender was airing on Nickelodeon, I always enjoyed an episode or two when I could catch it, but I never fully invested myself into following the series. That was then. A year ago, I watched the entire series and loved it, so when I heard about Avatar: Legend of Korra, I was very excited for it! As it happens, the two-episode season finale of the 1st season (consisting of 12 episodes) was a couple weekends ago, which means that I can finally review this awesome show! So let’s jump right in!

Background:

For those unfamiliar with the show and its world, you don’t have to worry about knowing too much about it – the show does an adequate job of providing those who are unfamiliar with the bare basics and facts of the world of Avatar. With that being said, Legend of Korra is definitely more rewarding if you’ve seen The Last Airbender. Many references are made to The Last Airbender that make Legend of Korra that much more immersive for those who have seen the former show.

I won’t try to spoil too much of the plot, but I will give you a very brief overview: Korra, the new Avatar after Aang, has finally completed her fire bending training, meaning she can now bend Earth, Fire, and Water, and is now ready to begin her air bending training with Aang’s son, Tenzin. Unfortunately, Tenzin cannot stay to teach her where she is currently located, and so she follows Tenzin to Republic City, a hub for benders and non benders to live in harmony. There, she becomes involved in a war between benders and non benders whilst learning how to air bend.

Animation/Art:

Right away, in the very first episode, you can see how the world has changed from The Last Airbender; Republic City is very steampunk and modernized compared to the rural nature of The Last Airbender – you see cars, boats, and other various forms of technology, and alongside that you can see how much the team has improved in their animating. The environments are gorgeous, and the animation is much more fluid, especially when it comes to combat. There is no loss of production when it comes to Legend of Korra; each episode was pretty consistent when it came to its animation, and it was cool to see a different style of bending in the pro-bending matches.

Score: 9/10

Music:

The music is fantastic. I actually was able to get enough points on Korra Nation, an advertising campaign for Legend of Korra, for an exclusive soundtrack, and it’s great. While I enjoy the music for combat, I think my favorite pieces are the ones with violin during the more somber moments of the series. It really hit me during those moments. The ending theme is also great. All in all, the music fits each scene wonderfully, and its soundtrack is definitely one I could listen to again and again.

Score: 8/10

Plot Direction:

This is the show’s weakest point for me, but by no means is it bad. It’s great! I like how they play with how Korra is a much more physical Avatar – she relies on her bending to be an Avatar, and her difficulty learning Airbending lends itself to her difficulty connecting with her past lives spiritually, so to see her struggle through that was an interesting perspective for an Avatar. The whole “revolution” from non-benders (calling themselves Equalists) is also really interesting because you could see that in The Last Airbender where benders always had power over non benders. It was never addressed, but being able to see that as a sort-of foreshadow made the Equalist revolution a sensible direction because of how technology can bolster non-benders. The themes of revolution and corruption ran rampant throughout the series, but it is that very concept that we can relate so easily to thanks to the many movies and other shows that address these issues, as well as what we know from history in the past and currently.

Despite the predictability of the show’s plot progression, there are a lot of surprising twists thrown in there, and I was pleased with all of them. And to be honest, some of the predictable points were necessary, in my opinion. The ONLY thing I thought was kind of weak was the inevitable love triangle (square, maybe?) between Korra, Mako, and Asami, but to be honest, how they acted wasn’t too bad considering they’re all teenagers, but all of them had rushed feelings, I think, but that’s because the season was only 12 episodes.

A very solid plot, nonetheless, and definitely one worthy of the Avatar series. Oh, and the flashbacks with Aang, Toph, and Sokka was amazing!

Score: 7/10

Character:

I loved the characters in this series. Sure, some of them didn’t really get fleshed out, but Korra, Tenzin, Lin, Amon, Tarrlok, and a whole host of others were very fleshed out. I really enjoyed watching them grow as characters, despite how rushed some of it had to be because of the 12-episode limit. However, that can be forgiven because of the revolution and how that can cause more drastic change in characters. There was a lot of conflict between many of the characters, and I enjoyed seeing that many of those conflicts came to a resolution.

Score: 9/10

A lot of Legend of Korra’s criticisms, for me, stem from how short the first season was. But, it’s important to keep in mind that this was supposed to be a mini-series with two seasons of less than 20 episodes, so you can’t expect what The Last Airbender provided. With 12 episodes, Legend of Korra is very impressive, and if you haven seen The Last Airbender, you will enjoy Legend of Korra. Even if you haven’t seen The Last Airbender, Legend of Korra is sure to impress.

I will eagerly be awaiting next season, where I hope a lot of my criticisms are put down.

Animation/Art: 9/10

Music: 8/10

Plot Direction: 7/10

Character: 9/10

Final Score: 8/10

Just sayin’.

REVIEW: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

by

On my birthday last week, my friends and I went to go see Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which was released that night at midnight. I went in there expecting a horror/action film, and what I got was probably one of the best comedies I’ve seen all year. So let’s jump in and see why this film is so funny!

Plot:

I think this is probably one of the best parts. As you can probably take from the title, this is a movie that takes place during the time Abraham Lincoln was alive. We see him grow from boy to young man to our 16th president, and during the latter two periods he hunts vampires. Yes, you get to see Abraham Lincoln, as president, hunt down superhuman creatures with an axe. If you’re smiling and laughing after reading that sentence, go see this movie – you won’t regret it!

Really, the plot is Abraham Lincoln’s rise to becoming the president along with the civil war, and it all includes vampires, where the vampires are aiding the South in their desire to conquer the North in battle and keep slavery as a practice. What’s striking is how vampires are weaved in. It’s almost ridiculous how they just end up in the south and feed on slaves, and then aid the South in the civil war.

And Henry, Abe‘s mentor, being a vampire was such a twist…except it wasn’t, but I wasn’t expecting great twists from this movie considering it’s supposed to be part-historic.

Acting:

Honestly, the acting is good. That’s why it’s funny. These actors are legitimately trying to convince you that this could have happened – that Abraham Lincoln was, indeed, a vampire hunter. I don’t know exactly who the actors and actresses were (nor am I interested enough to look them up because none of them astounded me), but they were good, and I enjoyed their acting, especially the interactions between Abe and Henry, his mentor (and also a vampire).

I can’t really comment much on the characters – they’re ones you know, and since it’s made out to be like history, you kind of know where each of them is headed in terms of arc progression.

Music:

The music was pretty standard. Nothing really to comment on because I wasn’t too engrossed by it. It wasn’t bad, just not stellar.

Fighting:

This was the best part. To see Abraham Lincoln with bloodlust eyes as he hacks away at a vampire ind killing them in gruesome/badass ways was, simply put, amazing and hilarious, especially once he becomes the president. I really don’t want to go into too much detail, but believe me when I say that it’s gory, although the blood looks kinda fake, but maybe that’s because vampires have a different kind of blood…yeah, I’ll just go with that.

Anyway, the war scenes are also pretty cool, especially once the vampires come in. The battle of Gettysburg is hilarious because of the vampires!

——

Really, the movie isn’t too bad. I mean, it’s a movie about our 16th president hunting vampires, so take that as you will, but I very-much enjoyed it because of how serious the presentation was. It’s movies like this that present a hilarious concept seriously that I love to watch, and I find these kinds of movies funnier than most movies that are actually comedies. If you’re not against seeing some gore and vampires, and want to watch Abraham Lincoln be a complete badass, do go and watch this move – you won’t regret it!

Rating: 3 out of 5 (stars)

Just sayin’.

REVIEW: Limbo

by

Another review! Since school’s ending (my finals week is this week!!), I’ve had a lot more time to play games, so I’ve actually been getting around to playing some of the games in my backlog. Today, I’ll be reviewing a game I purchased during Steam‘s Christmas Sale last year – Limbo.

Plot:

Let’s dive right in with me saying this: I don’t like open-ended and subtle narratives. I hate them. I like to have my narratives laid out in front of me with character as the more subtle element. That aside, Limbo’s plot is fairly simple: you know that you play a boy who is seemingly in Limbo (at least, that’s what I thought), who is looking for his sister. Although simple, that’s enough for the game to be enjoyed.

You do see a few things – a giant spider, dead humans, and even ones that are alive and hostile. What they mean, I have no idea, and this is my problem with subtle narratives – it’s all up to interpretation, and I don’t like that. The ending is the same way (and it’s rather abrupt), so you never actually find out what the story is – you’re supposed to interpret it for yourself. But, despite my distaste for these kinds of narratives, Limbo does do a really nice job setting its world and narrative up, and it really adds to the replay value for those who enjoy these kinds of narratives.

I don’t like it, but Limbo does it very well.

Atmosphere (Music/Graphics):

This is by far my favorite part of the game. Everything’s laid out to you Noir style, so you’re given only black and white, and it is stunning. The faded out backgrounds in grey, the lights and darkness at the end of puzzles, the lighting effects with blurs and shadows – all of it is simply fantastic! It really sets and maintains the mood of the game throughout the entire experience. I especially loved the character model. The few musical compositions are great, and they really invoke emotions when you do hear them since they’re during critical narrative parts of the game. Throughout most of the game, all you hear are sound effects, but those are fantastic background noise, especially once you get to the more city-like areas and you hear the gears and crackling of electricity. It was a game that I felt benefited greatly from the quietness of not really having a soundtrack.

I really can’t say anything more – you simply have to experience it yourself. I think this right here is enough of a reason to replay (and buy) the game.

Gameplay:

I was looking up plot details to see if anything official had been released (there hasn’t as far as I know), and I came across “trail and death” as a style of game, and I think this was a good way of categorizing Limbo. Some of the puzzles I died multiple times just to get the timing right, but while some may find this kind of game frustrating, I enjoy it. The checkpoints where nicely set, so I never felt like I had to do something I had just done over and over, and the difficulty wasn’t even bad – many of the puzzles were thought-provoking, and I enjoy that in a puzzle-oriented game. It definitely has replay value, but knowing the puzzles already does detract from it unless you enjoy time attacking.

Overall, Limbo delivers an excellent experience for those who enjoy puzzle games and a more subjective narrative. I would recommend it to anyone, especially since it’s so cheap! It’s indie games like this that I will continue to buy because they’re always good!

Score:

Plot: 4/10

Atmosphere: 10/10

Gameplay: 9/10

Overall: 7/10

Just sayin’.

P.S.: Limbo is currently part of the newest Humble Bundle that is out right now. It’s for a limited time, so I suggest you go get it – it’s got a ton of great games PLUS Limbo, and you get to name your price!

Go here to get it! — http://www.humblebundle.com/