Review The Last Game You Beat

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Re: Review The Last Game You Beat

Postby Vyse Hazuky » Wed Jan 09, 2013 11:55 am

Guilded Youth (2012)

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This is a short and sweet text adventure. You're a kid who, with his BBS RPG guild pals, goes on a "real" adventure of their own in an abandoned mansion, in what is mainly a story about the follies and nostalgia of youth (if the retro look and feel weren't enough of a clue). Despite being a text adventure it does contain visual cues in the shape of your inventory and avatar. When you log in to the BBS, the display changes to a sort of Commodore-like presentation. The game, however, is extremely easy, making this on the level of little more than interactive fiction (there are very few commands, locations and objects). It does give you different endings depending on a final choice, allowing you to skip through to there, after you finish, so you can read the others. Nonetheless it is fairly entertaining and well-written, and well worth the time. It certainly has charisma and interesting characters. In all a well made short story.

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It can be played here: http://nomediakings.org/guildedyouth/


The Kite (2012)

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This is a short point & click made in Ukraine. It certainly feels distinctive, especially due to its original art style and very rough translation. As such, the dialogue is exceedingly broken. You can guess that perhaps the original version would be more graceful, but still, this is a game that tries to impose its message, that of domestic violence and its consequences on children, in the rawest fashion possible. As such you play a mother who (for the most part) searches for her son (whose kite, from the title, is his favourite toy). While the art style is fresh and original and the score (all "Ludwig van") is quite adequate, the gameplay just didn't seem to click. While some of the puzzles were certainly interesting from a visual perspective, mechanically they just felt tremendously silly or even embarrassing in such a dark story. Perhaps the intention was to drive home the point of utter desperation but for all the sense of urgency the mother seems to exhude in the need to find her child they end up feeling extremely mechanical and contrived, to what should have been a more emotional response. On the other hand, the game is very short, taking between half an hour to an hour to finish depending on how well you do at puzzle-solving. Worth it for trying to tackle something different, but could certainly use more polish.

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It can be played here: http://www.indiedb.com/games/the-kite/d ... glish-v12e (Desura)


Bientôt l'été / It's Nearly Summer (2012)

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The latest game from Tale of Tales is less of a game, like Vanitas and The Graveyard, and more of an exercise in reflexion. Right from the start its starting menu is a giveaway to how different this experience is, as you find yourself zooming through the stars and planets as a mysterious counter goes on and on. You get to decide the gender of your avatar (the man looking straight out of "Assassin's Creed" and the woman a "Laura"-lookalike) and you find yourself on a beach, looking out to sea. You're encouraged to walk along the seaside, and as you do, words, phrases pop out. The beach however, is not endless, and as you reach its matrix-like wall, you'll see the avatar of the opposite sex looking at you. Furthermore you can experience a sort of vision if you close your eyes facing one of the objects that might be in the beach (anything from a dead dog to a tennis court) and, when you tire of this, there's a cafe where you'll meet other players. Here, you'll use chess pieces (which you collect after each vision) to communicate. This is surely the best part of the game, as not only are you attempting to communicate with this other player using an avatar, but at the same time trying to understand more about the respective relationships. The meaning of this detachment and layering of communication is central to the unraveling of the mysteries in this game.
This is, in the end, a game about relationships (or a relationship), with, certainly, no straight answers, but rather an attempted dissection. The simulated reality, the communication-based chess game, and the necessary introspection are the basis of this experience. From here, one makes as one wilt. On this basis, it's probably the purest and most thought provoking multimedia art form I've encountered. (Meaning any sort of entertainment was chucked out the door!) Unfortunately, since it has hardly any engaging gameplay or narrative it's very hard to recommend if your mind is not set up for it. One way or another it's best experienced for just a couple of sessions at a time.
On the technical side, it is certainly a treat, with a glorious day and night cycle with great use of colour, changing tides and very realistic animations. The music, while minimalistic is spot-on, and is by Belgian composer Walter Hus.

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http://tale-of-tales.com/bientotlete/

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Re: Review The Last Game You Beat

Postby nskachu » Wed Jan 09, 2013 1:40 pm

O.O

Paper Mario 64 just the best rpg for the console
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Re: Review The Last Game You Beat

Postby Axm » Wed Jan 09, 2013 4:04 pm

If you liked Paper Mario, Super Mario RPG Legend of the Seven Stars for SNES is even better. Imo it shits on all the current paper marios in every category.
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Re: Review The Last Game You Beat

Postby Kenny » Wed Jan 09, 2013 4:32 pm

Sonic Generations - Fun game. Enjoyed playing both classic and modern sonic. The final boss is way over-hyped, I defeated him on my first try. I thought the boss before that with Robotnik was alot harder. But I definitely would love to revisit this game in the future.

ICO/Shadow of the Colossus Collection - Both games are very good. I enjoyed ICO more this time around than the first time. SotC is still great too.

Killzone 3 - Turns out I beat this game before. I didn't remember until I got to the final stage and was like "oh, I definitely remember this." But it was more fun than the first time, probably cause I wasn't using that stupid PS Move gun peripheral.
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Re: Review The Last Game You Beat

Postby Sonikku » Wed Jan 09, 2013 7:28 pm

I loved Super Mario RPG to tears and when Paper Mario came out I instantly snatched it up. Boy was I disappointed. It was ok, I guess. But it felt more like a south park mario game than anything else. Where's Geno? Or Mallow? I don't know, I lost interest part way through.

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Re: Review The Last Game You Beat

Postby nskachu » Thu Jan 10, 2013 11:29 am

Yeah i know mario rpg and it was really fun. but sadly, it wasnt released in europe.
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Re: Review The Last Game You Beat

Postby Vyse Hazuky » Thu Jan 10, 2013 6:03 pm

Minute Review: Dear Esther (PC)

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- Beautiful photography
- (Within its limits) excellent level design


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...honestly.

- Slight text variation with repeated playthroughs
- Short


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The caves provide the most memorable vistas


- Save/loading problems
- Narration is softly spoken yet wooden


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Fuck all to do in the Hebrides, apparently. Next time, pack your DS.

- Writing thinks it's better than it is
- No interaction whatsoever


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You'll be best to play it all in one sitting.

You won't feel cheated out of the minutes of your life you'll spend on it, but you might over the money.
http://dear-esther.com/
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Re: Review The Last Game You Beat

Postby Vyse Hazuky » Tue Jan 15, 2013 7:02 am

Minute Review: Superbrothers Sword & Sworcery EP (PC, 2012)
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- Characteristic art style lends ambience and depth
- Simple gameplay

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There are a lot of hill-climbing and mouth opening antics

- Very well animated
- Not always clear on what needs to be done

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While fights carry the danger of death, they are heavily coreographed

- Sloppy, overindulgingly reverential script
- Excellent soundtrack

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This is where you start the dream world - the other side of the record

- Some secrets add layers to an otherwise small world
- At times, excessive wording takes away from what could have been a purer synthesis of sight & sound

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If Nintendo's ever up for outsourcing Zelda again, they should ring these fellas.

An excellent experience that powers through its short-comings. One of the most unique adventures of recent years.
http://www.swordandsworcery.com/
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Re: Review The Last Game You Beat

Postby Vyse Hazuky » Wed Jan 16, 2013 6:03 pm

Teenagent (1995)
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Being a faithful disciple of your Monkey Islands, Teenagent is a competent, entertaining and different adventure game. You play a teenager hired by an intelligence agency. The story is quite silly and unfolds over 3 main locations, each comprised of several screens. The puzzles are mostly inventory-based and you'll collect a wealth of items over the course of the game. They aren't, however, very simple, as they share Monkey Island's absurd logic, most of the time, making it hard to think of solutions. A sharp eye is definitely needed, and you might as well just try and combine everything.
The game has a very decent length and its dialogue, while not ascending to the heady heights of Lucas Arts, is quite well written. Furthermore there were no noticeable grammatical or spelling errors, despite its polish origins.
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The game is avaiable for free at: http://www.gog.com/gamecard/teenagent/p ... 4f19e70227
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Re: Review The Last Game You Beat

Postby Ash » Fri Jan 18, 2013 5:27 pm

James Noir's Hollywood Crimes. (3DS)

In this game, you play as a contestant in what is supposedly Hollywood's most popular game show - Puzzle Masters. The prize for winning the show is an all expenses paid, one year trip around the world. The main host is a fame-loving presenter, whom, jealous of his own waning popularity, and the fame the contestants receive, latches on to each contestant in the hopes that their popularity will rub off on to him. The show has a female co-host whom is tired of everyone just seeing her as an object, as well as a rather cold Producer. After passing the first round, you are approached by your former boyfriend/former college roommate, whom is now a F.B.I agent - there's a killer on the loose whom is apparently targeting former winners of Puzzle Masters. At the scene of each murder, the killer leaves a puzzle hinting at the location of where the next crime will be.

The gameplay is basically entirely comprised of puzzles; the TV show puzzles, in which you are presented with a choice of twenty puzzles per round, allowing you to pick and solve the puzzles until you reach the target score for that round. You are allowed three hints for a puzzle, and if the puzzle proves too difficult, can exit freely and choose another puzzle. The other puzzles are the "story" puzzles - puzzles that you must solve to move ahead in the story. These puzzles are linear, but if you really get stuck, the hint system allows you to use four hints for story puzzles, with the fourth hint solving the puzzle for you.

Unfortunately, a lot of these puzzles are the same; just with different levels of difficulty. For example, there are six levels of a puzzle where you have to move worms around a maze. There isn't really that much variety.

The game is also on the short side - you can complete it in around six hours.

The story could also have been better. It does have some promise but never reaches full potential. The use of the photograph taken of you (the actual player) works well, the ability to choose between playing as a male or female had some thought put into it, and there are some genuinely tense moments. On the negative, although everyone involved in the TV show is supposedly a suspect, the game all but smashes you over the head with a concrete slab with regards to whom the writers want you to suspect. There's only a few half-hearted hints pointing towards any other character being the killer. The protagonist being almost silent doesn't help the story either, in my opinion.

If you enjoy puzzle games, this game can be fun, especially since it's selling for around £5.

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Re: Review The Last Game You Beat

Postby Sonikku » Fri Jan 18, 2013 6:50 pm

Hey ash. :) I don't see you around these parts these days. Hope you're doing well.
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Re: Review The Last Game You Beat

Postby Vyse Hazuky » Sat Jan 19, 2013 3:44 am

Unmanned (2012)
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Unmanned is the latest interactive piece by Molleindustria (of Every Day the Same Dream fame). Written by Jim Munroe (Guilded Youth), you play a father, husband and drone pilot. Gameplay consists of different episodes: one has you shaving your face, another playing FPS games with your son, and just choosing answers through the various conversations. After each episode you'll be awarded with badges depending on your performance. As with all of Molleindustria's games, though, what you get is a very intimate experience regarding what choices (by gameplay) you make. There is definitely something of the provocative here, and it certainly won't leave anyone unaffected.
A single game might turn out for just 5 to 10 minutes, but repeated playthroughs are needed to see everything. The game is well made with a distinctive art-style (something out of the Frederick Raynal book) and presentation. Hard not to recommend as a very intriguing and thought provoking experience.
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Avaiable for play online or download here: http://unmanned.molleindustria.org/

Process (2012)
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This is a first-person horror point & click made in Russia. You see yourself on a moving train and must uncover its secrets before the inevitability of a countdown dwindles down. While there are no easy frights, there's a great deal of atmosphere due to a successful use of lighting and sound. Even though the game is mostly static (although you can swirl around 360º, while rooted to the same spot), there is a sense of urgency brought about by the countdown. The gameplay itself, while not exactly being a "pixel"-hunter, is simple but, due to the dark atmosphere, makes some objects difficult to see. Even though, to be fair, that's probably the point, it does make you pretty much click everywhere in a panic to see what works and otherwise not fully appreciate the environment.
The game has very few locations and takes at most 20 minutes to beat in a single playthrough (any more and the game is over). There really isn't much text and what is there communicates well, which is seldom true in eastern europe-developed games. The game also exhudes a very clean, polished, feel which is quite surprising in a free game. In all, a well made short experience that should appeal to adventure and horror enthusiasts.
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Get it free at: http://www.indiedb.com/games/process/do ... ss-english (Desura)

subAtomic (2012)
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subAtomic is a game made in 72 hours for a Ludum Dare competition. As such it's quite short and simple, yet full of charm. Most of this comes from its brilliantly anarchic writing, resembling something like a crazy brainstorm of ideas that somehow gets made into a game.
There aren't really any puzzles, and interactions are kept to a minimum. While the backgrounds are quite simplistic, the characters are reasonably well animated.
Definitely an inspirational and entertaining piece, well worth playing.
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Get it free here: http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-23/?uid=7835

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Re: Review The Last Game You Beat

Postby Vyse Hazuky » Tue Jan 22, 2013 11:29 am

Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortal (PC, 2008)
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This is a first person point & click adventure, where you advance through static screens, although you can rotate the camera in 360º. Despite this ancient structure the games does attempt to do a few things different. The game is divided through sort of episodes, relating to areas. These can feel quite confined and disjointed, and are a bit of a hindrance regarding the "megapolis" backdrop where the story is set. The main character is a rebel of sorts against the futuristic dictatorship cliché. There is, however a weird subplot as a mysterious pyramid hovers over Paris (where the game is set) and you discover that your father who you thought had died, lives. All through this, you'll meet egyptian gods who are a bit of the "Stargate" variety. As this description shows, the story is a mess and the script doesn't aid one bit. Alcide Nikopol, the main character, has no distinguishing features to speak of and barely meets other characters directly. The thought of a futuristic game set in Paris is promising, but here, with the very limited locales, and all in-doors, it's a dead miss. The game is an adaptation of renowned French comic book writer Enki Bilal's Nikopol trilogy, which I haven't read so I can't say how faithful it is. The graphic novel heritage is mostly displayed during the cutscenes that link the episodes of gameplay together, but otherwise it's hard to see.
The gameplay, while classic, does present some clever and enjoyable puzzles (although at times illogical), also including some more action-oriented sequences that work quite well, and add a novel sense of urgency and adrenaline that one seldom gets in an adventure game, like stealth-y sequences, sniping, etc.
In all, it's an interesting experience that does just about different to warrant interest. I certainly was expecting something worse, so I am quite happy with it.
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Re: Review The Last Game You Beat

Postby Ash » Wed Jan 23, 2013 3:39 pm

Sonikku wrote: Hey ash. :) I don't see you around these parts these days. Hope you're doing well.


Hi Sonikku. :D I'm fine, thanks, how are you?

Mickey Mouse - The Power of Illusion (3DS):

Picked this up after hearing that it was based on the old Castle of Illusion. The start of the game does indeed seem to point to that, but unfortunately it goes downhill quite quickly. There are only three worlds, with worlds one and two having four levels each, and the third world having three levels. Each world is based on a Disney film; and all levels within that world are based on that world. It's not like Castle of Illusion where each level had it's own distinct theme.

The lack of levels is compounded by the lack of difficulty. Although the game does ramp up the difficulty for world three, the fact that you can basically generate treasure chest after treasure chest indefinitely to recover energy takes away from the challenge somewhat.

The game does have a number of side quests that are given to you by the Disney characters that you meet during the game. Unfortunately, all these quests boil down to is revisiting the old levels to try locate another character or an item. It really feels more like padding than anything else.

The gameplay itself is quite fun, although the painting may feel a little tiresome at some points.

Overall, it's an flawed, but enjoyable game, but it's one that I would recommend waiting for until it's discounted, rather than paying full price for.

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Re: Review The Last Game You Beat

Postby Vyse Hazuky » Wed Jan 23, 2013 4:21 pm

The Journey Down: Over the Edge (PC, 2010)
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This is the original version review.
TJD:OTE is a classic point & click in the vein of the Lucas Arts games. You play a jamaican fella named Bwana who works at a gas station with his pal Kito. The characters are instantly likeable, and while the game is 2D, it seems to share more with Grim Fandango than Monkey Island. It exhudes a very classic vibe, much aided by its reggae soundtrack and weird character design. The story isn't, thus far, anything to write home about, but the script is reasonably well written and funny. The gameplay is classic and its puzzles aren't, generally, illogical, although some necessary items are hard to find.
Being part one of five, it isn't very long, but what's here is good solid adventure game, definitely one of the best freeware adventures around.
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Get it free here: http://skygoblin.com/the-journey-down/#

Tiny Bang Story (PC, 2011)
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What looks at first like a Machinarium clone is, unfortunately, a hidden object/puzzler game. While the art style is, effectively, a delight with incredibly clean lines and imaginative style, there's little gameplay here apart from trying to find barely visible objects, which take you through different areas. The puzzles are of the classic variety (Layton-esque) with some more arcade-like ones with Atari 2600-style graphics. Taken in its context... it's a good hidden object game, made better by its delightful and whimsical atmosphere. As a puzzle-adventure, it's incredibly poor, as what there is of a story is barely discernible.
The physical edition is a treat however, with a soundtrack CD, poster and an actual physical puzzle.
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Demo avaiable here: http://www.colibrigames.com/

Return to Mysterious Island (PC, 2005)
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This is a point & click adventure game where you're fixed to one spot but can rotate in 360º. You play Mina who gets stranded on what she finds out is the island from Jules Verne's book Mysterious Island (one of my favourites), while she was sailing around the world. For fans of the author, you'll find a lot of tips of the hat to not only this book, but also others of his books. Here, however, there's not really a story. You have to somehow survive and you have to pace yourself through objectives. First you'll need to find shelter, eat, etc as you gradually uncover the island's secrets. In the end, you'll have access to a span of locations around the island and that definitely feels like an achievement. The gameplay, while also using some classic puzzles (especially in the later sections) relies heavily on getting and combining items. This works exceedingly well in this type of scenario in which you have to "MacGyver" yourself out of situations over and over. The solutions are always logical and for most of them, various combinations of objects can be used for the same effect. There are some cutscenes which are presented in beautiful drawn stills but are mostly circumstancial.
The game is only let down by a slight futuristic twist at the end and by the main character, who is far to upbeat and happy go lucky in what should have been a far more distressing experience. Maybe this was intended as a reflection of the book but there's something a bit different between a teenager from the 2000s lost on an island and a bunch of rugged men from the 1900s in the same situation...
Overall, a great experience, and a true delight for inventory-puzzle fans.
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Demo avaiable here
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