Reseñas recientes de silverlunastar39

So I didn't realize this until the cameo at the beginning of Bot Vice, but DYA Games also made another shooter I own and had fun with, Super Star Path. I mention this because Bot Vice accomplishes as well what Super Star Path did before it: offering a satisfying arcade style shooting experience.

BV is simple in its design: move along the bottom of the screen dodging enemy attacks while shooting upwards at every enemy that appears on-screen. A wide variety of weapons, enemy types, level designs, and bosses gives BV a great sense of variety. It's fast-paced with a decent challenge: BV took me about an hour and a half to finish in my first sitting, so there's a fair amount of length to the game, not even considering the dozens of extra missions and stage challenges.

I won't mention the story too much because it's an arcade game: it's not meant to be deep. The added voice acting is a campy touch, and the dialogue was appropriately dorky, but I mostly skipped through it.

The sprite work is fantastic, the graphics vibrant and colorful, with a very good frame rate to back it up. The music is solid and the game handles well.

If you're willing to bulldog your way through some spots of diffuclty sprinkled throughout you'll find a very enjoyable shooter waiting for you.

Oh, and this may seem a little out of left field, but I'm very happy DYA Games decided not to include profanity in Bot Vice as they did in Super Star Path. There's a time and a place for adult content and an arcade style, 16-bit shooter is not one of them. So thank you, DYA Games, for taking the high road. Thumbs up.

Sigh...what a disappointment.

The trailer looks promising, with a unique color palette aesthetic and interesting enemy sprites. The gameplay seemed to mix old-school arcade shooters with modern bullet hell titles.

While Red Death does offer gameplay like that, it's incredibly shallow. Enemy design is limited, bullet patterns are predictable, the framerate drops to a chug every few seconds, the music is dull and listless, and there are only three levels. It took me about 20 minutes to get to the end of this game.

And the worst part? The writing, oddly enough, as you'd think the writing in an arcade shooter shouldn't matter. But as the game attempts at presenting a narrative throughout the levels there's nothing you can do to skip the spelling errors, grammatical errors, egregiously unnecessary profanity, and stupid story. Does Lovecraft really need to be shoved into everything? No.

For $0.50 I guess I can't complain too much, but if I found this in a real arcade, I'd pop my two quarters in once and never come back to it.

What a delightful twist on the classic 8-bit platformer.

It's short and to the point, so I can't divulge much about it.

It provided fair challenge, even for a vet like me.

Seriously, the premise behind this is so insanely simple but I'm so mad at myself for not having thought of it first.

Buy this.

I first played Dungeon Siege back when it was first released. I had never gotten further than an hour into it, and as the years went on, I lost the chance to play it to completion (my laptop being too advanced for it.)

Steam has now given me that sense of closure I've yearned for all these years, and uh, yeah, the game kinda sucks the ding-dong.

DS is a Diablo clone through and through. You point, you click, things happen. Said things can be: attack enemy until one you dies, collect items, open doors, or use switch. And that's the game. The story is generic high fantasy albeit a rather bad incarnation. It's forgettable, spread woefully thin, and the names are stupid. There are no characters of note, your party members have as much personality as dry oatmeal, and I honestly forgot the name of the kingdom I was even in.

But how does it play? In a word, poorly. Imagine having an entire party to control as you play your Diablo clone! Imagine clicking on the wrong thing every 10 seconds in the heat of a hectic battle because character portraits with their respective inventory icons take up the whole left corner of the screen! Imagine watching your characters do absolutely nothing as hordes of enemies wreck them! Imagine trodding through boring, empty levels as you swear every 30 seconds as you realize members of your party decided to give up on life and just stand around doing nothing!

I watched two of my party members literally - L I T E R A L L Y - pivot in place and stare at a group of attacking enemies rather than attack them. Those members died. Your party has virtually no soul: no unique skill trees, no various classes, nothing. Just boring stat growth with no appeal. You know what did this game in for me? Trying to fit my entire party onto a moving platform only to realize that it was A) impossible, B) frustrating, and C) poor level design.

I only beat this game because I learned about the God Mode cheat, disbanding my entire party, and just running through the game. No shame, it wasn't really worth it in the end. Which, oh yeah, the Steam version of this goes boom-boom in its pants and kicks you to the main menu so you can't see the ending.

Play Titan Quest instead. Play Torchlight instead. Or just play Diablo again for the 30th time instead.

Straight outta the gate, I have to clarify this:

I recommend this game only if you get it on sale. Yup. It's one of those games.

The Legend of Dark Witch is a mash-up of two very different gameplay ideas: the platforming action of Mega Man and the ability gauge of Gradius. Does this marriage work? Ehhh...

If you've never played either of those games, it boils down to this: you run, you shoot enemies, you gain new weapons to shoot more enemies. As you defeat enemies, you gain energy that fills a gauge. When it fills to a specific point, you can spend that energy to unlock upgrades like faster movement speed, stronger weapons, better jumping, etc.

But there are the problems with TLoDW. The story is generic and kinda dumb. Level design is woefully simple. The music is forgettable. Enemy variety is weak. While the stages are incredibly short, the bosses are unnecessarily difficult, which is strange, because most do nothing but stand in one spot and shoot at you. Difficulty spikes in odd places much too frequently.

TLoDW has some good ideas, but none of them are executed particularly well. But all this being said, it wasn't the worst Mega Man clone I've ever played. It's better than Mighty No. 9 if that means anything. I wouldn't rush out to buy this full price, but if you find it on a good sale and you want something short and bright to pass some time then go for it. Just don't expect too much..

Well. This is it. The first game I've had to give a thumbs down. It's also the first game I asked for a refund over.

Is Dark Void Zero the worst game I've ever played? No. But it's also not very fun. Which is a shame because it has all the components for a good game: colorful graphics, action platforming, and a cool sci-fi theme. But the problem is that none of those things are done particularly well. Dark Void Zero tries to bank on its retro-for-retro's-sake aesthetic without actually delivering a solid experience like the games it hearkens back to.

The gameplay of Dark Void Zero boils down to navigating large, maze-like levels with the aid of a jetpack. You shoot enemies and dodge obstacles. There are level objectives thrown in, like hitting a switch or finding an item. And the game is short, too, only having three levels to play through.

So what's wrong with it all? To begin with, the graphics, while bright, do not look good. Take a step back and compare a game like Batman: Return of the Joker to Cybernoid. One looks much better than the other. Now take a step forward and compare a game like Axiom Verge or Odallus to Dark Void Zero. When the ability to make gorgeous pixel graphics is as accessible as it is today, there's no reason for Dark Void Zero to look this bad.

Moving on, the controls suck. 8-way navigating should not be frustrating. In Dark Void Zero it is. It doesn't help that the level design, instead of being open and wide, is tight and cramped. The freedom of zooming about, shooting bad guys is replaced with being corralled around narrow corridors and shafts. What makes that even worse is that oftentimes any powerups you might have found (which are more difficult to get than they're worth) are taken away from you to which you're then forced to use another, more inferior weapon for a portion of the map.

Why give me the freedom to explore when you take away the fruits of my labor? That would be like playing the original Zelda, and after working hard to find all of the extra Hearts and the Magic Sword and the Red Ring, walking through a door only to be reduced to four Hearts and the Wooden Sword. Why? Why give me the option of finding secrets that only aid me in finding secrets that in turn don't help me in completing the stage?

I've seen a few people laud this game for its classic NES style. As an avid collector, I can say right now that if this game was released back in the day it would be about $5 in a bargain bin, even with todays price inflations. "Retro" does not excuse a bad game. You want a good "retro" NES game? Play Shatterhand. Or Vice. Or Ninja Gaiden III. Or Batman. I could keep going, but my point stands: 8 bit graphics and sound do not excuse a bad game.

Poor game design like that is what held this game back. Poor game design, along with its poor controls and poor level design, make this game too difficult for the wrong reasons. I find this very similar to the original Dark Void: full of potential, but flying just short of quality.

I want to preface this by saying that I've met James Rolfe a few times. He's an awesome guy and I've been supporting him in every way I can over the years.

So, that being said, I am very happy with AVGN II. I really liked the first game and I really like this one. Is it exactly the same as the first? No. A few things were changed here and there, some for the better, some of the worse, but nothing makes the game unfun.

If you haven't played the first, don't worry. There's no connecting story between the two so you can jump right in.

AVGN II is an action platformer, just like the first. You shoot enemies and dodge obstacles. It's as simple as that. So what makes this different from the first game? Well, to begin with, there's a world map like Super Mario 3 (unlike the first that had you choose zones like Mega Man.) This doesn't add or detract any difficulty from the game, but it's a difference. As far as actual gameplay, it all remains largely unchanged. Things that are different are fine tweaks like being able to wall hike, hold a diagonal aim, collect upgrades that stay with you from level to level: things like that.

One thing that was changed that I'm not super big on is the decrease in difficulty. Levels tend to be shorter and far less difficult than in the first. But there is some nice variety in the way of auto-scrollers thrown in for good measure, so that's cool.

And the burning question: is the game funny? Well, one of the stages was called Hang Dong '97. No shame, I laughed out loud. If that kind of humor is your thing, you're in for some laughs.

Overall, I was very happy with AVGN II. I beat it much more quickly than I did the first, and while I feel some of the stages were a little too short with a decrease in difficulty, I still had a fun time. Buy this and keep the Nerd going.

I've wanted to play this game since I first saw ads for it in gaming magazines way back in the day. Despite its multiple platforms, I never got around to picking up a copy (also because a few people had told me to pass on it.)

Well, Steam Sale happened and I bought it. So, after all these years, I'm happy to say I not only played this, but finished it.

I can't talk much about the story of the game as that's its main draw: what's going on and why? D is a very short game so answering that question won't take much time.

D is an interactive movie with a few puzzles thrown in. Most of the gameplay revolves around simply navigating the castle you're in, finding items, and then using them at the right place. The puzzles are either very simple, or in the case of the entirety of the second disc (as it was on the consoles)/second third of the game, a possibly infuritating bore. D is incredibly ambiguous which is both its blessing and its curse. Very little to no music with a minimalist interface allows for a very immersive experience; however, this can also lead to a very slow and very boring experience if you get stuck. Here's where this makes or breaks the game: there is no pause or save feature and the game is on a constant timer. If the clock hits midnight you're done. An issue that arises out of the time limit is that there are spots in the game where navigation becomes difficult: the game will only allow you to move to a point from a specific spot rather than a straight A - B line. A little trial and error fixes it, but it's still annoying when it happens.

So here's how I see a game like D: it's a unique take on a genre that is commonly inundated with empty shock or action. There is violence in it, but it's not at the forefront. D is not for everyone and you shouldn't walk into this with the hopes of a long playthrough. Personally, I used a guide to help me along and I was still very happy with my time with this. D stands as a waypoint in the long history of video games as what was supposed to be the next big thing. As time has since dictated, the style and genre D played to has been left behind. You can't fault the game for that; times and tastes change. For what it's worth, give this a shot if it's on sale and you want to try a different take on the horror genre. It's slow and not for everyone, but I found it endearing.

The 7th Guest and I go way back. Back to when my mom bought our first family computer, an old Windows 98. The first game she bought for it? The 7th Guest. Fun fact, real quick, about my mom before I talk about the game in depth: she knew butt about computers so it took her forever to install it. That being said, she got it to run once and never went back to it. All these years later I found it here on Steam and bought it eager to finally finish it. Was it worth it?

Well.

The 7th Guest is a point and click puzzle game. That's it. It relies solely on FMV's to progress the story. What is the story behind The 7th Guest? Old Man Staufe made dolls and a spooky house. The game begins with the ghostly guests showing up at the house, the player being one of them, and then you're off to explore the mansion solving puzzles as you find them.

There isn't much to 7th Guests presentation or interface. The house is well detailed and the music is charmingly eccentric. For a PC game that debuted in '92, it all still looks pretty good. The variety in the themes and aesthetics is nice so navigating the mansion is always fun.

But here we run into the first of 7th Guests' problems: the game moves slow. S L O W. The camera pans about with a lazy, languid motion which is fine when you first explore the house, but after an hour or two of trying to figure out what to do next, it gets frustrating. Coupled with this is the fact that the game bars you from entering new areas until you finish X amount of puzzles first. You would think just finding the puzzles would be easy: you would be wrong. Some are obvious items of interest; others are not. It's a pain to have to precisely move your cursor around until you find just the right spot on the screen to interact with. I missed a puzzle or two because of this. Now, this issue is par for the course with the genre, but figuring out how to navigate the mansion and not miss entire rooms because of the clumsy camera work sucks.

And now to discuss the core of the game: the puzzles. Simply put, some work while others don't.

For example:

The Spider puzzle is ambiguous at first but after a few minutes of trial and error I figured out what I was supposed to do. Cool. The Tin Can puzzle, however, was terrible. The Chess Knight puzzle is ridiculous. The Microscope puzzle? I felt so relieved to look online and learn I wasn't the only person who hated it.

The problem with the puzzles is that some of them rely too heavily on blind luck or complete randomness. There are some puzzles that have to be reset because their starting orders produce an unsolvable puzzle.

You know what was super satisfying though? Solving the cake puzzle my first shot when my mom couldn't. Eat that, mom.

Look, the reason I'm recommending this game is because at its best moments its silly and spooky with puzzles that offer decent challenge. At its worst moments its a frustrating slog with total booty puzzles that aren't fun. Luckily, with the internet ready at our fingertips, solving these puzzles is now doable. Buy this when it's on sale if you're a fan of puzzles and spooky stuff. Otherwise, you might wanna pass on it.

I just beat this game today. I've been waiting for this moment since I was 11. Hot damn does it feel good.

Alright, so way back when I was a wee tadpole, my mom got me a Sierra Strategy Triple Pack for Christmas. Cyberstorm, Caesar II, and Rise of Rule of Empires was on it. It also had a demo for LoM and I wound up playing that far more than the other games. Problem was, I was 11 and couldn't just go out and buy my own games. My mom wasn't any help either. And thus, for all these years past, I was never able to sit down and give LoM a real try. So thank you Steam for giving me this.

LoM is a strategy game where the goal is to defeat Balkoth, the evil Lord of Death who is attempting at sinking the land of Urak into the dark clutches of a death god. To do this you must build your army, liberate your Great Temple from enemy clutches, and forge various alliances with the other elemental factions in the game (Air, Water, Order, Chaos, Fire, Light, Earth, and Death.) Each faction has its own strengths and weaknesses so there's a ton of replayability depending on which you choose. Do you begin with a sturdy Warrior based Earth faction, strong in melee offense or do you start with a Thief based Light faction, excelling in ranged archery?

LoM seems a little overwhelming at first but it's actually quite simple as there are only so many variables to pay attention to. Your resources are limited to Crystals, Ale, Gold, and Fame, with each Faction having their own dependencies on one more than the other. These resources are used to fuel upkeep costs of units and for creating them. Liberating various locations such as gold mines, crystal mines, and breweries provide these resources each round. It's that simple. Once you learn the pacing for each faction, playing through the game is largely up to you. LoM can be incredibly short or incredibly long, depending on how effective you are and how much RNG loves you during your attempts. This is a game that is meant to be played many, many times so never feel like you're enbroiling yourself into a 100 hour campaign every time you start.

The downsides to the game lie mostly with the RNG: some attempts the AI takes a more even pace; others its on the juice, plowing straight through you. Nothing felt better than having Balkoth roll up into my capital within the first 30 turns. I died very quickly. Sometimes enemy units move in a logical fashion; another time, Balkoth sat over the ocean, mere pixels out of my range, for nearly 20 rounds just to spite me, unmoving. If the AI is feeling cruel, you can get steamrolled very quickly in this game. Just gotta hit New Game and start again...

I cannot express how happy I am that this game has held up after all of these years. A chapter of my life has finally been completed. If you're a fan of classic strategy, you'll find an immense amount of fun with LoM.