Soundcloud Page: Christian Gabel - Krater
Source: Youtube Channel Christian Gabel
I wanted to revisit a game I mentioned over a year ago called "Krater". It is a top-down, 3-man party, Action RPG/RTS Adventure game set in a desolate, post-apocalyptic Sweden. A lot of the atmosphere and influences that went into Krater was due to the inspiration musician Christian Gabel had when coming across a series of concept art seemingly meant for a movie. He had worked on a soundtrack inspired by the images of Karlstad in ruins and shared his findings and work with one of the developers of Fatshark when he was at a party talking about science-fiction movies with them. Fatshark had already been working on a post-apocalyptic game at that point and the developer Gabel was talking was fascinated by his story thus the studio collaborated with him on the development of Krater.
The music is very atmospheric with a retro sort of feel. Gabel was fond of the use of synths and other old audio equipment which in turn made for a nostalgic sounding environment. Some of the tracks would be then remixed for the game to fit the situation. The feeling that I get from listening to the music while playing the game is one of familiarity, despite never having heard the song before. And although I use the word "atmospheric" to describe the music, it's not the generic, cinematic sounding "atmospheric" that I'm against as most of the songs have some sort of recurring theme or hook to them that make them memorable, unique and distinguished. I'm actually kind of sad this soundtrack wasn't used in a movie.
The reason for revisiting the topic of "Krater" since July of last year is that I eventually bought the game but never found the time to play it. It went on sale various times and eventually I convinced one of my friends to grab it so we could play co-op on it. Unfortunately, co-op is just a tiny mode where two players run through one of three very challenging dungeons to grab loot, level up, and earn some money. The combat system and gameplay is interesting, but lacks content and variety. There are only 4 classes to choose from and each class only has two skill (there are high tier versions of the skills for the classes later in the game) and characters have level caps to them which means getting higher level cap characters require leveling them up from the beginning. Since there aren't any resources (mana/energy, whatever you want to call it), all skills are based off cool-downs and how the player cycles through. The game is pretty fun in its own right, and the music is a huge (and I'm HUGE) plus to the experience; however, it does feel unrefined, unrealized, and full of potential that hasn't been tapped into yet. The atmosphere and music of the game definitely are the highlights of the game thus far with the combat, class, and skill management being interesting but not entirely fleshed out. I'm still holding out my definite opinion of the game until I've fully completed it first, but it's still not a game I'd be so sure of recommending to a friend. The music, on the other hand, I would recommend anyone to listen to. Click on the top link to listen to some of the track directly from Christian Gabel's soundcloud page. And if you like it, the soundtrack is available on iTunes, Amazon, and various digitally distributed music sites.
Showing posts with label Adventure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adventure. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
NewNews - Phoenix Wright 5 release in the West Fall 2013
Japanese Site: http://www.capcom.co.jp/gyakutensaiban/5/
Source: Youtube Channel GamesHQMedia
We finally get confirmation that Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney 5 - Dual Destinies is going to be released in the West this Fall, yay! Unfortuantely, it's also been confirmed that it will be released digitally only, boo! Phoenix Wright 5 will bring back our favorite protagonist back to the series once more with a new sidekick helping by reading the emotions of those on testimony. Prepare for a brand new adventure with 3D graphics for the Nintendo 3DS.
As for my stance on a "digital only" release, I never really liked the idea when it was first conceived and has only changed my perspective a little throughout the years. With most consoles (PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii) and now handhelds (PS Vita, Nintendo 3DS), games sold digitally are the same prices as retail and almost never gets a price drop; games rarely get a sale on digital distributions; games can't be borrowed or shared by friends because the games are locked onto the system or account; and they take up even more memory space than when just having the game that require an optional/require install which eventually leads to un-installing games if you run out of space and re-installing them if you want to play them. Digital releases do have their conveniences for the customer such as not having to go to the game store to grab their game and not having to switch out discs/cartridges to play multiple games but it takes away other great aspects of retail sold games. My opinion of digital distribution changed a little when Valve's Steam platform provided better services and great deals on a daily basis. Games that I really like that I want to pay more money will generally lead me to buy a boxed version of the PC game (Diablo 3/Guild Wars 2), but having great deals of under $10 per game on Steam allowed me to play games I'm interested in without having to invest so much on them. I'm not looking forward to an all digital market.
Source:
- Joystiq - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney 5 hits west as Dual Destinies this autumn
Source: Youtube Channel GamesHQMedia
We finally get confirmation that Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney 5 - Dual Destinies is going to be released in the West this Fall, yay! Unfortuantely, it's also been confirmed that it will be released digitally only, boo! Phoenix Wright 5 will bring back our favorite protagonist back to the series once more with a new sidekick helping by reading the emotions of those on testimony. Prepare for a brand new adventure with 3D graphics for the Nintendo 3DS.
As for my stance on a "digital only" release, I never really liked the idea when it was first conceived and has only changed my perspective a little throughout the years. With most consoles (PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii) and now handhelds (PS Vita, Nintendo 3DS), games sold digitally are the same prices as retail and almost never gets a price drop; games rarely get a sale on digital distributions; games can't be borrowed or shared by friends because the games are locked onto the system or account; and they take up even more memory space than when just having the game that require an optional/require install which eventually leads to un-installing games if you run out of space and re-installing them if you want to play them. Digital releases do have their conveniences for the customer such as not having to go to the game store to grab their game and not having to switch out discs/cartridges to play multiple games but it takes away other great aspects of retail sold games. My opinion of digital distribution changed a little when Valve's Steam platform provided better services and great deals on a daily basis. Games that I really like that I want to pay more money will generally lead me to buy a boxed version of the PC game (Diablo 3/Guild Wars 2), but having great deals of under $10 per game on Steam allowed me to play games I'm interested in without having to invest so much on them. I'm not looking forward to an all digital market.
Source:
- Joystiq - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney 5 hits west as Dual Destinies this autumn
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
GameLight - Don't Starve
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/219740/
Source: Youtube Channel GameRiotArmy
There's a little indie game called Don't Starve that I just completely overlooked because I didn't like the art style. A few days ago, a friend of mine was talking about it and said he'd bought it already and described it as a survival game having to collect resources, research new items, and fighting off hostile creatures. Through his description I had become more interested in the game, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy it. Then he said that those who bought the game gets an extra copy and he graciously gave it to me. The game isn't officially completed yet, but players can buy it now and go through the process of playing the beta as it gradually updates much like other indie games (Minecraft is an excellent example).
Before I started the game, I asked my friend what I should focus on the first time playing. "Collect as much grass, wood, and flint as possible". I wasn't sure what to expect, but I had enough materials to create a fire. I did when it said I should, but it just so happens that it ran out before the night ended and I died. It reminded me of the first time I played Terraria and I was mobbed by zombies. In Don't Starve, it implements permadeath. So once you die, you start over. But from what I understand, anything you research is saved. So it's a game of seeing how long you can survive. My 2nd playthrough, I got through 4 nights and ended up making a machine that can research more items to create. I was running out of food and I couldn't move my machine, so I decided to research as much as possible before my character died. Ironically, my character starved to death in a game called "Don't Starve". I still don't really like the art style, but the game mechanics have piqued my interest and I'll probably continue playing the game as it continually evolves. If hardcore games or survival simulations is your thing, check out the steam page on top.
Source: Youtube Channel GameRiotArmy
There's a little indie game called Don't Starve that I just completely overlooked because I didn't like the art style. A few days ago, a friend of mine was talking about it and said he'd bought it already and described it as a survival game having to collect resources, research new items, and fighting off hostile creatures. Through his description I had become more interested in the game, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy it. Then he said that those who bought the game gets an extra copy and he graciously gave it to me. The game isn't officially completed yet, but players can buy it now and go through the process of playing the beta as it gradually updates much like other indie games (Minecraft is an excellent example).
Before I started the game, I asked my friend what I should focus on the first time playing. "Collect as much grass, wood, and flint as possible". I wasn't sure what to expect, but I had enough materials to create a fire. I did when it said I should, but it just so happens that it ran out before the night ended and I died. It reminded me of the first time I played Terraria and I was mobbed by zombies. In Don't Starve, it implements permadeath. So once you die, you start over. But from what I understand, anything you research is saved. So it's a game of seeing how long you can survive. My 2nd playthrough, I got through 4 nights and ended up making a machine that can research more items to create. I was running out of food and I couldn't move my machine, so I decided to research as much as possible before my character died. Ironically, my character starved to death in a game called "Don't Starve". I still don't really like the art style, but the game mechanics have piqued my interest and I'll probably continue playing the game as it continually evolves. If hardcore games or survival simulations is your thing, check out the steam page on top.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
GameLight Review - Home
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/215670/
Source: Youtube Channel Benjamin Rivers
Developer: Benjamin Rivers
Publisher: Benjamin Rivers
Platforms: PC
Release Date: Jun 1, 2012
Genre: Adventure
Pros:
+ Atmospheric and eerie
+ Different decisions affect the outcome of the story
Cons:
- Granted that it's an adventure game, the gameplay mechanics were boring
- Contradicting events happen throughout the game
- The writing is so typical of mystery stories that it's almost cliché
- Text runs slowly and freezes up when trying to skip through it
- Saving work oddly where checkpoints are far apart from each other
- It doesn't matter which ending is given, they're all unsatisfying
Recommended: Maybe, it was $1.01 when I got it and a lot of other players enjoyed the game. I personally didn't like it.
Home is a mystery-Adventure and has been called a horror game but isn't one. The game is all Adventure, meaning there's not killing, dying, enemies, or complicated game mechanics. There's investigating objects and making decisions. How the game works is that the decisions that the player makes will affect the ending of the game. Home is able to create an eerie and dark environment, even with all its pixel-like graphics with the help of environmental audio. But beyond that, I was mostly bored with the game and was mainly concerned about having all the questions in the game answered. When I did get some answers at the end, they were ambiguous and unsatisfying. There can be many conclusions drawn at the end depending on what the player did throughout the playthrough. I didn't feel compelled to play the game over again as I knew the other endings would make me feel any better about the game (I looked up the other possible endings).
Aesthetics
Art Style: Classic 8-bit Pixel based graphics
+ Atmospheric and eerie
+ Effective soundscapes that really sets the mood
+ Though not truly a horror game, the game can be quite spooky
+ Nice looking backdrops
- Some rooms look too similar making it easier to get lost
- Lots of lost opportunity to be a bit more dramatic and surprising
- The retro-style look is interesting, but it loses its novelty very quickly
Aesthetics: 6/10
Buttons
Controller: Keyboard only
+ Though somewhat slow, Simple and straight-forward controls
- Reading through texts are a pain: slow and freezes up when skipping
- Why wasn't the game a point-n-click like most adventure games?
Buttons: 4/10
Concept & Content
Core Concept: Keep moving forward through the story and make decisions
+ It's interesting that the ending changes depending on what decisions you've made
+ The story can be interpreted in many different ways
- There are contradicting events that causes the story to make no sense
- The story isn't too far off from your typical mystery novel
- Erratic text boxes breaks the flow of the game quite often
- Throughout the game, it's one question after another without a good climax
- Puzzles are more tedious than stimulating
Concept & Content: 2/10
Duration
+ The game is fairly short, any long and I'd have given up
+ The game felt slow, but at least it was consistent
- The whole mystery was intriguing, but the ending ruined it all
- Trekking through all the rooms, buildings, and field was long and boring
- Text boxes scrolled too slowly and skipping them made the screen freeze
Duration: 4/10
Fun
+ It was pretty exciting in the beginning not knowing what to expect
+ Interesting that little decisions changed the outcome of the story
- The story just got more and more boring until it got to a very dissatisfying ending
- Puzzles sent me back and forth places quite often with no real challenge
- Texts boxes drove me nuts as I tried to speed it up only to have it freeze up
- I can see this game being a lot more effective in a 3D environment
Fun: 3/10
Overall
I didn't like the game. It got me really excited in the beginning, but the story quickly reveals itself from the very beginning to be very shallow if not ambiguous. The game mechanics weren't fun, the story was weak, but at the very least the atmosphere was interesting. Still, I think the game would be a lot better as a First-Person 3D adventure, or 3rd-Person 3D adventure with much better direction in story telling. There were so many times throughout the game where events could've been so much more emphasized and made memorable. I wouldn't recommend any of my friends to play it, but it seems that this game was enjoyed by many. I don't plan on playing it again any time soon. Overall: 3.8/10
Source: Youtube Channel Benjamin Rivers
Developer: Benjamin Rivers
Publisher: Benjamin Rivers
Platforms: PC
Release Date: Jun 1, 2012
Genre: Adventure
Pros:
+ Atmospheric and eerie
+ Different decisions affect the outcome of the story
Cons:
- Granted that it's an adventure game, the gameplay mechanics were boring
- Contradicting events happen throughout the game
- The writing is so typical of mystery stories that it's almost cliché
- Text runs slowly and freezes up when trying to skip through it
- Saving work oddly where checkpoints are far apart from each other
- It doesn't matter which ending is given, they're all unsatisfying
Recommended: Maybe, it was $1.01 when I got it and a lot of other players enjoyed the game. I personally didn't like it.
Home is a mystery-Adventure and has been called a horror game but isn't one. The game is all Adventure, meaning there's not killing, dying, enemies, or complicated game mechanics. There's investigating objects and making decisions. How the game works is that the decisions that the player makes will affect the ending of the game. Home is able to create an eerie and dark environment, even with all its pixel-like graphics with the help of environmental audio. But beyond that, I was mostly bored with the game and was mainly concerned about having all the questions in the game answered. When I did get some answers at the end, they were ambiguous and unsatisfying. There can be many conclusions drawn at the end depending on what the player did throughout the playthrough. I didn't feel compelled to play the game over again as I knew the other endings would make me feel any better about the game (I looked up the other possible endings).
Aesthetics
Art Style: Classic 8-bit Pixel based graphics
+ Atmospheric and eerie
+ Effective soundscapes that really sets the mood
+ Though not truly a horror game, the game can be quite spooky
+ Nice looking backdrops
- Some rooms look too similar making it easier to get lost
- Lots of lost opportunity to be a bit more dramatic and surprising
- The retro-style look is interesting, but it loses its novelty very quickly
Aesthetics: 6/10
Buttons
Controller: Keyboard only
+ Though somewhat slow, Simple and straight-forward controls
- Reading through texts are a pain: slow and freezes up when skipping
- Why wasn't the game a point-n-click like most adventure games?
Buttons: 4/10
Concept & Content
Core Concept: Keep moving forward through the story and make decisions
+ It's interesting that the ending changes depending on what decisions you've made
+ The story can be interpreted in many different ways
- There are contradicting events that causes the story to make no sense
- The story isn't too far off from your typical mystery novel
- Erratic text boxes breaks the flow of the game quite often
- Throughout the game, it's one question after another without a good climax
- Puzzles are more tedious than stimulating
Concept & Content: 2/10
Duration
+ The game is fairly short, any long and I'd have given up
+ The game felt slow, but at least it was consistent
- The whole mystery was intriguing, but the ending ruined it all
- Trekking through all the rooms, buildings, and field was long and boring
- Text boxes scrolled too slowly and skipping them made the screen freeze
Duration: 4/10
Fun
+ It was pretty exciting in the beginning not knowing what to expect
+ Interesting that little decisions changed the outcome of the story
- The story just got more and more boring until it got to a very dissatisfying ending
- Puzzles sent me back and forth places quite often with no real challenge
- Texts boxes drove me nuts as I tried to speed it up only to have it freeze up
- I can see this game being a lot more effective in a 3D environment
Fun: 3/10
Overall
I didn't like the game. It got me really excited in the beginning, but the story quickly reveals itself from the very beginning to be very shallow if not ambiguous. The game mechanics weren't fun, the story was weak, but at the very least the atmosphere was interesting. Still, I think the game would be a lot better as a First-Person 3D adventure, or 3rd-Person 3D adventure with much better direction in story telling. There were so many times throughout the game where events could've been so much more emphasized and made memorable. I wouldn't recommend any of my friends to play it, but it seems that this game was enjoyed by many. I don't plan on playing it again any time soon. Overall: 3.8/10
Thursday, November 8, 2012
NewNews - Cherry Tree High Comedy Club finally out on Steam!
Official site: http://cherrytreehigh.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/214610/
Finally, Cherry Tree High Comedy Club is available on Steam after 7 months from its official release! I first mentioned this game back in April and have mentioned it again on several different posts relating to Nyu Media and the games they're translating. Cherry Tree High Comedy Club is a sort of Visual Novel/Adventure that requires reading and making decisions. It's meant to be light-hearted and have lasting appeal with an endless mode after you've complete the main part of the game (or so I hear). As excited as I am for this game, I'm going to wait just a little longer as a possible fall sale might be coming up as well as the annual winter sale considering I have a large back log to keep me busy anyways. Chery Tree High Comedy Club is out now for $7.99!
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/214610/
Finally, Cherry Tree High Comedy Club is available on Steam after 7 months from its official release! I first mentioned this game back in April and have mentioned it again on several different posts relating to Nyu Media and the games they're translating. Cherry Tree High Comedy Club is a sort of Visual Novel/Adventure that requires reading and making decisions. It's meant to be light-hearted and have lasting appeal with an endless mode after you've complete the main part of the game (or so I hear). As excited as I am for this game, I'm going to wait just a little longer as a possible fall sale might be coming up as well as the annual winter sale considering I have a large back log to keep me busy anyways. Chery Tree High Comedy Club is out now for $7.99!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
GameLight - Cherry Tree High Comedy Club
Official Site: http://cherrytreehigh.com/
Source: Youtube Channel NyuMedia
Indie games have become a more prominent force in the market, but Japan has had indie games for the longest time created by "circles" or sometimes "individuals". A lot of great indie games have been created in Japan for the longest time and only those who know about them has a chance of trying some of them out. Certain indie games require a significant amount of reading but are still great games which leave non-speaking Japanese players out of the loop. Luckily, more translating groups such as Nyu Media are established to give us English speaking gamers a chance to play those awesome Japanese indie games.
Cherry Tree High Comedy Club, although not entirely clarified, is a sort of adventure/visual novel game where much of the gameplay revolves around talking and decision making. The main character is trying to create a comedy club within her school but is required to have at least 5 members to establish it (this should sound familiar to those who've watched Suzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu). So the player goes around earning money, recruiting members, and building up conversational skills to finally get the club up and going. The game is light hearted with humor, original animé-styled sprites and graphics, laid-back and catchy music, and all sorts of interesting characters. Talking as a main gameplay concept might sound boring, but if you've played any adventure game like the Sam & Max series, visual novel type games like the Phoenix Wright series (I know it's sort of like a mystery and adventure game too), or any of BioWare's RPGs and enjoyed the dialogue parts of the game, there's a good chance that Comedy Club will be a very enjoyable game to play. I've never heard of this game before (as I do try to keep up with some Japanese doujin/indie games), but I think it has made me that much more excited that Nyu Media/Capcom is surprising me with a game I've never seen. I'm very excited about Cherry Tree High Comedy Club and thank Nyu Media for bringing it over to the Western market to give us a chance to play it.
Cherry Tree High Comedy Club releases on April 27th, 2012 on Steam, GamersGate, GameTap, GameFly, Impulse and the Capcom Store as well as their own site up on the top link for $7.99.
Source: Youtube Channel NyuMedia
Indie games have become a more prominent force in the market, but Japan has had indie games for the longest time created by "circles" or sometimes "individuals". A lot of great indie games have been created in Japan for the longest time and only those who know about them has a chance of trying some of them out. Certain indie games require a significant amount of reading but are still great games which leave non-speaking Japanese players out of the loop. Luckily, more translating groups such as Nyu Media are established to give us English speaking gamers a chance to play those awesome Japanese indie games.
Cherry Tree High Comedy Club, although not entirely clarified, is a sort of adventure/visual novel game where much of the gameplay revolves around talking and decision making. The main character is trying to create a comedy club within her school but is required to have at least 5 members to establish it (this should sound familiar to those who've watched Suzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu). So the player goes around earning money, recruiting members, and building up conversational skills to finally get the club up and going. The game is light hearted with humor, original animé-styled sprites and graphics, laid-back and catchy music, and all sorts of interesting characters. Talking as a main gameplay concept might sound boring, but if you've played any adventure game like the Sam & Max series, visual novel type games like the Phoenix Wright series (I know it's sort of like a mystery and adventure game too), or any of BioWare's RPGs and enjoyed the dialogue parts of the game, there's a good chance that Comedy Club will be a very enjoyable game to play. I've never heard of this game before (as I do try to keep up with some Japanese doujin/indie games), but I think it has made me that much more excited that Nyu Media/Capcom is surprising me with a game I've never seen. I'm very excited about Cherry Tree High Comedy Club and thank Nyu Media for bringing it over to the Western market to give us a chance to play it.
Cherry Tree High Comedy Club releases on April 27th, 2012 on Steam, GamersGate, GameTap, GameFly, Impulse and the Capcom Store as well as their own site up on the top link for $7.99.
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