Official Site: http://diemore.teleglitch.com/buy
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/234390/
Source: Youtube Channel gamespot
I mentioned "Teleglitch Die More Edition" two months ago and pointed out that one of the problems people had with the game was the lack of music. I guess it's okay to play your own music while playing a game, but it'd be nice to have original music for a game that's set appropriately to the game's theme. Well, the developers decided to come out with a DLC which adds the option for weapon randomization from the get go, 8 new weapons and items, and "5 standalone music tracks that will enhance your Teleglitch experience". That one line threw a lot of people off, including me. At first glance, it seems like there will be music in the game now. In reality, 5 MP3 tracks are downloaded to the game's folder for the player to play and loop in the background while they're playing the game. I guess that's fine since people were doing that with their own music anyways? With the 5 tracks, the player gets 23 minutes of...sounds...running on 2-3 tracks (think of them as layers). They're not very interesting, they're mostly looped sounds from freesound.org, and they don't feel very appropriate to the game's atmosphere. The best thing about the DLC is essentially the weapon randomization at the beginning of the game; however, mechanics like these should have been in the game in the first place. If you had pre-purchased the game before it came out, you get the DLC automatically. But if you didn't, it's $1.99. Whether the DLC was worth the purchase isn't the issue as I'm not certain if the game itself is exactly worth it. It's mildly entertaining and I got it for a very low discount price, but I think I have to play it a bit longer or at least try to clear through it once before I can give any recommendations or not. Teleglitch: Die More Edition is 75% off from its usual $12.99 for $3.25 until October 14th and the Guns and Tunes DLC is $1.99 on steam right now.
Showing posts with label Top-down Shooter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top-down Shooter. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
GameLight - Teleglitch: Die More Edition
Official Site: http://diemore.teleglitch.com/buy
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/234390/ Source: Youtube Channel gamespot
I've seen this game on the front page of GreenManGaming for the longest time and I just never had interest in looking into it after looking at a few screenshots. When it was officially launched and showed up on Steam, I read the description and realized that it was a top-down shooter with Rogue-like elements. These were two genres I enjoy playing that I don't see too many of in the current day market. So I decided to do more research about it and find out if it's a game worth buy/playing. The first two things I immediately take note of is that the graphics are minimalistic, but not pixel-based which has this blotchy ugly look to it and the fact that there's no music throughout the game. I suppose I can look past the graphics style and I guess I can play my own music while playing this game. There are times where the screen has this crazy color blur effect such as when the player is shooting. It's a cool aesthetic in coordination to feedback within the game, but I can also see it being annoying when fighting a whole horde of enemies. What does interest me is the amount of weapons there are and the randomization of levels, as most rogue-like games utilize, to deliver a new experience every time you play. The game doesn't seem too complicated: survive, kill enemies and progress to the next level. The game, as a whole, does seem to be lacking depth; however, it does have an interesting concept and one that I'd definitely be willing to try out. You can grab Teleglitch: Die More Edition on Steam for $12.99 or from one of the many distributors listed on their official site.
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/234390/ Source: Youtube Channel gamespot
I've seen this game on the front page of GreenManGaming for the longest time and I just never had interest in looking into it after looking at a few screenshots. When it was officially launched and showed up on Steam, I read the description and realized that it was a top-down shooter with Rogue-like elements. These were two genres I enjoy playing that I don't see too many of in the current day market. So I decided to do more research about it and find out if it's a game worth buy/playing. The first two things I immediately take note of is that the graphics are minimalistic, but not pixel-based which has this blotchy ugly look to it and the fact that there's no music throughout the game. I suppose I can look past the graphics style and I guess I can play my own music while playing this game. There are times where the screen has this crazy color blur effect such as when the player is shooting. It's a cool aesthetic in coordination to feedback within the game, but I can also see it being annoying when fighting a whole horde of enemies. What does interest me is the amount of weapons there are and the randomization of levels, as most rogue-like games utilize, to deliver a new experience every time you play. The game doesn't seem too complicated: survive, kill enemies and progress to the next level. The game, as a whole, does seem to be lacking depth; however, it does have an interesting concept and one that I'd definitely be willing to try out. You can grab Teleglitch: Die More Edition on Steam for $12.99 or from one of the many distributors listed on their official site.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
GameLight - Voxatron
Official Site: http://www.lexaloffle.com/voxatron.php
Source: Youtube Channel lexaloffletv
I almost forgot about this game until I came across it again when I was cleaning out my email yesterday. Voxatron is an Arcade-like Twin-stick shooter much like the old arcade game Robotron 2084. It uses Voxel-based graphics as its main aesthetic and contributes to how things crumble and blow up into tiny blocks. Voxel-based graphics seems to be the thing now with games like Cube World, Guncraft, and Ace of Spades. I must point out that this game debut 2 years ago for a Humble Bundle in order to promote this game. For two years, I kind of ignored it and didn't play it. So I downloaded it and played through adventure mode yesterday and got through it. It was an okay experience. Arcade mode is just a straight up top-down twin-stick shooter. The interesting mode was the Community made maps. I started it up and saw over 600+ maps to play on. Some were fun, some were boring, others were just insane. The game is still on sale on the official site up above for $15. But if you were one of the people who bought the Humble Bundle Voxatron Debut, you probably got it for a few dollars. I can't say it's an amazing game, but I do like the community maps being so easy to access and play right from the game itself. I think that even now, the game is still considered to be in Alpha after 2 years. I can see this game grow even more and have a lot more options for building funner and crazier maps. I guess I was hoping for some 3D Dot Game Heroes influence to be shown with more customizable options. I've seen some community made enemies and attack patterns, but nothing so out there and different that it would stand out from the actual game. I'm very curious as to what the final product of this game will actually be like because the game is playable and pretty refined right now with just a bit lacking in content in variety (other than the hundreds of community made maps).
Source: Youtube Channel lexaloffletv
I almost forgot about this game until I came across it again when I was cleaning out my email yesterday. Voxatron is an Arcade-like Twin-stick shooter much like the old arcade game Robotron 2084. It uses Voxel-based graphics as its main aesthetic and contributes to how things crumble and blow up into tiny blocks. Voxel-based graphics seems to be the thing now with games like Cube World, Guncraft, and Ace of Spades. I must point out that this game debut 2 years ago for a Humble Bundle in order to promote this game. For two years, I kind of ignored it and didn't play it. So I downloaded it and played through adventure mode yesterday and got through it. It was an okay experience. Arcade mode is just a straight up top-down twin-stick shooter. The interesting mode was the Community made maps. I started it up and saw over 600+ maps to play on. Some were fun, some were boring, others were just insane. The game is still on sale on the official site up above for $15. But if you were one of the people who bought the Humble Bundle Voxatron Debut, you probably got it for a few dollars. I can't say it's an amazing game, but I do like the community maps being so easy to access and play right from the game itself. I think that even now, the game is still considered to be in Alpha after 2 years. I can see this game grow even more and have a lot more options for building funner and crazier maps. I guess I was hoping for some 3D Dot Game Heroes influence to be shown with more customizable options. I've seen some community made enemies and attack patterns, but nothing so out there and different that it would stand out from the actual game. I'm very curious as to what the final product of this game will actually be like because the game is playable and pretty refined right now with just a bit lacking in content in variety (other than the hundreds of community made maps).
Monday, July 22, 2013
Retroview - Star Miner Special Edition
Official Site: http://www.positech.co.uk/index.html
Source: Youtube Channel LorenzoTheComic
Yesterday was the last day of Summer Steam Sales 2013 and I decided to pick up a game I had my eye on for the longest time: Starscape. It's a top-down, space-shooter where you mine for resources to improve your ships and weapons. It was released all the way back in 2003, but I didn't mind as long as it provided the type of game I wanted to play. It reminded me of another Space-shooter game where you had to mine for materials, purchase items, and fight off enemy air-ships: Star Miner SE. I had played this game off a CD called Galaxy of Arcade Classics from eGames back in 2000. The developer of the game was a one man company called Positech Computing ltd. and was released in 1999, 2 years after the guy founded the company. The company is now called Positech Games which many know the company through games like Democracy 2 and Gratuitous Space/Tank Battles. It's amazing how he started all those years ago and is still making games now.
I never did get to try multiplayer on the game, but single-player was a lot of fun. It was confusing at first since it didn't have any real goals or set paths for the player to go, and so the player had to figure out what to do. Blasting asteroids would drop materials for the player to collect and use to improve their ship when landing on a planet. It was open-ended and gave the freedom for the player to explore and survive. For a whole decade, I never really played anything quite similar up until just a few months ago when I tried out Space Pirates and Zombies (S.P.A.Z.) which was fun, but not quite the same. Playing through the tutorial of Starscape last night, it really did feel similar to Star Miner with similar controls and goals with a much more complex story and building mechanics to improve the ships and weapons. Then again, Starscape is also an old game that released about 4 years after Star Miner. Still, there was something about Star Miner that I really enjoyed that I don't quite remember. I actually still have the CD I played it on, so I think I might pop it in and try it out once more.
If you want my opinions on the 3 games:
Star Miner - It's old, but very straight-forward so you'll get the experience right away without learning complicated mechanics.
Star Scape - It only goes up to 800 x 600 resolution, so you can imagine what it looks like. There's a lot of building and resource managing involved, so those who like management in their games will like it.
Space Pirates and Zombies (SPAZ) - It has a LOT of reading, so those looking for a stronger narrative should check this out. And since it's the newest game out of the 3 (released in 2011), it also has the most comprehensible controls and most advanced graphics.
As far as which one is the best? They're all different and provide a unique experience, even if the core concept is the same.
Source: Youtube Channel LorenzoTheComic
Yesterday was the last day of Summer Steam Sales 2013 and I decided to pick up a game I had my eye on for the longest time: Starscape. It's a top-down, space-shooter where you mine for resources to improve your ships and weapons. It was released all the way back in 2003, but I didn't mind as long as it provided the type of game I wanted to play. It reminded me of another Space-shooter game where you had to mine for materials, purchase items, and fight off enemy air-ships: Star Miner SE. I had played this game off a CD called Galaxy of Arcade Classics from eGames back in 2000. The developer of the game was a one man company called Positech Computing ltd. and was released in 1999, 2 years after the guy founded the company. The company is now called Positech Games which many know the company through games like Democracy 2 and Gratuitous Space/Tank Battles. It's amazing how he started all those years ago and is still making games now.
I never did get to try multiplayer on the game, but single-player was a lot of fun. It was confusing at first since it didn't have any real goals or set paths for the player to go, and so the player had to figure out what to do. Blasting asteroids would drop materials for the player to collect and use to improve their ship when landing on a planet. It was open-ended and gave the freedom for the player to explore and survive. For a whole decade, I never really played anything quite similar up until just a few months ago when I tried out Space Pirates and Zombies (S.P.A.Z.) which was fun, but not quite the same. Playing through the tutorial of Starscape last night, it really did feel similar to Star Miner with similar controls and goals with a much more complex story and building mechanics to improve the ships and weapons. Then again, Starscape is also an old game that released about 4 years after Star Miner. Still, there was something about Star Miner that I really enjoyed that I don't quite remember. I actually still have the CD I played it on, so I think I might pop it in and try it out once more.
If you want my opinions on the 3 games:
Star Miner - It's old, but very straight-forward so you'll get the experience right away without learning complicated mechanics.
Star Scape - It only goes up to 800 x 600 resolution, so you can imagine what it looks like. There's a lot of building and resource managing involved, so those who like management in their games will like it.
Space Pirates and Zombies (SPAZ) - It has a LOT of reading, so those looking for a stronger narrative should check this out. And since it's the newest game out of the 3 (released in 2011), it also has the most comprehensible controls and most advanced graphics.
As far as which one is the best? They're all different and provide a unique experience, even if the core concept is the same.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
GameLight Review - Zombies.
GMG Page: http://www.greenmangaming.com/s/us/en/pc/games/action/zombies/
Apple iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zombies/id568711604?mt=8
Steam Greenlight: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=100672678
Source: Youtube Channel touchgameplay
Developer: BigNic
Publisher: BigNic
Platforms: [PC], iOS
Release Date: October 08, 2012
Genre: Top-down shooter
Pros:
+ Incredible, high-quality chip-house tunes by BigNic himself
+ Simple concept, challenging levels
+ Light hearted and humorous all the way through
+ Super cheap and affordable
+ Highly destructive environments
Cons:
- Can be extremely repetitive
- No multiplayer mode, would've been a fun addition
- Earlier weapons become obsolete as newer weapons is all you need
- The game gets easier as you progress due to the weapon acquisition
Recommended: Maybe, buy the soundtrack if anything
I first took notice to the game during a promotion to get it for free but missed the opportunity. I liked the music from the trailer and decided to look up a few more of the songs and loved them. Thus, I purchased the game when it went on sale (then again, the game is only $4) and tried it out. Despite looking retro with the pixel art, the sound effects, voices and music sound more modern and realistic than trying to be retro. The humor is self-described as being dry, and yet it still made me laugh so it managed to be funny. A lot of the humor is based of office-space environments and the hierarchy within a big corporate company. The gameplay is a lot like other top-down shooters where the player runs towards the goal while mindlessly shooting down enemies without getting killed. The game is actually pretty challenging and interesting in the beginning when the weapons are weak, but quickly becomes insane and mindless as the player receives the stronger items. What really contributed to the experience of the game is the music. They possess a lot of energy, is really easy to get into, and sounds so new/fresh. If anything, the music is what really made the game enjoyable.
Aesthetics
Art-style: Retro-style 2D pixel sprites
+ Cute little pixel sprites!
+ Despite looking so retro, the game gets pretty dang bloody
+ Destructible environment satisfies my desire to destroy everything
+ Sound effects played a bit part in making destruction feel so satisfying
+ The voice acting and writing are weird and dry humor, but they made me laugh
+ Hands down, some of the best music I've listened to in an indie game
- Very little changes in environments throughout the game
- Projectiles are ridiculously small, they're 2-4 pixels flying through the air
- It's really hard to tell where you're going in some levels
Aesthetics: 8/10
Buttons
Controller: Keyboard and mouse
+ WASD move and mouse aim/fire feels familiar and easy to pick up
+ Easily switch between weapons with mouse scroll or number row keys
+ Keys can be customized/changed
- Get stuck in everything, from corners to sides to walls to chairs
Buttons: 7/10
Concept & Content
Core Concept: Kills zombies, save survivors, destroy everything
+ The humor in the cut-scenes between each level had its charm
+ Being able to destroy anything and everything was satisfying
+ It's obvious that the music was a big part of the game's development
+ The game is simple but still entertaining
- The game gets easier as the player gets farther in the game
- Bosses were funny, but ultimately similar and boring fights
Concept and Content: 7/10
Duration
+ Each level is fairly short, so there isn't a lot of time commitment in playing
+ The game is very short, but it feels like it's at a decent length
+ Endless mode allows the player to continually kill an infinite stream of enemies
- I can't play for long durations, the game gets way too mind-numbingly boring
Duration: 7/10
Fun
+ The music is what really got me to play the game, amazing work
+ The art style, humor and sfx all worked cohesively to make this game fun
+ Despite the game getting easier, I still had fun blowing everything up
+ It was a really good game for me to play to kill some time
+ I was really shocked to find out this entire game was made by one guy
- It's a shame boss battles weren't more dynamic, interesting designs though
- I did have fun with the game, but I don't feel compelled to play it again
Fun: 8/10
Overall
If you have low expectations and are not bothered by mindless top-down shooting gameplay, Zombies might be able to provide and entertaining experience. It's a really good game to kill time and/or relax to. Everything that BigNic put into contributed to making this regular top-down shooter a experience of its own: the retro style graphics, the energetic chip-house tunes, and the humor. I did enjoy the game, but it's not one I find myself playing again. The music, on the other hand, will be something I'll be listening to often. If you're interested in the game, but want it on Steam platform, go upvote it on Steam Greenlight right now. Overall: 7.4/10
Apple iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zombies/id568711604?mt=8
Steam Greenlight: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=100672678
Source: Youtube Channel touchgameplay
Developer: BigNic
Publisher: BigNic
Platforms: [PC], iOS
Release Date: October 08, 2012
Genre: Top-down shooter
Pros:
+ Incredible, high-quality chip-house tunes by BigNic himself
+ Simple concept, challenging levels
+ Light hearted and humorous all the way through
+ Super cheap and affordable
+ Highly destructive environments
Cons:
- Can be extremely repetitive
- No multiplayer mode, would've been a fun addition
- Earlier weapons become obsolete as newer weapons is all you need
- The game gets easier as you progress due to the weapon acquisition
Recommended: Maybe, buy the soundtrack if anything
I first took notice to the game during a promotion to get it for free but missed the opportunity. I liked the music from the trailer and decided to look up a few more of the songs and loved them. Thus, I purchased the game when it went on sale (then again, the game is only $4) and tried it out. Despite looking retro with the pixel art, the sound effects, voices and music sound more modern and realistic than trying to be retro. The humor is self-described as being dry, and yet it still made me laugh so it managed to be funny. A lot of the humor is based of office-space environments and the hierarchy within a big corporate company. The gameplay is a lot like other top-down shooters where the player runs towards the goal while mindlessly shooting down enemies without getting killed. The game is actually pretty challenging and interesting in the beginning when the weapons are weak, but quickly becomes insane and mindless as the player receives the stronger items. What really contributed to the experience of the game is the music. They possess a lot of energy, is really easy to get into, and sounds so new/fresh. If anything, the music is what really made the game enjoyable.
Aesthetics
Art-style: Retro-style 2D pixel sprites
+ Cute little pixel sprites!
+ Despite looking so retro, the game gets pretty dang bloody
+ Destructible environment satisfies my desire to destroy everything
+ Sound effects played a bit part in making destruction feel so satisfying
+ The voice acting and writing are weird and dry humor, but they made me laugh
+ Hands down, some of the best music I've listened to in an indie game
- Very little changes in environments throughout the game
- Projectiles are ridiculously small, they're 2-4 pixels flying through the air
- It's really hard to tell where you're going in some levels
Aesthetics: 8/10
Buttons
Controller: Keyboard and mouse
+ WASD move and mouse aim/fire feels familiar and easy to pick up
+ Easily switch between weapons with mouse scroll or number row keys
+ Keys can be customized/changed
- Get stuck in everything, from corners to sides to walls to chairs
Buttons: 7/10
Concept & Content
Core Concept: Kills zombies, save survivors, destroy everything
+ The humor in the cut-scenes between each level had its charm
+ Being able to destroy anything and everything was satisfying
+ It's obvious that the music was a big part of the game's development
+ The game is simple but still entertaining
- The game gets easier as the player gets farther in the game
- Bosses were funny, but ultimately similar and boring fights
Concept and Content: 7/10
Duration
+ Each level is fairly short, so there isn't a lot of time commitment in playing
+ The game is very short, but it feels like it's at a decent length
+ Endless mode allows the player to continually kill an infinite stream of enemies
- I can't play for long durations, the game gets way too mind-numbingly boring
Duration: 7/10
Fun
+ The music is what really got me to play the game, amazing work
+ The art style, humor and sfx all worked cohesively to make this game fun
+ Despite the game getting easier, I still had fun blowing everything up
+ It was a really good game for me to play to kill some time
+ I was really shocked to find out this entire game was made by one guy
- It's a shame boss battles weren't more dynamic, interesting designs though
- I did have fun with the game, but I don't feel compelled to play it again
Fun: 8/10
Overall
If you have low expectations and are not bothered by mindless top-down shooting gameplay, Zombies might be able to provide and entertaining experience. It's a really good game to kill time and/or relax to. Everything that BigNic put into contributed to making this regular top-down shooter a experience of its own: the retro style graphics, the energetic chip-house tunes, and the humor. I did enjoy the game, but it's not one I find myself playing again. The music, on the other hand, will be something I'll be listening to often. If you're interested in the game, but want it on Steam platform, go upvote it on Steam Greenlight right now. Overall: 7.4/10
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