Official Site: http://king-soukutu.com/flash/rokko.html
Source: Youtube Channel Coffeemancer
Happy 2012 New Year! Sometime last month, a Japanese indie developer shared with the world Rokko Chan: A Mega Man game in the form of a female. The game is very true to the Megaman world with the concept, level designs, art style, 8-bit catchy tunes, and challenging gameplay. It's played in Flash in your browser using the arrow keys, ZXC keys, shift, ctrl, and spacebar to jump, shoot, dash, switch weapons and bring up the menu. For those who have not played any Megaman games at all, it is essentially an action platformer where you go through various levels to fight off the boss at the end of the stage. The player then acquires abilities from each defeated boss to fight the main boss in the game. Rokko Chan is every bit as challenging as Megaman and could've probably been a smash hit back in the NES days. The video above shows Owata Mode which is practically playing on Contra difficulty = You get hit you die right away. You don't get that mode until you complete the game though.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Friday, December 23, 2011
NewNews - Merry Christmas 2011
I'll be busy for a while so I won't be able to do any posts for the following 2 weeks or so. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
GameLight Review - Gundemonium Collection
Official Site: http://gundemonium.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/sub/11712/
Source: Youtube Channel rockinandroid
Developer: Platine Dispositif
Publisher: Rockin' Android
Platforms: PC (Steam), PS3 (PSN)
Release Date: November 22, 2011
Genre: Shoot-em-Up (Bullet Hell)
Pros:
-All the original graphics, music, and voice acting is kept intact
-3 games for $10 ($5 during sales, like right now)
-Fast-paced, challenging, adrenaline pumping shooter action
-Gundeadligne (Gundemonium 2) is online capable for 2-player co-op action
Cons:
-Geared towards danmaku (Bullet Hell) players, noobs beware
-Story is confusing and ambiguous
-Each game is very short, about 30 mins if you successfully run through it without dying
-Hard to discern where the player's hitbox exactly is at when a flood of bullet is headed their way
It's been a while since I've played a shooter, and getting the Gundemonium Collection was a good choice in playing one again. Gundemonium 1 and 2 are horizontal shooters with very unique bullet patterns that the player has to weave through as well as utilizing several special abilities that make it unique (mana, bomb, switch directions). Hitogata Happa is a very unique vertical shooter in which activating a bomb requires the player to ram right into the enemy. All three games are very challenging and have their unique aspects which make replaying them fun. There's a lot of abilities to choose from, 4 difficulty levels with the easiest one still being quite the nail biter, and Gundemonium 2 allows you to play with a friend online. What I especially like in shooters are boss battles, and the boss battles in each of the three games have multiple forms and abilities which keep you on your toes. If you're a hardened bullet hell player, than I highly recommend getting the collection. If you happen to have played little to no bullet hell type shooters but still have interest in the game, then play it with patience and learn the bullet patterns as you will find satisfaction in overcoming the challenges you'll face in the game.
Aesthetics
The Gundemonium series is drawn in a cutesy animé style. All the sprites in the game are hand-drawn I believe and everything done in the original game was by one guy (Aeju Murasame I believe). There has been some concerns about the nudity of some of the enemy characters, but honestly you can really see them if you're shooting them (all the flashes of the white light from the bullets cover everything up). The interface in-game is very arcade-like with hearts on top to indicate lives and revolver chambers on the bottom to indicate the remaining bombs (for gundemonium). In the first two Gundemonium games (horizontal shooter), everything looks really big and up close, so there "seemingly" doesn't seem as much space to move around in. Hitogata Happa is played vertically and everything is drawn back (smaller) so a lot more enemies, bullets, and objects are moving about in the screen. One of the things I don't like is how it's difficult to distinguish where the pixel hit box on the player's character is at when trying to avoid a whole slew of bullets. The horizontal perspective is a bit odd and the sizes of the objects in the game makes it difficult to discern which ones can hurt the player. It takes a bit of getting used to, but making the hitbox a bit more obvious would help in the harder difficulty levels. The sound effects are effective and strong. Lots of destruction and power behind it which is a lot more important than most people think. The sound effects for bullet impact and destruction indicates contact and let's the player know that they're hitting their mark. There's a choice between playing with the original music and remixed versions. The remixed versions are actually really good and make it sound more modern. Aesthetics: 8/10
Buttons
First and foremost, you can't play any of the games unless you have a USB controller of some sort. Or at least that's how it was like for me, I had to Alt+Ctrl+Del many times trying to move in the menu screen or even just to exit out. Luckily, I have a USB Arcade stick I use for my fighting games on PS3 and is compatible with the 3 gundemonium games. So after finding out I needed a USB controller to play the games, I started each of the 3 games up and tried them out (and eventually beat all of them). It's a bit confusing at first having to alternate between shooting, mana usage, bombs, switching directions, and rapid fire (all depending which game you play), but I eventually got used to it. The characters really affects how the game works as some are faster, some have no range, some require charging, etc. It might seem unfair at times when the character is too slow to dodge fast bullets or when they're to fast to weave through multiple bullets, but they can be adapted to and no longer become problems (for the most part). The controls are very responsive and you don't have to constantly mash the buttons for firing (except for Hitogata Happa). It's a bit more difficult to switch between regular movement and slow movement in Hitogata Happa as slowing down means an alternate attack by holding down the fire key. For the most part, the controls are tight and responsive, but Hitogata Happa has control schemes that make it a bit more difficulty to maneuver around. Buttons: 8/10
Concept and Content
Most of the changes are mainly translations for words, a remixed track, and possibly the inclusion of online play (I'm not sure if it was there before). Although it doesn't seem very much to add to the game, having it localized and compatible with steam, leaderboards, online play and being able to read everything really offers a lot to the player who wants to be able to fully appreciate the game to its fullest. The first game is played horizontally like Gradius but all the graphics are human, monsters, objects of sorts that's not "sci-fi". The first game has a total of 5 stages with mini-bosses and bosses. It's just like any other shooter where you keep going right and fight off all the enemies and beat the boss at the end. The unique twists are the bullet patterns, the abilities the characters use, and bomb-saving (using a bomb to counter-act losing a life). The 2nd game is similar except that the player can now change directions to face left to shoot enemies from behind. Hitogata Happa probably is the most unique. It's played vertically and uses "dolls" as the fighters. The keys are very simple: fire, hold to alternate fire and slow down, and switch which doll goes next after death. The goal is the same: get to the boss and defeat them to move to the next level. The hard part is that you can't die after time runs out at a boss battle or it's an automatic game over. And what the bosses are most susceptible to are the bombs. The bomb is actually the doll itself, and you have to successfully ram into an enemy in order for it to activate. If you get shot, it doesn't count and the explosion won't go off. Because you lose your doll, you'll get to make a lot with 12 max of each doll with 8 in total and 4 that can be unlocked (probably by finishing each difficulty level. The easiest one gave me a really hard time). So each of those 8-12 dolls can perform their own attacks and specials. This is why Hitogata Happa is so unique, but it's also frustrating. It might sound easy to ram your tiny character into a large boss, but remember that it's a bullet hell and you have to weave through several hundred pellets trying to kill you to get to the boss. And having 12 dolls of each one sounds like a lot to keep you alive, but the main problem is running out of time on the boss battles. There's also special mission modes for each of the games where the player can fulfill a task by playing a certain way. Like in Hitogata Happa, you can play solo mode where you only use one kind of doll to try to finish the entire game. I really like the level designs (the bullet patterns) of Gundemonium 1 and 2 and I like the bomb concept in Hitogata Happa as it changes the way the player approaches the situations of boss battles (you generally stay on the very bottom, but ramming means having to go up close). The story of each one is ambiguous and not entirely important, but a PDF with more information for each game is available on the official website if players are interested in the lore. So for a shooter made by one guy and localized by a team with remixed tracks and such, it's a pretty interesting one that's different, challenging, and enjoyable. Concept & Content: 9/10
Duration
I kind of wish Gundemonium 1 and 2 had a few extra levels and made it longer, but 5 level is a decent amount. Hitogata Happa has 6 levels and that was more than enough for me (I hated boring/difficult some of the boss battles were and had to restart countless times for running out of time). I can feel the progression of each level as it becomes harder to dodge bullets and the screen is filled with more enemies in the higher levels. I liked the pacing of the first two games more than Hitogata Happa, even though it's more unique of a shooter. I think what I really like about the games is the replay value. There's 4 levels of difficulty, a lot of characters to choose from, various modes and missions, and an online play for the 2nd game so a friend can suffer the torment of absolute chaos with you. I'll be replaying each one to try to finish the harder difficulty levels, try out the new characters and modes, and to play online. Duration: 9/10
Fun
My first impression was that it was hard, but only because I started at the hardest difficulty level to see how crazy the game can become. I liked how it was fast-paced, had a lot of action and required a lot of focus out of me. I like the challenge in shooters, and so Gundemonium is my type of game. I got through Gundemonium 1 and 2 fairly quickly (about 30 mins each), yet it still proved to be quite difficult during the boss battles. Hitogata Happy drove me nuts the first time I played it because I had no idea how to beat the first boss until I read on the PDF on the official website that you're supposed to ram right into it when the "flow" meter is full. The rest of the game was alright and it was fun experimenting with all the different dolls, but the last 2 levels proved to be very annoying with a lot of bosses that were difficult to beat because they required so many bombs to defeat and shooting them took too long and made me run out of time. I complained a lot about Hitogata Happa throughout this review and it's because I half loved it (the innovation, forcing the player to go to the top of the screen and also utilizing the different abilities of each doll) and half hated it (I can't get near anything without some pellet knocking my doll out and forcing me to fill up my flow gauge again). What I think I felt was a genuine kind of entertainment I once had with shooters from the retro days. The game was hard, but it was always possible. That excitement I feel of dodge and weaving through thousands of bullets each level was good and reminded me of the simple game play that made videogames fun. I didn't need a deep storyline or incredible 3D graphics to enhance the amount of fun I had. The game is pure and innovative, but it's also reaching out to a niche group of gamers so not everyone will have fun with the 3 games. Yes, it was frustrating but it felt good to complete each of those games. After I completed them, I wanted more of it. What's good is that it still had more to offer. Fun: 9/10
Overall
I bought the collection for $5 and enjoyed each one, even though there were times where I was groaning and complaining about losing at pivotal moments. Traditional shooters are rare nowadays, at least in the western market. I really hope that shooters are still made and brought over, and Gundemonium Collection was a good purchase that reminded me that these types of games are still really fun to play and shouldn't be abandoned by game developers. The art style is silly, cute and wild; the music is really exciting, the controls are great and offers all sorts of different play styles, and the concepts are different and possibly fresh for some gamers. Getting the game at $5 or even at its regular price of $10 would be a good investment if you're the type to enjoy hardcore/difficult games, shoot-em-ups, or want to try something new. I hope Rockin' Android translates and localize more games in the future. Overall: 8.6/10
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/sub/11712/
Source: Youtube Channel rockinandroid
Developer: Platine Dispositif
Publisher: Rockin' Android
Platforms: PC (Steam), PS3 (PSN)
Release Date: November 22, 2011
Genre: Shoot-em-Up (Bullet Hell)
Pros:
-All the original graphics, music, and voice acting is kept intact
-3 games for $10 ($5 during sales, like right now)
-Fast-paced, challenging, adrenaline pumping shooter action
-Gundeadligne (Gundemonium 2) is online capable for 2-player co-op action
Cons:
-Geared towards danmaku (Bullet Hell) players, noobs beware
-Story is confusing and ambiguous
-Each game is very short, about 30 mins if you successfully run through it without dying
-Hard to discern where the player's hitbox exactly is at when a flood of bullet is headed their way
It's been a while since I've played a shooter, and getting the Gundemonium Collection was a good choice in playing one again. Gundemonium 1 and 2 are horizontal shooters with very unique bullet patterns that the player has to weave through as well as utilizing several special abilities that make it unique (mana, bomb, switch directions). Hitogata Happa is a very unique vertical shooter in which activating a bomb requires the player to ram right into the enemy. All three games are very challenging and have their unique aspects which make replaying them fun. There's a lot of abilities to choose from, 4 difficulty levels with the easiest one still being quite the nail biter, and Gundemonium 2 allows you to play with a friend online. What I especially like in shooters are boss battles, and the boss battles in each of the three games have multiple forms and abilities which keep you on your toes. If you're a hardened bullet hell player, than I highly recommend getting the collection. If you happen to have played little to no bullet hell type shooters but still have interest in the game, then play it with patience and learn the bullet patterns as you will find satisfaction in overcoming the challenges you'll face in the game.
Aesthetics
The Gundemonium series is drawn in a cutesy animé style. All the sprites in the game are hand-drawn I believe and everything done in the original game was by one guy (Aeju Murasame I believe). There has been some concerns about the nudity of some of the enemy characters, but honestly you can really see them if you're shooting them (all the flashes of the white light from the bullets cover everything up). The interface in-game is very arcade-like with hearts on top to indicate lives and revolver chambers on the bottom to indicate the remaining bombs (for gundemonium). In the first two Gundemonium games (horizontal shooter), everything looks really big and up close, so there "seemingly" doesn't seem as much space to move around in. Hitogata Happa is played vertically and everything is drawn back (smaller) so a lot more enemies, bullets, and objects are moving about in the screen. One of the things I don't like is how it's difficult to distinguish where the pixel hit box on the player's character is at when trying to avoid a whole slew of bullets. The horizontal perspective is a bit odd and the sizes of the objects in the game makes it difficult to discern which ones can hurt the player. It takes a bit of getting used to, but making the hitbox a bit more obvious would help in the harder difficulty levels. The sound effects are effective and strong. Lots of destruction and power behind it which is a lot more important than most people think. The sound effects for bullet impact and destruction indicates contact and let's the player know that they're hitting their mark. There's a choice between playing with the original music and remixed versions. The remixed versions are actually really good and make it sound more modern. Aesthetics: 8/10
Buttons
First and foremost, you can't play any of the games unless you have a USB controller of some sort. Or at least that's how it was like for me, I had to Alt+Ctrl+Del many times trying to move in the menu screen or even just to exit out. Luckily, I have a USB Arcade stick I use for my fighting games on PS3 and is compatible with the 3 gundemonium games. So after finding out I needed a USB controller to play the games, I started each of the 3 games up and tried them out (and eventually beat all of them). It's a bit confusing at first having to alternate between shooting, mana usage, bombs, switching directions, and rapid fire (all depending which game you play), but I eventually got used to it. The characters really affects how the game works as some are faster, some have no range, some require charging, etc. It might seem unfair at times when the character is too slow to dodge fast bullets or when they're to fast to weave through multiple bullets, but they can be adapted to and no longer become problems (for the most part). The controls are very responsive and you don't have to constantly mash the buttons for firing (except for Hitogata Happa). It's a bit more difficult to switch between regular movement and slow movement in Hitogata Happa as slowing down means an alternate attack by holding down the fire key. For the most part, the controls are tight and responsive, but Hitogata Happa has control schemes that make it a bit more difficulty to maneuver around. Buttons: 8/10
Concept and Content
Most of the changes are mainly translations for words, a remixed track, and possibly the inclusion of online play (I'm not sure if it was there before). Although it doesn't seem very much to add to the game, having it localized and compatible with steam, leaderboards, online play and being able to read everything really offers a lot to the player who wants to be able to fully appreciate the game to its fullest. The first game is played horizontally like Gradius but all the graphics are human, monsters, objects of sorts that's not "sci-fi". The first game has a total of 5 stages with mini-bosses and bosses. It's just like any other shooter where you keep going right and fight off all the enemies and beat the boss at the end. The unique twists are the bullet patterns, the abilities the characters use, and bomb-saving (using a bomb to counter-act losing a life). The 2nd game is similar except that the player can now change directions to face left to shoot enemies from behind. Hitogata Happa probably is the most unique. It's played vertically and uses "dolls" as the fighters. The keys are very simple: fire, hold to alternate fire and slow down, and switch which doll goes next after death. The goal is the same: get to the boss and defeat them to move to the next level. The hard part is that you can't die after time runs out at a boss battle or it's an automatic game over. And what the bosses are most susceptible to are the bombs. The bomb is actually the doll itself, and you have to successfully ram into an enemy in order for it to activate. If you get shot, it doesn't count and the explosion won't go off. Because you lose your doll, you'll get to make a lot with 12 max of each doll with 8 in total and 4 that can be unlocked (probably by finishing each difficulty level. The easiest one gave me a really hard time). So each of those 8-12 dolls can perform their own attacks and specials. This is why Hitogata Happa is so unique, but it's also frustrating. It might sound easy to ram your tiny character into a large boss, but remember that it's a bullet hell and you have to weave through several hundred pellets trying to kill you to get to the boss. And having 12 dolls of each one sounds like a lot to keep you alive, but the main problem is running out of time on the boss battles. There's also special mission modes for each of the games where the player can fulfill a task by playing a certain way. Like in Hitogata Happa, you can play solo mode where you only use one kind of doll to try to finish the entire game. I really like the level designs (the bullet patterns) of Gundemonium 1 and 2 and I like the bomb concept in Hitogata Happa as it changes the way the player approaches the situations of boss battles (you generally stay on the very bottom, but ramming means having to go up close). The story of each one is ambiguous and not entirely important, but a PDF with more information for each game is available on the official website if players are interested in the lore. So for a shooter made by one guy and localized by a team with remixed tracks and such, it's a pretty interesting one that's different, challenging, and enjoyable. Concept & Content: 9/10
Duration
I kind of wish Gundemonium 1 and 2 had a few extra levels and made it longer, but 5 level is a decent amount. Hitogata Happa has 6 levels and that was more than enough for me (I hated boring/difficult some of the boss battles were and had to restart countless times for running out of time). I can feel the progression of each level as it becomes harder to dodge bullets and the screen is filled with more enemies in the higher levels. I liked the pacing of the first two games more than Hitogata Happa, even though it's more unique of a shooter. I think what I really like about the games is the replay value. There's 4 levels of difficulty, a lot of characters to choose from, various modes and missions, and an online play for the 2nd game so a friend can suffer the torment of absolute chaos with you. I'll be replaying each one to try to finish the harder difficulty levels, try out the new characters and modes, and to play online. Duration: 9/10
Fun
My first impression was that it was hard, but only because I started at the hardest difficulty level to see how crazy the game can become. I liked how it was fast-paced, had a lot of action and required a lot of focus out of me. I like the challenge in shooters, and so Gundemonium is my type of game. I got through Gundemonium 1 and 2 fairly quickly (about 30 mins each), yet it still proved to be quite difficult during the boss battles. Hitogata Happy drove me nuts the first time I played it because I had no idea how to beat the first boss until I read on the PDF on the official website that you're supposed to ram right into it when the "flow" meter is full. The rest of the game was alright and it was fun experimenting with all the different dolls, but the last 2 levels proved to be very annoying with a lot of bosses that were difficult to beat because they required so many bombs to defeat and shooting them took too long and made me run out of time. I complained a lot about Hitogata Happa throughout this review and it's because I half loved it (the innovation, forcing the player to go to the top of the screen and also utilizing the different abilities of each doll) and half hated it (I can't get near anything without some pellet knocking my doll out and forcing me to fill up my flow gauge again). What I think I felt was a genuine kind of entertainment I once had with shooters from the retro days. The game was hard, but it was always possible. That excitement I feel of dodge and weaving through thousands of bullets each level was good and reminded me of the simple game play that made videogames fun. I didn't need a deep storyline or incredible 3D graphics to enhance the amount of fun I had. The game is pure and innovative, but it's also reaching out to a niche group of gamers so not everyone will have fun with the 3 games. Yes, it was frustrating but it felt good to complete each of those games. After I completed them, I wanted more of it. What's good is that it still had more to offer. Fun: 9/10
Overall
I bought the collection for $5 and enjoyed each one, even though there were times where I was groaning and complaining about losing at pivotal moments. Traditional shooters are rare nowadays, at least in the western market. I really hope that shooters are still made and brought over, and Gundemonium Collection was a good purchase that reminded me that these types of games are still really fun to play and shouldn't be abandoned by game developers. The art style is silly, cute and wild; the music is really exciting, the controls are great and offers all sorts of different play styles, and the concepts are different and possibly fresh for some gamers. Getting the game at $5 or even at its regular price of $10 would be a good investment if you're the type to enjoy hardcore/difficult games, shoot-em-ups, or want to try something new. I hope Rockin' Android translates and localize more games in the future. Overall: 8.6/10
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
GameLight Review - Cave Story+
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/200900/
Source: Youtube Channel marcosoutsider
Developer: Nicalis, Studio Pixel
Publisher: Nicalis
Platforms: PC
Release Date: November 22, 2011
Genre: Action-Adventure Platformer
Pros:
-They didn't simply just change the graphics and audio, the original graphics and audio can be still used
-The game is still really fun even though I've played it before
-Additional content such as new modes, levels, weapons, and boss fights
-More content on its way in the future (better not be DLC we have to pay for)
Cons:
-The "improved HD" graphics and "Remastered" music seems to take away from the original game
-...I've got nothin' else
NOTE: Please disregard what I say about "Remastered" music as it seems to be newly added just about 1-2 days ago. There's 3 versions now: Original, New, and Remastered. When I say "Remastered" music in the review, I meant to say the "New" version. The "Remastered" version is actually kind of interesting.
I finished playing Cave Story 3 years ago and first heard about it in a Nintendo Magazine that it was going to be "recreated" on the Wii and that the original was distributed as a freeware and that fans have translated to English. After experiencing the masterpiece that was "Cave Story", I have come to know the name Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya and have a lot of respect for his work. It took him 5 years of his free time to create Cave Story and in the past 3 years it has been ported and recreated on Wii, DSi Ware, 3DS, and supposedly the PSP. With Cave Story+ released on PC for $10, it makes you wonder whether it's worth it to make the purchase when the original is still free. I got it with the Humble Indie Bundle 4 and so I didn't think too much about the price. Although the "new" graphics and audio might sound like the highlight of the remake, it's not. The "new" graphics take away the charm of the retro look while the "remastered" music seems to deviate from the atmosphere that the original chiptune captured so well. The good thing is that you can choose to play with the original graphics and/or audio and mix and match them. The real treat is that there's new modes, new levels, 4 additional weapons from the original 6 (10 in total), and new content that will be updated to the game in the future. So is it worth getting? It's Cave Story! Of course you should get it, especially if you haven't played it yet. And if you really can't hock that $10 out, go get the original and play it because it's really that good!
Aesthetics
The most notable difference in Cave Story+ to all fans is the new graphics and remaster music. The graphics and audio can be interchanged between the new and the original at anytime in the game from the main menu. I would recommend playing with the original content first and then play it a 2nd time with the new graphics if one has not played Cave Story yet. The new graphics are alright for the most part, but I have a problem with Quote's (the main character) face. It's dopey looking with the nose, mouth and hair. It's a very small factor in the change in graphics, but it's also the one thing you'll see most often and it bugs me. Everything else is alright. The music bothers me a lot though. What was so incredible about the experience in playing the original was how well the music complimented the gameplay and the mood. The music would be solemn in the dark areas, upbeat when it's exciting, and easy-going when you're in a safe area. But the "remastered" version of the music were all "remixed" to sound different and suddenly the solemn areas were jumpy, easy-going areas were upbeat, but at least the upbeat is still upbeat. The original compositions were intentionally played in a chiptune style to have that nostalgic feeling of retro games, but it also matched the situations really well. The new music seems to play in the level just for the heck of background music. There's no meaning to it because of it. This is what I was afraid of when I heard about "recreations" of Cave Story (granted, I played the original game for the first time after hearing about a remake for the Wii). But it's okay, because all the original graphics and audio is still an option so it doesn't force the new art style and music if the player doesn't want them. Playing the game again with the original art and music still reminds me of what an incredible game Cave Story was and still is. Aesthetics: 10/10
Buttons
Anyone growing up playing Action-Platformers and Adventure games such as Metroid or Megaman can agree how tight and well designed the controls for Cave Story are. The controls are simple with mainly the "jump" and "attack" key being the most used (other than the movement keys) along with 4 other keys to switch weapons, look at the map, and open up the inventory menu. The key bindings can be changed to any way the player desires and is also compatible with any USB controllers that's plugged in. With the player in complete control of the character, there is little room for Shenanigans to happen such as delayed jumps or "realistic" stopping of movements. The weapon switching is pretty much like Megaman games where the shoulder buttons can be used to switch weapons (A and S by default on keyboard) or bringing up the inventory menu to switch between them. This way, the player can switch to weapons appropriate for the situation on the fly. The core game revolves around great level designs which makes the most out of the two keys "jump and shoot" (sounds like Megaman and Metroid, right?). No fumbling around the keys, no long tutorials to figure out how everything works, just plain easy to understand controls with immediate response time. Nothing changed with the controls from the original and this new version (thankfully). Buttons: 10/10
Concept & Content
The story for Cave Story was always a bit ambiguous, but it never goes into a long dialogue of what the place you're in is (gonna try not to spoil anything good) or who you are or reason with the player of what mimigas are. The story is told little by little and the setting is easily created just by the level designs and their colorful backgrounds. The levels are designed to challenge the player in combat, puzzle solving, and platforming with traps, enemies, items, platforms, etc. Not a single level felt rushed or lacked creative thought. Every level had some purpose or challenge for the player to overcome to progress the game. There are new challenge modes, boss rush and others added to the game, so the player can get more out of Cave Story than the original with this remake. Everything about Cave Story had careful thought into creating it. The graphics were retro looking so it captured a nostalgic experience and also made creating art assets a bit more bearable for Amaya (he himself said he wasn't that great with art, kind of reminds me of ZUN). To go along with the art style, the music was purposely done in a 8-bit style and was composed to have catchy melodies to have a memorable connection to events and parts of the game. The concept of the run and gun mechanic was kept simple so as the levels became more creative, so did the player. I do have to admit that some parts can be confusing with little to no help at all and some parts can be difficult (at first, you learn from mistakes just like in old retro games). There are also some secrets in the game that can't be found unless you look it up online, already know about it, or playthrough the game multiple times and happen to find it. The game has 4 endings, and so it encourages players to play the game more than once. The core concept didn't change, and the additional content is a good add-on for the game. I'm looking forward to some new content. Concept and Content: 9/10
Duration
Cave Story's puzzles did bug me a little in some parts of the game. Objectives were never really clear, a lot of running around was involved (be you lost or not), and getting stuck on one of those puzzles can really break the flow of the game. But for the most part, the game is pretty fast-paced and pushes the story along as long as the player was skillful enough to do so. The game is surprisingly longer than I thought. For one guy that created this game, it lasted quite a while for me. But I never felt like it was dragged out too much. The puzzles and difficulty boss battles is what probably made it seem longer than I thought, but there is seriously a decent amount of levels, bosses, enemies, weapons, everything that made it move along and not slow down (or at least it tries). The replay value is really up to the player. The game has 4 endings, a bunch of hidden secrets, and now it has extra modes. When I finished the original 3 years ago, I felt content and didn't play it again; however, I left it on my hard drive just in case. Sure enough, I started over this past summer with a new file and then saw the release of Cave Story+ on Steam just last month. I couldn't help it and got it (luckily with the Humble Indie Bundle 4) and decided to give the new graphics and music a try. As much as I don't like the new music (graphics is sorta okay, can't stand quote's face though), I am prepared to play through the game again and try a different ending. As I've said before, the replay value really depends on the player. Even though I've beaten Metroid before, I'd still play it again because I love the action, the music, and the nostalgia. It is very much like that in the case of Cave Story for me. Duration: 10/10
Fun
Starting up the game, I already had a groan-worthy reaction to the title screen music. It's all bubbly and poppy, but then I went to the options menu and realize you can play with the original assets. It's only been 3 years since I've played Cave Story, yet I still had a sense of nostalgia from playing the beginning cave. The music threw me off a little, but the game was still really fun. I think it might even be more fun playing it again since I'm already used to the controls and remember most of the puzzles. Perhaps I should have chose a more difficult setting. I forgot to mention that there's 3 difficulty levels now. There's an easy mode which is easier than the original, then the normal mode which is essentially the original game's setting, and now there's a hard mode. One of the new additions that I'm excited about is the new weapons. The new modes have difficult level challenges, boss battles and such waiting to test the hardened players. In the end, I think I really like Cave Story+. The original game was already incredible and having extra content doesn't hurt (unless they constantly keep charging a lot, man I hate DLCs). I'm also happy that I can contribute a little back to Daisuke Amaya, even if it's a small piece. Cave Story+ is definitely worth the playthrough again if you've already played it before and should be necessary for any gamer who hasn't played it to get it now. Fun: 10/10
Overall
It can be difficult to accept buying the game for $10 when you can still get the original since the remake is essentially extra content (DLC if you will) unless you really want the new graphics and audio (not sure why, but to each their own). Steam often has sales to discount it (33% off right now during winter sales and is part of the "Super Indie Pack"; humble indie bundle 4 still has 5 days left) so you can get Cave Story+ as low as $5. The game is easy to learn, filled with tons of memorable characters and events, is challenging and engrossing, and simply a masterpiece that shouldn't be missed by any gamer. Overall: 9.8/10
Source: Youtube Channel marcosoutsider
Developer: Nicalis, Studio Pixel
Publisher: Nicalis
Platforms: PC
Release Date: November 22, 2011
Genre: Action-Adventure Platformer
Pros:
-They didn't simply just change the graphics and audio, the original graphics and audio can be still used
-The game is still really fun even though I've played it before
-Additional content such as new modes, levels, weapons, and boss fights
-More content on its way in the future (better not be DLC we have to pay for)
Cons:
-The "improved HD" graphics and "Remastered" music seems to take away from the original game
-...I've got nothin' else
NOTE: Please disregard what I say about "Remastered" music as it seems to be newly added just about 1-2 days ago. There's 3 versions now: Original, New, and Remastered. When I say "Remastered" music in the review, I meant to say the "New" version. The "Remastered" version is actually kind of interesting.
I finished playing Cave Story 3 years ago and first heard about it in a Nintendo Magazine that it was going to be "recreated" on the Wii and that the original was distributed as a freeware and that fans have translated to English. After experiencing the masterpiece that was "Cave Story", I have come to know the name Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya and have a lot of respect for his work. It took him 5 years of his free time to create Cave Story and in the past 3 years it has been ported and recreated on Wii, DSi Ware, 3DS, and supposedly the PSP. With Cave Story+ released on PC for $10, it makes you wonder whether it's worth it to make the purchase when the original is still free. I got it with the Humble Indie Bundle 4 and so I didn't think too much about the price. Although the "new" graphics and audio might sound like the highlight of the remake, it's not. The "new" graphics take away the charm of the retro look while the "remastered" music seems to deviate from the atmosphere that the original chiptune captured so well. The good thing is that you can choose to play with the original graphics and/or audio and mix and match them. The real treat is that there's new modes, new levels, 4 additional weapons from the original 6 (10 in total), and new content that will be updated to the game in the future. So is it worth getting? It's Cave Story! Of course you should get it, especially if you haven't played it yet. And if you really can't hock that $10 out, go get the original and play it because it's really that good!
Aesthetics
The most notable difference in Cave Story+ to all fans is the new graphics and remaster music. The graphics and audio can be interchanged between the new and the original at anytime in the game from the main menu. I would recommend playing with the original content first and then play it a 2nd time with the new graphics if one has not played Cave Story yet. The new graphics are alright for the most part, but I have a problem with Quote's (the main character) face. It's dopey looking with the nose, mouth and hair. It's a very small factor in the change in graphics, but it's also the one thing you'll see most often and it bugs me. Everything else is alright. The music bothers me a lot though. What was so incredible about the experience in playing the original was how well the music complimented the gameplay and the mood. The music would be solemn in the dark areas, upbeat when it's exciting, and easy-going when you're in a safe area. But the "remastered" version of the music were all "remixed" to sound different and suddenly the solemn areas were jumpy, easy-going areas were upbeat, but at least the upbeat is still upbeat. The original compositions were intentionally played in a chiptune style to have that nostalgic feeling of retro games, but it also matched the situations really well. The new music seems to play in the level just for the heck of background music. There's no meaning to it because of it. This is what I was afraid of when I heard about "recreations" of Cave Story (granted, I played the original game for the first time after hearing about a remake for the Wii). But it's okay, because all the original graphics and audio is still an option so it doesn't force the new art style and music if the player doesn't want them. Playing the game again with the original art and music still reminds me of what an incredible game Cave Story was and still is. Aesthetics: 10/10
Buttons
Anyone growing up playing Action-Platformers and Adventure games such as Metroid or Megaman can agree how tight and well designed the controls for Cave Story are. The controls are simple with mainly the "jump" and "attack" key being the most used (other than the movement keys) along with 4 other keys to switch weapons, look at the map, and open up the inventory menu. The key bindings can be changed to any way the player desires and is also compatible with any USB controllers that's plugged in. With the player in complete control of the character, there is little room for Shenanigans to happen such as delayed jumps or "realistic" stopping of movements. The weapon switching is pretty much like Megaman games where the shoulder buttons can be used to switch weapons (A and S by default on keyboard) or bringing up the inventory menu to switch between them. This way, the player can switch to weapons appropriate for the situation on the fly. The core game revolves around great level designs which makes the most out of the two keys "jump and shoot" (sounds like Megaman and Metroid, right?). No fumbling around the keys, no long tutorials to figure out how everything works, just plain easy to understand controls with immediate response time. Nothing changed with the controls from the original and this new version (thankfully). Buttons: 10/10
Concept & Content
The story for Cave Story was always a bit ambiguous, but it never goes into a long dialogue of what the place you're in is (gonna try not to spoil anything good) or who you are or reason with the player of what mimigas are. The story is told little by little and the setting is easily created just by the level designs and their colorful backgrounds. The levels are designed to challenge the player in combat, puzzle solving, and platforming with traps, enemies, items, platforms, etc. Not a single level felt rushed or lacked creative thought. Every level had some purpose or challenge for the player to overcome to progress the game. There are new challenge modes, boss rush and others added to the game, so the player can get more out of Cave Story than the original with this remake. Everything about Cave Story had careful thought into creating it. The graphics were retro looking so it captured a nostalgic experience and also made creating art assets a bit more bearable for Amaya (he himself said he wasn't that great with art, kind of reminds me of ZUN). To go along with the art style, the music was purposely done in a 8-bit style and was composed to have catchy melodies to have a memorable connection to events and parts of the game. The concept of the run and gun mechanic was kept simple so as the levels became more creative, so did the player. I do have to admit that some parts can be confusing with little to no help at all and some parts can be difficult (at first, you learn from mistakes just like in old retro games). There are also some secrets in the game that can't be found unless you look it up online, already know about it, or playthrough the game multiple times and happen to find it. The game has 4 endings, and so it encourages players to play the game more than once. The core concept didn't change, and the additional content is a good add-on for the game. I'm looking forward to some new content. Concept and Content: 9/10
Duration
Cave Story's puzzles did bug me a little in some parts of the game. Objectives were never really clear, a lot of running around was involved (be you lost or not), and getting stuck on one of those puzzles can really break the flow of the game. But for the most part, the game is pretty fast-paced and pushes the story along as long as the player was skillful enough to do so. The game is surprisingly longer than I thought. For one guy that created this game, it lasted quite a while for me. But I never felt like it was dragged out too much. The puzzles and difficulty boss battles is what probably made it seem longer than I thought, but there is seriously a decent amount of levels, bosses, enemies, weapons, everything that made it move along and not slow down (or at least it tries). The replay value is really up to the player. The game has 4 endings, a bunch of hidden secrets, and now it has extra modes. When I finished the original 3 years ago, I felt content and didn't play it again; however, I left it on my hard drive just in case. Sure enough, I started over this past summer with a new file and then saw the release of Cave Story+ on Steam just last month. I couldn't help it and got it (luckily with the Humble Indie Bundle 4) and decided to give the new graphics and music a try. As much as I don't like the new music (graphics is sorta okay, can't stand quote's face though), I am prepared to play through the game again and try a different ending. As I've said before, the replay value really depends on the player. Even though I've beaten Metroid before, I'd still play it again because I love the action, the music, and the nostalgia. It is very much like that in the case of Cave Story for me. Duration: 10/10
Fun
Starting up the game, I already had a groan-worthy reaction to the title screen music. It's all bubbly and poppy, but then I went to the options menu and realize you can play with the original assets. It's only been 3 years since I've played Cave Story, yet I still had a sense of nostalgia from playing the beginning cave. The music threw me off a little, but the game was still really fun. I think it might even be more fun playing it again since I'm already used to the controls and remember most of the puzzles. Perhaps I should have chose a more difficult setting. I forgot to mention that there's 3 difficulty levels now. There's an easy mode which is easier than the original, then the normal mode which is essentially the original game's setting, and now there's a hard mode. One of the new additions that I'm excited about is the new weapons. The new modes have difficult level challenges, boss battles and such waiting to test the hardened players. In the end, I think I really like Cave Story+. The original game was already incredible and having extra content doesn't hurt (unless they constantly keep charging a lot, man I hate DLCs). I'm also happy that I can contribute a little back to Daisuke Amaya, even if it's a small piece. Cave Story+ is definitely worth the playthrough again if you've already played it before and should be necessary for any gamer who hasn't played it to get it now. Fun: 10/10
Overall
It can be difficult to accept buying the game for $10 when you can still get the original since the remake is essentially extra content (DLC if you will) unless you really want the new graphics and audio (not sure why, but to each their own). Steam often has sales to discount it (33% off right now during winter sales and is part of the "Super Indie Pack"; humble indie bundle 4 still has 5 days left) so you can get Cave Story+ as low as $5. The game is easy to learn, filled with tons of memorable characters and events, is challenging and engrossing, and simply a masterpiece that shouldn't be missed by any gamer. Overall: 9.8/10
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
VGCulture - Filler with Pokemon
I just spent several hours writing a review for Terraria only to realize that I already did one back in July. I was confused when I couldn't find it on my own blog and thought "wow, the game I spent the most time on this year doesn't have my review yet?" Well, I found it...a bit too late and now I'm too tired to do another post. I have a lot of reviews to do the next few weeks, but I'm done for today. Enjoy this Pokemon Parody and be mindful that it's NSFW. Created by Egoraptor:
Source: Youtube Channel egoraptor
Source: Youtube Channel egoraptor
Monday, December 19, 2011
NewNews - Steam Winter Sales 2011 (Dec 19 - Jan 1)
Official Site: http://store.steampowered.com/
As many people expected it from Valve, the Steam Winter Sales for 2011 has begun! Even with the purchase of something around 20+ games in the past 3 months, I'm still pretty excited for some of the sales offered this winter. Each day, up until January 1st, there will be 12 featured games/packs on the front page with an additional discount along with the one they already have. There's also tons of discounted games all across the Steam stores should the game you're looking for not be on the list. As with every seasonal event on steam, there will be "missions/quests/objectives" that players can fulfill on games each day. For each completed objective, a player will receive a gift or a lump of coal. A gift has either a complete game (wow, awesome) or coupons (not sure what they do yet) that you can use to redeem for or trade with friends. A lump of coal can be used to craft a gift (7 is needed) and it won't be a lump of coal again OR they can be kept for an epic holiday giveaway where the grand prize winner wins ALL STEAM GAMES! If that's not epic, I don't know what is. So have fun, play hard, and win some prizes!
Friday, December 16, 2011
NewNews - Music with your Games
If you bought the Humble Indie Bundle 4 that I mentioned on Tuesday, then all of you get the soundtracks for each of the games from the bundle. All of you that didn't buy it still can and get the soundtracks! Just the soundtracks from Super Meat Boy, Cave Story+ and Jamestown are worth buying the bundle!
Source: Youtube Channel NotVaati
Source: Youtube Channel NotVaati
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