Author - Ripper71

Krater: Shadows Over Solside Review (PC/Steam)

2012/06/18

Krater: Shadows Over Solside is a game I have sat down to review several times now – each time playing it some more, restarting it and taking a break and playing other games then coming back to repeat the cycle. The temptation to describe the game in one simplified sentence is very high but, at the same time, doesn’t do the game near the justice it deserves. So, I will begin with a very simplified statement and then explain why it isn’t so simple.

At its surface, it is a top down RTS RPG with almost identical controls to D3 that is themed in a post-apocalyptic Sweden where survivors scrape together what the can from the old world in eccentric designs presented in concept art design just like in Borderlands. If you just watch the trailers or play a quick demo this may seem like that all there is to this game and, to be honest, I LOVE both of those games. I have spent immense numbers of hours in them and would welcome a game that combined the two. This game does so much more than that though so I am going to break it down into features.

Building A Better World:

Crafting in this game includes not only weapons but implants to body parts that add not just to stats but also abilities. You can craft just about everything you need for this game and the few things you can’t can be bought, such as new units for your group. The result is an extremely customizable experience in the game nearly from the start so that your really feel like you are creating the game as you go. In many ways you are – there are few restrictions put on movement and most quests don’t required a linear path. A good example of this is when I left a town and went to a location following a certain path. The path was set with random seeding just like Diablo 3 so that when I played it again later I had an entirely different experience and, by choosing this path, I completely missed an interaction which would have solved a quest for me and given me a new one. I was also given an item intended to be passed on to another individual and didn’t do it. The result was that I didn’t get the experience or reward for the quest’s completion instead I just had something sitting in my inventory I could sell if I want. So, in some ways, it is a very open world and not set on quest-rails. Also, Fatshark has promised to have weekly updates, adding new elements long-after release and this is actually considered the first of a three part story that will be revealed to us over the next couple years.

World Of Colors:

The graphics look very much like Borderlands, which is a very distinct style, and looks in many respects identical to the concept artwork used in creating most games. One of the few things I would say is different is that this game uses color and shadows everywhere, the same amount of detail given to a wall that is 6 inches on the screen in Borderlands is given to one that is only 1/2 that in Krater. The result is amazing contrast and detail that unless you have a strong system and a good monitor might be lost on a player. Cutscenes are much more like Borderlands since they are at ground level but gameplay is so detailed you need a strong system to due it justice and in some cases just to play it. It does bring up the question of whether or not developers should have pushed the envelope of graphics so that not everyone can play it but it makes it so that those who have nicer systems definitely feel like they are getting their money’s worth out of their rig.

It’s My Party:

In most of these dungeon crawler games you control your lead character and your other party members do their thing at the same time such as mercenaries in Diablo 3. In this game though you control a party of three consisting of four possible classes and all characters in your party are replaceable. You basically have a tank, a healer, a ranged dps and a melee dps to choose from to create your parties but your control over the characters doesn’t end there, you also work the talents of each member of your party at the same time! You have six buttons at the bottom of your screen for combat, two each for the classes you choose. So for your tank to do taunt you have to select the skill that does that, then hit the healer’s buttons choosing the type of heal you want and hit your ranged dps or melee’s special attacks. They are standard key-bound to 1-6 which means on my Razer Naga Expert MMO gaming mouse they are assigned to six thumb buttons so just like D3 can be played entirely with the mouse. It takes a bit of getting used to doing the tank attacks, melee specials then healing your party so no one falls because falling is another unusual aspect of this game.

Drop Dead:

So one of your party gets his rear beat down, it definitely happens when you are getting used to the game. If it happens too often in this game the character takes permanent damage. After a few knockdowns one of the character’s arm might get crushed and it will have permanent 20% drop in strength. If it gets knocked down a few more times it might get a leg permanently mutilated lowering the character’s stamina. If the character takes too much permanent damage it simply drops dead and you have to get a new member for you team. Depending on how bad the damage is you might be able to use weapons or implants to balance the character’s damage or you might just replace them. Replacing them though brings a new member to the team and the more time a member experiences with a team the better they work as part of the team! So experience and injury can be permanent on a character and effect the team as a whole. Also just like weapons and implants their are varying colors of strength and rarity to the mercenaries so some might not be such an upgrade in the short run but after maturity will be far superior.

Game Over Man, Game Over?:

The game is designed to actually have no end, much like many other games it is designed with end game play that should provide countless hours of struggling deeper underground into the mineshaft. Also this game is never the same twice due to seeding so if you get bored with end game you can restart it, build your team differently, take different paths and basically play a whole new game with whole new characters.

Multi-Pass… Err.. Multiplayer:

Another way the game keeps going is the planned implementation of multiplayer. At release there is a button on the front page for multiplayer but for now it is only offline. The nice thing is that when multiplayer starts up you can use your same characters online and any advancement of your characters online or offline accumulate together and count toward each other.

Last Call:

Krater is a game that plays a bit like Diablo 3 with theming just like Borderlands but has excellent depth that is all it’s own. The game is constantly evolving now and the plans are for that to continue. Playing it week by week and with different team setup and character builds should make it a different game every time. Seeding makes it so that even if you take the same path each time it should always be different with different random rewards resulting in different builds. All this on Steam so no server subscriptions and the price is an insanely affordable $14.99 for the core game or $19.99 for the game, soundtrack and Dr. Cerebro Pack (first DLC). If you still aren’t convinced here is a gameplay video and a cutscene music video.

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Gratuitous Tank Battles Review (PC/Steam)

2012/06/05

Ripper71

News, Reviews

I have always loved tower defense games, been playing them since, well probably since there have been tower defense games. So it doesn’t take long to convince me to play one for hours to review it. When you have really good tower defense games that include tower offense games the real trick is to get me to stop playing it long enough to review it. That was the case with Gratuitous Tank Battles on Steam.

War! What Is It Good For? Gaming!:

God Save The King! He is over 200 years old! Ok, ok, I am sure it is a different king but the same World War I has been raging for two centuries in this alternate universe. Apparently technology has advanced but mankind is still hanging on to the same war and all roads are lined with turrets and soldiers. The storyline doesn’t run heavily through the game, mostly in the briefings before missions but it is kind of interesting that you are leading a 200 year old fight and the player’s guide is called “King George’s Army Warfare Manual Version 2,415c” and written in a distinctly British manner. If you pick up the game I highly recommend you read it even if you feel comfortable with the gameplay because it is so filled with humor it makes for a terrific read.

Gameplay:

The game is a 2D tower defense which has a fairly standard setup but very unique variety of units that alone brings on gameplay addiction. Because it is the same war for over 200 years they have kept the weapons that work right and created new ones using the new technology. As a result there are tanks and turrets straight out of WWI and then there are laser weaponary and mechs as well making for some interesting decisions as to whether the tried and true or the fancy and new weapons are the best for the particular terrain, placement locations and enemy forces involved. The game also allows something most games of this type don’t in that you can choose to be either the attacker or defender each time you play a map and you can play maps multiple times. So instead of getting just one try at any map you get two and hopefully you have success at one or the other to unlock the next map or two. If you lose a map you get a consolation upgrade, if you win you get to pick between two better upgrades. Either way though the enemies on that map and any map get more difficult so you want to make sure you aren’t trying to pad yourself so much on the lower maps that the higher maps become near impossible but at the same time you don’t want to move up maps too fast when you aren’t upgraded enough. It is truly a game of balances all the way around and I was really tempted to label it a strategy game rather than a tower defense because it has just as much strategy as say a game like StarCraft II just without the building of bases. Also much like StarCraft and other strategy games there are medals you can unlock and achievements to unlock on your Steam account in case you crave prestige as much as you do victory.

I found myself choosing to have tanks escortings mechs on attacks and giant WWI turret cannons being defended by lasers on defense with soldiers also playing a key role in both defense and offense and may make the difference in holding or breaking lines of defense. Individual units can be given target instructions throughout the engagement but it is important to know that once an attacker’s vehicle starts rolling down a certain path there is no stopping it. Also if the speed of the game is moving too slow or too fast for your taste that too can be adjusted. It all comes down to personal style and strategic planning so what seems like a simple tower defense game involves much more thought than many strategy games and has proven at to me to be more addictive.

Graphics and Sound:

The sound in the game is excellent and the graphics are terrific and far better than many games of the same genre. They even have an infrared mode for the night fighting which looks great and is a blast to use. Watching the mechs walking, the shells exploding or the lasers firing becomes so much fun that I on occasion sped up and slowed down play to watch the action, I tried to be watching in slow motion during most unit explosions for the thrill of it. I also played with firecrackers as a kid.

Map Editor:

I know plenty of people who would want the game for this element alone. You can custom design your own maps then upload them to the community so that other players can try beating them. Since there is no multiplayer I think of this as a very nice consolation since seeing people enjoy a map you designed can be just as satisfying as beating them up, especially if the map beats them up for you. It is a straight forward grid system but that works just fine if you have a creative and strategic mind, let’s face it some of the maps in the game are devilish enough that I fall just short of calling it’s designer “evil.” I did on occasion get completely choked to death at choke points.

Multiplayer:

Just in case you missed the above there is no multiplayer, though the game’s design lends itself so much to one that maybe a patch, DLC or sequel may include one. Personally I am satisfied with building the maps to kick arses.

Last Call:

This game has a really fun story premise, great maps, terrific unit selection and a very nice look to it. Throw in a map editor and I think it is actually selling the game short calling it a tower defense and think it should be under the category of strategy, for most of the maps and challenges take a strategic mind. To prove this on some maps I just tried throwing just anything wildly at the enemy while attacking or defending and found without the right choices the battles turn out disastrous. If a map is not designed well by yourself the community will tear it apart right along with your reputation. If you like strategy games or “the thinking man’s 2D tower defense” then this is definitely a game for you. It is only $20 on Steam and the number of maps you get is limited only by the community. Cheers Positech, excellent game.

Classic Gaming Showcase #5 Golden Axe (PC/MicroConsole/Sega/OnLive)

2012/06/05

Ripper71

Articles, News, Reviews

There was once a time when the hub of social activity was the video arcade, where loud games noises and Journey music bombarded you while you played your favorite game and flirted with the big haired blonde next to you. Quarters lined the edge of the playing screen or pinball table as people used them to hold their spots in line for the next game while they watched the current players trying to pick up new tricks and tips. One of the shining beacons in these arcades was a game called Golden Axe where you got to choose from three characters and hack and slash your way through a wonderful barbaric environment where the only thing faster than the action was how fast the game ate your quarters. Everyone had a favorite character to play and the lines were always long. As consoles slowly killed the video arcade, Golden Axe going to the Genesis was definitely one of the coffin nails in the dying social scene. I can play at home with my best friend as long as I want and only pay one price? Yes please!

As a result the arcades slowly died off becoming occasional sites and novelties but the Genesis became so much stronger with the release of Golden Axe that Golden Axe II came out on the system before it went to the arcade. It was the beginning of the console era, a time which is still going strong with it’s only competition being PC games. It is on the PC and MicroConsole that OnLive has brought back this great gaming classic for a hack and slash trip down memory lane.

Storyline:

The storyline for the game is a pretty straight forward fantasy one: Death Adder has taken the royal family and the magic symbol of the land Golden Axe hostage and threatens to destroy them all if the people do not bend to his rule. Three adventurers: a warrior, an amazon and a barbarian set off together to free the kingdom of Yuria from the grip of Death Adder. On the way they must defeat the many minions of Death Adder and use all their fighting skills to survive. The storyline is mostly told through cut-screens but the game does try to infuse the story where it can. To most though it is their favorite adventurer they remember instead of Death Adder and his schemes. It was a hack and slash and most people remember the hacking characters far more.

Gameplay:

Gameplay was standard for the Sega Genesis with three buttons and directionals which is the same setup whether you use the keyboard or an OnLive controller (microconsole or PC). One button is dedicated to the magic potion attacks which are stronger with the more potions you gather throughout the game. Each adventurer has their own special attack that they do with the potions, my favorite was the dwarf barbarian who caused lightning to strike everywhere on the screen. The other two buttons were dedicated to attack and jump which could be used in combination to make a jumping attack or a special character combo if the buttons are hit at the same time. For example if you hit the jump and attack on the barbarian he did a rolling attack. There is also the occasional creature you can ride for attacks, one of which is a Cockatrice which came right out of Altered Beast where it was an enemy (both games were made by the same company). For the most part though you hack and slash, when the enemies get tough or too thick in numbers you use your magic potion attacks to thin them out. Another use for the potion is if a bunch of enemies take you down, when you revive you can use a potion to knock them all down and give you a chance to regroup and reposition on the screen. Though it is a hack and slash there is some strategy involved such as high ground and potion use for the most part you are hitting the attack button like a madman with a big grin on your face.

Graphics/Sound:

The graphics and sound of the game are terrific and definitely bring the feeling of the old arcade/console play. They are probably even a little better than some of the same time because they use the same enemies over and over with just different color outfits. You have minions with maces and clubs, skeletons and knights but they all look the same which enabled them to make the action fast and the graphics quality better. I know that back in the day it didn’t seem like that much of an issue, I had actually forgotten about it until I started playing it again for this review. At the time you would say “uh-oh! here come the gold ones!” and think how nice the graphics looked as you hacked away. It seemed like a good tradeoff then and really didn’t bother me that much now because I think of the time the game was made.

Last Call:

I got so into Golden Axe that I was almost late for an appointment because I was hacking away and not watching the clock. The game is a great representative of it’s time and for people who lived through it is probably dripping with nostalgia that still holds up as a good play to this day. It is also part of OnLive’s 200+ PlayPack this is only $9.99 a month which wouldn’t have lasted you an hour in the arcades back then or bought you the cartridge. If you still aren’t sure you can go to http://www.onlive.com/promote where you can demo just about every OnLive game they have and see if the $10 PlayPack is a good investment to you. Make sure to catch OnLive at booth 535 at E3 2012, it shouldn’t be hard to find they have a terrific interactive booth. Pick up some swag for me!

Razer Naga Expert MMO 2012 (Review)

2012/06/05

Ripper71

News, Reviews

When it comes to buying a mouse people often think “well this is just something my hand will be covering all the time, one is as good as another” and pick up whatever one is on sale or buy on brand recognition alone. I have to admit, I was guilty of it myself: I have first gen G15 gaming keyboard, an amazing SyncMaster XL2370 monitor, and a hand built computer that has a 50 pound case designed to cool your computer like a car that has never overheated even here in the Nevada desert. My mouse was $20, normally $25. I used it for a long time. When I came on board with GamingShogun, my Editor-In-Chief heard what I was using and immediately shipped me a Microsoft SideWinder X8 mouse (ed. note: I miss you Sidewinder team!) and I immediately realized why. My gaming abilities went up immediately across most genres and I never went back to the old mouse. Due to a back injury, I found myself using a wireless keyboard and mouse on a laptop to get some gaming done and that worked well enough but never was really that comfortable. Also, in WoW I am a clicker which means I hit the number buttons with my mouse, which is a slower play style and in raids can mean the difference between win or wipe. To sum this up, I have to pick and choose what I review in which part of the house and plan my gaming day around it. If a game has too many keys, I rest my back a couple days then get up on my gaming rig. Recently, some gaming mice have added a lot more buttons as well as software interfaces that interact with MMOs, making setup from macros to screen display a breeze. Enter the 2012 Razer Naga Expert MMO gaming mouse.

Specs:

It is always good to get the specs out there so you know what we are working with and know nice and early if this product is likely to fit your needs. Here you go, straight from the mouth of Razer!

Product Details:

The best-selling MMO gaming mouse of all time, the Razer Naga, is evolving to take the MMO games of the next generation head-on. Engineered for improved comfort and control, the all-new Razer Naga comes with optimized button placement, three interchangeable side grips to suit your personal grip style, and is powered by Razer Synapse 2.0.

17 MMO-optimized buttons

Effortlessly access more spells, abilities, and macros with a total of 17 mouse buttons, including Razer’s revolutionary 12-button thumb grid. The new Razer Naga features 2 mouse buttons behind the scroll wheel to deliver better ergonomic control as you game.

Three interchangeable side panels

Three interchangeable side panels provide an optimized fit for different hand sizes and grip styles, ensuring maximum ergonomic comfort to last you through lengthy raids and grinds.

Razer Synapse 2.0

Razer Synapse 2.0 is cutting-edge intuitive proprietary software that functions as the Razer Naga’s brain – automatically syncing the gaming mouse to a cloud server to download driver and firmware updates, as well as save individual gamer settings without you needing to lift a finger. Specifically for the Razer Naga, Razer Synapse 2.0 capabilities will be expanded to store settings for a custom Razer in-game UI designed just for MMO players.

17 MMO-optimized buttons (including 12 button thumb grid)
3 interchangeable side panels
Razer Synapse 2.0 enabled
5600dpi Razer Precision 3.5G Laser Sensor
1000Hz Ultrapolling / 1ms response time
200 inches per second max tracking speed
Zero-acoustic Ultraslick mouse feet
Approximate Size : 116mm/4.57″ (Length) x 78mm/3.07″ (Width) x 42mm/1.65″ (Height)
Approximate Weight: 134g/0.30lbs

Setting Up And Using The Software:

So part of the deal with the mouse for me was the it came with software, called “Synapse 2.0”, specifically designed to interact with your games and hardware – it works with several different Razer devices and is stored in the cloud. The reason for this is so that if you get the game set just the way you want it you can plug the mouse into another system such as your laptop, connect to Synapse 2.0 and all your settings are instantly downloaded to the system and ready to go! This is one of the better uses of the cloud that I have seen and makes it so that you can match the game settings you are used to everywhere you go without the slightest trouble. The interface is very easy and quick to set in the first place and includes the ability to create macros, so if your game does not normally support macros this software will or if you want macros of your macros this is a quick and easy way to do it. I don’t like to use all caps in a story, yet alone with bold but this next statement is important. ALL 17 BUTTONS ON THIS MOUSE ARE PROGRAMMABLE. There are default settings for all of them, but you can even change what the standard right, left and wheel assignments are which is extremely rare in the mouse world. It is a recent addition that I could see being heavily utilized in some games where one button may be assigned to movement instead of both. One of the nice things about the software showed when I went into World of Warcraft to work on my Darkmoon dailies and the action items were automatically assigned to the number 3 button so that my standard mouse buttons are still available for movement and clicking on NPCs or items. The entire default setup to WoW makes it so that if your actions are assigned to the right locations and macros you should never have to use the keyboard. Here is a tutorial on setting up the Synapse 2.0 that showcases a lot of the features of the program because honestly a whole article, maybe two, could be dedicated to it alone.

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Hands-On Time:

So here is where everything matters. The mouse can look sexy, which it really does with light up side buttons, wheel and a logo that fades in and out, but function is everything when it comes to a mouse. If the software setup is there but the mouse doesn’t read movements or clicks well then it becomes a USB toy you stick aside to look pretty. The first game I hit with it was WoW since, when it comes to MMOs, this one is the monster. As I mentioned before, it assigned a button for additional actions automatically and if you looked at the video above you saw that it also has a default interface setup that when I checked it out looks a lot like a raiding setup and makes more sense than how I had them before. It was startling how different it was but once I got used to it I liked it. Just be prepared, it places your action bars right in the middle in front of you instead of on the sides which makes it easier to keep an eye on cool downs while fighting as well as placing buttons closer together for faster clicking if you need to do it.

The real sweetness of this mouse is the easy elimination of keyboard clicking as, with 17 programmable buttons, you can easily be almost 100% mouse-played. Everything that is done with the keyboard can assigned to the mouse or a little bit of the interface clicking so that a person who has any disability that makes having a keyboard or laptop on their body or limited to one hand can do everything after the start up of the computer with just the mouse. I went into a battleground in WoW and was amazed by how much better my game became while only using my Razer mouse. There are, however, two possible drawbacks to this feature: your right hand might become much stronger than your left and you may find yourself snacking more because your left hand is completely free. I was drinking a beverage through the whole battleground with my left hand while my right hand was tearing up the enemy and causing players to try to scatter.

One of my first concerns with the Naga’s array of buttons is that they might have been too small. I have huge, meaty hands (ed. note: The hands of a titan!) that could easily hide any mouse in my palm. How would my big, sloppy fingers hit all 12 of those side buttons cleanly? I figured at worst I would use the first 6 buttons to start with and then use the “training stickers” provided by Razer to train my fingers to hit the right buttons. What I realized was that I didn’t have the problem I expected, possibly because my hands are used to the small buttons of phones, but the important thing was I easily and quickly used all 12 of them on the battlefields. It didn’t take my hand long to create a muscle memory for my thumb to know where the buttons were and my mind quickly connected my thumb location with certain attacks so that I was constantly just moving my thumb. I did find I had to get used to a slightly lighter hold on the mouse than I was used to but I adjusted to that quickly. I would click on an enemy with the left button, hit the Charge button on the side then I rotated through the side buttons with my thumb. I even tested button mashing and it worked pretty well since the buttons are close enough actions which had finished their cool downs went off. If you have spells or actions that share a cool down assigned to the same row of buttons then you know that when you hit a button in that section when you are first learning that you will either pop the spell you want or one like it.

Testing On Other Games:

I am a die-hard fan of FPS and MMOs, I can almost at any given time be found playing one of these. Even if the Synapse 2.0 software isn’t designed to interact with the particular MMO (yet) the default settings are usually perfect for the games already. If it isn’t, you can open Synapse 2.0 and create a group of assignments and settings specifically for the game, title it, and load it before playing. It will all be saved on cloud too so you can save settings for every game you play and have them follow you wherever you might game which is particularly handy with browser based games so that you can load it when you are playing on other people’s systems. Have mouse, will travel. I tested the mouse in the beta for an upcoming game called Heroes And Generals, a nice looking FPS, and the multiplayer for Homefront on OnLive for starts and the responsiveness was terrific giving me flawless movement while at the same I was firing off rounds with razor sharp aim. I started to lose track of time even more than usual because I loved the performance of the mouse and how quickly I could change weapons between the Naga’s responsiveness and it’s dual ways of changing them between the wheel or the buttons on the side. But I had to get some time in on Diablo 3 with it which had been eating up a lot of my recent time. There is no software for this yet but, let’s face it, there aren’t a whole lot of keyboard buttons necessary for it to start with so the buttons on the side cover all the moves and have room to spare. I tested it on other games as well and always have great, smooth movement and great use of the mouse with the default assignment to the side buttons.

Design Diversity:

On my rig I have had two mice hooked up because I am in love with my gaming mouse and my wife has never found them appealing. So whenever she is on my system, such as when she proofreading my articles, she uses a standard ergo mouse. When I plugged in my Razer Naga I found I was having some issues because it was competing for signals with the ergo mouse. Once the ergo mouse was unplugged it was smooth city all the way and brought up another great feature of the mouse. The Naga comes with three interchangeable sides so you can make it feel like an ergo mouse or you can make it feel like a gamer mouse within a couple of seconds. So, if you are playing on someone else’s system, such as a spouse or parent, you now have a mouse that will serve your gaming desires but convert back to the ergo mouse they may be used to.

Last Call:

Razer products have always dependable and there is a reason the Cult of Razer exists. Razer is not just a sexy line of products they are dependable, durable (I forgot to mention the parachute cord nylon cable cover found nowadays on most Razer products) and are truly designed with the player in mind. When the Razer 2012 MMO Expert Gaming Mouse was designed, it was designed with consumers from the casual gamer to the expert in mind. You can practically plug and play or you can change every little detail manually to make everything just-so. Once you have it all set up, it is saved on cloud so you can use it anywhere you go. Let’s face it, $80 is a very affordable price for a gaming mouse these days – but, when you consider all this mouse does, it is a great deal!

Razer is also at E3 2012 in grand fashion so make sure to stop by Booth 5422 or just keep an eye out for their giant logo. They are notorious for great swag too!

Classic Gaming Showcase #4 Altered Beast (PC/MicroConsole/Sega/OnLive)

2012/05/29

Ripper71

Articles, News, Reviews

I was thinking of hopping to a different part of the alphabet for this review but instead I will go with the next one because the games are both from the same creator and even have a same creature between them! But that is for the next installment. This Classic Gaming Showcase almost needs no introduction because it was so popular back then it can still be found in retro arcades around the world and has been re-released and even reinvented on various systems and even watches. For those who haven’t played Altered Beast in a while here are a couple things to help you remember: a god raises you from the dead, your body gets bigger with each power up though your head stays the same size (steroids!) until you get a power up that changes you into a different form, the first level form being a werewolf.

This was so cool at the time and is still pretty dang cool now, not only do you take on this bad ass form it gives you much better attack powers which can make the difference between clearing a level and not. The bosses are quite memorable too since the first one is some giant burial mound looking thing that rips off it’s head a whole bunch of times and throws it at you.

There are five different forms you take while cruising through the different levels besides the “Conan The Barbarian” body build. You are a werewolf, weredragon, werebear, weretiger and golden werewolf, which I guess in some ways is just a more powerful werewolf but you don’t mind because as before stated the werewolf form is bad ass! The levels don’t have save points along them which can be frustrating so you need to remember to use the OnLive save system which allows you to save at any spot in the game and you get multiple save slots. I try to play the games using their own save points if they have them but it can get frustrating to fight your way to the boss, be fully powered up and need to do it all again when the boss takes you down. Little known fact: one of the enemies in this game is a cockatrice which is rideable in Golden Axe which is by the same developers. So you kick it’s butt here and use it to kick butt there!

Storyline:

Zeus needs your help! Neff, one of the Demon Gods of the Underworld, has kidnapped Zeus’s daughter Athena and so Zeus has risen you from the dead to buff up and take different animal forms to save her! Go quickly before Neff does something dastardly while Zeus… I don’t know, takes bets on whether you will make it or combs his beard or something. I mean he is Zeus, wouldn’t he be a better choice than someone who has already died once in service and has to power up to be able to change into a good fighting form… which is a weresomething? I guess Zeus coming down and flicking Neff like a bug would be a bit of a short game, plus everyone who has seen Clash of the Titans knows how snooty and hands-off the Gods like to play it.

Gameplay:

This uses the arrow buttons and a few keyboard buttons just like the other Sega Genesis games in the PlayPack or the thumb controller and 3 buttons on the OnLive controllers for PC and MicroConsole. You punch, kick and jump being able to crouch or standup while doing so. you have melee attacks until you change form at which point you can get some range attacks which really improve your game play. Spawning can be troublesome due to sometimes spawning you in a screen full of enemies which then instantly kill you again so as mentioned before be sure to use the OnLive save system regularly. Beyond that this is a classic game which had such a fun and rewarding play system that pretty soon you forget you are playing a game over two decades old and just start enjoying the challenges.

Graphics/Sound:

They are a thing of 16-bit beauty and hold up to retro games made today to imitate the time period. The graphics are good enough not to detract from play while at the same time bringing back memories of the first times it was played. The sound is perfect right down to Zeus’s lisp at the beginning and sound effects that harken back to a time when they could be cartoonish and still fun and engaging.

Last Call:

This game was a masterpiece of it’s time and has often been revamped, remade and re-envisioned on many systems but when it comes down to it the original is still probably the best. Alien Storm, Altered Beast and Golden Axe would probably make a nice game night since all three have very similar graphics and play styles All three are available as part of the OnLive PlayPack which is only $9.99 a month and if you still aren’t sure give them a test drive at http://www.onlive.com/promote to make sure they are worth your money. You will probably find yourself trying out a bunch of other games while you are there.

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare (PC/Steam)

2012/05/25

Ripper71

News, Reviews

So if you are a fan of the site and regular reader or just someone who is interested in the Alan Wake series and stumbled upon the site while looking up reviews on the game you may have read the review of the game on the Xbox 360 back in March by my colleague and friend MikeySunshine. He has been a rabid fan of Alan Wake from the beginning and knows the lore better than anyone outside the developers probably. So rather than giving a fairly rehashed review of the game since there really weren’t any features added I am going to approach the game from the point of view of someone who never picked up the first. I never got around to picking up Alan Wake and MikeySunshine warned me that American Nightmare might be an odd place to start the story, but here I am doing it anyway.

I went in knowing basically what I had learned from previews and what I couldn’t forget from chats with MikeySunshine when he played it which was mostly about graphics and that this is a side story, not a sequel in the true sense and that is a really good thing to know. Its graphics are pretty good though the subject is mostly contrast between light and dark and the ground is mostly dirt with a few weeds and other desert life. The buildings and vehicles all have a deserted, neglected feel to them that the graphics did a great job of bringing across. Except for the odd person you come across who directly relates to your storyline the whole place is empty except for you, the Taken and Mr. Scratch who thinks he has come up with a way to get you out of his way once and for all. This is where it gets tricky not putting in a spoiler because a key element of the gameplay ties directly and inseparably from the storyline. So the next line is going to be a spoiler… skip it if you want to go into the story as pure as I did.

****SPOILER ALERT****

Mr. Scratch trapped him in a time loop so he plays the same three areas over and over three times. The game runs around 4 hours and is only three maps repeated.

****SPOILER CONCLUDED****

Even with (SPOILER OMITTED) the game still manages to feel fairly fresh as it continues with the enemies getting harder and harder as you go and the weapons getting better and better. You collect pages in this game and they are used to help upgrade your weapons as well as help in the final showdown with Mr. Scratch. Never pass up a page because there is nothing like finding yourself one page short of an upgrade and that upgrade might make the difference in surviving the ever escalating strength of the enemy.

Controls are the same as your standard shooter on the keyboard, one of the biggest limitations being one that is more and more common, only being allowed two weapons at a time. You want the fun satisfaction of killing with the nail gun but you know if things get hairy you’ll wish you had a magnum and an assault rifle. My suggestion is on the lower levels use the fun items because you will probably want the heavy hitters later on. Plus there are supplemental items that take up most of the other numbers where you would store weapons so it does make sense to a degree but personally I like to go into battle with every weapon available.

The storyline is a bit confusing and I won’t go into it too heavily here. If you have played it or don’t mind spoilers you can read MikeySunshine’s review and get just about all of your questions answered. If you want to remain spoiler free keep an eye out for homages to Twilight Zone, Night Gallery (Rod Serling’s often forgotten masterpiece show), the Saw movies, Reservoir Dogs, Natural Born Killers and the Grind House genre of films. Most of the story is told in televisions where real video is shown and in cut-scenes which are also real video. This I think almost takes away from the games graphics because they look a little poor compared to real video but not so much as to really take away from the enjoyment. These combined with what is written on the papers give you the storyline which is pretty good if confusing. I think the final boss battle felt a little anticlimactic but it made complete sense with the storyline so those just playing for the fighting know that though it might seem weak to you it works.

Besides if you are in it for the fighting you REALLY want to play the “Fight ‘Til Dawn” Arcade mode which has you survive waves for ten minutes and if you get high enough scores you unlock more maps and you get more than were in the storyline! This isn’t a new idea in games but it does work well with this game because you have to not only worry about ammo but battery life as well as you run around the maps trying to survive. It takes this kind of map a step further and makes it that much more exciting. I am a storyline guy all the way but honestly I think this was more fun than the campaign and the variety of maps keeps you entertained and once you beat them you can unlock playing them in Nightmare mode. The only problem with this, and some may say it is a pretty glaring problem, is that just like the main storyline it is single player only.

Last Call:

This is one of the harder last calls I have done. I even gave myself an extra day to stew over the game before writing this to make sure I still felt the same. At the time of publication this game is $14.99 which for a stand alone side story game that lasts about four hours almost seems slightly expensive. But then when you consider all of the playtime you get from the Arcade mode it seems very reasonable. So I think I have to put perimeters on my recommendation. If you are a true fan like my buddy MikeySunshine this game is a must have. If you like a good fighting game, especially with a great Arcade mode then this is definitely a game for you, just remember you are playing solo (there are leader boards). If you are new to the series, just care about a storyline and the idea of (SPOILER OMITTED) bothers you then maybe you should wait on this one, start from the beginning and see if you care enough about Alan to follow this journey.

Classic Gaming Showcase #3 Alien Storm (PC/MicroConsole/Sega/OnLive)

2012/05/22

Ripper71

Articles, News, Reviews

Let’s face it we had a pretty decent obsession with aliens back in the days of Sega. Most of us still have that obsession which brings us to revisit games like Alien Storm and find dozens of other outer worldly creations that go bump in the night. For now we will pass up on nocturnal fixations (probing!) and talk about a game which had one of the most interesting takes of all time on aliens: possession. Ok Ok I know you are saying that really isn’t that much of an interesting take but I didn’t finish… possession… of mail boxes. Here you are walking down the street right after some UFO (well it is an alien saucer so it is identified) buzzes you, carrying some giant fancy plasma gun, whip or flame thrower and all of a sudden the phone booths and mail boxes come to life and start opening a can of whoop ass. Speaking of which, the garbage cans open whoop ass cans themselves! Good thing you were walking along heavily armed!

Storyline:

You are part of a group called “Alien Busters” and aliens want to dominate the Earth so you are here to stop them! That’s about it.

Gameplay:

It is kinda fun to run around attacking every object you see in the streets! You use all the arrow keys because the game is a side scroller with depth so you find yourself needing to move up and down to dodge and land attacks. But then the game suddenly becomes a first person rail shooter sliding sideways as you shoot up enemies in a warehouse earning energy for the next level.

Then it is back to the side scrolling play for some more action and boss fights. Then suddenly you are on a running level moving really, really fast and your only way to get through is by shooting, moving up and down and jumping over enemies. For a moment it throws you for a loop and you might take some damage but it is fun because once again it has changed up the play style. And these are the things that really make the game work. Sure it is fun and funny to have garbage cans and mailboxes come to life or fight aliens that look like the Creature From The Black Lagoon or The Thing (the original with Kurt Russel) but most of the games real fun lies in it’s ability to change between styles so much, a diversity we really don’t see in games much except the occasional “mini-game.” If the game play gets too hairy you can use your energy for special weapons attacks.

Graphics/Sound Effects:

The graphics aren’t great and they aren’t bad, they are actually a decent example of games at that time. I remember playing some other games on systems with almost identical movement just very different themes. The music has the wonderful arcade/console music style of the time and just adds to the charm. The game looks old school but has quality play that has stood up to the test of time.

Last Call:

When it comes to playing the classic Sega games it really comes down to feelings of nostalgia, history, and having fun with games that were in a way often simpler. This game has no deep plot, uses arrow buttons and a few keys (or three buttons and a thumb control on the controller) but it is fun to play, a silly premise and can be a challenge with the change ups in play style. This game is a great example of why we pick these retro games up and give another go at them and there are around 40 of them in the OnLive $9.99 a month PlayPack with over 160 other games. If that isn’t enough of a seller, you can demo them and just about every other one of the games that OnLive offers at http://www.onlive.com/promote and make sure it is worth your money.

Classic Gaming Showcase #2: Alien Soldier (PC/MicroConsole/Sega/OnLive)

2012/05/14

Ripper71

Articles, News, Reviews

This was a game I thought I hadn’t played before based on reading the premise because I didn’t understand the premise. I was right but that was luck. I am all for a nice rich storyline but this set some insanely lofty goals when it came to the idea behind this side scrolling shooter. You play Epsilon Eagle, a robot/animal/human parasite that co-exists with each of it’s parts including it’s eagle head. He was the head of a criminal organization which was attacked and he was forced to hide in a young boy’s body until his rival Xi-Tiger forced him into a rage and caused him to morph and began a continuing battle between his good and evil sides. So there are good and bad guys playing out in a soap opera, or badly written Sci-Fi storyline, that when partially told in a scrolling Prologue is confusing and bordering on painful. If you can ignore this, and you can, you will experience one of the hardest side scrolling shooters around with so many bosses that it got listed in the 2010 Guinness World Records Game Edition.

Storyline:

AVOID! Actually it is dramatic enough for a good laugh if you can figure it out. It even has… DUN DUN DUN… an evil twin!!

Controls/Gameplay:

The game is a side scrolling shooter with three buttons to represent the three on the original Sega system and arrow keys for movement. One button is for shooting, one for jumping, pretty standard stuff for a side scroller but where it gets interesting is the third button which was traditionally reserved for special attacks. In this game it allows you to cycle through your weapons, which you can trade out along the way for different ones. In today’s shooters this is a pretty common thing but back in day when this came out it was pretty unheard of. Also different enemies are weak against different weapons so you find yourself cycling through at lightning speed to find the weapon of choice. Some of the enemies you will attack with a certain weapon and just watch it bounce off without any effect while they hit you with deadly accuracy and I am just mentioning the standard enemies. The boss fights (of which there are almost three dozen) each have weapon and logistics challenges. Honestly this game should be a gauntlet to be thrown down for anyone who brags about beating boss fights or being experts at side scrolling. Just ignore the storyline and use OnLive’s save system so that you don’t have to keep working your way through the whole level to get back to the boss.

Graphics/Sound:

The graphics are excellent for their time with the sound and music working well with them to pull the player into the game and get them quickly immersed. Even though the boss battles are difficult, the play is addicting so it is nice that the graphics aren’t an eyesore or that the music or sound effects are too annoying. It is surprising how these simple things can make the difference between playing on or giving up on a game in a rough patch, which can occur with so many bosses.

Last Call:

Honestly I was worried about this game after the scrolling intro, which I kept watching over and over to understand. I was afraid this was a rarely seen game for a reason, but once you get past the story this is an excellent side scrolling shooter with plenty of challenges but also more options weapon-wise than gamers were used to at the time. This game not only holds up it is an excellent challenge for any gamer. It is also part of OnLive’s $9.99 a month subscription plan which includes over 200 other games. If you still need to make sure it is your taste, you can demo it from OnLive’s new demo link list at http://www.onlive.com/promote or even better yet, challenge that friend that always brags about beating bosses to complete the game. Just don’t make them follow the story, that is just cruel.

Classic Gaming Showcase #1: Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle (PC/MicroConsole/Sega/OnLive)

2012/05/08

Ripper71

Articles, News, Reviews

This is the first installment of an ongoing series dedicated to the games we loved and the games we missed over the years. OnLive recently made a deal with Sega to carry a bunch of Genesis classics as well as some greatly loved games by other companies giving us the opportunity to enjoy the roots of gaming on a modern platform. Hope you enjoy them as much as we are!

Alex Kidd got around in his day as the mascot for Sega in the earlier part of the 80’s, he was the precursor to Sonic and hung around a while after the hedgehog hit the scene and stole the spotlight. He was a vaguely monkey looking boy who did martial arts attacks as part of his fighting style but also played a mean round of rock, paper, scissors… an odd edition to a game which made it stand out in most people’s memories who played it. Also Alex’s adventures were not limited to just jump kicking and rock, paper, scissoring, in Enchanted Castle he gets to ride a motorcycle, a helicopter like vehicle and there is even swimming involved. With such diverse gameplay it is kind of surprising that the Kidd got beat out by Sonic, but Sega backed their blue rolling hedgehog as the competition against a certain plumber on the Nintendo system and the rest is history. Luckily Alex has made a reappearance to remind us what we left behind.

Controls:

The controls are simple whether you use the keyboard or the OnLive controllers so it is more a matter of picking up the timing of jumps and strikes than anything when it comes to controlling. If you use the keyboard you move with the arrow keys and ASD and if the controller you use the left stick and XAB. Since the Genesis had a simple controller they are replicated very easily. It’s getting used to the controls well enough to kick a moving car through the windshield that can be the challenge.

Gameplay:

As mentioned above the gameplay is very diverse. You run, swim, ride a motorcycle, fly a helicopter, even hopping on a pogo stick. As a result the game never really begins to feel like the same thing over and over, instead you start to wonder what you will be doing next. And if fighting gets a bit boring to you you can always gamble at rock, paper, scissors which was probably a lot better to put into a kids game than blackjack. Probably the biggest drawback to gameplay would be that one hit from an enemy and you die which doesn’t always seem fair when you find yourself surrounded. Normally I might also complain about save locations but OnLive has placed it’s own individual save system into the game making that old concern mute.

Graphics/Sound:

For their time the graphics are good and yet still have the nostalgic 16-bit graphics that marked the time. The sound and music are fun and hokey too making this a stroll down memory lane for some and a lesson in what graphics used to look like for those who were too young to be playing games in 1989. The graphics and sound definitely add to the game’s fun rather than detract.

Last Call:

Alex Kidd was a strong character in his time, knocked out only by Sega backing Sonic as their main contender to Mario. This game has more diverse gameplay than some games you will find out there today and it was all done in a 16 bit universe. Take the time to get used to the controls before giving up on what is a nicely done adventure, you’ll find it worth the effort. The game is also part of OnLive’s 200 game PlayPack bundle for $9.99 a month along with about 40 other Sega classics. If you still aren’t convinced you can go to http://www.onlive.com/promote and demo this and just about every other OnLive game they have. Give it a try!

OnLive Celebrates 200 Games In PlayPack

2012/04/20

Ripper71

Articles, News, Previews

In honor of crossing the 200 game mark in their PlayPack, OnLive is offering the first month for $2.00 with each additional month for the normal $9.99 and are having the following events:

4/20: 200 minutes of Multiplayer Madness in Homefront starting at 3pm PDT

4/21&22: Brag Clip Challenge where you get to show off your best skills or goriest kills

4/23: Guess the Game and Write the Caption Contest

4/24: Watch Andrew Hume of S.P.A.Z. show his game skills and show off some new features starting at 1pm PDT

4/25: OnLive Community Manager does a live streaming PlayPack broadcast starting at 2pm PDT

4/26: Peter Nagy from Game Farms will discuss and show some skills in Air Conflicts: Secret Wars at 9am PDT

4/27: At 2pm PDT starts “School Time” where OnLive commentators watch different players and do a play by play letting you know who ruled and who got schooled

Be sure to sign up for the Play To Win Sweepstakes for an ASUS Transformer Prime Tablet and play all of the PlayPack games you can for entries and possibly a special avatar!

For more information go to http://www.facebook.com/OnLive