Where it falters is the excessive melodrama. Where it shines is how it upholds the essence of Tomb Raider. A good game, if not a great one.
Tuesday, 1 July 2014
Thursday, 8 May 2014
Rayman Origins
Rayman Origins is a grand return. A 2d platformer this joyous, for lack of a better word, was probably last seen way back in 1995 with Yoshi's Island for the Super Nintendo.
Why is Rayman Origins destined to be a classic? Because it proves that certain fundamental aspects of gaming that some might consider outdated only ever need a reinforcement.
It is a celebration of life.
Wednesday, 7 May 2014
Spelunky
I'll start this blog not with an introduction, but with what I believe is a masterstroke of game design etiquette, suavity and brevity. Spelunky, is, in one word, a gamer's wet dream, like another reviewer I don't quite remember from where, had said once.
Spelunky is about an Indiana Jones-esque explorer who traverses mines, jungles, alien landscapes in search of loot. It has roguelike elements in it, but it is also a platformer, which means that collecting said loot requires a certain basic amount of proficiency with the controls. The areas are jam packed and not very open ended, which means that you have to be careful while making your way across scorpions, spiders, and other creatures. One wrong step could kill you, and you'd have to start all over. But that is hardly a turn off, since each and every death happens because of a very definite, tangible reason which you can control. You have no excuse for dying in the same way again. The game is anything but unfair.
The graphics are really fancy in the X-Box remake which (thankfully) got ported to the PC. But I think somewhere down the line I preferred the look of the pixelated and free to download original.
Spelunky is a great game. It'll go down in history as the epitome of what the indie game movement is all about: bringing gaming back to it's bare and necessary essentials.
10/10
Spelunky is about an Indiana Jones-esque explorer who traverses mines, jungles, alien landscapes in search of loot. It has roguelike elements in it, but it is also a platformer, which means that collecting said loot requires a certain basic amount of proficiency with the controls. The areas are jam packed and not very open ended, which means that you have to be careful while making your way across scorpions, spiders, and other creatures. One wrong step could kill you, and you'd have to start all over. But that is hardly a turn off, since each and every death happens because of a very definite, tangible reason which you can control. You have no excuse for dying in the same way again. The game is anything but unfair.
The graphics are really fancy in the X-Box remake which (thankfully) got ported to the PC. But I think somewhere down the line I preferred the look of the pixelated and free to download original.
Spelunky is a great game. It'll go down in history as the epitome of what the indie game movement is all about: bringing gaming back to it's bare and necessary essentials.
10/10
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