1001 Spikes is a 2D platforming adventure title in the style of older NES titles such as Mega Man, Super Mario and particularly draws a large influence from Spelunker. The Wii U version of the title features off-screen play and controls very well on the GamePad as well as the Pro Controller. This title is a sidescroller, that while difficult at times, has a very responsive and refreshing control scheme and style. You advance through stages while collecting loot and dodging enemies with a one hit death style. The game limits you to 1001 lives throughout the entire game, which at first seems like a lot but as you advance can dwindle fast if you arenât careful. The game also features a multiplayer mode that is stylized like Mario Bros where you battle with up to three additional players to survive and defeat foes to collect points. I had a large amount of fun with both modes of the game and despite frustration at points, I did push on and enjoyed each and every bit of the game.
When you think of indie games, you think of a booming market of original titles that donât always have the biggest budgets or the shiniest graphic engines, but gain their merit on gameplay and fun factor rather than flash. Thatâs exactly what development studio Vlambeer aimed to present with LUFTRAUSERS which was made available on Steam (as well as PS3 and Vita) during March of this year. Iâll admit I didnât really get the hang of this one quickly, and at first rejected it completely based on how terrible it felt on a keyboard. But once you plug a controller in and really begin to appreciate this game for what it is, I think itâs easy to agree that something different albeit strange was presented by this developer and is worthy of most gamersâ attention.
Thief is a complete disgrace to a long-lasting series which many (including myself) considered a unique and fun classic title of the past. Growing up with PC Gaming and Console gaming, and watching the industry evolve from the Nintendo NES to the Xbox Original (which I played Thiefâs first entry on) was an incredible experience. Back then, it seemed like even the crappiest of games had something to add to the business of creating these interactive experiences we all spent so much of our time inhabiting. Thief was one of those games that had a very unique feel to it despite lots of similarities to games that already existed. It had a signature feel that you probably wonât get, even by replaying the original on its intended hardware. Nostalgia is a double edged sword. People think they can go back in time and relive the classics just because a remake, reboot, or remaster is released. Unfortunately many times this is not true.
Crimsonland is another one of those amazingly fun, top-down survival shooter titles. It has a quest mode serving up 6 chapters across 3 difficulties, and each chapter has around 10 stages. There are also multiple interpretations of Survival mode including one that challenges players to win with no weapons at all as well as another in which each weapon only has one clip and spawns in random places on the map. Players can compete in online leader-boards across all stages of the game.
The enemies display good A.I. that doesnât always just run towards you and instead sometimes takes thought out paths with strategic elements to them. Players have to grab power-ups (called Perks in the game) fast and have to decide rapidly in the moment which power-ups are most important as you often cant always get to every one of them. Some weapons are powerful but harder to use than others and many only play to a particular play-style meaning you must also choose wisely which weapons you pick up. Strangely, enemies seem to sometimes destroy power-ups before you get a chance to grab them but other times can walk right over them. This means they didnât try to take a bite of it. One of the many, many perks available allows players to be the immune carrier of a virus that enemies will become infected with if they take a bite of you.
Often times the challenge in each level was very well thought out and relates to not just the mass amount of enemies you face but also the power-ups and weapons given to you with which to strategically defeat them. Crimsonland proves easy to get into but becomes difficult and before you know it enemies are multiplying, popping up invisible, spawning new hives, rapidly running enemies, and even laser blasting enemies that can produce a bullet hell situation causing players to tread carefully.
Players will have to prioritize which enemies give them the most trouble according to their play-style and attempt to take those out first. Some of the most powerful weapons are spread weapons that require good aim since they spread very loosely over long distances. Worse still, the most viscous enemies run fast, and the best weapons often take a long amount of time to reload. For example, the plasma shotgun is one such weapon that I found to be a favorite due to its high damage and ability to take out hordes at once, but those shots had to be aimed well for quickly running enemies and couldnât be wasted on easy to down enemies since the reload wait was a bit dangerous to toy with.
Iâm not sure if this can become a problem or not for some players but enemies can walk off-screen. Killing them off-screen may or may not result in power-ups being dropped where the player canât reach them. Luckily the game is very balanced overall so this is more of an expert note for those seeking to maximize their skills in the various survival modes offered.
Thereâs a great amount of weapons in the game that you unlock as you play through quest mode stages. Each time you start most stages though, you have to begin with the pistol again and work your way up based on what pops up. perks are also unlocked as you go and picked up randomly in the same manner. Other stages will be specifically designed for a specific weaponâs use and serve as a training and / or challenge for the player to master that weapon. Of course, this is easily avoided by grabbing something else that falls from enemies, but the game is not always easier to complete that way.
Sometimes enemies spawn from hives, a la Gauntlet style, and of course youâll have a never ending amount of them until you destroy the hive. 4 player local co op is sweet but the absence of online co op in this day and age is pretty upsetting. Itâs difficult to say how much this actually takes away from the title though, since itâs so badass â but a lot of people wonât even give it a chance after hearing this due to the inherent value proposition thatâs missing without an online mode. Power-up perks include speed, nuking the screen, freezing enemies, setting off shots in all directions, slow motion, uranium filled bullets, and a ton more. Seriously, thereâs tons of perks and a lot of them are very creative. The graphics play a major role in making this game feel very solid. paired with simple controls and reliable hit detection, thereâs nothing to really complain about here. Sound design leaves nothing to complain about, and I take that as a huge plus because top-down shooters like this donât usually have polished sound effects like Crimsonland does.
Final Verdict:
This is one of the more well polished indie games that obviously has been given a lot of play-testing and thought to its design. tons of fun, easy to jump in as well as come back to and yet still challenges you. Itâs an excellent top-down shooter with excellent quality to it and a lot of thought put into it. Particular aspects that stand out include level design, fun factor, and replay value. Once Quest Mode is defeated in all difficulties (which will take you a good chunk of sessions), the endless survival modes are kept fresh by all of the perks and weapons youâve unlocked. The only real down point of this game is that it doesnât have online multiplayer, and even though it does have local co-op, that just feels like a slap in the face. But itâs a slap in the face youâll gladly take once you discover how awesome this game is!
Overall Score: 9.25 / 10
RGN Rating: Gold Game
Developer / Publisher: 10tons
Available On: PS4 | PC
Handheld Version: Vita (Coming Soon in August)
Played On: Sony PlayStation 4
Review Copy Info: Two digital copies of this game were provided to RealGamerNewz for the purpose of this Review.
Heroes Rise: HeroFall is an interactive fiction like no other. Continuing the saga of previous titles in the franchise, players are able to start fresh or load a save file from Heroes Rise: The Hero Project in this third entry into the series. In previous entries, a supernatural reality television series became the center focus as contestants with Infini Powers had to battle and vote their way through to the win. Things turned out a bit different than planned though, and some mysteries became uncovered as others sprung up.
Essentially this game is inspired by the IF (Interactive Fiction) genre of yesteryear which saw players typing their actions after reading about their circumstances and surroundings. However, a new twist is taken as a more intuitive interface has been introduced in the form of a multiple choice style graphic user interface. No more guesswork or reading lists of commands to take the magic away. Full immersion can be experienced now as players read, enter text at key moments, view their stats / achievements at any time, and select their decisions easily and simply with their mouse. For those who say they donât like reading, well thatâs fine â I used a program to read the text aloud to me!
Assuming you havenât read the previous interactive novels in the series, players start off by creating their character. Using a list of preset names, or typing in your own custom name, and selecting Male, Female, or âMy gender is more complicated than thatâ begins the journey through this title. After selecting this and a few other details about yourself, players are given the option to read a recap of what has occurred through the previous installments.
Once youâre all caught up, the real action begins. Or, at least a prologue to the action! Deciding what kind of hero you want to be ushers in the beginning of your journey. If you havenât figured it out by now, Heroes Rise is all about an ordinary person with extraordinary abilities rising from normalcy in order to make a change in the world. Beyond that, this hero (you as a player) is also on a personal quest to relieve the stigma placed on those who parented you and have been handed life sentences, in desperate need of redemption. Thatâs where you come in.
Making decisions as you go which can alter the fate of your character, engaging in dialogue trees which also give you freedom of choice, and deciding what to do with your rivals will define the integrity of the hero you play as. Through this definition of character the chance to redeem your parents and become a legend among the people is presented. Players must choose your actions, and who you place trust in very carefully in this road of twists and turns!
Heroes Rise: HeroFall fictional version of america in which some have natural born powers while others have artificially infused Infini Powers, and some citizens are just normal human beings. Those without supernatural powers often fear those who have these abilities, and that fear ends up being a catalyst with which a corrupt and evil regime seizes power and control of the country. The gameâs plot makes references to fictional events as well as touches upon real life events to speak about freedom versus control and the use of a fear culture. A major theme in this game is the battle between freedom vs security, a struggle for balance between the two always seems to be at the center of focus.
President Victon is imposing removal of powers from those who have them and is corruptly calling for the death penalty to many who may not truly as guilty as he makes it seem. Parts of the novel read like a standard book while others use the newly crafted multiple choice-based interaction evolved from the classic way IFâs work. Even furthermore, some parts of HeroFall challenge players in a more traditional IF style by forcing them to enter text which can reward or punish the character they are in control of based on how much attention theyâve been paying all along. Unique in-game talk adds a lot of charm to this fictionally world. For example the word âSluggerâ is often used as a cute sort of curse word.
IAP (In-App Purchases) are available in certain situations for those players who donât have in-game money left over from the last two novels, but they are not forced on the player who can instead choose other options. These IAP options being integrated donât take away from gameplay though, and allow an equally compelling experience whether you use them or not.
Final Verdict:
How do you define justice? will you take the easy way out ? or will you push it to the limit, this game will test your moral fiber. Overall, HeroFall presents an emotionally gripping tale that puts you on the edge and starts off packed with action keeping a steady pace throughout while tackling deep issues of bigotry, discrimination, hate, power, corruption, self discovery, and even love. I urge everyone who felt compelled enough to read this review to pick up the game now and play it. Even if you have to use a program to read the text out loud to you, this is an experience you donât want to pass up on. The way it activates your mind, entertains, and challenges players all at the same time is a one of a kind experience that shouldnât be missed.
Divinity: Original Sin is truly DIVINE! No, but seriously, it is a refreshing sign in a slow genre like old school RPGs. If you are looking for an Elder Scrolls type of RPG, then you will be disappointed. But, if you were lucky enough to enjoy Baldurâs Gate 2 way back when (in 2000) then you should be pleasantly surprised, as this is a modern version of Baldurâs Gate. Baldurâs Gate and Divinity go hand in and hand with a lot of their mechanics and that isnât a flaw or a disadvantage for Divinity. While the character creation isnât too extensive it does its job well. The gameplay and overall mechanics of the game are what makes it truly great though.
ONE PIECE Unlimited World Red is an action / adventure game with open level design and three dimensional gameplay elements. Supervised by the Unlimited Series Creator Eiichiro Od, right off the bat Unlimited World Red gives players the ability to launch from rooftop to rooftop in the open world anime setting that the game takes place in. As you fly through the air from place to place there are also collectibles scattered around requiring specific jumps to be discovered and performed. Thereâs also loot and encounters with townsfolk as well as enemies. Combat often can consist of throwing enemies into each other, destroying barriers by collecting keywords from an area, which usually involves hunting and defeating certain enemies on a given level, and other chaotic activities. All the while, players are able to level up each character and ability.
Spoiler Alert is an indie game for Steam which presents an idea we havenât seen before. The game is a platformer that goes in reverse, causing players to undo the actions of the Pepper Knight who is after a certain Princess. Oh wait, Spoiler Alert! See what I did there? Anyways, normally that type of information would be the first thing youâd learn booting up the game but instead players begin their journey at the final stage of each world unlocking levels backwards for a total of 4 worlds featuring dozens of stages each.
Z-Run is a game for the PS Vita made by Beatshapers who has been responsible for developing a lot of PlayStation content including Furmins, BreakOut Quest, Canabalt, and Sparkle 2. Beatshapers are also responsible for publishing indie games including Jetpack Joyride by Halfbrick Studios which led to the eventual release later published by Halfbrick known as Age of Zombies. Z-Run is the latest title from Beatshapers and after this the company plans to announce at least three PlayStation 4 projects, one of which works on the PlayStation Morpheus Virtual Reality Headset. But does Z-Run feed the craving for flesh on Vita?
Sev Zero is immediately fun and easy to master, doing a good job of introducing gamers to what Amazon Fire TV is all about; ease of use blended with hardcore features. This title starts off as a great introduction for any type of gamer and then brings them into a fully featured tower defense meets first person shooter bullet hell as it progresses from simple walker type aliens up to massive and powerful monsters that fight back.
Armillo comes from developer Fuzzy Wuzzy Games. They were founded in 2011 and are a group of passionate, hard working gaming professionals who have been working together for a while now with such companies as EA and Radical Entertainment. Armillo is about a space armadillo called Armillo who comes from a peaceful galaxy that is invaded by the invasion of the Darkbots. The Darkbots are a robotic alien race that has come to steal the resources of Armilloâs home planet after they have destroyed all of their own resources on their planet. In invading the planet, the Darkbots have kidnapped Armilloâs brother Bolobol and they have also taken the critters of his home-world. Armillo must free them in his quest to claim his world back.
The gameplay in Armillo is a cross between many great titles such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario Galaxy. The user will be controlling Armillo, who rolls around the level and has a speed boost power-up to break through objects. These powers can be useful, but can also be a burden since doing this makes it really easy to knock your character off of their level since most parts donât have any borders. Armillo can also jump in for standard platforming action from either one area to another or from platform to platform where the floor may then disappear out from underneath them. There is also pickups in each of the levels that can help the user in their quest for everything from dynamite to help blowing through rocks or walls, or also doing damage to enemies as well as a cannon that Armillo can pick up. That cannon can shoot projectiles to keep him safe from enemy fire but with this attachment he canât do his speed boost, so it use with discretion.
There are a total of five solar systems, with each of them having four planets. The first planet starts out with an introduction type of level and then the difficulty level of the game makes leaps increasing the action with different challenges that always end with some sort of boss battle, which is a great to see for such a small game. Along with these levels, there are also secret levels and a whole lot of content to discover. Each level has keys to collect to go into areas to collect critters to bring the userâs total score up at the end of each level and each level is timed so the user will always find themselves racing up against the clock which is a nice feature to see in a platformer such as this one. During the course of each level the user will find himself rolling through the level and entering into a parallel universe which they will battle obstacles as they jump from world to the next to finish each level.
The controls for Armillo are really basic with the attacks and basic commands being on the side buttons on the Wii U gamepad and the camera can also be easily rotated to see around the planet so its easier to tell which way is best to take in the level. The user may find it hard to control Armillo when using the speed boost since several times it may knock them off the map costing them a life and forcing them to restart a section of the map. The graphics for Armillo are made up mainly of highly polished 3D objects. For traveling around the planet this is a really a nice change to other games. There is also some 2D timed action events that take place, so there is a nice amount of variety between the graphics as well. During the course of playing the game there were stuttering moments that we found during which the frames dropped from time to time, but this was nothing the user really should be concerned about. It can affect the gameplay a little at times though. For the price of the game, Fuzzy Wuzzy Games has put a lot of polish into Armillo and we look forward to their future improvements on this franchise as well as future releases.
Final Verdict:
Armillo is a great experience on the Wii U. It has a little bit of story but plenty of gameplay to keep it fresh for users looking for a great 3D platformer. The gameplay switches up plenty from level to level, so there are no two levels alike making this a great pick-up-and-play title for anyone with a Nintendo Wii U. The amount of puzzles found in each of the levels keeps the user on top of their game. Most of them are pretty easy but still provide the right amount of challenge. Armillo has a good amount of replay value since there are always faster times to beat in each level and plenty of extra content put into the game that will bring the user back time and time again.
Transformers: RotDS is a third-person shooter published by Activision. It is both a sequel to Transformers: War for Cybertron/Transformers: Fall of Cybertron by developer High Moon Studios and a tie-in to the Transformers: Age of Extinction blockbuster film. This time the reigns have been handed over to developer Edge of Reality (Loudout, Incredible Hulk). Does the new development team, do the series justice, or do they fail to live up to the high (No pun intended) standards set by High Moon?
Blue Estate is an on-rail shooter that just released for the Sony PlayStation 4 and uses the DualShock 4 controllerâs built-in gyroscope (motion sensor technology) to allow players to aim their shots. This does not require the PS4 Camera. With a story that goes out of its way not to take itself too seriously, and unexpected arcade fun thrown into the midst of intense gun fights, this game is one of the better on-rail shooters seen in a very long time. There are still ways this game could have improved though, of course. One nagging feature in particular was the inability to re-calibrate the gyroscope from the Pause Menu.
Shovel Knight released today on computer and Nintendo platforms and is easily one of the best platformers Iâve played yet. With a very simple and basic concept at its core, Shovel Knight harkens back to the gameplay mechanic seen in Duck Tales on the Nintendo NES in which players are bouncing off of things with their shovel â similar to a Pogo Stick. The main characterâs weapon is a shovel and main action is to dig.
Among the Sleep is a first person horror adventure game. The player is placed into the eyes of a two year old baby boy on a mysterious night where something dangerous is lurking within the house that he lives in. The player is tasked to find his mother before whatever is after the child is able to capture him. The game begins with the baby boy that the player will play as, celebrating his birthday with his mother. After a series of events, the boy will find himself in his room which is where a tutorial of the games mechanics will take place. This is also the location where you will meet your companion that will stand by you throughout the game, a talking teddy bear that goes by the name of Teddy. After eventually being put to sleep by your mother, you awake to a night of mystery as you embark on a quest through your house to find your lost mother.
Tango Fiesta is a game that takes you back to the days of Rambo III on the Sega Genesis, but with more of a focus on action rather than stealth. Immediately Tango Fiesta is fun as hell, and is meant to be played on the controller. For the testing purposes of this game, I used a standard PS4 DualShock 4 over the ControllerMAX (Aka CronusMAX) adapter (our review here), but you can use an Xbox 360 controller as well if you have one around.
The Denpa Men 3: The Rise of Digitoll is a fairly recent release on Nintendo 3DS eShop from this Spring which is also known as Denpa Ningen no RPG 3 in Japan, and they sure got the âno RPGâ part right. This game is great because it provides a role playing game experience for players who might not be good at other hardcore / traditional titles in the genre. This game is also bad because the fighting turns always feel completely automatic and advanced players deserve a better mode to play with for their expert enjoyment. It simply is not very fun for experts of the genre. The graphics are pretty neutral with very basic 3D models used typically and not much texture placed on top of them. This leaves the game feeling like a budget production.
Dark Souls II was released in North America on March 11, 2014. It was developed by From Software and co-published by and Bandai Namco Games and From Software as a joint venture. This is the third game in a series that started with Demonâs Souls which was developed by From Software and SCE Japan Studio. Said series has been noted to contain some of the hardest modern Action RPG Gameplay by fans and critics alike.
Derrick the Deathfin is a crazy cool title for Steam which has recently released and consists of a fast-paced, action-based experience in which players take the role of a deadly shark who is just a child when his mother and father have been sucked up by human machines and likely turned into canned goods. In a fit of rage Derrick the Deathfin storms off and vows revenge for what has happened to him. Next players are presented with varying levels.
Worms Battlegrounds arrives with an interesting new story-line , checkpoints during story missions, and is narrated by a parody character Tara Pinkle who is a female crypt robber on the quest for artifacts. This title holds the best graphics of any worms game hands down, better animations that make the game feel more modern, and has no shortage of the many classic favorite weapons that made the franchise what it is today such as Sheep, Ninja Rope, Baseball Bats, and more as well as new weapons and abilities such as the UFO and coin unlock system allowing players to pass over experience from one match into another and retrieve weapons in the midst of battle that otherwise might have not been available to them.
Final Fantasy III is a member of the classic retro series from the epic turn-based role playing game franchise beloved by many and affectionately known as FF. Square made the game back in 1990 for the Famicom (Japanâs name for what we called the Nintendo NES). This title never made it to the USA and instead the North American audience was given FF6 on SNES some years later with the moniker âFinal Fantasy IIIâ, so if youâre a bit confused thatâs definitely forgivable. With so much age sprinkled on FF3 by this point in time, itâs understandable that even some of the most die hard FF fans will be unable to enjoy the original title as it was intended to be felt. Thankfully this game was remade for the Nintendo DS in 2006 and this is the big daddy, high-spec version of that game!
Space Run is developed by Passtech Games out of Lyon, France. This is their first game on Steam and is shooting to be a real success. Itâs being published by Focus Home Interactive. They have published titles such as; Bound by Flame, Wargame Red Dragon, Contrast, and Farming Simulator so they know a good game when they see one. The year is 2525 and Space was  the final frontier, well not anymore now that space is heavily filled with all kinds of danger such as; greedy space pirates, gigantic asteroids, hostile aliens, space monsters, and anomalies. The user will start the game playing as Captain Buck Mann a real hot shot pilot. A little bit about Buck? Well to start he doesnât have a buck to his name, he has a gambling problem always deciding to bet on the wrong team or the wrong thing at the wrong time and owes a lot of money to the wrong people.
If you would have told me that a New IP was going to define next-generation, I would have agreed with you. But perhaps unexpectedly, Watch Dogs has managed to live up to the hype from both Sony and Ubisoft who have laid stake that very claim.
Anomaly Defenders is the final game in the Anomaly series and it sticks to its tower defense roots. Anomaly Defenders comes from 11 bit studios out of Warsaw, Poland. They are the guys behind all the other Anomaly games and they have done an amazing job with the series. For the first time, the user will be playing as the Aliens while humans are launching their counterattack against the alien home-world. Itâs the best scenario playing as the alien race and defending the planet from the human scum of Earth.
State of Decay may have been something you overlooked over on itâs release last year as an XBLA Exclusive, hell, even I did until late last year when it finally made its way to PC. State of Decay for Tristan was a 7.9, but this is the review of the DLC we missed out on. State of Decayâs first DLC is titled Breakdown, giving me what Iâve wanted for some time, sandbox mode. That was the original reason I skipped over the game, but in addition I also was waiting for the PC release as I preferred the comfort of my PC vs. the coldness of my sad, Xbox Live-less 360. This wasnât exactly a game I hadnât looked forward to and the wait did kill me, but it was well worth the wait especially with the DLC added in. I rarely consider DLC worth it in the long run, but I canât help but say it for this game.
