Hammerfall? Hammerfell? Hammertime? Hammerwatch! Okay, I'm just going to level with you here. I don't feel like I played this game to really make a good judgement. It's a multiplayer Diablo-style game except that all gear and leveling has been reduced down to coin gathering and spending. I was enjoying it for the most part, and then I realized that it was time to end the show after what felt like five minutes. One of THOSE kinds of games.
It's definitely worth checking out. And it's super cheap. Win-win!
Orcs Must Die! 2 appears to be one-third to one-quarter as fun as it looks on paper. It's a tower defense game. You play as a War Mage guy or a Sorceress lady (and more that unlock over time) that runs around summoning towers and shooting orcs in the face when you get the chance. The music is pretty catchy and the traps are very diverse. A good time, right? Eh, not really.
It's hard to explain, but I was just bored for most of the game. All progression comes in the form of unlocking levels and collecting gold during those levels. That's fine enough for towers, but I'm playing a character! Why doesn't he level up? Why can't he get collect gear? Why aren't there character-specific traps and abilities? Sure, the little soundbites and the victory dances at the end of the level are great (especially the dances, that was an awesome surprise), but that doesn't actually motivate me to keep playing. This game came out after Dungeon Defenders which has all of those things and more, why isn't there any innovation?
Everything else is fine enough, but I wouldn't recommend that someone go out and grab this game. I'm sure the game is a bit more exciting once multiplayer kicks in, but what, really, is the point? They'll be just like you! Just more of the same. I'll have to check out the original Orcs Must Die sometime, but that may be a while.
Finally. Finally, finally, finally getting to write a blog post for this game.
Jamestown is a historical fiction bullet hell flight sim that combines the legendary adventure of the American frontier in the 1600's with steam-punk flying ships, trains, and cyborgs. Unfortunately the Spanish have allied with the malevolent Martians, causing only more problems for the English settlers. I know what you're asking yourself: How could this NOT be amazing?
The answer is that it IS amazing! Fast paced. Scary bosses. Awesome music. There's just so much to love. There aren't very many levels, but there are many difficulties, ships, as well as challenges to keep you busy. Also there's a DLC that I do no own, so I guess I can't vouch for it. But I do know that this was one of the games that really sold the indie game movement for me. The premise is just so weird. It's short. It's inexpensive. It would never have been made by a major company. Yet here it is, and I love it.
Turns out there's a thing I do not enjoy. It's creating logos and branding media. Seriously. Totally not into it. However, as a result of my labors my stream looks way better. And I made this awesome logo! It looks like that Photoshop class I took in 9th grade is still paying off! The production value on the stream is going to look much, much better. Additionally, I started up a Facebook page for the site/stream/stuff. So I'll be posting everything that I'm doing on there instead of bothering the crap out of all of my relatives and Facebook friends.
Also the offer is still out: If anyone would like to take over the logos and art design crap for the site and stream, you are 100% welcome to it. I wouldn't really be able to pay you, but I'm sure we could figure something out. Ads? Free game(s)? A nice poem? Something.
Also, I just read that Google is acquiring Twitch for over a billion dollars! Holy crap! I hope this is a good thing.
Bit.Trip Presents: Runner 2: Legend of Future Rhythm Alien might be the game with the longest title that I've played for Humble Bundle Acquisitions. I wish I could say that it could win more awards than that, but overall I thought it was fairly boring.
You play as Commander Video, or one of his compatriots, as you run, dash, jump, kick, cannon, and bounce across long stretches of platforms for the purpose of...gold bricks? Is that it? I'm not sure if that's the real reason or not. The only thing that I got out of the story is that we had been teleported to another dimension!!! Therefore we must run. A lot. Whatever.
It's a fun enough game. The visuals are very pretty but not distracting (except for a giant purple dome thing that looks a little pervy). The running and jumping were...fine. Maybe if endless runners are YOUR thing this is a great catch, but overall I was just kind of bored after the first 15 minutes. I enjoyed games like Ski Safari and the classic Jetpack Joyride much more. Granted, this game is not an "endless" runner, but a runner of stages. Which didn't really do it for me. Maybe it was seeing Meat Boy in the intro video, but I just felt like nothing about this game was very exciting. I never felt like it drew me in at any time. I think that more meaningful short-term goals would have helped (like in endless runners) to give the player more of a sense of why we run so constantly.
Maybe running should be its own reward, but in this case running felt like how it always feels now that I've gotten fat: Work.
FTL: Faster Than Light, is so good you should stop reading and go play it right now. It's simply a brilliant, addicting, and beautiful game. Events are heavy on RNG, so no playthrough is the same and there's no predicting what challenge you'll have next. GO PLAY IT!
If you're not already super burnt out on WoW, or maybe just looking for a little free MMO time, Lord of the Rings Online, or "Lotro", is a solid game that is worth your attention.
Trying to play some catchup with a new schedule. Monaco wasn't very fun at all for me. It looks like it's best played with a group of 4 that are either in the same room or on Skype. That would have been way more fun. Also, the game doesn't even bother teaching you how to play. Boo.
Hammerfall? Hammerfell? Hammertime? Hammerwatch! Okay, I'm just going to level with you here. I don't feel like I played this game to really make a good judgement. It's a multiplayer Diablo-style game except that all gear and leveling has been reduced down to coin gathering and spending. I was enjoying it for the most part, and then I realized that it was time to end the show after what felt like five minutes. One of THOSE kinds of games.
