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IronCretin

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Thomas was alone

What a surprise! I had heard of this game but never really looked into it. Last week it was freebie from Playstation Plus so I decided to check it out. A couple of hours later I was finishing it, really great experience. It’s simple indie puzzle platformer (yes, another one) where you control squares and rectangles guiding them through puzzle rooms, each one with it’s own ability. But set it apart for was the writing (complemented by the excellent narrator) and the soundtrack.
Check out this review for a better explanation.

     
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wilco - 03 May 2013 05:20 PM

Thomas was alone

What a surprise! I had heard of this game but never really looked into it. Last week it was freebie from Playstation Plus so I decided to check it out. A couple of hours later I was finishing it, really great experience. It’s simple indie puzzle platformer (yes, another one) where you control squares and rectangles guiding them through puzzle rooms, each one with it’s own ability. But set it apart for was the writing (complemented by the excellent narrator) and the soundtrack.
Check out this review for a better explanation.


What free, on PS+ US or Eur??
Still free??

     
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Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D - 4 / 5

Decent story, great cutscenes, great ending and varied gameplay. While I generally loathe stealth games and boss battles, Snake Eater offers more than enough variety to make up for it. I admittedly still don’t like stealth, nor boss battles, but I can’t objectively give this game less than 4 stars despite that. There’s just too much going on in it, with the dual health-and-stamina bar, the food scavenging, the camouflage, etc.
This is a far cry from most stealth games, and a significant step up.

Graphics are really good for the 3DS. The small screens, combined with a few tweaks in the graphics, make this look better than the PS2 game it was.
The 3D effect is once again nothing more than a headache-inducing gimmick, so I didn’t bother using it much (it’s just not a viable selling point, imo).
The controls are somewhat limited (with a little less options than you had on the PS2), and they’re really not good enough for this type of game (and neither were the PS2 controls, imo). This is the sort of game that would benefit from a keyboard-and-mouse combo. But then, I never got the success of shooter games on consoles. I guess I’m old-fashioned that way…

The difficulty is reasonably balanced, but I had trouble with the unarmed fighting (CQC or Close Quarters Combat) in the game (partly due to the controls, a problem I would likely have had on the PS2 as well). Variety luckily allows for CQC to not matter much in the game if you don’t want it to.

Few levels gave me an overly hard time (though I’m sure they would have at a higher difficulty setting), and only two boss battles gave me trouble. Those two boss battles turned into the only two times where I had to kill instead of stamina drain my opponent (and they are thus the only two kills I made in the entire game - pacifism FTW!). One was The Fear, who went scavenging for food when low on stamina - something I was unable to prevent since I didn’t use poison in the game (and I didn’t have any rotten food either). The other was the imo hardest battle in the game, namely the first part of the Volgin battle. Since I suck at CQC and pretty much needed it to get behind him, I had to resort to launching RPGs at his feet for deflected damage.

The absolute best part of the game was the (excruciatingly long - took me about two full hours) sniper battle with The End. Even though it was a test of endurance, I absolutely loved this part (but then again, despite my hate for stealth games, I love sniping in shooters). The battle with The Sorrow made for some outside-the-box thinking, which was fun too. The rail shooter part was a fun distraction, and it stopped before it outwore its welcome.

Overall this is a very balanced and well thought-out game. The story is more than decent throughout, and the many cutscenes really flesh out the game (and provide you with a breather from the game as well as a form of ‘reward’ for your progress). The cutscene before the Big Boss battle at the end is a bit high on exposition (particularly regarding the game’s MacGuffin, the Philosopher’s Legacy), but that doesn’t spoil the fun.
The Bond-like opening cinematic (and fitting theme song that gets repeated throughout) give it yet a little extra.

This game is pretty awesome, and for a game that is so far outside of my usual comfort zone, that is saying a lot…


Total game time for me: 17 hours.

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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That is probably the only modern metal gear game I havn’t played, but I can’t remember why I skipped it.

     

An adventure game is nothing more than a good story set with engaging puzzles that fit seamlessly in with the story and the characters, and looks and sounds beautiful.
Roberta Williams

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Lucien21 - 09 July 2013 05:51 PM

That is probably the only modern metal gear game I havn’t played, but I can’t remember why I skipped it.

It’s a prequel taking place in the ‘60s. It’s how Big Boss became Big Boss (the events that ‘break’ him and turn him into the main villain for the first games).

This was actually my first real introduction in the MGS universe, but I’ve been reading up on it since starting the game.
My previous MGS knowledge consisted merely of this Moment of Pure Awesome™.

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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Joined 2011-10-21

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Obsidian (community playthrough) - 4 / 5

A surreal and innovative game that’s marred by an underwhelming (rushed?) ending


Obsidian is quite simply a unique and memorable game that’s highly surreal and innovative yet surprisingly coherent. Actually, words alone are not enough to do this game justice, because it really needs to be experienced. But I’ll give it my best shot nonetheless…

Obsidian takes place in 2066 AD, in a bleak but not-so-unrealistic future where pollution has destroyed most of the ozone layer. A team of scientists, led by Lilah, your character, and Max, your partner, develop ‘Ceres’, an artificially intelligent satellite capable of dispensing nanobots in Earth’s atmosphere and controlling those nanobots as they ‘fix’ the ozone layer and combat the air pollution. When Ceres is in orbit for over 100 days (and Earth’s ozone layer is largely intact again), Lilah and Max take a well-deserved vacation, camping in pollution-free woods.
While on vacation, they discover a small black glassy stone-like structure not far from their tent, which they dub ‘Obsidian’. The structure seems to expand exponentially in a matter of days and when it’s over 50-foot tall, Max disappears into it. Lilah follows after him and is thrust into the surreal world of ‘Obsidian’.

When the game starts, you’re immediately thrown into forest surroundings. This first ‘realm’ in the game (and the only part that takes place in the real world) serves as a way to get acquainted with the point-and-click controls, and to provide us with most of the backstory for the game.
The game sports a really simple and intuitive interface, and there’s hardly an inventory in the game (if there is, it’s tied to a specific stand-alone puzzle).
After this short introductory realm, you go to the first of four ‘Obsidian’ realms. That means the game essentially has 5 different worlds to explore, of which the very first and last ones are the shortest.

A lot of imagination and creativity went into this game, resulting in sometimes bizarre environments that each hold their own unusual logic. Obsidian uses “your rules do not apply here” as its tagline, and with good reason.
The ‘Bureau’ realm for instance, which is the first of the Obsidian realms, makes clever use of (dis)orientation by warping your own perspective of the inside of a cube, and defying gravity along the way. It’s a superb (and somewhat quirky) approach that’ll throw you a curve ball at first, but that you can ease into once you figure out the game’s rules.

Obsidian really comes down to solving a bunch of (more or less stand-alone) puzzles. Some of these are quite devious, but all of them are consistent within the logic of the game world. They’re also very varied and original, which helps the overall quality of the game.
You get rewarded for solving a puzzle, and more so for finishing a realm, with a cutscene. These cutscenes are especially outstanding (one even has the potential to scare you). They’re gorgeous to look at and, like the rest of the game, consist of beautifully crafted 3D environments with some FMV seamlessly integrated within it. The graphics were beautiful and state-of-the-art when the game was first released, and they still hold up pretty well today.

Sadly, the game has no subtitles whatsoever. Fortunately all spoken lines are well articulated and I had no problems understanding what was being said. If anything could bother me, it’s the very wooden performance by the actor playing Max, but that’s not really out of the ordinary for FMV games…
The musical score, composed by Thomas Dolby, is somewhat surprisingly uneven at times. The music doesn’t always feel compatible with the visuals, but for the most part remains forgettably in the background.
Despite the game coming on 5 discs, there is minimal disk swapping, partly due to the efficient use of ‘realms’ to divide the game into pieces.

Content-wise, the game is highly satirical in nature (the ‘Bureau’ realm especially is an often hilarious exaggeration of bureaucracy), and works very effectively that way. It creates immersion for the player by clever use of symbolism, and as such touches upon a few philosophical questions about artificial intelligence. Unfortunately it doesn’t really explore these questions deeply. However, it still provides an interesting theory on how artificial intelligence forms ideas (starting with child-like imitations and finally developing its own original ideas).
The game uses the exploration of dreams to get these points across, but ultimately falters near the end precisely because the carefully built-up story falls back on a generic and underdeveloped moral decision.
This is the main reason why this otherwise great game falls just short of being excellent: the disappointingly lackluster and underwhelming conclusion (with two different endings that both provide us with an overly short and unsatisfying cutscene). The ending makes me feel like the game was rushed out the door, due to either budget or scheduling constraints. Sadly this is really unbefitting for this creative and innovative work of art.

In short: ‘Obsidian’ does a lot of things right, from its very good-looking graphics to the well though-out puzzles to its unique and surreal story and environment. The entire game is poised for greatness, but it’s ultimately marred by a seemingly rushed ending. A real shame because otherwise this game would be a true classic…

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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I recall playing this game and really enjoying it. I’ll have to give it a replay - I’m sure the second time around will be just as fun as the first.

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I enjoy playing adventure games on my Alienware M17 r4 and my Nintendo Switch OLED.

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In that case: you just missed our community playthrough (it ends on Sunday).
Playing these games in a group and discussing game elements that everyone can interpret differently adds to the enjoyment of the game…

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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If I hate Myst, could I still possibly like Obsidian? It sounds kinda cool and I like Thomas Dolby’s music so I’m intrigued by it.

     
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SamandMax - 23 August 2013 12:54 PM

If I hate Myst, could I still possibly like Obsidian? It sounds kinda cool and I like Thomas Dolby’s music so I’m intrigued by it.

You could definitely like Obsidian, since I hate Myst as well… Wink

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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Icewind Dale 2 - 3.5 out of 5 or 7.5 out 0f 10.

A good reliable where you know what you’re getting, a solid game without any surprised based on the infinity engine. You’re shipwrecked at a place called Targot, because youre hired? to tackle disturbances in the north. And then it begins: every time you enter a new area, enemies pop out from nowhere - and everywhere. And then the buddhist inspired 8 fold way to get the monks’ aproval in the temple…bad idea. Just like the idea that if you do enough time in The Underdark area (sleep much etc.) you get stuck in a 5 day repeating scenario, taking you back a day - every day. Bad idea - imo…

The two main bad guys - or rather a bad girl and bad boy; I never quite understood what drove them to be this way, upbringing or nature/genes. However, overall I did enjoy the game.

     
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Dragon’s Crown

Amazing combat, different classes change the whole gameplay experience.
Beautiful artwork and deep RPG features with lots of skills to unlock.

Recommended for Beatemup and RPG lovers only

9.5/10

Rayman Legends

Lots of stages and well crafted levels, lots of Coop fun, much
better than Rayman Origins. 8/10

Killer is Dead

Finished it in 6hrs, without gigolo/side missions, game is short like anything.
Some stages are just cutscenes and bossfights and there are 12 stages only.
Boss fights are intense, fighting mechanics are fun but limited combos and
no jump makes thing more limited. Not worthy of 60$ tag , rental at best.

7/10

Now to Diablo3 Smile

     
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Just finished Catherine after having it sit on my PS3 for ages. Man, I should have played this earlier as it was completely AWESOME.

I had a great time with the game and even though I had feared the puzzles would become repetitive and boring after awhile, they managed to stay fresh. I loved all the interaction in the bar, even though I only managed to save one patron (the journalist). I was also completely blindsided by the Erica twist!

While answering everything truly (or as truly as the questions and answers would permit) I got the Katherine True Ending on my first playthrough, and it was a very satisfying ending. I’ll certainly return to the game soon and farm for all the other endings, as the quality of the cinematics are amazing.

     
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Kasper F. Nielsen - 01 September 2013 06:06 PM

Just finished Catherine after having it sit on my PS3 for ages. Man, I should have played this earlier as it was completely AWESOME.

I had a great time with the game and even though I had feared the puzzles would become repetitive and boring after awhile, they managed to stay fresh. I loved all the interaction in the bar, even though I only managed to save one patron (the journalist). I was also completely blindsided by the Erica twist!

While answering everything truly (or as truly as the questions and answers would permit) I got the Katherine True Ending on my first playthrough, and it was a very satisfying ending. I’ll certainly return to the game soon and farm for all the other endings, as the quality of the cinematics are amazing.

Really great game. Probably in my Top 5 console games from this past generation. I’m surprised it’s never been reviewed on the site formally actually (I remember looking a while back when I first finished it too to see if there was anything). It’s very puzzle-driven but the story is where the heart of the game is.

Just remember that now’s not the time to be dead.

     

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Played “Kings Quest 2: VGA Version”, and it’s really rubbed me the wrong way. Loved the extra depth put into the game, but negative comments about “The Longest Journey” having an airhead lead, which she was most certainly not, and in one of the tests when choosing an option and trying to kill Cedric (who anyone that knows me knows I love him and don’t understand the hate for him.) I understand it’s supposed to be humouress little easter eggs, but I don’t like humor that brings down things I like. xD

     

Favorite Adventure Games-Lost Crown, Longest Journey, Dark Fall 1&2, Barrow Hill, Black Mirror, Blackwell games, Riven, Myst
Favorite Other Games-Kings Bounty, FTL
Currently Playing-Barrow Hill:The Dark Path
Looking Forward To-Last Crown/Braken Tor

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