Category: Quick Look

PSN Sale Aftermath: Costume Quest 2

Steam is not the only one that has nice sales. I was able to get my hands on the second Costume Quest on the PS3 for $2 not long after it was released. I played the first one and it's DLC on the PC and I thought they were nice RPGs with a really simple combat system. I had some issues with the combat in the first game because I play most PC games with a mouse and keyboard combo. When you were in a fight you were prompted to execute key presses of shift, tab, spacebar, etc. So, when executing some attacks I accidentally left/closed the game a few times before giving up on the costumes that required those kind of keys. That made my choice easier to go the console route for the second one.

Let me give you some background story just in case you haven't played the original. Costume Quest is a turn based RPG that places you in the shoes of a Reynold, a regular kid, on a quest to save his twin sister, Wren, who was kidnapped because she looked like a giant candy in her Halloween costume. Since it's Halloween, everyone's wearing costumes and depending on which one you're wearing you'll have different abilities, in and outside of combat. I don't want to spoil the story so I'll leave it at that. Writing is top notch as it always is from the Double Fine folks.

In the second game you can choose whether you play as Reynold or Wren to save Halloween from an evil dentist, Mr. White. You'll be time traveling, like Doc and Marty, to the past and then back to the future in order to put an end to the dentist's plans. Combat has been changed. In order to make your attacks more powerful you'll have to correctly time your button presses. All costumes have the same timing mechanism, but their timing is different, so you'll have to get used to each of them. They've also added strengths and weaknesses to costumes and enemies Pokémon style. You can also use Creepy Treat Cards to spice up the combat with special effects.

This game can be played and enjoyed by adults and kids. My kids loved watching me play and then they took turns playing their own save files. It takes from 6 to 8 hours to finish, but I suggest you take your time with it. If you try to rush it you'll get quickly bored by the combat and the constant need of having to go to a fountain to heal your party.

One last thing, I may be getting old, but I think the text in this game is hard to read. They chose a font that's a bit weird and its size is too small for me to read it comfortably from the couch. I have a 32'' tv so that may be part of the issue. I'm seriously considering buying a larger tv because of the small text in games these days.

Twisted Metal for PS3 First Impressions.

The PS2 was the home for all kinds of games. I remember walking down the video game aisle and seeing lots of games branded as PS2 Greatest Hits back in that era. There were a lot of games that I hadn't heard of and I wanted to give them a try. I recall that the Twisted Metal Black cover looked like something interesting, but I had never given it a chance. When I did, I found a legendary game.
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Steam Sale Aftermath: AVGN Adventures

This time on Steam Sale Aftermath we'll talk about the game where the hero is the man who's gonna take you back to the past.
The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures Video Game is an action packed platformer in the style of 8-bit classic Mega Man. You're going to have to excuse me with all the Mega Man comparisons but it shares a lot with it. For instance, when you start the game you go to a world select screen where you'll choose on of eight different ones. There's a lot of variety in the levels, each of them reminding us of AVGN lore. They go from Castlevania inspired to generic ice level and from Atari Porn to Hell. At the end of each stage you'll face off against a boss where you'll have to deplete their life bar just like in the blue bomber games. Now, don't take this the wrong way, comparing it to Capcom's classic is a compliment.
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Look at the Castlevania level with that 1-up over there reminiscent of Mega Man.
Unlike the Mega Man games, you don't get a different weapon for each level you beat. Instead, you'll be killing all kind of monsters with your trusty NES Zapper and sometimes with the Super Scope upgrade. There are also special items like the Glitch Gremlin and SuperMechaDeathChrist which will help you clear the game's most difficult parts. Now that I'm talking about difficulty let me tell you one thing: this game is very hard.You'll die very often in this game. You'll die so many times that there is a good chance you'll encounter the 1,000 deaths in-game achievement sooner, rather than later. Sometimes it's so hard it's frustrating, but most of the times you'll be trying again and again until you've cleared the stage. It's definitely got that "one more try" appeal.
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Climbing ladders and shooting from them Mega Man style.
Is the game worth a try?If you like retro games like Mega Man and you find AVGN videos funny you'll have a great time with this game. I must say the humor of this game is not for everybody though. Here's a clip of the nerd himself playing the game to give you an even better idea of what you can expect, just be warned that it's full of spoilers:
The game was recently released on the Nintendo eShop if you're interested in playing it on the 3DS or Wii U. It should feel right at home there.

Steam Sale Aftermath: 140

Going through my Steam library to choose what to play next, I decided to go alphabetically. 140 was the first game of the list and I'm glad it was. These are my first impressions:
140 is a minimalistic platformer. You play as a shape-shifting geometrical figure. You're a square when you stay still, a circle when you move and a triangle when you jump. There's no story, just beautiful sights and amazing music. I think words are not enough to describe the feel of the game so here's its trailer for you to get an idea of how it sounds and looks.
Music plays an important part of the game since you'll have to time your jumps and movement to the rhythm of the soundtrack pretty often. There's a total of 3 levels in the game, each ending in a "boss fight". I must say the final boss was tough as nails and I'm sure luck had something to do with my victory. Maybe I was just in the zone.Is the game worth a try?Yes, it is. The game is very short. I went through its three levels in less than 70 minutes. However, those 70 minutes were a fantastic experience. The game currently retails for $5, but it's been on sale on several occasions. How much are you willing to pay for one hour of joy is up to you.

Steam Sale Aftermath: Hatoful Boyfriend

Every time a Steam Sale comes along people tend to get a little bit crazy. We end up buying games that we're not so sure about because of their ridiculously low prices. I'm guilty of doing this several times every year. The usual fate for those games is to be never installed, but I've decided to break that routine and give those forgotten games a chance. Now the really hard question comes: Where should I start? How about a game about dating pigeons? These are my first impressions:
Hatoful Boyfriend is a game that works like a choose your own adventure book. Things are just a little different here, because instead of an adventurer in a dungeon trying to save the world, you're a teenage girl in a high school attended and run by pigeons and your mission is to have a romantic relationship with one of them.The game is basically an interactive visual novel. You'll read the story and then you'll chose from a set of options the one you think is best for you. For example, at one point, the game asks you if you want to take a job at a cafeteria and you'll have the freedom to decide if you want to work there. Then the story will unfold depending on your choices.

You may be thinking this sounds kind of boring, but the story is weird, funny and with enough surprises to keep you playing. Well, I must admit it took me some time to accept the fact that I was a teenage human girl being courted by pigeons. Could this be how girls feel when boys approach them with romantic intentions?

So far I've played for a couple of hours and I've already gotten 3 different endings out of the 16 possible ones. I think I'm going to keep on playing to find out more about the story and the other endings.

Is the game worth a try?

If you're into comedy and reading I'd say go for it. If you're not you probably won't like it. This game isn't for everybirdie.

Quick Look: Turmoil

I took a quick look at the newly released alpha of Turmoil and while I can’t recommend the game yet, I did find it relaxing and interesting enough to share the above video with you. Would make a really enjoyable tablet game.