Super Smash Bros. Crusade

Welcome back! It has been a while since I've written anything (I think it has been over a month o_o)  but I am back with yet another indie game.

Yes, an indie game. Though the title may be misleading, there is an indie game based off  the smash bros series, and it is called Super Smash Bros. Crusade. Now, before you flip nuts over copyright crap and all, I need to state that it is and indie title, and it is free. Also, it is made in the Gamemaker engine, so it does have 2D graphics. But, nonetheless, it is a fun title that could even live up to the real series.

First off, this game is not affiliated with Nintendo at all, except for the fact that it uses the characters and a few of the stages. It also uses characters from Capcom, as well as other companies. For example, you can play as Megaman, Ryu, you can even play as people that were featured as bosses in previous games ( such as Ridley or Porky) Now, if you don't recognize any of those characters, you need to go online and play a retro game. Because obviously you haven't.

a selection of characters. I'm not sure if this is all of them, as I don't even have this many yet.

This game plays almost exactly like a real smash bros title (especially melee). The only thing I don't like are the controls. It took me a while to figure out that to move I had to use the arrow keys (well, I actually figured that out right away), and the attack keys were u,i,o, and p. It is a little weird, but if you have a gamepad, it is compatible.

Not much else to say about this game. It is loads of fun, it is still in the works (which could possibly mean more characters), and, well, it is like the smash bros games. I give it a 10/10.

link: http://gamejolt.com/games/platformer/super-smash-bros-crusade/6755/

Saturn9...

Hello again everybody. Sorry it's been a while, but I've been very busy lately. I didn't really have the chance to play anything new until yesterday. It was worth it, though. Today I bring you an extremely scary game called Saturn9.

Saturn9 is an Xbox indie title that can be picked up for one dollar. It is a very unique mix of the slender and SCP games. However, that doesn't mean it is scarier than 087, so don't get too excited. Anyway, Saturn9 takes place on a space station orbiting Saturn. You are sent in to reply to an SOS that was sent out a while ago. Many things have changed since then, and upon entering, you realize that everybody is dead...for the most part. Now it is up to you to find out what happened, find the research data and escape. It isn't that easy though.

First off, the game has some super mind bending puzzles. Now, I'm not much of a puzzle solver, but this was hard!! For example, during one puzzle, you have to find a password to a computer that happens to be in the most random location, and then memorize a bunch of numbers and do math. The puzzles do make the game a little irritating sometimes, but that doesn't stop the game from being fun. And by fun, I mean it doesn't ruin the atmosphere or the overall scare of the game. I can say right now that the atmosphere is so intense that I had to quit a few times because I wasn't sure what was going to happen around the next corner.

Please, don't get me wrong, this isn't one of those games where atmosphere dominates all. It is like 087 in a way, where atmosphere provides most of the scare, but the jumpscares keep the game fresh. For example, some extremely weird crap was going on (I had somehow ended up in a hotel) and as soon as escaped, I went to grab some oxygen. But as soon as that happened, my character froze. He started to slow-pan, and if you have ever played a horror game, you know what slow panning means. Right behind me, there was the monster. Yes it scared the crap out of me, but I knew it wasn't going to kill me. That wa the least of the scares, though. The scare at the end of the game is just a heart attack waiting to happen. With that said, don't play this game if you are faint hearted.

With that said, I guess I can put this to an end. My last thoughts on the game are, once you've beaten it once it isn't scary. That is why 087 is still the scariest horror game ever.

Overall rating: 9/10

(Oh, and sorry for no pics. Just play the game!!!)

Clearing things up.

Okay, since I've reviewed an ML game, I might as well say that I do play ML games. And no, I don't hate them either. They can be fun and all, it's just, there are plenty of amazing indie games out there, most are even free. But people ignore these games. They are tossed aside like they are nothing, when in fact, I'd rather play indie than Duty any day. (okay, I'll admit. I do hate COD. Ever since Modern Warfare 2, the series has gone nowhere, and it is just really boring.) But, since people are probably still gonna think I hate Major Labels, I might as well make a list of the best non-indie titles I have played. This will show that I do have good things to say about these games. I may also give reasons as to why I don't appreciate them as much, but I really should clear things up here. So lets get started.

10. Dishonored
Bethesda


Dishonored is a really fun game. It is basically Assassins Creed, but in First Person. It also has the Hitman "kill the target only" gameplay mixed in, meaning the more baddies you kill, the worse the outcome of the game. There is even an achievement where you have to beat the game without killing anyone or getting seen. It is really hard. This game is fun even after you've beaten it once.

9. Rocksmith
Ubisoft.


Do you remember becoming champion at the plastic guitar and beating every song on expert? I'm pretty sure anyone since the 90's who has lived does. But do you remember plugging in a real guitar and actually learning the songs step by step? The answer is probably not. That's because Ubisoft was a little late to release this title. The guitar game buzz had already died down, with Guitar Hero going out back in 2010. Nonetheless, I bought it (well, my dad bought it, but still) and even though it may not be the most entertaining game in the world, it does give you the ability to entertain. This game allows you to actually learn the songs and play them , but like every guitarist knows, it takes a lot of practice. If you want to learn guitar or bass guitar, the 80 bucks is worth it.

8. Call of Duty: World At War


Okay, I'll admit, if COD has ever done anything right, it was here. Truth is, this is the only game I ever really enjoyed out of the series. But that's because it was different from the other games. I mean, two player campaign, the introduction of the "addicting" zombies mode, and the tanks in multiplayer. It was all there, but then Treyarch and Infinity Ward decided to go foop things up and make every game the same. But if I ever play COD, it's this one. STOP MODDING IT!!!

7. Borderlands 2


Borderlands has been one of my favorite major label series. I like the fact that it revolves around co-op, and yes, I mean revolves around it. Not like Left for Dead, where it claims to be the same, but all you have to do is not be last. And besides, I have always preferred co-op over versus. I think it is how a game needs to be played. With people cooperating to take down an enemy, not stabbing each other in the back. Not that you can't do that in this game.

6. Halo in general


I've been playing halo for six years now. I remember when Halo 3 released, and it was the biggest hit of the year. Everyone loved it, and still holds its reputation today. Though, I feel that its beginning to go into a COD style, with nothing changing. Sure, halo 4 saw the forerunner weapons, but they didn't really differ from the other weapons. The thing is, if you want to make a game fun, make it unfair. Make some overpowered weapons, make some not so good weapons. That was fun in halo 3, when an enemy had the tank or the rocket launcher, and you had to look out for that, but now it's more like "Look out, he has a bazooka!"
and "Oh don't worry, we have one too!!" That is what makes halo 4 a little less than fun. But, overall, the halo series has had one of the biggest impacts on gaming history.

5. Minecraft


Some people may say that this is an indie title. They are wrong. Minecraft is the result of an indie title called Minecraft. But it has the force of a call of duty title, is over 20 bucks, has its own merchandise, and is a multi-media production. But that doesn't mean I don't occasionally play it. I'm not addicted to it, though. An addiction to a game is very rare for me. In fact, there are only 2 series in the world that I have ever been addicted to (you'll see them in this list later). But this is a great game. The best thing about it is that you set your own goals and challenges. The only thing I hate about Minecraft is creative mode. Creative was a pointless addition...

4. Gears of War: Judgment


I've never been a really huge fan of Gears of War. That was until the 2013 release of Gears of War: Judgment. This game has one thing that no other game has that makes it really fun.
Overrun.
In the Overrun mode, one team plays as the locust, and attempts to destroy the "humans" defenses. It is a default class based mode, so you can only use a single set of classes. This mode alone is almost all I have played in Judgment, but it proves to be really fun, if not a bit repetitive. It is one of the few things I can play for hours on end.

3. Far Cry 3


Far Cry 3 is an amazing game. Where Far Cry 2 failed to be fun (multiplayer was okay.) FC3 was proven to be one of the best games of 2012. Basically, your on an island trying to survive among a jungle war filled with pirates and animals. It is an open world shooter, and therefore one of the few open-world games to also include multiplayer. Everything in this game proves to be fun. From the epic campaign, to the awesome multiplayer, to the even more awesome map editor. It is one of, if not the only game on the xbox 360/ ps3 that allows you to terraform, which means you actually get to shape the landscape.

2. Skyrim


What's so good about Skyrim? Well, let's start off with the fact that it never ends. Not literally, but it does provide 300+ hours of gameplay, which is enough to keep anyone busy for a few years unless they are suffering a very bad addiction. Like me. I earlier said that only two games have ever caused addiction for me. This is one of them. Well, I may not be as addicted as I used to be, but this one is worth picking up if you like fantasy games. It keeps you busy forever, and one of the coolest features is that you don't even have to do the main quest at all. You can totally skip it, or stop right in the middle of it. There is plenty to do in the world of Skyrim, and it is all worth your time.

NUMBER ONE...


Mass Effect series

See that box? I own that. Why? Because it is the best trilogy of games ever to land on this planet. If Bioware, therefore EA, has ever made a game that I like, it is the Mass Effect series. I can't even count how many times I have played through these games. Probably too many. And yet, I'm still seriously addicted. There are just so many things to do, so many outcomes, and you get the emotional aspect mixed in even. I get sad when some characters die, and I scream with joy when others do, sometimes even when they are my own squad mates. Not enough can be said about these games, so go pick em' up yourself.

There you go. I don't hate major label games. I am just in heavy support of indie games. Truth is, I play both of them a lot, because they are fun. And fun games don't deserve to be ignored or made fun of. They are played for pure enjoyment. Games should not be played for competition or to look cool, or even so you can brag to your friends about how you unlocked the "diamond camo." Games are meant to pass time, to draw connections with others, and to be fun. There is no reason to hate a game because it doesn't have multiplayer, or because the graphics are bad. Even if the game is hard, don't hate it. It is supposed to be hard. That is where the fun is. I'm not saying you have to enjoy it. For some people, enjoying a game is just impossible. So sit down and play some awesome games!!!

Army of Two: Devil's Cartel

Okay, before you go on and rant to yourself about how stupid you think I am because I am only supposed to review indie's, I'll tell you that to look at the subtitle at the top of the page. It says INDIE REVIEWS AND OTHER STUFF. So pay attention to the other stuff part, and ignore the fact that this site is meant for indie titles.

So why are you reviewing a major label title?

Because I received the game from qwerty541. If you don't know who that is, look to the right of the screen, maybe scroll up a bit. Find it yet? Anyway, take a look at the site if you want, I don't really care. Point is, I'm reviewing a major label because they wanted me too, and I didn't pay anything in order to play the game for a week. So, without further ado, I shall now tell you about this game.

Army of Two: DC is a third-person-game created by EA. If you've played any of the Army of Two's, you probably think that it really sucks because 40th day wasn't that good. But DC is a great revival.  This game, unlike 40th day, included a little more emotion in the characters (something that is extremely important in a game) and it had some great improvements. First off, I think one of the best things is that you can no longer put an AK barrel on an M16 with an RPK stock. Okay, I'll admit, you probably can't do that in 40th day, but you can do some pretty similar stuff. I really disliked that factor. However, don't get down because I am not saying that they didn't completely remove customizing guns. It's just a little more like COD, with attachments instead of random gun parts thrown together to make a gun that makes no sense. Plus, there are way more attachments than COD will ever have. Yes, I am stating that COD still really sucks.

Another thing that is really fun is the rage mode that you can go into. Kill lots of baddies, rage meter fills (I don't think that's what it is called) and you activate rage mode. While in rage mode, you have infinite ammo, and your gun is overpowered, blowing up cars in just a matter of seconds. I know for sure it isn't called rage mode, but it has the same concept. Nonetheless, it is a really fun thing to play with.

As for other compliments, I can say that this game has a great musical score. Now, many people these days don't give a blinking thought about these kind of things. But when a musical score in a game stands out, its good. This part of a game is generally ignored, because most games just use a generic theme. There are those few games that can be identified by there musical scores, such as Halo or Mass Effect. This games soundtrack won't be as noticeable as that, but it still is significantly there. Along that, the gun SFX are very well done, which is something I haven't heard in a while. The guns actually sound like real guns, which make this game feel all the more realistic.

Now, there are a few downers about this game as well. After all, no game is perfect. Being an indie gamer, I have experienced that a lot. So, down to details, some things I didn't like included the amount of glitches in the game. I have "spaghettified" more than once. Also, the levels are a bit linear, and the amount of checkpoints in the game makes it feel like the story is chopped up. But the biggest failure of all, is that there is no multiplayer aside from campaign. Campaign is the only option in the game, so it is kind of a beat it once game. So don't try and buy a $60 version of this if you are looking for something that will last you awhile. Because this game won't.

So, aside from the short experience and the glitches, this game is actually worth playing if you can get it used. You won't have to worry about online passes or anything, and there is plenty of couch co-op waiting to happen. For a ML game, it is something I have missed. A good, fun game that differs from the last.

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Game engines.

Have you ever wanted to create a game of your own? Have you and your buddy ever fantasized about creating the next Call Of Duty force game? Well, let me tell you something. Every dream starts out far from reality, and in order to get it closer, you are gonna have to start out small. What I'm saying is, indie games are a great way to get a foothold in the knowledge of game creation. But, where do you start? First off, starting off means finding the right game engine to use. A game engine is the program used to create the game. Yes, understanding a game engine can be very difficult. That is why I recommend that you start out with the basic Unity engine. Unity is famous for its easy-for-beginners interface. That does not mean that you can learn to use it in one day. Creating a game is very complicated. You will need to put a lot of time and effort into it if you want something good. Luckily, there are a bunch of tutorials on the Unity website to get you started.

Something you might see from a really good Unity game.


Another, slightly more complicated engine would be Unreal Engine. Unreal is what you see in a lot of games now days. Even in a lot of major label games. The thing is, Unreal has way more advanced graphics. But it is still free of cost. What I'd recommend is using unity first, and when you get the hang of that, start using Unreal. The reason is, if you want to get a lot of attention from other indie gamers, Unity is a great place to start, but it won't get the job done.

Something you would see in the Unreal engine.

Also, when creating a game, you'll want to know that doing so by yourself is a very difficult task. It can be done, but being cooperative is not a bad idea. For example, having a team, where one person does scripting, another does animation, and maybe one more person doing Sound/ graphics is a really good idea. After all, if you want to work at a place like EA or Activision one day, you are going to be working with plenty of other people. Think, how many people do you see in the credits when you finish a game like Mass Effect. If you don't watch credits, then take my word, they aren't short lived.

Making games is a great experience. However, it takes a lot of work. So if you want to start, start now!!!

Strange Science.

Here comes another non-horror review!!!! Strange Science is an arcade-adventure style indie game that places you in the shoes of a group of scientists who have been doomed to endless torment by a very angry god from another dimension. Anyway, the only way to escape is to travel to 7 or so different dimensions and destroy the giant evil monsters that live there. This game sounds a lot like an average arcade game that gets boring after you play it twice. However, it is not. It is a very difficult game, with a great dose of humor added in, the story is very unique, and the game itself, is very fun.


You play as one of the scientists group, each with different abilities. For, example, one guy can shoot a one-time-use burst of flames that is very lethal to nearby enemies. Another guy has a gun, which can be used more than once (this is my favorite character in the game). The game itself is played from a top-down view, and the amount of different enemies in it keeps the game interesting. Another cool factor is that you can use vehicles. The only vehicle I have found so far was a tank like thing with a bunch of drills attached at the end. It was used to destroy certain obstacles and instantly kill enemies. However, its use was short-lived, seeing as in order to continue, I had to go through a small space that the vehicle couldn't fit through. I'll just say that I died shortly after.

Strange Science, in my opinion, is a great, free game that I really enjoyed. I encourage you to play it sometime. Follow the link if you wish to download it right now.

rating: 8/10

link: (sorry, can't find link right now. Be sure to check game jolt, though. That is where I found it)

Outlast

I'd like to do my first PREVIEW on the game Outlast. As you might confer from the word preview, this game actually has no releases yet. However, there is gameplay, for it.



  Outlast is a horror game made by Red Barrels. Now, I'm not sure I can really count this as an indie title, because Red Barrels seems to be pretty big, and on top of that, it is planned to be a multiplatform title, with Red Barells stating that "We’re focusing on the PC for now, but our goal is to make Outlast available to anyone who wants to play it. It’s just a matter of time and resources.(http://redbarrelsgames.com/games.html) So, basically, right now they are an independent company, but I'm not sure how long that will last. So, if Red Barrels stays independent during the making of Outlast, I'll bet they'll be quite some inspiration for other indie designers.

Anyway, on to details. Outlast is an upcoming survival-horror title. You play as protagonist Miles Upshir. As an independent journalist, your job is to wander inside an old, abandoned asylum, where strange events are taking place. Little do you know that what lurks inside is just another scary-as-hell horror monster that has an irresistible urge to rip your guts out, much like any other horror game. But this monster does prove to be a  lot more frightening, as it is constantly pursuing you (unlike some other horror games, where monsters are just set events or triggers that automatically happen when you say walk in to a room)



 There's our little friend!!!!

Whilst exploring said asylum, you soon find out that your only escape is too go deeper in.  (No, I'm not sure how that will be implemented, but I'm sure it will be something reasonable) There you have it. Outlast, which will be released Q3 2013. If you are any more curious, follow the link posted in the middle of the second paragraph. That should take you to their site, where you can view some gameplay trailers. Also, IGN has made an " Is Outlast Scary?" video, which features a bunch of people playing a short version of it.

Pre-Rating: 8/10.