Game EXP: Undead's Building (NS)

Disclaimer: I received a free pre-release copy of Undead's Building for the Nintendo Switch from developer Double Drive LLC for Indie Gamer Chick's #IndieSelect event this week.  The game was given without expectation or promise of a positive review, only that the game be talked along with sharing screenshots through varying social media channels.  All of the words and descriptions in this article unless otherwise noted are my own from my own personal experience playing this game.

I was not actually expecting to be writing a Game EXP article today for Double Drive, LLC's just released game for the Nintendo Switch, Undead's Building, but here we are, and I guess, here we go.

The premise of Undead's Building is that you play an unnamed and  unseen elevator operator in various buildings throughout one or many various cities, rescuing citizens from zombies as they frantically wait for the one elevator car in the building to pick them up and deliver them to safety.  Or at least that is what I thought the storyline was until I read on their eShop page, which is instead that people live for free in buildings infested by zombies and are trying to get to use the elevator before they are attacked and killed.  That is the basic point of the game.  

Undead's Building operates in that you are able to switch between cameras located at each floor of the elevator to see if people are waiting, then you direct the elevator to that floor and can either hold the doors closed, or open them and quickly close them before a zombie crawls inside; although while I was afraid of this happening, I never did experience it, although I guess I could see what the animation is like if I feel like being a horrible person.  Each stage is made up of a different building, which means that the floors buttons in the elevator are in a somewhat different order each time, and the number of floors can differ, as well as where the safety drop off point is; sometimes it is the first floor, while others it might be the roof or one of the basement floors.

So I am very efficient, have a good reputation, but I'm slow. Nothing new here.

At the end of each stage, the game ranks you based on your performance, which seems to accumulate throughout the game, but does not have any bearing on the game; or it least it did not have any perceptible effect on the game.  And I will let you know right now, that for the entirety of the game, my Speed rating did not make it past the the second hexagonal ring.  What You are also given a letter grade that is essentially a star rating, which also does not look to have any effect on being able to unlock levels.  In the one level, I purposefully played bad, earning a D (Bad. . .) rating, and was still able to progress to the next stage.

Are they all clones!? Is that why there are zombies!?

Probably one of the more amusing aspects of Undead's Building is that, or at least it seems that, each building reuses the same three character models for the residents you are rescuing, which can look rather silly when you have nine people in your crammed elevator and nearly half look identical.  This in no way detracts from the game, but it is something that is hard not to notice.  And at least each of the excited animations the characters make when they make it inside the elevator, and the frustrated animations while they are waiting outside the closed doors, are randomized so you do not get the same buff bro "wooping" every time you rescue them; the ungrateful swine.

I think the biggest critique I have of the game is how short it is.  The entire game is made up of only seven stages, with the first stage throwing you right into the game like you have been on the job for 16 years.  Had they included a tutorial level showing you how the elevator operated, perhaps before the zombie outbreak occurred, it might have helped to pad the game out.  But padding out a short game will definitely feel obvious and wasteful.  On the Nintendo Switch version specifically, there seems to be little replay value beyond trying to beat your previous score/grade.  Not to doot my own horn which I am going to do anyway, I never received lower than a B grade on any of the stages after my first playthrough (the aforementioned D rating was from a purposeful attempt); most of them I received an A grade and I assume that there is either an A+ or S grade if you manage to rescue all of the residents.  Perhaps in the PC, PlayStation, or Xbox version there are achievements related to grades, or being able to max out or reach a particular skill score?  But in the Switch version, when you beat a level (with at least a D?) you then unlock the next stage.  At the end of the seventh stage, there was nothing.  No notification about "Try to earn S rank!"  Nothing.  The game just takes you back to the stage selection screen to scroll through the only available seven stages.  Other than the inclusion of new and more floors and more residents to rescue, Stage 7 did not feel any different than a blown up Stage 1.  Had there been flickering lights, maybe a fire breaking out in the basement eliminating one of the drop/safe zones halfway through the level, something dynamic?

One final criticism, which might just be kind of nit-picky, is the description for Stage 6, which says that you will now have to be able to tell the difference between those needing rescuing and the zombies, implying pretty heavily that there will be some need for on the fly deducing of people hovering around the elevator.  At least for me, this was not the case and at times, I was only accidentally hitting the wrong button to close the door or switched back to the camera angle when I meant to open the door.  What it almost feels like is unfinished or un-realized plans for what Double Drive had for Undead's Building. 

Undead's Building is a short game.  Almost too short for the $5.99 price tag being asked (maybe not the current sale price of $4.79?), and I think the game length is what a lot of my critique boils down to.  I like the concept as it is a game that I have never played before in any capacity.  I have never played an Elevator Operator Simulator game unless you somehow count Elevator Action, and I have not played this combination of elements in a single game.  I do not want to give the wrong impression as I did have fun with Undead's Building, but the length of time required to beat it with D grade or better could easily be done in around 30 minutes (if you consider average 5 minutes per stage, but I did not time myself), the replayability is low (next to nil?), but it is still a great concept.  It might actually work as a party/drinking game now that I think about it. . .

JWfW/JDub/Jaconian

Instrumental

Dead Sticks, browser game

Dead Sticks is a simple browser by developer supernapie.  I've been enjoying this game,  it's fallen into a new category that I hope to expand, called 'games I can play at work.'  

Up to this point, it's pretty much been online chess at Gameknot.com  but sometimes I get tired of chess, or chess becomes too intensive.  And I want a little variety. 

both Dead Sticks and chess work well because they are one move at a time.  I can sneak over an make a move, and then take off.  I need to be able to dedicate less than a minute to each play, and I need to be able to drop it at a moments notice.  For this reason action games are completely out.  As are puzzle games that are actually quite action oriented, such as Tetris.  Single clicks, that's what I need.

Dead Sticks meets the requirements nicely.  Simple puzzles, requiring a series of clicks in the right order.  The sticks fall apart based on me loosening the pieces.  The image is abstract enough that it isn't instantly recognizable as a game, which is helpful. 

I've never actually been called out for casually gaming at work, but I have set up my own rationale as to what is allowed.  It seems to be working so far.  

Also:  Dead Sticks is available at itch.io, which is a website I've been meaning to check out more often.  A few of the game devs I follow on twitter use itch.io, and it seems like a great platform for independent developers to make a buck or two and get their stuff out to their audience.  

-D

Midi Week Singles: Sabre's Edge (FFXIII)

"Sabre's Edge" from Final Fantasy XIII on the Playstation 3 (2010)

Composer: Masashi Hamauzu

Album: No Official Release

Publisher: SquarEnix

Developer: SquarEnix

I caught myself happily whistling this song today.  "Sabre's Edge" is every bit a Final Fantasy boss battle theme.  the slow fanfare bit is sooooo catchy, and it’s really nice when it comes back around in the second half of the song.    There are some tracks that bring you into a game whenever you hear them, and this is my track for FFXIII. 

And, to be fair, it must be by design.  The boss battle music is supposed to have a strong effect, and for FF games, it almost universally does. A good boss theme is like the summation of everything to come before it.  Boss fights are supposed to be the conclusion of a chapter.  There have been many fights up to this point, there have been songs, but this one tells you how far you've come and what you’re up against. 

I really think there is no better way to sum up the experience of playing a video game than selected samples of the in-game music.  Something about how the memories are formed and accessed, I guess.

It should also be noted that Nobou Uematsu is not the composer for Final Fantasy XIII, but Masashi Hamauzu, who took over lead composer duties when Uematsu left SquarEnix in 2004.  He did study under Uematsu, according to his Wikipedia page.  

-D  

MIDI Week Singles: "Act 2: The River Smurf", & "Act 8: The Sledge Race" - The Smurfs (NES)

"Act 2: The River Smurf" & "Act 8: The Sledge Race" from The Smurfs on the Nintendo Entertainment System [PAL] (1994)

Composer: Alberto Jose Gonzalez

Album: No Official Release

Publisher: Infrogames

Developer: Bit Managers

You would think by this point in my #AllTheNESMusic I should not be surprised by music from games that I have never heard of and would initially think I would not like.  The music from The Smurfs, which was never released on the NES in North America, fit very much into the brain folder of music that I had pre-maturely written off as I pulled it up on YouTube.  When this track ended, being the second song I listened to, I had paused the music to do some work stuff while at work (I had headphones plugged in), I realized that I was thinking about this song, and humming/whistling it while walking back to my desk.  Again, I kind of wrote off this one song as being the oddly catchy song for an otherwise children oriented game, but then song after song kept being good.

Now, part of my appreciation for the music (and this song in particular) could have been from the fact that I had zero expectations when I first started listening, but I do genuinely feel like, not only this song, but a lot of the soundtrack as a whole, is in fact really good.  It was a little difficult nailing down just one song from the soundtrack to use for today's MIDI Week Single, but do not be surprised at all if I decide to pull another song and use it in the coming weeks/months.  Because I can guarantee you that it will happen, it is now just a matter of when.

~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian

Instrumental

First Impressions: Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)

Well, I wasn't sure I would try this one, but I found it for $6.99 at Dimple records, so I said 'what the hell?'

So what's the deal with FFXIII?  I've heard a lot of criticism of the game, and that is generally regarded with disappointment.  So how much of this is about expectations?  I have been lucky enough to come to the game about nine years after its release date (Dec 2009), so my expectations have had plenty of time to be tempered.  That being said... I don't know how I feel about this game.

A lot is made of the fact that most of the game is just running forward.  I'm about four hours in, and so far most of the game has, in fact, been just running forward and fighting battle after battle, broken up by cut scenes.   The game is very much 'on rails.'  In fact, I think this is important to understand:  This isn't really an RPG.  It's more of a Brawler.  (see: Double Dragon, Castle Crashers, TMNT Arcade)

Seen through this lens, the game makes a lot more sense.  Brawlers are typically rn from left to right, with constant battling along the way.  FF XIII is basically the same thing, but with turn based combat instead of action based combat.  

The graphics are incredible. The game is gorgeous to look at.  The enemy design is really cool.  Best looking brawler I've played, and possibly the best looking game.  The combat is pretty cool.  While on the one hand, it's not very involved - I've mostly been mashing the attack button, on the other hand, there have been some unfolding complexities as I've gone along.  It's getting more and more interesting as I play.

One noteworthy thing about the combat is that you only control one character.  It is turn based, active time battle in FF tradition, however, the other members of your party have roles they are assigned and play out.  Closer to Secret of Mana (SNES) or Star Ocean 2 (PS1).  But more complex than either of those games.

The characters and story though?  So far, not great.   So far there are five characters.  I sort of like three of the characters.  Really dislike one character, and mildly dislike another.  I'm hoping that through the course of the game, I come to like some of these characters more, but thus far, they are all pretty flat.  Every conversation is just like a retread of their basic personality traits:  "I'm tough and silent.  We'll, I'm overenthusiastic and bullheaded.  Well, I'm shy and nervous," And they just sort of repeat these roles over and again with slightly different dialogue.  The story is pretty confusing and impenetrable so far, and while I think I have a pretty good tolerance for this kind of thing, the dialogue is so bad that it makes the story less interesting. 

I think it's also noteworthy that I haven't played very many dialogue-heavy voice acted games.  So I'm unaccustomed to the level of drama infused into every single interaction in this game.  I hate to say it, but it comes across as childish.

I don't know if I'll make it through FF XIII.  I've shown a low tolerance for long game experiences, and if this is like any other title in the series, it's going to be long.  But the actual gameplay is pretty low-stress so far, so the first four hours went pretty quickly.  Maybe I'll burn out.  I'll be sure to let you know, either way. 

-D

First Impressions: Dustoff Heli Rescue II (NS)

Disclaimer:  I received Dustoff Heli Rescue II for the Nintendo Switch free of charge from developer Rainy Frog and publisher Ratalaika Games through Indie Gamer Chick's #IndieSelect.  The game was given without promise or expectation of a positive review, only that the game be played and shared through social media channels.  All words contained in this article unless otherwise noted are my own.

I am going to keep this article semi-short as I am only on the 8th mission out of 35, and the 7th mission as well as the 8th, are a real doozy as they have ramped up the difficulty a lot more than the previous missions, but I will get to all of that in a bit.

Dustoff Heli Rescue II is a side scrolling game where you take control of one of different types of military helicopters customized for missions varying from supply drop, to attack incoming hostiles, to rescue missions, and plenty of variation in between.  The concept is pretty simple and would not be out of place on an Atari or original NES cartridge. The execution though is where the DHRII would bust out of its 384Kb cartridge.  Visually, DHRII reminds me a lot of Minecraft, if the camera pulled waaaay back and hovered a few hundred feet above the ground, following the helicopter as it flies left/right/up/down towards the destination.  And in that, the controls are pretty simple.  With the exception of the A-button.  The A-button, I think, prevents your helicopter from firing upon targets, or at least that is what I think it does based on what the game tells me during play.  On the Controls Setting screen, it looks as if pressing A fires the gun on your helicopter, but I feel firing/not firing is really only important when you are running low on ammunition.

To Return to Repair/Re-Supply or Keep Going?

There are a couple of additions to this basic formula, but conventional to gaming.  In most missions (I think it is most as opposed to all) there is an odd greenish-yellow colored smoke signal next to crates that point out a resupply station.  At these locations, you can heal/repair the helicopter as well as resupply on ammunition, but also save the game, allowing you to restart if you die before completing the mission.  The downside to relying on these resupply stations is that they can take up valuable time if you are trying to earn the full three stars, and if you die at all during the mission, you will immediately lose a star if you restart from this checkpoint.  And like a lot of Three Star Games, you do need a required amount of stars in order to continue to the next level, but thankfully I have not come across a level that I did not immediately have access to.  A side quest of sorts too, is recovering dog tags (usually five to six per mission) that can be used to purchase, but are not a requirement for completing levels or earning stars.

The only real complaints I have about the game is selecting things when in a menu mode.  There is a bright green box that surrounds what it is that you are selecting, but something about this particular shade of green seems to fit in really well with the whole color scheme of the game, and more than once I clicked a mission that I did not mean to.  There have been a couple of other times where it seemed to take a second for the game to register my menu selection, leading me to pressing the A button again and ending up selecting something that I had not originally intended.  Oh, and I guess the secondary complaint is the jump in difficulty that I am currently facing in Mission 8.

One thing I want to mention, is that while playing Dustoff Heli Rescue II, for some reason I started wanting the game to have a Star Wars skin on it.  I wanted to be flying some type of Corellian freighter, snow speeder, or some other Star Wars ship during the events leading up to and through The Force Awakens.  Here you would be attacking First Order outposts, rescuing resistance fighters, basically everything that you are already doing here.  The game style would not change, only the look of the vehicles, the sound effects, and the music would all be from the Star Wars universe.  This is not to knock anything that Rainy Frog has done with this game, but if Disney gave them a license to make the exact same game but with a Star Wars skin, I would be not at all disappointed.



~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
Throw Your Arms Around Me

Game EXP: Deadspace (PS3)

(Deadspace!  you can also read Jaconian's 2013 review of Deadspace )



I’m having a hard time writing a game exp about Deadspace.  And I think I know what the reason is, and it’s a complaint I have a lot with games:  It was too long.  I was having a great time for the first 3/4 of the game, I had the impression I was getting close to the end, and then it was another 3 hours before it actually ended.  The game became a little bit of a chore at the end. 

This is really frustrating because I really liked Deadspace!  It had excellent design, I really enjoyed running around a giant  industrial spaceship.  It was evocative of all of my favorite space/horror films.  It was terrifying!  The sounds kept me on edge or scared me half to death. I actually played the game on ‘super easy’ mode at times because the sound was often turned down (Jane couldn't stand the sound of it).  

I actually enjoyed a lot of the non-combat missions, I think in part because they slotted well into the great sci-fi imagery.  Starting up engines and the like.  Fitting space contraptions into other space contraptions.  Glowing lights.  Good times. 

***Okay, time for some spoilers.  Spoilers, spoilers spoilers, you got that?  Big time spoilers. ***

The final task I thought was really cool too.  Physically moving the artifact to return it to its home.  Unfortunately, this is also where some burnout happened.  Once I had like the third wave of baddies to fight against, slowing the process down, making it into a chore.  It because just another cycle of what the game had shown me dozens of time already:  Non-combat task broken into steps by waves of enemies.  In the middle of the game, I had no problem with this.  But by the end I just wanted to finish the damned thing, and these enemies were only annoying and not fun. 

I think this was especially annoying because I really loved the twist: the idea that ‘make us whole again’ was a real plea, and not a sinister mind game.  I thought it was a fantastic twist, but it was really disrupted by enemy attacks.  I had hoped maybe they would just let the final push of the artifact be allowed to just breathe, and be a real scene with some real catharsis.  The moments surrounding the final stage were the best in the game, I thought.  I even felt pretty bad killing the final boss. 

I didn’t really need the final twist of ‘you’re actually crazy isaac’ –  it kinda fell flat.  It seemed pretty clear that doctor-lady was only vaguely real at best.  In addition, Isaac was such a total non-character, that I thought he might be an android for like half the game.  It seemed like he lived to follow orders and didn’t have anything to add to any of the conversation.  The same is true of doctor-lady who, we are told, loves Isaac.  There was the message at the beginning, but it made virtually no impact on me.  And her appearance in the actual game was only occasional, it seemed like she was supposed to be important, but I would just forget about her.    

I know it seems like I’m trashing this game, but I do think it’s a great game!  I think the reason I’m so critical is in large part because I loved it.  I want it to be perfect.   I loved the graphics, world design, creature design, I love the combat, I love the non-combat.  All of those things made for a fantastic play experience.  I loved the story design, but not necessarily how it played out.  The characters were just okay.  And I wish the game were about ¾ the total length.  I’d even accept half. 

-D

P.S. read Jaconian's 2013 review of Deadspace 

Game EXP: Runner3 (NS)

I guess it has been some time since I first talked about Runner3.  I had a mixed relationship with this game, which is probably the reason that I put the game down for a couple of months to play something where I was not bonking/dying 50+ times each time I started a new level that was designed to have no fewer than two playthroughs; some had a playthrough rate of three times in order to collect all of the collectables.  And then there was the update that made everything better for plebs like me who cannot make it through a single retro level.

Runner3 started off well enough, being more reminiscent of BIT.TRIP. Presents. . .Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien than it was of the original BIT.TRIP RUNNER, which I was perfectly fine with, although thinking back, having an option to switch to a retro skin of the same game would be pretty cool, but I realize that that would have made the production time a lot longer, and possibly upped the cost of the game as well.  One of the biggest differences though between Runner3 and Runner2, was that there was a dynamic camera that would sometimes push in closer to the player, or pull back to allow greater view of what was coming at you, although during those sequences it was usually due to running at a much faster speed than usual.  There was also the inclusion of vehicles for the first time, which still operated in a similar manner to the playable character, jumping to avoid obstacles and collecting gold bars, or introduced in this game, diamonds.

The first stage in Runner3, Foodland, felt a bit like the first stages in Runner2, in that they were designed to be introductory levels.  However, maybe because I have a history with this franchise, the level design felt more tailored to people who were already familiar with the the BIT.TRIP series.  In this case I felt somewhat at an advantage, but that did not mean that I was better at the game, just that I felt like there was not as much time to get used to game mechanics as previous entries, which I guess makes sense.  That being said, the first area is where I felt the most comfortable, although as the stages progressed, there was increased difficulty, but nothing like trying to kill Robert de Sable; or at least for me.

The second stage, Spookyland is where the difficulty seemed to explode into stupidly difficult.  Here I was finding myself taking around 20 attempts before getting to the mid-level checkpoint, followed by another 10-20 attempts to make it to the end of the stage.  It was during the second stage that I came to two conclusions.  1) I no longer cared about getting the Special Perfect ++ on nearly every regular level, and 2) That I needed to put the game down and stop playing.  Sure, you could label me as a quitter, but halfway through Stage 2 is where Runner3 really stopped being about playing a fun game and became an exercise in flagellation, minus the religious visions or needing to change my shorts.

And that is where Runner3 sat until months later, Choice Provisions released an update to the game that added a lot of features to the core game, apparently for people like me who found the difficulty too much to handle.  Among some of the gameplay updates, they added the ability to increase the number checkpoints or remove them all-together.  They also added a slider to increase/decrease the number of gold bars/diamonds throughout the stage.  Still somewhat downtrodden, I decided to check out the update and WOW!  I picked up where I left off in Spookyland and while it did take me a few bonks/deaths to get back into the swing of things, I was able to clear a few of the mid-checkpoint-checkpoints, which made finishing the stages a lot easier.

A part of me did feel a little guilty, like I was cheating myself by activating these multiple checkpoints that were not part of the original game, but then I told myself that had they not been there, I probably would forever be stuck in Spookyland, bonking 60+ times and not having any fun after the 10th bonk.  This assistance allowed me to finish the game and I am forever grateful to Choice Provisions for integrating it into the game, as an option, as a response to player feedback.  I also told myself that when I sat down to write about Runner3, that I was definitely not going to leave out that part as it would be dishonest and that is something I will not abide.

With the help of multiple checkpoints activated, I was able to make my way through Spookyland, and finally Machineland, although at the end of Machineland when you go up against Timbletot, I was a bit surprised as I felt that three stages seemed a bit short, but I guess that remains consistent with the BIT.TRIP series formula.  So I reached Timbletot, and then I put the game down again for a month.  I honestly do not know why specifically as I was having fun, but it was probably just another case of CPS.  Then, around the beginning of February, I decided that I would hunker down for that last boss fight and make a go of it.  And then after a number of tries, I did defeat Timbletot.  At least for now, until its inevitable return in the as of yet unannounced Runner4.

There is a fair amount in Runner3 that I have either not touched on, or barely talked about, like the retro levels, the "Impossible Levels," the cosmetic options (as Commander Video is above in the inverted , the Hero Quests, and the puppet shows.  And look how much I have already talked without going into all of that!?  But let us close out this Game EXP with a look at my stats for the game, and call it a good night then.

So based on these statistics, I bonked once every 40.9 seconds.

That's a lot.



~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
The Grave of Our Youth is Up Ahead

MIDI Week Singles: "Titles" - Alien³ (NES)

"Titles" from Alien³ on the Nintendo Entertainment System (1993)

Composer: Jeroen Tel

Album: No Official Release

Publisher: Acclaim Entertainment

Developer: Probe Software

I guess this is really all I have about this track.  I never played Alien³ when it was released back in 1993, probably because I was too young to have seen the movie and did not really know anything about the Alien franchise other than this was a side scrolling action game.  But the music, woo!  And now that I know that Jeroen Tel wrote the music to both Alien³ and Bram Stoker's Dracula, I can really hear the similarities in the style of music.

What I like here, I like, is that there is no attempt at masking whatever the warbly MIDI instrument is supposed to be around the 50 second mark.  Sure some of the other MIDI instruments could be intended to be actual instruments, but for the most part, the music sounds more focused on the melody rather than trying to make the song sound like it's being performed by specific instruments.  I am of course making assumptions left and further left, but that is because I have yet to interview Mr. Tel.

Something else that I like, is that for the first 20 seconds, it sounds like pretty standard "Here's some generic-esque music to play until you actually start playing the game.  But by the time the song reaches 24 seconds, you are able to move past the title music and start the game, which is really a shame since the song repeats after 2:30.  That is a pretty long time for a song in a video game to play before it repeats (unless you're playing Ultima: Exodus) and the song just keeps getting better.

~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian

Beginning To Think That I'm Wasting Time

Worst. Mini-game. Ever.

Okay, so, I was cruising around on deadspace, having a good time, when I hit the *worst* mini game of all time. 

At least  one of the worst.  About halfway through Deadspace there is a mini game where you control a cannon and shoot asteroids in order to protect the ship you are on.  Not unlike any given space-asteroid level you might find in Star Fox or a Lucasville game.  Except this one has terrible controls and is nearly impossible. 

I easily played the asteroid mini game 20 times in a row.  It was SO tough.  About halfway through I turned up the brightness on the TV, so I could catch the asteroids a little further away.  Eventually I noticed that some of the huge ones were obscured, but sort of flashed in the distance.  This allowed me to aim at them a little bit earlier.  It turned out that these ones were essential to beating the level, and eventually I managed to destroy them all and actually finished with 10% remaining when I finally got there. 

The mini game felt like it hadn’t been play tested.  The controls were stiff, especially vertical controls.  There were far more asteroids than you can possibly destroy, so it was about prioritizing which ones you destroy.  But since the controls were so bad, I would find that I would swing wildly and then miss a dozen asteroids before I could get control again.   It was so frustrating.  It didn’t feel like I was getting any better at the game the more times I played it. And there wasn’t even some cheaty-face way to just get through it.  I seriously wondered if I would just have to put Dead Space down for a while, and I was afraid I wouldn’t pick it up again – or that I would pick it up, but find the mini game just as impossible as before.  That would have been a sad way to end it.  I’m so glad I was able to beat the stupid level. 

 

-D

P.S.  It’s worth noting this scene came immediately after a cool spacewalk scene that I liked a lot!

First Impressions: DeadSpace (PS3)

So far, this game is great!  I really love the choice to make the menus a physical part of the game.  It's *so* stylish, and really well done.  The controls are intuitive, though I am accustomed to a different firing button, so that will take a little time to get used to.  I love having a button to hold up my weapon, so I'm constantly in aiming mode as I go around corners or open doors. 

The enemy design is nice and disgusting and very reminiscent of John Carpenter's The Thing.  When a hideous monster with human legs charges at me,  I am suitably grossed out.  I also enjoy the general sci-fi horror sense of it, that the game takes place within one large ship.  And, of course, it is reminiscent of the Alien series. 

It's noteworthy that I chose to play on 'easy' mode, and I htink it was the right decision.  On the one hand, I have so many items that I'm constantly running out of slots.  On the other hand, it's fairly easy so far, and I haven't died yet in about 2.5 chapters.  This is nice, it helps me move forward at a steady pace, and reduces the stress of worrying about dying.  Also, it's nice to feel like I am effective at dispatching monsters. 

Also, I like the idea of dismembering the monsters.  it gives me something to aim at, and a sensible way to stop them from coming.  It's a variation on head-shots, and in general I find aiming pretty easy in this game.  I enjoy the basic weapon, with it's 3 reticles. 

Two little criticisms:  it's weird the way you just kind of kick bodies around when you run into them.  Tehy are like light ragdolls and it can be distracting-- sometimes I think it's a live enemy, other times I think it just looks really silly.  This must have been hard for the developers to fix, because it's really front and center, and I noticed this right away.  Second is the 'store.'  -- it's very 'gamey.'  Like, here I am, horrified and running for my life, monsters everyone, and then I just stumble onto a weapon store.  Like.. uhhh, like any ship would have.  Right?  Just buy yourself some guns and armor from a vending machine. 

It's just a funny thing I notice, and it seems to be common in modern games (2008 is modern to me).  They are much more immersive, but still very much games.  That's one thing I'll say for Bioshock, is that they wrote the existence of weapon vending machines into the story in a somewhat compelling way.  I love having these RPG elements in games, but it's not always necessary- I'm sure this game would be fine without a store. 

These small criticisms aside, I'm really enjoying Deadspace. 

-D