product review
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All I See Are Hexagons, All I Hear Are Chiptunes
Oh God, this game is so hard.Part of me hates it.But I also can't stop playing it.I've made it my mission to play all the games that I've neglected over the years, and I knew that I owed Terry Cavanagh's Super Hexagon the courtesy of playing more than a few seconds at a friend's house. I figured that at least finishing the first level would do the game justice.I had no idea what I was in for.Super Hexagon, likeLittle Inferno, is a game from the first Humble Bundle I bought. This bundle also included Hotline Miami, a game I've wanted to play since I saw Michael Jones of Rooster Teeth make a RageQuit video about it. He also did one for Super Hexagon and honestly that should have prepared me for this.Super Hexagon, as I've said, is a game by Terry Cavanagh released for Windows in 2012. When I opened my browser to start writing I was unsure what genre to call it. I was ready to say "puzzle" until a quick browse down its Wikipedia page for the basics on its release and platform history mentioned it was a "Twitch" game: A game that tests your reaction speed.Now from playing this I've come to the realisation that my reaction speed is pretty great.My actual reactions, however, are garbage.The game has a deceptively simple concept. You are a triangle, dodge the walls coming towards you. Get hit by the wall and you have to start the level over. You get a new rank every ten seconds (line, triangle, square, and so on and so forth) and I assume every level lasts 60 seconds so that the final rank is "Hexagon." I say "assume" because I haven't gotten further than eighteen seconds in before I see a wall and instantly react by positioning myself straight in front of it.Like I said: I have good reaction times—my reactions themselves are bad.It's addictive, though.The music, provided by Northern Irish musician "Chipzel," is a perfect match for the hectic and intense gameplay. The outward simplicity of the game makes it easy to recognise where you went wrong ("I overshot there," "I didn't move enough there," "I should have moved left because there was more space," etc.) and helps you figure out what to do next time as best you can.Typically what happens for me is I'll play a few rounds and get a score of about six or seven seconds then one glorious run where I push past my high score by point-seven of a second and feel very happy. Until I slam myself straight into a wall. Then I'll mutter "dammit" under my breath, take a minute, and restart.It's frustrating, but seeing that I'm making progress, however minute, is a nice feeling, and as I mentioned none of my deaths or failures feel like they came out of nowhere. It's one of those games where you need to zone out for a second and just go with the flow. I've had times where I see something coming and immediately push the button towards it rather than away, and other times where I'll spam button commands when all I really need to do is just hold down one key as it's just a big spiral. I've caught myself giggling and saying "How did I do that!?" aloud as I get through some of the quicker and more intense segments.And remember all of this is in the first level.Super Hexagon is great. I am definitely a casual gamer and I'm not determined to get every achievement in the game. It's a challenge I don't think I'm up for. But it's definitely fun, engaging, and I'm not good at it, but I'm still determined to do that first level if nothing else. And who knows? Maybe if I can do level one I'll feel that I'm skilled enough to try the other difficulties, and I can start all the panic over again.As a last note, Super Hexagon is considered a "Full" version of a game Cavanagh whipped up for a 12 hour game jam. And I'd recommend giving Hexagon a go before you try Super Hexagon, just to see if it's your thing.---Super Hexagon is a game by Terry Cavanagh. It's available from superhexagon.com, or on Steam. It's also available on Android and iOS. Terry Cavanagh also has his own website.
By Max Brooks7 years ago in Gamers
"You Can Go as Far as You Like, but You Can Never Come Back"
The following article contains Spoilers for Little Inferno, and I mean BIG spoilers. I mean spoilers so spoileriffic that I actually feel like I misled people by saying there were major spoilers in my last article. Like, spoilers so big that when it happened I had to come back and write another article to rave about it!So if you've read my last article, then you'll know that I've been playing Little Inferno. If you've played the game, AND read that article, then you'll know that I was nowhere near the point where I could start talking about it in depth. I'd been happily burning all the possessions I ordered from magazines, throwing them in the furnace, watching the flames, getting letters from Sugar Plumps, all-in-all having a cheery time.Then Sugar Plumps' house burned down, and I got a little scared.But! I continue to persevere, burning more and more things to unlock more and more combos. Then when I've got all of them I get given instructions for another combo and when I try that ...(Here's where the spoilers come in and they're REAL spoilers this time.) You see it turns out you can burn your house down. And once you do then the game changes from a fun little puzzle about burning your things...
By Max Brooks7 years ago in Gamers
"It's Little Inferno Just for Me!"
SPOILERS: This game is gonna have some pretty major spoilers for Little Inferno! Don't read if that's the sort of thing that bothers you!!So, I checked my Humble Bundle library recently. I'm sure like many of you you've bought more games than you're comfortable counting and end up forgetting about most of them. Hell, I bought my first Humble Bundle purely because I wanted to play Hotline Miami.I'd actually forgotten that there were other games in there when I bought it. Including the oddly named Little Inferno.Feeling that I should be getting my full money's worth I downloaded Little Inferno expecting a cute little game about some kind of fire sprite trying to escape a chimney, or maybe making himself bigger by finding more sources of flame to eat. I don't know why this assumption was in my head but I was certainly surprised when the game turned out to be about burning your most treasured possessions, and other people's most treasured possessions.Sounds fun right?It's actually incredibly fun and addictive, we get a catalogue full of items we can order (so we can burn them in the fireplace) and as we unlock more items with the money we get from burning we get more catalogues with more items. One feature of it, that encourages us to burn items together to see how they interact, is the Combo System, that awards us stamps (that speed up how long items take to arrive from the catalogue to us). The Combo system gives you a hint such as "Cold War" or "Pirate Bike" and you have to figure out which two or three items it's asking you to burn together.Right off the bat, I got a bit of a Doodle God vibe from that, combine two things and you get a reward for being creative or figuring stuff out. The big difference, in my eyes at least, is that it's a little more fun. Doodle God, for those of you who haven't played it, gives you a bunch of elements and you combine them to make more elements. The big difference to me is that Little Inferno handles it in a slightly more engaging way. Now part of that's down to the fact that Doodle God, brilliant as it is, just gives you the two elements spinning and a "Hallelujah!" as you get a new element. Little Inferno is a tad more visceral. Many items react in fun ways; corn on the cob explodes into popcorn, dragon toys breathe fire, bugs explode into brightly coloured flames, marshmallows scream (don't ask). It makes the Combos more like a reward than a goal, if that makes sense. This is helped by the stamps we get expediting the gameplay whereas in Doodle God I did end up waiting for the hints to time in.The soundtrack is absolutely gorgeous, by the way, if the game doesn't sound like it's your thing, then at least download the OST, because it's so atmospheric and really makes you feel calm and secure, or scared and nervous. Kyle Gabler did a stand out job on making a set of tunes that sound eerie and uplifting at the same time, there's a dreamlike quality to the music and it gives you a feeling that something's watching you out of the corner of your eye.The story of Little Inferno starts off silly: "Burn your things! Because fire is fun!" and indeed the other main character, Sugar Plumps (who writes letters to you in the embarrassing "Lol, I am so random" way that I did when I was 14 and still fills me with a deep, deep shame), seems like a Burton-esque little girl who likes burning things and making new friends. (Even if she does say things like "It's not a face! But it still watches youuuuuuu!")And then (Oh, here's where the spoilers come in by the way) she burns to death in her house.Surprise, surprise there IS a plot! There had been letters and bits and pieces about the Earth getting colder and colder while the Tomorrow Corporation pumps out more and more stuff to just incinerate. And I thought that I could spend a late night pumping out the rest of the combos I needed to put the game out and then that absolutely incredible music got dark and angsty and the screen started shaking and I thought to myself "Maybe I should play this game when it's light outside..."I'm far from done with Little Inferno, because what I thought was going to be a strange little widget has got me entirely invested in what happens next. It's a wonderful little game with a lot of imagination ...... Also a good outlet for any firebug tendencies we may or may not be hiding.——
By Max Brooks7 years ago in Gamers
Crimson's 'Fallout Shelter' Review
Most mobile games are just a grind fest of mindless gathering of resources and this game isn't really that much of an exception. Figuring out the strategy to keep the vault running is pretty fun, but once you do you may end up getting bored of it. If you want a more successful vault you don't want to really play it all the time, but rather come back to it once it a while to touch it up. You also need to balance the growth of the vault by how many resources you have available. If you have too many dwellers, you may find them going hungry and dying of radiation poisoning. If you have too many rooms you might find you don't have enough man power to run them all sufficiently. You go on missions and gather resources. It's a mobile game so yes, more mind numbing resource gathering. The survival mode adds a bit more challenge, but the game mechanics stay the same. It's good for a mobile game and I'd recommend it for anyone who likes the Fallout franchise and mobile gaming. Personally not my favorite of the franchise, but it is free, so giving it a try won't hurt your wallet.
By Eris Willow7 years ago in Gamers
My Review of 'Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown'
I didn't get into Ace Combat until I discovered Ace Combat 4 on the PlayStation 2. That game had me hooked. It had a nice variety of missions and the gradual difficulty was just about right. I had a great sense of satisfaction when I finally completed that final mission.
By Brian Anonymous7 years ago in Gamers
'Spyro: Reignited' Trilogy
At the end of 2018 a thousand childhood memories came rushing back to me when I heard the news: Spyro was coming back! The reignited trilogy was going to enable me to play the games I loved as a kid and I was so excited. I got the game for Christmas but only started playing it this last month and it’s safe to say that I am in LOVE.
By Leigh Hooper7 years ago in Gamers
'APEX' Could Mark the End of 'Fortnite'
We all know Fortnite is the most popular game almost ever! At least in pop culture. I never saw a game blow up like Fortnite and I believe Fortnite helped advance the gaming industry years in advance. Yes, you can say MindCraft was one of the first games to be really big and make gaming a norm in today's society. However, Fortnite is different in many ways. I have never seen a game that created more successful streamers like Ninja, Tfue, and TSM_Myth, just to name a few. Before, they were not highly recognizable names, but because of Fortnite, that completely changed they are now some of the biggest names not only on Twitch but even YouTube and Twitter. For example, Ninja has about 21 million followers on YouTube, Tfue has about close to 10 million, and TSM_Myth has about 4 million. I only named three people, but I can probably name you about fifty more people who became insanely successful just from Fortnite alone.
By Brandon Lee7 years ago in Gamers
Season 8 Pilot Review
The time has come again for me to do my official review of Fortnite's latest season. I did one for Season 7 and now Season 8 gets its turn. In this review I shall be looking at the Map Changes, Battle Pass and the newly added Canons. This season has had mixed thoughts and opinions, some saying it is the best season yet and some replying with "Are you mad? It's ****." This review will cover both the Positives and Negatives!
By Charna Sanson7 years ago in Gamers
'Far Cry: New Dawn'
Ubisoft has decided to change things up with their Far Cry series, this time by releasing a direct sequel. Some may argue that Far Cry Primal, or Far Cry Predator where their first sequels. Really though, Predator was more of a DLC, and Primal was a prequel at the most. New Dawn, though chronological, falls in place seventeen years after the ending events of Far Cry 5 (spoilers ahead). So after the bombs dropped, everyone went underground to live for six years, then finally pop up to find a vibrant and colorful post-apocalyptic future. Let’s get into the meat and potatoes of the game, though.
By Austin Wilson7 years ago in Gamers
'Division 2:' Beta Impressions
This past weekend saw the private beta of Tom Clancy's Division 2, and there was a fair bit of content on offer. Between two main story missions, the Dark Zone, a handful of side missions, side activities, and random world events, we got a good taste of what the full release could have in store. In something of a counter to the Anthem beta and Anthem's marketing in general, the look we got at Division 2 even gave us some of the endgame.
By Joseline Burns7 years ago in Gamers
Who Says 'Destiny 2' Is a Dead Game?
I’m a gamer. I was there when the original Nintendo first came out, and I remember begging my parents for a Super Nintendo when that was announced. It was something that I had to have. I remember playing Super Mario Brothers and getting frustrated at levels 8-1 and 8-8. I could never get past those. My sister would always tell our family members that I was born with a video cord instead of an umbilical cord because I played games constantly. Every day after school I would come home and quickly do my homework before firing up the Super Nintendo and playing for hours on end.
By Christina Scanlon7 years ago in Gamers
