Reader's Choice!

Hey everyone! I have decided to add a new section to the blog! It is on the right under my subscribe button, and it is called "Reader's Choice."  Every week I will be posting four games out of a certain genre (action is this week's genre) that I can review based on YOUR feedback.

Each week I will try to post a new list of games on either Sunday or Monday. The poll will be up till 11:55pm Friday night. I will announce the winner of the poll on that Saturday, and will post a review of that game within the following week (along with any other reviews that I feel like posting).

I hope you guys enjoy this new expansion to my blog, and I hope to hear from you! I appreciate all of you and hope that you continue to read and enjoy my blog, Adventures In Gaming.

If you think of any games that are not listed or that you would like to see reviewed, just email me at adveningaming@gmail.com!

Desert Delivery Boy (Rage Review)

Quick Facts:

Developer: Id Software
Initial Release Date: October 4, 2011

Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Mac

Rating: M (Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Intense Violence)

WARNING: THIS GAME IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN OR YOUNGER TEENS

Heat can do strange things to a man. It drains you of life, slowly dehydrating the body until the only thing you can feel is a steady burn and the dryness of the throat. Most can escape the heat's manipulation, but in the desert, no one can see you sweat. Well, unless they are near you, then they see you sweat a lot.

In the world of Rage, you are the victim of a post apocalyptic kidnapping. There is no telling how you got in this situation, but it doesn't matter. Before long you are rescued by a mysterious stranger, who takes you on an exhilarating ride through the wasteland to a safe haven. You decide to rest your head and try to regain your strength as the stranger tells you everything will be alright. The harsh light of the sun starts to fade slightly as you close your eyes. "We're here!' the game tells you and immediately pushes you out of the car. 

You may think that you've been sleeping for a long time, but then you realize something. The safe haven is only a few hundred yards away from where you were held hostage. I'm not an expert on rescuing people from prison or anything, but wouldn't it have made more sense to escort someone a little further away? Especially when the escape was not exactly stealthy?

Well, sooner or later you won't care how far away your makeshift prison was. You may even think that you are of some relative importance, since someone came all the way out there to save you. In their dire need, this small group of wasteland survivors rescued you from the maw of the marauders. Yes, you are the chosen one, and with that thought you raise your head in high self esteem. 

With your newly discovered stride you saunter over to the bar and ask for a weapon. In order to get down to business protecting these here folk, you'll need yourself a trusty gun. These people need you after all, and you're here to return the favor of your rescue by lending them your sly wit and razor sharp focus and...

"Oh, in order to get that you'll need to fight some bandits. Take this here boomerang with ya." The bartender says.

Out of all the guns this town has, including the one the bartender is HOLDING right in front of you...he gives you a boomerang. It's called a wingstick, with razor sharp edges and is surprisingly useful once you start decapitating random angry people who like to swing off of chandeliers but that is beside the point. He gave you a boomerang.

Once you finish that whole ordeal, taking in the desolate but well rendered scenery, and killing the last balletic bandit, a voice crackles over the radio.

"Good job! Come on back to base." It says in a gravelly attempt at a western voice. Somehow, they managed to see everything. You whip around, looking at every crumbled piece of stone and coughing as the sand enters your mouth that is gaping open. Apparently, the bartender is psychic.

After you get back to base with new bandit blood on your hands (and pretty much everywhere else it seems) you are ready to really get down to business. The bartender smiles dryly and gives you the gun, but then he asks you to deliver an important letter to a nearby colony. This is your chance! Not only are you the chosen one, but now you will be famous!

With that thought you race over to the garage to claim your ride. Dust kicks up from your feet as you sprint over to the mechanic, who is leaning against the counter. At the press of a button you ask for your duly deserved dune buggy.

"Well hi there," he replies, "I see you're looking for a buggy. Well, see the thing is, some bandits across the way stole some of my parts, and I need you take care of them, and bring the parts back so that I can..." Before he finishes you realize the trap you are in. You are not the chosen one. All you are is a murderous errand boy. 

After hours of running errands just like these, I honestly stopped playing Rage. It's a three disc game (at least on Xbox 360), and I feel like the first two are tutorials for a story they might introduce in the third disc if they get around to it. To be fair, the gameplay is tight, the graphics are beautiful (in the deserted wasteland, fifty shades of brown kind of way), and the music is great.

In fact, the whole game thrives on it's atmosphere, which is well done, but isn't engaging enough to warrant being someone's errand boy for three hours straight. It was fun trying to outwit the bandits the first time, but when you are doing it repeatedly for no reason other than the game couldn't think of what else to do with you, it becomes tedious. 

If you can get past these first few hours, then maybe the story will start to develop and you'll enjoy it. There is even a multiplayer mode where all you do is run errands, so it cuts out the middle man. It's mindless fun, but it's nothing to write home about, even though I'm writing about it here. I'm guessing you want to know my final verdict? You've read all the way down to this last sentence, and you want to know whether or not I recommend the game.

Well, see the thing is, in order to get my final verdict, I'm going to need you to get rid of some bandits...

SciFi Street Fight (Killer Instinct Review)

Quick Facts:

Developers: Rare, Iron Galaxy, Double Helix Games, Microsoft Studios
Initial Release Date: November 22, 2013

Platforms: PC, Xbox ONE

Rating: T (Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence)

The fight had begun. Fireballs and sparks erupted across the battlefield as the two fighters engaged in fierce combat. He sliced through the air with his sword as she blocked each strike with her electrified batons. A floating timer above their heads reminded them that they only had a few seconds left before the fight would end.

Time stopped. The swordsman roared like a tiger, planting his feet in the cracking asphalt. A new fire ignited in his eyes as he started to glow with a faint, yellow aura. His instinct was now active. He flew in with a rapid series of kicks, hoping to knock out the last bit of his opponent's health. Her body shook violently with each blow as she watched the last bit of her health bar slowly chip away. His confidence grew as he started throwing in punches and sword slashes into the combo, increasing it's potential damage. This was his mistake. She smiled and a sudden burst of energy erupted from her.

A loud, deep voice yelled "C-C-Combo Breaker!!" as he flew through the air away from his former victim. Her eyes glowed and she screamed "fire cat!" and summoned an electrified panther to attack her foe. It collided with him across the arena, erupting in a shower of sparks. She followed in pursuit and threw in some kicks and baton strikes, creating a vicious combo of her own. He could not avoid the final blows as his health bar disappeared. 

A bright flash ignited the stage as she continued the combo, altering the music in the background to amplify the effect of her final blows. The stage crumbled and collapsed under the power of her final combo. With one final strike, she launched into the air in a fiery form, bringing him down the hard dirt. The timer stopped, and an excited voice yelled "ULTRAAAAA!!!!" She celebrated by twirling her electric batons and looked directly at me. The fight was over.

In Killer Instinct, every fight is a tense conflict to the end. It is unlike any other fighting game I've ever witnessed due to it's frenetic pace and fascinating visuals. Within moments you will be captivated by the amount of sparks and fireworks exploding across the screen as each combatant releases a series of moves that are unique from a visual and practical standpoint.

Each character is distinct, and none of them play the same as the others. In order to play as a new character, you will have to learn a new series of moves, which may be a turnoff for some, but for those of us who like variety in fighting games, it is a breath of fresh air.

Unlike most fighting games, a lot of the characters in Killer Instinct aren't human. The realism is removed in favor of pure fun, which I can appreciate. It never takes itself too seriously, but it has enough tension to make each fight feel like a desperate conflict. This is a hard balance to strike, but Killer Instinct does it perfectly. Although you may see a cybernetic velociraptor fight off against an undead japanese ghost, you can still feel the tangible tension of a well choreographed fight sequence.

There is a free version to download and play on Xbox One, which features one free character (Jago) and one rotating character (currently a giant gargoyle monster named Gargos), but includes all of the features of the main game including a survival mode, story mode, versus, online play, and a dojo to learn all of the interlocking mechanics. If you want to purchase the full game, you can buy each "season" (which includes eight characters each) for twenty dollars, or buy all three in a pack for around sixty. You can also buy characters individually, which I wouldn't recommend, because they are around five dollars a piece.

This is an amazing game from the start screen to the shining polish of each fight. I recommend it to anyone with even the smallest interest in fighting games, even if you've never held a controller. Just be careful that you don't get too arrogant when pulling off flashy combos, because you just never know when your combos, like your newly developed confidence, will be broken.

Caverns for Kids (Spelunker World Review)

Quick Facts:

Developer: Tozai Games
Initial Release Date: November 11, 2015

Platforms: PS4

Rating: E

Imagine the deep, dark underworld of a mysterious cavern. Each step into your descent you move further away from the familiarity of the light caressed surface to find yourself lost and alone. The claustrophobic tightness of the rock formations sometimes cause those who enter them to squirm and shiver under the powerful influence of fear. This is the risk people take to explore the unknown world beneath our feet. Welcome to the hobby commonly known as spelunking.

People all over the world partake in this dangerous pastime in order to explore places most wouldn't dare to enter. It's the thrill of the descent rewarded by the beauty and spectacle of the cavernous underworld. Sometimes they run across underground lakes that shimmer in an eerie glow or find rare jewels buried in the rock. This isn't a common occurrence, but it is possible.

Spelunker World attempts to capture this feeling of exploration and discovery, but through the lens of a children's book. Instead of feeling fear, all I felt was aggravation and a deep desire to show the game that I could get through the caves unscathed. This is partially due to the fact that these are some of the wimpiest spelunkers I've ever seen in my life. Fall two feet from a rope to the ground and you get to watch as the character grabs his knee before the game restarts you back at the last checkpoint.

These checkpoints are placed generously around the map, but why are these guys even down here? Children off of a kindergarten playground can take better falls than these animated spelunkers, but oh well. At least I still enjoy the game. I just have to be more careful with their fragile bodies.

Once I got over that hurdle, I realized that they also can't run, even when a boulder is falling after them like that scene from Indiana Jones. My eyes focused on the screen as I pressed the right button as hard as I could, only to watch my character waddle like a constipated wind up toy. Come on! I caught myself saying to the screen. Thankfully, the developers also knew the limitations of their characters and set up the chase so that I barely made it out alive.

Outside of those small grievances, the game is actually quite entertaining. Every cave is unique, and some of the platforming sections are genuinely enjoyable. I caught myself smiling as I'd rush through the cave as fast as possible, picking up items and dodging hazards with ease. After getting accustomed to the slower pace of movement, it became easier to maneuver around the environments which are nicely animated.

The game ditches realism in favor of a simplistic, clean art style which I appreciate. It is easy to tell different items apart and the gameplay mechanics are straight forward. For example, in order to open the blue door you will need a blue key. The only difficult part is finding that blue key, but if it were too easy the game wouldn't be any fun.

Once the level is completed, you are rewarded with experience points which help level your character up (which didn't seem to produce any noticeable results except extra storage space in the backpack). Also, there is an interesting collecting mechanic where you open up "lithos" to unlock new pieces of clothing. I'm not an expert in spelunking or anything, but I don't know how you can make a t-shirt out of some rocks you found in the ground, and even if you could I wouldn't want to wear it.  If you don't like the clothes you unlock, you can always sell them for more gold, which can be used to buy more stuff in the store later on.

One thing that I found very odd about the game's design was that all of the levels are unlocked from the beginning. You don't have to beat level one to get to level two, though it is recommended. If you feel like a boss, you can go ahead and try to beat the further levels first but I can guarantee that you will be frustrated at the spelunkers inability to trip without crying about it. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this game, and will probably continue playing it until I beat every level with my wimpy wanderer. Through the fire, flames, bat poop, and rolling stones I will prevail. In fact, anyone with free time and a Playstation 4 can join me in my quest to conquer the darkest caves because the game is completely free. There are no paywalls, limited microtransactions and everything is playable from the start. Just be careful. Two foot falls and bat poop are deadly.

Gon' Huntin'! (Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2011 Review)

Quick Facts:

Developer: Cauldron
Initial Release Date: October 26, 2010

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Nintendo DS

Rating: T (Blood, Violence)

I hold the Top Shot Elite gun firmly in my hands. The plastic contours of the rifle fit comfortably in my grasp as I look down the scope. Perfect. The cross-hairs line up perfectly with the targets on screen as I pull the trigger. With each successful shot, a loud boom erupts from my TV, and I get one step closer to hunting. My pulse races faster as I continue to knock out the targets.

Without hesitation I shoot down the last target, and the game tells me that my calibration is complete. Aha! I say and click the pump action reload. In that moment I took a deep breath, and went straight to the gallery. See, when I originally bought this game I imagined it to be similar to real hunting.

I expected to walk through the forest, taking in the sights and sounds, as I hunted my prey. With each carefully placed step I'd be closer to landing the kill shot, and taking home a great trophy to put on my wall. Yes, a nice thirty point set of antlers would be amazing on my wall. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I know absolutely nothing about hunting, but if this game is any representation of it, I'm never going into the woods again.

As soon as I start the game, I realize that something is weird. The game is in first person, which I expected, but I have the ability to float through the air like some kind of demented woodland nymph with a treacherous blood lust. A small blue reticle lined up approximately to where my gun was pointing, but there was no gun on the screen. In the bottom right corner, the game kindly displays how much ammo I have in each magazine. So, my rifle had three, and my shotgun had two. Good to know.

I watched closely as I heard a mysterious voice tell me to start shooting. What I didn't realize was that all the animals in this game were rabid. Without warning all of the deer of the forest stampeded toward me, running around as if the world were ending before I even made a sound. I start shooting, and realize the biggest plot twist this game had to offer. 

As the deer went flying right and left because of my well placed shots, I suddenly realized that I was not a demented woodland nymph with a blood lust as I had previously assumed. I was a wizard. Creating ammunition out of thin air was the least impressive of my magical abilities as I slowed down time with the press of a button. The animals tried to escape, leaping through the air in beautiful stride. A small maniacal laugh escaped me as I brought them all down to the dirt.

Yes, if hunting were this empowering I would definitely consider it, though a question did cross my mind. What was I going to do with all these dead carcasses? I shrugged and floated through the air to another predetermined spot and faced a true threat. Mountain lions are dangerous creatures, and can do plenty of physical and psychological damage by themselves, but in this universe nothing travels alone. You may think that I'm talking about a pair of mountain lions, which is possible in the wild, but no. My jaw wouldn't have dropped to the floor if it were only two mountain lions.

At the rate I was going I could easily down them by slowing time, or seeing through them with my x-ray vision I learned from somewhere. This was different. At first I only saw one coming at me from the bushes, but then another, and then three more. Cabela does not understand subtlety or realism, but I didn't care. I cocked my pump action reload again and fired away! This game balances the unrealistic horror of half a bazillion mountain lions chasing you with the reminder that you are a forest dwelling demigod with the power to levitate and control time.

What I expected to be a hunting simulator swiftly turned into a power trip with a plastic rifle. I caught myself yelling at the screen in triumph as I downed every threat that stood in my way, and every innocent creature that tried to get out of it.  Then, as time passed I began to feel kinda sorry for the little things. These poor innocent creatures were being zapped to death by Zeus and he doesn't eat venison. But, as soon as I saw a deer bounce through the air on it's head, all guilt was lost and laughter came instead. 

This game was never meant to be taken seriously but is a fun arcade style shooter. The gorgeous scenery can sometimes get in the way of seeing your target (like tall grass concealing a baboon) but it is not too inconvenient. After I got over my power trip of being a wizard in the woods, I realized how much fun it was. An hour had passed and I didn't even feel it. 

It is a great game, but I would definitely recommend it with a Top Shot Elite controller. Trying to control the game with an Xbox 360 controller (or PS3 controller) feels like trying to grab a bar of soap you dropped in the shower. You may have a grip on it for about a second, but then you fall and hurt yourself. Or get eaten by a mountain lion.

Blog Expansion

BLOG EXPANSION

Hi everyone! This is just a brief blog post to explain the new situation I am currently in. I have found a new site called "Bloglovin" that will help me reach a broader audience. This is not an official post, but more of an update on how the blog is doing.

So far I am happy with how this blog is turning out, and I am thankful to everyone who has read it up to this point. I will try to write reviews more often as I transition into the flow of playing and reviewing video games for you guys. All of you have been awesome and I am thankful for every time you guys read my material!

You all are the best! I will keep you guys posted as I expand the blog and add more features down the road.

Thanks!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/17799325/?claim=s3ryf7qqmvg">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

<div id="MjA2MDU1ODE="><a href="https://activate.bloglovin.com/profile/20605581"><img src="https://activate.bloglovin.com/common/images/badge1.png" width="200" height="200"/></a></div>

American Playground (The Crew Review)

Quick Facts:

Developers: Ubisoft, Ivory Tower, Ubisoft Reflections
Initial Release Date: December 2, 2014

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Rating: T (Language, Mild Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence)

I am the king of the road. The smell of smoke and burning rubber ignite my instinct as I prepare myself for another race that I am certain I'll win. Up to this point, I haven't lost to anyone, and I don't plan on giving this crown to an unworthy suitor. Let the games begin.

Suddenly I slam on the pedal and the powerful engine revs as my black car bolts like a streak of lightning down the road. I savor every moment as the sunlight dances off of the metallic vehicles and reflects off of the beautiful blue water of the ocean. This is paradise, I told myself as I weaved in and out of traffic. 

The sense of speed is incredible as objects blur past in flashes of realistic light and color. This may be one of the prettier racing titles I've ever played, but there was one thing I did not expect. Without warning, my winning streak was crushed under the boot of an unexpected assailant. Out of nowhere, another car runs into me from the side, leaving ugly white streaks down my sleek paint job. The other cars kept racing by and I glared at the floating ID. This was not an car controlled by the intelligence of the game I was in, but of another player who had no interest in my race or respect for my title.

Suddenly, I pop up a menu to find out who this person is, and realize he is both a higher level and a more experienced driver than I am. I thought I was the king of this continental castle, but I was dead wrong. The other car revved it's engine as if it were mocking my little black streak of lightning. For a brief second, the other car looked somewhat menacing, until it drove off into the sunset, never to be seen again.

This is only a brief scene of what one can expect when playing The Crew. It is a magnificent playground of cities, swamps, deserts, and fields to drive through. The only constraints are the ocean and your willingness to explore the detailed map to find new cars and parts. Every moment of The Crew feels great thanks to smooth driving controls and an easy to follow GPS system. All you have to do is open up the map with one press of a button, find a spot, and mark it. The game then proceeds to tell you the route to that spot using the road systems it has built in place. 

But, this game isn't called The Crew just for it's story (which I will not spoil in this review). This game has a unique feature. Unlike other driving games, you can invite other players to be part of your "crew" and take on missions with you. These missions vary from getting to a certain place at a certain time to wrecking a competitor's car. They vary in difficulty, and the different members of your crew can take on various roles depending on what needs to be done by switching out their cars and modifications. 

Of course, if you don't feel like doing missions, you and your friends can just as easily fool around the entire map seamlessly in multiplayer. That's right, you can literally drive across the country with your friends with no load times or artificial barriers. This kind of multiplayer leads to dynamic and engaging gameplay, including spontaneous games of motor tag (where you run into another car and that person is "it" until they hit you back) to shoving random players into the swamps of the Everglades.

Although this game shines bright with innovation and entertainment, there are a few dark spots. I reviewed the vanilla version of The Crew (vanilla meaning that I didn't buy any downloadable content for it, and I didn't purchase the Wild Run expansion), which led to a few incidences of disappointment. One incident involved a friend and his immediate desire to purchase a motorcycle.

We drove all the way from the Everglades to the Midwest (about forty minutes in real time, which is impressive from a technical standpoint), and my friend was so excited. All the way down the road he talked about what kind of motorcycle he was going to buy, what he was going to do with it, and lots of other technical details I couldn't follow. As we got closer, his voice rose in excitement, and I was ready to see his new, shiny bike. Sadly, when we arrived, all hope was lost. 

The motorcycle shop showed on the map. All of the motorcycles available for purchase revealed themselves in bright, metallic glory on the screen, but there was a catch. Where one would normally purchase these bikes was a button. A big button that said, "Buy Wild Run." There was a sudden silence, and then he said, "I guess I can't get one then." 

Personally, I do not like it when companies fully reveal downloadable content in a game as if you own it only to show the bitter truth that it's actually locked behind a pay wall. Why not just hide the content until the downloadable content is bought? Well, I guess it's so people will WANT to buy it, but I was still not pleased with this tactic, especially for my friend who really wanted the bike.

Overall, I would highly recommend this game for anyone who is into racing, exploration, and goofing around with friends in cars. Just don't try to buy a motorcycle. Hearts get broken that way.

(DISCLOSURE: There is a complete edition of the game available that includes everything the game has to offer. This review only pertains to The Crew in it's original form, which I got for free for Xbox Live Gold members as of the time of this writing. If you have the full version, then you can buy a motorcycle and let me know how it feels to ride it.)

I Came, I Saw, I Caught 'Em! (Pokemon Go Review)

Quick Facts:

Developer: Niantic, Inc.
 Initial Release Date: July 6, 2016

Platforms: Android, IOS 

Rating: Not Rated (Mild Cartoon Violence)

Pokemon was my obsession. Every waking hour of the day consisted of researching and capturing the little monsters, and I never had enough. My little fingers tapped against the buttons of a limited edition Pikachu Gameboy Color, and I continued to feed my insatiable hunger for more of the colorful creatures. I had to catch 'em all...I just had to. 

For years I fed the obsession until it leaked into other aspects of my life. Everything from books to breakfast had to be Pokemon. My parents tried their best to accommodate my eccentricity, but eventually it became far too important. One of the few things I remember during this time in my life was when I finally put away Pokemon for good, never to be seen again. 

It was a pretty dramatic decision for an eight year old to make. Since then, Pokemon has been something I've been passively watching evolve over the years. The games started off in two dimensions, then three, adding hundreds of Pokemon to the ever expanding roster. As the years passed, I never gave another thought to Pokemon or to any of it's spinoff games. I was done. But then, a new game appeared that captured my attention. It was unlike any other Pokemon experience I had ever laid my eyes upon, and for the cheap price of "free," I caught it. This game is known as Pokemon Go.

In Pokemon Go, you can no longer sit on the couch and wile away the hours throwing balls at aggressive animals. If you are a couch potato who enjoys lying around and exploring the various regions of Pokemon from the comforts of your home, then this is not the game for you. This is a game for people who want to be the main character, who want to say bye to Mom and wander out aimlessly into the real world looking for Pokemon. Just make sure you look where you are going. Cars, trucks, planes, local wildlife, aliens and innocent human beings don't realize you are on an important quest to catch em all. So be careful when playing.

So how does Pokemon Go actually work? Simple. You go to the app store or play store, download the free game, sign up using Google or a Pokemon Trainer account and follow the steps. First, you must design your character so that you will be a unique individual. It's important to dress for success. Once that's done, the Professor (Oak, Redwood, Weeping Willow, insert tree name here...) will let you choose one of three starter Pokemon. Then, right when you think you just open a ball and receive a Pokemon...Professor Tree says "whoops" and let's them all go within a few meters of your house. In order to actually get your first Pokemon, you must catch it. In my experience, I chose Bulbasaur (my least favorite starter) because he was conveniently located in my kitchen, swaying back and forth like he found his way into the wrong cabinet.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that the game uses AR (Augmented Reality) to place the Pokemon in YOUR environment by using the camera on the back of your phone. It's pretty ingenious really. It's one thing to catch a Pokemon in a predetermined patch of grass that comes out of thin air, but when it's in your yard, it tends to make you look crazy. Try pointing your phone at the nearby woods and yell "I found you Raticate!" and see how many people look at you in disbelief, and then leave in a hurry.

Once you've caught your Raticate though, the game becomes a tad bit more stale. Each Pokemon only has a couple of moves, and the traditional system of entering random battles and leveling up is gone. You can no longer fight strategic battles with your Pokemon because all battles (except some specific ones) are done automatically. Even the ones that are not done at the discretion of the game involve little thinking from the player, which could be disappointing. The most the player is ever asked to do is tap the screen or swipe to dodge. To those of us that are used to thinking out our next move, switching Pokemon, feeding them berries, status effects, and other strategic elements, this may not be the deepest experience.

But, although the experience isn't very deep, it is pleasant in short bursts. Think of it as a slip-n-slide instead of a swimming pool and you'll get the idea. It doesn't have much depth, but it's fast and furious as you run around the real world catching random Pokemon. Thankfully, other elements from the deeper games did make their way into this adaptation. Evolving (one of Pokemon's most notable features) is fully present, but not in the way you would expect. Instead of battling through hordes of aggressive wildlife to make yours stronger, you just need to feed them candy, but only candy specifically tailored to them.

Each time a Pokemon is sent to the Professor, he sends you back a candy of that Pokemon. Although this is a smooth idea mechanically, getting rid of duplicate Pokemon so that you can power up the one you prefer, it does make me curious. What on Earth does Professor Sycamore do to the Pokemon to get candy out of them? Is getting candy from a Pokemon like milking a cow? Who knows...and it's probably best not to think about it.

Overall, I had a great time with the game. I'd recommend it to anyone who has an interest in Pokemon, spare time, and places to be. So if you are one of those people, it's time to download this little game, get out there and GO!

Technicolor Madness (Furi Review)

QUICK FACTS:

Developer: The Game Bakers
Initial Release Date: July 5, 2016

Platforms: PS4, PC

Rating: M - Violence, Strong Language

WARNING: THIS GAME IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN OR YOUNGER TEENS

Imagine a rave party. See yourself dancing among crazy people as they light up sticks and throw them around the room to the beat of a song that people only know the chorus of. It seems pretty fun, but it suddenly turns into an open mic night and some demented Peter Cottontail rises to share his story.

With each utterance out of his fuzzy mouth you become slightly more confused as the pace of the party is slowly murdered. Suddenly, without warning he teleports to a different place in the room. He continues talking to no one in particular about how people will do anything for love. You sit in silence as the party seems to crawl to a halt.

Without warning, he disappears and the beat to a totally different song starts. The room floods with different colors than before, but you continue partying because that is what you came to do, no matter how confused you are. Now, imagine this cycle continuing for a couple of hours. This is what your brain on Furi looks like.

It starts off simple enough, all you have to do is beat the jailer. The controls are simple and smooth, allowing you to easily pick them up and learn the ropes quickly. A decent soundtrack pounds in the background as slashes of lights and color fill the screen. With each sword swipe you get closer to beating the first of many opponents. When you do, the confusing tedium begins.

The demented rabbit man, who set you free from some kind of prison, arrives and starts talking. Not to you specifically, since your character neither speaks or responds, but to himself. Every line of dialogue out of the mouth of the purple disco bunny reminded me of a fortune cookie. Something that is a universal truth or opinion that could be applied to anything.

While he is talking about random things, you walk. Actually, a better description would be that the game walks for you. After a long tedious battle, the game wants to give it's players a break. It would be a little bit more bearable if the character walked quickly, or if he didn't have to walk ten miles between each battle, but it's nice if you like that sort of thing. You do have the option to take control away from the game, but it will punish you. The same oddball logic applied to the dialogue is used for the walking controls. Want to go left? Well then all you gotta do is press left, wait right...no up...I mean down! The camera will continue to change perspective on you, as if it is just as lost as you are. At least there is an easy solution to this. Press one button and the game will continue on it's slow and merry way to the next fight.

The intriguing thing is that the controls INSIDE the arena are tight and responsive. It's Furi's comfort zone. The arenas are filled with lights and color, and I found each battle to be genuinely exciting. It feels like an accomplishment to beat the unique strategies of each enemy. They are a threat and once conquered, they can provide one of the most satisfying feelings I've experienced since Dark Souls. But, once the fighting is over, the game congratulates you and takes you on a walk again.

So why have the walking at all? I guess some might argue that the game should have a story, or that the breaks are necessary because a game with one hard fight after another would be too intense. Although that could be true, I think the long breaks where I sat and did nothing while listening to some weird purple suited bunny philosophize was a little much.

Overall I really enjoyed this game, and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a short, action oriented adventure with a steep, satisfying challenge and gorgeous art style. Don't expect a deep story, because there isn't one. If you're okay with that, and with taking five minute breaks between fights, then you should slice your way through this technicolor madness...just ignore the demented purple Peter Cottontail. He will always ruin a good rave party.

Also, the game is free on Playstation Plus as of the time of this writing (which I got it) so if you want to take advantage of it, now is a good time!

House Simulator (Gone Home Review)

QUICK FACTS:

Developer: The Fullbright Company
Initial Release Date: August 15, 2013

Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, Xbox One

Rating: Not Rated (Strong Language, Suggestive Themes)

It was a dark and stormy night. Rain spatters against the window as you suddenly arrive at your front door. You don't remember how you got there, or why you have this odd sensation that there is nothing beyond your front porch. You peek out the window only to see the inky blackness of the night, along with some weird pixelated rain dripping down the glass.

Within a few minutes, you realize that you don't have a key to your own house and have to go looking for it by throwing random objects around the room. In little fits of frustration you manage to toss a series of random objects in telekinetic rage, looking for a key that a voice in your head says must be around somewhere. Finally, you find it under a stuffed animal. Naturally.

As time goes on you explore the interior of a normal looking house, force pushing doors open and maneuvering the laws of physics to open drawers towards you by looking at them. You soon realize that objects take on a mysterious white glow when you get near them, indicating that your force powers will work on them. This is not a Star Wars game, just to be clear. It's an odd little story driven walking simulator called, "Gone Home".

I never realized I wanted to go around an abandoned house and look through stuff until now, and the game captures that immersion decently well. I can turn lights on and off, flush toilets, turn sinks on, and open drawers all through the power of my mind! In fact, if I could do this in real life, I would never leave my house. I'd just wander around using my telekinetic abilities on all of my belongings until I got skilled enough to become a Jedi knight! Honestly I don't know why I have Star Wars on the brain today, anyways...back to "Gone Home".

Surprisingly there actually is a decent story in this game. For some reason it's all told through the voice of the main character (who is you) narrating her own life to herself. I don't know about you, but whenever I have a memory, I don't narrate what happened to myself. I am fully aware of what went down because I was there. Sam, the main character, is a spunky, rebellious girl who likes grungy rock music and exploring her house using the force.

As you progress through the game, you hear more tidbits about her life, as told by her to herself, and things get more complex. What started off as a simple drawer opening simulator turns into a twisted mystery. Where did her family go? Why is everything abandoned in the house? Where did Sam get her telekinetic abilities? Why does she not have feet, hands, or any physical presence? Is she a ghost?

I cannot answer any of these questions, since that would spoil the story, but I can tell you one thing for certain. I never finished the story. You see, the game was going along smoothly until Sam started narrating about a certain aspect of her life. Without spoiling too much let's just say that I was getting a little feeling in my gut that she was speaking of one of her female friends too fondly. At first it was kinda sweet, hearing her talk about how she liked spending time with this friend of hers, and how they used to hang out and play video games, but then everything changed. What started off as a narrative of friendship evolved into something a little more intimate than I would've preferred.

Overall, if this narrative arc does not bother you, and you don't mind a slower paced game laced with an intriguing mystery, then I'd recommend it on it's ability to immerse you as a player. There are even some spooky elements intertwined in the story line that could intrigue you, but don't expect the game to turn into horror. It never reaches the point of being scary, but it is a little spooky.

If you like mysteries, and are into moody lighting and sound effects that draw you into a virtual world, then I'd recommend you go home...where you will find out that you have telekinetic powers and are secretly a Jedi.

 

An Old School Road Trip (Super Amazing Wagon Adventure Review)

QUICK FACTS:

Developer: Sparsevector
Initial Release Date: July 6, 2012

Platforms: PC, Xbox 360

Rating: Not Rated (Mild Cartoon Violence and Blood) 

Remember the good ol' days? I'm not talking about the days of the VCR and five channel televisions, but further in the past. No, not the time when cave men slapped rocks against each other and grunted. That's too far back and completely irrelevant.

I am talking about the days of dusty streets, old western towns, and lively piano music playing out of every wild saloon. You may have seen the famous shootouts on television involving two crazed gunmen looking to end the life of the other in a split second, but I am not discussing that either. In fact, my interest lies in the three people riding into the sunset with their trusty, pixelated wagon.

At the start, I got to choose their names and their appearances. The appearances were straight forward. There were options for dark hair, light hair, blue eyes, green eyes, and other combinations of the same, but their looks were too similar to be relevant or get invested in. Each member of this adventurous crew consisted of a series of colored blocks against a similarly geometric backdrop. So why did I become invested in barely animated pixels? It was all in the name.

I clicked through every screen as quick as possible, not lending much thought to what they looked like, or what wagon they rode in, but when I got to their names, my world was changed. A lot of people will probably name the three heroic pioneers after someone they know, or after a famous person, or even a random name like Persephone, but I had a better plan. With a spark of genius, I looked at the screen and frantically typed in their three names.

Once I clicked the start button, the adventure of Somebody, Nobody, and Everybody had begun. In the middle of my journey, a dark screen with bright white text informed me that I was hunting animals. "OK." I said, and rapidly pressed the button on my controller, leaving the blocky carcasses of my unlucky animal friends to collect. As time passed, the screen informed me "Somebody went to look for supplies". Of course, my first thought was, "Which one was it? Somebody, Nobody or Everybody? All three of them are someone." And I laughed to myself.

As my adventure continued, Nobody got killed by buffalo, Somebody found a fur trader, and Everybody (except for Nobody cause he died) had a great idea to jump a river, which I somehow managed to accomplish. Then, my heart started racing as Somebody got sick and Everybody (except for Somebody because he was sick) left the wagon to explore a cave. Sadly, Everybody didn't come out and Somebody was left all to her lonesome. Somebody got pretty far until she ate some wild mushrooms and didn't quite make it back to being sane again.

And so my story ended...about ten minutes after it began. You see, every story will be different. Maybe Everybody will survive, and Nobody will die, while Somebody goes and looks for food. Or, Somebody could get sick, and Nobody could leave the wagon, while Everybody dies. The possibilities for fun stories are nearly endless! Controlling the wagon that the heroes are on is simple as going up and down and pressing a button.

If you're the kind of person who has a sense of humor, doesn't mind playing a game that looks as old as the Oregon Trail itself, and can enjoy the pleasure of simplistic gameplay, then I'd recommend playing Super Amazing Wagon Adventure. It's pure fun in a retro package that is hard to find anywhere else.

It Feels Good to be a Goat (Goat Simulator Review)

QUICK FACTS:

Developer: Coffee Stain Studios
Initial Release Date: April 1, 2014

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, Android, IOS

Rating: Not Rated (Comic Violence, Mild Disturbing Images)

Imagine a nice sunny day in the suburbs of America. Take in the fresh aromas of a backyard barbecue as the citizens of this small town protest against pointy foods. You know how dangerous those pointy foods are, clawing their way down to the stomach with as much culinary rebellion as possible. Just ask anyone who has found themselves crying for mercy as the Doritos Demon screeches to a halt midway down the windpipe. Yes, pointy foods are indeed dangerous, but that is beside the point. The people should be the focus here, not the food.

But I couldn't help thinking of food, as I chewed the neighbor's hat between my lazy jaws. A resounding baaa escaped my lungs as I sat there, staring at the commotion. What I might have forgotten to tell you is that I am not playing as one of the plain pedestrians I see wobbling back and forth in front of me. I'm the goat awkwardly standing on top of one of their heads, chewing the hat.

See, the unique selling point of Goat Simulator is that any player, like you or me, can play as one of the most misrepresented animals in all of video games. Name the last game a goat is mentioned, and you'll probably also tell me how they either had no personality, standing in the background like some kind of animated canvas, or were your source of food. Not in this game! The goat has finally been liberated from it's unimportant role to fulfill a far greater purpose...the bringer of chaos to those who have so long forsaken it.

For some odd reason the person who's head has become my steed has not seemed to notice. Of course, there are other goats meandering about the place, but they're as intelligent as the hat I'm happily chewing. I am the only sentient goat that the world has ever known, and I knew my time would come. At first, I just wanted to explore the decently rendered town, letting the light dance off of my grey physique, but then a greater plan entered my little mind.

I let out another baaa as I jumped off of my cranial ride and slammed the owner of the hat into the adjacent building. His body grotesquely twisted into a bizarre arrangement of limbs, before popping back out and running in slow motion yelling at the top of his lungs. With every physical assault I scored points at the bottom of the screen, and a name appeared telling me who I had hit. I won't share the name for privacy reasons, but within seconds he became a wobbling, freakish mess lodged into the middle of a wooden stage.

The developers of Goat Simulator didn't study human anatomy, or they believe that every man and woman alive is a contortionist. After a while, the wobbling man finally froze to a halt, expressionless and caressing the back of his foot with his flat nose. Somehow I didn't believe that was possible, especially at the hands of a small goat like myself. To be honest, it broke my sense of immersion.

Up to this point I had believed in the fantasy of being a small goat in an American suburb, but after the disturbing freak show I had just witnessed, I experienced a brief suspension of disbelief. That was not realistic at all, even though I had just flung my goat through the air via exploding gas tank a few minutes prior. I can believe in flying goats, but metaphysical, ghostly contortionists is where the line was drawn for me.

This did not detract from the overall experience, it just lowered my expectations. My high hopes and dreams of being a goat were slightly crushed underneath the foot of poorly researched human anatomy, but I shrugged and continued on anyways. They can't get everything right. At least I found another person who's head I could commandeer while I looked around the town.

Overall, my experience of being a goat is quite satisfactory. I have the ability to baaa at a moment's notice, and utilize the destructive capabilities of such a small animal to cause complete chaos whenever I felt the urge. Although this game isn't for everyone, including those looking for a story, game changing graphics, character development, decent music (you may have to mute the game at times in order to preserve your television), variety or substance, for those who have always wondered what it would be like to be a goat, this is the perfect way to spend a pleasant evening at home.