Recent reviews by Cyborg Darwin

Historical arms and armor with ahistorical amounts of fun. Kill people by beheading, rock-throwing, horseriding, catapultin' or chuck some turds at 'em. Just don't use short spear and shield.

TO GLORY!!!!

I used to play DotA. The original one. Yes, the one in Warcraft III. No, not Allstars. I'm talking Reign of Chaos here. Eul's original stuff. Back when people weren't so serious about it. You just picked a hero and had fun on a map, killing creeps, pushing towers, buying items (WITHOUT recipes). Things changed all the time. There was no "meta". Just fun.
I dunno what happened. Maybe it finally changed for the worse. Or maybe I changed.
Things got serious. Here in 2014, DotA has exploded, and spawned so many imitations, spinoffs, knockoffs, genuine attempts at improving the formula, genuine attempts to not improve the formula whatsoever, and even it's own proper sequel. And yet, very, VERY few of them catch that original magic. When it was fun, and not an "esport". When it was about the objective, not the kills, and about the nice feel of it all, not the rage aimed at your peers.
Here's a game of fun. But don't let the whimsy exterior fool you - it can get serious. But only serious enough. It's still fun. You pick a hero, kill some creeps, and push some towers. And it's constantly changing, evolving. I'd say it's vastly improved today compared to when I started playing, and probably even more so to when it was released! I too may have changed - I like shooters now. I didn't in the Warcraft III days. Valve showed me the way, and yet Valve's own DotA 2 doesn't hook me like the first DotA and its ilk did back in the day, or as Awesomenauts (and SMNC before it) has done now. I guess I need that shooter element now - that element of accuracy and dynamic control to contrast the numbers and upgrades. But there's more than that.
Maybe I'm just and old nostalgic fool. And perhaps it is only fitting that Awesomenauts borrows its style from the saturday morning cartoons of my childhood. But you know what? Those cartoons were fun. And so is Awesomenauts.

For me, Bastion is an instant classic. It's got an old-school feel combined with a modern sense of visuals and storytelling. Post-apoc has never been this colorful and fun - without losing the sense of urgency and hopelessness.

While the constant talking from the game's dynamic narrator may annoy some (not me), and the combat might seem repetitive in some cases (unless you experiment with the available options, as you're supposed to), the soundtrack is certainly awesome to most - indeed, it draws me in every time, and then gently pats me on the head, moves my feet and punches me in the chest.

As you explore this strange broken world, you will not only disover the truth about the Calamity, but also a certain truth about yourself.

(Not to spoil, but whatever you do, save the dude at the end, and you too will be moved - just like that.)