Recent reviews by blurr

In Space, no one but Ripley can survive.

There is nary a trick to this game, to survive is to be bold. You're not guaranteed to live but you will have a good chance, which is much better than hiding. Always. The videogame embodiment of "you can run but you can't hide". It's a principle that might be easy to understand but I think it's the first time ever that a videogame nailed it so well with almost no way to break it, they really designed the whole game around it.

Alien DNA for me is:
- A gradual and meaningful build up
- A fascinating retrofuturistic labyrinth and environmental details
- Unsettling but never for cheap reasons
- (A lowkey liberating feeling watching the Alien or the workers undermine the oppressive late-capitalist tactics/structures)

I think Alien Isolation covers all of this. I only wish I'd get see another chapter of this game in my life time.

Supergiant Games at their best.

An interesting take of basic body function simulation with an amusing premise. It's strongest when it's about the mundane, whether it's you brushing your teeth, driving a car or a perhaps just picking things up and placing them? which was most of the game. Unforunately the last few chapters stumbles into a fantastical situation with us battling sentient robots, minions of hell in a clumsy but functional battle system. This doesn't break the game or make it unplayable but it really became more of what every other game is, now without an interesting combat system. I might add, it kind of sours the rest of what we've been through?

I will however recommend it bearing in mind my initial set of experiences.

Her Story is an excellent example of video game/interactive narrative done well. Not the first of its kind but definitely an amazing perspective of the medium. That's not even the best part, it goes beyond being a unique experience with impressive narrative and a memorable conclusion, all in resonance with its gameplay elements.

To give a gist of what I adore about this game, let me talk about video game narratives for a bit. Games are a medium, much like film and animation but what sets it apart is the idea of interaction while telling a story/providing an experience. Most games boil down interaction to decision making and branching stories which is fine in itself but the options are ultimately static and very limited at any point. Other games eschew any sort of interactive story telling and restrict it to a challenge, games as a medium for story telling is still at its infancy in contrast to film, animation or books despite years of diversification and expansion as an industry. Very few dare to take a risk from the convention at this point but there have been efforts into pushing the medium further in the Indie scene: Dear Esther, Gone Home etc. unfortunately these games are far too familiar to most of us after numerous first person titles but that doesn't mean they are poor attempts at all, just that they are quite overwhelming in this impatient world that isn't fully acquainted with the idea of environmental story telling. What sets apart Her Story from these is its fresh take on interaction/gameplay - the entire game follows a Windows 95 style UI and a gameplay element we are familiar with not thanks to other games but something we do everyday: searching key words from a data base.

A simple gameplay element and probably not even impressive on its own but in relevance to the story, its effect is pronounced. With no tutorial or guide at the beginning, game relays its story through interaction, I opened the readme file before I did anything which gave a gist of our task without detracting from the theme/story quickly adding to the immersion but I won't be surprised if people started getting into the meat of it right away (as did my dad).

We get to watch a number of FMV on the interrogation of a woman in bits and pieces. The player is tasked, rather suggested/implied to piece together these bits and pieces they hear from the videos. You don't understand why but you are nonetheless pushed to solve this mystery in hopes that you will. What's incredible at this point is that there's next to nothing that detracts you from believing that everything on your screen is short of reality, the suspension of disbelief slides in with little to no effort thanks to the UI, the interactive tools (keyboard and mouse) and the utter lack of videogame-centric hints or information. Every bit of it is in sync with its story. There were a few moments that the game does detract but that was only because it deliberately wants to but not that there was a short coming of it, I wasn't aware why as I played but I later came across Sam Barlow's GDC presentation on the game and he mentioned that it gives us a moment reflect the events of the game in our own life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuADjLZjCe4

[MINOR SPOILER TERRITORY, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK]

This was important with respect to how it concluded, it asks for a simple answer, yet one of the more difficult choices I had to make in a video game which felt a lot more intimate than anything I've ever played. I played quite a few games that left me in a bind when it came to decision making but none felt as intimate and personal as this. It didn't matter what sort of outcome the game would have as result of it but the answer it expected would only affect us, as players than the game itself.

Forget the characters of the game, would you be okay with it? Whatever your answer may be, it's alright, perhaps it's what makes you you.

Dear Esther isn't much of a game, there's no challenge or goals involved. All you do is press forward. Literally.

That being said, it's only the surface of things. Dear Esther manages to pull off one thing a good game is supposed to have: the atmosphere and it does that so well. The abandoned island reeks with melancholy and it certainly makes you ponder. There were times I could almost feel the wind hitting my face, it's quite an amazing experience in that regard. The tranquility of the island is further amplified by a beautiful sound track by Jessica Curry, I've slept listening to it numerous times. While the occasional dialogue makes little to no sense as a whole, that doesn't by the least bit turn me off from the experience, rather it makes the experience all the more intense, thanks to the terrific voice over work.

Considering it is lacking a lot of fundamental characterisitcs of a videogame, it still remains to be one of the best experiences I've had. To put it in perspective, I have replayed that 4 times so far just so I could get some alone time, where as I can mention a bunch of actual games in my library which I've left without even playing them for an hour, let alone completing them. Moreover, I certainly see myself getting back to it yet again, Oculus Rift support would make that all the more tempting. I've certainly become a fan of Chinese Room after this so I'm looking forward to checking out Everybody's Gone to Rapture.

The Skateboarding game we deserve.

Detailed yet simple control scheme weighing importance to timing while remaining fair and not *very* dexterity heavy. An immense emphasis on the joystick offers a myriad of tricks to try out for players but I've only been able to try out a handfull of them by the time I even finished all the levels. Trying out more tricks makes sense because your score depends on what trick you perform but given the dexterity requirement, it's gonna take more than a hand full of tries to remember and make use of them in the game. That is my only complaint but then again, I can only spare so much time for gaming these days, that's just me.

That is paired with terrific levels designed to offer the most glorious skateboarding experience. Seriously, don't watch a walkthrough to see how the game is, this is something you must experience, it's a sham there is no demo available. Some of the levels gave this sense of euphoria which very few platformers(I played) have managed to offer and that my friend, is the mark of a great platformer.

Not to mention, an amazing sound track to which I've lost myself listening to during gameplay and it is in no way a bad thing. On the contrary, I bumped up the music volume and turned down the in-game sound effects for a more engaging experience. I'm pretty sure I would not have gone back to playing and finishing it by the time I did if it were not for the sound track. It's that good and really enhances the experience.

I haven't played THPS but always wanted to play a skateboarding game and boy am I satisfied. It's worth mentioning that I loved this so much I bought it on PS Vita as well and played through most of it again :) I'm certainly looking forward to more of Roll7's works, already pre-ordered NOT A HERO and it certainly looks promising.

It's pretty evident that I am recommending this excellent skateboarding game and it is something you should try and not just watch or read. Go ahead and buy (full price or half price or whatever) and if you think you're not up for the dexterity challenge, try it out at least and be your own judge.

An under appreciated masterpiece, think if Half Life was a top down shooter. Special mention to terrific sound effects.

It can provide a considerable amount of challenge but it isn't unfair.

If the above statements don't make it clear enough, it's definitely worth picking up. It's almost a crime Humble Indie Bundle gave it away for free.

First tower defence game I played, enjoyed it. A lot.

Buy if you're okay for a few hours of amusement followed by numerous hours of boredom.

Here's a game that can prove to be a brilliant stress buster or when you need some time for yourself to contemplate about something. I always have it installed in my PC, just in case I need to let off some steam.
The game has NO objectives, you just roam around and take in the visuals, play by your instinct.