- Jan 25, 2023
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- The boring one
I've already rambled about Mafia 3 and how it's a terrific GTA-like, grounded in US history and 60s culture, set in an unusual location (Louisiana) and pitting you against various forms of the era's overt racism. It's one of the games I'm currently playing so it pops up occasionally in the games-you're-currently-playing thread.
I've also talked about Vampyr, which surprised me with its neat story and atmosphere, but above all with its gameplay which gives you a purely narrative incentive to retain your humanity instead of levelling the very vampiric powers that probably were your reason to buy the game. Vampire The Masquerade doesn't express that well the moral conundrum of fighting against one's own vampiric potential.
But I haven't yet preached about the magnificence of Steamworld Heist, which is a fantastic turn-based artillery-like ricochet-ing worms-ish brawler of sorts. Don't know how to describe it (did I ?). It's just delightful, in gameplay and in design (the way robots break apart when shot is so satisfying). It's the kind of game you don't play just once.
Jaws Unleashed was a lovely free-roaming mayhem simulator, that truly felt maritime (you even get a bit seasick after a while), and deliciously violent. There's been other games that put you in the role of a giant shark gobbling up all kinds of fish and humans, but they usually feel too gamey, with health bars all over the screen and other intrusive notifications. Jaws Unleashed was more movie-like, and, as such, much more immersive.
Hard West is another turn-based shooter, also featuring a lot of ricochet opportunities. It's a hybridation of genres, not only in its setting (gritty satanic folklore fantasy western) but also in gameplay, its different campaigns being based on different mechanics as if the game was a bit undecided about its structure and went for all options simultaneously. But it works, it has an excellent tone, and the Old West in an under-utilized gaming environment, in particular for tactical shooters. Its sequel, by another team, is said to be less good.
Also both Guns Gore and Cannoli and its sequel were absolute gems, the perfect side-scrolling shooters in my opinion. Top-notch gameplay and reactivity, surprising sense of variation, you just don't get bored. The one-liners, like the plot, are over-the-top and instantly set you in the correct mood for this frantic slaughterfest. The drawings are great, and the animations feel oddly natural despite their puppet-ey construction. It's not easy to put down once you launch it, but can also be played in short bursts of self-contained savepoint to savepoint run.
Really top tier games that could have been too easy to overlook. Let's use this thread to bring our attention to such unassuming (or simply too little known) jewels.
I've also talked about Vampyr, which surprised me with its neat story and atmosphere, but above all with its gameplay which gives you a purely narrative incentive to retain your humanity instead of levelling the very vampiric powers that probably were your reason to buy the game. Vampire The Masquerade doesn't express that well the moral conundrum of fighting against one's own vampiric potential.
But I haven't yet preached about the magnificence of Steamworld Heist, which is a fantastic turn-based artillery-like ricochet-ing worms-ish brawler of sorts. Don't know how to describe it (did I ?). It's just delightful, in gameplay and in design (the way robots break apart when shot is so satisfying). It's the kind of game you don't play just once.
Jaws Unleashed was a lovely free-roaming mayhem simulator, that truly felt maritime (you even get a bit seasick after a while), and deliciously violent. There's been other games that put you in the role of a giant shark gobbling up all kinds of fish and humans, but they usually feel too gamey, with health bars all over the screen and other intrusive notifications. Jaws Unleashed was more movie-like, and, as such, much more immersive.
Hard West is another turn-based shooter, also featuring a lot of ricochet opportunities. It's a hybridation of genres, not only in its setting (gritty satanic folklore fantasy western) but also in gameplay, its different campaigns being based on different mechanics as if the game was a bit undecided about its structure and went for all options simultaneously. But it works, it has an excellent tone, and the Old West in an under-utilized gaming environment, in particular for tactical shooters. Its sequel, by another team, is said to be less good.
Also both Guns Gore and Cannoli and its sequel were absolute gems, the perfect side-scrolling shooters in my opinion. Top-notch gameplay and reactivity, surprising sense of variation, you just don't get bored. The one-liners, like the plot, are over-the-top and instantly set you in the correct mood for this frantic slaughterfest. The drawings are great, and the animations feel oddly natural despite their puppet-ey construction. It's not easy to put down once you launch it, but can also be played in short bursts of self-contained savepoint to savepoint run.
Really top tier games that could have been too easy to overlook. Let's use this thread to bring our attention to such unassuming (or simply too little known) jewels.
