Game on - Hamilton's Great Adventure

Today's game is Hamilton's Great Adventure, made by the people at Fatshark, available on Steam and the Playstation Network.

In a Nutshell
Hamilton's Great Adventure follows a daring explorer as he explores ruins filled with traps, treasure and puzzles. it's not a complicated game to understand, but it does get tricky.

Story
Hamilton's Great Adventure tells the tale of Ernest Hamilton, or rather, Ernest Hamilton tells his tale to his granddaughter. Though superfluous, it is a simple tale of adventure. Hamilton is a world renowned explorer of ruins who is hunting an artifact of considerable power for a machine built by his professor friend. As you complete levels and trot around the globe, you learn more and more about the characters and their story. it's charmingly told and adds flair to the whole affair.

Gameplay
The basic gameplay in Hamilton's Great Adventure is simple, You move Hamilton via the keyboard and control his trusty bird Sidekick Sasha with the mouse. You go through mazes filled with traps, collapsing floors and treasure in the search of the golden key which unlocks the gate at the end. It's a game that is reliant not on your reflexes but on your aptitude to puzzle out mazes, and with the variety of traps peppered throughout the levels, you'll certainly find puzzles that will tickle your brain cells. It starts off rather easy but the later puzzles get rather tricky and the large number of bonus maps will certainly grab you if you enjoy puzzles and mazes.

The game is separated in 4 areas, each with 11 levels, the last one being this game's idea of boss fights (But they're more really just somewhat trickier levels). As you collect treasure throughout the levels, you unlock bonus levels which, as I mentioned before, get really tricky. The main replay value comes from the fact you need to aim for all the treasure to obtain a Gold rank on a level and the scoring mechanics which can help rank you on the leaderboards based on speed or score.

As you defeat the guardians, you'll obtain artifacts which I found rather... useless, sadly. They also use a mechanic that is not quite as great as the rest of the game. To use the artifacts, you need to have Sasha collect magic dust which peppers the landscape, meaning you must click everywhere as you solve puzzles just to use artifacts that are not all that useful unless you want to get a very good time. There is only one artifact you need to use to get past a type of trap, which is a shame. The artifacts could've been better used. That said, it's probably the one flaw i can think of with this game, the poorly implemented artifacts.

All in all, this game is quite fun, it's easy to learn but gets rather tricky as it goes. A level creator would certainly have been a great addition, as it would've allowed a community effort making new levels.

Presentation
The game uses a very nice artstyle for the portraits and illustrations for the story sequences and journal entries. it's sepia-toned and old timey, reminding us of that period where the world was still full of mysteries and ruins. it certainly goes for that Indiana Jones feel with cartoonish glee and succeeds at making the game look unique. Each tile comes in different flavors for each of the different regions you explore and these regions all have their own feel and theme which works well to distinguish them and makes you feel as if you're traveling with Hamilton to the four corners of the Globe. The music is charming and light, and helps with the atmosphere without being particularly noticeable or catchy. It did not really leave an impression on me.

Verdict
Hamilton's Great Adventure is quite a fun and charming puzzle game. if you like mazes and having to think things through, you will probably enjoy Hamilton's Great Adventure. I give it a score of Tricky and Fun. The only real flaws are the poorly implemented artifacts and lack of a level creator.

Game On: Borderlands

Today's game is Borderlands, developed by Gearbox, Available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

In a Nutshell

There's a story people know on planet Pandora, the story of the Vault, which countless people are searching for. Alone or in a group, you must find the vault and the riches therein, fighting alien creatures, psychotic raiders and completing quests along the way in this FPS-RPG hybrid.

Story

The story is not the focus of the experience. That being said, it's adequate for the game. The plot is simplistic with only a couple plot twists around the end. Most of the story is relayed through text that comes with quests or through some audio messages relayed through the ECHO system. The characters are not developed at all, but they're nice. They're flat, sure, but the hint of personality they possess is endearing most of the time. This is certainly what's best for the experience, though, as this is mostly a co-op multiplayer FPS experience.

Gameplay

The game is rather straightforward. You find quests, either to advance the story or merely to get more loot, experience and money, shoot your way through them and then turn them in to get your reward. This is, at it's core, a western action RPG. Enemies drop a variety of randomly generated guns, money and ammunition, upon leveling up, you spend skill points in your character's 3 skill trees, complete quests, compare equipment and so on. it's actually quite a robust RPG in that regard. There are several gun types, ranging from pistols to rocket launchers and including some rather rare alien weaponry. Additionally, you can customize your grenades, ranging from regular ones to teleporting ones or Transfusion grenades which hurt the enemy and siphon their health back into you. Shields allow you to customize your main means of defense and class mods allow you to further customize your character by boosting some skills and adding utilities such as regenerating ammo for the entire party or making you more accurate with a certain type of gun.

Each of the 4 classes, Soldier, Hunter, Siren and Berserker has a special skill, 3 skill trees and some affinity for some types of guns. For example, the soldier specializes in assault rifles and shotguns and can deploy an automated turret gun. This succeeds in giving each of the classes their own feel and, since each gun type has it's own skill, ultimately your own playstyle is going to allow you to build a character up to your liking, getting bonuses with guns you use more often. Enemies come in many varieties, be they alien creatures of human antagonists. Though a lot look very much like palette swaps, they each have their special abilities and can come in "badass" varieties that are tougher but also more rewarding to kill.

The areas you explore have a nice variety, ranging from large, open areas to more confined, linear spaces, including some indoor areas. Quests each have a recommended level for them, and there is some scaling happening behind the scenes as each enemy has its own level. higher level enemies are harder to kill and hit you harder, but also drop better loot, more money and more experience. Chests are strewn upon liberally, containing ammunition, money or sometimes weapons and equipment. The vehicle handles well and, though there are only two turret types, the fact it has more than one turret type is something commendable. The main problem with it is that it sometimes takes way too much damage from collisions with enemies and its turrets begin to be rather weak at some point in the game which removes the utility of having a turret.

There are, however, some flaws. For one, the difficulty is a bit uneven at times, with some areas being quite a lot more challenging than the areas before. The vast majority of the equipment you'll find won't compare favorably and will serve no other purpose than to temporarily clog up your inventory until you find a shop to sell it, though that may be endemic to this type of loot-driven RPG. At one point in the game, I found a gun that was not particularly rare according to the color code, but simply so good it was better than every other gun of its type for a long stretch of the game.

Presentation

The game uses cel-shading to achieve a distinctive look and succeeds rather well. The game, though not particularly pretty manages to look extremely nice through stylization. The character design is distinctive and has a certain low-fi aesthetic to it, as it sells the idea that this is a backwards world that has been abandoned by all but the more adventurous, if not the poorest. there is a sort of quiet misery to be found in the characters, stuck on this planet where Mad Max style raiders outnumber honest citizens almost 3 to 1. The gun designs are rather cool and distinctive, adding a lot of variety to it. Each corporation has its own style and specification. For randomly generated guns, they look rather nice and not samey at all. Creature design is also very inspired, helping drive the point that this is a hostile world, not a garden world. Each important character also gets a very fun little scene and title card in a cool poster style. It's slick and it really helps the game look and feel distinctive. The music is mostly ambient and muted, but it works well to enhance the experience. The game also has two pieces that are more stated for the intro and for the credits and they are rather fantastic songs. All in all, the presentation really shines with this game.

Verdict

If you're looking for a fun co-op experience, a distinctive FPS or a lootfest RPG, look no further, this game succeeds at all three goals. This is a Very Fun Game and a Very Fun Co-Op Experience. Do not miss it, it is that good! With a slick presentation, spot on mechanics and tons of potential hours of fun, this is just a great game.

Game On: Assassin's Creed 2

Today's game is Assassin's Creed II, developed by Ubisoft, available on PC, XBox 360 and PS3.

In a Nutshell
Desmond is once again thrust into the life of an ancestor through genetic memory and the mysterious Animus device. As Ezio Auditore da Firenze, he must unlock the secrets of Renaissance Italy, assassinate Templars and learn more about the true history of the world.

Story
The story mostly follows Desmond's ancestor Ezio this time around, with only a very limited number of sequences set in the present day. Ezio's tale is all about untangling a labyrinthine web of Templar deceit and conspiracy, ultimately ending with a plot by one to obtain more power. The characters are rather interesting, Ezio goes through a few character arcs, the supporting cast is a bit more uneven, with some being well developed and interesting while others kind of melting in the background. The villains aren't as developed as they were in the original Assassin's Creed due to the post-assassination limbo sequences being shortened significantly.There are a lot more characters, though, but it's still disappointing that only few have any sort of motivation beyond "He's a Templar" or "He's a friend of Ezio". To supplement the story, you have access to a database describing characters you meet and their place in history. It's an interesting feature and it helps you remember who a character is, and learn more about their life, but it's a poor substitute to proper character development.

The plot itself makes sense, starting with a conspiracy that affects Ezio building up to a bigger conspiracy by Templars to achieve their nefarious goals. Intermingled with the main plot is a series of optional vignettes and scattered data that can be accessed by finding glowing glyphs hidden on certain buildings. This allows you to piece more and more of the Templar's plans throughout history and are actually quite interesting. it's a shame that they're optional, though, because they're a quite novel, puzzle-based form of plot development. In the end, it can hold up, but the story suffered a bit compared to the first game in the series.

Gameplay
The gameplay has improved immensely since the original Assassin's Creed, while keeping the basics. It's still all about moving fast from point A to point B, either in the streets or on the rooftops, avoiding guards, blending in with the populace, assassinating people and participating in sword fights. The mission structure is also much improved. Unlike the original Assassin's Creed, you no longer gather intel on a target by doing 3 out of 5 missions in any order and then getting on with the main assassination. Instead, you follow a mostly linear line of missions while free to partake in the many optional side missions. A new feature is money, which allows you to purchase weapons, armor, ammunition and medicine as well as hire groups to help you distract or fight your enemies or merely help you blend in and hide. The climbing and free-running feel amazing, giving you a real sense of speed as you run, leap and climb your way. The effect is especially fun when chased by guards who witnessed an assassination. Sadly, it is not perfect, with a few moments where you might climb or jump in the wrong direction because you're, say, too close to a wall or near a gap. It's especially annoying when you die because of it, which will happen a few times during hectic chases.

A great feature is the freedom you're given to complete most missions.  Barring a few specific objectives, you're usually given a vague objective and several ways to achieve it. Thanks to a robust system with high profile and low profile action and a number of new assassination moves such as air assassination or assassination from hiding spots, you have a large number of tools at your disposal for every situation. The main problem is the game usually falls a bit flat whenever it restricts your options. It's interesting to be forced to assassinate a target without being detected, but a mission in particular sticks in my mind as being particularly hard even though there is no real reason why you can't be seen, and to not be seen, you need to go through the mission in basically only one way. Still in general, you're given a lot of freedom to complete your objectives. The game ultimately lacks a bit of the structure the first one had due to its more linear mission progression, but by giving you so much more freedom, it balances out very nicely.

Presentation
The presentation is a bit uneven in this game. On one hand, you have rather gorgeous cities that seem alive, plenty of nice character designs and very good animations. On the other hand, clothes very often have clipping errors and the models look odd, if sometimes ugly up close. The lip synching looks really odd at times, which is a shame since the game looks pretty damn good. I also noticed a lot of weird graphical glitches on the PC version, grass seemingly growing as you approach it, low-res foliage shrinking and high res foliage growing as you approach trees, it was certainly pretty jarring at times. Then again, the animations are really, really great, while free-running or sword fighting, it really looks great and alive. It's just a shame that it's marred by glitches and models that don't always hold up when seen up close.

The music is very effective at driving up the tension while racing through Florence or while fighting a group of enemies, otherwise being mostly atmospheric noises you expect to hear in a city. The audio design is very good, really making the cities seem alive and bustling. The voice acting is also very good, though one may wonder why the characters still have accents when their words are supposedly translated. The audio is, indeed, very good in this game.

Verdict
On the whole, a Very entertaining game that feels alive and manages to improve greatly on the gameplay of it's predecessor, though it sacrificed some of the narrative elements in the process. Though marred by some visual glitches, it is very much a pretty game and one that should not be missed!

Game On: Journey

Today's (belated) game review is of Journey, exclusively on the PSN.

In a Nutshell

You are in a desert. There is a mountain with a light shining on top. You must cross the desert to reach it, and learn the history of your kind as you do.

Story

The story is told entirely without words, entirely through landscape, murals and voiceless visions at the end of the various legs of your journey. As the title suggests, the real story is your own, and it cannot be described in words, it's a very personal story, in a way. How much or how little you learn about the history of the people who lived in the desert is up to you, as there are many murals to be found in the vestiges of the civilization. I'll keep it vague, but the story is beautifully told without a single spoken word.

Gameplay

The gameplay is very simple. You move around, you can jump and the length of time you can stay aloft depends on the length of your scarf. if you explore, you will find orbs that lengthen your scarf and, as such, allow you to jumpt farther and explore more. You can also shout, which can activate some mechanism and is your sole means of communication with any companion you find throughout your journey. The core of the game is exploration of the locales to find murals or glyphs, or simply to solve the puzzle of the area you're in to advance to the next. Various objects in the game can be interacted with in some ways, so as to help you explore. The gameplay here takes a backseat to the experience, strangely enough, and it works very well.

Presentation

This game is nothing short of beautiful. It looks extremely nice, the omnipresent sand looks incredibly real, the use of lighting to change the mood of a scene is spectacular, the ambient sounds and music are well crafted and fitting. This game certainly is well presented, allowing you to really take in the experience and get into the journey. You will genuinely feel a sense of wonder as you explore the exquisitely crafted ruins. There is not much to say, this is simply beautiful and it must be seen and experienced to be believed.

Verdict

This is an amazing game.Though short, the fact that a journey can be completed in a single sitting only helps make the experience better. The sheer breadth you can explore, the sense of wonder you feel as you find hidden nooks hiding a mural, the feeling you get when you see another person in the desert and interact with them, solving puzzles... It's all a marvelous experience that should charm and inspire awe to anyone. Still, it may be wonderfully crafted, at $15 it is a bit costly. I give this game a Marvelous and amazing rating, it's a must get, though you may want to wait for a sale to get it if the price point turns you off. This is  a short game, after all.

Game On: Rock of Ages

Today's offering is Rock of Ages, by Ace Team, available on Steam, the PlayStation Network and XBox Live Arcade.

In a Nutshell
Sisyphus is tired to pushing his boulder up his mountain and decides to escape Hades with and and squash historical characters with it.Build defenses against your opponent's assaults and evade their attempts to defend themselves as you control the boulder's descent to their fortress.

Story
The story is quite simple, Sisyphus, the greek character cursed to push a boulder up a steep hill only for it to fall down the other side decides to escape Hades using his boulder and then starts attacking various historical figures and characters in several eras. That's the extent of the plot, but each level starts with a charming vignette in a style reminiscent of Monty Python where we are introduced to the various characters which range from Leonidas to Plague to Napoleon, including the zombified corpses of Aristotle and Plato. it's very tongue in cheek, very entertaining and very charmingly told.

Gameplay
The game is evenly separated in two phases. First, the building phase, where you place defenses ranging from static towers to barrels of TNT, flying spotters to mammoths that stop and push away the enemy boulder. Secondly, once your boulder has been carved, you can enter the rolling phase in which you roll down the hill towards the enemy castle, dodging or destroying their defenses and picking up as much speed as possible to do as much damage to the doors between your boulder and your enemy. Now, this balance of tower defense and racing genres works out very well, allowing you to succeed through a combination of strategy and reflexes. You get a nice variety of possible strategies for every map, and the map themselves are all rather interesting to hurtle through, with each map hiding 3 golden keys for you to find and collect. Additionally, certain areas end with a Boss, changing the dynamic entirely in order to challenge your reflexes and platforming prowess rather than your strategic thinking. The bosses are all rather charming and interesting, offering something new to the game.Lastly, the game does also contain a few multiplayer modes, but I did not try them at length.

Presentation
The game is rather gorgeous. Separated in eras, the game gives a distinct feel and art style to show the passage of time. Starting form antiquity with artwork reminiscent of ancient Greek vases to a more realistic art style from the Napoleonic era, it really succeeds at giving a nice variety of themes. The music is also very fitting,and helps you to immerse yourself in the era and in the action. A lot of the world looks like paper cutouts, which is reminiscent of Monty Python animated shorts and it works very well. All in all, this game has top notch presentation. in fact, the presentation may be the high point of this game, above and beyond the gameplay.

Verdict
Rock of Ages is a very original game melding two genres that seemed as far as possible from one another. It succeeds at merging racing and tower defense wonderfully and ties it all up with a great flourish of charm, wit and art history. This game manages to obtain a score of gorgeously funny and while it might not offer the deepest of experiences, it offers a thoroughly fresh one.