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The Indienaught Kindly Requests…. (Apr. 19, 2013)
The realm of indie games is such a wonderful place filled with some of the most imaginative and wonderful games available today. Pretty much any style of gamer, from the COD armchair soldier to manchild stuck in the days of Super Mario Bros., can find a game that fits their fancy. But there is also a loooooot of crap to sift through as, bless them for trying, many basement developers just don’t put the required passion or energy into their game and you end up dropping your cash on something less than lackluster. So, since I don’t mind sifting through the feces for that hidden gem (much like I do with music) I’m here to point out the gaming gems that you may overlook and never end up playing. You will notice that I do have a thing for retro-syled games and my preferred platform is the PC, so you will see quite a bit of them here, but I’ll do my best throughout these series of posts to be as diversified as possible and I’ll try to mention some deep cuts as well as some of the more popular indie games you may have overlooked. So, without further ado, I, the Indienaught, kindly request that you check these game out. I also kindly request that you head over to Steam’s Greenlight section and start checking out some games and upvoting the ones that look cool to you. Enjoy!!! Peace Love and Metal!!!
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Game Review: Anodyne
What is it about pixel art graphic aesthetics that will forever draw me into a game? Many will argue that their usage is reaching a point of over-saturation, that their time has passed, and are just a cheap trick to prey on my generation of gamers nostalgia. Me, however, feels just the opposite. I will never get enough of pixel art graphics and with modern technology there is just so much more one can do with them. And while my nostalgia does play a part in why I enjoy their look, there are many other reasons why I find them pleasing to the eye, such as the adage that one’s mind will fill in the blanks with something more personal and more horrific and/or beautiful than the artist could ever create (see: Japanese horror flicks). In pixel art graphics, no matter how detailed they get, there is always room for me to fill in blanks and smooth out edges in my mind, therefore creating a delightful mix of what the artist intended and the brush of the artist in my mind.
Anodyne looks not only to explore this facet of gaming and art, but also asks the player to take a deeper step into not only different aspects of game design, but also into game playing and beyond. Why do we enjoy the medium, why the pleasure derived from an aesthetic, why do we all almost always perform certain actions, and why don’t many of us want to grow up. Many of these questions are aptly answered in the games title alone, but once you delve into the game and start exploring its surrealistic pixel world the introspects of the 2 man development team’s (Sean Hogan (audio, programming) and Jonathan Kittaka (art, writing) for Analgesic Productions LLC) very personal thoughts and feelings will really start encouraging you to ponder the same theories as they were. And when all is said and done and the games finale is reached you will realize that you discovered new things about yourself other than why you like video games or pixel art graphics. So, like the filling in the blanks of the visual art with your imagination, you will be filling in the questions and creating your own questions with the framework the game creates. Oh, and Anodyne is a lot of fun to play too!
Game Review: BioShock Infinite
A little over 5 years a little game called BioShock was released and unless you happened to be in the know, it arrived on release date with little fanfare. The lack of hustle and bustle didn’t last long until reviews started to pour out praising every aspect of the game, many even going as far as to call it the most revolutionary game to date. The game went on to become a hit seller and many gamers, myself included, found themselves prone to agree with the high praise of the press. While delivering some great FPS shooting and a neat super power system and a really great underwater city setting, the game really shined and revolutionized in the narrative department utilizing clever tricks at delivering exposition to transform a Maltese Falcon style story (oh, yeah, spoiler, but if you haven’t played it by this point, your fault) into a deep and attention grabbing sociopolitical commentary. Whether you just wanted action or something deep to analyze, it delivered on all fronts and created a bar so high it became highly questionable if a sequel could ever come close to reaching the heights that it did.
BioShock 2 saw the return to Rapture, the once utopia under the sea. Expectations were high and the hype around the development was closely monitored in the press. While finding itself underdevelopment from much of the original team, a key member was missing, lead designer Ken Levine. When the game landed it was a hit and a damn fine game that worked well at expanding the first’s universe, but it just lacked that extra pinch of inspiration and love that sent the first over the edge and it could be accredited to the absence of Levine. Fortunately Mr. Levine wasn’t just passing the reigns of his baby off to someone else while he disappeared, instead he slunk back into hiding and began almost immediately working on the game under the microscope today. And after 5 years of work and polish and an incredible amount of hype from both fans, press, and Ken Levine and Irrational Games themselves BioShock Infinite is upon us looking to not only reach the bar first set at the start of the series, but surpass it and yet again revolutionize the landscape of gaming as we know it. So, if you’ve been following the game you’ve probably already heard the unanimous praise by critics and fans and what can I say, they are all spot on. From this day forward, when you dig up the old Websters-Merriam to look up the word success you will find a picture of BioShock Infinite sitting there in all its glory.
Tales From Bandcamp: Belmont by Mega Beardo
Castlevania, glorious glorious Castlevania. By far one of my loved gaming series of all time. I’ve been playing them since I got my hands on that sexy little grey box back in 1988 and haven’t missed a beat on a single one. And besides the awesome gameplay and constant homage to everything monsters and evil, the Castlevania series has always excelled in the music department with its always consistently kick ass game soundtracks. I’m not the only person who feels that the music of Castlevania is amazing as there have been countless covers of the game’s music. And to be honest, it’s gotten to the point of over-saturation. If I hear one more cover of “Bloody Tears” I think I might literally cry tears of blood while I puke my exhausted guts out.
Which brings me to the album in question featured here today. While doing my usual browse of the Bandcamp catalog something about the cover nabbed my attention to peek a closer look at Belmont by Mega Beardo (AKA. Ryan Postlethwait of Descension Rate). And a band name of Mega Beardo, how could I not give a few seconds of my time to give a quick ear to a kick ass band name like that (pro-tip: I’m a fan of beards, everyone should grow one, even chicks 
And Birdo is cool too). Without reading anything about the record I started it up while I did other things and started wondering what Castlevania game the music was coming from, and more importantly, what Castlevania game ever had vocals in the music. Upon inspection and to my delight, Belmont is not a cover album, but an album of original music based on the concept of Simon Belmont’s perilous journey through Castle Dracula. Each song is inspired by different levels and monsters of the first Castlevania game and the lyrics build upon the lore of the series and flesh out the character of Simon Belmont better than any of the games did. Needless to say I instantly fell in love with the concept and even more so when I realized that the music rocked to hell and the lyrics were actually pretty great given the subject matter of a rather narrative-shallow video game.
The music is mainly your classic metal variety with great bouts of heavy thrown in to give it bite when needed and some progressive tendencies such as changing moods and tempos and longer song structures to keep it constantly engaging. By the time I reached the end of the record I was surprised at the depth contained within. The contrasts were always great, the songs catchy or moody when needed, the guitar work was excellent with some killer riffing and blazing solos and the rest of the instrumentation excelled as well. I also liked how Mr. Beardo really captured the feel of the game and the music within without resorting to copycatting and going full on Gothic and cheesy. So, enough of me rambling, give the record a listen, and as always, if you dig it tell your nerdy and metal loving friends about it and download a copy for yourself (it’s pay what you want, so free if you choose). Let us know what you thought of the record down in the comments. Peace Love and Metal!!!!
P.S. Mega Beardo is currently in the process of finishing up a Legend of Zelda tribute album called Ledjent of Zelda. You have my attention sir (not the biggest djent fan, but Zelda….. and some new twist on the music, hell yeah). I’ll keep you all updated when that lands. He also has a Mega Man (my other ultimate favorite in video game music)tribute album I’m listening to at the moment and would suggest checking out (you’ll find it on his Bandcamp page).
Band Links: Facebook Bandcamp Official Site Twitter
Game Review: X-Com: Enemy Unknown
Cpt. Bigglesworth is the perfect example of the unsung hero. During the extraterrestrial invasion of 2025 he gave his life not just for his country, but for the world. During a small squadron mission into the recently discovered alien base to obtain technology that could help the team of X-Com’s scientists understand and better destroy the invading threat, the team found themselves in a vicious firefight. Brazen as always Lt. Nipplechip rushed into some shady cover to try to get some effective shots in with his laser rifle to try to push the resistance back some to allow the rest of the squad to move into some semblance of favorable positioning. To his dismay, he had made the wrong choice of taking pot shots instead of laying down a flurry of suppressing fire. This led to the enemy getting an opportunity to move in to flank half the team and if they all didn’t act smart on their next steps, the whole team would find themselves in big trouble.
Armed with a rifle, grenades, and a bevy of health packs that could have easily been used to cure his wounds and buy him enough time to get himself to safety and retreat back to base, Cpt. Bigglesworth made the heroic move to risk his own life to ensure the safety of his squad mates. Opting to rush into the face of the gigantic brute flanking them he tossed one of his grenades gravely injuring the over-sized and heavily armored alien and also destroying all the cover that surrounded it. By doing so he put himself right in the path of another brute who quickly turned his sights on the weakened human who would make for some very easy target practice. As the lasers began to fly at his soon to be perforated body he saw Rk. Tiddlywinks finishing off the flanker and Lt. Assface gearing up his sniper rifle to take perfect aim on his attackers head. Cpt. Bigglesworth did not live to see his murderer’s head gush green ooze as Sgt. Assface’s shot penetrated its face, but the moment right before he died he smiled knowing that his brazen action, not only saved the rest of the squad, but also the entire Earth.
Back at X-Com’s inner-mountain base there is a small memorial dedicated to Cpt. Bigglesworth and his heroic deed, but due to the secretive nature of X-Com, his name and actions will never be known to those outside of the alien defense force collective. A week after that bloody battle and the retrieval of the highly sensitive information and technology, the scientists and engineers were able to use the findings to both build weapons which would effectively counter the aliens as well as learn of a way to take down entire invading space crafts with the alien armies inside. This tech led to Earth defeating and fending off the alien forces.
Game Review: Legend of Grimrock
Exploring through a mountain turned dungeon staring at the same tile-set on the walls for hours on end may sound like something that would make for a dull and tedious game. Especially when the game limits you movement capabilities to a square-based grid and tosses environmental puzzles your way that could be easily solved if you could stand at a diagonal position. Then there’s the odd dial-a-spell magic system and unclear narrative that come off as clumsy. But somehow, Legend of Grimrock, developed by Finnish studio (seriously, is there anything the Finns can’t do?) Almost Human, have taken all of these bad design troupes and used them in a way that makes the game a highly memorable, and more importantly, deeply engaging game experience that should not be missed.
If you are familiar with old-school first person PC RPGs like Eye of the Beholder, than you should know exactly what you’re getting into here, so you can stop reading and just go play the game and get full satisfaction. For others, in Legend of Grimrock, everything is based on square tiles, the map, movement, puzzles, etc. Even your adventuring party is square; a group of 4 that your design yourself whom are all chained together, have been charged with a crime and cast into a mountain cum dungeon, Mt. Grimrock. Your task is to escape the mountain, and if you do so, your crimes will be absolved.
First Impressions On Some Video Games
Over the recent holiday I found my game library expand yet again. Between the release of Humble Indie Bundle 7, some gifts, and the Steam Winter Sale my game library is overflowing with games. Usually when I go on a gaming shopping spree I install a bunch of them and play for a little while and eventually choose a couple to continue with to the end (or just keep on playing because the game doesn’t have an end). When I finish those I randomly pick another one and start it over from the beginning and play to the end, and so on. Here’s this binge’s selection of games I chose for my first round of try-outs (and I still have another handful I haven’t even installed yet) and my first impressions on them. Hopefully you enjoy and maybe find some cool games to play. Peace Love and Metal!!!
Game Review: Hotline Miami
Upon waking up from a long and restful sleep that lasted well into the late afternoon the young man rubs the sleep from his eyes and goes about his daily routine. He washes up, gets dressed, and goes to check his answering machine. After a couple of messages from family and friends his employer informs him about yet another odd job that needs to be done. This time he has to fill in for a DJ at a nightclub and requests that the man be dressed to kill. He dons his silver motorcycle jacket and heads out to work.
Arriving at the club he puts a mask resembling a rooster on to conceal his identity and then bursts through the door knocking the armed bouncer to the floor where he proceeds to climb on top of him and repeatedly thrust his clasped fist into the unsuspecting guard’s head until nothing but a pile of brain, blood, and bits of skull paint the floor. By now other guards in the club have taken notice that something has gone awry, but even in their quick reaction they can help avoid being blind sided by the billy club the bouncer was once holding. Swipe after swipe the man opens their heads like eggs leaving smatterings of blood across the walls and floor. To the dismay of the other guards in the room one of their felled co-workers had a pistol in his possession which has now been turned on them. The sharpshooter accuracy of their attacker is unparalleled as he meticulously connects bullets to vital organs and aims for joints to remove limbs that would give them a fair advantage. To the mans demise a guard with a knife is hiding around a corner and as the killer makes his way to the angle he jumps out and buries the blade deep in the mad man’s throat. [Game Over - Press A To Restart]….
Arriving at the club he puts a mask resembling a rooster on to conceal his identity and then bursts through the door……
The Cheap-Ass Gamer 4: The Cheapening: Gaiden: Ultimate Moneyshot Edition
If you’ve been following these posts you know the drill by now, a bunch of random games in sets of 5 that I’ve played and enjoyed that can be found on the cheap side of the moon. Indies, classics, sleepers, and AAAs that can be easily found for under $20 (or euros or pounds) are all represented here by you favorite Cheap-Ass Gamer™. For more Cheap-Ass Gamer goodness check here, here, and here. Game on!!! Enjoy! Peace Love and Metal!!!
Cthulhu Saves the World
So, many of you know H.P. Lovecraft’s King of Insanity from the horrifying tale Call of Cthulhu as well as the Metallica instrumental of the same name. But did you know in all of his raging evil, he’s actually a pretty decent guy when he wants to be? In Cthulhu Saves the World you control Cthulhu and his ragtag group of adventures as he battles an ancient evil bent on destroying the world (which is Cthulhu’s job, so he’s peeved). The game is presented like an 8-bit RPG from the NES days and owes a lot to games like Dragon Quest with its fun and fast paced battle system. The real winner of this game goes to the writing though, over the 8 hour journey I found myself literally laughing out loud non stop at the sheer ridiculousness of the whole concept and Cthulhu being cute and his interactions with his ‘fans’ and charming support characters. If you have been playing RPGs for a while you will also get to enjoy the clever inside jokes that take many cracks at all the oldschool RPGs that we grew up loving. There is also a wealth of extra content to play with when you reach the gut busting conclusion by way of a whole new ‘Charlies Angels’ themed campaign and hardcore modes. You can get your own copy on Xbox 360 by way of the Indie Marketplace or for the PC from Steam (which also comes bundled with Breath of Death which I have yet to play, but have heard many good things about. For 2 euros I think it’s worth a shot).
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The Cheap-ass Gamer
Continuing with a series of posts I have written on some quality games you can get at great prices to get the biggest bang for you buck (more great cheap games here and here), here’s another 5-set of great inexpensive games to check out. My rule is for a game to make the list it has to be readily available and easy to find as well as under 20 of whatever your country’s currency is in (dollars or euros). So you will see a mixed bag of great bargain bin console games, modern classics, free-to-play, downloadable titles, and cool indie games ranging between PC and consoles. And as much as I’d like to play every game ever made, I can’t, so if you know of any that belong on one of these posts feel free to give it a shout out. Enjoy! Peace Love and Metal!!!!
