ItsMeJohnD
Things I've said; mostly about video games.
Monday, October 23, 2017
Pressure Overdrive Review: The wrong kind of pressure
Cars and guns have always been a match made in heaven, except for when it's not. When you are driving and shooting at things, you want dangerous roads and impressive weaponry and kick-ass explosions. Sadly, developer Chasing Carrots delivers none of that in Pressure Overdrive.
I honestly feel like I can see where the developer was trying to go here. Take a twin-stick shooter, cross it with a top-down bullet hell shmup, then put all that in a cart racer style wrapper. Sadly though, it feels more like they just reskinned Bump 'n' Jump from the NES and threw in a few guns for fun.
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Ittle Dew 2 Review: Nothing New Here
Ittle Dew 2 is the second game in this top-down Legend of Zelda-esque series from developer Ludosity. The first one was originally launched on the Google Play store and later seeing a fan base grow when it finally hit Steam. Although rough around the edges, Ittle Dew's cute art style and unique humor are what kept people around and make this sequel welcomed.
We join Ittle and her Fairy Fox companion Tippsie as their raft wrecks onto a mysterious island riddled with dungeons and secret caves. To get off the island, you must build a new raft by finding the eight different pieces hidden around. If you thought that each one of these pieces would be in a dungeon, then you would be right. Just like all dungeon crawling action adventure games before it, Ittle Dew 2 offers up multiple enemies, puzzles, and bosses. Let's dive in and see if Ittle Dew 2 can improve upon itself and stand out amongst the crowded genre.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Zombie Vikings Review: Showing Signs of Life [Xbox One]
Since the first video game I played in the '80s, one thing has always come naturally - beating people up to win. Nothing super complicated, keep moving to the right and mashing a few buttons to beat up the baddies. It's a great formula, some of the most beloved games in history have used including X-Men Arcade, Castle Crashers, and even the infamous Battletoads.
Zombie Vikings follows in those footsteps rather nicely, making sure to hit all the key notes. The story is simple but fun. Loki has stolen Odin's one good eye, and you have been risen from the dead to retrieve it. There are multiple characters, weapons, and runes (special abilities) to unlock as you go. The developer, Zoink Games, has also added online and local multiplayer for up to four people.
Sunday, February 26, 2017
The Little Acre review: A Good Break from the Norm
Sitting down and playing video games isn't always about blowing things up or shooting people. Sometimes it's just about having a few laughs and enjoying a story. The Little Acre is the latter of the two. Sure there is a moment or two where "combat" comes into play, but for 95% of this game, it is the characters and their story that makes it fun and compelling.
The Little Acre isn't a huge game by any means clocking in at a couple hours depending on prior knowledge of the world and how fast players complete puzzles. The length never bothered me, as the game is just enjoyable. It's the kind of thing you play, and you tell someone about, that you want to replay again for friends and family members because you think they would enjoy, even if they're not a gamer. The story is simplistic yet profound. You play as Aiden, looking for his father, Author, and Lily who is looking for her father, Aiden. You must journey between two worlds, ours and a mysterious, mystical one that we have never seen, to discover what has happened to Author and get your dad back.
Saban's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle review: Nostalgia Can't Fix This
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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers have been around since the '70s. Originally known as the Super Sentai, it wasn't until 1993 when Saban brought them to the United States that the world would come to know them as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. If you're not familiar with who or what the Power Rangers are (have you lived under a rock for the last 20 years), they are a group of teenagers who receive superpowers and giant mech droids to save the world from evil magical monsters. With a new Power Rangers movie on the way, it is no surprise that we see a new game, although there doesn't seem to be any correlation between the two other than they are both based on the same source material.
In Saban's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle, we have gone back to 1993, bringing back the original cast, including the Green Ranger, Tommy. The whole gang, with the help of Lord Zordon and Alpha-5, are fighting to keep Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd from destroying the earth. Sadly, though, the nostalgia factor is the only good thing this game has going for it. Between bad controls, boring gameplay and a lack of online co-op, this game feels like it might have originally been made in the '90s.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers have been around since the '70s. Originally known as the Super Sentai, it wasn't until 1993 when Saban brought them to the United States that the world would come to know them as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. If you're not familiar with who or what the Power Rangers are (have you lived under a rock for the last 20 years), they are a group of teenagers who receive superpowers and giant mech droids to save the world from evil magical monsters. With a new Power Rangers movie on the way, it is no surprise that we see a new game, although there doesn't seem to be any correlation between the two other than they are both based on the same source material.
In Saban's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle, we have gone back to 1993, bringing back the original cast, including the Green Ranger, Tommy. The whole gang, with the help of Lord Zordon and Alpha-5, are fighting to keep Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd from destroying the earth. Sadly, though, the nostalgia factor is the only good thing this game has going for it. Between bad controls, boring gameplay and a lack of online co-op, this game feels like it might have originally been made in the '90s.
Rise & Shine review: Suck It Up Buttercup
Super Awesome Hyper Dimensional Mega Team (SAHDMT) has no quips about what Rise & Shine is at its core. It knows Rise & Shine is a video game and takes every advantage of that. You Play as a young boy named Rise who has been given a living gun named Shine and must bring him to the king. Shine is a unique gun; he grants the carrier unlimited respawns and is the key to saving Gamearth, your home planet.
As you make your way to the king, you will learn several new skills that Shine can do. Shine has two bullets: standard and electric, he also has two alt-fires for each type: explosive, which gives you a handheld mortar that sticks to things when fully charged and bullet control, which allows you to control the direction and the speed of your shot with the right stick within certain areas. Each gun battle not only feels like an emotional heart pumping moment but also manages to feel like a challenging puzzle you have to solve.
Wand Wars review: Wizards are Fun
Wand Wars is a four player deathmatch sports game of sorts, where you and up to three other people must play a wizard version of dodgeball. You must catch Merlin's Sphere (Ball) and either throw it right away or charge it up for more speed. Each wizard is also equipped with hex's (arrows) that can turn other players into chickens or render the sphere completely harmless. That isn't all, powerups are giving you special abilities and even transforming you into a cloud beast or Cloud Sentinel, which are evil or angelic clouds that can eat you.
When you first dive in, it seems simple and easy, and I thought for sure I would be bored with the single player within minutes however that wasn't the case at all. Wand Wars teaches you everything you need to know in the tutorial. The story mode is fun and quirky, introducing 6 different characters, each with their own reason for being in the Wand Wars "tournament." There is also a trials mode that pits you against ridiculous challenges. Each challenge is harder than the last putting all your skills to the test. The versus mode is definitely the best mode of the game. The sheer chaos that breaks out when four people in one room are feverishly trying to kill each other is pure joyful madness.
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