Recent reviews by BinaryMessiah

What PC gamer hasn't played this? This is a game that revolutionized the first person shooter and story telling. You can't call yourself a PC gamer unless you have played this.

Graphics: 9/10
Gameplay: 8.5/10
Story: 9.5/10
Replay Value: 8/10

Overall: 9.5/10

The Good: Pixel perfect controls, tons of charming visuals, catchy music, humorous story and characters, replays are a blast to watch

The Bad: Brutal difficulty, extra characters are hard to unlock

2D platformers are always compared to a 20 year old game known as Super Mario Bros. and they have every right to. That game was flawless and literally created the 2D platforming genre. Super Meat Boy is probably the only game in recent history that comes close to that kind of pixel perfect jumping and tight responsive controls. SMB also has a ton of humor infused with it, and the game is a blast to play and is highly addictive.

You play as Super Meat Boy who is trying to save Bandage Girl from Dr. Fetus. It's a simple story, but its hilarious and the cut scenes are drawn beautifully. The art style is very unique and there's so much detail infused in this game it's nuts. When SMB gets destroyed he splatters his meaty goodness all over the walls and it stays there. He makes a splooshing sound when running and his facial animations are very funny. There are other characters you can unlock by completing warp levels and these guys are just as detailed and have their unique abilities.

The controls in the game are what really surprised me. They're just absolutely perfect. They are super responsive and tight and it feels like your controlling the characters with your fingers instead of buttons. Using the Games for Windows controller (or any other) is essential, but the keyboard works too. Jumping around corners and manuvering though the games brutal levels can be conquered thanks to these tight controls. I'm dead serious about the game being hard because every corner and jump requires extreme precision or you will die 30+ times. Oh sure, you'll die that many times thanks to a quick reset button that has zero loading. What's cool is after you beat the level you get to see a replay of every time you died, so every SMB goes off and you can follow them until the last one makes it. It's awesome, unique, and makes you want to watch every replay and save them for friends to laugh at.

The warp levels bring the graphics back to 8 bit with amazing music and tend to be more challenging than the regular levels. Usually you get to play the characters you will unlock, but game play varies in these levels. You can also find bandages in the regular levels, but these require extra extreme precision (if that's possible), so this game is really for hardcore gamers only. Casual gamers will give up quick and there's no difficulty levels to set. From the frantic boss fights to the constant dishing out of new obstacles to overcome the game ramps up after the first few stages, so you must stay on your toes.

With a crap ton of charming visuals, catchy music, and perfect controls the game shines above all other 2D platformers. It wouldn't hurt to say it's probably the best 2D platformer in the last decade, but the brutal difficulty is very forgiving thanks to the feeling of accomplishment once you trump that level. Try beating the record time to feel even better about that victory! I highly recommend SMB to any platforming fan or even fans of the 16/8 bit eras.

~Score: 9.5/10

Rhythm games may not be all the rage anymore the unique ones really stick out. You can’t pick your own songs, there’s no fancy instruments, it’s just you and the controller/keyboard jumping to make a good techno beat. The idea of the game is to get through each of the three worlds through 12 levels each while jumping, kicking, and sliding your way through the level. If you get hit just once you reset back to the very beginning. While on the early levels this is fine the later ones take up to 4 minutes or more to complete so getting reset is so frustrating.

Obstacles range from blocks you have to jump over, low hanging objects to slide under, stairs that require quick taps, and even some stop to fool you like a bouncing cube which one you slide under and one you jump over. There are spring pads and other obstacles to block your path, but precise timing will be required to get all the gold blocks to get to the bonus stages which are 8 bit variations of the 16 bit/3D levels. It’s very unique, charming, and extremely addictive and fun. I am currently stuck on 1-11 and have been for weeks, but I keep going at it because I just want to play every level.

The music is pretty good and full of life despite it being the same track through each level. During parts of the level you will pick up a giant plus sign that will add tracks to the beat and it also adds to the visuals. BIT.TRIP is really a game for casual players and hardcore platformers who miss the days of the 16/8 bit era. The game has brilliant level design that adds a lot of challenge while still being manageable. I haven’t really played a 2D platformer this addictive in years.

The visuals are stunning with wonderful 16 bit to 3D translation and the game has a wide color palette that sticks to the 16 bit and 8 bit era. Everything is made of blocks, but is built in 3D and can really be a mind trip some times especially when you first start playing. Don’t let the hard levels keep you from playing because being able to play the later levels is rewarding and challenging. I highly recommend this game to any 2D platformer or even for someone just looking for a fun arcade game.

The Good: Challenging platforming/puzzle combo, uniquely uses both the keyboard and mouse, some novel level ideas

The Bad: Floaty physics, no upgraded visuals, gets repetitive about 3 levels in, doesn't get better until the end, paper thin story

You are Nyx who is a winged goddess that falls in love with Icarus, but the sun-god Helios releases rage upon the Gods and burns the Earth into a fiery apocalypse, but you insist on defying the Gods to save Icarus. While the story isn't very deep there is one there and you do want to see what happens to Icarus at the end. Not very often will you run into "cut scenes" that have just some text across the screen and gibberish being spoken. This is an indie game after all so you are probably coming for the unique game play.

While originally designed for the Wii it works well on a mouse and keyboard. You control Nyx's power with your mouse and her with the keyboard. You can jump up to five times and also glide for about 8 seconds and these are key to game play. Jumping around is the main part of the game and you must time everything carefully. The game is not a breeze and even the platforming is tricky thanks to the game making you multi-task. With the mouse you can move certain blocks around, shoot lightning, move fireballs, and pull around pillars. There is a lot to the game play so you have to really play it to understand how deep it is. You have to be able to move Nyx around while also manipulating the environment with the mouse or you will never get anywhere.

While the unique combo works well it does get very difficult at points. The first couple of levels are novel and neat, but then the game quickly feels repetitive and tiresome until you start learning new powers later on in the game. While the game play is unique and deep it's really the same thing over and over again. Jump around 50 platforms and move this block or pillar around. Each level looks the same, and the art style has a Greek mythology theme to it, but the textures are flat and no visual upgrades were given for the PC version. I also felt the physics were a little floaty because everything moved like there was little gravity.

The checkpoints are a little unfair because they are put at weird spots. Instead of sticking them right before a really hard section you have to go through an easy section to get back to where you died. There are also only a couple of boss fights and they are fairly easy due to the better accuracy of a mouse over the Wiimote. Overall NyxQuest is a fun little indie game that really challenges your multi-tasking skills.

~Score: 8/10

Portal was a phenomenon and redefined how puzzle games are made. The narrative was original and also helped create one of the best video game songs ever created ("Still Alive" by John Coulton). Portal 2 helps build upon this in so many ways and really helps show how a sequel should be done. Instead of just being stuck in lab testing rooms through the whole game there are more environments to enjoy and the narrative takes leaps forward instead of just GLaDOS's voice droning on through speakers.

You play as the voiceless Chell once again, but you awaken after being in a coma for some time. A mysterious robot named Wheatley helps you escape your room and you finally get to see what Aperture Laboratories is like outside the testing rooms. You get to see glimpses of the outside world, vegetation has taken over the facility, and the puzzles now take form in so many different ways. Half way through the game you get to see what Aperture was like 50 some odd years ago and find out back stories on yourself, GLaDOS, and the founder of Aperture. The narrative is top notch with lots of cinematic moments, but everything involves puzzle solving and it's so mind bending that each one of the 50+ puzzles feels satisfying. It also goes to show how clever Valve is that I didn't need a walkthrough once to figure out any of the puzzles. There's so many "AHA!" moments that you just don't want to put the game down.

However, there aren't just portals involved, but other game play elements have been fused into the mix. There are three types of gels that you can use to solve puzzles such as propulsion gel (orange stuff that makes you go really fast), fusion gel (blue stuff that makes things bounce), and conversion gel (it allows portals to be made on non-portal surfaces). Due to these new elements you have to totally rethink how you work with portals and it's a great new mechanic and super fun to use. There are a few other things such as jump pads, new types of companion cubes, turrets, and other items to solve puzzles, but explaining is almost impossible because you should just play it.

The puzzles are just so uniquely fused with the narrative that you never feel like your just jumping from room to room anymore. This really feels like a puzzle/adventure this time around and some of the puzzles span two to three rooms even. There's constant chatter from characters while solving puzzles so it doesn't feel as stale this time around. All the new characters are great and you'll like them (or hate them) quickly thanks to Valve's one-of-a-kind storytelling abilities. The music is one thing I love about this game because when you start bouncing around a room or sliding there's unique music that instantly plays when you're doing these things. You get a strong sense of vertigo thanks to the game's new take on heights, but the music is just phenomenal. This soundtrack is purchase worthy and the new GLaDOS song at the end is just as good as "Still Alive" but in other ways.

The visual quality is great, but Valve really needs a new next generation engine. Portal 2 uses the Left 4 Dead 2 Source engine, so everything looks nice and there's some great visual effects (the gel mainly) as well as great lighting, but it's not exactly up to par. Thankfully there's a huge variety of things to look at this time around (the game is over 10GB!) and the addition of a co-op campaign with an additional story and two new characters is a huge plus so it's like two games in one. There's also some quality extras such as developer commentary and you can customize your robots in the co-op campaign which is a nice touch.

Portal 2 is truly something unique for this generation and probably the most innovative puzzle game ever made. With a strong narrative, lovable characters, and tons of new game play mechanics its like the first game didn't even exist. Don't be overwhelmed by working with portals because this game takes your hand for awhile and slowly lets you go when you feel confident enough you'll know. Valve knows how to make great games and other developers need to follow suit.

Best use-your-own-music rhythm game made so far! Gets really addictive.

Graphics: 7/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Story: N/A
Replay Value: 10/10

Overall: 8.5/10

The Good: Excellent visuals, atmosphere, and ambiance, clever puzzles and unique scripted events

The Bad: Abrupt ending, not enough scripted events, extremely short, difficulty is all over the place, some obscure puzzles

Leave it to an indie game to be clever, atmospheric, and do things that AAA titles wouldn't dare do. Limbo starts out with just a simple message: Find your sister. No voice acting, no characters, nothing just a black and white 2D platformer and a nameless little boy. This can be risky because why would you care about this with none of those elements? You won't need to because the game makes you care for the boy via your actions. He can be dismembered and killed in every way possible via deadly and horrific obstacles and traps like getting caught in a saw blade, getting hung, or impaled by a giant spider leg. You cringe at every death because this is a little boy and not some nameless soldier or thug.

Limbo offers tons of atmosphere thanks to the great ambiance and visuals cues that make you just wonder through the whole game. The puzzles start with simple ones that deal with gravity, pushing stuff around, and pulling switches and levers. Later on you have to manipulate gravity and these puzzles get pretty complicated, but the game also gets darker and more dangerous as you go on. Limbo approaches typical platforming elements like bosses, enemies, and puzzles differently. Enemies are few and far between, but there is such a unique way to eliminate them that you wish there was more of it.

This short 3 hour game feels like a sample because you really want more. With the sudden and seemingly unsatisfying ending is made purposefully to just make up your own ending in your head. Yeah, this isn't for the narrow-minded, but keep in mind that the game is juicy and give you tid bits along the dark journey to make you feel satisfied at the end. Limbo delivers a lot more creativity and atmosphere than a lot of top budget titles because it uses subtly over explosion and big scares. My only issues is that some of the puzzles are pretty obscure and the game can be very difficult in spots which will frustrate you to no end.

I also didn't like such an abrupt ending that didn't solve anything for you. However, this is a case by case basis on if you like this sort of thing or not. The game has a lot of variety, but I wish there was some more of the unique scripted events that made Limbo feel really fun and intense.

~Score: 8.5/10

The survival horror genre is probably the fastest dying of them all, but it’s games like Amnesia that really get the spotlight when they hit it home on the scare factor. Amnesia stays true to the genre, and this is due to the fact that there’s no combat what-so-ever. Zero, zilch, nada you can’t fight. If you see a creature you have to hide or run, and this is what adds to the tension. If you can fight you can just kill it, but if you can’t then you have to really think about what to do, and can make you not want to continue.

Amnesia may be a first person adventure game, but you’re only weapon is light, and against your own insanity not creatures. Staying in the light is key, and oil for your lantern is as precious as 9mm ammo in Silent Hill. It’s scarce, and you try to savor every drop or just use tinderboxes as an alternative. You can light candles, lamps, or any source of light to guide your way to preserve oil or if you run out. Daniel can see in the dark somewhat, but it’s hard to solve puzzles like this.

As your sanity slowly drains you will hallucinate, walk slower, the screen will distort, and creatures will hear you. Seeing traumatic scenes, can do this too, and also looking at creatures for too long. You will also lose sanity if you don’t progress or solve puzzles so it keeps you on your toes, but don’t worry I only encountered a couple of times where Daniel went totally insane and lost it. You’ll more likely go insane from fright before he ever will.

And that’s the thing about Amnesia it frightens you with atmosphere, pacing, and tension from the environment instead of zombies popping out. The music and ambiance are haunting and it makes you paranoid through out the whole game. One scene had me in a room where I was picking up a letter and suddenly something started bashing down the door. I literally jumped and tried to find a place to hide. A wardrobe! I grabbed each door and swung them open and hid, and as I peeked through the crack Daniel started freaking out so I had to not look. I heard the creature breathing, moaning, and moving around and I was afraid it would start bashing down the wardrobe! It soon turned away and I could continue hunting for puzzle solutions, but was I ever so scared!

The haunting story doesn’t help either with you just waking up in a castle not knowing who you are. You read letters along the way trying to discover some orb, and trying to stop The Shadow from consuming you. I can’t go into more detail because it will spoil the story, but it’s very creepy and disturbing, and was well put together.

The second part of the game are the puzzles. These vary from object hunting, physics, and pathfinding. I have to admit that Frictional has always been known for obscure puzzles, and some of the time I didn’t know what to do and was completely clueless. You rarely get hints and this can lead to frustrating backtracking and pixel hunting so a FAQ needs to be handy. Other than that the puzzles were clever and really stuck to the story, and they all felt necessary.

Amnesia is a horror classic and is even better than Frictional’s Penumbra series. This game will scare the pants off of you, and even clocks in at a nice 6-8 hours, and has three different endings to see. I really hope for a sequel or another game similar because Frictional found the survival horror sweet spot.

The Good: Great water physics, platforming is kind of fun, using different ammo for one pistol is conveinent

The Bad: Almost no story to speak of, clunky combat, no cover system, dated visuals, technical problems

Hydrophobia was a game that was announced a few years ago, but quickly was forgotten about and seemed to have gone into the way of vaporware, but suddenly it came back as an XBLA game. The game was boasted for excellent water and physics to support it, as well as a mantra of "the water is your enemy" selling point. Upon release the game seemed highly overrated with dated visuals, poor combat, and lackluster level design. While most of this is true there is still something to be had in Hydrophobia.

The PC port boasts better graphics, and refined gameplay mechanics, but there are still some issues. The water physics really are incredible and I haven't seen anything quite like it with water bursting in through a door and making Kate act like if you were actually in an ocean or being bombarded by waves. While it feels a bit stiff to maneuver through this it makes you feel like you are trying to desperately escape this sinking city. While the physics are good the story is a bit lacking with little to go by due to the short length. You are trying to stop some crazy Russian woman named Mila from using a corporation's nanobots as a biological weapon and that's about as far as it goes...literally. Why is the game called hydrophobia? Does Kate have it? It seems that way because when you get close to drowning you can hear her thoughts of maybe in her childhood she almost drowned? The game never explains this.

While you drudge on through the watery depths you can clamber your way up areas for platforming segments which are far and few between. The beginning of the game mainly consists of this then slowly becomes very combat heavy. Combat isn't very fun in the game due to a poor cover mechanic (there really isn't one except ducking) and the shooting feels a bit stiff. You have one pistol that you can swap ammo with such as semi-auto/auto rounds, explosive gel, electrocution rounds, and your main ammo type is a charged kinetic shot that can knock enemies dead. Later on in the game they throw so many enemies at you that it detracts for the watery atmosphere.

Another issue is level design because everything is very claustrophobic and is built of just tons of hallways. It's another problem when your MAVI unit tells you to go in one direction and some times it will be a pain to find out how to get there because of the lack of natural clues. Some times you have to go into a hacking mini-game, some times you have to find a decipher code on a wall that you can only see with the MAVI and finding these will drive you nuts some times.

The visuals are good for the level that they are at, but even with a high-end system you will experience frame rate drops and stuttering. They have gotten better since its initial release, but it still exists. The visuals overall have some low resolution textures, and the characters have terrible lip syncing and the art style is pretty stale. What should you play the game for? It's a decent 5-6 adventure with great water physics that haven't really been done before. That's pretty much it and for the low price point its well worth it.

~Score: 7.5/10

The original Crysis was a technical phenomenon with a lot of great elements that worked, and Warhead is the exact same game with a different setting. This is both good and bad, but more positives than anything. You play Psycho, one of the special forces soldiers who was sent in with the original game’s Nomad. This is his story and what happened to him while separated from Nomad. While the core story of Crysis wasn’t too interesting there is a better mix between the open world and corridors. The game still gives you the option to choose to approach each objective by sneaking, sniping, driving, or guns blazing.

The game has more of a variety of objectives such as a train ride, and killing the larger aliens which can be pretty fun. There aren’t any new weapons, and everything is pretty much the same. If you’re looking for Crysis 2.5 with this you’re going to be disappointed. While the game plays exactly like the first there are more cinematic moments such as running from a giant alien, and towards the end the game gets really epic. There are more aliens involved this time around instead of just mostly KPA soldiers. I still would have liked to see different alien types, and maybe make the game a bit more scripted since the game is so short.

The game still looks the same with no graphical improvements at all. You still need an ultra powerful machine to run this on highest settings with DirectX10. Even my monster computer struggles to keep the FPS at a non-choppy rate during large firefights. The game is also more forgiving this time around as I only died maybe a dozen times during the whole campaign. The mass of enemies are easier to take on since the game seems to feel more balanced and the close quarters environments seem to be designed for this too.

While I wish there would have been new weapons, new enemies, and totally new locales it works with the game’s story. Warhead will really make Crysis fans happy and add an extra 4-5 hours and give you more of a back story to what happened to the strange Psycho.