PixlBit

Games Beaten

Recently I started playing the new Strider. It was on PS+ at some point for PS4 and I finally fired it up. It's pretty cool. Rather than a level-based game, it has one big world divided up into several different districts. The auto map is super useful. It fills out as you explore, of course, but it also lists all kinds of useful info, like save points, different kinds of doors and breakable gates, items, powerups, and your current objective. There are also secret things to find that don't show up on the map, like concept art and enemy info. It's not the kind of game you'd really invest yourself in exploring every nook and cranny, unlike the portable Castlevanias, for instance. It's more a fun game you can breeze through, and I can certainly appreciate that. It's a Metroidvania-lite, I guess.

 Over the past couple of weeks I've been reading Deus Ex: Icarus Effect, a prequel novel to Human Revolution. I finished it last night and while it started kind of slow—lots of character building and situation set up—it eventually became a real page-turner. It did touch on a few things from the game, specifically the attack on Sarif Industries at the beginning of Human Revolution, and featured some characters you'd cross paths with in the game, but it mostly did it's own thing and that was fine. It was a good story. But now it has me jonesing for more Deus Ex! So last night I downloaded the mobile game, The Fall, which is a direct sequel to the book. After installation it's the largest game I've ever had on my phone—1.5 gigs! I haven't started it yet but I've heard lots of good things. Once I get through that I plan to tackle the Director's Cut of Human Revolution. I loved that game in its original incarnation, so I know this will be even better. Can't wait to see those redone boss fights!

This is definitely the latest I've ever posted one of these recaps. I had the one-two punch moving last week, not having internet, and then heading straight back to work. (I guess that's three punches lol.) The new apartment is great but we still have stuff everywhere. But that's not what I'm here to talk about, so let's get to it!

Blog-a-Day is over! Wow, that was a lot of blogs, both to write and read. Thanks to everybody who commented on mine. I tried to get around and comment on things but man, there were just too many. Still hoping to go back and read some more but we're moving this weekend, so I won't exactly have a lot of time  Life just never lets up, ya know?

One of hallmarks of the archtypical indie game is that it has a cool art style that catches the eye, and Penumbear certainly nails that. When you get down to it, it's a puzzle platformer but it's presented very well. The graphics aren't as stark as LIMBO but they are mostly black and white with colors used to denote actual light, and light plays an important role in this game.

 Sam is a penguin who somehow keeps getting separated from his girlfriend. Your job is to draw lines that will help guide Sam back to his beloved. You plan everything out and then send Sam on his way. Things are further complicated by three stars you can collect in each level. To be honest I'm not very good at this game but it's fun. And who wouldn't want to help a penguin in need?

RGB Express is a delightful little puzzle game where you use colored trucks to pick up correspondingly colored packages and deliver them to the correct buildings. But your trucks can't use the same stretch of road twice or run into each other, which can make it a rather tricky business. You map out the route the trucks will take and then push a button to send them all on their way. I'm still working on the training levels (there are a bunch of them!) and already there have been a couple that took a few tries to figure out. I imagine this game can get very hard later on, especially in the set called "Super Hard" lol. It's good fun though. I like the graphics too. They remind me of Advance Wars.

More like relics of an awesome game!

I'm told there are other games like this on the App Store but Earn to Die 2 seems pretty unique to me. Well, not in theme—it's the zombie apocalypse!—but certainly in structure. You're trying to get from the west coast of the United States down to Florida to join the other survivors. It's a long road! So you jump in your piece-of-junk car and see how far you can get. Naturally, this game isn't very realistic. You earn money from running over zombies that you can spend to upgrade your ride, like a bigger gas tank or a better transmission or armor to protect you from the zombies. There are eight categories in all to upgrade and you can get new vehicles altogether later on. I've seen pictures lol.