A long while ago (pretty much straight after it came out) I bought and played Terraria, At the time however other games piqued my interest more so it didn't get much playtime. After getting a chance to play the game (1.1 release) for a long period of time I have a better idea of how the game works.
Terraria is a 2D side scroller sandbox game, that features RPG elements and a lot of exploration. You start off with very basic tools and need to find materials to build a house and upgrade your items. All the while defending yourself from enemies that spawn. Simple, weak slimes during the day and harder skeletons and zombies at night. Once you have set up your own house the next challenge is to build houses so that NPCs can move in.
NPCs are used as shops that you can sell items to and some of them can sell some really useful items such as a mining helmet that provides a constant light.
Once you have constructed a base of sorts you must then adventure to find items enabling you to enter the Dungeon, the first challenge area of Terraria. You have to defeat a boss in order to enter the Dungeon which will grant you loot to upgrade your items. The next two areas in the game are The Corruption and Jungle (which can be found anywhere on the surface or underground), followed later on by The Hallow and The Underworld (the deepest layer of the game). The rule of thumb is "The deeper you go the harder it gets".
There was a boss added called "The wall of flesh" which unlocks "hard mode" for the game, all enemies are made harder while new enemies start appearing. This helps to add longevity and an extra layer of difficulty once you feel you've "beaten" the game.
I still haven't gotten so far into the game that I can beat the wall of flesh but as far as I am now I am really enjoying the game. Unlike Minecraft it is not purely creative, and has more of a purpose and unlike RPGs you can actually add to the world in your own way.
As an indie game it is fairly cheap and if it is the style of game you enjoy you would get quite a bit of time from it.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
On the edge...
A game that received very little notice when it first came out is Brink. It is an objective based FPS.
The game is set around a militaristic/utopian city known as The Ark and there are two factions fighting within. One group The Security are attempting to maintain control and keep everyone within, while the other faction The Resistance are attempting to escape the city and live in freedom.
There is a loose storyline tying all of the missions and objectives together but it has no real impact upon the game itself. The game never changes much from one of two endings, one for each faction.
There are four class sets that you can play, Medic, Engineer, Operative and Soldier, as well as a general set of skills. Each class can perform specific tasks to complete objectives as well as helping the team in certain ways, such as healing and boosting damage.
The unique aspect to this game is the parkour. Depending on what body type you choose, you can leap over obstacles, climb walls and sprint. You would think it would be fairly clunky and un-usable but it actually flows quite well. With a combination of three key presses you can slide beneath enemies and then leap up onto a wall or rail and take them out from behind, the one problem being you have to be fast enough to press them at the right time...
The AI is quite intelligent, and by "quite intelligent" I mean it will kill you very easily if you don't watch out but most likely won't heal you... When your AI partners aren't spazzing out in the corner getting shot they usually do a fairly good job of assisting you but there are always issues when it comes to AI.
Overall this is yet another entertaining title under Bethesda's flag and with the sales right now well worth the purchase in my books. However if you don't like to play as part of a team or would rather be a one man army I'd say you won't enjoy it much, if at all...
The game is set around a militaristic/utopian city known as The Ark and there are two factions fighting within. One group The Security are attempting to maintain control and keep everyone within, while the other faction The Resistance are attempting to escape the city and live in freedom.
There is a loose storyline tying all of the missions and objectives together but it has no real impact upon the game itself. The game never changes much from one of two endings, one for each faction.
There are four class sets that you can play, Medic, Engineer, Operative and Soldier, as well as a general set of skills. Each class can perform specific tasks to complete objectives as well as helping the team in certain ways, such as healing and boosting damage.
The unique aspect to this game is the parkour. Depending on what body type you choose, you can leap over obstacles, climb walls and sprint. You would think it would be fairly clunky and un-usable but it actually flows quite well. With a combination of three key presses you can slide beneath enemies and then leap up onto a wall or rail and take them out from behind, the one problem being you have to be fast enough to press them at the right time...
The AI is quite intelligent, and by "quite intelligent" I mean it will kill you very easily if you don't watch out but most likely won't heal you... When your AI partners aren't spazzing out in the corner getting shot they usually do a fairly good job of assisting you but there are always issues when it comes to AI.
Overall this is yet another entertaining title under Bethesda's flag and with the sales right now well worth the purchase in my books. However if you don't like to play as part of a team or would rather be a one man army I'd say you won't enjoy it much, if at all...
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
The floor will kill you!
A fantastic coop game that I started playing is Killing Floor. It is a stand-alone game that is based on a mod of Unreal Tournament 04.
The player is set against waves of increasingly difficult and more numerous enemies culminating in a type of Boss wave. The more players in the game the more difficult the waves. Enemies can start spawning from pretty much anywhere and provides for a very tense environment while playing as you constantly have to watch your back.
Each player earns cash for a kill and this cash can be spent between waves at a shop that appears randomly on the map. That is provided you can reach it before the next wave starts.
There is also a sort of class system, you choose a "perk" at the beginning of the game which gives you specific benefits. You can level up these "perks" while using any of the other ones but you can only receive the benefits of one at a time.
The atmosphere is very tense and can be somewhat claustrophobic with the narrow tunnels and entrances and it is definitely best played with a few friends. There is also an active modding/map-making scene and a very active community. I think this is one well worth the purchase and you will get plenty of hours of enjoyment (or terror) out of it.
The player is set against waves of increasingly difficult and more numerous enemies culminating in a type of Boss wave. The more players in the game the more difficult the waves. Enemies can start spawning from pretty much anywhere and provides for a very tense environment while playing as you constantly have to watch your back.
Each player earns cash for a kill and this cash can be spent between waves at a shop that appears randomly on the map. That is provided you can reach it before the next wave starts.
There is also a sort of class system, you choose a "perk" at the beginning of the game which gives you specific benefits. You can level up these "perks" while using any of the other ones but you can only receive the benefits of one at a time.
The atmosphere is very tense and can be somewhat claustrophobic with the narrow tunnels and entrances and it is definitely best played with a few friends. There is also an active modding/map-making scene and a very active community. I think this is one well worth the purchase and you will get plenty of hours of enjoyment (or terror) out of it.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
The tunnels are a dangerous place...
Metro 2033 does what Hellgate: London set out to do. It is a fantastic combination of FPS and Survival Horror.
The game is set in post-apocalyptic Russia, mostly within the metro tunnels. You, playing a character names Artyom, must make your way across Russia travelling through the metro tunnels and sometimes on the irradiated surface.
The game is very immersive by reducing the HUD elements and with some fantastic sound assets it really makes you feel like you are in the world. I found myself at times crouched down in real-life, while waiting for an enemy to pass in-game. The lack of a HUD is immersive without being a hindrance, in most cases, all the information you need is pretty much visual. You can see on your gun when ammo is running low and your flash light starts to get dimmer when the battery is running low.
There are some points in the game where you are involved in cut scenes. Usually these really pull you out of the game and are rather jarring but in Metro2033 they are done really well slipping easily from cut scene to gameplay and back again with no loading screens or sudden cuts from the action.
The only loading screens are between levels or missions and are all very short with a diary type entry, from Artyom, at each one.
One major aspect of the game is the fact that "military grade ammo" is currency, while also still being usable ammo. This means that if you find yourself running low on ammo you can "shoot money". This all helps to build the sense that scavenging is a necessity in this world and again helps with the immersion.
I thoroughly enjoyed the game with its dark atmosphere and terrifying sequences and while being scared to continue on at some points, really wanting to progress through the story. The world is fantastically immersive and well thought out and in my opinion well worth a play.
The game is set in post-apocalyptic Russia, mostly within the metro tunnels. You, playing a character names Artyom, must make your way across Russia travelling through the metro tunnels and sometimes on the irradiated surface.
The game is very immersive by reducing the HUD elements and with some fantastic sound assets it really makes you feel like you are in the world. I found myself at times crouched down in real-life, while waiting for an enemy to pass in-game. The lack of a HUD is immersive without being a hindrance, in most cases, all the information you need is pretty much visual. You can see on your gun when ammo is running low and your flash light starts to get dimmer when the battery is running low.
There are some points in the game where you are involved in cut scenes. Usually these really pull you out of the game and are rather jarring but in Metro2033 they are done really well slipping easily from cut scene to gameplay and back again with no loading screens or sudden cuts from the action.
The only loading screens are between levels or missions and are all very short with a diary type entry, from Artyom, at each one.
One major aspect of the game is the fact that "military grade ammo" is currency, while also still being usable ammo. This means that if you find yourself running low on ammo you can "shoot money". This all helps to build the sense that scavenging is a necessity in this world and again helps with the immersion.
I thoroughly enjoyed the game with its dark atmosphere and terrifying sequences and while being scared to continue on at some points, really wanting to progress through the story. The world is fantastically immersive and well thought out and in my opinion well worth a play.
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