Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD (PC) review

Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD throws you into a large map filled with various objects such as half pipes, ramps, and rails for you to practice and hone your skating skills. There are tons of maps to choose from and you unlock each one by fulfilling objectives. Performing tricks and killer moves will net you points and tallying these points up at the end might fulfill one of the objectives of the map. In addition, littered throughout the map are collectibles that also contribute to your objective count. Once a certain amount has been met then the next map is unlocked. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t return for some fun. 

Some of the maps in Pro Skater are excellently designed leaving the players with loads of areas to have fun. It’s also designed so people who like to perform certain tricks have a map dedicated to themselves. One map might feature an abundance of half pipes while another will have various connecting rails for constant grinding. The map design is extremely clever and it never gets old as a result. In addition to the actual design the various locales that the game takes you is a nice change. Whether its a bright colorful school campus or a sunsetting mountain, it’s excellently implemented. 

Unfortunately, the graphics don’t support the locations well. Textures looks extremely flat and lack any detail. Colors are bland and fail to visually intrigue leaving a somewhat distasteful feeling. Even so, this doesn’t mean that the game looks horrendous visually. It’s still solid and everything looks rather polished, however, this is easily one of the blander looking HD remasters in a while. 

Gameplay was one of the greatest aspects of the original game and it’s a bit disappointing to know that it hasn’t aged very well. The idea of gliding through various maps and trying out sick skills is rewarding, however, the lack of variety and the ability to easily pull off tricks once you’ve gotten hang of the somewhat unresponsive controls is a bit disappointing. You’ll soon find that you’ll end up grinding points by doing the same tricks at one specific spot on the map in order to clear the tougher objectives of the maps. You have the ability to do holds, grinds, flips, and such but it’s so relatively easy to mix and match without being easily punished creates a somewhat monotonous game. Add the inability to see the various moves you can actually do, it seems like experimentation and luck is the only way to see the entire move list.

The actual skating isn’t all that bad though. It’s cool to see all the amazing tricks you pull off and sometimes you’ll wonder if you can really pull off that infamous 900. It’s pretty sweet. To mix things up, the game also has various skaters you can unlock and customize. Each skater has different strengths and disadvantages so you can choose a skater that is tailored to your preference. In addition you can also deck out your skateboard with customizable parts. It’s this customization aspect that gives you the ability to fine tune your tricks and giving you specialization. This neat aspect carries throughout the entire game so you’re constantly working towards unlocking new ways to specialize your skater or working towards generalizing him so he’s good in everything. 

Of course, skating around and and customizing your skaters isn’t that entertaining if the game was monotonous. There’s an interesting set of tracks for you to listen to while you explore the various maps and while it’s most of the time entertaining, some tracks are just uninteresting. Most of the music is a bit of rock and hip hop with a variety of mixes from other genres. It’s diverse and it changes up the pace of the game but nothing stands out. 

A controller is highly recommended when playing the PC version. While it’s definitely feasible to play with a keyboard, the game feels much more smoother and precise when using a controller. Not that it helps due to the unresponsiveness of the game sometimes to do a trick on a half pipe or grinding on rails. 

Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD is a dated game and it really shows. The game is extremely simple and plays virtually like a title you would play at an arcade. Each map gives you a time limit to play around with and while the customization features feel deep, it can sometimes feel like it makes no difference. However, despite the flaws the game has with its gameplay, the game is still a blast to go through just for the heck of it. 

Via: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD (PC) review

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Mutant Mudds review (PC)

Oftentimes, baddies are placed in tricky positions that require you to focus on simultaneously jumping across spike-infested gaps and shooting down your foes. There are other times when the enemies shoot projectiles at you, which makes navigating certain areas even more fiendish. But despite the constant challenges that Mutant Mudds throws your way, the difficulty is never cheap. This game is fair, and if you just observe your surroundings, you'll be able to clear any level.

Mutant Mudds is an absolutely lovely game because it requires you to master it. You can't expect to breeze through the entire experience, because doing so will result in failure. Instead, you need to approach each stage with caution. You have to be ready for anything and just be good at what you're doing. That's right, if you play Mutant Mudds, you need to be good at it. It's not often we see skill as one of the requirements for getting through a game, so it's great that Renegade Kid wasn't afraid to create a world that pushes the player to actually try hard.

Scattered throughout each of the levels are collectible diamonds. You can collect 100 in each level, and if you want to have access to some weapon and jetpack upgrades, you're definitely going to want to snag as many diamonds as you can. If you're worried (or hoping) that these upgrades will make the game easier, you don't even need to take that into consideration, because Mutant Mudds stays challenging even if you have a better jetpack or long-range water cannon.

Mutant Mudds on the PC features 20 challenging levels, each of which has a hidden stage for Max to discover. Upon clearing all 40 stages, you gain access to the special Grannie levels, which star, you guessed it, Max's adorable grandma. These 20 stages are some of the toughest in the game, and you'll need to employ all of your platformer mastery if you intend on getting through them.

While Mutant Mudds on the PC obviously can't offer stereoscopic visuals like the original eShop version, it's still a bright and colorful platformer rife with awesome pixelated graphics. The game even has some levels that pay homage to the original Game Boy and Virtual Boy, which is ridiculously rad. Mutant Mudds doesn't just look old school. Renegade Kid did an incredible job producing a chiptune-heavy soundtrack for the game. I felt like I was enjoying a NES classic the entire time I was playing.

Mutant Mudds is one of the most delightful 2D platformers to come along this year. It boastfully provides an experience that's taken right out of the '80s. Mutant Mudds is, for all intents and purposes, a retro gamer's dream come true. If you haven't played the original eShop version, don't deprive yourself of this stunningly amazing old school-inspired adventure. The world of Mutant Mudds is one you'll want to return to again and again, partially because you're going to love it, but also because it's probably going to take several tries to get through most of the levels.

For a bunch of indie game and burrito talk, follow @thesanchezdavid on Twitter.

Via: Mutant Mudds review (PC)

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Max Payne 3 Disorganized Crime DLC review

Gun fights don't just take place outdoors, though. Hoboken Rooftops allows you to enter the interior of what's left of Max's apartment complex, and it's rich with tight turns and narrow corridors. It can really make for some tough close quarters combat, and if you want to succeed, you'll have to be alert at all times and expect enemies around every corner. While the Hoboken rooftops map is certainly plenty of fun, it should be noted that all the tight squeezes can cause a bit of frustration, especially if the same guy keeps gunning you down repeatedly. While not as impressive as the previously released downloadable maps, Hoboken Rooftops is still a solid battleground that's worth returning to.

The other additions included in the Disorganized Crime add-on are exclusively linked to the single-player Arcade Mode. First, you've got the Exploding Rounds option which will totally make you feel like a badass. Hey, Max has always been known for blasting fools with no remorse. Why not throw in some explosive ammo that detonates the moment it hits the enemy? You can also toggle Incendiary Rounds, which will cause your targets to go down in flames. Again, totally badass. Of course, if you want a real challenge, you can now access the Limited Ammo option, which makes it harder to come across weapons and rounds.

Lone Wolf AI is another new modifier, and it makes the opposition increasingly aggressive. Gun-wielding thugs will charge at you, adding to the already tense gameplay and atmosphere of Max Payne 3. Then there's the new Headshots Only feature, which, you guessed it, forces you to pick enemies off by putting a bullet in their heads. If this sounds tough, that's because it is. Adding to the high level of challenge is Old School Mode, which takes inspiration from the classic Max Payne games and requires you to play without the ability to take cover or zoom while aiming. You know, just like the good ol' days!

Wrapping up this free DLC is the new Noir Mode. This option lets you play Arcade Mode in black-and-white, adding a classic vibe to the game that's really cool. Because the story of Max Payne 3 is so dark and gritty, it's awesome having the chance to experience it in black-and-white. Unfortunately, this graphical option is restricted to Arcade Mode, which is kind of a bummer. It should be noted, however, that there's currently a glitch that allows you to play any other mode, be it single-player or multiplayer, in black-and-white once you exit Arcade Mode. Whether Rockstar will address this is unknown at the moment, but if it does, here's hoping the company adds an official black-and-white setting to the single-player campaign.

Disorganized Crime is the second free DLC pack that's been released for Max Payne 3. The first was the Gorilla Warfare Pack which added some great new items for multiplayer. This recent add-on, however, throws in a brand new multiplayer map, some cool Arcade Mode modifiers, and a sweet graphics option. If you're a Max Payne 3 player, don't hesitate to give this content pack a download. Again, it's free, so there's absolutely no good reason to miss out on all these new features.

For a bunch of indie game and burrito talk, follow @thesanchezdavid on Twitter.

Via: Max Payne 3 Disorganized Crime DLC review

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Mutant Mudds review (PC)

Oftentimes, baddies are placed in tricky positions that require you to focus on simultaneously jumping across spike-infested gaps and shooting down your foes. There are other times when the enemies shoot projectiles at you, which makes navigating certain areas even more fiendish. But despite the constant challenges that Mutant Mudds throws your way, the difficulty is never cheap. This game is fair, and if you just observe your surroundings, you'll be able to clear any level.

Mutant Mudds is an absolutely lovely game because it requires you to master it. You can't expect to breeze through the entire experience, because doing so will result in failure. Instead, you need to approach each stage with caution. You have to be ready for anything and just be good at what you're doing. That's right, if you play Mutant Mudds, you need to be good at it. It's not often we see skill as one of the requirements for getting through a game, so it's great that Renegade Kid wasn't afraid to create a world that pushes the player to actually try hard.

Scattered throughout each of the levels are collectible diamonds. You can collect 100 in each level, and if you want to have access to some weapon and jetpack upgrades, you're definitely going to want to snag as many diamonds as you can. If you're worried (or hoping) that these upgrades will make the game easier, you don't even need to take that into consideration, because Mutant Mudds stays challenging even if you have a better jetpack or long-range water cannon.

Mutant Mudds on the PC features 20 challenging levels, each of which has a hidden stage for Max to discover. Upon clearing all 40 stages, you gain access to the special Grannie levels, which star, you guessed it, Max's adorable grandma. These 20 stages are some of the toughest in the game, and you'll need to employ all of your platformer mastery if you intend on getting through them.

While Mutant Mudds on the PC obviously can't offer stereoscopic visuals like the original eShop version, it's still a bright and colorful platformer rife with awesome pixelated graphics. The game even has some levels that pay homage to the original Game Boy and Virtual Boy, which is ridiculously rad. Mutant Mudds doesn't just look old school. Renegade Kid did an incredible job producing a chiptune-heavy soundtrack for the game. I felt like I was enjoying a NES classic the entire time I was playing.

Mutant Mudds is one of the most delightful 2D platformers to come along this year. It boastfully provides an experience that's taken right out of the '80s. Mutant Mudds is, for all intents and purposes, a retro gamer's dream come true. If you haven't played the original eShop version, don't deprive yourself of this stunningly amazing old school-inspired adventure. The world of Mutant Mudds is one you'll want to return to again and again, partially because you're going to love it, but also because it's probably going to take several tries to get through most of the levels.

For a bunch of indie game and burrito talk, follow @thesanchezdavid on Twitter.

Via: Mutant Mudds review (PC)

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Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online review

Just like the predecessors in the franchise, Ghost Recon Online adapts an over-the-shoulder third-person shooting perspective. Running around the map is fairly simple given its standard PC control set up. You have the ability to walk or run when you’re standing up as well as choosing to crouch or go prone. The game is all about tactical positioning and maneuvering and it encourages to do that. All of the maps have some sort of nook and cranny to hide yourself behind if you want to go prone. In addition there are various objects on the map to crouch behind as well. Movement overall feels very solid.

If you’re running throughout the map you have the option to click the space bar which will make your character dive forward and if there is cover in front of you, immediately hide behind it. This diving mechanic saves lives and really keeps the pace of the game fluid, with no odd transitional movements or extra stuff bogging you down from, “Oh I gotta run all the way and click another button to take cover.” Taking cover is a fairly interesting concept in GRO as it gives you certain stats. While moving around and shooting will give you much larger recoil, precision of bullets, and critical hit rates - bonus damage - shooting behind cover will minimize those effects. This encourages less run and gun and more of that tactical positioning. It also prevents players from zerging to objective locations. Rather, it requires teammates to slowly push forward using cover. It’s much more engaging to know that you’re moving across as a team than being a mindless force pushing ever onwards. 

To further promote that team effort, GRO has an extremely useful mechanic which groups nearby teammates. There will be blue imaginary lines that come out and extend to nearby friendlies. It will reveal their position and their health even if i you can’t see them. Additionally, if the ally that is connected to you spots an enemy you can see the outlinings of the enemy running across the map, even if there are obstructions blocking your view. This quintessential mechanic makes group play very exciting as well as intriguing. It creates a new breed of coordination and teamwork as the best group will exploit this system to have no blind spots and keep an eye on their teammates. Numerous times I was able to hunt someone down with my teammates and corner them because someone else saw the enemy. 

Despite all of the tools that GRO gives to the player for their usage, it’s extremely limited in other aspects of the game. There are only four available maps at the present moment and they all have a built-in mode: Conquest or Onslaught. Conquest is a fairly simple gametype wheretwo teams vye for a capture point. Once one team has captured a point, they will move forward to the next zone while the team that lost the point will be pushed back. Essentially it’s a tug of war in which two teams must compete for the most captured points at the end of the round, and subsequently the end of the game. Onslaught is similar in that one team is defending and the other is on the offensive. The latter team must capture point A and B. After these are seized they will unlock point C, which must also be caught to win the round. The former team must prevent these from happening and succeeding to do so will win them the round. The following round the two teams will switch roles and whoever wins the best two out of three wins the game. 

Via: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online review

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Transformers: Fall of Cybertron review

The Autobots and Decepticons are still at each other’s throats, with their home planet, Cybertron, in a dying state.  All the Autobots want to do is leave in a cosmic Ark of sorts, while the Decepticons, vying to get their hands on some precious Energon, want to crush their foes flat.  The campaign mode will give you the opportunity to control various characters from each side, including familiar faces (Megatron, Optimus Prime), more obscure robots (the Combaticons, Cliffjumper) and even a few new faces coming into the story for the first time (Bruticus and, of course, Grimlock).

Though the campaign is fairly short, it’s lots of fun, especially when certain parts of it come together so well.  One great stage involves an assault on a mega-sized bridge, with the Combaticons taking out gears collectively while destroying enemies on the ground and in the air.  The introduction of Grimlock is awesome too, as he starts swatting away at Insecticons in robot form before he finally shows them what he’s really made of in his T-Rex form, complete with flamethrower breath.  He truly is king.

The gameplay as a whole is mostly solid, but not perfect.  While playing as small cars, maneuverability can be slippery when using the turbo booster, as we learned trying to escape from a stage midway through.  But you’ll still be transforming between robot and vehicle forms with ease for the most part, using all sorts of firepower, including plasma cannons, a corrosive goo gun and missile launchers.

Once you finish the campaign – which should take you a few hours – you can move on to the multiplayer modes, which are quite satisfying.  Escalation is a four-player survival-style mode where you face 15 waves of growing enemy waves, unlocking new perks and weapons with the currency you collect.  It’s hardly original (hello, Gears of War 2?), but a good time nevertheless.

Competitive multiplayer is even better, as you get to choose between four various classes, each with their own special abilities on the battlefield, as you fight between Autobots and Decepticons.  Leveling up in this mode is addictively fun, and you can even give your robots a special design, including a metallic finish.  What’s more, each robot transforms almost effortlessly, a true feat that shows High Moon’s dedication to product.

But they try a little too hard at times.  And you’ll see that in some cases with the graphics.  The Unreal Engine 3 technology really goes a long way here to introducing more sprawling areas of Cybertron, from a harvesting factory to a battle underneath a lumbering, super-sized bulldozer.  However, sometimes there’s too much going on, and the frame rate can take a hit, what with enemies coming at you and lighting happening all at once.  Still, it maintains for the most part, and that certainly beats not working at all.  Plus, some of these animations are really cool, like when Grimlock takes a bite out of his enemies.  CHOMP!

The audio fares much better.  The music is excellent, typical of Transformers standards, and the sound effects add a great mixture of effects, including wicked plasma blasts.  But it’s the voicework that really kicks the product into overdrive.  Peter Cullen is once again masterful as Optimus Prime, and we’re thrilled to hear Gregg Berger again as Grimlock.  Not to be outdone is Nolan North, who voices Cliffjumper and Bruticus to great effect.  His exchanges with Troy Baker (voicing Jazz) are probably the most entertaining ones in the game.

Though somewhat flawed in the graphics and shortened campaign department, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is a splendid sequel that outdoes last year’s somewhat rushed Dark of the Moon by a long shot.  What’s more, its multiplayer really gives you a lot to do, whether it’s surviving with your friends or taking on all comers and leveling up like a bandit.  It'd be cheesy if we said, "It's more than meets the eye"...but it really is.

[Reviewed on Xbox 360]

Via: Transformers: Fall of Cybertron review

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Sugar Cube: Bittersweet Factory review

Grids fill up the screen in each of the levels. It's up to you to guide the sugary protagonist from the start of a level to the far-off goal. Platforms, springs, and other elements are hidden within every level, and by passing by or around them, you can reveal the hidden path. In order to reach the goal, you have to flip tiles to open up platforms and other paths. Sugar Cube can get tricky, and it does a good job of providing an ample challenge.

You collect different abilities as you travel through the game's five worlds. These abilities are specific to certain levels, and they require you to approach the puzzles in different ways. For example, one power-up turns our cubed star into a superhero of sorts. While donning this costume, he can "flip" the level and reveal platforms and paths that weren't open before. There's also a pick-up that lets you flip tiles that are above, below, or in front of you. It can get a bit confusing, but with a little trial and error, you should be able to tackle the game's more confusing puzzles.

Speaking of trial and error, Sugar Cube is saturated in it just like a bag of obscenely sweet candy. Oftentimes, you don't know exactly how to progress through a level, and it's very easy to send the walking sugar cube into the abyss. If you pass through a platform you already opened up, you'll cover it up once more. It can get frustrating having to deal with the finicky tile-flipping mechanics because you end up failing often. You have the option to hold down the Shift key to refrain from flipping grids, but it's easy to forget about that when you're just trying to get to the goal.

I wish this setback was only a minor flaw, but it's not. It plagues a lot of the experience, and Sugar Cube suffers for it greatly. As you get further into the game, you'll discover more unpleasant quirks. Sometimes, having the ability to flip tiles below you ends up costing you because you flip all the platforms underneath you, which means you eventually have nothing to land on. Additionally, several levels require precise timing to get past an obstacle, enemy, or boss. This is especially annoying when levels require you to do that multiple times, because even if you get past that first baddie, you might accidentally touch another one afterward just because you mistimed a jump by one-tenth of second.

Sugar Cube's presentation is a mix of pleasant color and bland sound. The levels have a cutesy appeal to them that's kind of nice to look at. Nothing will blow you away, and the game could have definitely featured a bit more inherent charm, but it still looks pretty good. The music, however, is a miss for the most part. None of the themes in Sugar Cube are remotely memorable, and because there's one track per world, you can expect to hear the same songs for long periods of time.

If you're looking for a fun little puzzle platformer, Sugar Cube definitely has what it takes to satisfy your desire, all the while making you want to snack on some chocolate chip cookies. The game is priced at $5, so it's affordable, and it will last you an evening or two, depending on whether you get a bit bored of it. Ultimately, Sugar Cube provides a few hours of entertainment coupled with frustration. This isn't a game that people will talk about for years to come, but it does a good job of challenging, satisfying, and even annoying players.

For a bunch of indie game and burrito talk, follow @thesanchezdavid on Twitter.

Via: Sugar Cube: Bittersweet Factory review

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