100 Word Review - #54 - 10,000,000

10,000,000

Genre - Action, RPG, Indie

Metascore - 65%

Developer - EightyEightGames

Other Games by Developer - N/A

My Playtime - 10.7 hours

10,000,000 is a game that caught my eye the first time I saw it. It contains an interesting mix of dungeon crawler, RPG and match-3 puzzler. You saunter through a dungeon, facing enemies, doors and chests and you need to match the symbols to traverse these obstacles. 10,000,000 tends to be quite unforgiving – you don’t have much time to think about your moves and this can lead to quite a bit of random scrabbling to try and keep going. The upgrade system works well and is not too easy – there are times when you will have to grind for resources.

My Score - 8/10



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100 Word Review - #53 - Auditorium

Sometimes I feel like I am cheating the level

Auditorium

Genre - Indie, Casual

Metascore - N/A

Developer - Cipher Prime Studios

Other Games by Developer - Fractal: Make Blooms Not War, Splice

My Playtime - 2.5 hours

I love simple, good looking games; Auditorium is one of these. The premise is straightforward - guide a stream of light to light catchers around the screen using control orbs such as attraction, repulsion and directional. Every light catcher you fill adds to the music, and by the end of each level (of 5 stages) you have a nice track. Auditorium starts out slow but it does ramp up the difficulty quite quickly and you end up just making slight adjustments for 5 minutes. It is a very clean looking game with the vivid colours jumping out against the black background.

My Score - 7/10

100 Word Review - #52 - Sanctum

Everyone loves a good pile of bodies.

Sanctum

Genre - Action, Strategy, Indie, Casual

Metascore - 70%

Developer - Coffee Stain Studios

Other Games by Developer - N/A

My Playtime - 3.9 hours

Sanctum is another game with an interesting mix of genres – tower defence and FPS. This blend works very well and means you can get your strategy and action fixes in the same place. Before each wave, you can set up and upgrade your towers and also upgrade your weapons. I’ve found the game to be relatively easy, especially when you’ve fully upgraded your first few towers and main weapon. As soon as you do that, enemies rarely get past you. Apart from the genre mix, nothing about Sanctum really stands out, with the graphics and music feeling a bit bland.

My Score - 6/10

Stat Attack 2 & Logo Results

Hello! I've just published our 100th review. This post will talk about some of the stats about the blog so far - that means the return of my lovely pie charts. After that, I will announce the winner of our logo competition. (You may be able to tell from the new logo on the site...)

Average Scores

Reviewer	Reviews	Avg. Score
Matt	51	6.8
Tom	24	6.7
Mat	3	5.0
Kris	9	6.1
Stef	5	6.8
Edgar	6	7.8
James	2	8.5
Total	100	6.8

This means the average review is 0.4 marks lower than it was last time I checked, and is heading in the right direction.

Oh my, I do love a good pie chart.



Logo Competition Results


As we haven't had another vote for a couple of days, I'm calling this vote complete and the logo for MattDoesWords with 50% of the votes is Mat, with his lovely panda design. Congratulations, Mat!

Oh my, I do love a good panda.

Here's to another 100 reviews!

100 Word Review - #51 - Bulletstorm

"Burn, baby burn..."

Bulletstorm

Genre - Action

Metascore - 82%

Developer - People Can Fly, Epic Games

Other Games by Developer - Painkiller: Black Edition, Unreal Tournament 3 Black

My Playtime - 3.8 hours

The market is saturated with FPSs of different qualities, and they can all get a bit samey. That’s why it’s refreshing when something different comes along. Bulletstorm’s gameplay is quite standard FPS fare (apart from the ability to pull and kick people all over the place), but the silliness of the script and the world in general sets it apart from some of the more sombre, if more technical and simulation FPSs – I was hooked when it had me fighting a mini-boss to the tune of Disco Inferno. Bulletstorm rewards you for killing in different ways and therefore stays fresh.

My Score - 8/10

100 Word Review - #50 - The Binding of Isaac (Wrath of the Lamb DLC)

New characters, new floors, new enemies.

The Binding of Isaac - Wrath of the Lamb DLC

Genre - Action, Adventure, RPG, Indie

Metascore - N/A

Developer - Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl

Other Games by Developer - The Binding of Isaac, Super Meat Boy (as Team Meat)

My Playtime - 5 hours

TBoI is still one of my favourite games and was pushing to get full marks, the new expansion has just pushed it over the edge. For £2, you get double the amount of floors (which randomly interchange with the old ones), a new character and new items, enemies and bosses. There are also challenges that require you to use set combinations of items to beat the game. The base game was difficult enough, but the new floors just seem overly cruel. I’ve now put over 65 hours into this game and I can see myself at least doubling that. Addictive.

My Score - 10/10

100 Word Review - #49 - Dino D-Day

You're damn right I'm a T-Rex!

Dino D-Day

Genre - Action

Metascore - 53%

Developer - 800 North and Digital Ranch

Other Games by Developer - N/A

My Playtime - 2.1 hours

In an alternative universe, the Nazis got around to resurrecting dinosaurs. Dino D-Day allows us to experience this insanity. If you can look past the inclusion of dinosaurs, you have a pretty standard WWII FPS, and to be honest, I did look past the dinosaurs as I found them to be ineffective when going against the humans. I first tried this during the last Steam sale and it was quite fun, mainly because there were loads of new people playing the game. Six months on and there were only 15 available servers, and only one of those had people playing.

My Score - 4/10

100 Word Review - #48 - Waveform

If you like blinking, this isn't the game for you

Waveform

Genre - Indie, Action

Metascore - 81%

Developer - Eden Industries

Other Games by Developer - N/A

My Playtime - 3.5 hours

So, it turns out Waveform is a disgustingly difficult game. The core gameplay involves collecting orbs of light by adjusting the frequency and amplitude of a wave using the mouse. This in itself isn’t where the difficulty comes from; it’s the inclusion of mirrors, wormholes, refraction clouds and the like that gives it its ‘disgusting’ tag. It only just falls short of being frustrating, especially at the end of each planet, where you are chased by an event horizon and pretty much any false move will kill you. The innovative gameplay alone means you should defiantly give this a try.

My Score - 8/10

100 Word Review - #47 - Puzzler World 2

Ain't no bitch-ass game gonna tell me what to do.

Puzzler World 2

Genre - Strategy, Indie, Casual

Metascore - N/A

Developer - Ideas Pad

Other Games by Developer - Puzzler World

My Playtime - 4.6 hours




One issue of Puzzler magazine has 60 puzzles for £1.80; Puzzler World 2 has 720 (plus 560 mini-game puzzles) for £9.99. If you can buy it at 80% off like I did, then it’s just incredible value. I bought it because it looked like a good boredom reliever, and that is exactly what it has turned out to be. Sure, the controls may be a bit glitchy at times and sure, the puzzles either seem to be too easy or too hard, but overall it does its job well and I would recommend it to serial boredom dwellers like myself.

My Score - 8/10

Logo Showdown

HELLO! I think it's about time we got a sexy new logo. I've commissioned a few logos from people on Fiverr, and I'm hoping that my friends will create a few as well. As it goes, anyone who reads this can submit one - just upload them to an image sharing website and post a link in the comments.

I will add to this page as they come rolling in, and on 01/06/12 we will  have a vote to see which entry will become the permanent logo for MattDoesWords. The winner will recieve an as yet undecided game on Steam.

Zoltan

nobis (Fiverr)

Mat (From here)

goodgodgreg (Fiverr)

100 Word Review - #46 - BIT.TRIP BEAT

How the hell am I meant to keep track of all that?

BIT.TRIP BEAT

Genre - Action, Casual, Indie

Metascore - N/A

Developer - Gaijin Games

Other Games by Developer - BIT.TRIP RUNNER

My Playtime - 1.9 hours

BIT.TRIP BEAT is a good 8-bit rhythm game that has a few flaws. The concept is simple enough – blocks fly across from the right in time to some lovely music, and you have to rebound them with a paddle on the left. The more you hit, the ‘fuller’ the music becomes. The main problem is the difficulty. By the end of the first (of three) levels, you have to start waving your paddle about like a madman to try and keep up. The stages feel too long, but the game itself is too short. Fun, but can quickly become frustrating.

My Score - 6/10

100 Word Review - #45 - Bioshock

Would you kindly bash that nonce round the head?

Bioshock

Genre - Action, RPG

Metascore - 96%

Developer - 2K Australia

Other Games by Developer - Bioshock 2

My Playtime - 6.2 hours

I don’t know of many gamer folk who haven’t played Bioshock, and there’s no real reason not to. Set in Rapture, a fallen underwater utopia, you play a survivor of a plane crash who is drawn deeper into the city and the stories of the people who are left there. Bioshock is one of the most atmospheric games I’ve ever played, with fear and dread being the most played upon feelings throughout. You are able to tailor your character with certain ammunitions and gene-altering ‘plasmids’ that will encourage multiple playthroughs with different set-ups. Without doubt in my all-time top 10.

My Score - 9/10

100 Word Review - #44 - Data Jammers: FastForward

Anyone else remember the Tomytronic 3D?

Data Jammers: Fast Forward

Genre - Action, Indie

Metascore - N/A

Developer - Digital Eel

Other Games by Developer - BRAINPIPE: A Plunge to Unhumanity

My Playtime - 1 hour

What we have here is another short, weird and visually stimulating game from Digital Eel. DJ:FF reminds me of the Tomytronic 3D video game ‘goggles’ that I had when I was a kid, specifically a cross between the racing and space-shooter versions. You play as some sort of anti-virus software travelling through systems to (shockingly) eradicate viruses, and this takes the form of travelling down a track, with things attacking you from all sides, as you try to get to the end while collecting rings to boost your score. It only took me 40 minutes to finish, far too short.

My Score - 6/10

100 Word Review - #43 - Titan Attacks!

The answer, more often than not, is no.

Titan Attacks!

Genre - Action, Indie, Casual

Metascore - N/A

Developer - Puppygames

Other Games by Developer - Revenge of the Titans

My Playtime - 3.0 hours

Titan Attacks! quite obviously borrows its core gameplay from Space Invaders, and it’s done so well, with its flashy retro-inspired graphics and soundtrack, that it’s truly one of the most enjoyable indie experiences I've had recently. The difficulty is ramped up quite early, but your progress is saved at the beginning of each of the 5 groups of 20 levels so you don’t have to start from the beginning when you die. You end up having to learn how to manage your resources – can you afford to take the risk of buying a much-needed weapon upgrade over an extra life?

My Score - 8/10

100 Word Review - #42 - Windosill

Windosill's charm spreads to its humble flash window.

Windosill

Genre - Adventure, Casual, Indie, Family

Metascore - 90% (iOS)

Developer - Vectorpark, Inc.

Other Games by Developer - N/A

My Playtime - 0.4 hours




Windosill is a charming, artsy puzzle game that has an embarrassing feature – its length. I’ll admit I wasn’t spending much time admiring the admittedly beautiful scenery while playing, but 20 minutes is just silly – I’m really glad I got this in an indie bundle and didn’t pay full price for it. Some of the puzzles are filled with red herrings that do nothing but distract you from the solution, but this adds to its charm as you want to click on everything to see what happens. Even though it is extremely short, it’s quite good and still worth a look.

My Score - 6/10

100 Word Review - #41 - Runespell: Overture

Runespell: Overture

Genre - RPG, Casual, Indie

Metascore - 69%

Developer - Mystic Box

Other Games by Developer - N/A

My Playtime - 4.6 hours

Runespell: Overture is an interesting mix of turn-based RPG, solitaire and poker. Your board is set up kind of like a game of solitaire, and you have to make poker hands in order to damage your opponent – better hands do more damage. You have a series of increasingly difficult battles, with some naff story shoehorned in, and it can get boring after a couple of hours. Also, as you progress, your opponents have so much HP that the battles can become a bit of a coin flip. Nonetheless, it is a reasonably good game with original gameplay not seen before.

My Score - 6/10

100 Word Review - #40 - Tobe's Vertical Adventure

Ah, nostalgia...

Tobe's Vertical Adventure

Genre - Action, Adventure, Indie

Metascore - 75%

Developer - Secret Base

Other Games by Developer - N/A

My Playtime - 1.5 hours

There aren’t many old-school platform games on Steam, let alone good ones. Tobe’s Vertical Adventure is a great looking, great sounding nostalgia-driven platformer that is really fun to play. You play as one of two characters through 4 worlds of 4 (obviously) vertical stages. The game is incredibly short (my playtime was for one and a half playthroughs) - this is really the only thing that counts against an otherwise great game, and I guess there is some replay value to be had in trying to collect everything in each level. The difficulty is well scaled, and never gets overly frustrating.

My Score - 8/10

Skyrim Update

Two weeks ago, I decided to go back to Skyrim to try and get the last 9 achievements. As I said in my review, I really didn't feel like playing any more after finishing the main quest, but as Tom had just bought it, I decided to give it another go.

It was nice to have something to aim for, but at times, it just got really tedious, and I remarked that it was like a fetch-quest Inception. The 'One With the Shadows' achievement in particular was amazingly drawn out and probably took me a couple of hours of repeating seven feats of theft for the Thieves Guild until I was given some other jobs.

I did, however, get a chance to increase some of my other skills to get the achievement for getting to level 50, which created a challenge as skills without perks can be pretty useless (especially in the endgame).

I've also been experimenting with a few mods, like Enhanced High-Level Gameplay, (which scales enemies above the level 35 cap they have otherwise) and various graphical enhancements, such as improved snow and blood effects.

I may experiment a bit more with mods, and try a few custom quests and areas or I may wait until an expansion is released. I may just uninstall it and sell off my Steam account. £1000 - any takers?

100 Word Review - #39 - Microsoft Flight

I'd make an awesome pilot.

Microsoft Flight

Genre - Free to Play, Casual, Simulation

Metascore - 66%

Developer - Microsoft Studios

Other Games by Developer - N/A

My Playtime - 1.8 hours

The gameplay of the Microsoft Flight Simulator games hasn’t changed much in almost 10 years – take off, fly, land. They have now included missions and geocache hunts, of which there are new ones added every week. There isn’t much content in the base game, with only 5 missions and 2 planes, although more can be added through some rather pricey DLC. Some of the visuals are terrible even at the highest settings (see screenshot), and as there isn’t much to do while flying in a straight line for 15 minutes apart from messing around, you do tend to notice this often.

My Score - 5/10

100 Word Review - #38 - BRAINPIPE: A Plunge to Unhumanity

Trippy

BRAINPIPE: A Plunge to Unhumanity

Genre - Indie, Casual

Metascore - 59% (PSP)

Developer - Digital Eel

Other Games by Developer - Data Jammers: FastForward

My Playtime - 0.6 hours

This is a weird one. BRAINPIPE is a game with trippy music and visuals that tasks you to fly down some tunnels avoiding things and collecting other things. This is pretty much it. The items you collect are elements of your humanity, and the ones you collect affect your outcome and final ‘unhuman’ form. The difficultly is well scaled, making the later levels very difficult to complete. At just 30 mins to complete the entire game though, it’s never going to be worth the £8 asking price, even if you do play it through multiple times to get different results.

My Score - 4/10