Reseñas recientes de tonydez415

"I See That It Is By No Means Useless To Travel, If A Man Wants To See Something New"

80 Days is a fantastic adventure game that provides a compelling narrative, descriptive and detailed environments, and simple yet engaging gameplay. Up to this point I haven't given this game the praise that it deserves, so with this review I will hopefully convince anyone reading to try out and (likely) enjoy this title.

In 80 Days , you play as Jean Passepartout, a servant to a certain Monsieur Phileas Fogg who has taken up a wager to travel across the entire globe within 80 days. Based off of the famous novel by Jules Verne, this game explores a 19th century world filled with bustling cities, wondrous mechanical achievements, and a diversity of both ample allies and fierce foes. Nearly every city imaginable is included in this world, with a great amount of description and depth to go along with them - all of which having a personality of their own. When a text-based adventure can allow you to imagine its locations in such grandiose ways, it has achieved something spectacular!

Gameplay is a simple, yet satisfying affair. You must manage your funds, luggage, and your own masters' health as you discover a route around the world. Your journey may take you into the harsh colds of Prussia, across the harrowing depths of the Pacific Ocean, or through the bustling, dangerous streets of Hong Kong. There are many methods of travel, all of which provide unique stories and outcomes. One second you may be traveling on a mechanical bird (a la Bioshock Infinite ), and in others you could be speeding through the Midwestern United States on a locomotive avoiding the likes of the notorious train robber Jesse James. Each playthrough provides a new tale of wonder and exploration across an incredibly diverse and rich world, and their is a small yet effective random seed generator that switches up aspects of the journey.

Everything including timing, money, health, and relations with multiple characters can affect your journey. Do you bribe a train conductor to leave a few days early for nearly all of your funds? Do you leap from a horse-driven carriage in hopes of avoiding a pirate-led aircraft in full pursuit? Do you clean Monsieur Fogg's shoes?! All of these decisions can greatly impact your journey, and all play a part in crafting a spectacular homage to book that sounds more and more appealing to me with each subsequent playthrough of this title.

The art is good, although I would have preferred a bit more detail in the characters you come across. However, the machines and cities you venture to, while only given a few drawings in the background, are something else entirely. The visions of a conquered, war-torn Paris, a highly technologically advanced Stockholm, and a newly populated and gritty San Francisco all provide environments that can tell a story of their own, much like their real-life counterparts. This makes the world believable, yet doesn't ground itself too harshly in the reality we have come to know.

All in all, if you are looking for a grand adventure across a 19th century world filled with ruthless rogues, mechanical camels, and some of the finest attention to detail ever poured into a text-based adventure game, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't pick up 80 Days . It is easy to pick up and play for a few minutes or a few hours, and each playthrough is different as long as you choose it to be as such. I highly Recommend this title as it provides enough intrigue, variability, and charm to last hours upon hours.


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An Enjoyable Walking Sim That Is Grounded In Reality

On the surface, Firewatch appears to be just another walking simulator that is mainly focused on its plot while sacrificing its gameplay. Well, it pretty much is just that. However, unlike many other games in its genre, it succeeds in teaching the player a valuable lesson in escapism and expectations, an important topic within an entertainment industry that has begun to stray away from representing the realistic complexities of everyday life.

Firewatch follows Henry, who is running away from a once perfect life that has now begun to crumble around him. He takes up a job as a fire lookout during the summer of 1989 in the Shoshone National Forest as a way to take his mind off of his life that hasn't turned out the way he thought it would. Through meeting a fellow lookout named Delilah, chasing off a few rambunctious teens, and dealing with an assortment of strange occurrences during his time as a lookout, the player learns a lot about Henry and his situation. Without spoiling the story, the player learns that many of the events occurring throughout the game may be merely coincidental, and Henry and Delilah happened to be caught up in it all.

What this game teaches the player is at first difficult to determine. While many may dislike the endings' lack of drama and emotional catharsis, it actually shifts the focus more to the reality of the situation - his entire experience at Shoshone was a way for him to escape his real-life issues. Everything he experienced may matter in the moment, but there are bigger issues that he is trying to avoid confronting.

Lastly, Firewatch manages to be a good abstract commentary on the current state of not just the gaming industry, but entertainment in general. Most people who consume entertainment are looking to distract themselves from a life that may not always be filled with positive experiences, and during those times, the mind being able to wander is good, if not natural. Additionally, Firewatch ignores doing what most players want the game to do in favor of serving as a hybrid between escapism and reality. The dialogue isn't overly dramatic or wacky, its human and endearing to the player engaging in it (while also feeling like some of the most natural dialogue EVER to exist in a video game). By its finale, the player is aware that they played this game to escape, even for a moment. While nothing in-game changed Henry's life, the game brings awareness to the simplicity and purpose of entertainment - to serve as a meditative tool to take one's mind off of the stresses of everyday life. It's a bit of a stretch, I know, but this is MY review so deal with it!

I would Recommend this title despite its simplistic gameplay, only because it provides an interesting plot with some great performances. It doesn't do anything particularly new and fresh in the gameplay department, but in terms of narrative and dialogue, it will keep you playing until the end.


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An Underwater Adventure Full Of Awe And Art

Abzû is a 2016 adventure title released by ex-members of "thatgamecompany", the creators of similar artistic titles like Flower and Journey . You play as a nameless, mysterious diver who finds themselves waking up in the middle of an ocean. As the diver, the player's goal is to open up various doors and pathways to traverse the ocean and explore its rich beauty and mysterious secrets. While the game has a very stripped down gameplay loop, it works well with the premise and the controls handle fairly well.

The main attraction of Abzû is its art style, which is very smooth yet detailed. Many objects can be drawn into a scene at once, and the colors presented are lush and vibrant. Numerous fish and other sea life are presented in the world, and the player can observe or interact with them in simple ways. This all helps to create a living, breathing world that catches the eye of many who stumble across this title, and I do believe it is one of the better looking games I have ever played in my life.

However, the musical score is what really helps drive the experience home in my opinion. The orchestral magic that is woven throughout this title helps to really heighten moments of wonder and beauty, and helps to give this game the "experience" tag that has been thrown around by many. There are a few moments throughout this title that made me feel emotional purely because of the combination of visual and auditory beauty. This combination of artistic visual and audio design really helps this game to transcend to something that I can easily recommend anyone to try out at least once.

The puzzles in this title are a bit simplistic at times, and while it isn't a huge deal for the experience I definitely would have enjoyed a bit more to chew on in terms of gameplay. Exploration is streamlined more, so don't expect to go off of the beaten path very much in hopes of "discovering" something substantially new. I personally felt that this worked well with the game's length, but I can see how some others may feel that it is too derivative or short for their liking. Nonetheless, the game runs mostly like a charm with the occasional loading screen hiccup when there is a large assortment of action on screen all at once.

I found Abzû to be an enthralling and captivating experience as a whole. While it doesn't take any huge strides in the gameplay department, it takes a leap in artistic design that many games have never been able to reach. It is an experience that captures the "spirit" of the ocean that many games have just not achieved before, and I appreciate the effort put into communicating nature's beauty. I felt a good connection with this title and what the developer's were hoping to achieve, and I believe they nailed it pretty well with this one. This is an easy Recommend for me as I think it is one of the best adventure titles to come around in the last decade, and you should give it a chance if you enjoy a visual and auditory experience that has a lighter focus on gameplay.


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A Masterpiece Of Game Design...With A Few Flaws

Portal is quite possibly the most innovative 3D puzzle game ever made. While its sequel pushes the boundaries of 3D puzzlers as well as stories provided within puzzle games, it all started off with a small little game made in 2007 by a newer team at Valve. By providing a perfect step-by-step learning process for the player of each of the game's core mechanics, as well as an enjoyable (albeit short) story, Portal has forever cemented itself as a turning point for 3D puzzle games. However, the game has some flaws to go along with its creative genius!

Portal has a pretty simplistic story, but it is pretty effective and raises a lot of questions for the player. The villain, GLaDOS, is humorous and wicked, delivering a slew of passive aggressive threats and condescending remarks as the player completes each puzzle. The tension begins to ramp up upon discovering the first "The Cake Is A Lie" message, instantly letting the player know that something is...off. While I do think the story is neat, it doesn't have a whole lot of "bite" to it. Once I finished, I definitely wanted more, but I also felt that not very much happened within the game. I solved some puzzles, fought a corrupt robot AI, and...that's it. In retrospect, I think the game could have gone further in the story department, especially with the anti-authoritarian sentiments that other Valve games like Half-Life 2 explored. Still, the story is solid enough, and provides some reason for the player to be invested in the game's puzzles.

The gameplay is where the game shines. Each puzzle progresses in scope and complexity, introducing new mechanics and interactions to the player throughout a playthrough. The puzzles are expertly crafted, simple enough to allow a player to understand the puzzle's goals, while challenging enough to test the player's problem solving and deduction skills. My big complaint with this game is...its too short. The puzzles slowly ramp up in difficulty, and right when the game gets rolling in terms of unique puzzles...its over! While many more ideas were later introduced in the sequel, this title lacks a bit in terms of the complexity of puzzles contained.

The visuals are pretty nice considering the Source engine was a few years old at the time, and the design of the labs is still sleek and straightforward today. The music is minimal, but provides a bit of ambiance here and there for certain levels and events.

The bonus content is a mixed bag. The Advanced Levels are fantastic, really testing the knowledge of the core mechanics that a player has acquired throughout the game, but then flipping the rules into something new. It was much more satisfying to play through these levels than any other levels in the game! However, the Challenge Mode is not my personal cup of tea. There are multiple challenges aiming for the player to minimize their portals used, steps taken, and time spent for each level. There are bronze, silver, and gold tiers to each challenge, with 6 maps to play through (the same maps as provided in the Advanced Levels, minus the changes contained in that mode). While it seems enticing at first, it is far too much trial and error for many players to want to sit through, and many will resort to a guide if they really want to achieve the gold tier for each challenge. There aren't any real twists to the levels too, its really just "be more efficient", which I don't find particularly enticing after just finishing some cool remixes of other maps.

Overall, Portal is a definite Recommend for anyone looking for a great 3D puzzle game. The mechanics are solid, the design is great, and the story is enough to get a player through to the end. This game could have used a bit more length to the story and a bit more extra content, possibly some extra sets of levels besides the Advanced Levels and Challenge Mode, but it is still a solid game at the end of the day.


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A Masterpiece Of Virtual Horror

Out of all of Frictional Games' releases, Amnesia: The Dark Descent is by far their most impressive title to me. It has been over a decade since its original release, yet its reputation as one of the scariest games of all time still remains extremely strong. Popularized heavily by YouTubers such as PewDiePie and Markiplier (among others), this title has grown to have a large influence on the horror genre in the gaming industry.

Replaying this title once again, I noticed there was the occasional hitch or small graphical anomalies here and there, but for the most part it still looks solid. The visuals of this game aren't groundbreaking, but the creative balance between light and dark helped to hide a lot of the lack of ultra-detailed textures. This is completely okay with me due to the style of the game, and the fact it was a small indie team scrounging together enough money to even create the title. The lighting and style of the game matched with its great gameplay loop combine to give this game a unique feeling, one a player is yet to experience in any other location other than Brennenburg Castle.

The gameplay of Amnesia: The Dark Descent , for those who have never played or heard of the game before, represents a pioneering achievement for a new wave of horror video games. You are unable to fight against the horrors stalking you throughout the game, instead having to hide in clever ways by either using pre-placed hiding locations such as pillars and wardrobes or by creating places to hide by stacking objects. There is a "sanity" mechanic that essentially warps and shifts the player's senses when both witnessing horrific events and by remaining in darkness for too long. You can restore sanity by using your lantern, sitting in lit up areas, and by completing puzzles/tasks within the game. However, there is a catch - you have limited oil for your lantern, and there is very little remaining in the world to collect. There are tinderboxes as well, which allow the player to utilize light sources throughout the environment, but these too are limited. Therefore, you will have to use these items sparingly, lest you want to go mad. Thankfully, the puzzles in this game are frequent enough that you are able to restore your sanity before collapsing into a bumbling mess, and they feel great to interact with by using the game's physics engine to utilize objects scattered throughout the world.

The game is definitely extremely scary for a newcomer, but for players like myself who have completed the game multiple times, the setpieces and scares can get a bit old at times. The monster spawns can be predictable, and areas become easier to complete once you memorize the layout. This is not to say the scares are ineffective, as I still get terrified at the numerous chase sequences and chilling environments throughout the game. However, there is a remedy for this - an extremely active and large modding community! There are tons of custom stories to play through that range from adventure game styles to jumpscare fests, and everything in between. The campaign can be modified to form a more dynamic experience, giving the AI a brush over that allows for more diverse scares. This really helps with the longevity of the game, and Frictional's willingness to share their toolbox with the game's rabid fanbase had worked wonders for creativity.

The story is probably the game's weakest aspect, but its still fairly good. The backstory is interesting, but sometimes a bit too vague for its own good. Some players may end up ignoring the small details and end up missing the bigger picture, which is unfortunate since there is a nice Lovecraftian-inspired tale to be told here. The audio cues and conversations along your journey help with some solid environmental storytelling, and the scattered journals left throughout the castle dive further into the mysterious backstory of the secretive baron of the estate, Alexander of Brennenburg.

The voice acting is good at times (with a few deliveries falling just a bit flat), and some textures could be a bit sharper, but it can be forgiven for being a near decade old game as well as having a pretty small budget. Assets are reused, but they all fit the style of the world very well, and mods allow for the utilization of different items for having different functions in comparison to the main game.

Overall, I really adore this game. It holds a special nostalgic place in my heart, since I was a kid when it came out and OBSESSED with videos about the game. However, I really believe its a quality title that doesn't come around into the gaming scene too often. It is my favorite horror game of all time (so far), and utilizes many of its mechanics in such a great way that it has also become one of my favorite game ever made. I absolutely Recommend anyone to at least try out this game for some genuine terror and solid adventuring, but horror fans will find a masterpiece lurking within the darkness of this title.



DLC review below!



An Awkward And Unneeded DLC

I may be an outlier here, but I did not enjoy this campaign much at all. I found the puzzles kind of obtuse, and the story was just not at all gripping or even remotely interesting to me. The interactions with the monster were still terrifying, but the areas you are allowed to interact with it are small and awkwardly designed. I wanted to like this DLC more, but I found it to be pretty poor overall and would [/b] Not Recommend [/b] it.


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A Brilliantly Simple Tower Defense With Loads Of Charm

After nearly ten years of playing this game on and off, I finally managed to sit down and complete the entire Adventure mode (as well as a good amount of the extra levels/minigames). This is easily one of the best tower defense games I have played to this day, combining both simple to understand mechanics and a quirky art style to deliver you some garden warfare you never knew you needed in your life!

The variety of tools (or should I say "plants") you have at your disposal is surprisingly rich. There are multiple types of general turrets (peas, mushrooms, cabbages) that all have different behaviors and upgrades, different types of AOE effects (explosive cherry bombs, lane-clearing jalapenos, hypnotizing mushrooms), and layers of defense (pumpkins, potatoes). There is also a good selection of specific-use items, such as magnet-shrooms (good against metallic-type zombies), tall potatoes (good against vaulting zombies), and spike plants (good against vehicles), to name a few.

The level design is pretty well done, though it could have used some more differences besides lane changes, angles, and visual effects. You'll battle those zombies in your front lawn, backyard, and even your roof! While some plants were interesting in that they were more useful during either the day/night, I felt the flexibility of using some plants was a bit lacking. The difficulty of the game isn't too high, and it becomes very clear which plants are useful against which type of enemy, making the last few acts and bit of a cakewalk. At least for the Adventure mode, there isn't a whole lot of strategy to try out, but there is more room to experiments in the survival mode, as well as with additional playthroughs.

The art and music combined make this game extremely easy to love right away. The different zombies look silly, and the plants have a design that fits their functions. The music is amazing, and some of the tunes are definite earworms after an extended period of time. There's also a nice amount of hidden secrets/easter eggs for fans of other PopCap games as well.

There is a great amount of extra content for players that are extremely addicted to the game! I played through nearly all of the minigames, which are by far the best additional content provided, and each minigame is expertly crafted to be fun and challenging. I was disappointed by the Puzzle mode, since there are only two types of puzzles, but there is a lot to play through if you are a fan. The Survival mode is a nice challenge to get through after completing the Adventure mode, and allows players to test their most insane tactics against increasingly immense waves of enemies in a selection of places.

There is also a store where you can save money to purchase multiple types of items, such as new plants for combat, plants for farming gold, defensive items for levels, and extra slots for plants. While this is a neat idea, it comes at the price of a pretty big grind, and a lot of the modes related to gold-farming are just not that interesting. The most trivial item by far is food for the "tip tree", which gives the player an assortment of tips for gameplay. The problem with this mechanic is that many of the tips are redundant after completing the game, and will end up being a gold sink for a lot of curious players.

While the extra content could have been much deeper and valuable to play through, the game overall is created with an impressive amount of thought and care. The core gameplay is very good, and is a nice introduction to the genre for any players curious enough to test the waters. It is easily a Recommend from me, and is one of the best tower defense games of all time, even after an entire decade!


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