Recent reviews by captainobvious

"Lara Croft GO" is a second tier casual title in an IP (Intellectual Properety) that provides bread and butter for it's owners. It's a puzzle game. It is neither the flaghsip in it's own IP (Tomb Raider), nor in it's own genre (puzzle games). It's small, inexpensive, and you'd expect it to be unremarkable. In fact, you'd expect to regret spending money on it. You won't. So long as you enter with modest expectations, you'll be pleasently surprised.


We're all familiar with over-hyped, big ticket, media saturating releases of games from flaghsip video game franchises for well established industry giants. (They'd be as overinflated as that sentence if it weren't for the money and effort poured into them.)

We're also all familiar with the bug-ridden, trouble-strewn path those releases can take when post release support is yanked after a less than stellar launch. Instead of honing a product that will continue to "sit on store shelves" for 5 to 20 years, and pull in money the whole time, the funding runs dry when the product doesn't perform like a summer blockbuster at the cineplex. Unless it's a record shattering success upon release, all the money, time, and effort invested so far give next to no return. It's doomed, because the people who do buy it can't even play it.

In that environment, a small, rather modest game released under just such a flagship IP (Intellectual Property)), "Lara Croft GO," would seem insignificant. Its not.

Movie, comic book, and cartoon franchises often aim to score big money by cashing in with minimal effort spent on developing an actual product worth buying. Often times the cost of the IP license is so great, the production, and it is a production, is hurt where it can least afford it: development.

We're also familiar with the results. Cheap mobile games, (which rake in gobs of cash because, well, there's no justice in the world), lowsy ports, and products that are hobbled in concept as well as execution to save on development costs. Games that feel like the digital equivelant of an RC car that drives forward, or turns to the left in reverse. (I hated those cars. Hated.)

And, of course, the bug-ridden, trouble-strewn path of a big ticket, flagship IP product when post-release support is yanked due to a disappointing launch.

"Lara Croft GO" manages to buck the trend successfully. While it's IP's primary products, "Tomb Raider" and "Rise of the Tomb Raider," are incredibly healthy, it complements the line by not undermining it's perception of quality. And I would wager it does it at a tiny fraction of the cost.

And that's the key. When the all consuming bottom line is king, making a quality product with a limited budget is usually more than anyone can handle.

Glory projects gone awry, cheap mobile games, and the infernal franchise cash grab still populate the store shelves. When someone says "Lets make a game of," they come up with incredible concepts. But by the time they purchase the license, they seem to have money left to run the lights, coffee machine, and play video games. Not make them. The other extreme is a mobile game that charges $2 to accelerate a 12 hour (real-life time) in-game process that took 50 seconds in the 90's.

In between is where most franchise IP titles land. They know the license is expenisive, they count their beans, make the most stunningly beautiful game they can, and pay the janitor, utilities, and game designer with what's left over. The product is limited both in execution and concept. (Ports? Janitor.)



This particular game managed to escape that fate. Obviously it's not a fully realized "Tomb Raider" game. Nor is it a fully realized puzzle game. Instead of pouring time and money into this ancillary product, they made a smaller, shorter, less expensive game that delivers a better play experience than we're used to. The result is a small game from a big franchise that isn't broken or doomed.



The key was they limited both scope and concept, so that they could follow through fully in execution.

In concept its a puzzle game, based on GO. Limited to movement in four directions. Three basic actions available: move, use lever, or interact with object. Locked off camera (I don't think you can rotate it), 3/4 isometric.

In scope, it's got around 8 chapters, with each split into about 10 short levels. One trinket to raid per chapter, one new outfit per trinket. 4 different cave environments, about 1 to 2 enemy types each. About 6 interactable objects throughout. Art is somewhat low-poly intentionally.

In execution it shines. It becomes an adventure game that evokes the fun of playing one of the original Tomb Raider games, if it were a board game. The levels are easy to solve, but enjoyable. There are a few head scratching moments. There's a steady stream of small challenges, and a surprising degree of replay value.

Like the old Super Mario Bros. games on NES and SNES, it plays with the concept of exploring the world, (in this case spellunking), to unlock areas of the overworld (a main passageway) that you can see but not yet reach.

Along the way you collect pieces of lost sculpture, jewelry, and gems. The levels play like diaramas, where everything is there for a reason, and the puzzle is in figuring out how to use each piece properly. There's sufficient freedom to manuever through the levels, so you don't feel keyboard claustrophobia.

Art wise, it evokes a limited pallete of colors, like a 256 color display, but renders it in natural lighting. Fire, water, shrubbery, stonework, pottery, are all executed in a simple style that's rendered beautifully. Animations are fluid and satisfying. Lara herself is cleverly portrayed in a variety of outfits that evoke her classic original outings. Simplistic by todays big ticket standards, but far ahead of her original polygons.

And that's the key to this game. Artful simplicity that belies the degree of quality. Its a small game that knows its small and makes the most of it. Its a short inexpensive game that plays longer than you expected, and makes you feel like you got your money's worth. Its a pretty game, that implies more than is there, and then begins to deliver. Its a puzzle game, that manages to transport you into a storybook-like adventure. Except you get to see the caves, and giant spiders, and the Tomb Raider herself. At her finest.

Like Sid Meier's Pirates in space. (Though I haven't completed it yet.)

Pros:
Great graphics. All the fancy post-effect stuff from AAA titles. Very cool ship design, from concept to greebling. And lots of them, too.

A surprising amount of ships to buy and play with. You can trade to a different hull anywhere it's sold, just so long as you have enough money. You get full price for your trade-in. Which means you can tradeout your hull for a mission than trade it back.

Interesting ship components with meaningful effect on gameplay, diverse weapons. No one weapon setup is optimum for all situations. Ships range in size from small corvette's to large dreadnaughts, but everything still has a role to play. (Tradeoffs between size and power vs. agility and speed.)

Excellant economy, trading, and mission based shipping. Easy trading. The market value of goods on a planet is auto updated each time you visit it. Very exciting too, what with scripted rebel and pirate attacks during shipping missions. And roaming pirates and rebels you can run into just trading on your own. You definately must keep your ship well outfitted for tougher shipping missions. Lots of money to be made!

Missions of all types vary in difficulty according to your current ship and rig, but you can see a dynamic difficulty rating before accepting it. Easier missions are always available, if you find yourself up against a wall.

Lots of things to buy and upgrade for your ship, or tradeout for an alternate rig to complete missions. Different races sometimes require different tactics.

Cons:
There are a few vague ratings and descriptions for ships and components. But you can usually find the info you need on the Community Hub.

Relatively small galaxy compared to more hardcore (and expensive) space trading sims.

TL:DR
A casual naval game set in space. The focus is on fun, and zappy pastel deathrays. Space looks pretty, which is important if you have to spend alot of time staring into the starry depths. Trade is better than viable, it's an important way to advance and upgrade your ship. And anything that isn't clear in game is usually on the Hub.

I hope they make a sequel!

Oneday maybe they'll make a game called "Batman in Atlantis." Or "Batman on Krypton." Or "Batman in Metropolis." But everyone knows Batman spends his nights in Gotham.

When Rocksteady made "Arkham Asylum," it was the best Batman game ever. It was the closest thing to "being Batman." The only downside was that you were being Batman somewhere other than Gotham. Can you imagine a Batman game on the moon? It wouldn't be the same, would it? Batman walks the rooftops and swoops down on dark alleys. He doesn't spend 365 nights a year in prison corridors.

He guards Gotham City.

"Arkham City" took that into account. But the aesthetic of an abandoned city district turned into a live-in prison is not the glass mountains of the financial district.

It's not Gotham.

"Arkham Knight" finally brought us the giant metropolis of Gotham City, rooftop by rooftop, high-rise by high-rise. With the Batmobile itself to fling around corners in fiery abandon. Batman: Check. Batmobile: Check. Gotham: Check. Everything was finally in place. It's a masterpiece. The summation of decades of Batman stories and runs. But between "City" and "Knight" lies "Origins."

"Origins" was the game that first left Arkham behind, with it's crazed lunatics and asylum setting. It's prison decor and cockroaches. There was good stuff there. But it was a Batman story on the edge of canon. With "Titan Joker" it simply walked up to that edge and jumped off. And it's that very plot point that is integral to the entire Arkhamverse.

"Origins" left behind the ever more insane antics of villians from "Asylum" and "City," and boiled Batman down to his essence. A crimefighter. A detective. You know, DC, "Detective Comics." It's got more "police procedural" in it than any of the others. Rocksteady made games about Batman losing his sanity. "Origins" is about keeping a cool head and following the clues. All while the mob has a contract out on your head.

"Origins" left the asylum behind. It paved the way for "Arkham Knight."

It brought us Gotham City.

If you can run Arkham Knight, don't pass up the Season Pass! Batmobiles galore, each with their own handling characteristics. Tons of Batsuits, too. In fact, almost every live action incarnation of Batman and the Batmobile is represented.

Then there's something like seven other playable characters found in the Challenge missions, including Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Batgirl, Azreal, Nightwing, Robin, and the Arkham Knight himself. Everyone has their set of themed gadjets, and different movement styles. Batgirl is light on her feet, so she's fast and sneaky. Tradeoff is, you can see her struggle to tackle someone even when she sneaks up on them from behind. It's a nice touch.

Here's hoping for a second season pass. And a couple more maps where you can drive around the buroughs in the race-mode-only Batmobiles.

Lots of fun. Simple and to the point. But definately play with a controller.

I've only just started playing, but I thought I'd recommend it cause I like it. I find it challenging and relaxing at the same time. A steady stream of bonus objectives allow you to level up, which unlocks new content. These include new abilities in the form of powerups and "attachments" that can be fitted to your ship.

I think only one attachment can be fitted at a time, but that's OK. It avoids "ubership" syndrome, and means you'll have a meaningful choice about what bonus ability you want to equip as you progress.

Although initially the objectives might sound daunting, a little practice allows you to achieve them. It strikes me as a modest game that rewards the effort you put into it. Casual gaming at it's best.

I'm a late comer to Sins, but it's definately taken the crown of 4x space sim in my mind. The mods for Star Trek and Star Wars are better than the original games! No other game gives you the fealing of actually being out in space, galavanting around with your fleet. Highly recommended!

The game is about to enter Beta. As it stands, the game is not only playable, it's stable and fun!

Everyone compares the game to Freelancer, which makes a lot of sense. The input for flying is similiar with mouse and keyboard. But I like the fact that you captain a capital ship instead of flying a starfighter. Even smaller ships (like the Destroyer you start out with in the Alpha) have a sense of weight and inertia in their movements.

It's a fun game, with a slower, more deliberate pacing than a starfighter game. There's time to decide your own fate while being pounded on by your opponents. You end up feeling like the captain of a tall ship at sea. Which means they must have done something right.

There's no campaign yet, but sandbox offers a complete game in and of itself. It's a career mode, so there is persistent progression, kind of like a campaign might have. There are tons of ships to buy, and plenty of missions to run. Or you can run around getting into trouble, and you'll progress just as fast.

So far, I haven't needed anything that isn't implemented yet. In fact, the only things I've actually missed up till now are the jumpdrive (T-drive) and cloak. Other than that, nothing feels like it's missing.

It's well polished at this stage, which makes sense since it's one week from Beta. The graphics and UI look slick. Anything that's actually implemented at this stage is almost always bug-free. The game is very stable, too. I don't think it's crashed once on me.

This is March of 2014, and as it stands the game provides a satisfying experience to play repeatedly. It is on sale till the 17th, but will have a price hike immediately afterwards as it goes into Beta. Also, buying it before Beta will give you 1 free copy of the original game. A fun tide-me-over till this game is complete.