Ps Plus Collection: Apotheon (February 2015)

Playstation Plus Collection is an ongoing series where I give my first impression of all of the games that are made available each month through Playstation plus. Typically, there are around four free games per month, and so one shall be covered each week. At the end of each month I shall give an overall verdict of the worth of Playstation plus for that particular month.

So what would we get if we combined the God of War style of Greek mythology (meaning, we’re off to kill Zeus) and the resurgent form of action side scrollers? Well, as it turns out, a pretty fun, unique, and rather entertaining game.

As I just mentioned Apotheon is an action side scroller, and there has been no shortage of these types of games as of late - Guacamelee and Scott Pilgrim being two that come to mind. With this type of game there are a number of things that are implicit to the gameplay - A gradual gathering of abilities, Rooms with require specific applications of these abilities to ‘beat’ the room, and optional quests or goals. Apotheon has all of these elements and does them just as good as any other side scroller. So what makes it stand out?

The feature that stands out the most in Apotheon is the aesthetic. Both Scott Pilgrim and Guacamelee too have unique aesthetics with their sprite and sharp edged styles respectively, but it is the bringing to life of the greek pottery style (think the start of the Disney Hercules film) which really brings the game to life. Some might see this style as quite jarring or even gimmicky, but i think it is engaging enough and unique enough to make it stand out in a genre of game that relys on the same principles.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend people pick up this game. As always with playstation plus it is free for subscription holders, so even if you’re not into the genre or the aesthetic or the controls or whatever of this game. You’d be foolish not to download it before the month’s end.

Conor M.

Ps Plus Collection: Secret Ponchos & Injustice: Gods Among Us

Playstation Plus Collection is an ongoing series where I give my first impression of all of the games that are made available each month through Playstation plus. Typically, there are around four free games per month, and so one shall be covered each week. At the end of each month I shall give an overall verdict of the worth of Playstation plus for that particular month.

This week I shall be bringing you a double header of Ps Plus Collection to finish the year off with a bang. Or rather, I could only get into one game of Secret Ponchos and Injustice is a humongous download size. Therefore I’m bringing you the both of them in the hope that I have enough content to tell you if these games, that I’ve barely played, are worth downloading.

Secret Poncho’s is a top down strictly multiplayer fighting game that comes with all of the standard multiplayer types that you’ll have come to expect in any online game – free for all, team deathmatch etc.  After waiting for approximately half an hour, the lobby that requires a total of 8 people finally filled up and I was thrown into a free-for-all match. Within the multiplayer you have numerous choices for weaponry, I chose to go with the gunslinger, and I found that my choice was probably the worst one, as people with whips quote literally whipped my ass.

The game itself is very stylistic, and for a PSN game i would have the say the graphics are very impressive. The game play is something that is unique to a console environment with it being top down and offers something new to the weary PSN traveller. But, and this is a big but, the game is dead. It is one of this month’s Playstation plus games which should put it in the spotlight, but alas it is not populated enough to work as a go to multiplayer. If you’ve got some a bunch of friends that want to try something different you could make this work, but otherwise I’d give this one a pass.

Now, Injustice: Gods Among Us is a DC multiverse orientated story driven fighting game, much like Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe except this game is a strictly DC game with a unique story that has even spawned a comic spin off. Although i have not played this game recently because the download size is far too big for my internet to deal with, I have played this game in the past and it is a very good game. The game itself functions around cut senses which push the story forward while also setting up two characters to fight in the typical side-to-side style at which point you take over.

The game has its own general fighting mode as well in case the story is getting in the way of the fighting for you, or if you just want to fight against a friend. The fighting system is on par with anything else out there at the moment whether that is Mortal Kombat or Tekken or whatever. It has all the typical traits of a fighting game with the added bonus of being DC. So you can naturally be Batman, Superman, Wonder woman along with all of the other well loved DC characters...and Aquaman. The story aspect may not be for everyone as it is based around a fighting game, but if fighting games and comics is what you’re into, this is a match made in heaven.

Conor M.

Ps Plus Collection: Titan Attacks! (December 2014)

Playstation Plus Collection is an ongoing series where I give my first impression of all of the games that are made available each month through Playstation plus. Typically, there are around four free games per month, and so one shall be covered each week. At the end of each month I shall give an overall verdict of the worth of Playstation plus for that particular month.

You can imagine my excitement last week when I went on the Playstation store and found none other than Space Invaders waiting for me in the PS plus members area. I felt like a kid in a 1980’s candy store which doubles as an arcade. But once I wiped the nostalgia out of my eyes, I realised what actually was there was Titan Attacks, which admittedly sounds like a dodgy Japanese translation, in the same way that the new metal gear: Ground Zeroes sounds a bit off. Regardless, Titan Attacks is, for all intensive purposes, Space Invaders, but it is anything but a dodgy remake. 

Titan Attacks has the basic space invaders layout and format, you are a spaceship at the bottom of the screen and you go side-to-side shooting the space invaders titans as they progressively get closer and closer to the ground; the aim of the game being to eliminate all of the titans before they reach the ground.

At this point, as i would with any remake or reworking, say what this game has reinvented, so here goes: nothing. Essentially, if you have played Galaga or Space Invaders, then you have played this game, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This game has fine tuned everything while keeping it the same as the much loved originals, which is to be expected from a games company (Puppy Games) which specialises in arcade/retro games. If there is anything that I can say has changed it’d be the difficulty. I’m not ashamed to admit that I have yet to get past the third location out of five, because this game is pretty difficult. That may put some people off, but i feel the high difficulty ceiling makes it feel even more at home within this arcade realm. It wouldn’t be too profitable back in the 80’s if kid beat games on the first try and never spent all that money trying again and again, would it now?

If you choose to play this game then you know what you’re getting yourself in for: 80’s, neon, aliens, and a frustrating time (in a good way of course). Personally, this isn’t the type of game that would keep me coming back every day on my PS4, but then again this isn’t the 80’s and there are other games which are better suited to the gaming culture at the moment. But if you’re looking to have a fleeting nostalgic moment – grab your all leather outfit, put on the breakfast club soundtrack, and give this game a go.

Conor M.

PS Plus Collection: Steam World Dig (November 2014)

Playstation Plus Collection is an ongoing series where I give my first impression of all of the games that are made available each month through Playstation plus. Typically, there are around four free games per month, and so one shall be covered each week. At the end of each month I shall give an overall verdict of the worth of Playstation plus for that particular month.

Steam World Dig. This is mining based 2D action-adventure platformer that shows the story of the protagonist, Rusty, who has inherited his uncle’s mine, and consequently decides his is going to run it. It is a recentl Playstation 4 & Vita release, but it originally came out in 2012 on the Nintendo DS.

Steam World Dig is a game that, really, is wholly based around mining, which I must say is not really that unique anymore after the likes of Minecraft and Terraria. But in comparison to those two titles, Steam World Dig is most relatable to Terraria, as the whole game is 2D and involves mining to find loot and kill enemies. So that’s a good comparison for the game to have? Or rather it would be if Terraria were not obviously the superior game.

The game has all of the basic elements, different areas, unlockable abilities, upgradable health and pickaxe, along with little puzzles. So I should be able to say it works just the same as Guaccamelee or Terraria, but unlike those games, this one feels tedious. The digging, the enemies, the time put in with no sense of progression or motivation. Unlike Minecraft and Terraria, this game doesn’t feel like it gives you the freedom to effectively make your own fun in a world that could kill you, and it also doesn’t have the story or fluid controls that Guacamelee had.

The problems I have with Steam World Dig are numerous, but they are best summed up by saying this feels like a game that you’d play on a smart phone, and that is to say, I don’t think this game is necessarily bad, but that it is better suited to the platform of a mobile phone, or mobile device in general. There’s something missing with the game, an edge that would make me want to keep playing in a console setting. In the same way that, let’s say, Candy Crush wouldn’t be as entertaining and addictive on a 32” screen on ps4.

Overall, given the right setting this game can be enjoyable, even though every aspect of the game seems to be lacking behind the competition. So my advice would be to view this not as another Indie game, but as an IOS game. So if you’re going to pick it up, pick it up on your Vita.

Conor M.

PS Plus Collection: Binding of Isaac Rebirth (November 2014)

Playstation Plus Collection is an ongoing series where I shall give my first impression of all of the games that are made available each month through Playstation plus. Typically, there are around four free games per month, and so one shall be covered each week. At the end of each month I shall give an overall verdict of the worth of Playstation plus for that particular month.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. This is a 16 bit re-release of the 2011 game The Binding of Isaac, however, due to the amount of changes that have been made to the original; this game can really be seen as a sequel to that 2011 release. Having never played the original 2011 game, I can’t comment much on the any improvements or changes, only what I have heard from elsewhere, and so I shall be looking at the game mostly in isolation.

Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is what I would describe as a dungeon crawler, akin to something that may have been available in your typical American arcade in the 1980’s, and that is by no means a bad thing. The games plot revolves around the simple idea of a mother who is trying to kill her son after hearing the voice of God telling her to do so, and the son’s consequent hiding in the basement. Nice. But, rather than having the gameplay focus literally on this rather disturbing prospect, it transforms it into a metaphorical, fantastical concept that suits the basis of a dungeon crawler.

You play as Isaac, and each ‘level’ is a different floor that you must transverse fighting off enemies that represent different things related to this dark concept, such as: The seven deadly sins, faeces, and several other enemies of biblical, and even sexual, origins. These enemies follow the typical standard of each having a unique attack and taking varying amount of damage to kill. Once all the floors have cleared, you finally fight ‘Mom’ and upon defeating her you are given several different endings.

It is very much like an arcade game as you never get the sense that you have ‘finished’ the game. Yes, there are a limited number of endings to the game, sixteen to be precise, but with each new ‘run’ that you start you are present with levels that are randomly generated with rooms of varying size and enemies. You will never experience one floor the same, or one run the same for that matter. Items within the game that give damage upgrades and varying other enhancements to Isaac are known as trinkets, and there are a seemingly unending number of them. One of the best things about these trinkets is that each new ability or upgrade stacks on top of the previous, which can lead to, by the time you eventually get to mom, looking so bizarre and having equally bizarre powers to match. Furthermore, you have a selection of characters to choose from that have different base stats to that of Isaac, whether that be more health, less health, higher damage, it all adds a different challenge to the game.

Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is one of several 2D side scrolling throwbacks to emerge within the past few years. It is a game that you could seemingly sink hundreds of hours into, on the basis of starting a run, getting quite far, dying, and then repeating the cycle. It really is a great indie title that provides a fresh contrast to the AAA big budget releases, and as a free game on Playstation plus, it’s a steal.

Conor M.