Gundemonium Recollection (PC, PS3) Review

Year: 2010
Developer: Rockin' Android
Genre: Shoot 'em up, Bullet Hell
System: PS3, PC

Gundemonium was the first game in a trilogy of shmups, the next two being GundeadliGne and Hitogata Happa.  These games were originally developed by Japanese developers Plantine Dispositif. They were then localized by Rockin' Android for overseas play and released on Playstation Network and Steam. I've never played the original Japanese version but from what I hear Recollection is vastly superior. 

Gundemonium is a Bullet Hell game, which is, for those unfamiliar with the term, a shoot 'em up with a shit load of bullets flying at you at all times. They require much skill, practice, memorization, etc. and are very hard to master. 

The gameplay is fast and hectic. The screen is often cluttered with bullets and you'll have to draw your attention away from shooting enemies and focus on simply maneuvering the screen without getting hit. 

There's numerous characters you can choose to play as, each with different weapons, abilities, specials, and speed levels. So if one character fails to fit your play style you can choose from some of the others available. You can also create your own character loadout, with your desired attacks and whatnot. 

You have your basic attack, which can vary from a laser to a pistol depending on your character. Then you have a mana move which you can only use if your mana bar is full (which you fill by killing enemies), which is stronger than your basic attack. Then you have a bomb which is a limited powerful attack. 

The game is very challenging. Luckily though, there are numerous difficulty levels to choose from. I've only managed to beat the game on Novice (the lowest difficulty) and even then I had some difficulties towards the end. Novice mode should be pretty accessible to just about anyone though will still be challenging. Anyone who wants to master the game can try and conquer the higher difficulties. You can also raise the amount of hitpoints you start out with in the settings. 

The game itself is short. There's only a few stages and each can be completed in a couple of minutes once you get the hang of it. But fear not, there is plenty of play time in here. You won't beat the game on your first try, even on Novice. It just won't happen. You'll have to play it numerous times, perhaps even a dozen or more times, if you hope to complete it. Since you'll be replaying a lot of the levels it's good that the levels are short as is the game. 

Plus, with all the difficulty levels, all the characters, and even a few other modes to play, you'll get plenty of hours out of this game if you so choose. 

The game does have a very anime style to it but it also has beautiful old-school sprites that just look great. The music is good too. 

Some of the enemies are pretty cool but the enemies do lack variety. Especially the bosses. The bosses can be challenging but they're not really unique in design or in function. They all look dull and none of them require anything other than shooting to defeat. This I wouldn't mind if it were only for the mini-bosses, but there should have been some more done with the main bosses. 

Gundemonium Recollection is $3.99 on Steam and I think $4.99 on PSN. It's worth the play. 

Gameplay - 4.5
Story - 2.0
Originality - 3.0
Fun Factor - 4.5
Sound & Music - 4.0
Personal Bias - 4.0
Final Score - 3.66 out of 5

Recommended for: Bullet Hell fans
Purchase: PC - Steam - PSN

Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?! (3DS) Review

Year: 2012 
Developer: WayForward Technologies 
Genre: Adventure
System: Nintendo 3DS

This marks the first video game based on the popular cartoon series Adventure Time which airs on Cartoon Network and was created by Pendelton Ward. It's available for the Nintendo DS and 3DS both in hard copy and for digital download. 

The story, as you may have guessed, involves the Ice King stealing Finn and Jake's garbage. The game consists of, as you also may have guessed, you tracking down Ice King and beating him up. 

This game is a must for fans of the series. The same humor and style is present and it got plenty of laughs out of me. Fans will enjoy seeing many items and faces from the show. (Also, enter the Konami code on the title screen for a pleasant surprise!)

The gameplay is extremely reminiscent of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. All the levels are side-scrollers and the overworld is presented from an overhead perspective. It also uses a dungeon system similar to Legend of Zelda. There's not too much enemy variety but for such a short game it's not a bother. The bosses are definitely the highlight here, they're all awesome and occasionally even pretty challenging. 

You learn new moves and abilities throughout the game and there's an upgrade system to make yourself stronger or faster and whatnot. You can also collect items that can either give you temporary stat buffs, will serve as a sort of spell, or can be used to refill health. There's also a simple crafting system where you can mix foods to get better results. 

The game is on the short side. I beat it probably in three hours or less. There's a New Game + mode though that allows you to play through again at a harder difficulty. 

It may not be the most original or innovative game, but it's definitely fun. Adventure Time, in my opinion, still has a lot more potential as a video game, but for a first serving this definitely satisfies. 

I personally bought the Collector's Edition which comes in a steel-cased Enchiridion cover and contains a poster of Ooo, a Book of Beasts, and a Finn's sword stylus. 

Gameplay - 4.0
Story - 3.5
Originality - 2.5
Fun Factor - 4.0
Sound & Music - 4.5
Personal Bias - 4.5
Final Score - 3.83 out of 5

Recommended for: Adventure Time fans, Legend of Zelda fans
Purchase on Amazon: 3DS

Binding of Isaac Review

Binding of Isaac, created by Edmund McMillen (Gish, Super Meat Boy), is best described as a roguelike version of Legend of Zelda (NES). The game is (very) loosely based around the Bible story, Binding of Isaac (hence the name). In short you start off as a kid and your mother tries to kill you as a sacrifice to God. So you flee into the basement where your adventure begins.

As expected from an Edmund McMillen game, the art style has a great cartoonish feel. The soundtrack is also worth the download. The game consists of randomly generated dungeons, which at the end of each you fight a boss. There are tons of items and power-ups to find, along with a vast variety of enemies to be slain. The game is very challenging and will take you numerous attempts to complete. On top of that there is permadeath. So one slip-up and your back to the beginning. The further down in the basement you go, the harder it gets. Plus, since the dungeons are random every time, you're always in for a surprise. This game is hard to say the least. But very very fun and addicting.

A very fun game worth the low price tag. My opinionated score based off my experience with the game: 8.5/10

Bastion Review

Ever since I played the XBL Bastion Demo, I knew I would love it. Unfortunately it took 8 months to actually buy it, and I ended up buying it on Steam. So, this review will be for the PC version although the other versions are almost the same, the PC version being more favorable though.

Right from the start of the game you will be amazed by the visuals. The beautiful colors and details forming under your feet as you walk is simply stunning. The soundtrack is just as good; Bastion is one of the few games I actually downloaded the soundtrack after playing. So it looks good; it sounds good; but does it smell good? Err, I mean does it play good? Well the answer is yeah, it plays pretty well. The gameplay isn't necessarily revolutionary but it's pretty good. Once you get used to the mechanics of moving, shooting and what-not it'll feel just fine. There are plenty of weapons and abilities to unlock and upgrade, and some challenges to complete as well.

Not only the story but the storytelling is my favorite thing about Bastion. The story, while to too elaborate or original, is still a very good story by video-game standards and will keep you interested. The storytelling however is just superb and very innovative. Throughout the whole game there is a narrator telling the story as you play it, making the game feel like a visual novel a lot of the time. It should also be said that the voice acting is also great.

Besides that, there is good enemy variety the whole way through. The game is fairly linear, but there are hidden secrets, numerous weapon loadouts, a few choices to be made, etc.. It plays out like an RPG where you level up and get stronger as you play. You'll unlock tons of new things.

The game took me about 6 and a half hours to complete on normal, but I plan to do a New Game+ soon. This game earned a 9.5/10

Shank Review

Shank, a downloadable XBLA/PSN game about some guy who's wife is murdered and then he goes and gets his revenge. The story reminds me a lot of Kill Bill, or any other one of the thousands of revenge movies out there. But the story is still good, and it is very well delivered. The story isn't too complex or mind-bending or anything, but it's a fun ride, just like Action movies. The cutscenes are what makes it especially interesting, it feels almost as if you're watching an animated movie. Also, excellent voice-acting should be noted.

The plot isn't very innovative and neither is the gameplay. But that's okay because that's not the point of this game. The gameplay, which is comparable to Metal Slug, is still very good. You have numerous heavy and light melee weapons, numerous guns, grenades, and a pounce move, all of which will help you kill bad guy after bad guy. The single-player took only 3 hours to complete, which is good because I'm sure if it was longer it would have began to get boring and repetitious. Since the game is short (I actually beat it in one sitting) it never feels boring or stale. The boss fights, cutscenes, and new weapons keep it fresh. Plus the games beautiful graphical style is always a joy to look at.

The game also has a local co-op mode which I have yet to play. I'm pretty sure it serves as a prequel to the main story. I will update this as soon as I play the co-op.

My score for Shank: 8/10