What made me happy today? Fez!
No, I'm not talking about the type of hat. I'm talking about the indie puzzle/platform game Fez, created by Phil Fish. As I've mentioned in another blog post, Fez is one of the games followed in Indie Game: the movie. At that time, Fez seemed to be stuck in development hell. It finally was released for Xbox in April 2012, and on Steam and GOG in May 2013.
Fez is a very cute, happy game. It's about a little 2-dimensional creature called Gomez. One day, Gomez encounters a magical artifact, and receives a magical fez. The fez allows him to see the third dimension. At this point in the game, I thought I encountered a game-breaking bug, but luckily, that wasn't the case. It was what the game was supposed to do. The game rebooted, and Gomez encounters Dot, a floating hypercube. This hypercube tells him that Gomez has to go and collect all cubes before his world is destroyed.
Fez is a great game. You can really explore all dimensions, and depending on how you are looking at things, certain steps will move closer or further. This takes a bit getting used to, as physics don't work that way. Expect to fall off a few ledges while figuring it all out. No worries though, Gomez will re-appear where he fell from. As the game does not use any lives or the likes, you aren't going to die.
Collecting cubes is a nice challenge, and requires a lot of creative thinking at times. I also love the way Gomez looks when you've managed to make a full cube. He looks utterly happy!
The graphics are amazing, everything is made out of little cubes. The 8-bit graphics give the game a bit of a retro feel :-) Fez has received international acclaim, and has a metacritic metascore of 91.
A sequel was announced in June 2013, but sadly it will never be made. Phil Fish has cancelled the game on July 27th, 2013 as he decided he was done with the gaming industry. A pity, because Fez is a great game and I would have loved to play a sequel!
Happy gaming Sunday!
Showing posts with label Gaming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gaming. Show all posts
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Stasis!
What made me happy today? Stasis!
Yesterday, my boyfriend and I went to visit some friends we hadn't seen in quite a while. Afterwards, when we were home, he turned on the computer, because there was something he wanted to show me.
That something turned out the be the 'Stasis' game's alpha demo. This is a playable demo for a new 2D isometric, point-and-click sci-fi horror adventure game.
The set-up? It's the distant future. Your character, John Maracheck, wakes up on the outside of a stasis pod. Breathing heavily (and creepy), dazed, confused, uncertain of where you are, you soon discover that you've been injured. Looking for help, all you see is malfunctioning equipment, smears of something on the walls and floors, dust and a lot of nothing. That's where the fun begins.
The game is played from an isometric fixed point of view. This gives you a great oversight of each level, but also obscures certain parts from view. And that adds to the anticipation. In horror games like this, where you can't always precisely see what's going on and can't swing the camera around to get a better view, it's the anticipation that'll get to you. Did something just move in that dark corner of the room? Did I just see something run by that open door? Throw in a creepy, dilapidated environment with static and eerie background noises (like a slightly cracking, slowed down tune from a music box) and green lights, you've got the right atmosphere.
The gameplay itself is pretty straight-forward, the graphics are nice and clean. I must add that the images sometimes appeared to be a bit halting, but the boyfriend didn't notice, so it might have been just me.
Fair warning, if you get scared easily, this is a demo you don't want to play alone in the dark right before you go to sleep. Leave some time for a Disney movie :-)
I do have to add that it turns out the boyfriend and I make a rather good adventure game team! *spoiler alert* He wasn't sure of how to proceed, so I put in my advice of having to cut of one dead guy's arm and put that on the scanner. Le viola.
Stasis is now on Kickstarter, so if you like the demo, back them! You've got 27 days :-)
Yesterday, my boyfriend and I went to visit some friends we hadn't seen in quite a while. Afterwards, when we were home, he turned on the computer, because there was something he wanted to show me.
That something turned out the be the 'Stasis' game's alpha demo. This is a playable demo for a new 2D isometric, point-and-click sci-fi horror adventure game.
The set-up? It's the distant future. Your character, John Maracheck, wakes up on the outside of a stasis pod. Breathing heavily (and creepy), dazed, confused, uncertain of where you are, you soon discover that you've been injured. Looking for help, all you see is malfunctioning equipment, smears of something on the walls and floors, dust and a lot of nothing. That's where the fun begins.
The game is played from an isometric fixed point of view. This gives you a great oversight of each level, but also obscures certain parts from view. And that adds to the anticipation. In horror games like this, where you can't always precisely see what's going on and can't swing the camera around to get a better view, it's the anticipation that'll get to you. Did something just move in that dark corner of the room? Did I just see something run by that open door? Throw in a creepy, dilapidated environment with static and eerie background noises (like a slightly cracking, slowed down tune from a music box) and green lights, you've got the right atmosphere.
The gameplay itself is pretty straight-forward, the graphics are nice and clean. I must add that the images sometimes appeared to be a bit halting, but the boyfriend didn't notice, so it might have been just me.
Fair warning, if you get scared easily, this is a demo you don't want to play alone in the dark right before you go to sleep. Leave some time for a Disney movie :-)
I do have to add that it turns out the boyfriend and I make a rather good adventure game team! *spoiler alert* He wasn't sure of how to proceed, so I put in my advice of having to cut of one dead guy's arm and put that on the scanner. Le viola.
Stasis is now on Kickstarter, so if you like the demo, back them! You've got 27 days :-)
Sunday, November 3, 2013
The Stanley parable
What made me happy today? The Stanley parable.
Yesterday evening, my BF and I went out for dinner with his parents. Afterwards, we were talking about games. Suddenly, the BF takes my chair, drags me in front of his PC, put my hands on the mouse and keyboard and said 'Here, play this'.
This turned out to be a demo of a game called 'the Stanley parable'. Originally a Half Life mod, it's now a full game. The demo is the introduction to the game. But it's not your average demo. This one, as well as the full game, is different from anything I had ever played before. Different in a frustrating, but good and amusing way though!
Be warned, it's a very addictive game. Trust me. I got home last night, got the game on Steam and played for an hour. I've been playing it for the better part of today as well. I even asked my BF why he introduced me to this game.
There's a reason this game gets high review scores. The Stanley parable has a Metascore of 90, and I really recommend it!
However, it's hard to explain what the Stanley parable is about without spoiling it all. So I suggest you head on over to Steam and get the game. Add me while you're there! I'm Elentariel on Steam. You can thank me later for the awesome game.
Or yell at me because you're completely addicted ;-)
Yesterday evening, my BF and I went out for dinner with his parents. Afterwards, we were talking about games. Suddenly, the BF takes my chair, drags me in front of his PC, put my hands on the mouse and keyboard and said 'Here, play this'.
This turned out to be a demo of a game called 'the Stanley parable'. Originally a Half Life mod, it's now a full game. The demo is the introduction to the game. But it's not your average demo. This one, as well as the full game, is different from anything I had ever played before. Different in a frustrating, but good and amusing way though!
Be warned, it's a very addictive game. Trust me. I got home last night, got the game on Steam and played for an hour. I've been playing it for the better part of today as well. I even asked my BF why he introduced me to this game.
There's a reason this game gets high review scores. The Stanley parable has a Metascore of 90, and I really recommend it!
However, it's hard to explain what the Stanley parable is about without spoiling it all. So I suggest you head on over to Steam and get the game. Add me while you're there! I'm Elentariel on Steam. You can thank me later for the awesome game.
Or yell at me because you're completely addicted ;-)
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Games and beer!
What made me happy today? Games and beer!
I am one happy girl today! Yesterday evening, I met up with a friend to have a few beers. I usually don't drink beer, but the bar we went to has a nice selection of yummy fruit beers. So I decided to try a few of those. They were great! No worries, I didn't drive the battlestar home. I have a strict 'no drinking if I'm driving' policy. Good thing I live about a 20 minute walk away from the bar. I had a great time catching up with my friend!
Today is a very busy day. At the supermarket, I ran in to another friend, we had a nice chat while waiting in line at the cash register. Now, I'm dyeing my hair, while checking some game sales! Steam, Indie Royal and GOG are having Halloween sales :-D
Tonight will be fun as well, I'm going out for dinner with my BF and his parents! Have a great Saturday!
I am one happy girl today! Yesterday evening, I met up with a friend to have a few beers. I usually don't drink beer, but the bar we went to has a nice selection of yummy fruit beers. So I decided to try a few of those. They were great! No worries, I didn't drive the battlestar home. I have a strict 'no drinking if I'm driving' policy. Good thing I live about a 20 minute walk away from the bar. I had a great time catching up with my friend!
Today is a very busy day. At the supermarket, I ran in to another friend, we had a nice chat while waiting in line at the cash register. Now, I'm dyeing my hair, while checking some game sales! Steam, Indie Royal and GOG are having Halloween sales :-D
Tonight will be fun as well, I'm going out for dinner with my BF and his parents! Have a great Saturday!
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Lazy Sunday!
What made me happy today? Lazy Sunday!
After having a busy day yesterday, I decided to take it a bit easier today. Especially because I didn't sleep all that well. Must have been all the excitement!
So I'm having a lazy Sunday. Got up too early, as I couldn't sleep. Watched some anime and some episodes of Friends. Went for a walk, as the weather was rather nice, had lunch and turned on that good old PlayStation 2 for some fun :-)
I hope you're having a great Sunday too!
After having a busy day yesterday, I decided to take it a bit easier today. Especially because I didn't sleep all that well. Must have been all the excitement!
So I'm having a lazy Sunday. Got up too early, as I couldn't sleep. Watched some anime and some episodes of Friends. Went for a walk, as the weather was rather nice, had lunch and turned on that good old PlayStation 2 for some fun :-)
I hope you're having a great Sunday too!
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Ka-blam!
What made me happy today? Ka-blam!
Today, I finally found some time to indulge in one of my favorite things. Gaming! I decided to play a few levels of Ratchet and Clank 2: Going Commando. It's a fun game, sort of a platform shooter for Playstation 2. I've been a fan of the whole Ratchet and Clank series since the beginning. The characters have a great interaction. But one of the best part is the weapons!
There's the standard things like a rifle etc, but you can also buy something called 'the sheepinator'. This turns your enemies into sheep :-) Works great on smaller enemies and doesn't use any ammo.
Of course, like most other games, there's a certain amount of frustration involved. Trying to do the same section ten times with a thing called 'the glider', just because you crashed at the last moment. Crashing your hoverbike two meters before the finish and losing the race that way. But for me, that's part of the fun. Because all that frustration makes the moment you succeed so much sweeter!
Today, I finally found some time to indulge in one of my favorite things. Gaming! I decided to play a few levels of Ratchet and Clank 2: Going Commando. It's a fun game, sort of a platform shooter for Playstation 2. I've been a fan of the whole Ratchet and Clank series since the beginning. The characters have a great interaction. But one of the best part is the weapons!
There's the standard things like a rifle etc, but you can also buy something called 'the sheepinator'. This turns your enemies into sheep :-) Works great on smaller enemies and doesn't use any ammo.
Of course, like most other games, there's a certain amount of frustration involved. Trying to do the same section ten times with a thing called 'the glider', just because you crashed at the last moment. Crashing your hoverbike two meters before the finish and losing the race that way. But for me, that's part of the fun. Because all that frustration makes the moment you succeed so much sweeter!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Indie Game
What made me happy today? Indie Game: the movie.
I finally got around to watching Indie Game: the movie. As the title says, it's a documentary about indie game developers. In this case: Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes developing and releasing Super Meat Boy, Phil Fish during the development of Fez, and Jonathan Blow, who reflects on the success of Braid.
At the time of the film, Braid had already been released. Super Meat Boy was released during the documentary, and Fez seemed to be stuck in development hell. I found it very interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes; what it takes to make an indie game, and how this effects everyone working on it or related to those who are working in it.
It's a documentary that really drags you along. You see everything. The joy, the anger, the doubts, the tears and smiles. I strongly recommend you watch this if you're interested in gaming. It really makes you appreciate the small gaming companies and independent developers more. I immediately went to Steam and got me all the games mentioned in the documentary :-)
So grab some popcorn, pick up a copy of Indie Game: the movie, watch it and get the games! You'll love it :-)
I finally got around to watching Indie Game: the movie. As the title says, it's a documentary about indie game developers. In this case: Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes developing and releasing Super Meat Boy, Phil Fish during the development of Fez, and Jonathan Blow, who reflects on the success of Braid.
At the time of the film, Braid had already been released. Super Meat Boy was released during the documentary, and Fez seemed to be stuck in development hell. I found it very interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes; what it takes to make an indie game, and how this effects everyone working on it or related to those who are working in it.
It's a documentary that really drags you along. You see everything. The joy, the anger, the doubts, the tears and smiles. I strongly recommend you watch this if you're interested in gaming. It really makes you appreciate the small gaming companies and independent developers more. I immediately went to Steam and got me all the games mentioned in the documentary :-)
So grab some popcorn, pick up a copy of Indie Game: the movie, watch it and get the games! You'll love it :-)
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Summer sale
What made me happy today? Summer sale!
There's a summer sale going on at Steam! And they have some great offers going, like Portal 2 at 50% off. So head on over there, maybe they'll have something for you as well. And while you're on Steam, feel free to add me, I'm listed as Elentariël.
Needless to say, this is making me one very happy gamer girl :-)
There's a summer sale going on at Steam! And they have some great offers going, like Portal 2 at 50% off. So head on over there, maybe they'll have something for you as well. And while you're on Steam, feel free to add me, I'm listed as Elentariël.
Needless to say, this is making me one very happy gamer girl :-)
Monday, July 1, 2013
Zero punctuation
What made me happy today? Zero punctuation!
It's not a big secret that I'm a bit of a gamer girl. So imagine my delight when the BF introduced me to a Youtube channel specialized in funny game reviews!
I'm talking about 'zero punctuation' on 'the escapist' Youtube channel! Go take a look, you'll see what I mean :-)
It's not a big secret that I'm a bit of a gamer girl. So imagine my delight when the BF introduced me to a Youtube channel specialized in funny game reviews!
I'm talking about 'zero punctuation' on 'the escapist' Youtube channel! Go take a look, you'll see what I mean :-)
Saturday, February 16, 2013
I did it!
What made me happy today? Finally winning the hoverboard race in Ratchet and Clank.
It has cost me blood, sweat and tears. Not to mention a lot of profanity, yelling at the screen and gritting my teeth.
But after 37 tries I finally won the hoverboard race in the first Ratchet an Clank game.
Why did that make me so happy? Well, it's the first time in ten years I've been able to do it myself. UsuallyI had to ask someone to help me. But not this time. I decided to see this one through myself. And when I finally won, I really jumped up and down with pure joy. It may not seem like much to be happy about, but again: 10 years..
Gaming rules!
It has cost me blood, sweat and tears. Not to mention a lot of profanity, yelling at the screen and gritting my teeth.
But after 37 tries I finally won the hoverboard race in the first Ratchet an Clank game.
Why did that make me so happy? Well, it's the first time in ten years I've been able to do it myself. UsuallyI had to ask someone to help me. But not this time. I decided to see this one through myself. And when I finally won, I really jumped up and down with pure joy. It may not seem like much to be happy about, but again: 10 years..
Gaming rules!
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