The Batlord

To spend $25, or not to spend $25, that is the question I pretend to ask myself until I finally dispense with the bull**** and just buy this game like I was planning to all along. **** you, Ki. My wallet doesn't need this ****.

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Key

You'll enjoy the game a lot. I feel like it'd be right up your alley. You'll get your money's worth the minute you start playing.

Key

Let's change things up a little bit, let's talk about music. And no, not just any music...


I have to say before I start posting video and video of songs that I find rather enjoyable in indie games, there are a lot of fantastic composers out there that have made games for indie games, and I really feel like those composers have some serious talent, to the point that I have no problem calling them 'talented musicians'. It's an art and a talent to be able to make the music that these guys make, on top of making sure that the music fits the game just right, and it always does, so let's get started.

First up we have a song or two from a game I like to call "Dodgeball on drugs", or under it's true name:



Yes, Robot Roller Derby Disco Dodgeball has got such a killer soundtrack. And how can it not? We're talking about a game that not only comes with the ability to knock the **** out of your opponents with dodgeballs, but you've got strobe lights, people on wheels, and dodgeballs. And you know what kind of music they made for it, the perfect combination of techno, dubstep and electronica.

But just like any album, the entire album has some really strong tracks, and some that I don't really favor too much, not to say that the tracks that I don't favor much aren't great, but they're just not up my alley. But here are some of the tracks that are just fantastic:



Now listen to those tracks right now and you tell me you don't feel the urge to get this game and start knocking the crap out of your opponents. You don't feel it? Well just look at this GIF to give you an idea of what to expect when you pick the game up:



Not convinced? Well, your loss. You're missing out on a great experience here.

Anyway, next up we have...



I've done an entry on Cryptark before, but I didn't mention much, or at all, about the soundtrack that goes along with the game. Now, what's the first thing you think about when you just hear the name Cryptark, without knowing what the game is about, the first thing I would think about is sci-fi, and if that's what you thought, you'd be correct. If you want to know more about the game, you can check out the entry I did, but just know that the soundtrack with it's sci-fi, mysterious feel, really adds to the atmosphere of the game, in short terms, it fits in perfectly. Especially considering this game came out of nowhere, the guys that made the soundtrack did a phenomenal job at just adding that little touch that makes the game so much fun.



On top of that, this is a soundtrack that I could easily listen to while i'm out and I wouldn't even think twice about the fact that it's from a video game, but like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I consider musicians for video game soundtracks to be legitimate musicians. So that's a given that I would listen to things like this regularly with my other music that I listen to.

The last soundtrack for this post that I would like to talk about is from a game that unfortunately has fallen on my backburner, but is still fantastic just for the feel that it adds to the game. And don't worry, there is more soundtrack magic coming, I'm just limiting these to 3 per post just so I don't overwhelm you with all this great music. So, what we have up is...



Yeah yeah yeah, another rogue like soundtrack. But honestly, I don't think this game would be nearly as immersive if not for this fantastic soundtrack. It's got so much depth and throughout the entire game, you get to different stages in it and the music just adds to how deep the game really is. Truly a remarkable job from the artist that made the soundtrack. There's a lot of talent in this and big kudos for making sure that it fits in with the game nicely.



I'm only adding this song because this is one of the first songs you hear in the game, and it just adds that extra depth and immersiveness and blood pumping sound that gets you sunk into the game right away.

The Batlord

I'm gonna have to search for that entry on Cryptarch. Everything about the name and pic you posted are awesome.

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Key

It's a fantastic game in the roguelike-ish genre. I don't play it as much as I should but it's a good time whenever I do play it.

Key

I was admittedly a little late to the "Titan Souls" party but I recently picked the game up and finally started to play it. I've seen people play it quite a bit so I already knew what I was getting myself into. The thing I didn't realize though is how difficult the game can actually be. To give you an idea of what the game is like, just imagine a regular adventure game but all the adventure aspects are stripped away and all you're left with are the boss fights. Now, I know that sounds like i'm being cynical about the idea, but it's actually praise. I enjoy the concept of the game a lot and when I started to actually play the game, I really liked the overall feel of the game. I always thought it'd be cool to have a game where all you had to do was fight bosses, and now it's finally possible to do just that. However, this game does come with a twist.

In Titan Souls, you play as a character with a bow and arrow, that's it. You don't have armor, you don't have levels, you don't have any means of getting experience or anything, you're just a man with a bow and arrow. The twist is that every boss takes a few shots to kill, depending on the type of boss you're trying to kill, but you can only get hit once. The other twist, is that you literally have a bow and arrow, yes, one arrow. You have to fight through bosses in different stages of the game with one arrow, so once you shoot your arrow to potentially kill or damage the boss you're fighting, you have to retrieve your arrow while simultaneously avoiding any damage from the boss and attempt to inflict more damage. Again, keep in mind you can only get hit once, so you can imagine how difficult it can be to strategically get your arrow back while maintaining distance from the boss to ensure that you can continue to inflict damage.

I also find it really cool that every boss (or the bosses i've fought so far) seem to be vastly different from each other. You have one boss where you have to shoot your arrow through a flame to inflict the damage, and other variants of bosses with other variants of ways to damage them. It makes the game feel less repetitive and more immersive, which when you have a game as simple as killing bosses, you want to make sure that the boss fights aren't going to be repetitive, and the developers made sure of that. From what i've played so far, it really doesn't feel like i'm doing the same thing twice, even though as I mentioned before, you're just shooting your arrow to inflict damage. Trust me, it does feel deeper than that.

Graphically, the game is very pleasing to the eye. When I first heard of this game before seeing any gameplay or even images of the game, I wasn't entirely sure what I was expecting to see when the gameplay videos turned up, but the graphics are one of the main reasons why I bought the game in the first place. You play from a top down perspective which again, adds a lot of immersiveness to the game, because you're not having to constantly look around you to find the boss if and when the boss is off screen, you can keep tabs of where they're at fairly easily.



It's definitely got that old school RPG style to it that really compliments the game in a nice and pleasing way. I don't think the game would actually work as well if it was done any differently, so the developers found a happy medium there. Also, the boss fight designs are just badass, and again, the graphics compliment those very very well.



As for any faults that I see with this game right now? I honestly can't really think of any. The game runs well, the game plays fantastically with a controller, and the graphics and idea behind the game are all well done. I don't know if i'll find any disappointments or faults as I progress through the game, but right now, this is a solid game, and definitely one that should be played if you're looking for a game to just waste some time on. Admittedly, I haven't played it much since I bought it, but that's more because it's just a game i'll have sitting around and i'll play it when I feel like playing it. There's never a rush with video games anyway, in my opinion.

Key

Just a disclaimer: If you are a fan of Undertale and you enjoy the game for what it is, feel free to get offended as this post is going to be hating on the game exclusively. You can also hate on the fact that I haven't even bothered playing it, so add that to your belt of weaponry to use against me if you feel like defending yourself and defending the odd reputation that Undertale has received.

Anyway, now that that's out of the way, let's begin...

So, it's not every day that you find a game that everybody seems to enjoy and you can't seem to figure out exactly why. Undertale takes the cake when it comes to creating a humongous fanbase, as well as poisonous fanbase that other games have successfully done as well; Five Nights at Freddy's comes to mind. Now i'm sure you're already thinking, "Ki, just try it. You can't say you hate a game unless you give it a shot." Well...actually you can. Well, I can anyway. Gaming works the same way as music does. If you're not a fan of the genre it's set in or the game doesn't look appealing to you from the get go, why bother trying it? I understand the game is dirt cheap and it wouldn't even come close to breaking my wallet, but why take the risk? Undertale seems to have successfully brought a lot of people together in terms of allowing for conversation about the game and I also understand that the game may be great, you don't have to convince me of that, i'm sure the story is fantastic, but unfortunately, a great story isn't the only thing that makes a game fantastic and worth playing.

When I first heard about this game, it wasn't long until streamers, Youtubers, and everyone else had latched onto it like it was some sort of cist. To me, it looked like the game had come directly out of nowhere, and somehow, everybody and their mother were already playing it. Again though, just because everybody is playing the game, does that necessarily make the game worth playing? I'd say no. It just means people are latching onto the idea that the game may be great so they give it a shot for themselves to see if they have the same experience. I on the other hand am going the smart approach and i'm just dismissing it altogether. Is that the mature way to handle it? Well, probably not. But I don't really see a reason to spend time on a game that I already know i'm not going to enjoy. It's like listening to a country album full knowing that you hate country altogether. The experience wouldn't come close to being the same as it would be if you liked country to begin with. Same with this game.

Undertale to me just looks like a 1st grader decided to give game development a go. Graphically the game doesn't look appealing, and that's a big turn off for me, because I like a game to at least look appealing, even if the focus isn't directly on the graphics themselves. Anybody can draw what looks like an elementary school kid slapped together and put it into a game, so if whoever developed the game has some experience with this type of thing, why not go the extra mile and make the game at least look good. I've watched people play snippets of the game, and constantly i'm thinking to myself "really?" The game doesn't look good at all, and I feel like for me, it would take away from the experience that the game undoubtedly brings to the table. However, I give the developer credit for somehow getting everybody to play it, I imagine they're swimming in their own cash stacks at this point. My other point goes along with what I said about the Five Nights at Freddy's games a while back, the fanbase. The fanbase that Undertale has brought to the table is not only immaturity at it's finest, but it's also poisonous. I'd love to see anybody who is a part of that fanbase come to this post and try their hardest not to talk **** about me as a person. That is undoubtedly what happens when someone who is a fan of Undertale watches somebody who has never played it. They'll get super heated and uptight and they'll try to make the person playing the game play the game the way they want it to play because apparently, "there's only one good way to play it." From what i've heard, you can play the game in different ways, so I don't really see the reason for people to get heated in the first place, but...again, that's what a poisonous fanbase does. They just try to get everybody else to feel bad and 'rule supreme' over the internet. Well, more power to you. It still won't get me to play the game.

I mean honestly...this game doesn't look appealing to me, at all. If it does to you, that's great, but please tell me why.



Besides all that, the game just doesn't look like the kind of game I would enjoy. I mean, I get it, the 2D RPG style adventure genre is coming back in full swing with other indie games doing it really well, so it's understandable that somebody would want to get in on that and try it for themselves, but unlike those other games, this game just doesn't look like it has any redeeming qualities attached to it, and somewhere down the line, I'd tell myself "i'm wasting my time." Granted, i'm already at that point, so...there's that.

I give praise to the developer though in some sense because they obviously knew who they were trying to cater to. The game has done successful in terms of sales and creating a fanbase, but at what cost? Do you really want to be the guy that's known for making a game that isn't exactly the game it should be? I certainly wouldn't want that burden, but I didn't make Undertale, so that's not really my concern. Just like the developer for Five Nights at Freddy's though, i'm sure this developer is going to use whatever resources he can to ensure that Undertale gets the most money out of it. That's all I really see it as is a money grabber.

Key

I've added a small disclaimer to the original post for this month since I've decided that it'd be good to have a bit of variety.

Key

When it comes to video games that are meant to be enjoyable or fun, there are obviously tons and tons that come to mind. When it also comes to video games that you wouldn't expect to be fun but are a ton of fun, games like Terraria tend to come to mind. I've mentioned Terraria specifically since we are talking about Starbound here. Now, I've not had a lot of experience with Starbound but i've played a little bit of it to sort of get a gist of what it has to offer. I've also watched a friend of mine play it and i'm basing most of my first impressions on that.

So, what is Starbound? From what I can gather it's basically like Terraria but on steroids. You walk in a left to right 2D direction with pixelated graphics looting building and killing bad guys. It seems this game tends to go a little bit deeper in terms of making your character stronger and ready to fight, as opposed to Terraria where the sole purpose is the mine as far down as you can while at the same time, crafting items and making your character stronger. The two games do have a lot of similarities, but they are both vastly different from each other at the end of the day. I won't be comparing the two as much as you think I would. Obviously one comparison one would make however is how similar the graphics style is. I admit, the reason I started playing this game is because it looked a lot like Terraria, and I wanted to see what all the hub bub was about. Granted, I didn't play much of it due to not really wanting to get sucked into a game that could potentially take me hours to understand. But from what i've seen, you can get into a lot more shenanigans than you can in Terraria, which to me basically means that this is more of a RPG style adventure game, which is cool. I like the idea and with the 2D pixelated graphics style, it compliments it nicely.

Unfortunately in my case, I haven't yet put the time I would need to put into the game to really convince you as to whether this game is great or not. What I do know is that the longer you play, the more badass you get. I suppose if that's not enough to get you to buy the game, than I wouldn't blame you. It does seem a bit complex in terms of the mechanics and the styles in which you want to play, but I suppose that adds a bit of individuality to each playthrough. Will I start playing the game again to form a better opinion on it? Honestly, probably not. From what I played, it just didn't seem like my kind of game. That's not to say the game is bad, it just doesn't seem like one that I'd like to put several hours into.

Key

There's been a common trend when it comes to indie game releases and AAA game releases. If you're unsure of what either term means, just do a quick google search. In short terms, AAA titles tend to be developed and directed by a big company, whereas an indie game is developed by a small team or even one person. Now, since that's out of the way, I want to express my views and opinions on this subject as I think there are some fair points to be made on both sides. Before I get started, I do want to express that I have found from experience that I tend to enjoy a lot more indie game releases than I do with AAA titles, especially since most indie game releases don't break my wallet right away.

So, what's the argument then? Well, from what I can tell, people have been talking about the rise of indie game development as a new way to experience gaming and find more enjoyment out of video games in a way that hasn't really been done in quite some time. They say that people who develop indie games take more time to make sure that the game doesn't have glitches, they're crisp in terms of graphics and mechanics, and they tend to be super cheap. I can agree with some of those points, but I have had experiences with AAA titles that have allowed for the same amount of enjoyment even though the cost of said games tend to be a lot higher. However, on the other side of that, I do tend to focus more on an indie developer and the games they put out because 99% of the time, I enjoy it a lot more than AAA titles. Is that to say that indie developers are automatically better than the developers that make AAA titles? Of course not. But, there is also the point that the developers and the companies in charge of the AAA titles tend to be more on a strict time frame in terms of getting their game out to the public, whereas most indie developers can take their time as more frequently than not, people don't really know about any games coming from said developers until they are released. On that same point, I did mention that most of the time, indie game developers tend to focus a lot more of their time on making sure everything is crisp, but a small percentage of the time, you'll get a game from one person or a small team that is an absolute ****fest. I'm going to get flack for saying this, but Undertale is the first game that comes to mind. I haven't played the game yet and I don't really have any plans to play it soon as the hype around it nearly matches the amount of hype that Five Nights at Freddy's gathered, and I also feel like the same poisonous fanbase surrounds it too. But, my main reason for not having any interest in the game is the graphics style that the game took. I don't feel like the developer or developers in question took a lot of time to make sure the game looked good. I understand completely that the game has a great story and apparently the gameplay is a lot of fun, but if the game isn't aesthetically pleasing to the eye from the get go, I'm really not going to bother with it. That's not to say that's how I choose the games I want to play, but I just can't stand the amount of hype surrounding it and it's really put me off of it.

Back onto the topic of not knowing about a developer until a games release, take The Binding of Isaac for example. I'm pretty sure before the game was actually released, nobody had even heard of Edmund McMillen. There may have been a few people that were familiar with him, but before his big game was released, nobody would've had a clue that a new game was in the horizon. But of course, when the developer decides to make a sequel, that's when the strict time frame and budgets come into play. People were anxiously waiting the arrival of The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, and it was all in fairness due to the amount of hype and the huge and non-poisonous fanbase that the original game received. In that sense, I have wondered once or twice before what would have happened to the original games release if it had been announced to be released from a big company like EA or Ubisoft or even Microsoft. Obviously the hype surrounding the game would have been evident before the release, but I don't think people would have found as much enjoyment as they would have expected a lot more from a bigger company when the original Binding of Isaac wasn't in the best stages throughout it's popularity. Of course it's a great game, but imagine it being released by a bigger company, the game would've been completely different. That's also not to say that indie developers can't meet the expectation or even exceed the expectation that AAA developers set for their companies on video games. I mentioned in an earlier post about Darkest Dungeon that I could consider that to exceed expectations from any kind of developer working on the game, it just so happened to be made by an indie developer.

I don't want to constantly attack AAA developers and only give credit to indie game developers either, because like I mentioned before with Undertale, there's some hit and misses on both sides. However, when it comes to a big company making a game that has to be released at a certain time, they've got a lot more to lose because they set themselves a budget, a time frame, and they are trying to push their game out to the more recent platforms which causes them to pay other people to test their games, fix bugs, and all that stuff. Imagine if an indie developer decided to form a big company and continue making indie games. Well...they wouldn't necessarily be considered indie games anymore, and unfortunately they'd be considered a sellout and before they can release their next game, they would be shunned. The last part isn't always true, i'm just using my imagination. At the same time, the bigger companies have already got that loyal fanbase that they can rely on even in their worst of times. Nintendo is a good example of this. They released the Wii U and not a lot of people are happy with it, but they can still rely on the fanbase that absolutely love it, and they can continue to make games for the system because of the constant fanbase that they've managed to keep around. If an indie developer lost it's entire fanbase, they'd probably have to shut down and save up their money in order to make "their next best thing".

So what's the final verdict then? Well, I can't say that I'm strongly on either side. I mentioned earlier in this post that I tend to enjoy indie games a lot more, which prompted this entire month dedicated it in the first place, but can I really say that one is better than the other? Of course not. I've brought up points about both sides that could allow people to see the opinions that I've come up with that seem to make sense. But at the end of the day, a video game is a video game. If it's good, it's good. If it's bad, it's bad. And that's really all there is to it.