Game Review: Frozen Synapse

Today's review is on Frozen Synapse, a new game by Mode7, an indie game developer comprised of three people in the UK. Their previous game, Determinance was a third person, multiplayer, sword-fighting game. Frozen Synapse is almost completely different, the only similarities being that it's third person, and it's a game. (I haven't played Determinance (windows only), but that's what I got from what I've seen)

You assume the role of Tactics, a Shapeform. Your job (as indicated by your name) is to be a tactician. The Shape is basically a digital overlay of the "physical" world (in-game). The being that reside in the Shape are called Shapeforms. Most of the time, Shapeforms are usually named by their job or attribute (e.g. sniper, for someone using a sniper rifle), but you also meet some that aren't, like Belaqua.

In the campaign, you are recruited by an organization called Petrov's shard to help them bring down Enyo:Nomad, a super-corporation that is in control of a city called Markov Geist. I haven't played much of this yet, but what I have played is amazing. The levels are randomly generated, and if you lose on a mission, the map is regenerated for a new playing field, making your skill the only thing that actually matters, instead of, say, memorizing the map. My advice: READ EVERYTHING!!! This will give the game form and reason. It's not too much to read, but it increases your game experience immensely. Also, I reccomend playing at least some of the campaign first, for the above reasons.

The multiplayer integration is nearly flawless, but I would like to see some more integrated UI instructions. Things like: there is a small circle on the bottom left, but it never tells you that it's there and you have to mouse over it to find out what it's for. However, the game is still in beta and feels like a complete game with some add-ons, so I can't really complain. The gameplay is actually turn based, so it can effectively be "played by email," which is nice for those who have no time...

The gameplay is unlike any other game I have played. It's "simultaneous turn-based," which basically means that each player makes their move, then they're executed simultaneously. This makes you have to look at every possibility before committing your move. I will attempt to post a video of this soon. (If anyone knows of good software (Mac), that would be useful).

The soundtrack is amazing and I recommend everyone buy the soundtrack version of this game. It is completely original and includes electronic, symphonic and atmospheric elements. I'll leave the breakdown to someone else...

Mode7 only sells their games in two packs, so you can split the cost with a friend, or just give it to them. Mode7 can be found here.

Closing comments:
Frozen synapse is an amazing game, which everyone should try. I think you'll be hooked. The soundtrack is amazing and the multiplayer works well. The campaign is long and engaging, and explains what is actually happening. In short: A great game.

Game Review: Warzone 2100

Warzone 2100 is an in development RTS (Real Time Strategy) game, based after "The Collapse," a nuclear war that obliterated most of the population. You play as The Project, a group trying to rebuild humanity, but who is hampered by various enemies.

This is going to be a short review, because I haven't played the game much yet, but it'll be close enough.

The biggest gameplay difference is that you get to design your own vehicles. In fact, you need to design vehicles, or you only get a bunch of trucks, the basic building unit. There is also a huge tech tree, which allows for nearly infinite possibilities in design and construction. Some different construction options are: wheels, half-tracks, treads, and VTOL. There are a huge number of weapon types, including: rockets, machine guns, mortars, and AA guns. There are the campaign, offline skirmish, and online multiplayer modes. The offline skirmish and multiplayer have everything unlocked, not relating to the campaign, so if you want to just start playing, you can. The campaign is designed around time-sensitive missions, so you need to act fast, and think faster when playing through it. There are very few things unlocked at the beginning of the campaign, and your research is very limited.

I haven't really played this enough to give a truly complete review, but I hope this at least gives you some idea of the game.

Pros: Designable vehicles and interesting storyline.

Cons: It's still Alpha, so there are some bugs. The storyline is rather non-essential to gameplay, so much so, that the intro movie is an option on the main menu, instead of integrated at the beginning of a new campaign.

Overall: An excellent game for those who like RTS with an interesting, if unimportant storyline. The designable vehicles are definitely a plus, but it's a little confusing unless you look at the website guide first.

Game Review: Minecraft

Game review day! I don't think I'm supposed to say that this is my first time and I don't know what I'm doing, but there it is. Today I am reviewing Minecraft, which can be found here. Minecraft is a rather simple sandbox game where the goal is to mine ores (hence the name) and survive the monsters that come out at night. The game is still in Alpha, and as such is rather glitchy, but it works fine for the most part. The graphics are made up of 16x16x16 "pixel" cubes. Your character is two cubes tall and can jump one cube directly up. You can destroy, collect and place blocks to create anything from a river to a castle, and then use them to either survive or show off.

Game features include (these are not all of them):

1 Classic mode in which you have unlimited and instantaneous destroy create powers over individual blocks

2 Survival mode in which you make a house and survive from the monsters that spawn in darkness, crafting is introduced as a way to make tools and weapons to help you survive

2 Multiplayer is not well developed yet, in Alpha and you need to use your own computer as the server using your IP as the "password" and finding mechanism, however, classic mode multiplayer is completely finished (no longer receives development since Alpha)and works fine. You need to pay to unlock most of the features of Minecraft, such as multiplayer and Alpha, but you can use the single player Classic, and Alpha's test run of survival (found here)

More information can be found at the wiki, the forums, and the World of Minecraft community site.