BrianColfxire

The perfect word that comes to mind with TY 4 is the same word for the Rocket Knight reboot: Bittersweet. If you are a die-hard fan, you'll probably put up with this game's more glaring issues. This game is not bad; it's very derivative of the genre and mediocre as a result, which is sad because I am going to suggest some ideas that might have had better execution. A Dimension Lost, Nothing Gained Which leads me to my biggest problem of the game, there's nothing innovative of its gameplay to warrant a 2D return. There are no unique 2D mechanics or gameplay elements added in to Ty's formula. You still play the same character with the same glide and throw abilities, just in another dimension. For some fans, that's enough to buy the game; for newcomers, it'll feel like a shallow experience and this game shouldn't be your first exposure to the series. I don't want to keep mentioning Rayman, but I want to illustrate a point: When Rayman came back to 2D, they added in an ability he couldn't have in the 3D games, wall-running. Not only would that be a camera issue for 3D but it'd probably break the game as a result. In 2D, however, the mechanic was easily implemented in the level-design. This game needed to do something similar. Either new mechanics or make Ty fit a new genre to make his 2D re-debut familiar and interesting to fans, and something worth playing for new players. And what confuses me is that they didn't make this game into a Metroidvania title. Take, for example, the boomerang system. You are given three plot-specific boomerangs that are needed for the main-fetch quests (Fire, Ice and Shock). They are used to break down their opposite-elemental barrier or interact with an object, and even then they're more often for extra collectibles. The only time this mechanic ever becomes interesting is when you use the Blizzard Rang to freeze a log on a waterfall to make a platform. The game needed more creative uses for these plot-boomerangs, as well as the other ones, if they wanted to make them more enjoyable. Besides the given ones, there are also purchasable boomerangs (in-game purchases, not real) that give you some benefits. Some more useful than others, while others entirely useless. You have four or five boomerangs for fighting. The Chaos Boomerang is my personal favorite as it explodes most annoying enemies and takes out multiple enemies with each throw. (It's also between Fire and Ice, which is easy to switch out.) Out of all of the bonus boomerangs, the Cryptic Boomerang is the only one you need to care about (if you want to 100% this game). It lets you find hidden platforms, which you cannot jump on without equipping them even if you know they are there. All these boomerangs feel added in for flavoring, and you only need to buy them once. They're always in your inventory. But imagine if the game had open-ended level-design on a 2D environment that required you to EARN those Boomerangs (like the Thundereggs in Ty 1) and then you needed to use those new boomerangs to unlock more with the rewards steadily getting better and more interesting. (Ex. Strider) Or what if those extra boomerangs were purchasable and you could choose which ones you wanted and it'd shape your experience every time you played, and they had not one or two uses but influenced the bosses you fought or created new types of platforms as a result (i.e. the frozen log)? (Ex. Mega Man or Shovel Knight) Or what if you had different playable characters (not skins for fans) that had unique abilities and the game required synergy between the team to get through tough obstacles or challenges, which could also be used to traverse the 2D open landscape? ((Ex. Castlevania 3) All of these ideas are off the top of my head, and any one of them could've made this game more memorable or worth the transition. A Platformer By Any Other Name I wasn't expecting anything genre-breaking or the second coming from this game, but I expected something to keep me going besides my nostalgia alone. The game is a platformer without real punishment. You have infinite lives, you can take multiple hits, you get tons of spawn-points, and there's not even a score-system for superficial punishment. The only thing you lose is time, and the game likes to pad itself out in that regards. The levels are always "Do Something" three times as separate areas with meaningless side-objectives and extra collectibles for only bragging rights. The collectibles do not unlock anything special, and they're not required unless it's the main objective. Boss-fights are unmemorable, and even the "one good boss fight" staple in Ty is not found in this game, especially with Cass's rotating room where you can't tell where you can stand and where you cannot. I won't touch on the story because it makes no sense to someone who has played only the first game. But that's about all you get.

I typically find it better to be more critical of an indie game the second time around after the hype and the nostalgia of the game wears off. Some games like LIMBO have lost their charm with age as all the things that have made LIMBO great are now typical and lackluster. Does Thomas Was Alone suffer a similar fate? Should you care to give this game a look? Story: Without going into much detail, the plot of the game is simply about a group of AIs gaining sentience and dreaming of the outside world (ours). If you want to know what happens throughout the game you must pay attention to the dialogue and the introduction texts at each chapter. Similar to the art style, the game's narrative is also minimalistic and the ending will leave you lacking if you aren't interested in piecing together the story. So keep an ear open while you play and you'll get the gist of this game. Even though the theme of the game is about friendship, it's not that PC, watered down, benign view of friendship we get in Carebears or something for kids. This game handles friendship as it should be handled; friends squabble with one another about petty stuff, they form bonds in mutual gains for each other, they learn a little about themselves with time and, eventually, they help one another because they want to help their friends, not simply for personal gain. This is the reason why I think many people enjoy the storytelling of a few blocks because the game handles the subject of friendship quite accurately to people you may encounter everyday, and lets you imagine what might those AIs look like as your friends. Gameplay: Calling this game a puzzle-platformer is a bit generous. The puzzles tend to be simple problems for the first few chapters, and until you get four or five blocks (chapter 3 out of 9) the game stays monotonous in getting Chris over every obstacle. The obstacle is simply getting the weakest block over to the end, and then getting everyone else in their spots. Up until the last chapter (excluding the DLC chapters), you have seven characters that have abilities (or lack thereof) that suit each personality. Some levels offer multiple paths such as jumping on small blocks that hang off an edge without getting the larger blocks involved. For the most part, each level has one and only one solution. There are some levels that test more of your reflexes rather than your puzzle skills, but it's nothing too difficulty for any age to figure out. The only skill that might not be intuitive is using James and Thomas together; one has reverse-gravity while the other has a basic jump, and you can put these two together to move in the air without platforms. It takes a little practice to get use to that trick that's used in two levels. One criticism I have with the game mechanics is the lack of momentum in certain situations. Some of the bigger blocks can carry the other blocks on top of each other, and as you move forward you would think the other character would try to stay above your character. This doesn't happen. The character just falls from where it is and you have to wait for the block to stay still before you can move on. Falling into water and Laura's trampoline ability are the only instances where this becomes noticeable. But it's a small thing that could've been fixed for better gameplay. As much as this game may be easy, it's decent in its execution. The game is only around 3 hours if you know what you're doing (with the DLC included). If you want to play a dumb-puzzle platformer to relax for a few hours, this game's difficulty spikes up a little bit better towards the latter half of the game. I never felt bored, but maybe you were expecting something more challenging. If the narrative or the delivery of the dialogue doesn't interest you like Portal, then I would recommend this game for you. The DLC adds two prequel chapters of Benjamin, Anna and, one character you later meet, Sarah. Story-wise, it's okay; it's a sad, small tale that was referenced in the main-game but it's sad it watch it unfold when you know what will happen, especially with the game's gorgeous soundtrack. Gameplay-wise, the jetpack adds more annoyances with the controls than any other character and some levels are infuriating to get through because of the delay of the jetpack. Conclusion: I think years from now this game will still remain a gem for many gamers. The mechanics might be too simple for some, but the presentation keeps the game as charming as it was years ago when I first listened to Thomas's ramblings. With Steam's new refund policy, I would encourage players who were hesitant before to now give the game a try. Maybe on a 50% sale at the least for the amount of gameplay you get from this game, but the game is worth your time for a thought-provoking, charming little tale **** of quadrilaterals. So don't be such a square.

I really do want to recommend this game. The aesthetics, the humor, the character design of T.O.M., the snazzy soundtrack (the one positive thing I got from this game) are fantastic, but ultimately the gameplay is where the game fails to understand itself. If you have played the demo, you might actually find the game interesting and fun with the pipe-linking puzzle game AVNT wants you to believe it is. But once you get to the middle of the second area/world/device, the game suddenly forgets the methological approach. The main problem with this game is it wants you to take your time to figure out the puzzles, yet it also rushes you to solve the solutions as your health is your time-limit. Some levels will slowly degrade your health while others will rely on you manuevering around enemies to absorb more health. And you have to complete the puzzle while doing that as well. What makes the gameplay worse is it makes you work under a clock to solve puzzles where you CAN'T see your progress. There is a mechanic introduced fairly early that hides the grid away from you unless you can set it up to be activated by the other pipes. So that means you have to either brute force your way to completion. But some levels seem to demand that memorize each level, THEN do it as quick as possible while not getting hurt and losing time/health. Some might argue that the skip-tokens let you get past those frustrating levels, but the game just continues to get more frustrating for all the wrong reasons. The challenges at the start of the game do not prepare you for the trials towards the end. I couldn't even imagine trying to convince someone to play cooperative with me on the later levels. Controls. The best way I can explain my problem with the controls is that I always feel tied to an anchor. Whether you use a controller or the keyboard, you have to hold a button down to interact with a section of the grid. Combine this mechanic with having to dodge enemies quickly and you'll find yourself stuck on the same paths or you'll accidently slide into an enemy you were trying to avoid. If there is A Virus Named TOM 2, however slim the possibility is, I hope the devs choose one type of puzzle or the other. Testing your reflexes or testing your puzzle-solving is fine, but testing both at the same time is a challenge in frustration, not of fair difficulty.

Typically I am not interested in playing these "Walking Simulator" games. However, after trying this game on a friend's computer for about thirty minutes, I decided to buy the game myself. I will avoid narrative spoilers--aside from a comment on these types of games' take on stories--yet I will give a starter's guide for getting around some annoyances of the beginning part of the game (and a certain achievement). Walk. Explore. Think. The name of the game. That's the gist of the gameplay. I think out of all the games trying to attempt this format (i.e. any Chinese Room game), this game is almost perfect with its execution. Mostly because the game has some few challenging puzzles and gameplay changes to keep things interesting. The narrative is not given to you; it's rewarded for exploring and solving puzzles. More importantly, there is a cohesive feel to the story that you can follow, even out of order. Even though you will most likely play out certain events in a linear manner, there is enough player-choice involved to make the experience feel like a genuine mystery. Besides walking, you, a supernatural investigator, have the ability to piece together clues by setting up the situation as before and watching them unfold. There's even a part of the game where you have to play out events in a specific order in order to get the straight story. (Similar to Murdered: Soul Suspect, except without the unnecessary stealth). This puzzle--as well as the final puzzle of the game--are the weakest aspects, in terms of gameplay, but the paranormal ability really does immerse you as the protagonist and it makes sense of certain strange things that unfold in the game. You also have some basic puzzles that require you to wander the nearest area for clues. Sometimes everything will be located in the same room; other times, the one thing you need is located somewhere else because, reasons. The game has one or two old adventure-game like issues of puzzle-pieces being hidden for the sake of artificial time-lengthening. But, thankfully, most of these puzzles are done right and they're logical without being too obvious. The usual structure for this game is: Find new area, search for clues or solve the puzzle, then solve the paranormal investigation. And as you walk around the countryside of Red River, you'll have time to contemplate all the things you'll find along the way, hear little bits of conversation from the protagonist, and experience random stuff you didn't think would happen. The general room of thumb for knowing when it's safe to move on: If you have found the Ethan page or got the achievement, you can go somewhere else. These Stories Need More Active Voice I'm going to make this brief. I get why this game is set-up the way it is and how the mystery is unfolded to the protagonist. But, please, can we have more stories that have us engaged or doing something with the actual plot? We can still discover things and explore without being detached from all the interesting bits of the stories. This game gets a pass because it does something creative and comes up with some believable explanations for how you experience the story. I'm by no means calling this game's story original. I think it is a well-executed, neatly made game and story. As with most mystery-stuff, you quickly get diminishing returns (in this case the first hour and a half were the peak). The cliches too, even with the set-up of the game being by the books, never bothered me. Although, that ending--I both extremely hate the ****, but it makes sense. Perhaps too much sense for my tastes. But that's all I'll say about the story. Starter Guide

Edit: Decided to re-review this game after spending my fifth playthrough on going through the first six games five times and half of the challenges. I'm mostly going to touch on technical issues. When you get down right to it, the game really does feel like a pre-packaged **** can alter your control schemes on the PC and console versions. Customizable options for resolution are available on the PC, and on the consoles you can fiddle with the size of the screen, borders and even simulate an old television filter if that tickles your fancy. Feels nice to have control options and screen options on a console. What else is there? There's a music player at the start screen, but only of the NES chiptunes. No Complete Collection remixes, even though the menu screens have remixes that are much better on the ears. There is also some concept art and art-stuff from Mega Man's history. But you would be better off buying the complete artwork for Mega Man. Then you have the "Challenge Mode". The Challenge Mode is entirely a time-rush mode, which isn't a seller to most people. Did I mention that the exploits from the old games are still present? So don't expect playing fair to stack well in the leaderboards, especially on the Yellow Devil boss fight. It is very lackluster. It doesn't remix enemy placements or combine mechanics, enemies or levels into interesting new challenges for veterans. All you do is complete an obstacle (or series of obstacles) in the quickest amount of time. If you die, you can still complete the challenge if you have extra lives. You just lose time. Don't think you can get by playing fair. To get a gold rating, even if you don't care about the leaderboards, require you to exploit the game: I beat Dr. Wily on MM1 in under a minute with Electroman's pause glitch and I still got a bronze. Capcom missed out on changing up the main-game in interesting ways. Not even a "choose your weapons" mode from Wily Wars. There are no alternative characters to play as like with MM9 or MM10 (Proto Man, Bass, or even the Robot Masters of the first six games if you want to stay within the NES era of games). Sure, this collection is about the Blue Bomber himself, but why not something new like playing new characters with different skills and quirks like with Mega Man Powered Up? (Although no broken Proto Man, please.) Speaking of exploits... As the development team that worked on this game stated, they worked from the ground-up to upscale the classic NES series to modern devices. This means a lot of bad ideas were kept for "authenticity": Sprite flickering (especially in MM1 and MM2) are apparent, the boss-introduction scenes in MM6 and other bosses are possibly a health hazard to some, and any glitches are still there.I am happy for the last part as I don't mind glitches, especially the Yellow Devil glitch for MM1--I wished the challenge mode forbid them or worked around them somehow. The only criticism, technical-wise, I cannot confirm nor deny is any input lag. MM1 and 2 were always floaty to me, and it wasn't until MM3 to 6 that I got a nice feel for the controls. The same experience happened when I replayed these games, so I can only say that the games do feel authentic, for all good and ill intentions. Other than that, the games play just fine. My final verdict is still a six. The only reason I am giving this game a six is because, for the most part, the collection is a well-executed combination of the first classic games--it's only slightly above **** customizable options one-ups the Anniversay Collection's ports (and yet there's no cycle button through weapons in-game time), and you might find something enjoyable out of the challenge mode when you're bored. The collection doesn't deserve anything higher. Buy the game only if you want to replay the first six games again. I doubt Capcom will add any DLC to this game, but I hope they either change up the main-games with different character modes or something crazy like with NES Remix. Collapse

Game playtime of the DLC: 4 hours on the standard difficulty. Your mileage is probably two to three hours if you are not as timid as myself when playing horror games or don't try to find all the secret collectibles. The Alternative Perspective Compared to the complex/convoluted (your take) story of the main game of Sebastion and the conspiracy underneath the main-story, the Assignment begins rather straightforward with the story of Kidman. The events of each Kidman DLC take place within the context of the main-story. Some might even enjoy the more personal story compared to the main-game. I won't go into much else detail of the story as I'll save that for the Consequence DLC along with my thoughts as to how the DLC leaves certain things unresolved (for good and for bad) and how the DLC changes the perspective of the main game. Less is Sometimes More: Survival Horror Returns I still love the main-game's mechanical variety and the type of survival horror experience it provides. But this DLC definitely emphasizes more of a survival horror experience rather than an action-horror experience. Your gun is taken from you and you're left with your wits and your environment at your disposal. Bottles, shouts, your flashlight and traps are your arsenal in this game. When you take a hit, you need to hide to recharge your health in order to continue running. The best tactic I have ever had so much fun with in a horror game: Prank calling zombies. I never thought something so simple could be so satisfying. The new enemy types fit into the overall design of the DLC and the main-game. I particularly HATE the sections with the spotlight-nurse enemy (the Keeper to Seb), but not because the monster isn't horrifying; the monster is stress-inducing and the rooms you are locked in with that nightmare are the best/worst part of the game. The boss fight(s)--I consider only there being only one in this DLC--are structured around these mechanics, so you will not forego your stealth skills developed in the game like in Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Similar to the Mr. Freeze fight in Arkham City, the boss will become immune to certain tactics, so you are forced to change your habits. I really enjoyed this fight because the boss will destroy certain terrain if he sees you and the fight feels so unscripted. For NG+ mode, you have a mode that makes you rely on your flashlight throughout the whole game. I played it for a short-bit and I don't think it's really that bad. It's no invisible enemies mode in Resident Evil. But it'll make the tension better for sure. Blackmarks The one thing I really do not like because of the simplified mechanics is how linear the game is. Because you are not going off the beaten path for health or ammunition, there are no diverging paths except for some small collectibles (the safe puzzle one is rather pointless--RUVIK IS A BAD MAN!). The game gets better with this problem when you are locked in a room and you have to wait for the power to return with an enemy locked with you or the dynamic boss-fight. But for the majority of the game you are progressing down hallways. Some of the enemies' behavior is not explained well. Certain enemies are blind and react to sound, but you can walk around them with no problem; you wouldn't be able to know this unless you took the risk in sneaking around them. Other enemies seem to ignore your flashlight (the invisible zombies are back). I think this is an annoying problem because the game sometimes gives you a new enemy for five mins and then forgets about it for the rest of the game. Similarly, certain mechanics, like the prank call, are used up at the start and never again.0 The DLC feels like it has a short-attention-span problem. Also, there are far too many times that give you the false-impression of an enemy lurking somewhere. The music and a brief glance make you think you'll get sneaked up from behind, but really it's an illusion. The game is simply messing with you, and I rather like that the game does play around with your expectations, on the first playthrough. On repeated playthroughs, the game will probably feel more scripted and lose its luster when you know where certain enemies are. But that's a problem in the horror genre itself, not in this DLC alone. Conclusion I think from the fans' consensus, the sequel of this game, which I hope is a thing, will incorporate the Kidman DLC more than the main-story. As much as I would be satisfied with that idea I would also find it a shame to make the sequel more linear and/or take away all the interesting weapons and mechanics. (For example, no bodies get back up in the DLC.) If the series does continue, I hope we have another contrast in gameplay through various character stories. I'm willing to rate this DLC with a nine because it's better than the main-game's execution. Yet the short-attention span problem and false sense of danger will ruin repeated playthroughs.

I have never before played a puzzle game as long as an RPG in my life (24 hours), until I played this game. If I didn't start to grow tired at Ch 14, I would very much like to 100% this game. Warnings! 1.) This game is HARD.Seriously, it will force you to think differently to beat this game. Most challenges are for experts, but even the main puzzles are no simple matter. 2.) I do not recommend this game to be played with a controller. You spend a lot of time drawing triangles, and in later levels you will have to micromanage for maximum efficiency. 3.) Turn down the textures for the triangles as you're going to draw a lot of them. Your performance will improve greatly. What Is TRI? TRI is a FPS puzzle-platformer that combines a single mechanic throughout the whole experience (after you find the TRI in Chapter/Level 3) a la Portal and the unreal, illogical world of Antichamber. There are some platforming skills at your disposal such as climbing edges by holding the jump button or climbing into holes by holding both the jump and the crouch button. This last mechanic can be picky at times, but you can get by with climbing and crouching. I wish a game would utilize Mirror's Edge controls with an interesting game mechanic for speedrunners or something to make puzzles both challenging in reflexes and in the thought process. You are allowed to draw triangles on almost every surface, except wood. You gain an ability later to scale triangles on walls and later to bounce light of triangles. Afterwards, the game is at your whim for how you want to go around the levels. This greatly improves replayability as you can challenge yourself to find alternative paths or be more efficient with your triangles and time. Although this game is challenging, the game scales its difficulty fairly throughout the first ten or so chapters. You better master utilizing triangles because you're going to draw a lot of them. Similar to Portal, each new level/chapter introduces something new that you have to experiment with. Some stages might be more expansive than others or more labyrinth-like. The goal of every stage is to collect three red fox statues to open the portal to the next level. These can be tracked with waypoints by pressing the highlight key (H). There are also secret golden idols in every level that require you to either explore every aspect of the level, look more closely for solutions, or challenge you to take the harder challenges. These golden idols unlock some developer commentary, prototype pics, level layout pics, etc. The real reward for these idols is the challenge of 100% by finding all the secret and the super secret idols. The downside is that far too many rely on fake-walls or visual-illusions, so you might grow tired of searching for them all. Plotting Triangles (No spoilers) The story is about the Monk, Blue and Red (the Old God Foxes). You are just some human disciple and there's no backstory behind your character. The game never really cares about who you are, only about the world and other characters. (Even in the developers' commentary, they said they scrapped the idea of giving you a backstory because it wasn't worth it). The Monk can be thought of as your GLaDoS, but he won't make quips at your failures. He'll be your source of exposition and some encouragement. I don't think his VA is bad at all, but if you're expecting some rich character like GLaDos, I think you'll be disappointed. At every other level or levels, you'll receive a cutscene that gives some more exposition. The twist of the game is expected a mile away, but the story is serviceable. This is a case of more gameplay over story substance. The only gripe I have with the story is I don't quite like how the game handles the idea of madness; it treats the matter as a temporary condition rather than a permanent affliction. I'm don't think we shouldn't encourage more happier endings in our games, but I think the developers missed out on an interesting storytelling conflict. The story could've been about the conflict of maintaining an idea of friendship while also losing sanity of someone you once knew so well as your friend. Madness would've been treated with more consequences, and with the twisted environments becoming crazier, the twisted nature of Red could've been accentuated by the gameplay. The game could test your limits of what you will do to preserve a friendship. Instead, we have a simple story for a mind-bending puzzle game. Summary Pros 1.) If you love Rayman, do I have the soundtrack for you. 2.) A difficult puzzle game. 3.) Simple, yet frustratingly deceptive mechanics and puzzles. 4.) Lots of content 5.) Foxes, Vulpes and Canids, oh my! 6.) A tale for all ages. Cons 1.) A difficult puzzle game. 2.) Crouch Button + Jump Button = NOT FUN 3.) Too many visual illusion puzzles and one-time kind of puzzles. 4.) Simple narrative & characters. 5.) Nuances of triangles. 6.) Level fatigue.

For the sake of brevity,this is a review as someone who played the original. You can still experience the original on Steam and the 360. Why should I play this game (or original) over Last Light? Besides spoiling the original game, it's hard to go back when the sequel was a more open-area linear game. 2033 is a linear, somewhat on-rails, experience. This isn't to say 2033 is BAD because of how linear it is. It's something that will bother you if you go backwards. There's also a well-developed atmosphere and setting developed that feels all the more personalized in 2033 over LL. Redux or Classic? The obvious change is the graphical engine and textures. Not that the original is outdated. You also get LL mechanics and two play-style modes (Survival & Spartan). One is the original experience and the other a more relaxing, gun-ho experience. Some of these improved the game while others have not meshed well with the original. Positive Changes (Besides Graphics) 1.) LL's stealth mechanics and general gameplay. This means you can knock out enemies and your knife CAN kill people unlike the original. You can stealthily kill enemies without alerting them if you screw up. Avoiding to kill any human enemies is now plausible without the tranquilizer gun; you can knock out humans and it won't count against you. 2.) Mutants are more of a threat. Maybe it's better AI or the mutants do more damage, but the mutants gave me a challenge compared to the original where the humans were the main threat, even on non-hardcore mode (a mode for extra damage and no HUD). 3.) The new safe-system. If you find a pair of keys (marked by two red-lines diverging at 45 degree angles), you can open up a safe and get some sweet loot. I think this adds a little bonus for veteran players to find something new and reward exploration. Negative Changes 1.) Despite being the "definitive edition", the game has cut-content and in-game changes. For example, at one point in the game you fight a Panzer tank in a chase sequence. The devs decided to remove that encounter; now you fight a group of **** as you flee. The section is still just as annoying when you're trapped in a turret and die to no fault of your own. 2.) In the original, you would conserve ammo to purchase the Stealth or Heavy suits. Each catered to a specific play-style with their own perks. In this game, they took those options away and force you to wear one armor and then later wear the other. At first, this change infuriated me; the game is already linear enough compared to LL, so why remove any involvement of player-choice? However, after replaying it, I felt that you were already coached into getting one armor over the other at certain points in the game, so removing the payment obstacle makes sense. But this somewhat positive change also comes at a damning cost. Instead of altering the game to work around those original design decisions, you now have a ridiculous surplus of military-grade ammo throughout the game. At the end of the game, I had 600 military ammo. It's a joke, and I was playing on survival mode on the Hardcore setting. In Ranger mode, the ammo supply was more reasonable and I never felt OP towards the end. If you played through the original, start on Ranger mode (you can bring out your clipboard to review your inventory; so don't worry). 3.) Some AI mechanics just don't work with 2033's linear design. A.K.A. The Demons and Scopion-Spiders. Demons would pick you up in LL and lug you around the battlefield if you weren't mindful of them. In LL, you were in more open areas to get tossed around in, so you could reasonably avoid them. However; in 2033, the narrow paths makes the Demons unbearable when you get tossed around from one side of the creek to the other. Or you get constantly dropped and picked up without a way to avoid it. The Spider-Scorpions also show up in this game, and they're absolutely broken. Again, because their mechanics don't belong in linear corridors. They cannot avoid you shining your light on them and pumping them full of lead. 4.) Atmosphere problems. I know some might find this comment petty, but I don't like some of the graphical "improvements". Certain areas feel way too bright and the textures on some NPCs just look better and more realistic in the original that worked with the depressing, realism atmosphere. And it's not some aesthetic change: Some set-pieces like the lost souls are hard to see with the new lighting system, and other small changes hamper the horror experience. Anyway, the rest of the game does look beautiful and it does look like the Metro I first grew up with, but I do miss these minor, nostalgia-based aspects of the original game. Do I Recommend the Redux? Yes. It's hard to sell the original's problems as the Redux is ultimately more tightened in its mechanics and provides the best way to experience first game. It's still a good survival horror game, but with new seams torn.

Total Playtime: 8.8 hours, two playthroughs of the main game and one playthrough of the DLC. This review will focus solely on the main-game. I would recommend getting the bundle with the DLC story on next-gen systems or Steam if the game does interest you. Gameplay Bug Bears There are plenty of outlets that have gone into great detail on the shortcomings of this game. Namely, the gameplay. I don't really think I can say anything else than this game is a platformer: You jump, you solve simple puzzles with either the environment (mostly spirit guides) or some sort of tool (the projectile or a box or something). I have heard from people like Total Biscuit that the KB&M controls are a pain to deal with, but I play these games with a controller all the time. Even on the controller, the gameplay can be stiff, especially when you are in a chase-sequence and you need to wind-up your projectile to knock an obstacle under stress. You have to hold the aim-stick back, wait a second to charge it up, then fling the stick in the other direction to launch it. All while running as fast as you can. As a side note, I played this game solo, and yes, the AI will get stuck or get itself killed regularly, though I have found the AI fares better in the main-game now (but the DLC has the same problem). Local cooperative play is perhaps your best way of experiencing this game. What might interest you about this game? Let me try to entice you to want to play this game. The main thing this game does excel in is its aesthetic. Not only do the models of the protagonists, the tundra landscape and other animals look beautiful but the mythical spirits and other supernatural elements fit so perfectly that even the natural landscapes almost seem dreamlike. And throughout the game the environments keep you yearning to continue forward. Despite how simple are the puzzles, the game does feel well-made. Not everything mechanical is flawless; bugs, glitches or the delay on the projectile are minor, legit problems. But if you appreciate both the pace **** 50 hour RPGs and the no-extra-fluff of a 2 to 4 hour title, then I think you'll enjoy this game. Lastly, there is obviously a lot of devotion put into honoring the creators' heritage, and it shows through the story and the art-style. I try to think ofthisgame as a game-adaptation of an ancient epic tale. Something you'd read out of The Odyssey. You have a heroine relying on her own skills and her companion, the Fox, to overcome the challenges of nature and to save her family and friends over the selfish interests. The story isn't going to be groundbreaking to modern tastes, obviously, but the story they do have touches on timeless human nature themes: Altruistic communities, the error in selfish pursuits, the afterlife within our natural world, supernatural forces, etc. I think the way the game handles telling these stories with only the narrator explaining what the protagonists are pursuing and thinking makes for a wonderful tale for adults. There are some dark tones that makes it feel very mature, yet nothing is too graphic for kids if you want to play this game with a younger sibling or child, unless death is too morbid of a topic. That is at least how I see the game, an interactive epic tale. At least that's how I've sold the idea to friends. You might think otherwise, and that is fine if this game seems like another artsy platformer. I wouldn't blame you. Intrusive Commentary As much as I appreciate being given cultural context,, I wished the commentary didn't feel so shoehorned. You are not forced to watch them, but every menu screen will remind you of any unseen cultural insights. By the way,these are the only collectibles to be found, and you're likely to come across them on your first run. Some of these clips do a good job in explaining what some characters, like the Owl Man, mean/represent and what purpose do they serve in-game. Others I thought were too preachy or trying too hard to make the culture sound more original when they were using the same themes found in other cultures. Also, some of the subtly is lost in the commentary, and sometimes they are reaching beyond what was shown to the player. For example, the introduction of Foxtales is of the fox chasing a mouse and the girl following along--this apparently is the devs showing that the two are disrespecting nature by playing with animals and not hunting them. Is this clear to the player? Not until the very last cultural insight are you told that was the moral of the story. This example doesn't ruin the experience, but it does stand out compared to other cutscenes that tell the lessons of the story through actions and gameplay. Conclusion No matter how much I have nitpicked at this game, and how there are legitimate issues with the gameplay, I still think I got my money's worth out of this game. Perhaps you might think the same if you give it a try.

For this review, I am not focusing on the games themselves. rather the offering of a Rare collection on next-gen systems. Not All 30 Titles Are Exclusive to the Disc/Bundle As some of you may know, some games in the collection are actually the Xbox Live (360) Arcade versions emulated on the X1, requiring only a one-time online activation). This means if you own the XBLA versions you'll get them for free on the same account (which are playable now on X1). These include the following titles: Banjo Kazooie 1, 2 and Nuts & Bolts; Perfect Dark & Perfect Dark Zero; the Viva Pinata games; Grabbed by the Ghoulies (maybe available on XBLA); Jetpac Refuled; and Kameo. (At least a third of the games are downloadable titles on the marketplace..) I think this is an important aspect to point out. Let's face it, if you are a devoted fan you probably own the XBLA versions or the original releases. So what are the other titles besides the heavy hitters? Seven arcade-machine games, eight NES games, the arcade version of Battletoads, and the rest are the N64 titles. None of which are bad. However, there's nothing that compares with the mascots of Rare's biggest success outside a few games from the NES. For myself, I knew I wanted to play through all of these games for historical value as well as getting my first time with Rare's classics. For game-collectors or Rare enthusiasts/die-hards who own all these games, I think you should ask yourself if the other games are worth the $30 price-tag along with the "extras" (achievements, behind-the-scenes, and the NES Remix-like mode). Incentives? Considering how much the box, the game itself, and the marketing for Rare Replay focused on things like 10,000 Gamerscore for Achievements, I do think a section is needed for this game. After all, there is something to be said of completing challenges and getting some stupid little reward for the effort. Unfortunately, as I mentioned beforehand, if you own the XBLA games and have all the achievements, then there's nothing new for those games; they have the same exact achievements. But the Rare Replay (game) has its own incentives for completing challenges. The new "milestones" for older games and the games not on the XBLA are more small obstacles you'll eventually overcome if you get good at the game, which I am totally fine with. The first ones are always "Try your first game" stamps of approval that'll help you unlock bonus content. But eventually you get more brutal ones like "finish all the levels" for an arcade-game with no continues. They're not as daunting as they sound because you have several tools you can abuse; quick-saves, the rewind-button and even cheats. No penalties are given for using these tools. But what do we unlock with these milestones? Concept art; hours worth of behind-the-scenes' footage; footage of several games that were never finished but always had the potential; and secret music-tracks that were removed from the game. The last few treats I think might entice collectors or enthusiasts to buy this collection. However, you don't choose what you unlock, so you have to get to whatever rank to get what you want. I do rather enjoy these rewards as I have a soft-spot for Rare, even when they make something I don't like I still wanna know what the thought-process was involved in the game's creation. You can probably YouTube these video-clips if they interest you. Another addition to these games is a NES Remix-like system for the games on the disc (not the XBLA games). They are essentially like the NES Remix where you have to do a simple objective in a certain amount of time, but there is nothing crazy to make that experience worthwhile. I was hoping to have fun seeing stuff like Banjo in a Conker game or Jetpac dude in Saberwulf. Those would have been worth the price of admission! Rare(ly), I am surprised (Technical issues) As simple as the idea of emulating certain games from the 360 and from consoles far older sounds, there were still noticeable problems and a surprising lack of useful modern **** example, there is NO rebinding of controls for ANY game on the collection itself (exception being the XBLA ones). This includes Conker's Bad Fur Day which has an inverted horizontal axis. If the controls don't suit you, tough luck; you either get used to it or play something else. I was not expecting entire button remaping but at least having several game-binding schemes would've been a nice offer. Other XBLA games (Banjo Kazooie especially) had drops in performance. Nothing from these games were altered (even the 360 dashboard launches on the Xbox One, weird). Despite the problems, I am glad to have this collection. I'm impressed by how many games hold up today. Some games don't hold at all, but that's a matter of taste. I think Rare accomplished what they had in mind: There's something for anyone, perfect agents or new-blood for the Saberwolf, to (re)discover from these games of old.