feliarroyo

Nidhogg is an indie game that relies COMPLETELY on multiplayer. If you are a solo player, you can deduct 5 points from this score already. The game has no story (not that it needs one) and has a short and boring arcade mode, that seems to be made just to please the lone players. You may even hate the game until you play with friends. There isn't a character roster, unlike other fighting games; Player 1 is yellow and Player 2 is orange. They have the exact same moves, so it's your color preference. The visuals have a retro flavor, but are really fluid, something that helps giving the game its own personality. Each match follows the same basic steps: 1. The players start the battle on a "screen" of the stage selected. They have to kill the opponent in order to advance to the next screen at the left or right extreme of the screen (depending on the character selected) 2. The killer runs through the screens until he reaches the final one. His objective is to reach its end in order to win the match. The killed, meanwhile, respawns in its way, and has to kill its opponent in order to be able to advance. 3. If the killed manages to kill his opponent, he is now able to pass screens, while taking that privilege from its victim. He has to pass all the screens his enemy advanced and reach the end of his final screen. The match ends when one of them reaches the end of the "final screen". The game is just that. The thing is that the fighters have lots of moves in their arsenal. Alongside stabbing, they can jump to do a divekick and hopefully take their enemy's sword, can throw their sword for a one-hit-kill proyectile (with the punishment of being left with only punches if the attack is deflected) and much more techniques. The best part is that the game only uses two buttons and the d-pad, meaning that is really easy to learn, yet hard to master. It has lots of customizable options as well, and a tournament mode for up to 9 players. The best part is that matches are as entertaining to watch as they are to play. It also has online mode, but it doesn't work too well, and having your friends close and taunt each other is half the fun. If you have some friends and time to spare, this game is a must-have.

Candy Crush Saga is **** Limited's first (and biggest) hit, and it's basically a free-to-play(?) rip-off of Bejeweled and other match-three games. The visuals are just ok. They do the job just fine, with each jewel being recognizable easily on even the smallest screen. The character design is a little weird, but it doesn't matter that much, because these games aren't played for their story. The soundtrack is quite repetitive and bland Facebook game-esque music, and the sound effects can be annoying at times. The game "would" play fine, with lots of mechanics introduced to shake things up. I say would because there are lots of the usual free-to-play "traps". Charging for power-ups and making certain levels extremely hard/luck-based without them are usual things that one can expect, but there is one feature that single-handledly breaks the game: lives. This horrendously implemented system gives you a limited number of lives at the start of the game. Each time you fail to complete the given objective of the level, you lose a life. When you lose them all, it's a game over...literally. You've to wait a certain amount of time in order to continue playing, and recharging all your 5 lives takes way too much time. You have also the option of buying them. Not a "unlimited lives pass", no. You have to buy EACH LIFE separately. This makes what would have been a decent if unoriginal time killer into a complete waste of game. The worst part is that almost (if not) every title of them has the same system, that causes the same problems. With so many better offerings (including any title in PopCap's Bejeweled series), there is no reason to lose precious time in winning what are 400 tedious levels.

The Walking Dead is a point and click adventure game created by Telltale Games. I've tested the game on PC, and the compelling story, along with visuals reminiscent of the comics and really interesting characters made it one of the best games of 2012, with some glitches that weren't game-breaking, but a little annoying. The on-disc console version, however, not only ramps up the amount of glitches in the game, but also lags pretty much constantly. In a game like this where quick-time events can appear from nowhere, this is a flaw that can bring the entire game down. The story is still one of the best in the "The Walking Dead" franchise and probably of all video games, while the main characters are the best duo. However, the core gameplay is near unplayable because of one horrendously major flaw: lag. You see, in The Walking Dead, most of the game is spent in three sections: "pointing and clicking", quick-time events, and dialogue choices. The thing is that, the two latter are almost impossible to win unless you already played them and know which button you must press. The first part is the only one that can be played normally, but even then, it's the one the game least focuses about. In the end, it's a shame that The Walking Dead turned out to be a horrendous port. A compilation of the five episodes would have easily got a 9 or a 10, but when more than half of the game is full of glitches, it's a wonder if Telltale tested this release. This could be a 1 point game, but the story it's still the best in gaming. Also, certain episodes hold better than others (Both episode 2 and 5 ran without any major problems, with some hicc-ups. It helped that these). With a GotY edition and the second season right around the corner and Telltale saying that the latter will be a lot less buggier, luckily we'll have a new on-disc release of these wonderful games that isn't as buggy. Don't buy this version at all. Obtain any other version.

There has been a lot of controversy about DmC. The design of Dante was especially criticized. In all honesty however, being this my first Devil May Cry, I gotta say that is actually a really good game, and doesn't deserve the low rating half the users are giving it. First, the visuals. They look really good, and are pretty smooth. Some were complaining about it being in 30 fps instead of 60, but it doesn't feel clunky at all. I've got to say that, personally, I prefer the original DMC's designs, but there is actually an explanation revealed during the story. While the character's design aren't as good as the original, the environment is gorgeous and polished. The soundtrack is not really memorable. Too many heavy metal songs. The voices aren't memorable either, but do their job. The story feels like an afterthought, but I guess those who wanted to know Dante's backstory (at least, what WAS Dante's back-story until this game became part from an alternate universe), it will entertain you. I've got to say that I didn't laugh that much to this new Dante. Everyone I know says that Dante cracks a lot of jokes and trash-talks his enemies almost constantly. The only problem is that, these aren't that funny. He says a lot of and it's just not entertaining. The gameplay is what makes this game truly worthy. The combos are quick, fun and really entertaining to watch. The multiple attacks with different attacks give you a huge amount of variety in combos. There are some moments of basic platforming, but the gameplay is entirely based on combat. And I'm not complaining at all with that. The bosses maintain the fun factor of the game, through some can get a little repetitive. Overall, I'm excited to try on other Devil May Cry titles, and a little sad to see this title being left behind by a bad design choice. Luckily, it will be vindicated over the time.

Finally, a sequel to the amazing Rayman Origins has arrived. The 2d visuals are probably some of the best of all time I've seen in video games. It almost looks like a moving painting sometimes. The soundtrack is amazing, with a more epic feel than Origins, and the musical levels are definitely the best levels of the game. The gameplay from the original stays mostly unchanged, but there are some differences. Instead of rescuing Electoons, you now rescue Teensies. The secret areas still appear in the game, but I can't help but feel that some of these are a little bit too easy. The teensies can also be found in the normal path, another big difference. This makes the levels feature lots of them to rescue, increasing the replay value. The controls are the same as Rayman Origins, only including a button to control Murphy. He controls well in this version, but was obviously meant for the Wii U. The replay value of this game is immense, even considering the Origins aproximately 300 electoons to collect. There are more than 400 teensies to collect through the levels, lots of characters to unlock, and even Origins stages redesigned to play! There are also creatures that you obtain with "lucky tickets" (lottery tickets that either have a teensie, an Origins level, a large amount of lums, or one of this creatures) that give you lums. There are two "extra" modes: Kung Foot and the Challenges. The Challenges are online competitions, and very addictive ones. They will keep you playing probably months after you finish the game. The Kung Foot mini game, on the other hand, its offline. I couldn't believe it myself, but Rayman is a surprisingly entertaining football game! It is a small distraction that you will play for hours when you aren't playing the challenging levels. In the end, Rayman Legends is a worthy sequel to the underrated platformer. maybe it feels a little bit too easy at times, but closer to the end, it shows it's Nintendo Hard difficulty. the only mayor problem I found is that, in multiplayer, the punches STILL affect your partners. This makes playing with friends a little annoying. Otherwise, Rayman Legends is probably one of the best 2D platformers of the generation.

Peggle is a game that on Xbox 360 is good, but maybe a little too short. The gameplay is basically **** with special powers. The goal is to destroy some red pegs in the field, and it's incredibly addictive. The game has a cheery atmosphere, but is basically the same game as the PC version with online mode. The graphics are ok, and the soundtrack is ok too, but even then the music when you win is almost humorously epic. Adding almost nothing new in comparison to other PopCap's games, I think you should get the game on the Plants vs Zombies DVD collection that includes this game, Zuma and PvZ, unless you already have some of this games.

Plants vs. Zombies is a tower defense game. The game is fun and, like games like Portal 2, add some humor to the mix. The game is about defending your house from some strange zombies with strange plants. The story is more like an excuse to make the game plausible, but it works in a game like this. The gameplay is amazing. Before the start of the game, you see which zombies will be coming, and you have to choose your plants. Some compliment each other, others are only good in certain situations, but all of them have a role, even if only in one type of level. Once you're done selecting the plants, the game will start. You have to collect sun to make plants. You can obtain it either from some plants, or from the sky (in sunlight levels). The game is addictive and, because almost every level adds a plant, it feels fresh. The zombies are funny, mostly because of their designs. The game has a lot of extras, but most of them will be unlocked at the end of the game. Still, the game is short, so you will get them in no time. The game has every feature from the first version of the game plus some extras. There are new mini-games, and multiplayer modes. You can play three versions of co-op. The first one is competitive, in which one is the plants and the other is the zombies. This one is a very entertaining mode, but the zombies sometimes feel a little overpowered, through maybe is because the plants require more strategy. The second mode is the co-op, in which you play certain challenges, mostly mini-games and survival modes, with the addition of a second player. Nothing too special, but it works. In the package version, it includes Zuma and Peggle, two games that are good in their own right, completing the pack. The graphics are the same than the PC version, but look wonderful in HD. The cartoon-like visuals do their work, and some plants and even zombies are adorable. The soundtrack is very good, and has a song at the end that is pretty fun. Overall, the only problem you can have with this game is that, if you have PvZ already on PC, the multi-player and the extra games may not be enough. Still, either you haven't or have got the game, it is a good deal, and a good addition to your game collection.

So Portal 2 is probably the best puzzle game ever. Even better than Tetris. So the gameplay basically is about making puzzles with a gun that shoots portals, along with some items like, for example, cubes that you have to put on buttons. The first game won awards for it's original gameplay, the funny but sinister voice acting for the machine GLaDOS, and the song at the end, that also had a lot of humor. So the sequel was inevitable. There are two modes, single-player and multi-player, of course. In single-player you play as Chell, the protagonist of the previous game, as she wakes up and finds a friend named Wheatley, who will help her to find the way out. In the way, something happens and they are now in the test chambers again. Without giving away too much, the story is a lot more complex in comparison to the multi-player and especially the original game, taking the most time to complete of the three. Also, the voice acting for every character is wonderful, with well-written dialogue. Almost every line they say could be a meme. Graphically, is the best-looking game that uses the Source engine, and has some pretty good visuals. The gameplay is still fun, even if it lost the fresh factor, it manages to keep it new with some new and inventive mechanics. There are easter eggs too, that are pretty interesting and, most importantly, fun. The multiplayer is like another game. Taking place after singleplayer mode (without revealing anything, so you can play this one first without spoilers), GLaDOS now tests two robots, ATLAS and P-Body, through the chambers. The story in this part isn't very important, similar to Portal 1. There are a lot of inventive uses for the two player mechanic, and even some mechanics that aren't on the single-player campaign. Obviously, it's shorter than the solo campaign, but even then it's one of the best multiplayer modes of all. You could say that the game actually has two different campaigns. The soundtrack is good. There are more techno ambience sounds, but, unlike in Portal 1, they will be more notorious. There are some songs here and there, without spoiling anything, and they are good, but nothing compared to the original. Overall, the game not only is an improvement to an amazing game, but also manages to keep it fresh.

Tomb Raider is an origin story, that tries to reboot the franchise. And does it very well. The graphics are gorgeous, and Lara's characterization is wonderful. The game play still is the best of the package. The platforming and the fights are very well done, and the story is ok, with maybe some confusion. There are lots of things to do after beating the game, from the standard items that don't serve any purpose to documents that have information about Lara, her companions and the enemies. Other things that you can encounter are the Tombs, that are a lot of fun, and some items, that tell you information about this island. It's very welcomed that you can go to every part of the island whenever you want by going to a camp fire, in order to not forget anything secret. Probably the best game of 2013 to come recently.

Mario Party 9 is a amazing game. It has some of the best mini-games on the series since the N64 Era, and has pretty graphics. The music is good too. Is not perfect, through; there's only twelve characters, the Bowser Space can screw up the perfect game and there's the frustrating Story Mode. I give it a 8, because it's single-player mode, as in any Mario Party, is mediocre and average at most, but the multi-player makes up for it. The best Mario Party game since Mario Party 3.

This is the perfect game. With good story and (for me) best than every byte of Half-Life. And those who gives low notes, stop. The only thing that make me so happy is Super Smash Bros. Brawl. A perfect 10.0. 10.0