Recent reviews by The Man in the White Castle

Fall Guys Burgers and Fries

Solid.

Really solid foundation for a great party game. Already very fun and "worth it" for the current price, though it does still feel a bit "Early Access". There's definitely a lot more room for improvement and expansion.

In terms of improvement, I found navigating the options menu with the controller wonky, and there's no option for 2560x1440 resolution which is annoying. Also noticed some minor bugs sprinkled throughout my first hour or so of play, but that's to be expected. The tutorial isn't super comprehensive and some aspects of the gameplay and the scoring system remain confusing.

In terms of expansion, the game already has a decent amount of quality content for the price, but it certainly couldn't hurt to add a lot more everything. More items, more courses, more playable characters, more announcer lines, more mini-games, more features, more mechanics, more special moves, more anime/cultural references, additional background songs, online multiplayer, etc.

As long as the developers keep improving and expanding the game I can firmly recommend it.

Overall a very good game.

The graphics may not be the best, but the gameplay is incredibly tense and fun. I was so sick of games like Battlefield where someone can take multiple sniper rounds to the chest and keep running like nothing happened. This game has a lot more realism, which I like, without it being overly frustrating or boring.

The devs are also pretty dedicated to authenticity, which is awesome. Unlike Battlefield, you don't have soldiers running around with an aresenal of the deadliest guns from all over the world. Weapon use is historically accurate and both class-specific, and faction-specifiic, with classes only available in realistic ratios (so you don't end up with a team that's 90% snipers). There are currently four factions (with more on the way) and you are given a different cosmetic customization slot for each faction, which is nice (so you can make your US Army character look different from your US Marine character, for instance). The asymetrical style of gameplay feels well-balanced and enjoyable.

The maps in the game are quite nice for the most part, though there definitely aren't as many as one would hope. Fortunately the devs are continuously updating the game, and more maps will be coming soon.

If you are interested in the Vietnam era and want a more hardcore/realistic multiplayer experience than something like Battlefield or CoD, then this is the game for you.

Don't listen to the haters. This game is great.

The gameplay is hectic and fun (basically chiv with magic and a whole new set of classes). The art style is unique and beautiful, kinda trippy even. The gore is over the top and hilarious. Seriously, this is some of the best gore and ragdoll effects I've seen in a lighthearted action game. The tone and atmosphere is great, too, with some silly and campy/ridiculous voice lines (I love the way the female announcer says "Victory!").

What more do you need?

Overall I highly recommend this game.

P.S. This game may give you a dismemberment fetish.

A unique and solid instagib arena FPS. The community is small, but dedicated. The theme is well realized and the music is jammin'. Highly recommended if you want a fast paced and intense game.

The only issues are that it is sometimes hard to find a good server to play on (though it's usually not too bad), and that there are a lot of superfluous modes (Grand Prix, Hoops) that take up space from the core modes (Deathmatch, Last Team Standing, etc.)

Recommended.

I've never done LSD, but I imagine it would feel kind of like playing this game.

Honestly this game is pretty terrible. The combat is simplistic, repetitive, and tedious; the physics and platforming are wonky and unpredictable; the graphics are often hideous and/or epilepsy inducing; the difficulty ranges from stupidly easy to rage inducingly hard; and what little story there is seems kind of like the ravings of a mad man and feels somewhat unnecessary. But for some reason it kept me playing to the end. Sure it was incredibly frustrating, and I had already gotten all the card drops (enough to more than make up for the cost of the game, the main reason I even bought and played this), but something just compelled me to press forward and beat this game. I just wanted to show it who's boss. And I did. All in all I beat the game in about 2 and a half hours, including the wholly unnecessary post-credits cutscene in which you watch the protaganist sleeping for what feels like a full minute and a half as nothing happens (other than a brief one second glimpse of some strange duck-like creature that seems to be spying on our hero with no explanation).

Get this game if you want free money, keep playing if you like dubstep made by aliens and getting ticked off when your character randomly spazzes out and throws himself off a cliff.

cartoon video game

I have to admit this game took me by surprise. I got it in a bundle and while it looked interesting, I put off playing it for several months. In fact the only reason I started playing in June was because of a promotion to earn credit on GMG for getting achievements, but I got drawn into the game and played the campaign to completion. And just about every aspect of it was great.

The game has a very unique setting, in fact as far as I know it is the only video game ever made that takes place in 1858 French Canada. As someone with an interest in history, this was really cool to me. Considering how many games these days reuse the same tired settings over and over (genric scifi/fantasy, generic urban setting, modern war, WWII, etc.) it’s nice to see more games like this that finally start to tap the vaults of history for unique settings that have never been done before.

Some people might consider the story a bit simplistic, but it’s still really good and somewhat unique. It centers around two lumberjack brothers, and their struggle to defend their sister, their home, and the surrounding area and people from creatures controlled by the Devil and other malicious forces. The story is told through cinematics and in-game cutscenes. The cinematics appear somewhat sparsely throughout the game, but they feature nice high quality artwork. Some may be disappointed that these cinematics are pretty low on actual animation, but considering this is an Indie game I can forgive that, and they still get the job done. The in-game cinematics, which feature the character models from the game, are also decent. I cringed a little bit at the voice acting at first, but as I kept playing I got used to it. It varies between the characters, some aren't that great and some are really quite good and fit the game very well. It's an Indie game so don’t expect AAA voice acting. In terms of dialogue, Jos can be a bit cringe-worthy at times with his simple meat-headed approach to everything, but most of the dialogue isn't bad once you get into the game. Obviously the story is a bit silly with the werewolves and magic and everything, so you have to have the right mindset coming into the game. At the same time, though, I think it is a good story that can be taken seriously with the right approach.

Now, for the gameplay. Basically, at the start of the game, you choose which brother you want to play as. One acts as the “normal difficulty” mode, while the other acts as the “hard mode”. I only played through the campaign once so far, with the “normal” character. Basically, during the day you have a map of the woods around your cabin. Each day (the game takes place over a few weeks in December 1858 and each day is like a level) the map changes a bit, as new paths are revealed and there are new buildings you must defend. Looking at the map, you can see the paths the enemies will take in each wave (augured by the sister with mystical powers), and place a variety of different traps accordingly. Each trap takes a certain number of “action points” (which represent time for the characters) to set, and some also cost money. There are a variety of different cool traps that are unlocked as you progress, like wolf traps, exploding barrels, ballistae, and mortars, and other helpful things like watchtowers and bonfires. There is a lot of strategy involved in where you place your traps, and it’s awesome to see the plan you worked hard on play out perfectly during the night. During the day, you can also visit the nearby village, and later the Amerindian tribe, to stock up on supplies and buy new weapons. The game also features a pretty big skill tree, allowing you to upgrade a lot of different aspects of your character and traps. It’s simple to use and it really adds a lot of depth to the gamplay deciding which skills you want to upgrade and when for best strategy. During the night, the game becomes a third person action game. Many traps require some action on your part to be used, and most of the time you will also have to engage in fights against the enemies that the traps didn’t kill. You have an axe for a melee weapon and a musket or rifle for longer ranged attacks. The combat is a bit a basic, but it does have a really unique feature called “fear factor”. Basically there is a meter showing how frightened your enemies are of you. Over time they muster up for an attack as the meter reaches a certain point, and sometimes they become enraged and are no longer affected by the meter. You can do a number of things to bring the meter down before an enemy becomes enraged, such as shouting or standing near a bonfire. Keeping your enemies afraid of you offers more depth to the combat, and gives you time to reload your musket or regain some stamina. Overall it works well and makes the combat really great. Being surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves, watching as they slowly circle you, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, is a thrilling experience, and I’ve never seen anything quite like it in a video game before.

The music in the game is fantastic. Every track is great and fits the game well, and I never got tired of hearing it. I should mention that this game can be surprisingly immersive, and the music really helps with that. The game also features interesting descriptions of the items, characters, and their backstories, so there is a lot of lore outside the cutscenes. For example, each axe and musket and some other items have a description detailing things like the year it was made, and what it was used for, etc. History buffs will probably enjoy this. There is also a lot of lore surrounding the enemies which relates to diabolism/demonology and/or pagan mysticism, which will probably be cool if you’re into stuff like that. A lot of it actually turns the traditional Werewolf lore on its head, and it brings in some elements from Amerindian culture for certain other enemies, so there’s definitely a lot of unique and original ideas going on here. With the great music and the attention to detail in the sound, text, and visuals, I found myself getting very immersed in the setting, even while just visiting the different shops and buying supplies.

In terms of longevity, I got about 16 hours out of my first playthrough of the campaign, and enjoyed just about every minute of it. Of course your mileage may vary, but I’d say that’s pretty damn good for a campaign mode in this day and age. Of course it also has replayability, as you can play through the whole game again as the other brother, and have a slightly different experience.

The graphics are nothing to write home about. It’s got a nice cartoony style that works well, but it’s nothing particularly impressive. I don’t have any complaints about it, I’m just saying you shouldn’t expect AAA graphics. However, the artwork featured throughout the game is really nice for the most part.

There isn’t much to complain about. The game does lack a bit of polish in some places. The text is a bit sloppy sometimes, there’s a few noticeable bugs and glitches, and as I stated earlier the voice acting and dialogue isn't perfect. The game also seems to have some framerate issues for me sometimes, though it doesn’t detract from the game too much (I have a very capable desktop though so there’s no reason this game should have issues).

Overall, this game is absolutely fantastic. Sure there are a few small issues, but they barely detract from everything that is great about this game. I highly recommend this game at any price you find it at. I got it in a really cheap bundle, but I almost wish I paid more now. Considering how great this games is, I think the devs deserve some compensation. So don’t delay, if you are even remotely interested in action, strategy, or tower defense, or just want a unique and immersive game, you will probably love this. If you want a number rating I would give it a 9.5/10.