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Recent reviews by Reno Story

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No one has rated this review as helpful yet
53.6 hrs on record (17.6 hrs at review time)
I got this game as part of a game package that included Gates of Hell: Ostfront, which was the only reason I got the package to begin with. However, eventually I was going to explore the "base game" that would spin off into Ostfront, so I revved it up and gave it a go. In summery? Eh, it's a novelty, but after playing Ostfront and then this, it feels... Lackluster.

In fact, that is THE best way to describe this game: A Novelty. Men of War has normally been set during the Second World War, which has been known to have a very diverse set of cultures, weapons and, well, settings (such as the infamous Eastern Front and the Pacific Campaign). Here? It's set in a modern world full of modern weapons and high tech toys. And yet... It feels so bland and copy-paste.

Don't get me wrong, the campaign that comes with the base game is, again, a nice little novelty with decent variety that'll keep you busy for a few hours. But the real appeal of the game is it's "dynamic campaign", which is a game mode where you play through a series of skirmish battles with your own personal army that you raise and evolve using resources you collect after every battle (something that Osfront also has).

However, after playing through a normal-length game just once, it quickly becomes apparent how little depth there is. The tech tree is surprisingly small, and it won't take long until you tech some of the best vehicles the game has to offer... Of their very limited vehicle pool, that is. Or rather, limited everything. For a game set in the modern era, there sure aren't a lot of weapons to choose from, meaning that eventually, every army is gonna feel the same. And in fact, THEY ARE. I started my first dynamic game with the US, but then I played as the GRM, and while they started off with some small differences, in the end, you just end up fielding heavy tanks and attack helis similar to the US and it all just starts to feel samey.

And the attack helis, oh gosh n' golly... I don't know if they spawn them on higher difficulties, but on normal difficulty the AI doesn't spawn them, and it's easy to see why considering how broken they can be at times. One single attack heli can just mow down an entire defensive line with ease and take out most enemy armor, save for heavy tanks, which are a huge pain in the butt to deal with no matter which faction you are. Considering the AI gets unlimited ammo for their units, and how an unwatched attack heli tends to just BLOW THROUGH their ammo against single targets in a barrage of death, I imagine that the idea to not let the AI spawn them was done deliberately for balance reasons.

It's probably also why you don't really see any field guns in the game either, because helis would make them completely obsolete. You do get artillery, however, but only two: A mortar, and a self-propelled artillery tank. The former, for whatever reason, happens to out perform the latter, much to my amazement, but I won't gab your ears off about it... Lets just say that, if you wanna shell enemy defenses, don't invest in self-propelled artillery. They really, REALLY suck despite their cost.

And don't get me started on tank combat. Maybe it's just me, but due to the small pool of vehicles that the game provides, it's quite common to eventually come across "heavy tanks" which is the only class of tank in the game, and for whatever reason it just feels... Off. In WWII, tank combat made more sense, since you had a diverse lineup of tanks of various armor and weapon classes. If you tried to go up against a heavy tank with a light tank, good luck. Vice versa, if you were a heavy going up against a light tank, it's like kicking a puppy... Until they bring out a heavy tank destroyer and send a shot through your flank.

But here, there is little to no diversity. Everyone gets "heavy tanks" (although the cheaper ones feel more like medium tanks), and they are long ranged, bulky pains in the butt. So heavily armored that most infantry AT weapons in my experience can't even pen their side armor, and even if you get behind them, you won't always pen (imagine being in an attack heli, flying around and then firing 4 AT rockets up their butt, only to do NOTHING)... Unless you are also in a heavy tank and you do it at a short range. Did I mention that AT grenades aren't a thing, and most infantry don't have AT options? Yeah, have fun with that.

But despite everything, the lack of weapon diversity, the broken nature of attack helis, the underwhelming tank combat that is dominated by heavy tanks to the point that other armored vehicles might as well not exist due to said heavy tanks dominating said tank combat and having little to counter them other than MOAR HEAVY TANKS... And also the fact that the basic edition only has one story campaign and 2 factions to play with, and the other story campaigns and factions are locked behind DLC?... The game is still an amusing novelty for awhile. Ostfront is still a much better game in the long run, but fighting the same old war on the same old front with your Tigers and your IS-2s eventually gets boring after awhile, so it's nice to change it up with a modern coat of paint, if only to take a break from the same old formula (if anything, it makes me appreciate it more).

As of this review, you can't get Ostfront as a stand alone game, and you have to get the package which includes this game. So when you really think about it, it's like getting a little bonus game with your main game: A little something to fiddle with for a few hours before you get bored and toss it aside.

A novelty.

TL;DR

It's a novelty that has an ok story campaign, an underwhelming dynamic campaign, lack of weapon diversity and balancing issues... But it's still a briefly fun novelty that provides a nice break from the WWII genre for a few hours.
Posted October 16, 2022. Last edited October 16, 2022.
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3 people found this review funny
2
17.1 hrs on record (10.4 hrs at review time)
Back during the age of DayZ/Rust clones, many survival games have been tooted onto steam claiming to bring something new to the table, when in reality most of these survival games hardly had any real gimmick to set them apart. Sure, one might have dinos instead of zombies, and maybe another game would have "mutants", and maybe the game decides to take place in a more primitive time period instead of some bizarre modern age setting where you could somehow put together a brand new M16 out of scrap metal and tape with your bare hands. But in the end, no matter what they did, they all ended up being the same drab survival game with the same song and dance.

Wrongworld is different.

Wrongworld takes the survival genre in a more, er... Toe Jam and Earl-ish direction, in that instead of trying to be realistic and serious, it instead creates a wacky, insane world full of strange creatures and insane troll-logic that'll baffle even the most "totally random XD" of people. Because of this, it takes a tired, overdone genre and gives it a fresh coat of paint that'll encourage people to really dig in and witness all the insanity it has to offer.

It isn't totally perfect, though. Combat, for instance, is very simple for the most part, where you could easily handle any threat by simply spamming M1 with a stick (or even your bare fists) while doing the odd combat roll here and there to avoid attacks or close gaps. On the other hand, though, the fact that combat is so simple (and still satisfying to watch your enemies go flying as you falcon punch them) means that players are encouraged to rumble their way out of problems instead of fleeing constantly and feeling completely defenseless early in the game (it is quite possible to go the whole game with your bare hands if you wanted, really).

The world, full of wonder as it may be, can also be a tad smaller than expected, and while the first playthrough will be the most adventurous, the second one might not have the same magic because by then, you'll very easily and quickly stumble into all the odd structures and encounters that you already discovered in your first playthrough, making them seem less special as a result. It would be nice if there were more strange discoveries that would randomize each new map, to keep players exploring and continue to surprise them with new, er, surprises.

Speaking of small, the game also could be considered a bit on the short side. My first playthrough took only about 7 hours, or close to 80 in-game days. This might not sound too shabby, but I was honestly a bit sad that my journey already ended just as I was really getting into things. It doesn't take long to max out your tech tree, and even moreso completing your primary objective (building a new ship) won't take too much time once you figured things out. Sure, there is replay value, but I would have liked to have had a bit more to do before reaching end-game and eventually completing the main quest.

Despite its issues, it is certainly a really nice, casual survival game that mixes up the formula and creates its own flavor rather than imitating what everyone else is doing, and is worth looking into if you enjoy adventure and wackiness.
Posted April 9, 2019.
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1 person found this review helpful
42.3 hrs on record (40.3 hrs at review time)
Early Access Review
When I first got Tiger Knight, I wasn't expecting much. At first glance, it just seems like a F2P chinese knock-off of Mount and Blade that would probably be average at best. But after playing it for awhile, I discovered a game that, in some ways, is much better than the source that inspired it.

Sure, it has its flaws, but it does have a lot of great things in it that M&B lacks. For instance, Combat isn't a matter of who can 1-shot the other with a 2H sword first. While the combat is indeed similar to Mount and Blade, it also has a lot of improvments that I welcome, such as a large health pool so fights last a little longer between players and make it hard to 1-shot people, as well as the ability to do charge attacks that vary depending on the weapon you are using (such as pikes being able to damage everyone you charge into, or 1H axes allowing you to knee someone and bring their block down before slamming the axe down). This makes fights between players a little more intense, but at the same time allows a bit more leeway and is slightly less punishing... Slightly. It can still be a fair bit brutal at times, such as how hard it can be to block without a shield, how sometimes you can get stunlocked and be completely helpless unless you are either able to dash out of harm's way or a friend comes to help, but other than that, combat is decent for the most part.

Another thing I love about the game is how commanding troops work. This game, after all, is a game about leading warparties to battle. Would be awfully dull if it was just a simple 6 vs 6 brawler, if you ask me.

Commanding troops is a bit complicated at first, but with a little practice, you'll get the hang of things rather quickly (although mastering it can still take time). The basics of standing ground, following and charging are there, but one nifty thing that M&B lacks is a formation system. Depending on which "assistant" (as I call them) you bring into battle with you, you get a selection of different formations to make use of. Some of them work better with certain types of troops compared to others, and some of them are completely locked out to some unit types. If used well, your troops will have a much higher survival chance than if you just let loose and let them do whatever they please. However, some units work better in looser formations than others, so be sure you understand your units well before putting them into formation, let alone if the situation calls for a formation to be put into play. Either way, these tactical options are quite welcome.

However, the troops under your command don't quite have the best AI out there, and natrually are easy pickings for any players that choose to duke it out with them. This is even worse with the bot commanders that often fill in empty player slots so that both teams are balanced, their often suicdal nature and poor combat skills being more a burden to the players forced to fight alongside them than a blessing. While you can control your troops well enough to get them out of trouble if you need to retreat from a losing fight and regroup, don't expect bot commanders to listen to reason of any sort.

One of the nitpicks I have with the game is the fact that in each battle, you are only allowed to bring in a single type of unit. While spearmen and axe/swordsmen probably aren't going to have to many issues, if you choose to play something along the lines of an archer commander or cavlary commander, you are going to need to depend on your team to do their part and not let you down while you carefully pick your fights and utilize your men to the best of their ability. This also means that it is possible to end up with a team that has some crippling weaknesses (too many archers mean you don't have much defense against cavlary, too many pikemen mean you are easy picking for archers). Due to the fact that you don't have much unit choice in the beginning until you earn a bit of XP for your troops, this problem is a common issue.

Another flaw that is expected of a F2P title is how you aquire new types of units. In the beginning, your options are horribly limited, with only (as of this review) 4 types of units to start with, each one from their respective troop tree. To unlock more units and allow you more choices of unit type to pick between, you need to earn XP for each of the unit trees. XP is not shared in one huge bank, but rather for a single tree and, bafflingly enough, for that tree's tier as well. What I mean is, if you have 7000XP for the first tier tree and want to spend that XP on upgrades for a unit in tier 2, too bad, it won't accept it. XP is only for the tier and tree it was earned in, which results in a hefty grind. The grind for the first tier units of each tree isn't too bad thankfully.. It is when you attempt to reach the second tier that it becomes a burden, if only due to how few players are in the higher tiers. You might as well consider reaching the end of all 4 of the first tier trees as the endgame goal, because trying to advance further isn't really worth it.


Most of the action is in "basic", or tier one. Anything higher than that is going to be a hard bargan, due to how few players are at the higher tiers. It isn't uncommon to see clearly high level players playing along the lower levels, if only due to the fact that it is the only way to find a decently populated game with few bot-fill-ins. It kinda defeats the point of reaching higher ranks if there is no point in attempting to reach out for the higher ranks to begin with, really...

Despite that, given the selection you have in the first tier and the fact that you have 4 different trees, you won't run out of things to aim for in the lower tiers, and will have enough variety to keep things from getting too stale, even if there aren't a lot of maps to fight on.

It also helps that this game has (at least of this writing) very kind devs that aren't out to manipulate you out of your money with Pay to Win mechanics. The most you can do with the in-game cash besides buying decorations for your avatar is buy a membership to get a 30% bonus to XP (allowing you to unlock more units a bit faster) and to convert excess XP from other trees into Prestige (which is commonly used to purchase units and upgrades you are short on XP for, and can be used freely in any unit tree). These devs also seem quite caring for their community, and I hope it continues onwards to the future. We need more dev teams who aren't out to exploit their playerbase for what its worth, who understand that making players happy is what keeps the community from dying and ensures new players have a fun first time.

Really, to sum it up in short..

This is a pretty decent Multiplayer F2P Mount and Blade clone that improves on quite a few things. It isn't perfect by a long shot and I had my frustrations with it, but what it does right, it does right. You can really tell that the devs of this title care about their product and I do wish them well, and hope that in the future, the game continues to retain what good it currently has, and iron out all the little problems that I dislike about the game. I wish I could get more in detail, but I am only allowed so many words in a single review, so I cover what I can.
Posted March 7, 2017.
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1 person found this review helpful
16.5 hrs on record
You know, as much fun as it is to run around guns blazing, mowing down wave after wave of infantry and making the world around you crumble and explode in a manner that would make Mr. Bay shed a tear... Sometimes it is nice to take a break from the braindead FPS games that flood the market to play a more mentally stimulating, slow paced stealth game. And this game certainly does it well.

It amazes me that for so long I never bothered with this title, but after it came on sale, I decided to give it a try, and I admit it was worth every penny. Gameplay is challenging, there is replay value in the game due to all the gear you are given to experiment with, such as insanity darts, spike mines, choking gas and more. The story is simple at first, but starts getting more complicated as you move along, sooner or later causing you to question your actions over time. And it is it done all with beautiful 2D artwork.

Sure, it can be a little frustrating at times, and sometimes it can feel cheap.. But if you work hard enough at it, it is all worth it in the end, and I like that feeling of when I manage to pull something off as I plan it.. or sometimes have something unexpected happen that makes things even better, such as driving people insane and causing them to kill each other in a panic.. Good times...

Sale or not, the game certainly will keep you busy for awhile, coming not only with the normal base game but a Gameplus, which ups the challenge even further while allowing you to use all the items you unlocked along the way. Speaking of, how often do you see Gamepluses anymore?
Posted April 26, 2015.
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No one has rated this review as helpful yet
67.5 hrs on record (28.6 hrs at review time)
A while ago, I got this title on sale for around 4 bucks, expecting a decent little title to keep me busy for awhile. What I ended up discovering was that even for full price, this game certainly gives you just the right amount of bang for you buck. It has been a long time since I played a game jam-packed with so much content to keep you busy, that I honestly was baffled at how long it took to reach the end of the main game.

Red Faction Guerrilla is an open world game where you play the role of a miner turned rebel who suddenly finds himself tasked with crippling, and in time killing off, a corrupt military force that would stop at nothing to profit off the mining business of Mars, even if it means wiping out whole towns of people who dare to resist.

... That is pretty much it, really. The story is rather meh in my opinion, with a typical "Evil army of Evil" enemy that does evil things because they can and constantly lie about their actions, and the heroic rebels who of course are the good guys who could do no wrong (Besides yourself, since the game doesn't really hold a tight leash on you).

However, while the story is lacking, they made up for it with the gameplay, which not only provides a considerable 100 missions (optionals included), but also an amusing distruction engine in the game that allows you to blow apart buildings into but mere scrap for you to salvage that can purchase new and inventive ways to kill people and make things go boom. It'll certainly keep you busy for a long while, and even if you pay full price for it, you'll certainly get your money's worth and more if you are willing to tackle all the missions the game throws at you (did I mention that there are also a few bonus missions too that you can find in the main menu? Never tried it, but it certainly ensures even more content to keep a fella busy).

So, it is pretty much a sandbox game like GTA, but set in a world where you can blow up pretty much every building you come across into tiny bits of rubble, make your own doors into buildings with a heavy hammer, and even cause soldiers to flee in terror as you stomp around in a mech while trampling everything within range. Seems like a dream, huh?

But alas, it isn't perfect, and I can't ignore the flaws the game has.

The sub-par story is one thing, but the frustrating moments the game throws at you are another thing. Many times while I played, for instance, I died in rather unfair ways. Be it an unexpected piece of rubble breaking your face, your "backup" running you over with their troop carrier (one of the many ways the AI of the game will screw you over), or in some cases enemies who appear to come out of thin air and fill your ass with lead before you can even figure out who is shooting you. There are also some really annoying missions that will certainly make your blood boil after awhile.

However, the worst offender has to be the RNG based missions. Not only are they totally random in their trigger (sometimes happening 5 seconds after completing a mission), they also force you into a mission that you probably don't have time to do or feel like doing at the moment (which kinda kills the point of an open world game if you are forced to do missions while looking for stuff to blow up or secrets). If you can't reach it in time or fail it, you'll have to wait for it to trigger again later, which could be a long time, meaning if you want to complete ALL the missions, expect to be doing a lot of waiting.

Some more minor things could be the money system in the game. In order to get the latest toys, you are gonna need scrap, which you can earn by completing missions or mining ore nodes you find around the map. However, you also earn scrap by breaking down buildings, which while rewarding, is also a pain in the heat of the moment, since this slows down the "blowing a building to kindgom come" part while you quickly gather up scrap. The best gear in the game costs a whole lotta scrap in the end, so you can't afford to ignore it, which is made worse in that should you die, all the scrap on the gound despawns, which is an awful waste of good material...

Also, not all weapons are useful, but this probably is more a personal thing than anything.

So, while the game certainly has flaws, and sometimes has the habit of pissing you off so hard it gives you a headache, it still is worth playing just to experience the detailed distruction system this game has, and the satisfaction of bashing someone's skull in with a hammer.. Or shooting down enemy air support and watching it crash into a building.. Or going on a rampage in a mech... Or, or... Um... Etc.
Posted March 21, 2015.
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17 people found this review helpful
3 people found this review funny
19.2 hrs on record (17.8 hrs at review time)
Early Access Review
Remember Ace of Spades, before it was turned into a turd that went against everything it was about?

Ace of Spades was a great little title for an unfinished Alpha. Weapons hit hard as they should, building a trench or wall was a MUST if you wanted to hold your position and survive, let alone deal with snipers in more open ended maps, maps where fairly large and could be mangled to fit whatever your needs were.. A shame the game is pretty much dead from last I saw (let alone a popular playground for cheaters), because it was a pretty damn good game that mixed building stuff and breaking stuff together and showed that both could be used to make for some fun matches.

And then came games like the current Ace of Spades, Guncraft, and even Blockade 3D here, who all share the same major problem: Building is a waste of time that gets you killed more than anything, and when you do build something, it just ends up hindering you more than helping, showing that all it is good for is pluging up entry points (which even then only lasts for a second before a rocket blows your blockade wide open).

But, see... While this game attempts to emulate the feel of playing classic Ace of Spades (going so far as to have a few assets that feel like they were illigaly taken right from the source), in reality it is probably the worst contender for Voxel-based builder and shooter, or should I say just shooter, since it fails in the building part.

See, while the classic and Current version of Ace of spades and Guncraft gives you what you pay for, this game is Free to play, but also it is free to play in the worst possible way in that every gun in the game besides the starter kit (and a select few unlockables that you gain though unlocking) require you to pay money for them, as well as all manner of gear such as helmets, TNT blocks, med kits and all sorts of other gear.

Now, this isn't totally bad... Most guns are modestly priced, with some of the cheapest guns and a fair number of gear under a buck.. However, rather than allowing you to buy any gun from the start, the game has a leveling system that locks certain guns out, limiting your selection and making it hard to find a good gun to buy early on. It could lead to some wasteful purchases, buying a gun only to discover it is worthless compared to higher grade guns, some of the biggest guns costing 4-5 bucks, said guns being a minigun, an AA-12, and even a heavy sniper rifle that can kill a fully armored target in a single shot, and can make helmets worthless.

By the way, some of the guns you can buy are also rip-offs, weapons that are hardly worth the investment compared to other far better guns that can be aquired at the same price (or even less), meaning that you run the risk of wasting money. With the leveling system limiting what you can buy, as well as the risk of wasting money on sub-par guns, this could be the dev's way of multi-dipping into your pockets and making you spend more than you want to spend on a F2P title. Did I mention that there is also a lot of gear that is limited and can only be refilled either by buying them or as a small level-up reward?

Fans will argue that yes, you can get a selection of free guns, and every level up gives you a small reward package of free nades, medkits, rockets and TNT blocks. While the latter is somewhat useful, the guns you do get are still nothing compared to what you could get if you put money in the game. Sure, some of them pack a nasty punch, but even then they don't have the benifits that some of the better paid guns have (such as large ammo clips, helmet-piercing, high rates of fires, and in one case a grenade launcher that used ammo that you buy that packs on hell of a punch).

And mind you, I was just babbling on about the guns. There is also other problems, like how insultingly small the 2 team VS maps are, how the 4 team Battle mode tends to get horribly unbalanced at times (which, by the way, no auto balance, so expect some really unbalanced odds often), with some of the teams focusing more on spawn camping than on completing the objective (and for good reason, since you get nothing for winning but all sorts of XP for killing people), and.. I hardly really played the other modes, but they were so forgettable that I guess that alone is enough to say about them. And of course, there is a cheating problem, but that is common in a lot of F2P titles, so it isn't worth noting.

I don't like screaming pay to win, but this game certainly does smell of it, what with how the only decent weapon a F2P even has is a battle rifle that can one-shot people in the head.. Unless they have a helmet, then it takes two shots, which further proves how the dev really wants to get you to spend money on either getting better protection for your skull so you don't die as fast or a gun that can bypass said protection and make it a wasted investment that only serves to screw with free players. Not only does it stink of P2W, it also is an insult to building block shooters, where the one thing that could make it easier for a F2P player (building cover), is made pointless with how it only serves to slow you down and get in the way instead of providing cover that can help save your life and allow you to shoot from a covered position. It's all just run in and try not to die, and thus a waste of the engine.
Posted February 24, 2015. Last edited February 24, 2015.
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13 people found this review helpful
1 person found this review funny
13.5 hrs on record (10.5 hrs at review time)
First impressions are very important when it comes to making a game, and when it comes to this one, it isn't hard to see why a lot of people dismiss it as a "meh" game: Combat is rather simplistic, the story clearly is about the evils of racism and how it ruins communites, and infamously about how it feels nothing like what it claims to be paying homage to.

But then you play a little more, and you see that the game touches down on more than just racism during your 5-7 hour adventure. It will delve into the dangers of excessive paranoia and fear of the unknown, tell the story of a man who wastes his life away at the bar instead of trying to solve all his problems like a man, and of course that there is nothing wrong with helping someone that you normally aren't really friends with.. In dark times, even the bullies that pester you need your help, and in turn can become a close friend.

Combat, while it still is button mashy, at least gets a bit more interesting as you progress through the game, getting new powers that allow you to switch it up a bit, such as the power to stun a large enemy so you can deal a critical blow from behind, or even cause them to suddenly start running in fear off of a cliff or into spiked bushes of death. Late in the game there is even some enemies that require you to vary your attacks in order to beat it, so you can't just button mash your whole way, as well as the fact that sometimes you need to use a later-earned ranged attack to deal with other threats, giving you something different besides jush mashing the left mouse button.

However, the game most certainly is no Banjo & Kazooie or Jak and Daxter, what with the collection element of the game being completely optional and only used for small bonus content, nothing really big (unless you like lookin at concept art), and the platforming being mostly simplified (I say mostly, because there still is a few segments that require your input, such as jumping during rail grinds and the general timing of platforming). Rather, this is more of a 3D semi-platformer bawler of sorts, and for the kids, I think it is a fairly decent little game. Not only does it leave you to ponder a few things afterwards about the content it tackles, but it also is a fun title full of life and personality, and a few chuckles here and there.. For the hardcore sort, however, maybe you might wanna look elsewhere, because while there is some challenge in this game, I don't think it'll be enough to keep more serious gamers engaged for long, as indicated again by the negative reputation this game sadly has.
Posted February 24, 2015.
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No one has rated this review as helpful yet
4.5 hrs on record (2.6 hrs at review time)
You know.. I hate it when a great game ends so quickly.. And I bet you know this feeling all too well yourself.

Tiny and Big: Grandpa's Leftovers is one of those games that you wish was just a tad bit longer, if only to see what more they could have done with the game's interesting world slicing engine. See, the game is a 3D platformer, decent controls and all that, but what sets it apart from other platformers is the power to cut up objects in the world, which in turn can allow you to progress further in the game and deal with some of the tricky platforming it throws at you. In a way, it is almost a minor puzzle game, in that sometimes you have to take your time to look the problem over and figure out how to progress.

I quite enjoy the mental stimulation, but it isn't all slow paced platforming. Sometimes the game suddenly starts testing your reflexes by having objects tossed at you, requiring you to cut it in half before it crushes every bone in your body. It keeps you on your toes, and I like that.

It also helps that the game has secrets hidden around for players to seek out, rewarding clever explorers with an interesting discovery (and for Achivement hunters, an achivement for each one).

As I said earlier, the controls are decent, although sometimes I did have a little trouble moving in the direction I wanted.. But other than that, it works just fine.

The music track is interesting, but nothing I could care a whole lot about. Still, it gets the job done.

But, alas, what holds this game back from being great is it's short length and the fact that it ends on a rather... Let's just say it isn't really that satisfying. But while it is sadly short, it certainly is a nice journey while it lasts, cutting your path all the way to the end while trying not to break your bones every step of the way. I suggest you wait for it to come on sale before you think about buying it, though
Posted February 24, 2015.
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1 person found this review helpful
2 people found this review funny
15.7 hrs on record (9.5 hrs at review time)
This game has seen better days, and while it still is a decent little title, the fact that most of the commnuity moved on to new things pretty much taken out a very major chunk of the game with it.

Shoot Many Robots is a 2D shoot-em-up with minor platforming elements where you play the role of a hillbilly trying to survive during a robot uprising. When you begin, you have nothing but a nailgun and the shirt on your back, and hardly any combat experience whatsoever. But as you play through the game, you'll gain XP and gather up loot drops to make your avatar dish out more pain with a selection of snazzy weapons and outfit pieces. You'll also come across stronger robots as well, as well as a handful of new models that'll make surviving harder, unless you took the time to replay older levels to level up and hopefully get better loot drops.

In the beginning, the game is quite a fun little romp, taking on robot hords while collecting new toys along the way, taking on each chapter with a brave heart and a itchy trigger finger before facing the final boss (Who will kick your butt if you don't move quickly). However, that is only for Normal Mode. Hard and beyond are not so much fun as they are a frustrating, soul crushing journey that'll make you wonder "What was I thinking?"

Remember what I said earlier about how when the commuity took something with it when most of them moved on? See, when playing Normal Mode, that is pretty much the "Single Player mode" of the game. Anything higher, however, and you WILL need a partner or 3 if you are ever going to have the slightest hope of beating the higher levels, let alone survive to even beat one chapter of the higher levels. Back then, there were plenty of people to game with, but nowadays it is generally empty, meaning unless you have a pack of friends with you, you won't be able to take on the higher chapters unless you did some SERIOUS grinding, and got some really powerful loot to boot.

Speaking of which, there are a few issues with the loot itself. In the case of weapons, while there is a nice gallery of weapons to pick from, a lot of them are mostly just upgraded versions of older weapons. If you took out all the upgraded weapons, you would be left with a much smaller selection of guns to pick from, albit still plentiful enough to give you plenty to experiment with. However, depending on your situation, certain weapons are outright useless compared to others. Playing by yourself, you want to have a high rate of fire, something that tommyguns and flamethrowers can offer. Other weapons, like a battleship cannon or various shotguns, tend to falter in singleplayer because they are more aimed at support roles rather than solo roles, which is disappointing.

What is also disappointing is the fact that outfits are not just for looks, but have some powerful stats to make your game much easier. This stinks, because if you wanted to make a Rambo lookalike, you might end up holding yourself back, and at some point you'll find it impossible to progress unless you dress up as a princess complete with fairy wings. In TF2, you had the freedom to wear any items you wanted without worrying about stats, allowing you to make your own personal avatar. Here, you can't make something that suits your personality, and rather must conform to what outfits give you the best bonuses.

Weapons are not the only thing that repeats either. Levels tend to be reused quite a bit, let alone the enemies. While they do get new models as you progess, just like with the guns, they are still pretty much the same enemies. It even goes so far as to reuse the bosses you fight. Due to the minor RPG nature of the game, don't be surprised if you end up having to revisit the same chapters to grind for money, XP and loot drops before being able to progress just a tiny bit further in the game.

In general, this game is far from perfect. While Normal mode is a blast to play, anything higher than Normal you'll probably never get to enjoy unless you gather up a well trained party to play with and have the best gear money (or in this case, bolts) can buy. On the other hand, if you are looking for a simple game where you mow down hords of robots with a gatling gun, freeze ray, or even gnome missle launchers, I suggest you get it on sale. It is not great, but I still think it is worth experiencing at least the first 1/3 of the game. And if you have friends, then congrats, you might be able to go deeper into the game and see just how far you can go before you hit a wall of rusty steel.
Posted January 9, 2015.
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37 people found this review helpful
2 people found this review funny
38.6 hrs on record (18.9 hrs at review time)
Steam is home to a lot of crap, and I do mean a lot.. But it also is home to a number of hidden gems that no one really talks about much.

Mini Ninjas is one of those gems. A bit of an imperfect one, sure, but a gem nontheless. And like many hidden gems, it doesn't get a whole lot of attention.

The game is kinda an action adventure game, with small elements of RPG and stealth. You play the role of a ninja named Hiro, who is tasked with finding all his lost friends and saving the world while he is at it. A lot of pressure, I know, but then you are a ninja with the power to control the elements, so it shouldn't be too hard (Which kinda is a problem for the game, I'll explain later)

Being that you play the role of a ninja, stealth is a tool you'll be making a lot of use out of. As some might indicate, however, the stealth aspect of the game isn't really all that advanced, and oftentimes isn't used to avoid fights so much as it is to get the first strike in any given fight (or outright kill everyone in a patrol before they even have time to react). While it is possible to avoid fights, you won't want to in the early game, because you need to fight to gain XP and level up. Otherwise, the road ahead will be awfully harsh to those who don't kick enough butt. While quietly avoiding fights isn't encouraged (At least in the early game), the stealth system does indeed work very well, and in the late game, where by then you are already maxed out, it becomes much more viable.

When the time comes to fight, however, it is a mixed bag. Combat is simple, with a few basic attacks, a block breaker, and even a super move that can cause all sorts of pain for those unlucky to be the target of it. You also have a selection of items that can make fights go more smoothly, such as pepper bombs and potions that make arrows bounce off your face. However, the problem is that it IS simple, even to the point of simply mashing the two buttons until everyone is dead before moving on to the next fight. I myself don't mind it, but those seeking a deeper combat system might not enjoy the game as much.

Sure, as you progress through the game you'll unlock more ninjas to fight with, each having their own style (Such as the fat ninja's brute force hammer skills that can make fighting larger enemies blindingly easy, or the archer ninja's ranged combat skills). However, I never really did bother to use any of them besides the ninja you start with. In DK 64, the devs made it so that you had to use all the Kongs in order to beat the game, so you couldn't just march through the whole game with Donkey Kong the whole time. Not so much here, where you can get through the entire game without changing ninjas ONCE. Maybe on hard mode, you would have to swap out ninjas more often, but on normal mode it is rather pointless for the most part, and in some cases even more fun, since fighting larger enemies feels more satisfying when you have to put up a real fight to take them down, rather than swapping over to fat ninja and just wailing on them, stun locking them to death. And even moreso, the starter ninja is the only one who can use magic, and as you progress through the game, you'll learn how important magic is.

So, the combat is ok at best, the whole 6 ninja team gimmic is iffy when you can go through the whole game with the main star of the game just fine (and possibly makes the adventure so much more interesting and challenging), and stealth early on, while it does play a considerable role in the game, is mostly used for ambushing more than avoiding conflict altogether. And yet... I love this game.

Maybe it is because it reminds me of the glory days, back when we had games like Banjo & Kazooie 1 & 2, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Jak and Daxter... You know those kind of games? The ones where you feel like you are on a real adventure throughout an interesting, if sometimes even strange, world waiting to be explored. You start out in your humble village, venturing out chapter after chapter on your way to the big bad guy himself, taking out his generals and anyone else who dares to get in your way, while at the same time taking a moment to explore the area for goodies and new spells to unlock. It helps that the world and the music that fills it is quite appealing, making the journey all the more enjoyable. That, and it is around 9-10 hours on my first playthrough, so you get your money's worth for sure. Gotta love a game that keeps you busy for a nice long while.

As much as I'd like to yammer on and on, I'd like to wrap it up as a game that, while the gem is a bit cloudy, it is a gem nontheless, and a shame that it isn't more popular, let alone given a respected sequel (instead getting spinoffs on the Kinect and a Ipad runner.. Yeah, kinda a sad fate for the ninjas if you ask me).
Posted December 14, 2014.
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