Recent reviews by Twentycen

Don't believe the negative reviews on this game, yes I won't deny its a short experience but its a bloody fantastic experience in the time it lasts!

I'm personally someone in the late thirties age range and this brings back so many memories to me in both the story and the game genres that are on offer here. Looking at the games on a one to one basis they are pretty polished and play fine, they lack any real depth but thats to be expected as if you want real depth then just go and play an actual old game of the genre you want.
This isn't trying to be a master at every genre it emulates but what it does try and do it does a fantastic job about it. I was quite suprised how the team managed to build a story around all of the games (levels) bringing it together and still made it an enjoyable experience.
198X covers most of the genres from the era that has gone by: beat em ups, shoot em ups, platforming (Shinobi esq style!), old school dungeon crawler RPGs, Outrun esq racers

If you enjoy and enjoyed playing some of the old quality titles that have gone by in time (both on console and in the arcade) then there is no reason why you won't like this game.

Go on, give it a try... it'll make you smile! :)

Dot.Emu do such a good job in porting these classics to PC, if you haven't already got this one and love the old classic shmups then you really should.

Only little gripe with it is the sound levels varies greatly from one game to the next but i suspect that could be due to emulation issues. Don't pass up because of this though, good buy!

I went into this game not really knowing what to expect. I am an old school (Amiga) point n click adventure game fan and I think I got this as part of a humble bundle a while ago. I was very pleasently suprised, it is a great game.
As other reviewers have stated it is not a traditional old school point and click adventure but more of a hybrid of adventure and the modern visual novel way about things.
The pixelated graphics are great and really draw you further into the game and the story was a great bonus, it was a charm to see it played out before you.

If you enjoy adventure games be sure not to pass this one over, recommended.

Great little shooter this is. Immediately upon loading it for the first time I was immediately took on a nostalgia trip back to my Amiga 1200 days. The game seems polished and flows together nicely but be warned it will take quite a bit of practice and weapon upgrading to get anywhere in this game!
Recommend though!

Personally I didn't get what all the fuss was about with this game, It was nice and polished but just seemed like something was missing to me (coming from an old school 90's arcade shmup fan)...

Its Ok....

Hmmm weird but likeable.... its free!

Summary
Polished brilliant Indie game....... but has an edge of frustration that could be too much for some people (... including me!).

Gameplay
Super MeatBoy is a modern day quality platformer, it is incredibly hard to master the game but other than being a little frustrated along the way you will be enjoying every minute of trying to rescue Bandage Girl.

This is the kind of game that you will need to play in short spurts as playing for hours on end will probably age you a few years if not breaking fragile items that are placed around by your play area.

Basically, each level you need to reach his girlfriend (Bandage Girl) as quickly as possible without dying by avoiding enemies and traps. All of the levels take place in varied locations such as Caves, Volcanoes etc to bring a varied reply factor to the game and the game progress's at a nice pace to a climatic battle at the end with Dr Featus.

Graphics/Music
The graphics are extremely polished for an Indie title and look great in 1080p, each world has its own distinct art style that plays through perfectly in the game world.
The Music and Sounds are nice, as you will (almost guaranteed) be repeating some levels over and over and over.... you need to have a soundtrack that doesn't get annoying fast and I'm pleased to say that Super MeatBoy's soundtrack is good and is easy to listen to for an extended period of time.

Pros/Cons

Pros
+ Graphics/Music and Sound are great for an Indie title
+ Frustrating yet addicting in the same sentence, it has that positive 'just one more try' mentality to it.
+ Great little story cutscenes before attempting each level/hub.

Cons
- Very tough to master, starts off 'easier' not easy and ramps the difficulty up.
- Not really a 'casual' game in the respect of the hard difficulty.

Final/Personal Thoughts
I personally didn't pick up Super MeatBoy at launch and waited a while for it to appear in the great Steam Sales, overall I would not have been disappointed if I would have picked this up at full price early on as it is a title that is definitely worth it. The amount of content that is in included is fantastic and worth the effort. Patience, please!
If you do spot this in the sale with a discount please do not glance over it... what are you waiting for.... purchase now if you haven't already!

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Bardbarian is a nice tower style RPG action defense type of game (if that is even a thing?!)

Gameplay

In Bardbarian you play as Brad who set's out to defend the precious towns Crystal (and protecting all the residents of the town) calling upon the help of various useful warriors, ninja's, medics etc that are all available for you to choose your own army.
The core mechanic of the game is basically a scrolling from left to right action fest where anything that moves or comes your way from the right you must use your own chosen small army to ensure they are taken out before they come anywhere near the town's crystal and inflict damage.
Bardbarian is a large game that has tonnes of replayability and XP grinding (that doesn't seem much of chore). It has a nice mechanic that keeps the game flowing along nicely allowing you to upgrade your arsenal of chosen Warriors after each fight is over!

Graphics/Music

Being an Indie game it is sometimes hit and miss with what graphics can be on offer but I personally found the overall 'sheen' and 'quality' to be of a very high standard.
The music seems to suit the game well, I liked the touch of the little guitar 'licks' each time you engaged Brad to summon a warrior or power. I accidently left the title screen music playing for about 30 mins on once occasion and it didn't grate on me either which is definitely not a bad thing.

Pros/Cons

Pros
+ Pleasing high-quality graphics and production.
+ A Casual game but still has that 'one more game before I turn it off.. appeal!'.
+ Wide arrays of characters for your arsenal of good guys.
+ Extra game modes to play alongside the main campaign.

Cons
- Took a long time to figure out the correct (and best) upgrade paths for your team.
- Can have a frustrating one hit death to your main character Brad at the most inconvenient times.

Final/Personal Thoughts

Bardbarian is a high-quality Indie title that I personally enjoyed playing through, yes it can be frustrating at times but as soon as you have put some time and effort into the game it will reward you with revisiting the same levels but the game being a lot easier to conquer (having a team with fully upgraded warriors!).
Recommended purchase if on sale or part of a bundle!

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Proto Raider is 'one click' inspired Indie title that sounds so basic yet offers so much fun

Gameplay
Proto Raider is basically a puzzle inspired game, that takes away most of the complication of many other games just giving you one input to instruct your game character to jump.
The basic premise on each level is to collect as many chests as possible, pick up the key and exit the level. The game will automatically make your character run in a specified direction and you must use your mind to read the task ahead and decide when is the best time to instruct the character to jump. It sounds rather basic explained in this sense but it is a lot more in-depth experience than that.


Graphics/Music
The graphics are classic ASCII 8 bit inspired lines and dots, to me personally, I find this rather appealing and applaud any game that uses this style. There was plenty of options available in the options screen to ensure you can have as much ASCII graphical pleasure as your inner retro monster desires.
The music is nice and has a sort of chillout classic 8bit sound to it, I found from replaying levels and listening to it for a few times it never really grated on me.

Pros/Cons

Pros
+ Graphics are very retro ASCII style.
+ It has the most simple premise of any game but is still so challenging.
+ A lot of levels keeping you busy for some time.

Cons
- Some puzzles can be over frustrating.
- Certain boss fights can appear impossible first time round

Final/Personal Thoughts
I personally received Proto Raider in a bundle and was unsure what to really expect. I was very happy when I played the game to discover it was a rather simple yet satisfying puzzle game and I was surprised how the developed the game to offer so much on a simple premise.
If this is in the sale definitely give this one a shot, it's a good casual time waster if nothing else.

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A nice little change to Football Manager... Just wish it had the license for real names!