How can a 69 be bad? Usually a 69 means two people are having lots fun playing a co-op game with built-in feedback and joysticks. But in this case, a little 69 spells doom for the small studio that produced Shoot Many Robots!
I love Shoot Many Robots! There, the initial fit of gushing is out of the way and I can move on to the more substantive part of the review.
Since Metacritic reviews are so important to the success of small studios, I'm perplexed why this particular game has seen so many detractors. Maybe its the playful redneck world that is looked down upon by serious gamers and critics who like to think they are above highfalutin humor. In one case (IGN reviewer Mitch Dyer), it was about the controls. He couldn't get over that you had to stop to aim. For shame! You can run and gun while playing, but to aim in specific directions you need to hold down left trigger and aim. That apparently killed the game for Mitch. His other complaints seem more like the rantings of a bad gamer who gave this only the most cursory of looks rather than a full blown review based on extended gameplay.
I have a problem with this. Friends of mine, even fellow bloggers here, aren't going to consider a game that earns a 69 on Metacritic. It means the game is flawed and with countless good/expensive/AAA games in all of our queues, a flawed game just won't be played. This is a shame because Demiurge (the studio behind this effort) deserved better and the game should appeal to many types of gamers for what it is -- explosive, mindless, side-scrolling fun.
Shoot Many Robots! is a semi-old school side-scrolling that reminded me of a mix between Contra and Borderlands. There a very limited number of enemies and a seemingly endless variety of guns. You shoot the enemies, move through a small number of recycled maps, collect nuts (the games currency), and then buy new guns and equipment to take on new challenges.
The equipment has noticeable gameplay impact. Gear that gives -speed actually make you slower. Gear that has +jump allows you get to parts of the game you couldn't otherwise. Gear with +hangtime allows you to hover above enemies spraying them with bullets. Gear comes in three rarities (gold - best (most modifiers)), silver and plain. Loot drops are random and frequent. They often appear after a particularly hard section or in some out of the way area.
The pacing feels right, although you can enter random multiplayer games with people significantly higher level than you where you will do next to zero damage to the multitudes of robots on screen.
So whats fun about it? The loot mechanic is fun and putting together a bunch of gear that gives +explosive and then wielding a small, slow firing explosive pistol that demolishes everything on the screen...that is priceless.
You won't like this game if you are looking for "story" or "depth" - those are noticeably and thankfully absent. The game is more fun and more rewarding with others, although playing with strangers on XBOX live you run into the typical "silent gamer who runs through everything as fast possible" as much as you do friendly fellow co-opers.
On a scale of 5-10 (I like most games, so the lower scores seem unnecessary), I'd give it a 8. It has succeeded in providing short bursts of fun and excitement over a period of several weeks now -- better than most games.
You can find me online -- GAMERTAG: AkidderZ
I love Shoot Many Robots! There, the initial fit of gushing is out of the way and I can move on to the more substantive part of the review.
Since Metacritic reviews are so important to the success of small studios, I'm perplexed why this particular game has seen so many detractors. Maybe its the playful redneck world that is looked down upon by serious gamers and critics who like to think they are above highfalutin humor. In one case (IGN reviewer Mitch Dyer), it was about the controls. He couldn't get over that you had to stop to aim. For shame! You can run and gun while playing, but to aim in specific directions you need to hold down left trigger and aim. That apparently killed the game for Mitch. His other complaints seem more like the rantings of a bad gamer who gave this only the most cursory of looks rather than a full blown review based on extended gameplay.
I have a problem with this. Friends of mine, even fellow bloggers here, aren't going to consider a game that earns a 69 on Metacritic. It means the game is flawed and with countless good/expensive/AAA games in all of our queues, a flawed game just won't be played. This is a shame because Demiurge (the studio behind this effort) deserved better and the game should appeal to many types of gamers for what it is -- explosive, mindless, side-scrolling fun.
Shoot Many Robots! is a semi-old school side-scrolling that reminded me of a mix between Contra and Borderlands. There a very limited number of enemies and a seemingly endless variety of guns. You shoot the enemies, move through a small number of recycled maps, collect nuts (the games currency), and then buy new guns and equipment to take on new challenges.
The equipment has noticeable gameplay impact. Gear that gives -speed actually make you slower. Gear that has +jump allows you get to parts of the game you couldn't otherwise. Gear with +hangtime allows you to hover above enemies spraying them with bullets. Gear comes in three rarities (gold - best (most modifiers)), silver and plain. Loot drops are random and frequent. They often appear after a particularly hard section or in some out of the way area.
The pacing feels right, although you can enter random multiplayer games with people significantly higher level than you where you will do next to zero damage to the multitudes of robots on screen.
So whats fun about it? The loot mechanic is fun and putting together a bunch of gear that gives +explosive and then wielding a small, slow firing explosive pistol that demolishes everything on the screen...that is priceless.
You won't like this game if you are looking for "story" or "depth" - those are noticeably and thankfully absent. The game is more fun and more rewarding with others, although playing with strangers on XBOX live you run into the typical "silent gamer who runs through everything as fast possible" as much as you do friendly fellow co-opers.
On a scale of 5-10 (I like most games, so the lower scores seem unnecessary), I'd give it a 8. It has succeeded in providing short bursts of fun and excitement over a period of several weeks now -- better than most games.
You can find me online -- GAMERTAG: AkidderZ
No comments:
Post a Comment