phantom_leo said:

I LOVE how each Chapter Starts and Ends like a Television show! I just finished Chapter 2!

I have come to two conclusions:

(1) Did this game borrow heavily from Deadly Premonition or vice-versa?

...

I don't think either would have influenced each other.  Remedy and Access Games are both pretty set in their creative ways to borrow from elsewhere.

They both draw from Twin Peaks heavily though.

I love how GORGEOUS, detailed and lush this game is! The plants, trees and vegetation in the forest areas are unmatched as far as I remember in any game like this!

I love how simply the game plays and the fact that you CAN run through it IF you want, but the game then is masterful at providing juuuust enough motivation in the narration to see what happens next and seek out everything you can... Just to "enlighten" yourself on the game's mysteries!

It plays like a simple shooter but encourages you to explore too. It has the absolute PERFECT blend of action, suspense and story. There's REALLY nothing else out there like it!

*This is the part of the game I am in right now!*

You would AB-SO-LUTE-LY LOVE IT!

phantom_leo said:

phantom_leo said:

YOU would have to approach this one with caution. It's NOT Resident Evil 4 for the 360! It's not a hardcore, kick-ass action title. It's more of an experience; like playing through a good thriller novel. The puzzles are light, the action is not overly challenging, but the atmosphere and the story that drags you forward as you yearn to learn just a little bit more, just a little bit more... THAT was the hook for me! The story seems to be pretty symbolic and obscure; I'm still mulling over what happened, trying to grasp everything they were trying to do with it. There's a few WTF moments that may or may not be explained by the DLC episodes. I'm gonna have to read a few reviews, get a few impressions from elsewhere and try to piece together the things I know about it to see if it all makes sense. Totally worth playing in my eyes, at least!

Thanks, that is the perfect kind of response, I have a better idea of what its like. I knew it wasn't crazy action but I was hoping other elements would put it over the top for me. Seems like the kind of game where I would say the gameplay isn't much to write home about but the presentation and atmosphere makes the game worth playing.

Both Alan Wake DLC's: The Signal and The Writer, done and done!

Moving on to:

If you have the means to do so, I HIGHLY recommend checking out The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile!

Not only is it dark and beautiful, it is a HELL of a lot of fun to play! At it's heart, it is a side-scrolling brawler with elements of Devil May Cry mixed in, but there's so many intricacies that make it so much MORE than just another side-scroller, I don't even know where to begin!

The art-style is very unique. It is NOT just black and white; color is used to TREMENDOUS effect. Either you are seeing blood fly (and is ever oh so bright contrasted against the muted colors of the background!)... OR you are seeing blue Sparks flicker, which means you are hitting your enemies and you have the potential for combos and finishing moves! Your combos and finishers can end with the press of the X, Y or B buttons and the color of the buttons stand out (they are displayed on screen) ALSO very brightly against the backgrounds. It makes inputting your combos that much more easy! You just have to see it all in motion to get it. Most still screens just seem to accentuate the black and white!

The gameplay is diverse. You move like a ninja, but you are (I assume) a Vampire. You can double jump, run up walls, and blood warp (you dissolve into blood mist to pass obstacles and enemies). You start with a sword, but you get more and more weapons as the game goes on. You get a machine gun arm. You get a chain-saw. You get various different types of swords that you can switch between and combo into and out of. Yeah. You even get a 'Cloud Sword' and it looks exactly as you would expect it to! The description of this sword is hilarious! It is something like "Bring down the fury of the heavens with this sword, whose name has nothing to do with anything else!" or something...!

You get food to replenish health. You get objects to equip, like Talismans that make you do more damage to the undead. You get different types of ammunition... For a side-scrolling brawler the arsenal is pretty damn impressive!

The action is fast paced and frantic. The enemies vary from biological, to robotic, to undead and gruesome! There are secret areas to uncover and you almost don't know what to expect around each corner. There was one secret area that I found that threw me into a Guitar Hero like rhythm mini-game! It was an awesome metal style tune! I am not familiar with the 360 buttons as I am with the Dual Shock! I was holding my breath the entire time, but managed to make only 4 or 5 mistakes and pull of a 93% and get a bonus item as a result! In other rooms, you'll be given count-down timers to kill a number of enemies and there doesn't seem to be a shortage of bosses to fight either!

I can't believe this is the work of ONE guy!? It just oozes with style, is a HELL of a lot of fun, and is unlike almost anything else out there. It's almost like the Limbo of beat-em-ups, but it is actually SOOO much more exciting than the creepy little puzzler...

GIVE IT A TRY AND SUPPORT AN INDIE DEVELOPER!

*More coming as I play more!*

I didn't even know it existed until this game came out! Was it good too?