Limbo

This wonderful game comes from a Danish developer called Playdead.  To delve into this game you have to be alright with figuring out the story as you go.  None of this "read the back of the case" sort of shenanigans.

Like I'm going to give you enough time to read it anyway.

You start off thrown into a black and white world of uncertainty.  Why am I here?  What am I doing?  I guess it's time to put one foot in front of the other.  This part really intrigued me.  I continually wanted to know more and more about what was going on, where I was (Semi-obvious, then again... Who knows?) and HOW I got there.

What do you mean how?

Of course, you are thrown into danger almost immediately.  You should know by now I give no spoilers, but I will say that the game pulls you in fast and hard.  The atmosphere is perfect for what is going on.  This does, however, end up being the single downfall of this game.

The dev is angry! THE DEV IS ANGRY!

The only issue I had with the game was the inability to know what parts of the map/game were... mobile/usable vs. hard set level pieces.  It became incredibly frustrating to have jumped on something that didn't move only to find (on the 2nd or 3rd try) that it was paramount to continuing on my journey.  Especially because it seemed I should have somehow known this log or what-have-you was there for my use.  Maybe that is how the developer wanted it.  I guess without an interview we'll never know.

Seriously?  Not even a little wobble or something?

That contention aside, the rest of the game is top notch.  The music that went with it (which we can thank Martin Stig Andersen for) perfectly fit every instance/situation.  The controls were almost a bit clunky, but it fit the feel of the game.  I mean, you're some dumb kid who is- Just kidding.  In all seriousness though, you're just some fucking kid.  Not some super soldier.  Not some genetically engineered badass.  You're just a kid in a story.

You will definitely be scratching your head at some of a puzzles so be sure to get ready for a few mulligans along the way.  Overall though, this game is fantastic.  Especially for only $10 on Steam.  I've gotten over 2 hours in and what's $5/hr?  Well... Probably over half of your hourly wage if you're reading this, but it's absolutely worth it.

Mirror's Edge

You still have 5 days left to get the EA humble bundle!  I haven't gotten to play all the way through any of the other games from it (as they are much longer and involved) but this one I have and thus why I'm reviewing it!  (And don't forget Mirror's Edge 2 has been announced!)

If you were one of the people who picked it up when it first came out for xbox or even for pc, you probably already have your idea of what this game is like.  I read multiple reviews before buying the humble bundle because, of course, I wanted to know if any of them were worth even the small amount.  Turns out: Fuck yes.

I may be late to the party, but I'm not wrong.

Slow pokemon aside, I found many split reviews.  Some people hated Mirror's Edge with a passion and others loved it.  I am in the middle, leaning toward loving it.  It was definitely marketed wrong.  EA wanted to act as if it were some giant open world that you could traverse in your shenanigans as Faith (Effy to her friends) while in reality you're given quite limited options most of the time.  If you can put that aside, feel free to keep reading about this awesome game!

Bu-bu-bu-but i-i-i-it s-sss-sssaid it wa-wa-was open wo-worrrld.

"SHUT UP!"

The gameplay mechanics are a bit tricky at first.  You really need to pay attention during the tutorial because it is your 1 and only chance to get acclimated to the controls.  If you just use your regular WASD paired with some puzzle-solving wit it's not usually very difficult on normal.  The added "runner vision" where stuff you're probably supposed to use turns red is helpful in this landscape of bright white, blue, and a few other acid-trip vivid colors.

Seriously, you will be the dog at times.

The game is overall fun because of a semi-traditional story mixed with fun puzzles to solve.  It DOES become repetitive though.  I found that because it was a short enough game (maybe 3-4 hours of gameplay) that it didn't become terribly repetitive.  Could you see what was coming next during the in-game situations?  Absolutely.  Why keep playing?  The story is fun, semi-engrossing and so is running around doing parkour. 

The music, in my mind, is epic in a non-traditional way.  It's not the "TO BATTLE!" sort of music you hear on most games because you're not rushing into a battle.  You're running for your goddamn life.  The mystery that surround the story is also perfect for this sort of game.

Stories come and go and this one doesn't stand out too much.  The gameplay is what ties everything together.  This is also one of the first games I've seen break the mold in the way of cut-scenes.  Instead of the spectacular graphics being used for the cut-scenes and story telling, they're used for the gameplay.  While the cut-scenes that tell the story are basically between mediocre and good flash graphics circa 2004.

See?  Not awful but it's not the top of the line shit you'd expect.

Like I said, the bang for the buck (especially since you can pay $1 for 5 games during this bundle of great games) is definitely apparent. 

I personally paid (yes, I'm a cheap fuck) $1.01.  So for the 5 games (technically 6 but there's no fucking way I'm installing Origin) I got they were 20 and a fifth cents each.  I've logged 4 hours on Mirror's Edge that's 5 cents an hour.  Great deal.  Go get the Humble Bundle and enjoy some games.

The Binding of Isaac!

Let's jump straight into why I'm discussing The Binding of Isaac today: The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth Teaser Trailer has been released!

The Binding of Isaac, created by +Edmund McMillen and +Florian Himsl, is perfect for the frugal gamer.  (It has never cost more than $5.) When it came out back in late 2011 it was reminiscent of Zelda: A Link to the Past (one of my all-time favorite games.)  The 2D run and shoot (rather than slash as per Zelda) immediately got my attention.  Not only did the game play seem intuitive but the macabre elements and overall plot (mixed with the PERFECTLY eerie scores by +Danny Baranowsky) grabbed me by the throat.

How can you describe fighting a few-toothed head with a cleft palate

that spits and jumps around with a grin?

The game follows poor Isaac who is about to (this isn't a spoiler, it's the intro to the game) be murdered by his crazy voice-hearing Christian mother.  What does he do?  Flees for his life into the basement through a trap door.  I don't know about any of the readers out there but when I was a kid, a dark basement was the last place I wanted to be... Especially after my polka-dot-moo-moo-wearing-butcher-knife-wielding-mother tried to kill me.

The basement doesn't seem so bad anymore.

To start off, the levels are randomly generated.  This makes it so that every time you play you're not playing the same levels, with the same item possibilities, or with the same amount of bombs and keys.  (Bombs and keys are straight forward enough for you, right?)  There are literally hundreds of items to use that range from more tears (your attack projectile, there isn't a melee) to being able to see the secret rooms.  There are also "usable" items that get recharged after use by entering a certain amount of previously unentered rooms.  Don't forget the Tarot cards and pills that have different one use abilities, either!  All of these factors ensure you'll never play the same game twice.

NOW I know why mom kept me out of the medicine cabinet.

Another thing about this game is that gives it an awesome throw-back pat on the back: If you die, you're done.  Start over from the beginning.  No saves in between, it's life or death for Isaac and his fate is in your sweaty uber-micro hands.  Some people have said, "It's not fair!"  I tend to laugh at them because 95% your deaths are because you fucked up.  It means you didn't use the range to your advantage, or didn't zig when you could (and should) have zagged.  I'm not saying NONE of your deaths will be unfair (as games with randomly generated levels can be at times) but most are because of human error.

Even if it's not your fault, this will be you.

Oh!  One other thing I forgot.  For your first... 30-50 play-throughs, this is without the DLC, you're going to want the wiki's (items and cards) open so you know if you want to grab certain items and what they do to help you.

All of that aside, I want to point out how incognito the symbolism in this game is.  If you play it enough, and you've ever taken a few psychology classes during the "some college" that you put on your resumes, you'll see it eventually.  I won't go in depth, because that ruins the fun of finding things out for yourself, but it is definitely another facet of TBoI in the plus category.

You may be wondering why I keep saying "games" when TBoI: Rebirth has only been announced.  Well, there's the DLC "Wrath of the Lamb."  This is where things get tricky.  If the original was difficult for you to go beat mom (which you have to do multiple times to actually complete the game) then I wouldn't suggest the DLC right away.  It adds more items, more cards, new enemies, new bosses, a new secret room, and of course more frustration.

THAT'S THE 15TH FUCKING TIME!

It is definitely a frugal gamer's wet dream by coming in under $10 (including the DLC) while having a replay value I haven't come across before in a single-player game.

I personally have ~75 hours logged.  I've paid all of $4.99 without the DLC. When you do the maths here it comes out to around 0.07 cents PER HOUR! (Yes, I said maths.) If that doesn't sound like a good deal to you, I have no idea what would.

Without further ado, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth Teaser Trailer!