Beat Cop - Review

I recently finished playing Hong Kong Massacre.  While making the purchase other games were suggested to me, including Beat Cop.  A pixelated point-and-click adventure about being a beat cop.  It seemed like an interesting game and thought why not give it a go.


I like doughnuts.  Some admittedly are a lot better than others.  Donuts have become the latest food trend, along with burritos, in Cork city (where I live). There are tons of donut shops, which all offer delicious looking donuts with creative fillings, but a lot of them fall short of expectation, being a bit dry or made from mediocre dough. However, for any doughnut lovers reading this you know it takes something special to make a truly tasty doughnut.  Playing Beat Cop I found myself asking was it enough to be considered a tasty doughnut?

Story


The storytelling mechanic is interesting and perhaps even unique.  The game offers you a quick set of storyboards that set the premise for the game.  However, if you miss this somehow and want to know the entire idea of the game including the story just listen to the track 'It's Gonna Change The Game'. The game is set in the eighties and you take on the role of Detective Jack Kelly, he is called to a Senator's house to stop a robbery, however, things go awry.   Kelly is quickly demoted to a beat cop after being suspected of the theft.   It sounds interesting, right?  It is but starts to falter from this point onwards.  The game has you deal with the mundanity of your day to day duties, keeping the peace with the people including people, store owners, and local gangs.  Unfortunately, it loses sight of the main story, it jumps in and out of it and can be easy to miss certain parts.


Overall the idea is interesting but is not executed very well.  The game has multiple endings none of which left me feeling satisfied.  When I tried to complete my final day I was unable to do anything which essentially meant I had to be a beat cop until the end of my days.  I feel the story could have been a lot stronger if it decided to focus either on the main story or being a beat cop, as overall it is not very well balanced.

Visuals

I love the visuals in the game!  I'm always amazed when a pixelated game manages to have so much detail in it.   There is graffiti on the walls, there are fumes from traffic, the walls of buildings look beaten up.  Easily the strongest part of the game is the visuals it provides.  They manage to be fun, quirky and gritty.  It feels like a living world, which for a pixelated game is quite impressive.


Overall the visuals are amazing and help create an impressive world, even if it is only one street.


Music

The score is a blend of Beastie Boys, cop show music and old retro games from the eighties and nineties.  The score was composed by Piotr Musial, who works include Witcher 3, This War of Mine and one of my favorite games of last year Frost Punk.  Working along with Musial are composers Patryk Grzeszczuk and William Bradford


The score comes in at around twenty minutes long and features a handful of tracks.  My favorites being, 'Beat Cop Theme', 'Corpus Delicti' and 'Get Even'.  Overall the soundtrack isn't especially amazing but certainly isn't the worst.

Gameplay


Beat Cop is a pixelated point-and-click game. The gameplay is a bit of a mixed bag, in a similar way to the story itself.  Each day you will get a briefing as to what you need to achieve that day.  Some days are okay, others are a bit more awkward.  For example, you might need to write ten parking tickets, other days you might have to write five tickets for broken lights, four for damaged tires and get half of them towed.  This is not to mention you will have to deal with requests from people.  There is also having to deal with gang requests, you can ignore them or help them, no matter what you do something will have to be sacrificed.   Time management is key.


One review I read was fairly negative and disapproved of the game for its amount of language, racism, and general bigotry.  It is important to remember this game was set in the eighties where much of this did in fact exist.  It doesn't mean it was right but it can't be ignored either.  I don't think the aim of the studio was to be political, but simply to highlight how some things were and to a degree still are now.


The beat you have is just one street, but with so much happening that is more than enough.  One of the biggest things you will do is write tickets, which is pretty mundane and can take time.  Playing you have the choice of writing up false tickets to hit your quota, and even take bribes to turn a blind eye, sometimes you will get away with it other times it affects your pay packet.  The gang requests I feel are some of the toughest because it is difficult to toe the line and keep everyone happy.  I never got the gangs to completely hate me fully if I had I think it would have been detrimental to my health.


I did have a number of issues with the gameplay.  If a robbery occurred at the Hi-Fi Store ninety percent of the time they would get away.  This is due to it being right at the end of your beat and the thief would run off screen straight away.  Occasionally the game would glitch not registering what I had done, or halfway through one day all the parked disappeared and I couldn't hit my ticket quota. Eating can help restore your stamina but I felt it was unnecessary as I never saw any improvement.  Some days are almost carbon copies of each other making it feel like a bit of a slog at times.

Overall there are some interesting elements to the gameplay but similar to the story it seems to spend too much having you write tickets and not enough time working on things that matter.

Final Thoughts

After ten hours of playing how did I feel?  Meh.  The game has potential but both story and gameplay need a bit of work.  The visuals are great, and the music is okay.  It's not the worst game in the world but never seems to realise its potential.  This one scrapes a 3 out of 5

Hong Kong Massacre - Review

I recently got back from a few days away at the coast, it was great. Watching the ocean, walking through fields and getting to experience wildlife you just don't see in the city.  It's nice to be back though as my hands were itching to play the new game I download, Hong Kong Massacre.  The game caught my attention a couple of months, it basically combines Max Payne with Hot Line Miami.


While I was away we ate good wholesome food.  My favourite meal was a part boned, part stuffed chicken thigh with garlic baby potatoes and a splash of chicken gravy.  It was simple, hearty and tasty.  Playing Hong Kong Massacre I found myself asking was this simple, hearty meal I needed or was it just a mess?

Story


The game is set in Hong Kong in 1992 and spans over fours days.  The game provides little story but from what I pieced together you are Detective that recently lost their partner.  After you both make one of the biggest drug busts the Triads become a little unhappy and kill your partner.  The story is about revenge, not only for your partner but from other lives who have been affected by the Triad.


The story is broken up into multiple chapters with names like, 'Bang, bang, feels good to be back',
'Vengence is my only friend', and 'No one else is safe until you're dead'.  While the story is fairly simple I didn't find this to be a bad thing, at the end of the day it's a story about revenge, no need to over complicate it.

Visuals


Throughout the levels, smoke hangs thick in the air which creates a moody and hopeless feeling.  The areas you visit often have discussed and run down look to them. Two of my favorite level designs were The Red Dragon and Kung Fang restaurants.  There was just something about the beaten up kitchens and dark alleyways that gave the feeling of old cop movies.  One of the smaller details I like is seeing papers flying up into the air, similar to John Woo's classic use of doves.  The downside with the visuals is that sometimes distinguishing the environment can be tough and sometimes that wall is actually a window.


Overall the visuals are great and have a real feeling of an old cop movie from the eighties and nineties.  While some of the environments aren't always the easiest to work out it never really stopped my enjoyment of the game.


Music 


The game combines electronic and dance music with sprinklings of old retro games similar to the ones you would have found on the Sega Megadrive and Genesis. The music is produced by Professor Kliq an American composer and musician.  He has released a number of albums including, Wire and Flashing Lights, Guns Blazing, and Scientific Method Volume Three.


The soundtrack runs a little over an hour and has features some great tracks.  Unfortunately, as of writing this, there is no official release of the sound.  Because of this, I can't provide names to any of the tracks.   Overall Hong Kong Massacre has an interesting soundtrack that fits in perfectly with the game.

Gameplay


Hong Kong Massacre was created by Vreski is a small independent studio based out of Sweden. It is a top-down game that is Max Payne meets Hotline Miami.  The gameplay is challenging and you will need to dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge to survive.  The game has bullet time like Max Payne and features Hotline Miami's 'one bullet and you're dead' system.  These two together work really well.


There are four weapons, pistol, shotgun, SMG and rifle, all of which can be upgraded.  While they all have their benefit my favorite was the pistol, especially once I unlocked unlimited ammo.


The game has more than thirty levels and even a handful of boss fights.  Some of the levels can feel a little samey, and unfortunately, the bosses have a rinse and repeat feeling with no real decipherable difference between them.  If you are not finding the levels tough enough you can try to complete the challenges.


Overall the gameplay was a lot of fun, the levels can be challenging and while there is a little bit of rinse and repeat it still holds up pretty well.





Final Thoughts

So, after a little over five hours how did I feel? Pretty pumped.  The story is about revenge plain, simple and effective.  The visuals are very atmospheric and while there is a slight lack of variety the gameplay helps pick up the slack.  The music is well suited to the game and helps tie everything together.  Hong Kong Massacre gets 4 out of 5

Guacamelee 2 - Review

I remember playing the original Guacamelee! on the PS Vita a number of years ago and had a lot of fun playing it.  I was eager to play Guacamelee! 2 when it was released in 2018, but as these things often go I got distracted with other things.  I finally downloaded Guacamelee! 2 the other day and couldn't wait to play it.


I like chicken wings, but unless you are willing to go to a restaurant, or go to the effort of making them yourself it's hard to buy good shop bought ones.  I recently came across Diggers Hot 'N' Spicy Wings, I was intrigued so I bought a box of them.  Well damn, if they weren't tasty and had quite a heat to them.  Playing Guacmelee 2! I found myself asking would this be another disappointing shop bought chicken wing or would this be something special?

Story


Since Juan saved the world he got married, had a few kids, and he has let himself go a little.  If I'm honest he seemed a little unhappy, I suppose saving the world is a high that is hard to top.  But wait, what's that the world isn't trouble but the entire Mexiverse is?  Who can save us?  Luchador Juan!  The enemy this time is a luchador by the name of Salvador.  He is evil and has a bad case of smokers cough.  He intends to obtain the magical guacamole made by a god to take over and destroy the Mexiverse.  But fear, not Juan will not do it alone, he has allies and the Chicken Illuminati (we're not supposed to talk about them).


Overall the story is a lot of fun.  The game is not afraid to poke fun at itself, use cheesy and pun related jokes and generally be silly.  The game also has a lot of heart and there is a lot of effort put into the story as a whole, which for a Castlevania-style game is pretty different to a lot of others available on the market.

Visuals


The game is very vibrant even though the story itself is quite dark itself.  If I had to provide an image to describe the visuals in Guacamelee! 2, I would say it's like a bunch of colourful pinatas in a graveyard.  The game is dark but offers hope through its colourful imagery.  There is a nice day of the dead undertone throughout the game which looks great and works really well.  Some of the enemies from the first game are still present but there are also a number of new ones too.


Overall the game looks superb and it was a pleasure to look at the world, often to detriment of Juan's health.


Music


The music is so much fun and I found it hard to describe the feel of the music.  When I was listening to the soundtrack on Band Camp it was described as 'Mexican-inspired brass, strings and guitars blend with driving electronic beats (and the occasional chicken)'.  This is a perfect description of the soundtrack and I could not say it better.  The music is composed by Peter Chapman, Rom Di Prisco and Mariachi Entertainment System.  Some of their works include; Little Big Planet Karting, Castle Game, Unreal Tournament 3 and Guacamelee! The Mariachi Entertainment System cover many great songs everything from Kirby, Zelda and Chrono Trigger to the Avengers Theme.


The score runs at over ninety minutes and has 32 tracks.  My favourite tracks were; 'Guacamelee 2 Main Theme', 'Salvador's Theme', 'Badlands', 'Guacamelee 2 Theme Marachi Edition',
'Prison El Corazon', 'Pueblucho Darkest Timeline (World of the Dead)', 'La Tragedia De Salvador',
'Tempo De La Serpentine', 'Final Boss Theme', 'Los Manglares' and 'New Boss Theme'.  Big shout out to the Chicken Illuminati HQ track which by far one of the most fun tracks I have heard in a while.


Overall the soundtrack was fantastic and really shows how important music is in video games.

Gameplay


Guacamelee! 2 is Castlevania-style brawler but in earnest this doesn't define the game well enough.  There was a point in the game where I had to beat a heart to death in the chest of a man-dog-undead-shaman, this really sums up the game. 


There will be plenty of enemies to punch, throw, and headbutt throughout the game.  Outside of, this there will be moves that will help you get around or up obstacles.   Juan also has a secondary form, Juan Pollo!  Navigating the world as a chicken is a lot of fun, and in honesty even when it wasn't necessary I used it.


There are new allies in the game which give you access to skill trees.  These are quite fun and really add to the overall gameplay.  If you want some help the game can also be played in 4-player.


The game has a lot of fun games references, one of the areas you go into has signs for Tripple Dragon, Rivera City Ransom and includes the Street Fighter car bonus level.


Overall the game offers challenging gameplay that will bring you close to the point of frustration but never actually gets there.  That being said on the occasion while playing the game some parts felt a little overly awkward but as a whole, I had a lot of fun.




Final Thoughts

So, after spending twelve hours in the Mexiverse how did I feel?  Really happy.  It was a great experience offering an interesting story, vibrant fun visuals a great soundtrack and some fun gameplay.  In honesty, it is hard to fault the game, with the exception of the occasional bit of overly awkward gameplay.  This one gets a solid 4 out of 5

Earth Atlantis - Review

I have just finished my first game of the month, Earth Atlantis.  Earth Atlantis was released in 2018 by HeadUp Games.  What drew me to Earth Atlantis was the visual design, an interesting brown and white sketchbook looking style.  The game was recently on sale on the PlayStation Store so I thought to myself, why not purchase it.


Oreos. When I first tried Oreo biscuits I thought they were okay but nothing special.  Then I tried them covered in white chocolate and had a mouth orgasm, or a mouthgasm if you will.  Changing gears slightly I really like Cadbury's Creme eggs, I know they are bad, I mean really bad for me but I don't care.  Naturally, when I saw that Oreo has combined their biscuit with a creme egg I was more than a little excited.  However, my excitement was misplaced as it ended up being a dry hollow experience.  Playing Earth Atlantis I found myself asking was the idea better than how it tasted?

Story


Side-scrollers, as a rule, don't have much of a story, which is fine but because the gameplay generally makes up for it.  Earth Atlantis has less of a story and more a concept and you are informed of this before you have even started playing.  'The Great Climate Shift struck at the end of the 21st century, leaving 96% of the Earth's surface underwater.  Human civilization has fallen, and the ocean is full of creature-machine hybrid monsters.  You are a hunter with a mission to destroy all monsters'.   That's it really.


Overall the premise is simple but fun with no airs or graces about itself.

Visuals


The art style used in Earth Atlantis is stunning.  As you explore the ocean depths in your submarine you will get to see the ruins of our former civilization, everything from tall building and churches, to the Statue of Liberty and Space Shuttle.   There is a multitude of small and larger enemies that are mechanical aquatic creations which look really interesting.  There a couple of shortcomings, the first being it can be difficult to tell if you can pass through an area or not.  The second (and most frustrating) are that a number of enemies fire bullets/lasers that are almost completely white.  This means avoiding enemies attacks when you literally can't see them coming.


Overall the visuals are impressive, but a few poor choices made the playing the game a little frustrating.


Music


I had to take many deep breaths before reviewing the 'music' section.  Essentially there was one track in the game, with the only change up being when fighting bosses, which for the most part lasted a few minutes each.  If you watch/listen to the trailer below you will have listened to more than ninety percent of the entire soundtrack.  The composer is Canadian born Garret Schmidt, who worked on a number of project for films and video games


I am unsure if HeadUp Games asked Schmidt to just produce one main track and a couple of smaller ones.  Imagine listening to the same one-minute track for about six or seven hours.  My maths isn't great but that means you will end up hearing it between three-hundred-sixty to four-hundred-twenty times!


Overall the tracks themselves were okay but the lack of variety was both mind-boggling and annoying. So annoying in fact I ended up muting the TV and listening to a podcast instead.

Gameplay


Earth Atlantis's 2D-side scroller can be fun at times.  The are two modes Quest Mode, and Hunter mode. Basically, you have a submarine, you kill smaller sea monsters who drop power-ups and these are then used to kill one of the many bosses.  The bosses battles generally last a few minutes each and they vary quite a bit.  On occasion, you will be attacked by a pirate and if you are successful in defeating them you unlock their vessel. That's the good parts.


Then there are the bad parts.  The map is supposed to help you navigate the world to not only find bosses but also powers ups.  The problem is that it's not very intuitive, and in the early part of the game I could not work out how it worked.  I often found myself doubling back over areas which made it feel like a bit of grind.  The boss fights can be fun but if you get killed you have to gather your power-ups again and navigate back to the boss.  It really made it difficult to enjoy the experience.  While some bosses were quite good fun others felt wasted.  In some cases, there was so much happening you could not safely look at them without getting hit.  The white lasers/bullets mentioned in visuals was really gripe for me especially later on in the game.


Overall the gameplay is good but a few relatively smaller changes could have made the game a lot more enjoyable.




Final Thoughts

How did I feel after eights hours?  Not great.  There wasn't much of a story but it's a side scroller so it did not require anything too big.  The visuals were impressive but on occasion did hamper my enjoyment of the game.  The music, next!  The gameplay could be fun but similar to the visuals a few changes could have made the experience a lot more enjoyable.  Overall this one gets a disappointing 2 out of 5