Steam Early Access: Space Engineers Impressions

As the list of early access games on Steam grows ever larger, more and more gems come out of the woodwork, making you wonder why you ever need to buy a finished game again. And here I introduce to you one of the finest early access games on offer in the marketplace today: Space Engineers!!

Space Engineers is a sandbox space sim inspired by LEGO, which fully utilises a destructible environments along with building, dissembling, repairing, surviving, mining... the list goes on, and that's only part of what makes Space Engineers such a joy to play. If you've ever wanted to build your dream 100 engine spaceship, or a sun blocking monolithic space station, then go ahead, provided your rig can handle it! As the updates rack up, I think they're on about one a week, we see more and more of what this game has to offer, with vital inclusions such as multi-player, a health and death system, meteor showers and random encounters with currently unmanned ships being some of the most recent and important updates as of yet. There's still a heck of a lot of potential in this game which remains to be sapped by the developers 'Keen Software House', but I'd say that they've done a great job so far.

Much like other games of this sort, one centred on construction and realism, there is no set aim, but in nearly every server that I have joined, the player have managed to create aims, and assign jobs to each other to complete the, for example I'e come across people creating industrial powerhouses, perpetually churning out more resources than you could ever use, and for what? To create a better ship? To upgrade your mining gear? No matter what it is undeniable that at this early stage you do fall into the circle of mine, create better mining gear, mine, refine gear, mine, refine gear, and so on, but the fact that the core mechanics of the game, the mining and the creating and assembling is so good that it keeps people playing for so long, wanting to play more is certainly a feat. I found myself happily content with my mining ship, then suddenly discover some cool new tool I can attach, like ore detectors or beacons to navigate with, then spend the next couple of hours gleefully finding the resources to be able to make it, rinse and repeat, and at this early stage of development I have no issues with this, I'm just excited to see what can be added next!

It's vitally important to mention the Steam workshop when it comes to games like these. The community really have created some utterly fantastic things here from this:

To this:

The sheer amount of cool stuff available to make is mind boggling, and a great challenge in survival mode, as the amount of mining you're going to need to do to create something like what you see above is pretty crazy! Overall, Space Engineers is an incredibly ambitious game which the developers have started fantastically, and kept fresh through regular updates and the integration with the steam workshop, I can't wait to see what they can come up with next! Let me leave you with this lovely creation!

Top 10 Post Apocalyptic games!

So the world hasn't ended yet, and we managed to reach 2013. But, what would happen if, maybe a horrific virus struck, or a sudden nuclear war wipes cities off the face of the earth!! Will a spark of humanity survive and manage to repopulate the earth, or will all of humanity be set on a slow descent to extinction. Right now, we really have no way of knowing, so video games are our only true way of visualising the apocalypse, and well... nothing could be more fun!!! Please note that this article focuses on the apocalyptic game setting and world, and does not reflect on the overall quality of the games.

10

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Enslaved's apocalypse is a man made one (as with some others on the list). Set a few hundreds in the future, man made vicious war machines to do their fighting for them, and ultimately (a little bit like terminator actually...) the human race are now being captured and killed by these robots who are following their original orders, to kill humans. set in a destroyed world, it's definitely a very post-apocalyptic adventure, one of the more 'upbeat' ones on this list.

9

Wasteland

Wasteland is the granddaddy of post-apocalyptic games, and really set the standards for it's genre and for RPG's all-together. This paved the way for the spectacular original Fallout, with the latter being called the spiritual successor to Wasteland. This apocalypse was caused by a horrific nuclear war, which left humanity crippled, as this game focuses on the last smudges of life, and shows the desperation for survival, which is especially evident in the characters that you encounter throughout the 30+ hour long storyline. Even though It looks very dated now, thanks to the miracle of crowd funding, there is a sequel on the way!

8

I am Alive

I am Alive is an Xbox Live Arcade and PSN game set in a world ravaged by a earth shattering natural disaster only referred to as 'The Event'. This game focuses on how, in a post-apocalyptic world, desperation and brutality are all people have left. The combat was excellent, and often really let you feel the desperation and viciousness, as you will do anything to survive. What really impressed me, was the panic and terrified way your attackers suddenly acted as soon as you point a gun, it feels very distressing, showing these people not to just be mindless thugs, but real 'people' as well, who are just trying to survive, as they cower and run away from you, which I was genuinely impressed by. The whole game is shrouded in a drab dreary grey, which sets the undertone for the whole game.

7

Left 4 Dead Series

Yes a zombie outbreak does count as an apocalypse, and which zombie game better to pick than the Left 4 Dead series. The settings are empty, the zombies are scary, and the gameplay is frantic and intense. The game world is a portrait of chaos and violence, which is presented in the gameplay as well, with the ultra-gory gun-play, which immerses the player into this wonderfully crafted nightmare. And as this game shows, the apocalypse is always better with a friend. 

6

Rage

In Rage's apocalypse, a meteor, which is real by the way, 99942 Apophis is its name and it nearly cause our own little apocalypse but, thankfully, it missed. Apparently, an asteroid this size should impact earth every 80,000 years, so I think I will sleep a little better tonight.  In Rage's wasteland  racing is a very large factor which was very reminiscent of the movie classic Mad Max, with the blood fuelled raiders as well. The graphics help give this game a really 'scrappy' look, especially when traipsing through the 'dead city', which once was a sprawling metropolis, but is reduced to a derelict ruin. 

5

The Metro Series

Firstly,  the atmosphere alone in the Metro series completely envelops you, this helps you to really immerse yourself into this bleak and dangerous world, where the population of Moscow now reside in the abandoned, and haunted Metro tunnels. These games both have excellent plots, and at times leave you terrified and alone, often traipsing down long, overgrown tunnels. After playing for some time even the tiniest squeak from a dilapidated metal rail made be jump in pure terror. It was a chilling, and not to mention thrilling experience.

4

The Walking Dead

Lets just be sure here. This is Telltale's version of TWD. Not Actionvision's, which was dreadful. This game is a spectacle to behold in terms of its story telling, which overall helps create immerse the player in one of the most barren and violent game-worlds of all time. This may sound surprising, as it is mostly a simple point and click game. The game shares the famously brilliant comic book universe instead of Rick Grimes' from the television show, but has its own characters. I must warn you though, some of the decisions that you are going to have to make in this game are going to be hard...VERY hard...

3

The Last of Us

This game really is a spectacle of Post-Apocalyptia, realising a beautiful, yet fiendishly deadly world, which is starting to get over the airborne fungal infection which turns humans into vicious, sprinting zombie-esque monsters. This world sure is nasty, as you come across bandits, cannibals and truly disturbing madmen.  The story is fantastic, and the gameplay is emersive, which helps you really delve into the game a lot deeper than most others in the genre.

 2The S.T.A.L.K.E.R series

Now, let me start with...these games are terrifying. For a brief period, I couldn't play the game when it was night time because, yes I am a massive wuss, but fore-mostly because here in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. blackness is utter blackness. Night time is pitch black, except for the solitary saving ray from your flash light, and its terrifying, not knowing where that last growl came from, or what mutated monstrosity caused the eerie splash in the puddle behind you. A certain moment in the third game, Call of Pripyat chilled my spine, as I walked through an abandoned underground station, and heard a shrill baby cry. At this point I was ready to turn off my laptop and just run, but I soldiered on, 'till I came to a perfectly innocent door. I could hear the crying through it and as soon as I moved closer, it flew open revealing the most damn ugly thing I have ever seen in my gaming years....really creepy. And anyone who has played the first game will definitely remember a certain encounter, with a certain 'operator' in an underground passage, which truly consolidated the terrifying and bleak atmosphere presented throughout the series.

1

Fallout Series

Now, these games DEFINE post-apocalyptic. They have the most perfect settings, and have populated the wastelands with the most interesting, funny, wacky, and often terrifying, places, people, and quests.The whole world is made with an amazing attention to detail, and at times you really do feel like a lone wanderer transversing the wastes, looking for some scraps of humanity, which are very rare to come by. This also reflects upon Fallout 3 in general. This game, after long periods of time, will slowly whittle down your will to live. I mean it. The complete grey filter over everything really does take a toll on your mood, personally I get VERY grouchy after extended play. But, on the flip-side this enhances the desperate and desolate feel of the game, I mean, there isn't much to be happy about, the nuclear war destroyed, well, nearly everything.  

Which Fallout to pick: No. 3 or New Vegas

Now, we all know how successful the Fallout franchise has been, and this has really boosted Bethesda to the 'RPG God' status. They really have perfected the formula, and personally, I believe that they are unbeatable when it comes to the genre (lets not forget the Elder Scrolls series!!!). But how about 'within' these franchises, and their numerous prequels and sequels.

Firstly I do have to mention that Fallout: New Vegas was not developed by Bethesda as these games usually are, and instead was developed by Obsidian, who were a little on the 'outside' when it came to these games. It is also important to note that when Fallout 3 was made, as well as Bethesda developing it, their 'father company' ZeniMax Media produced it. So those were the production differences. So without any further ado' it’s time to look at both games individually, and I must stress that this is totally my own opinion!!

Fallout 3 

Fallout 3 is set 36 years after the events of Fallout 2, and 10 years after Fallout 2 was released. In this game you start as an inhabitant of a very iconic vault 101. The map is set around the ruins of Washington D.C or as it's called in the game, the 'Capital Wasteland'. The general atmosphere of Fallout 3 is generally bleak, very much so in comparison to New Vegas' Mojave Wasteland. This also reflects upon Fallout 3 in general. This game, after long periods of time, will slowly whittle down your will to live. I mean it. The complete grey palette and filter over everything really does take a toll on your mood, personally I get VERY grouchy after extended play. But, on the flip-side this enhances the desperate and desolate feel of the game, I mean, there isn't much to be happy about if you lived here. The nuclear war destroyed, well, nearly everything.

           

 Fallout 3 is very dependent on its combat, and I believe that it can be one of its strongest points. There are no iron sights, but this was the game which introduced the game changing V.A.T.S which works brilliantly, and is also repeated in New Vegas. But again there is another side to V.A.T.S, as it can be the only real way of targeting an enemy successfully, which can take the thrill and suspense out of some fire-fights, but, at least, I found that it was not a big deal. 

            

 Graphically this game is like any other Bethesda game, mediocre. That is it. The developers really did limit what beauty and set pieces they could create through the constant drab settings and grey filters. I should also mention that again, as with most Bethesda games (I see a pattern emerging...) there are a lot of bugs and glitches, but nothing which would really ruin the game for you.

Questing! Questing is what these games are really known for. The sheer quantity of quests is really something, and also the quality of the quests really dominates over other RPG's. This is what you can guarantee Bethesda will always supply!

Altogether, Fallout 3 is an amazing game, with real character, which admittedly is drab, but will still keep you captivated for easily 150hrs+

Fallout: New Vegas 

Fallout: New Vegas was released 2 years after Fallout 3, and instead of putting the player in the shoes of a vault dweller, you are instantly thrust out into the vibrant Mojave wasteland in the Nevada, California area, as a courier how is dug out of a shallow grave with a bullet in their head. Fallout: New Vegas is not a direct sequel to Fallout 3, but is very similar. Unlike Fallout 3, New Vegas’ wasteland is not so much if a drab area, but is bustling with diverse villages and towns. Now I must mention New Vegas itself. What I first felt when I entered the strip, and I am sure you would have felt this too, was that New Vegas was a real let down. For an area which is meant to be the social hub of the wasteland, it is not very awe inspiring to see the strip split into 3 small areas. You would really expect a high budget game like this to manage one area. What's worse is that there are only about 10 npc's in one area at a time, so that really eliminated the flashy feel of the strip.

New Vegas' combat, again is centred on V.A.T.S, but this time the player can use iron sights on any weapon which has them. This is a really good addition to the game, as it does add another aspect to the combat. Now you are also given the option to create your own ammo, and melee attacks can now have unique strikes which do stir the combat up more. Not to mention the vast amount of weapons for you to buy. 

To be honest, the graphics really hasn't changed, and at initial release, New Vegas was incredibly buggy, and on PC there were horrific instances of screen tearing which ruined the landscape. But after a few patches the games was up to Fallout 3 standards. But, a massive issue for me was New Vegas’ invisible walls which really take then fun out of hours of exploring!!

What is also new to New Vegas, are the factions who rule the land, from the barbaric Caesars legion to the cannibalistic white glove society. This also affects clothing, as certain groups wear certain clothing, which allows you to play dress up, and pose as a faction member.

               

The Questing does continue to excel, with the central story revolving around a huge power crisis between Caesars Legion and the NCR (Northern California Republic). There might be a little fewer quests in this game though than Fallout 3.

Conclusion

Altogether, even though they are both fantastic games, I would say that, for me, Fallout 3 with all of its DLC's and haunting atmosphere wins the competition! Many of my fondest, and at times, darkest, gaming memories are held with this game, and I think that if you play it, the same could happen with you.

Dead Space = Event Horizon

So, I just watched Event Horizon. That is one SCARY film. Whilst i was watching though, i couldn't help but realise the similarities between this film and the original dead space. Now i see where most of the inspiration for that game comes from, as some of the 'things' in the film do often resemble a small necromorph!! Even the Event Horizon herself greatly reminded me of the USG Ishimura! 

  But please don't get me wrong, the fact that these too resemble each other is in absolutely no way a bad thing, both the film and the game are absolutely brilliant! So if you are feeling brave (or stupid) one night, get a friend round and pull an all-nighter watching the film, and playing the game!!

Steam Early Access: Betrayer Impressions

 So recently i saw a trailer on YouTube of an upcoming game which is made by the people who made the FEAR series, and 'No One Lives Forever'. I was intrigued by the video, as it looked as if the team were really trying to do something unique, as I guess you can tell from the black and white 'filter' over the entire game. This is what the team said about it:

Betrayer is a first person action adventure game that takes you to the New World at the turn of the 17th century.

The year is 1604. You sailed from England expecting to join a struggling colony on the coast of Virginia. Instead, you find only ghosts and mysteries. What catastrophe blighted the land and drained it of color and life? Where are the settlers and tribes who lived here? And who is the strange, silent woman in red who aids you from afar?

Clue by clue, you must piece together the story of what befell this doomed settlement and find a way to set things right. You will be hunted by corrupted Conquistadors and ravening shadows as you explore an expansive wilderness in order to trace the brief, tragic history of the colony and search for survivors.

Anyway, the reason that I am bringing it up now even though the alpha was actually released earlier in the month, the 14th I think it was, is because only now have i actually had the chance to play it, and....I love it. The reason why i love it so much, is because of something which i find critical in a game...ATMOSPHERE! This is primarily why S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Call of Pripyat is one of my all time favourite games. The atmosphere of S.T.A.L.K.E.R is totally enveloping and i managed to see some of that in this game, admittedly the atmosphere is of a different disposition, instead of total darkness, you are treated to bright, and at times almost never 'truly' dark gameplay, very much unlike S.T.A.L.K.E.R, which was often very distressing. What also aids the graphical style is the use of important objects, and enemies (which i will get to in a second) being highlighted in red, which contrasts amazingly, and often beautifully, to create a very striking style of pointing out what you need to survive.

Now, the enemies of the game, the  corrupted Conquistadors, made to enhance the feeling of unrest on the island, and once or twice i really did feel chills tingling down my spine as I heard a distant groan, and ever fastening footsteps, and to turn around to see this red man sprinting at me. While this is still a very nice effect, and what adds even more tension to the situation, is the fact that you die in one hit. This adds a slight 'rougelike' element to the game, which I also enjoyed, being a big fan of games like FTL.

So far, from the little gameplay I have experienced, I have found 'Betrayer' to be a very promising game, considering the very well decided art direction and, to be honest the graphics are 'very' pretty for a game so early on in its Alpha release. Altogether, i think that people who enjoy a well thought out game, with a very good idea of what it wants to be, as well as fun combat and a chilling atmosphere, then this game is for you.