PixlBit

Just as promised, here's the second blog of my recount and just in time for Christmas Eve.

Now i'm actually going to cheat a bit on the rules established on the first blog, as I later found out that one of the games i'm going to include here was started on December of 2013. But despite that, I decided to still include it, since I actually continued it around early this year and just finished it on July.

With that said, let's get rolling.

BIT.TRIP BEAT:

The Bit.Trip saga was a staple of the Wii's WiiWare service and considered iconic for the system, enough for Bit.Trip's mascot/protagonist Commander Video to even have a guest trophy for the latest Super Smash Bros. (i'm not joking). I never could buy the game since I didn't have the required memory space for it, but I managed to play and really enjoy the demo of the first game in the series, which is this very own i'm talking about. Finally, the saga arrived on Steam and could finally play them, starting with this and I wasn't dissapointed.

Combining Pong, Rhythm Game and acid, Bit.Trip Beat is a very creative game that implements music very well. Each square you stop (called beats) with your Pong-like paddle serves to go with the music just like any Rhythm game, and once you get the hang of things and start raking high scores, the music gets more intense and perhaps make you enter in a trance status, where you are one with the music and rhythm. The very unique pixel graphics also add to a very unique asthetic of an era where Atari 2600 games are still the kings and have advanced way beyond the scope.

That said, it's a very hard game, even on easy difficulty, and can be frustrating at times, especialy since there's trial and error involved. It's also a very short game (with all levels, this game lasts around 30 minutes), unless you are into leaderboards or achivements and it can get epileptic hectic pretty fast, so those of sensible dispotition should probably avoid this game.

But that said, if you like Atari games of old, Rhythm games (and experiments on them) and music, you should check out this game. The Steam version also has an exclusive level with a Portal theme and even Glados has a cameo on the background.

Terraria:

You know how a game is addicting where even if haven't gotten very far, you are still compeled to continue and mine.

Terraria is a game with a simple design, but complex on its mechanics and gameplay, one that combines the exploration and discovery of many Metroidvania games and crafting and addiction found on Minecraft, one that rewards players for exploration and rewards them by keeping them engaged. It also may be easier to get than Minecraft, since the simple 2D design and even more simple crafting system can make those overwhelmed with Minecraft enter easier here, and even if you can stay on your spot just fine, there's many things on the world to explore that can improve your game, so there's also the big component of adventure.

Want more craving of Minecraft but on a different spin? Never could get into it either way? Still would like a game that rewards your exploring? Do you also love Metroidvanias? Then don't miss this game.

Cave Story:

This is the game I decided to cheat on this list.

I discovered Cave Story thanks to the remake that made its way on the WiiWare, but couldn't play due to the low memory. When another release appeared on Steam, I snatched it back on the Summer Sales of all the way in 2012, but my shitty desktop computer couldn't even run a game as simple as this. Thankfully I finally could play this when I received my laptop.

Cave Story feels like a love letter to 2D games and Metroidvanias to a small extent. It has great gameplay, great level design (for the most part), some great exploration (even if a bit linear) and the shooting combat just feels right. Combines with memorable bosses, it often feels like a SNES game that never saw the light of the day and was discovered among a box of other relics from the past in a yard sale, and if you play with the original graphics and music of the freeware game, it only enhances that old-school feeling, though of course the remade graphics are also charming and the soundtrack is excellent and memorable on whichever version you are playing (for the record, there are three soundtrack styles on the Steam version: the Steam, original freeware and Wii version).

The story and characters also deserve a mention. For a game with an adorable design on the artwork and graphics, the story can throw some unexpected punches at the player, whether they are death of characters you spent many minutes with, just sad melancholic moments, or even show nighmarish transformations and bosses. The characters also make the world of Cave Story, since most of them are charismatic and help the player on their journey or just have interesting interactions, made all the more heartbreaking when some of them start dropping like flies.

Now, the game has multiple endings and on my first run I completed this with the normal ending, the most likely you'll get when playing this for the first time (unless you decide to use a guide....), so i'm still missing some of this game. That said, Cave Story is a charming, very well-done 2D game and one you shouldn't miss if you love Indies and/or 2D games. Just a testament of its power, before the Indie explosion around 2008, this game already solified itself as a cult classic. Though avaiable on Steam and with the option of the original style, you can still check out the original freeware, but remeber to put the english translation patch (also avaiable in that same page).

Half-Life 2:

The man you have consistently failed to slow, let alone capture, is by all standards simply that – an ordinary man.

Dr Wallace Breen at the end of one of the most memorable quotes in the game. He should have not underestimate what Gordon Freeman is capable of.....

By now this game is ten years old and become a classic on its own right and now that I played it, I can not only see the hype, but be sure to say that if it wasn't for the first Halo and Halo 2, this would be my favorite FPS. Now, i've seen some critism regarding the game being dated and improved by other shooters that later appeared, and maybe it's just me who hasn't played many shooters during my lifetime, but I gotta disagree, since not only Half-Life 2 feels great to play, but it can rival many modern games and even with mechanics that other games took note from Half-Life 2, not many do it well like the original.

This game is amazing all-around. The continuous almost uninterrupted narrative works wonderfully, inmersing the player and making them part of the story, without even using a cutscene. The shooting works great and feels tight and precise, and let's just say that besides the normal arsenal of guns, you also have other ways to dispatch enemies, including the Gravity Gun, the antlion heart (your own antlion army!) and of course the trusty crowbar. The levels are great and memorable, have great design, urge to explore and despite the fact that this game focuses on shooting, you also have variety of gameplay so it doesn't feel boring, from the use of vehicles in two levels, to plataforming and even changes in the way you should do a level, like in Ravenholm where you need to conserve ammo.

The story may or may not be anything new, but it works great and joining our protagonist, Gordon Freeman, is a cast of great characters, with especial mention of Alyx Vance, who is one of the best supporting characters i've ever had (even if the AI is pretty stupid....) and Wallace Breen is an effective antagonist in making you hate him, something I haven't experienced in a lot of games i've played. Speaking of Freeman, while he is a silent protagonist, I feel like he was an effective avatar of the gamer, someone who is probably ordinary, but never gives up and can easily fight back. With also good (though sometimes dated) graphics and an excellent soundtrack, Half-Life 2 was an experience i'll never forget and easily one of my favorite games.

Though I still need to play the episodes and also the first game....

Risk of Rain:

Rogue-Likes have been making a resurgence lately, either in the traditional way or in other kinds of styles, one of them as 2D plataformers. The three most cited examples (atleast from what i've seen) include Spelunky, Rogue Legacy (which I want to play badly) and this very own game. I've been gaining an interest in this genre, so back on the Summer Sales of this year, I decided to start with Risk of Rain. Let's say that if I had played this on 2013 (the year it was released), I think it may have easily become my GOTY of 2013 and I think this game needs a bit more attention.

This game may be hard as hell, but it's satisfying. Much like Hotline Miami on my first entry, this is a game that doesn't hold hands either, but instead of kicking dust in your face, it gives you tools to work around for yourself and besides that, everytime you die, you learn a bit about what you can do and improve, to sometimes change your strategy and to keep trying and use what you learned for your advantage. It's a slow process, but the effects take notice once you manage to beat the first boss. Now there's the random aspect of Rogue-Likes, here not really extending to the level designs (they're almost the same, save for some slight differences), but on where the items are located and which ones you get and as the trailer says, yet despite that random factor, the game still manages to be consistent and fair, since you know what the items do and how the enemies and bosses attack, because you learned from them and you should know what has to be done.

Aside from that, it's visually good looking, has serviciable graphics (they work with the game), gameplay is of course tight, the characters are varied, so are the enemies, items are great and oh man, I love the soundtrack. It's easily one of my favorites in recent years. Haven't played the multiplayer though.

A Dark Room:

Actually, I will leave this game without any video.

Recently, I came across this game when Extra Credits mentioned and linked it on this video talking about "waiting games" and the appeal of them. The video intrigued me, so I decided to check two of the games mentioned, the first being Candy Box (which I should play more) and this.

Honestly, I would really love to write a lengthy paragraph on the brilliance of this game and how it was beyond what I expected, but that would be spoiling the surprise and the best way to enjoy this is without knowing what you'll expect. You should really watch the video linked above, since it doesn't spoil the game and because this is a free game, easy to start because it doesn't require any add-on like Java, start here those who are brave or curious enough. I'll be waiting.

Portal 2:

Welp, what can I say about Portal 2 that I didn't at my blog about it?

The first Portal I still hold among my top 5 of favorite games, but everytime I analize Portal 2, I'm thinking that it may be equal if not better than the first game. Portal stands out as an excellent game of its own and if a proof of concept, it's one that is much more complete than you would think, but Portal 2 feels like it gave the first game a buff on almost anything and added much more to the rich experience. That they also created a compeling story with great characters and put lots of flavor and humour to the setting instead of leaving the game like and empty shell, is a great bonus and much like Half-Life 2 (and the first game), creating an almost continiuous narrative that flows as it should.

Honestly, I think i've said enough and gave it enough justice to call it a masterpiece in gaming, from its gameplay to the narrative, Portal 2 was just a wonderfull experience. I think what's left for to discover is the co-op.

Also, Want you Gone is equal to Still Alive.

Before I finish this, I have some games that also deserve a special mention that I had left, mostly because I haven't played much of them.

- Don't Starve (I was tempted to put it).

- Hammerwatch.

- Long Live the Queen.

- Age of Empires II: HD Edition (childhood!).

- BIT.TRIP CORE.

- Deus Ex.

- Dishonored.

- Dust: An Elysian Tail.

- Far Cry 3.

- Fez.

- Gunpoint.

- La-Mulana.

- Left 4 Dead.

- Organ Trail.

- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

- Thomas Was Alone.

- Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP.

Anyway, I hope you liked my small series, I look forward to gaming in 2015 and finally, hope you are having a wonderfull holiday. If not, then have a nice day.