PixlBit

With a bigger budget, 505 could've had a real hit on their hands.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to turn in my gamer card for this one, but Funky Barn is a legitimately fun game. I know it sounds like shovelware garbage, and it does seem like it was built on the budget of such a title, but the farm sim is actually competent in its design, complete with an addictive game loop. Unfortunately the game's low budget is painfully obvious – from the low quality art to the long loading times to the hard freezes, Funky Barn has a healthy dose of anti-funk.

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If you didn't have enough stress at your day job…

If you noticed the developer on Aero Porter, your interest may have immediately piqued. Vivarium, which should be synonymous with Yoot Saito, helmed creation of this second entry in Level5’s Guild01 series. Like his previous works, Seaman and Odama, Aero Porter is an odd beast that’s fascinating in concept, but rather painful in execution. Aero Porter is not fun – but on the other hand, it doesn’t seem like it’s trying to be. Saito pulls no punches; he’s very up front with the fact that you’re going to be running the baggage sorting at an upstart airport and it’s very much your job. And jobs entail work, which is exactly what Aero Porter feels like.

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This isn't the Blue Bomber's triumphant return, but it is a good way to waste an afternoon.

 I love Mega Man, and have ever since I played Mega Man 2 at a friend’s house in elementary school. Even now I’ve been known to pop the Xbox version of the Mega Man Anniversary Collection into my 360 from time to time to replay some of the better games in his 8-bit career. Needless to say, when I heard Capcom had picked up Street Fighter x Mega Man—a reportedly well-made and interesting fan project— to release to their fans for free, I was understandably excited.

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This should have been a simple port, but something went awfully wrong along the way.

The Warriors series caters to a very particular type of gamer.  It’s the gamer that enjoys the most simple of things when it comes to their hobby.  The level of entry needs to highly accessible – mechanics relegated to a few basics that can be picked up with ease, even if mastering them takes some practice.  The gamer needs to feel powerful – the ability to take on huge swathes of enemies at a time with little effort.  There should be collectables of the low hanging fruit variety, with the larger goal of “completion” nestled at the end, just out of reach, but completely attainable.

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It's hard to see the line when it's drawn in the shifting sand...

When the creative minds of game designers come up against the practical, business-focused minds of game publishers it can lead to endless frustration. This frustration is shared by the consumers, wanting a unique gaming experience but also needing that experience to be something that they can instantly click with. This frustration is the crux of my feelings for Spec Ops: The Line, a game that pushes narrative into some refreshingly interesting places, but stumbles with game mechanics that smack of publisher homogenization.

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