Living LIVE 03.08.10: Issue No. 62
Posted by Trace Aber on 03.08.2010
Trace Aber reviews Toy Soldiers, Soul Caster, Last Line of Defence and more in this week's edition of Living LIVE!
Before I start this column off, I just have two words; Heavy Rain. Having beat the game earlier this week I have to say that I felt it was one of the best games of this generation. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's worth checking out. You can read my review of it here.. Don't forget to leave a comment complaining about the overall score. My review of Darwinia+ is also up, which can be read here. Really enjoyable game that should give you plenty of bang for your buck.
This week we have Toy Soldiers in the arcade section and a small collection of indie games and a larger collection of indie apps, which I'm not a fan of in the slightest. My days of reviewing fireplaces are over.
My name is Trace Aber and this is LIVING LIVE
Arcade Releases
Toy Soldiers (1200MP)
I'm sure most of you remember playing with toy soldiers and having some epic battles. I myself had a nice little collection – enough to let me have full-scale war. Of course, my toy soldiers never did the things that the ones in this game do, so I feel like I must have got the cheap toys as a child.
Toy Soldiers is an action packed tower defense game at its core. You have a base that enemies are trying to get into and you must impede their process by placing units at specific parts of the map. Placing units is done with the right trigger, then selecting the units you have placed are done with the A button. When selecting your units, you are able to repair, upgrade, sell or use them. Using them puts you in direct control of their actions and allows you to aim and shoot at whatever you please. Otherwise they will act on their own and typically do well by themselves.
Some of the weapon types include machine guns, anti-air craft missiles, and even chemical warfare. You can also place obstacles in the way such as barbwire which slows down the waves of enemies. In the demo I also had a plane that regenerated to the side. Dropping bombs on the enemies from above was very satisfying, I must admit. There's also a feature that involves playing the game on Facebook, though it's not mentioned in the demo outside of a picture of the war map.
Overall, Toy Soldiers is an interesting spin on the tower defense genre, but I feel like it would get a bit repetitive at times. Even though you can use the units directly, most of the time you end up hurting yourself when you do that as opposed to letting the computer auto aim at them. Still, the game has plenty of units and levels to make it a worthwhile purchase, but definitely check out the demo first. Rating: 7.5
Indie Games
Soulcaster (240MP)
I have to admit that my first impression of this game was entirely off. When I looked at pictures of this game and read the description I had nothing but doubt in its ability to entertain me. Thankfully I gave it a shot because it's one of the more creative and fun games released on the indie games that doesn't involve zombies.
Though it certainly isn't the prettiest.
You are the Soulcaster himself, who has wound up on a strange land filled with dungeons and evil enemies lurking every corner. To make matters worse, you're also pretty lousy at fighting. Luckily, you're able to summon souls to do your battle, since you are the Soulcaster and everything. In the demo I was able to obtain three different summons – an archer, a warrior, and a demo man. The key is figuring out where to place (or summon) your help. In a sense, the game is more of an action-puzzle game than anything else. You'll also get potions and scrolls along the way, and the one I found in the trial meant instant death for all nearby enemies. There are plenty of random merchants hanging around these dungeons, which allow for item purchases and summon upgrades.
The game looks like it came from the early 90s and it's a nice touch that sets the tone for the rest of the game. Everything from the level design, item names, graphics, sound, gameplay, and little in-jokes, Soulcaster harkens back to the day of retro-RPGS and is a great buy for anyone with the points. Rating: 8.5
Last Line of Defence (80MP)
It's the year 2011 and the Xecron Invaders have decided to open up a chain of space restaurants with their feature item being sausages made out of humans from planet earth! Thankfully, humans are prepared for this type of unimaginable horror and have taken shelter within the city. Now it's up to you to protect the city and destroy the invaders!
Neo York had some pretty lazy architects.
This game comes straight out of the 70s, so perhaps the next indie game will take me to the 80s and we can cover three decades of retro in one issue. Anyways, you control two cannons (one if in co-op) and shoot the waves of enemies that come. Switching between the cannons is done with the bumpers and you're able to shoot bullets, missiles and mines. Once you figure out how to align the cannons properly the game becomes pretty easy, at least the short trial version. Overall though, it's fun but extremely shallow. Then again, it's a buck. Rating: 7.0
Mega Monster Mania (80MP)
Well, here's the 80s game. For fans of dungeon crawlers, this may be the end-all-be-all of dungeon crawlers. At least on Indie Games. Featuring a random dungeon generator, Mega Monster Mania gives you an almost endless amount of levels for a buck.
The main goal is to kill enemies, explore dungeons, collect items, armor, and weapons, then get the hell out of there. It's a simple concept that works really well, especially when you have a friend to play with (the game supports co-op). The items you collect will become important as they do some powerful things, including pushing all of the enemies back, gaining tremendous speed (when you just want to run away), and shrapnel bombs. While there are only a few types of weaponry and armor, their stats vary quite considerably and gives the illusion of there being more than there really is. This is a good thing, by the way.
Beware of the afro-blocks!
I'm very surprised this game was only 80MP. I was expecting more about 240MP or 400MP, but I'm extremely happy with this purchase price. It's a fun time waster that many gamers will want to play again and again. Rating: 8.5
Review Round Up Toy Soldiers: 7.5 [Try] Soulcaster: 8.5 [Buy] Last Line of Defence: 7.0 [Try] Mega Monster Mania: 8.5 [Buy]
Check back next week as I review the newest arcade and indie games and let you know what's worth buying, trying, and skipping. Also, don't forget to bookmark 411Mania! And a note to all of the Indie Game developers out there – if you have an upcoming title that's going to be released soon drop me a line at traceaber@gmail.com and let me know. I'll write a full review of your game to be posted on 411Mania.com, which is a great way to get your game promoted!
