On Mon, 1 Aug 2022 13:26:45 -0600, "rms" <rsqui...@MOOflashMOO.net>
wrote:
Specifically, this month's games are:
- Starcraft Remastered (requires Battlenet account)
- Family Mysteries: Poisonous Promises (requires LegacyGames account)
- Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (requires AmazonApp)
- Beasts of Maravilla Island (requires AmazonApp)
- Recompile (requires AmazonApp)
- Scourgebringer (requires AmazonApp)
(also, the usual shitload of in-game content that I consistently
ignore. But I'm sure it thrills the kiddies.)
"Starcraft: Remastered" obviously needs no introduction. It's probably
the best way to play the game these days, but - not being a raging
Starcraft fan myself - I'm not that excited about it. If I really want
to play Starcraft, I'll just pull out my old CD-ROM. Anyway, it's an
Activision/Blizzard game and that company is on my shitlist, so I
won't be claiming this game. Even free, it's not worth it.
"Family Mysteries: Poisonous Promises" is obviously included only to
promote the "LegacyGames" service (since the game is also available on
Steam). It's a rather humdrum adventure game with uninteresting
characters, annoying mini-games and a general lack of polish. Given it
requires yet-another account, I'm going to skip out on this one too.
"Zak McKracken" is an old-school LucasArts adventure and - while it
has its moments - it's not one of their best efforts. It feels like an
odd mix of Sierra's "SpaceQuest" and "Dagger of Amon Ra", but with a
less interesting storyline and characters. I also recall the game is
absolutely rife with annoying mazes and labyrinths that do nothing but
pad out the game's run-time. As a historical relic, it's an
interesting developmental step towards LucasArts' later, better
adventure games, but as something to play? It's not worth your time
unless your a retro-adventure fanatic.
"Beasts of Maravilla Island" is a 3D adventure/platformer with very
stylized graphics and a family-friendly theme. The goal seems to be to
discover (e.g. photograph) a bunch of fantastical animals. It doesn't
seem to be a bad game, but it's neither does it make me want to play
it.
"Recompile" is another 3D/action-adventure, this one set inside a
virtual-reality cyberspace. Gameplay is more action oriented, with
lots of shooting enemy programs and difficult platforming. In terms of
setting, this one is more appealing to me, but its visuals and
gameplay do little to attract me, and its mixed reviews indicate
problematic gameplay.
Finally, "Scourgebringer", an action/platformer with a side-person
view and retro graphics. Fast paced and aggressively difficult (it's a
roguelike, of course), there's just nothing about this that appeals to
me. I'm sure many will love it but I'm not one of them.
Still, all-in-all, it's a nice mix of games from a variety of genres.
None of the games are must-have but their addition to my library (with
the obvious exceptions noted above) is generally welcome. It's not
really a collection to inspire somebody who doesn't have AmazonPrime
gaming to subscribe, but neither does it make you wonder why you
bother.