Tag: Steam

#WeeklyGameMusic: Life is Beautiful (Deadly Premonition)

Posted on by Taro Omiya

#WeeklyGameMusic: New week, new music.

This week’s music is…the creepiest…most haunting…and downright scary music track in horror games’ histor- AH HA HA HA! No, sorry, I can’t do this. I mean, this horror game, Deadly Premonition is famous for being so bad, it’s good. So of course this week’s music is the one that hilariously breaks this game’s serious mood, Life is Beautiful by Riyou Kinugasa, Takuya Kobayashi and Hiromi Mizutani.

Deadly Premonition should hit the Twin Peaks fans’ funny bone with its story. Greenvale is currently housing the mysterious serial killer, the Raincoat Killer. His first victim, Anna Graham, was found pinned into a tree in a T-pose, with her stomach cut open. Naturally, a crime so deliberate would attract FBI agent Francis “York” Morgan attention, as he investigates various clues at the crime scene to profile what has happened. But first, York needs to pass through the red room. Because Twin Peaks.

Despite being labeled a horror game, Deadly Premonition is mainly an open world game with lots of side quests. It shares a lot in common with Majora’s Mask in that each citizens has their own schedule, and taking on side quests involves knowing when, where, and who to talk to. Honestly, these open-world portions are where the game shines the brightest, with distinct characters, funny dialog, and lots of bugs to make fun of. Action sequences are clearly indicated when the world suddenly darkens with a purple haze, doors no longer lead to the same place, and violent “shadows” (zombie-like creatures whose dialog often flip-flops between whether they want to die or not) start appearing. In this mode, weapons are utilized similar to Resident Evil 4, where any long-range weapons requires stopping in-place and aiming. In comparison to the open world portion, these parts are frequently panned.

Deadly Premonition was originally developed on the Xbox 360. The improved versions are available on Playstation 3 and PC via Steam.

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#WeeklyGameMusic: Following Stanley (The Stanley Parable)

Posted on by Taro Omiya

#WeeklyGameMusic: New week, new music.

Today’s music is an upbeat song of excitement and adventure! It’s also 10-hours long. So…Let’s hike with the game, The Stanley Parable, with jolly cooperation! We’re Following Stanley (composed by Blake Robinson)!

Now, where to start with The Stanley Parable? Hmm, well, it’s about Stanley, that’s for sure. A man who happily pushes buttons as instructed by a screen monitor. Perhaps due to his tedious job, Stanley doesn’t operate well by himself, and even gets lost in his dreary, featureless office. Naturally, fate would have it that one day, he receives no instructions. On top of that, all of his coworkers disappears. And Stanley, not sure what to do, decides to venture out of his office, and into the depths of his company. Or so we are told…

The Stanley Parable is a walking simulator, a mid-life crisis simulator, a not-game, and a philosophy. The game shines best on its narrative, or more precisely, the awareness of the narrative. As you, the player plays the game, the game is playing you.

So I won’t mince my words when I say the game has minimal action. The enjoyment one gets from the game is entirely out of its narration, and holy cow does it feature one of the funniest, darkest narrator in the gaming history. The Stanley Parable is a rare gem that delivers a story in such a way that very few other mediums can properly portray. It stands as a shining example of how to tell a story when your main actor, the player, doesn’t have to follow the game’s directions.

The Stanley Parable is available on Steam for PC and Mac.

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#WeeklyGameMusic: 9-bit Expedition (Dustforce)

Posted on by Taro Omiya

#WeeklyGameMusic: New week, new music.

Let’s go for something more relaxing and slightly more old school with 9-bit Expedition, composed by Terence Lee. It’s a good thing this music is so calming because the game, Dustforce, can be very, very difficult.

Dustforce‘s story is pretty simple. Ahem! The world is in chaos, and covered in dust. Eeeeeeevil dust that transforms innocent animals into violent creatures. And generally making everything ugly. It’s up to the 4 acrobatic, wall-climbing janitors to rid of the dirt and smudge that contaminates this oh-so-vulnerable world!

Sarcasm aside, Dustforce has some very sick moves to show. It’s a hardcore 2D platformer, and each janitor has awesome capabilities, including double-jump, wall-climb, running on ceilings, and most important of all, whipping down enemies with lots of lights and flashes. Said abilities are critical for eliminating dusts on floors, walls, ceilings, breakable blocks, and animals. For casual play, removing all dust isn’t exactly necessary, but for completionist, it is a must to get the best scores in every level. Elegant and acrobatic, this game is a true feast for the eyes and fingers.

Dustforce is available on Steam for PC, Mac, and Linux.

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#WeeklyGameMusic: Just Dropped In (Stick It to The Man)

Posted on by Taro Omiya

#WeeklyGameMusic: New week, new music.

That’s right, folks. I’m here to drop more game music again. First on-plate is the wonderful Just Dropped In, composed by Kenny Rogers. A comical song that fits right in the hilarious game, Stick It to The Man.

The game stars Ray, a rather dull but otherwise ordinary man with a bad haircut. As he finally gets off his job as a hardhat tester, an airplane accidentally drops off its package on poor Ray’s head, rendering him unconscious. A short while after he wakes up in a health clinic, then thrown out due to lack of health insurance coverage, Ray discovers he suddenly started gaining psychic abilities, letting him move heavy objects from one place to another, turning thoughts into physical objects and vice-versa, and most importantly, being able to read minds. Shocked, confused, Ray hobbles back home while a few sneaky and mysterious agents start following him.

If I were to summarize Stick It to The Man in a sentence, it’s Psychonauts in 2D. The game significantly modernizes point-and-click adventure by combining it with platforming, and it comes off very naturally. Not to mention the outrageously hilarious dialog! The mind-reading capabilities not only serve as hints to what objects to bring to who, it also provides some insight on very psychologically unstable people. It’s incredibly funny how everyone in the game are almost self-aware that they’re in a game, then explain it away with a completely different reason.

Stick It to The Man is available on Steam for PC and Mac.

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Weekly Game Music: Zoned In (InMomentum)

Posted on by Taro Omiya

New week, new music.  Moving from timeless to experimental music, I present Zoned In by Gareth Coker.  It’s an immersive composition of elegant motion, one truly worth of its title.  A perfect combination to go with the parkour game, InMomentum.

InMomentum is a first-person parkour game where momentum is everything.  You control a robot that jumps, double-jumps, and even wall-jumps across a minimalistic virtual world.  That last ability proves useful, as the many walls in the game serves as the life-saver to your impending doom.  In case it gets too difficult, InMomentum also gives you the ability to slow down time to make it easier to time your jumps.

InMomentum was released on the PC via Steam in 2011.

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Weekly Game Music: Lullaby (Crayon Physics Deluxe)

Posted on by Taro Omiya

New week, new music.  Let’s move on from the anger-filled sad music, and onto a far more calming one.  Here’s Lullaby by composer _ghost.  It’s a simple composition that even children can enjoy, much like the game it comes from, Crayon Physics Deluxe.

Crayon Physics Deluxe is a puzzle game where the things you draw with a crayon becomes real objects, usable to solve its numerous levels.  All puzzles involve pushing a ball into a star, typically located in some ridiculous location.  The more creative the solution, the better!

Crayon Physics Deluxe was released on the PC in 2009.  It has also been ported onto Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.

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