Don't Starve Mega Pack Review (PS4)

Well, it's time to pick a character, pack your stuff, and go camping.  Not exactly.  Let's dive into the crazy world of Don't Starve.

Don't starve is kind of a survival horror game, but not really.  There's a horror-like feel, though there's not really anything scary.  Just a little creepy, like Coraline or The Nightmare Before Christmas.  There's definitely some survival going on.  And dying.  Lots and lots of dying.

Your journey begins the moment your character steps through this creepy door.

As you might guess from the title, your goal is to not starve.  You'll have to look for food everywhere you can find it or you WILL starve.  Of course, starving isn't the only way you can die, as you can also be killed by monsters or "animals".  Heck, you can even die from being in the dark.  Nothing special.  Just the dark.

Even worse, you can die while the game is paused.  You can pause the game, but you have just enough time to take a piss before the game decide, "Well, you're dead."  If you want to take a break and not die, you have to exit the game and reload it when you come back.  This is bullshit and makes the game feel a little cumbersome.

No, this isn't a joke.  You WILL die if you leave the game paused.

Your character (whoever you choose) has the ability to create items from things you find around you.  Create weapons to fight and kill monsters and "animals", fires to stave off the dark and cook meat, clothes to wear, and machines that give you the ability to create even more things.  Just make sure you do it in a safe place, because you can be attacked while browsing the menu.

You'll need to make stuff to survive.

You also have the ability to edit every aspect of the world before you start playing.  Don't like the dark?  Turn it off.  Don't like monsters?  Turn them off.  Don't like food?  Heck, turn that off, too.  Conversely, you can turn off the day if you love the dark or increase food if you love food.  There are other things you can manipulate to give yourself the best (or worst) chance to survive.  The choice is yours.

You can literally edit every aspect of the world before diving in.

As mentioned before, you can select a character.  There is a healthy number of creepy-looking protagonists to choose from.  You choice isn't just cosmetic as the each character has at least one unique trait.  For example, there's an opera singer who starts of with a spear, but can only eat meat.  Another character can eat almost anything, but gets hurt by rain.  It's an...interesting selection of characters.

Choose your favorite from 11 characters.

You don't have to go it alone, either.  Just fire up that internet connection and you can try to survive with (or kill) your friends.  You can determine whether it's a dog-eat-dog world or a kumbaya society before you start, so there shouldn't be any surprises.

Whether you want a world fun of friends, bloodthirsty lunatics, or want to go it alone is up to you.

On to the other stuff.  The music is virtually nonexistent.  Outside of the title theme and character select theme, there are little 10-second nothings that pass as music.  Otherwise, it just ambient sounds.  And when the characters speak, they don't speak, so much as they make noise.  Anyone who has ever seen Charlie Brown and heard the adults talk will understand what I mean.

The graphics are delightfully creepy.  They are, however, a little too small.  Your first few forays into the world, you may find it hard to see what's going on.  You'll adjust...if you don't go blind first.

Make sure to watch out in the forests.  An ass-whuppin' could lie behind any tree.

Don't Starve Mega Pack is an interesting game with good replay value.  There are a lot of characters who aren't just the same as everyone.  The ability to alter the world before venturing in gives you the ability to see if you can survive under various conditions.  Also, the world (or at least your starting point) is randomly generated each time you start a new game, so no two play-throughs (to my knowledge) will be the same.  It's not for everyone, but is worth a look if you like creepy things and survival.  Give it a try.

Videogame Hotties: The Amazon and The Sorceress

One is a brawler, while the other is a spellcaster.  One is heavily muscled, while the other is a lithe.  One is bottom-heavy, while the other is top-heavy.  It's the Amazon and the Sorceress, a pair of hotties from Dragon's Crown Pro.

The Amazon is a beautiful, buff badass with an large axe.  She is very bottom-heavy, with legs like Chun Li and a butt like Cammy White.  As is the case with most fantasy female warriors, she wears very little clothing.  Heck, she's pretty much wearing just a pair of boots and gloves.

She's perfectly fine wearing less clothing than those around her.

This is a woman who's comfortable with her body.

She's especially happy with how her butt looks, showing it to allies, enemies, and strangers alike.

The Amazon and Nicki Minaj need to have a twerk-off.

Her allies can only stare in disbelief at how nice her butt is.

Yep.  She knows you're looking.

And if you don't like it, you can tell it to her ax.

"If you don't like my outfit..."

"...then DIE!"

She's also good at using her strong legs.

"Lucy Kick!"

Even a Muay Thai fighter couldn't do a better knee strike.

She's strong enough to tame the biggest beasts.

Introducing the luckiest cat in the world.

Yet alluring enough to steal your heart.

"Do you like muscular women like me."

The Sorceress is a tall, thin seductress.  The thing about her that immediately catches the eye is those enormous breast.  Old-school Lara Croft would be jealous of those things.  Naturally, she's wearing a lot more clothing than her muscular friend above, giving her a more mature kind of sexiness.

Even so, her breasts can't be contained by her top and her long legs are still popping out of her dress.

She's wearing a lot of clothing, yet somehow still barely covered.

Don't let her frail appearance fool you, though.  She's quite athletic.

If your track team needs an extra hurdler, she's your woman.

And strike good at attacking in the air.

She could probably jump higher is her breast were just a little smaller.

She can slide like an MLB player.

I hope she didn't forget to put on underwear before attempting this.

She can also teleport like Nightcrawler.

She'll "BAMF" her way into your heart.

And she's handy with a variety of weapons.

Look!  It's a bombshell with a bomb.

I don't think she's going to make a sandwich with that knife.

If that's not enough, can strike a nice pose. too.

Don't try this without deodorant.

Maybe she lost a contact lens.

Of course, every lady knows when it's time to relax.

It can get hot under that hat doing all that questing.

If you're not going to wear the hat, at least pull a rabbit out of it.

And that's the Amazon and the Sorceress.  Whether you like your women fit and firm or soft and feminine, there's a woman here for you.  Check them out in Dragon's Crown Pro.

Sonic 3D Blast Review (PS4)

Normally, I avoid reviewing bad games on purpose.  This is because I try to play games I think I like or at least games that interest me.  Sonic 3D Blast is one of those games.

At first glance, Sonic 3D Blast looks like a good game.  I mean, it's Sonic, moving around freely in a top-down environment with that old-school Sonic look.  What's not to like?  Pretty much everything else.

Sonic's first attempt at running in a 3D world is a failure.

The goal is in line with the other old Sonic games.  Run through levels, collect the Chaos Emeralds, and whup Dr. Robotnik's ass.  Rinse, lather, repeat.

There are some game-changing differences this time around, though.  First, the Acts are divided into multiple sections.  To get from one section to the next, you MUST find and kill every enemy to free the Flickies trapped inside.  You take the Flickies to the end of the section, jump through a giant ring, and then you can proceed.  You do this until you finish the Act.  Then you go through Act 2 before a showdown with Dr. Robotnik in Act 3.  Besides being forced to kill every enemy, it sounds good, old-fashion Sonic action, right?  Too bad the execution was so shitty.

Get the Flickies to these rings to move on and beat the level.

As mentioned before, the graphics are good...to an extent.  The problem lies in being able to judge things.  You're never sure when you can be hit by a hazard and when you're safe.  Attacking feels off, especially when trying to jump into enemies because you're never sure where you're going to land.  Will you hit the enemy or will you land in front of him and wind up getting hit?  Do yourself a favor and use the Spin Dash instead, but be careful.  The slightest miscalculation will send you zooming past and bouncing off the nearest wall like a pinball.

Being one centimeter off will send you into the spiked ball instead of the enemy.

Another issue is the game physics.  Sonic moves way too fast and his movement feels slippery.  It's like he's wearing roller skates on an ice rink.  If you try to huff it, you'll constantly be running into bullets and bombs.  Basically, you want to tread carefully or you'll get raped.

Lousy level design is another issue you'll have to deal with when choosing to play this turd.  Bullshit traps litter each and every level.  Bad design combined with terrible physics make for a headache-inducing, controller-flinging experience.  Just...WTF?

Bring plenty of controllers before attempting this level.

Also, the some of the Flickies act like pricks, making them hard to collect.  The blue ones will walk right up to you, making them the smartest.  The other ones behave like retards, which can cause you to get killed chasing them down if you're in the wrong place on the level.  By far, the red ones are the stupidest, hopping around fools on speed.  You'll want to leave them, but you have to save them all if you want advance through the levels.

Some of the "Prickies" act like they don't want to be saved.

To collect Chaos Emeralds, you have to find Tails or Knuckles and give them rings to warp to a bonus level.  You'd better make sure you have at least fifty of them or you won't go to the bonus level.  They'll still take your all of your rings, though.  Darned crooks.  Isn't Tails supposed to look up to Sonic?  When did he become such an asshole?

Find these pricks to enter a crappy bonus level.

The music is okay, but it's a step down from usual Sonic fare.  It sounds like Sonic music with a pinch of retardation mixed in for a unique flavor.  Not bad.  Just a SLIGHT bit different.

Sonic 3D Blast is a terrible game across the board.  Shitty physics, shitty level design, shitty ally AI (looking at you, Flickies), stupid enemies, and lame bosses all come together in one big toilet bowl disguised as a Sonic game.  The music and graphics aren't too bad, but they aren't that good, either.  This is easily the worst of the Sonic games from the Genesis era.  It's a part of the Sega Genesis Classic collection, so try it there just to see how bad it is.  Otherwise, pass this one up or kill it with fire.

Sega Genesis Classics Review (PS4)

Well, it time to plop down in from of you TV and play the games of you childhood once again.  That is assuming were a child of the 90's.  If you weren't a child of the 90's, it's time to plop down in front of your TV and learn exactly why many feel the 90's was the greatest era in gaming.  This is Sega Genesis Classics.

As you may have guessed, Sega Genesis Classics is a compilation of Genesis games.  You take the role some person (who's never shown for obvious reasons) sitting at home playing Genesis games.  This person has quite the library, with between fifty and sixty in their collection.

Your room is the main menu...

...and these are your games.

On to the games.  Much like with most compilations, there's some good games, some bad games, some okay games, and some games that are straight-up garbage.  You have great games like Shadow Dancer and Streets of Rage, but you also have trash like Sonic 3D Blast and Flicky.  In other words, there is a game for you, whether you like good games or shitty games.

From good games like Shadow Dancer...

...to shitty games like Bonanza Brothers, there's something for everyone.

There are some VERY questionable omissions, too.  Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles are the two most obvious ones.  You could make a case that those games are in every Sonic or Sega compilation, but you'd have to follow that up by asking why they kept trash like Sonic 3D blast and Super Thunder Blade 4 from earlier collections.  It is quite the head-scratcher why they choose to include some trash, while excluding gold.

The additions are a mixed bag filled with interesting games.  That are games like Land Stalker on the good side.  On the bad side, you have trash like Galaxy Force 2.  Smack in the middle, you have Alien Soldier and the like.  Good or bad, compilations potentially give you a chance to play games you may not have played before.  This one passes that test.

Alien Soldier is one of the more fun and interesting additions.

Additions aren't just limited to game, though.  You also have the ability to fast-forward and rewind games.  Then, you have challenges, which are meant to...well...challenge you.  Finally, you have Mirror Mode, which flips things around for a new type of challenge.  Honestly, two or three more GOOD games would have been better the ability to FF/Rewind, but what can you do.

Simply playing Sonic 3D Blast is oddly absent from the Challenges menu.

Turn on Mirror Mode to play the games backwards.

One sweeping flaw is that the music stutters sometimes.  You'll be sitting there, playing a game and rocking your head to a familiar song, then the music will stutter like an overworked Pentium processor.  It can mess up your flow, but obviously it's not game-breaking.  Still, you'd figure the PS4 could handle 16-bit music with no trouble (the PS3 could).

Also, the interface seems clumsy, especially when exiting or trying to save a game.  When in a game, you have to hold the touchpad until the game feels like bringing up the menu.  I understand it's like this because a PS4 controller doesn't have a Select button (like PS3 controller) and the touchpad is too easy to hit, hence you'd have to hold it to keep from accidently bringing up the menu during intense play. Still, it feels clunky and weird.

On to the little stuff.  The music varies from game to game, so is hard to truly judge.  Some games DO have better music than others.  From the classics in Sonic the Hedgehog to the kick-ass themes in E-Swat, you should like the music.  Even Sonic 3D Blast has a good boss theme (the game is still trash, though).

As for extras...what you see is what you get.  In other words, there are no real extras.  No unlockable games, no interviews, no nothing.  The previous collection on PS3/XB360 had all these things.  Why aren't they here?  As mentioned earlier, I'd have preferred a few more games the belong in a classics collection rather than Mirror Mode and FF/Rewind.

Like the music, the graphics vary from game to game.  Some games have crisp, clear graphics (Like Sonic 2), while others are so messy, it's hard to tell what's going on (Sonic 3D Blast once again).  One minor flaw across the board is that there's no TRUE fullscreen graphics.

On the whole, this is an okay collection of games.  There are a few games that don't belong in a compilation that claims to be filled with classics, but most clearly have a place here.  There's plenty of variety.  You have platformers, shooters, brawlers, puzzlers, and RPGs all on one disc.  There are questionable exclusions and no extras, but it's a solid collection at a low and tidy price.  If you're a fan of the Genesis, don't miss it.  For everyone else, check it out.

Cat Quest Review (PS4)

It's the penultimate in cuteness, a game where you play as a cat.  Not just any cat, though.  You're a cat on a quest.  It's Cat Quest.

You take the role of a nameless cat who's capable of killing dragons.  In other words, you play as a cute and cuddly badass.  You're goal is to rescue his sister, who was kidnapped in the intro video.  You can arm your cat with weapons, armor, and magic to help him along.  Naturally, he's the silent type, letting a ball of fluff that resembles a cat do all the talking.

You can find a number of cute, little weapons for kitty.

If you ever want kitty to use magic, find an Arcane Temple and get ready to pay up.

Whatever the heck this thing is, it does the talking for the protagonist.

Speaking of talking, there are a lot of cat puns that get flung around.  NPCs and the ball of fluff just can't get enough of spitting them out like chewing tobacco.  Heck, even the otherwise silent protagonist let's out a deep "meow" when he gets hit.

It's not just limited to the dialog either.  The locations you go to have usually have some kind of cat reference attached to them.  Have you ever been to your nation's "Catpital?"  Have you ever sailed across the "Pawcific Ocean?"  Perhaps you been to "Bermewda's Triangle."  Stuff like this is all over the place and is kind of cute.

When you have time, scamper over to "The Catpital"...

...and have a look at the "Paws" menu.

In case you haven't figured it out by now, this game tries its hardest to be as cute as it can be.  You play as a cute little protagonist armed with cute, little weapons traveling around a cute, little world killing cute, little monsters.  This game has a severe case of what I like to call Atelier Syndrome.

Explore a cute, little overworld filled with cute, little monsters...

...then go into cute, little caves filled with even more cute, little monsters.

Not to be underestimated, though, things ratchet up the further north you go.  The monsters are still cute and little, but the ass whuppin' you'll receive for fighting them isn't.  When an enemy is too strong, a cute skull appears next to their life bar when before you fight them.  Fortunately, you can roam freely, so you're not stuck fighting any enemy you don't want to fight.  Of course you can challenge them, but you'll want to level your kitty up a little.  This is where the second part of the title comes into play; Quests.

Quest make it so you don't have to grind, like most RPGs when you get to a point you get past.  You can opt to grind by fighting weak enemies.  Taking quests makes things faster, though, and tell you more about the citizens of the world.  Much like powerful enemies, quests that are too tough will be marked with a skull.  Most of these quests are interesting, so give them a try.

Take care when taking missions with the red skull.

On to the other stuff.  The graphics do the job.  Things are cute and colorful.  If there is one complaint that could be made, it's that they seem a little too small.  Maybe it's just me.

The music is what you'd expect of an adventure game.  The world map theme has an epic, spirited feel without being too epic or too spirited.  The music in the caves sounds dark and mysterious without being too dark and mysterious.  You get the point.

When you get right down to it, Cat Quest feels like a well-done Indie game.  It's better than most of the stuff you'll find on Kongregate.com or websites like that, but it doesn't really feel like it belongs a current-gen console like the PS4.  It's not a bad game, though.  It's pretty fun, as a matter of fact.  Check it out.