You Have to Win the Game

Listen to the episode here.

“You Have to Win the Game is an exploration platformer with a retro 1980s PC aesthetic.”

Pick up the game here.

Pros:
– Presentation as a retro game is fantastic
– Controls feel responsive and snappy
– Power orbs feel like significant checkpoints without being spaced too far apart

Cons:
– Lack of music is distracting at times
– Unless you have a heavy nostalgia for the cyan and purple display style, switch to 16 color mode to more easily see dangers and pickups
– Jump sound may drive lesser mortals insane

The Super Budget Brothers recommend this game to fans of fairly difficult platformers and enjoy a bit of exploration. There are a few screens that can frustrate casual players and prevent progression.

Next week’s game: Warframe

Dungeonland

Listen to the episode here.

“Dungeonland is a co-operative hack and slash game that takes players on a deadly tour through a medieval theme park. Playing as The Rogue, The Warrior or The Mage, the heroes will need to work together as a team to get past the evil overseer of this ‘Tragic Kingdom’ – The Dungeon Maestro.”

Pick up the game here.

Pros:
– Three heroes with three weapon types give player options
– Local co-op allows players to rub shoulders while fighting evil hordes
– Plenty of customization through weapons skins, outfits, hats, and offensive and defensive powers

Cons:
– Difficulty slider only seems to affect enemy health and damage dealt
– Only two stages and a boss
– AI is somewhere between useless and a hindrance

The Super Budget Brothers only recommend this game to either young players looking for a beginner’s action RPG or parents of those players looking for a light, easy way to play together.

Next week’s game: You Have to Win the Game

Realistic Summer Sports Simulator

Listen to the episode here.

“Compete in the ultimate test of Strength! Endurance! and Skill! For up 4 players!
Go for Gold in 15 events!”

Pick up the game here.

Pros:
– Quick, simple, and clean gameplay
– Awesome, controllable rainbow-spewing jet
– Nice lunchbreak game

Cons:
– Some events feel like they last a little too long
– No how-to-play on any the events
– The computers cheat

Ratings, next week’s game and contact information after the jump.

Fire Point

Listen to the episode here.

“Fire Point is a puzzle platform game which lets you live out your hero fantasies and save men, women and kittens from horrible death in flames in a world in which carbon monoxide apparently doesn’t exist.”

Pick up the game here.

Pros:
– Unique non-violent premise
– Simple and basic graphics without being ugly
– Cutscenes are endearingly odd

Cons:
– Controls feel unnatural and cannot be remapped
– Aiming at fires can be much more difficult than it should be
– Most puzzles feel shallow and somewhat repetitive

Ratings, next week’s game and contact information after the jump.

War Thunder

Listen to the episode here.

“War Thunder is a next generation MMO combat game dedicated to World War II military aviation, armored vehicles, and fleets. You will take part in all of the major combat battles, fighting with real players all over the world.”

Pick up the game here.

Pros:
– Game is absolutely gorgeous
– More options than you could ever want
– Almost pathologic attention to detail concerning the planes themselves

Cons:
– Gameplay options are often hidden and unexplained
– Opponents with significantly better aircraft can easily be the deciding factor in a match
– Dudes can crash into you with no effect (HE TOTALLY SHOULD’VE CRASHED TOO!)

Ratings, next week’s game and contact information after the jump.

Yume Nikki 3D

Listen to the episode here.

“Yume Nikki 3d is a fan game based on Yume Nikki universe (if you haven’t played the original Yume Nikki, I highly recommend it). The game is not a simple 3d remake, but rather a spin-off to the original, with lots of extra content. Instead of using RPG Maker, I used an old 3d engine from the 90’s.”

Pick up the game here.

Pros:
– Dream-world environments are uniquely thematic
– Callbacks to the original game are well handled
– Exploration is interesting (If you have the bicycle)

Cons:
– Some area feel needlessly long and repetitious
– Getting the bike first is almost a necessity
– Very anti-climactic ending

Ratings, next week’s game and contact information after the jump.

More trouble, yo

Well, this is awkward…  The Brothers have been having a rough time getting together to talk about this week’s game and have agreed to put it off until after Thanksgiving.  Sorry dudes and dudettes.

In the meantime, go play some of the games that we’ve rated insanely high (Red Orchestra 2, Nitronic Rush, Red Eclipse, Warsow…).  We all know you haven’t played all of the games we’ve raved about.  Time to remedy that.

Nathan

Week to Recover

Hey fans and friends,

The Super Budget Brothers have been crippled by terrible illness and this weeks episode has been postponed until next week.  We will still be reviewing Yumi Nikki 3D and trying to figure out what we just played.

Nathan

SOUP (Bowl of Rice)

Listen to the episode here.

“It is a game of just walk.”

Pick up the game here.

Pros:
– The game continuing upon restart is interesting, if unintentional
– Game can be completed in as little as a few minutes
– Completely free

Cons:
– Control scheme is painful and unwieldy
– Textures are extremely low resolution
– Concept or environment never evolved beyond initial design

Ratings, next week’s game and contact information after the jump.

Kyoto

Listen to the episode here.

“Spiral into audioreactive obscurity as you are transported to a mysterious and melancholy land. Kyoto is an interactive ambient musical experiment that serves is an homage to the wonderful city that I currently reside in.

This short and sweet game serves as half audioreactive experiment and half tech sandbox.”

Pick up the game here.

Pros:
– Relaxing and melodic experience
– Tech behind it could be interesting in different game environments
– Great way to unwind for a few minutes

Cons:
– Game is over just as it begins to get interesting
– “Gameplay” is nearly nonexistant
– Is a developers experiment rather than a complete product

Ratings, next week’s game and contact information after the jump.