Depression Quest – Quick Review

This rather solemn sounding game attempts to bring players into the world of somebody living with depression and which does so, but not in the way it’s intended. I would struggle to call this a game and would instead agree with the ‘interactive fiction’ part of their description as the game consists almost entirely of text. The premise of the game is that you play as somebody with depression and must struggle through those everyday realities of life that tend to feel like momentous tasks for those suffering from depression such as going to work, managing your relationships, accepting the reality of being alive, deciding on potential treatment and handling the depression itself. Unfortunately the overall gameplay experience is painfully dominated by its origin as a set of interactive webpages that link to one another via hyperlinks when you make a choice and, though I appreciate the painfully personal nature of this game, it is unfortunately just too dull to call enjoyable.

The game boasts over 40,000 words of interactive fiction as though this is a positive aspect but if I were to play a game about living through depression I would prefer something that drew me in through artistic means rather than having to climb a seemingly unending mountain of paragraphs and written dialogue. The actual quality of the writing is very good, a little bland but it's mostly descriptive rather than creative and tends to set the scene nicely. What the game primarily suffers from however is way in which the player interacts with the story by making decisions. Decisions appear at the bottom of the screen and, as time goes on and your character’s depression worsens or improves, some of these options may be greyed out as you lack motivation or are in other ways simply not able to be picked. What this is supposed to simulate is the feeling that your life will never get any better and to emulate how much of a struggle it is to cope with the debilitating condition but what it actually rendered was a game where, even if you were supposedly getting better, your decisions and choices at improving your life went unrecognized. Rarely you would be told that you were getting better or your mood was briefly lifted but the writing never reflected this and the frustration of being unable to pursue treatments like therapy or medication later on down the line make your optimistic choices feel fairly pointless. Even though I tended to pick things in an attempt to make my guy feel better I found myself clicking through pages of dialogue with only one option to choose from; the depressing one. Unsurprisingly I ended up getting a rather negative ending and I felt like I'd been backed into a corner; good imagery for feel life but not a great feature of a 'choose your own path' interactive fiction game.

As I just said, the choices do eventually have an effect in the way of alternative endings. Usually this feature would have me all excited and intrigue to play through them all but something about this game just left me too fatigued to even try. Maybe it was the depression. Maybe it was the fact that after an hour that felt like three of carefully selected choices I was still left with a conclusion that felt watery, unresolved and unsatisfying. It seemed that no matter what I chose I was always going to end up in some undesirable rut that wouldn’t change anything anyway so what was the point of trying again. I realize the irony that this is exactly what depression feels like so on a positive note the game stirs up in you a very accurate portrayal of depression, the fact that this is a positive note does nothing to recommend this game to others. From a gamers perspective, unless you are either too happy to function and need bringing down or want to try and experience the unending torment of somebody living with depression then I wouldn't recommend you play this game. From a personal level however I would suggest you play a little bit of it so you at least take part in the awareness raising that the developer is attempting to perform.

The Good:

• Well written
• Insightful and educational 
• Application of choices enhances connection to character 
• Brilliant portrayal of the illness 
• Donation of charity and awareness raising is always a good thing
• The five alternative endings allows for some re-playability

The Bad:

• Generally, rather boring
• Lack of visuals makes it feel like a book, not a game 
• The cross from webpage to Steam should have included significant gameplay changes 
• The music is repetitive, gets a little glitchy if you’re depressed but that’s it 
• An hour of play felt like an eternity
• Seems to have become popular on the back of controversy
• Surprisingly lacking in emotion

The Score: 5/10 
 
Final thoughts: “It’s clear this game is for a good cause, it promotes awareness and donates to charity, but that still doesn’t make the game fun or interesting. This is not really a game and it shouldn’t really be on Steam.

You can play Depression Quest for free here via the developers website.

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Disney's Hercules: Action Game - Quick Review (PS1 and PC game)

Unless you are an extreme fan of the Hercules Disney film or Disney video games in general I wouldn’t recommend you add this game to your collection any time soon. It breaks my heart a little to say that as this game holds a great deal of nostalgia for me and, at the time, Disney's Hercules: Action Game was one of my PS1 gaming staples. 

Developer: Eurocom
Genre: Platformer

Release date: November 1997

Platforms: PS1 and PC  

ESRB: E - Everyone

When I first played this game I did find it genuinely fun and, on my second playthrough as an adult, I admit it has its charms but only on account of the nostalgia. When judging it based on its merits it’s hard to see beyond the boring and linear gameplay, annoying film clips and rehashed soundbites taken directly from the film. Overall, it’s an extremely short game and has very few levels that look better than they play, and they don’t look particularly exceptional.

The game is almost entirely in 2D though there are times when you have to walk backwards or forwards into an additional layer of the environment, before continuing with the regular side scrolling that the game exists on. There are ten levels overall but the last two, in the Underworld and the Vortex of Souls, are only available if you’re playing the game on either medium or hard difficulty though their addition does help to bulk the game out a little. There are a couple of levels in the game where you are unable to fight and instead must continually run forward, slowing or speeding up, whilst avoiding obstacles. One of the earlier levels features this rush type gameplay where you must avoid Phil’s hero training obstacles such as sharks, sword wielding dummies and giant stone fists that violently drop from above. This is, admittedly, quite fun to play through on the first attempt especially on the higher difficulty levels since it’s such an iconic scene from the film that you kind of enjoy playing through it, even if it is just for kicks.  

There are plenty of power ups and collectibles to collect during the levels. Your energy bar can be increased by picking up Hercules action figure dolls whereas your health can be replenished by drinking ‘Herculade’ that you probably remember from the film. Generally, you’re stuck with a regular old sword but you can also pick up power ups for it to give it magical abilities. I’m not sure where they got this idea from but I guess they can add a little creative embellishment in an attempt to make things more fun. These weapons are called ‘Gifts from the Gods’ which basically adds on stuff like a long stream of lightning that you can move about, fire balls that shoot off in any which direction and a sort of sonic blade that sends out a dangerous circular sonic blast, killing anything nearby. Finally, you can grab an invincibility helmet that makes you impervious to damage from a few seconds. There are two forms of collectibles in the game, for starters there are the letters of the name ‘HERCULES’ which are hidden throughout the level in admittedly really good hiding spots ( I haven’t actually found them all yet). Lastly, there are four vases that when found will give you the password to that level so you can replay it. 

Even when trying to find all these collectibles you’ll probably be able to complete this game in just a few hours, and it won’t necessarily be a fun few hours either. Though the game has its quirky moments that are fun for a bit it’s not really a substantial amount of enjoyment and it’s unlikely you’ll ever want to play the game again. Graphically, the game is reasonable and it has some really nice levels such as the early training levels and the dangerous jaunt through the city called ‘The Big Olive’ which has a few moments where you smile and go, ‘oh yeah’ as you remember the context from the film. The audio is a little irritating and the music is very repetitive, but good quality. The inclusion of low quality clips from the film to help explain the storyline can thankfully be skipped as they’re quite frequent and juts feel like a bulking agent to make the game last longer. Overall, there’s nothing particularly offensive about the game, it basically stands as a good little game for children or for those who enjoy knocking out a couple of hours on an old 90s Disney game without high expectations.

The Good:

• Iconic scenes from film fun to engage in.
• Decent levels, nice variety and very detailed.
• Well animated enemies
• Collectibles for the purists is always a good thing.
• Powerups mean you can cleave through enemies quickly. 
  

The Bad:

• Often you're just running to the side of the screen, continuously. 
• Repetative audio and music.
• Quite a bland experience.
• Very short.
• Lack of analog sticks means your fingers will hurt because of stubborn controls. 
  

The Score: 5/10

If you want to play this you can check out my passwords for all levels in all difficulties here. 

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Serena - Quick Review (Free Steam game)

How long has it been? A man sits alone in a worn out cabin somewhere deep in the woods, waiting for his wife Serena. Where is she, and why can't he remember her face? Serena is surprisingly powerful for a free game that you can complete in less than an hour. The game’s realistic and subdued appearance is enhanced by the area you’re in; an open plan wooden cabin that was once home to two people, the man you’re playing and a woman called Serena who’s not present. It’s eerie from the moment you start playing; the photograph on the table leaves the woman’s face completely blank, just a white smear, as the man cannot remember what she looks like. The cabin looks as though nobody’s been there for weeks and as you point and click your way around the cabin you’ll get the man’s remarks that revolve around his memories of Serena. He’ll comment on her cooking, their love for one another, the books she read curled up in the armchair by the window and things of that assortment. The controls are very simple; you click the edges of the screen to move to different parts of the room, open drawers and look at objects.

You’ll guide this man to remember something best left forgotten and his memories will gradually return as you find things of Serena’s or things which remind him of her. The tone changes midway through the game and the remarks he makes about the few objects and pieces of furniture in the cabin changes as well. The build up to the ending is incredible and, though you see the ending coming from a mile away, it’s the emotion in his voice which is so memorable. It’s beautifully voice acted and looks the part; dirty, dusty but cosy and confined. The atmosphere is chilling and the creeping sensations that build up as you piece together the lost memories are the work of an undeniably emotional tale. Serena is a game you won’t soon forget, even if it is just a free game on Steam I highly recommend it. Check out the link below if you want to try this game and find out what makes it worth the experience. 

Score: 8/10

Serena - Free Indie game on Steam website.

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Goat Simulator - Quick Review (PC game)

Before I begin, let me ask you a question; have you ever wanted to know what it's like to be a goat? Of course you have, everybody has, so you'll be pleased to know that this game is a goat simulator; simulating the everyday life of a goat. But not just any goat, this goat is a super speedy, super destructive, super 'what the actual hell is going o- OHMYGOD' goat. 

I think it's tongue is coming out of its nose, is that normal for goats?

Goat simulator is by no means a serious game so for those of you hoping to be munching grass and scratching your ears I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. This goat simulator is designed to play as an extremely broken, surreal and glitchy game and you'll very quickly notice the intensely rag doll animations and overtly exaggerated gameplay. In this game you can bounce off trampolines and air vents, perform flips and tricks, glitch your way to the top of a construction site, ram your head through supposedly solid objects and lick passing humans with an ultra sticky tongue, allowing you to drag them around like deflated jellyfish.

The unfortunate reality of owning your own trampoline.

The game has numerous areas where the core aim is to rack up as many points as possible by destroying as much as possible. The goat has rag doll like physics meaning you can send him flying in every which direction with not much adherence to little things like gravity or bones. If anything it’s pretty similar to an old Tony Hawk game as, whilst catapulting through the air, you can perform tricks to earn even more points.  The best way of getting points though is by destroying things and almost everything can be demolished with your furry hide. Is there a point to this game? Not really, it's very much a sandbox game and it's designed purely to maximize fun without any real objectives or constraints. The game plays like a sandbox game because you can basically do anything and go anywhere you want, no matter what the obstacle. Want to push people into the road so they get hit by trucks? Go ahead, climb up onto roofs then flip off them onto trampolines to string together a series of goat-style combo moves? Why the hell not. The freedom is really refreshing and I just love a game without boundries even if you have to suffer with extreme glitchy-ness to experience it.

Go wherever you want and pass out from sheer enjoyment.

In case you’re looking for meaning in this game there’s a lot of hidden collectibles dotted about throughout the levels which add a bit more depth to the game and which encourages you to explore all the areas. There are 'quests' though this is far from resembling any form of actual RPG game and also achievements for doing particularly impressive things. There’s something crazy awesome about finding a mask that summons up demons to help you in your destructive conquest. The only real drawbacks of the game has to be how glitchy and broken it is; though they may be partly the point as a lot of glitches can be exploited to make everything even more unbelievably funny. The graphics are fairly realistic and a cross between the latest Sims and an older GTA game with great urban environments nestled in amongst the farmyard ones. The animations are coupled with tinkling fairground type music that adds a whole new level of surreal to this quirky, senseless game.

Everything the light touches, you can go to. And also the shadowed bits. Generally it's open world.

Overall, I’d say this game is well worth the modest price they’re asking for as it’s a great laugh to motor around in a goat that feels more like a skateboard. You’ll get plenty of laughs out of this one and I’m pretty sure this is going to become a staple of Let’s Plays everywhere as it’s not only awesome but memorable too. If you're still not convinced, check out the trailer below, I'm sure this'll answer any lasting reservations you may have.

Score: 7/10

To discover more of my PC game reviews, check out this page here.

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Zoo Tycoon 1 - Quick Review (PC game)

This game is Zoo tycoon the way it should have remained; good, simple fun. If you read my review of the latest Zoo Tycoon game for the Xbox consoles, found here, you'll know I hated it with a passion due to its lack of customization options. In this original game, that's one of the best features.Though everything may not be extensively detailed and with 3D interaction it’s still a fantastic and addictive game. This classic tycoon game is about building up a zoo and managing it to success, there is no limit on what you can build and the animals you can keep so you can fill your park right up. It’s all shot in an isometric view which makes it easy to see what’s going on and, despite the camera being fairly limiting on how much detail you can see it’s still enough to know where everything is at any given time. The graphics were, for its time, really good and even though they’re dated now they still look pleasant enough and is very similar in style to simulation games like Rollercoaster tycoon 1 and 2. Despite some graphical drawbacks the game is still nice and detailed and every animal looks just like the real thing. Guests differ from each other in only in their shirt colour and generally they just meander around and make gasping and ooh’ing noises at the animals.   

Not only fine looking but fun and educational. If you don't want to be educated, just ignore it.

Money isn’t a problem in this game as there are plenty of cheats to bolster your funds but if you want to play the game as it was intended then there are plenty of campaigns to keep you occupied, many of which are genuinely challenging. The campaigns often revolve around a theme such as conservation or trying to breed extremely rare and exotic animals like pandas or panthers. The variety of animals is immense and you very quickly unlock more, along with different kinds of foliage, buildings, exhibit features and decoration as time progresses. The addition of the expansion packs makes everything that much better and allows you to keep dinosaurs in immensely robust enclosures or, if you have the marine expansion pack, keep aquatic creatures like dolphins, sharks and whales. You can fund research into developing new, special things like additional shows for animal houses, rare animals and foliage, staff improvements and special toys for your animals that are necessary to keep them happy and occupied.

The game is surprisingly educational and you will most definitely learn a lot about animals from playing this, though it’s not in your face informative so it doesn’t feel like you’re being bombarded with facts about things. All in all, the educational aspect of it is optional as most information is contained in a separate tab. Keeping your animals and guests happy can be a bit of a struggle if you’re not used to this type of gameplay though as they often require very specific conditions. The happiness of the animals depends on the suitability of their exhibit and often requires an exact amount of foliage, terrain level, rocks, terrain types, animal house and a toy if they’re a playful sort of animal. To help you build the exhibit you will see the animal approve or disapprove of things you add to the exhibit and you can add and remove until it’s satisfied. It can be quite hard to get an exhibit perfect for particular animals who seem designed to be ultra-fussy, especially the mountainous creatures.

Unintrusive menu system, lovely isometric camera, fashionably dressed guests.

Guests are pretty easy to manage; they get hungry, thirsty, tired and bored by walking around in the park for long periods of time. You can keep them entertained with restaurants, fancy scenery, gift shops and interactive buildings like a petting zoo or elephant ride. All guests have a favourite animal, which is a nice addition, so they’ll be extra excited to see if you’ve got one of those in your zoo. There’s so, so many different items you can put in the park and you can very easily set themes across your zoo with special items and buildings for styles such as Japanese, snowy, jungle ruins, Mexican and desert. There’s something nice about being able to put down Aztec style temple restaurants and flaming torches among your Jaguars and Orang-utans.

Choosing where to put your own paths, what a revolutionary idea!

Overall this game has aged brilliantly and is as much fun now as it was when it was first released. It plays great on newer operating systems so there’s no worry about compatibility. Though the graphics and ability to interact directly with the animals is not present in this original version it just goes to show that you can strip away all the fluff and still be left with a game that is fun to its very core; no frills, just a great game. If you like simulation games that include animals or a system of management
then you’ll likely enjoy this retro pc game.

Score – 8/10

If you're currently playing Zoo Tycoon (Complete Collection or otherwise) then you may want to check out my list of cheats, codes and unlockables found here. 

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Fable 3 - Quick Review (Xbox 360 game)

Though Fable 3, successor to two hugely successful games, is dramatically glitchy and victim to some slightly clunky gameplay the storyline is genuinely quite fun. With its ‘seize the kingdom’ campaign you will be sat at the very helm of Albion as its monarch, and who can say no to that? The game itself has a short storyline but lots of side quests and places to explore. There are several irritating little gameplay features though that cannot go unmentioned, for instance, the interaction with NPCs in the game has deteriorated to that of childish one on one dancing and playing 'patty-cake' with individual people, among other things. The map system is fairly awful; a large, interactive 3D map is manageable but there is no way of telling where you are at any given time which leads to much frustrated running about, looking for noticeable landmarks. Finally, the ending of the game basically requires you to have a great deal of wealth if you want to have a 'good guy' ending but making this wealth is time consuming and extremely difficult, no matter how many properties you own. This often leaves gamers having to plug in a controller and leave the game on idle so enough gold can accumulate before the 'point of no return', not exactly an ideal gameplay feature.

 

The graphics are extremely similar to the last title making the transition almost seamless and the new combat is definitely improved; bringing new features to magic and elevating the status of melee and ranged due to the new legendary weapons.  This Fable is, as usual, peppered with great British irony and humour which elevates it to the status of one of the most successful comedy adventure games on the market. The dialogue, quests and storylines are both amusing and interesting with genuinely memorable characters like Chesty ; a demonic, static chest, and Brian; a neurotic garden gnome collector who’s blighted by obscenely insultive runaway gnomes. The importance of decision and morality that is previous in all Fable titles is now more important than ever as you’ll soon be responsible for the lives and happiness of hundreds of thousands of citizens. Whilst Fable 3 is not as good as the previous titles it still sits as a decent sequel for those looking for a quirky but entertaining game that leaves just one, final question; how will you rule? 

Score - 7/10 

Preferably with the crown on.

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