1 Up Box - January 2016

I recently got subscriptions to 1 Up Box, Loot Crate and Arcade Block, which are all boxes that get delivered to your door each month and are filled with nerdy and gaming related items.  I will be posting unboxing articles each month of each service to give our viewers an idea of the items that each service sends out.  

The first box that I received for January 2016 is the 1 Up Box.  1 Up Box costs roughly $20, including shipping.  If you are interested in subscribing, click here.

Each 1 Up Box has a unique theme and this month's theme is Legends.  Now let's check out January 2016's 1 Up Box!

Every 1 Up Box contains a T-Shirt, which you specify the size you would like when you subscribe.  The shirt I received is a bit smaller than normal, so if you are going to subscribe, I would recommend choosing a size larger than you normally do.  This month's t-shirt is a "Pugs of Legend" shirt.  It is a pretty cool shirt that features pugs dressed as game characters.

The next item in the box is a Deadpool "Dorbz" vinyl figure.  Just in time for the Deadpool movie!

Next, we have a patch featuring Link from The Legend of Zelda.  This would look pretty cool on a gaming backpack or something.

The next item in the January 2016 1 Up Box is a "Zero to Hero Coffee" koozie.  This will work great to keep my beer, I mean beverages, nice and cold.

Next, we have a Super Mario mystery dog tag.  This is the same mystery bag that you can find in stores such as Wal-Mart and Gamestop.  I got a Koopa dog tag.  There are rare gold tags that you can get and each pack contains a dog tag, card and sticker.

And last, but not least we have a Valentine's Day card featuring Thor dressed up with his hammer.  It states "Whoever holds this hammer, if they be worthy, shall possess my love."  It's something kind of cool that I can give to one of my kids to give to a friend for Valentine's Day.

There you have January 2016's 1 Up Box.  It contained some pretty cool and interesting items.  If you are interested in subscribing, please use the link above!  Loot Crate and Arcade Block unboxings will be posted as soon as I receive them, so stay tuned!

Poncho Review (PS4)

Poncho is a two-dimensional, semi open-world, scrolling platformer with puzzle-solving elements that takes place in a world where all humans have been eliminated, leaving only animals and a bunch of robot servants.  You, the player, control one of these servant robots named Poncho.  Your goal is to discover who your maker is and why humanity was wiped off the face of the world.

Poncho contains wonderful pixel-art graphics with vibrant colors, which works great for this style of platformer  While it is a two-dimensional platformer, the levels actually contain 3 different layers (think Little Big Planet).  Navigating between these layers is as simple as pressing R1 and L1 to move forward and backward, respectively.  I found myself switching between layers quite often, and this aspect of the game makes the game even more fun.  The one issue I had with the layers was that there were a few times that I needed to make a jump but wasn’t sure which layer I needed to be in to make that jump.  This resulted in a few trial-and-error attempts.

As I mentioned before, Poncho is a semi open-world game. You are pretty much free to go through the levels in any order you want, but in order to get to certain parts you will need to unlock color-coded gates.  These gates can be unlocked with color-coded keys, which you obtain by finding them throughout the world or buying them from robot merchants using gems that you find in the open.  I found myself back-tracking quite a bit to find or buy keys to advance, but not too much.  

The gameplay and controls in Poncho are very good.  Guiding Poncho through the levels is fairly easy.  Both the platforming and puzzle aspects of the game are implemented very well.  One of the few problems I had with Poncho is that there are very few checkpoints in the levels, so when you happen to fall (make a jump on wrong layer), you likely will have to start from the beginning of the level, which can become quite frustrating when you reach a difficult area.  

Overall, Poncho is a fun game with vibrant graphics, solid gameplay and a unique story.  I ran into a few glitches, but nothing serious. The game can become frustrating at times, but nothing that ruins the fun of the game.  If you are looking for a new platformer/puzzler to try out, give Poncho a shot.  I don’t think you will regret it at all.

Score 3 out of 5

Thanks to the publisher for supplying a copy for review

Blood Bowl 2 Review (PS4)

Blood Bowl 2 is a clever mixture of Warhammer’s board game fantasy universe and the basic structure of American football that features violence and humour. Instead of being a live-action type of football game, it’s a turn-based strategy type game. Like traditional American football, an offense consisting of 11 players uses coordinated plays (and some trickery) to move a ball into the opposition’s goal, while the opposition does everything it can to stop their progress and gain control of the ball.

Unlike American football games, Blood Bowl 2 plays like a board game on the gridiron with a heavy reliance on luck, since important movements are followed up with a six-sided dice roll. A single game consists of 16 turns. During a single turn, you, as the team’s coach, position and interact with each of your 11 players. Each player gets one move, in which they can re-position, block, or pass the ball. When you finish issuing orders or when a player fails an action, your turn ends. The success of almost every move depends on two things: your players’ stats against the stats of the opposing player, and the outcome of the dice roll. At certain times the game may feel like it is totally random and luck based, but once you get the hang of it you realize the game is good at calculating what actions are more likely to succeed or fail based on the situation.  With that said, even when you perform actions that seem to be a lock to succeed, they can fail miserably.  You can have a wide open receiver have a pass slip right through his claws, or have a player running free to the end zone and slip and fall a step short of the goal line.

The graphics in the game are great.  Players have a great amount of detail and are very animated when they interact with another player.  Although these animations are great, after a while they seem to slow the game down.  

The single-player campaign is where the game lacks.  It feels more like a challenging tutorial than anything else.  It does a good job at teaching new players how to play the game and brings in new concepts each game.  This is a good approach for a tutorial, but doesn’t give experienced players anything to look forward to.

Multiplayer with friends or a good opponent that won’t quit is a great time.  I can’t think of the last time I had a better time playing a strategy type game.  With that said, I have had a hard time finding good players online that won’t quit a few turns into the game if things don’t go their way right off the kick-off.

Overall, Blood Bowl 2 is a great strategy, turn-based football game.  A better single-player experience would be nice, but the multiplayer makes up for it, as long as you can find good players.

Score 3 out of 5

Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

Giana Sisters: Dream Runners Review (PS4)

Giana Sisters: Dream Runners is a fast-paced, head-to-head platformer for up to four players developed by Black Forest Games.  The game pits up to four players (or AI opponents) against each other in a looping stage, in local and online competition, speed-running for the finish in an effort to push each other off the screen with the help of boosters and power-ups.  The layout of the level can also be changed by running through “Dreamgates”.  When one player is eliminated, the remaining players have 30 seconds to survive and whoever is in the lead after those 30 seconds wins.  Winning a round gets you a star and winning 3 stars wins the game.

The art style in Gianna Sisters: Dream Runners is very colorful and unique.  There are 9 different stages to choose from and each has its own setting, ranging from sandy desert to snow and ice covered stages.  The sounds and music are a little generic, but fit the game.

Gameplay and controls are pretty simple and self explanatory.  The first stage in the game is also a sort of tutorial in which overlays pop ups at certain points of the stage that explain the controls of the game as well as what the powerups do and how to use them.  After running through a few stages, the controls became pretty easy to handle.  

While Gianna Sisters: Dream Runners is a pretty simple game, it can be a lot of fun with the right people.  I tried multiple times to play online, but had problems finding players quite often.  The real fun was had with local multiplayer.  My family (2 young children and my girlfriend) all really enjoy playing through all the levels when we have “game night” at our house.  When you don’t have 3 other people to play with locally, you can sub in up to 3 AI opponents as well.

Score 3 out of 5

It is a lot of fun with family and friends in short sessions, but gets a little repetitive and boring after playing through the stages once or twice.    

Airscape: The Fall of Gravity Review (PC)

Airscape: The Fall of Gravity is a fast-paced, gravity-shifting, action platformer about a deep-sea octopus who has been kidnapped by a mechanical alien race.  Players control an Octopus  on an adventure to save it's family from the clutches of the motorized menace.  Jump, dodge, and swim through an environment full of floating islands, water formations, and robotic terrors where the laws of gravity do not apply.

The gameplay in Airscape: The Fall of Gravity is what you would expect from your casual platformer, the only difference being gravity, or lack thereof in some cases.  Each environment has its own form of gravity.  In most platformers, you move left and right while jumping and dodging your way through the levels.  In Airscape: The Fall of Gravity, you will find yourself moving left and right, as well as up and down.  The beginning levels are pretty easy and give you a good feel for the controls, but progressively get more and more difficult as you make your way through the 60+ levels.  

Since you are constantly moving up, down, left and right, the camera in the game moves so that your character is always standing “upright”.  This causes the screen to rotate and shake quite a bit. If you are like me and tend to get motion sickness from games that rotate or move a lot, this game may cause some sickness.  Unfortunately, I am one of those people and I did have to take breaks while playing in order to settle my stomach.

Visually, the game looks amazing.  The colors and art style of the characters and environments look great.  There are lots of bright colors that jump out and the style of the darker levels do a great job of making the level feel just that, dark.  The sounds and music in the game fit the game perfectly.

The controls are very simple and feel perfect when playing.  The level design is great as well, and if you find yourself dying a lot, it is because you messed up and not because of level design or controls.  The game may start out fairly easy, but becomes more of a challenge the further you get, which is a big plus.  I found myself having a hard time with quite a few levels, but always found myself trying over and over.

Score: 4 out of 5.

It is well worth the $9.99 price tag on Steam and there is also a demo available for anyone that is still trying to decide on purchasing.  It is one of the best platformers I've played in awhile, just wish it didn’t give me so much motion sickness...

Anna's Quest Review (PC)

Anna’s Quest is a point-and-click adventure game by Daedalic Entertainment. In Anna’s Quest, Anna, the main character in the story, goes on a quest to find a cure for her grandfather’s illness. What makes this quest special is that Anna has led a very sheltered life with her grandfather and barely knows what creatures linger outside her home. Anna’s love for her grandfather drives her to leave the safety of her home and venture out to find the needed cure for him. Unfortunately, she hits her first roadblock right away as a witch, named Winfriede, kidnaps her and performs an experiment on her. This experiment gives Anna the power of telekinesis, which serves as a unique and key feature throughout the game.

While Anna’s Quest’s foundation is of the classic point & click adventure, the various elements are what make the game unique. You’ll explore the world by inspecting the environment, solving puzzles, and using your newfound telekinesis to overcome the various obstacles you encounter throughout the game. Interacting with other characters to form friendships while you gain more information, or even to obtain an ally, are ways that the world of Anna’s Quest can expand. Through the various exploration methods, deeper messages behind the story start to unfold that not you would expect. You’ll also gather items to combine with one another, use in the environment, or fulfill requirements to get you one step closer to obtaining a cure for Anna’s grandfather.

At times the game does get tricky, so expect a challenge from time to time. There are many times you will need to combine certain items you wouldn’t normally expect to combine, or use specific items on things in the environment that you normally wouldn’t. Although the main focus of Anna’s Quest is its unique and compelling story, characters, and atmosphere, it's gameplay is very good. It may be viewed as quite basic, but it does feel very fitting as a package with how the game is presented. The dialogue is straightforward, easy to understand, and conveys what it wants to in a fairly simple and concise manner. In addition, when conversing with other characters, you have choices between certain questions or inquiries that Anna can ask about important information needed or to learn other mysteries within the world of Anna’s Quest.

The art style in Anna’s Quest is simple, yet looks great and fits it's dialogue and presentation perfectly. Even with its simplicity it is capable of expressing each character’s personality very nicely. The voice acting in Anna’s Quest is very good as well, with different accents and styles for each character.

Anna’s Quest is your classic point-and-click adventure game, but mixes in it's own art style, and environment. Any fan of point-and-click games will enjoy Anna’s Quest, no doubt about it. I’m not a huge fan of point-and-click adventures, but found Anna’s Quest to be a great game. The unique story and puzzles will keep players coming back for more.  It is currently $19.99 on Steam and worth every penny.

Score: 4 out of 5

Poly Bridge Review (Early Access PC)

Poly Bridge by Dry Cactus is a bridge building simulation Early Access PC game available on Steam in which the player’s objective is to build a bridge stable enough to support multiple types of vehicles while staying under budget and suiting the needs for different factors, such as ships that may need to pass under the bridge. Players can choose from a variety of different materials such as wood, steel, cable, and hydraulic pistons and must take into account the weight of the various vehicles, the max joint stress of different parts of your bridge and your budget for the level.

Gameplay in Poly Bridge is pretty simple and the game is fairly easy to navigate.  There is a tutorial available to help get you through getting started, if needed, but I was able to figure things out rather quickly without needing the tutorial.  There are also helpful tools, such as the ability to reveal the high and low stress points of your bridge.  There is a campaign mode where players must solve puzzle-type levels by building bridges that have the capability of getting vehicles from point A to point B.  The levels in campaign mode start off fairly easy and plain but get more difficult and interesting as you go along.  I didn’t find any of the levels too difficult, but found myself going back and playing some of the levels multiple times to try out different designs and ideas.  There is also a Sandbox mode in which you can create your own levels and have fun trying out any design or idea you can come up with.  I found myself spending quite a bit of time in Sandbox mode just playing around and creating levels with anything from simple bridges to multiple suspended bridges.  It is a lot of fun coming up with all kinds of crazy bridges and seeing what they are capable of doing.  

The visuals in Poly Bridge look nice and are what you would expect in a bridge building simulation game.  Building is done using a 2D dotted line map.  This is where players select and place the materials they wish to build the bridge out of, along with any other features they would like to add.  The rest of the game is in a 3D type environment which shows the cars, land and water features and of course, your bridge.  The graphics in this environment work great for the type of game Poly Bridge is.  Stunning, life-like visuals aren’t necessary for this type of game and the cartoony style graphics fit the game very well.  

I have played a few bridge building games in the past and was pretty skeptical about Poly Bridge before playing it.  Being an Early Access game, there are a few minor bugs that I ran into while playing, but they were nothing bad enough to really effect the gameplay and the developers at Dry Cactus have been doing a great job at working on and fixing bugs and responding to the Steam community.  It is an addicting game that keeps improving and is well worth the $11.99 on Steam.

Score: 3 out of 5

Nihilumbra Review (Wii U)

Nihilumbra is an atmospheric puzzler/platformer developed by Beautifun Games.  In Nihilumbra, you control a strange creature that was created in (and escaped from) the “Void” to adventure through our world while running from the Void.  The story of this creature is told throughout each level by text that appears around the environment along with optional narration.  

The controls in Nihilumbra are very easy to use and the developers made great use of the touch screen on the Wii U’s gamepad.  The game is played much like a standard platformer, left and right move your character through the level and A and B make your character jump.  The L and R buttons change what “color” or ability you are using.  These colors are obtained throughout the game and allow you to do different things with the environment, such as using blue on the ground makes you move faster and green makes you bounce.

There are many different "colors" or abilities that you can use in Nihilumbra.

These colors play a major part in making Nihilumbra a great puzzle game. The puzzles start out pretty simple, such as using blue to move faster and jump further than normal to reach an area you couldn’t normally reach.  As you progress through the game, these puzzles get more difficult, which keeps the game interesting.  There were a few times that I had to take a step back and really look through a puzzle to figure out the solution.  These puzzles make the game different from most standard platformers and keeps it interesting.

The graphics in Nihilumbra are very nice.  They are very simple and dark and the previously mentioned narrative text does not distract you from what you are trying to do.  The backgrounds and environments are beautiful and very detail, which help make the movements and fluidity of the game wonderful. The sounds and music in Nihilumbra sound great and fit each level appropriately, which is essential in a platformer.

Overall, Nihilumbra is a great puzzler/platformer.  The graphics, controls and overall gameplay is wonderful and it is one of the best and most interesting platformers I have played in a long time.  The puzzles start out a little easy, but progress in difficulty and really make the game enjoyable.  You can download Nihilumbra now on the Wii U eshop for $9.99, and it is well worth it.

4/5

Dirt Rally Review (Early Access PC)

Dirt Rally, from Codemasters, is an early-access Steam game that returns to an authentic and dangerous off-road racing experience.  Currently, the game has four massive environments and 38 challenging stages. You can drive them during the day or night, along with different weather conditions, such as dry, overcast, sunny, misty, wet, rainy and snowy. Dirt Rally also currently has 20 cars you can drive, from old to new, each which handle and drive differently.  Codemasters plans on releasing more cars and tracks as the game develops.

Dirt Rally also features a few different types of events for players to participate in, such as Rally Championships, Rally Async and custom Rally Events.  The game also features a great team management system where you can hire up to four engineering staff to work on your vehicle between stages.  The car upgrade system is also a great feature where your engineers will become more familiar with your cars the more you drive them and will research upgrades that will unlock the full potential of the car.

The gameplay and physics in Dirt Rally are amazing.  The game is a straight-forward simulation style drift racing game.  There are no over-the-top stunts or bonus points for long drifts.  Codemasters has done a great job so far of creating an emotionally-charged game.  You feel the intensity of every sharp corner as you hug the edge of the turn and do everything you can to keep the car from falling off the cliff while tearing through the track as fast as you can.  Every car has a different feel to it and each car can take some time getting used to.  The controls in the game feel very realistic and fluid.  I used an Xbox 360 controller for the most part while playing and it worked very well.  This is one of the few racing games out that has made me want to go out and buy a racing wheel for my PC.

The graphics in Dirt Rally are gorgeous.  Everything from the cars to the environment have amazing details which will likely only get better as the game progresses towards final release state.  The sounds of the game are also great.  You can hear everything from the gravel hitting your car to your brakes grinding when you hit them too hard.  The graphics and sound combined are some of the most impressive I have ever seen in a racing game.

Overall, Dirt Rally is one of the best racing games I have ever played, even though it is in the early-access stage.  If you enjoy arcade style racing games, this game may not be for you.  If you enjoy realistic, simulation style racers, this game is definitely for you.  It takes a while to get used to the handling of the cars, as one little mistake can send your car spinning.  Once you are used to it, it feels amazing when you hug each corner and improve your times each race.  I am really looking forward to seeing what more Codemasters can do to improve Dirt Rally.

4.5/5

Nevermind Review (Early Access PC)

Nevermind is a very unique and strange horror early access game that takes you into the minds of psychological trauma victims, with the goal of solving the puzzles inside the creepy worlds to figure out what the victims have gone through and help them reach clarity and peace.  

The game can be played with a variety of biofeedback sensors, which monitors your heart rate.  When played with one of these sensors, Nevermind detects your fear level and the game becomes increasingly harder as your fear level increases.  The goal of Nevermind is to teach you to be more aware of your unique internal responses to stressful situation.  Unfortunately, I was unable to play the game without one of these sensors, but I still really enjoyed playing it without.

The gameplay in Nevermind is great.  Even without the biofeedback sensors, it was challenging to solve some of the puzzles.  You really have to look hard and think deep in order to successfully solve the puzzles and help the patient.  Being a horror film and game fan, I was excited to see just how scary this game would be.  I’m the type of person that is not easily scared, especially when it comes to games. (P.T. wasn’t really scary to me, but I’ll admit I jumped a couple times.)  I didn’t really find this game very scary, it was more creepy and dark.  It didn’t have me jumping out of my seat, except for maybe a few times, but I wonder how much my heart rate really changed throughout the game.  While it may not have been very scary, I did find myself “on edge” quite a bit.  I was constantly wondering what I was going to come across next and just what was going on inside of this patient's mind.

The graphics in Nevermind are amazing.  The environment design is very dark and unique and keeps you looking around at all times.  You never know what you will come across in each spooky world.  Every patient’s mind has a completely different look and feel, which keeps the game fresh and shows that the developers really put their time and effort into each world.

The music and sounds in the game are very good.  It is a pretty quiet game for the most part, but the creepy music and sound effects greatly increase the intensity of the game.  As you get deeper in the mind of the patient and things get creepier, the sounds and music do an excellent job of reflecting that.  The voice-overs are pretty good as well, but the developer has mentioned that they may be changed at a later time.

Overall, Nevermind is a great game, even being an early access title.  It is a fun, unique game that should only improve over time.  This game is full of potential and I am excited to see what the developers add and change to the game to make it better.  The game play, graphics and sound are all great already, so the possibilities are endless. I really wish I could have played it with a biofeedback sensor to see just how much it adds to the game.  Maybe I will pick one up in the future and try it out.  If I do, I will be sure to post a follow-up for everyone to check out.  

3.5/5

Thanks to Flying Mollusk for providing a code for review. 

Game Loading: Rise of the Indies (Movie) Review

The huge increase in digital downloading in recent years has made it very easy for indie game developers to get their games onto the consoles, PCs and mobile devices of the masses.  With so many new indie games being released every day, how much really goes into creating these games?  Game Loading: Rise of the Indies follows the lives of several game developers and the ups and downs throughout the process of creating games.

One of the main developers that the movie follows is Davey Wreden, one of the developers of The Stanley Parable.  He takes you from the beginning of development to the release date, showing all of the time and hard work that goes into creating the game.

Game Loading: Rise of the Indies does a great job showing the lifestyle that these developers live by.  Not only do these developers have to put in many, many hours into creating their games, they also have to find time, places and money to market their games.  This is where the many gaming conferences come into play.  This documentary takes you to a few of the major gaming conferences, such as the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), and shows how important these conferences are to the marketing aspect of the development process.  

Another interesting topic this documentary covers is how much easier it is for anyone, including children, to get started in developing games.  It goes into a little detail about how some schools these days are teaching kids the basics of coding at a very young age and gives input from many different developers and journalists about this topic.  

I found it very interesting to watch how much time, work and passion these developers put into their creations.  You do not need to be a gamer or developer to find this documentary interesting.  It does a great job of showing that anyone can create games if they put their mind and time into it.  

If you ever wonder what goes into developing indie video games and what kind of lifestyle these people live, check out Game Loading: Rise of the Indies!  Now, it’s time for me to get started on my first game!

3.5/5

Funk of Titans (Xbox One) Review

Funk of Titans is a fast-paced, side-scrolling platformer developed and published by the indie group A Crowd of Monsters.  In Funk of Titans, you take control of Perseus, son of Zeus, and try to protect the Funk.  You will venture through 3 different "worlds", Pop, Rap and Rock, each with its own unique level style and Titans (bosses). 

Funk of Titans is a very fun and simple game, but can be very addicting.  The concept is simple, run through the many levels, pick up as many "vinyls" as you can, try to find the hidden Pegasus and make it to the finish.  I will explain what the vinyls and the Pegasus are used for later in this review.

The controls for this game are very simple.  You do not control the direction in which Perseus runs.  He runs all on his own, so there is no going back to grab any vinyls that you might have missed or to look for the Pegasus.  The A button is used to jump and B, Y or X can be used to attack.  It doesn't matter which attack button you use as every enemy takes only one attack to defeat it.  

Speaking of enemies, there are only a couple main types of enemies.  Enemies that wear white helmets can be attacked or jumped on for a boost.  At certain parts in almost every level, jumping on one of these enemies helps you get more vinyls or access certain parts of the level you cannot reach any other way.  There are also enemies with red, spiky helmets on.  These enemies must be attacked and cannot be jumped on.  Certain doors or barricades must be attacked to open and there are also spikes, fire and other obstacles that you must jump over in order to not take damage.  

When it comes to damage, there is no life meter or anything like that.  You can only take 2 hits of damage from any enemy or obstacle before you "die" and must start the level over.  After you take one hit of damage, you will become "naked".  Perseus loses his costume and continues running through the level. If there are any more hits from enemies or obstacles, you lose.  

The vinyls you save up from each level can be used in the "Shop". The Shop contains many different weapons and consumes you can use in the game.  Since it only takes one attack to defeat any enemies in levels, the different weapons don't make any difference when it comes to attacks.  In certain levels, you are required to have certain weapons equipped in order to break down doors that have Pegasus behind them.  This is about the only use the different weapons have. When it comes to costumes, they are mostly used for looks, not much else, except when wearing a certain costume for a set number of levels in a requirement in order to level up.

During the game you level Perseus up, which unlocks more weapons and costumes that become available in the Store.  In order to level up, you will be given 3 tasks that you must complete.  These tasks range from defeating a certain number of enemies to jumping at least a certain number of times in one level.  I found that there was a good variety of requirements to level up, which kept the game interesting.  

Whenever you find a Pegasus in a level, you get to play the Pegasus Bonus Round.  This mini-game is a "Flappy Bird" type game.  You hold down the A button to make Pegasus fly higher and let go to fly lower.  It is fast-paced and you have to try to fly as long as you can while picking up vinyls.  If you die during the level that you found the Pegasus, you have to get it again in order to play the bonus game.  I found the bonus game to be pretty fun and give the game as a whole some variety.  Finding all of the Pegasus' in the levels can be tough too.  

The "Worlds" in general remind me a lot of the Mario games.  Each world has a boss in the middle of the world and a Titan boss at the end, just like the Mario games that had the castles in the middle of the world and the big castle at the end.  In Funk of Titans, the boss battle in the middle of the world happens in a boxing ring.  The battle consists of a pretty easy quick-finger mini-game.  Once the battle starts, random buttons will appear on the screen and you have to press that button faster than the computer does.  The Titan boss levels are dance-offs.  When you enter the battle, the computer will do a dance and receive a score.  After that, it is your turn.  Buttons will randomly appear on the screen and once again you must press them before it's too late.  The Titan boss levels are a little harder than the middle, but I found both to be very easy.  I had no problem getting perfect scores on either of the mini-game boss battles.  

Most of the levels are pretty short.  You can pass most levels in 1-2 minutes.  I was able to complete the game in around 4 hours, but am going back through to perfect each level.  You can get up to 3 "awards" after each level.  One for completing the level without taking any damage, one for collecting at least 100 vinyls in the level and another for finding the Pegasus.  If you don't complete all 3, it will turn green and let you move on the the next level, but if you do the level will turn yellow.  Trying to "perfect" each level will keep you coming back for more. 

If you enjoy side-scrolling platformers and are looking for something different, try out Funk of Titans.  It can get a little repetitive at times, but the variety between levels is enough to keep it interesting.  It is definitely worth the $12.49 on the Xbox Live Store.  

I give the game 3.5/5

Funk of Titans Gameplay on Xbox One. Indie developer A Crowd of Monsters gave The Gamers Lounge a pre-release copy of Funk of Titans for review. Here is some gameplay from one of my play sessions. Sorry for the change in commentary volume. Will get that fixed in my next video.

The Witcher: Adventure Game (PC) Review

The Witcher Adventure Game for PC is a digital adaptation of the tabletop board game of the same name.  In this game, the main objective is to complete the set number (one, three or five) of main quests, which is determined before the game starts.  Players select their first main quest from 2 randomly selected quest cards to begin.  Players then travel around the game board attempting to gain red, blue and purple points which are needed in order to complete side and main quests.  Points are gained by investigating or developing, which may require drawing cards or rolling dice in order to complete a task and gain the points.

Having never played The Witcher Adventure Game on either tabletop or in PC form, I was a little overwhelmed at first, but there are plenty of helpful tutorial videos to help you learn the basics of the game.  Once I watched a few of these videos, and started playing around with the game, I found it pretty easy to catch on.  

After playing through a few games, I found the game to be very repetitive.  When it comes to battles and other things that require dice rolls, you simply click on the game area and your dice roll onto the board.  You then select what dice to use in order to pass or fail your battle.  I think having some battle animations of some sort would make the game more interesting for players like me that are not board game purists.

One aspect of the game that kept me playing was online multiplayer.  I was able to play with some players that helped me learn some new strategies and overall made the game experience much more fun than single player.  Most players I have played with have been very helpful and great to chat with.  The only problem I had with multiplayer was that it sometimes takes awhile (5+ minutes) to find up to 4 players to play with.  

Overall, the game plays very smoothly and is exactly what it is intended to be, a digital adaptation of the tabletop board game.  It is nothing real flashy or graphical, but it gets the job done.  Fans of the tabletop version, board game purists, and anyone looking for a new board game will enjoy this game.  The online multiplayer is great for making new friends and learning new strategies or playing with friends and family.  

I highly recommend this game and look forward to playing more and learning new strategies.  It is a great way to pass some time while waiting for The Witcher 3 to release!

I give this game 3/5.