The Killing Floor 2 Review

Expectations are made to be exceeded or can be used as a gauge for disappointment. When I got my grubby gamer hands on Killing Floor 2, I had certain expectations based on the original Killing Floor and the word of mouth of other gamers. Like many others, I have played Zombie mode in Call of Duty, and have also been inundated with dozens of Zombie knock offs. Many of these have not remotely lived up to the expectation set forth by the developers and marketing teams. So you can imagine my surprise when my experience met my expectations.   

THE GOOD

Killing Floor 2 is straightforward horde mode with up to six players that work together defend against wave after wave of increasingly harder zombies. The variety is nice as you face skinny zombies that can overwhelm you in by sheer numbers and large bulky Zeds with Chainsaws and bad hygiene. Plus the occasional cloaked zombie and crawlers that will literally get the drop on you and make you jump out your chair. When you think you're done, you face a boss that will overwhelm an unpaired squad. You do have some control of the fight by sealing off certain doors and making use of the level design, but there is never a point where you are not “white knuckling” the controller/mouse and keeping an eye on your “Six”. Zombies will continue to pore out ventilation shafts, sewers and various other openings forcing you to stay on your toes.   

When you talk about a game like Killing Floor, the first and only thing to worry about is survival. A teammate dying can cripple the success of the rest of your squad and leave them extremely vulnerable. Teamwork is a must as I found myself overwhelmed by even the slightest number of Zed. Being cut off from your team or not communicating and building up the perks system strategically will end your experience prematurely. Ammo conservation, and careful weapon choice will be the difference between success or failure. That is what takes the game to the next level, you have melee weapons that sever limbs and wonderfully designed guns that look and sound amazing. The choice of when and how to use these weapons will contribute to your success. As you watch the gore increase and the odds get overwhelming, you find your heart beating out your chest and a smile on your face. There is always something satisfying about watching a Zombies head explode and the blood pour out of every crevasse of the game. Frankly, when I play this game with friends I had a lot of laughs and fun, but don't expect an easy ride. The perk system and the mastery of situational weapon usage will take time to hammer out with your team.   

THE BAD

Since the game is in its early access there are still some balancing issues that need to be worked on. Overall I feel like I got what was advertised, a bloody team based horde mode. There were no talks of great depth or RPG elements but there is some depth hidden behind the layers of death and blood.  I found a game with alot of polish even though it's in the “Early Access” and I would recommend this to gamers who enjoy a good hardcore zombie mode with friends.   

THE OPPORTUNITY  

Even with a solid game like Killing Floor 2 there is an opportunity to make the game better with some more variety with the maps and boss. I would also like a mode that never ends but gets increasingly hard and/or more expensive to upgrade and rearm.

  
4 out of 5 for the sheer unadulterated fun that I have when I load this game up!   

"I am Bread" Review

Sometimes you come across a game, and the title alone piques your curiosity. Typically, these games were founded on a great idea that never fully materialized, so you can understand my reservation when I get handed a game called “I am Bread.” Apparently the developer, Bossa, put together an epic story of bread’s journey to become toast. Now, let me be honest here, when I think of spending my hard earned money on video games, one of the last thing I think about is the struggle bread goes through to become toast. It just doesn't seem like a solid premise, so needless to say I was skeptical.

The idea is simple: you control a piece of bread by manipulating and gripping the world around you. You are in search of a heat source, not always a toaster, to toast yourself with. You must maintain your "bread-like" integrity and edibility. If you touch the ground, flip on an old bandage, or your bread sticks to the ants running around on the counter, you becomes less appetizing and risk failing the level all together.

It’s rage inducing and extremely challenging at first. The controls are unorthodox, but once you master the nuances you start to feel like you are in full control of the bread. You find yourself starting a lawn mower to travel across a garage, or revving a chainsaw to toss yourself across the map. You will find that knocking a bowling ball off a shelf will break the television below causing it to overheat so you can toast yourself. You begin to look at the world in a different ways. Something as simple as a hair dryers or electronic devices have potential to make your journey to “toasthood” complete.

 I found myself enjoying the challenge of the game, and laughing out loud at the story as it narrates Mr. Murrdock’s slow decent into insanity as he blames the bread for all the wrong in his life. There is a palpable payoff to “I am Bread”; after you are exhausted, frustrated, mesmerized and you feel a sense of accomplishment as you are perfectly toasted, and the meaning of life is fulfilled.

You've seen a slice of the game. Now play the WHOLE LOAF! OUT NOW ON STEAM! http://www.bit.ly/iambreadgame From the creators of Surgeon Simulator comes an adventure with a hero like no other! 'I am Bread' is the epic story of a slice of bread's journey to become toast.

The Good

·         Challenging physics based game

·         Fosters a rewarding feeling of accomplishment

·         Multiple routes and ways to execute any given room/level

·         A minimalist story line that works perfectly

·         Options to use Xbox Controller or Keyboard

·         Other game modes beyond the story mode

The Bad

·         The camera mechanics can be an issue at times

·         The physics at times where glitchy and cause many frustrating restarts

·         Not enough levels in the story mode and I found the other game modes boring in comparison

·         I wish the story had voice acting to make it feel more alive

Opportunity

·         More levels in the story mode

4.5/5 "Good Ol' fashion gaming glory" 

Thanks to Bossa Studios for providing a code for review.