Recent reviews by ProdigyXP

Brick Battalion is a fun competitive puzzle game in the 'match gems' genre. It reminds me a little of Dr. Mario meets Columns. Instead of just clearing gems off of your own screen, your successful combinations (chains) directly trigger attacks on your opponent's ships, in the form of debris. This debris is randomly placed on top of your opponent's gems, typically blocking their ability to create matches. The only way to clear the debris is to make a gem match next to the debris, which will destory it along with the gems. The larger the combinations of gem matches, the larger the attack on your opponents (and subsequent debris field dropped upon them). Of course, the whole time you are wreaking havoc on your opponents, they are also attempting to wreak havoc upon you.


Pros:

+ Online Multiplayer that supports up to 8 players in various combinations of humans, AI Bots, Teams
+ Plenty of customization options
+ Addictive when playing against friends - always looking to create a huge chain attack by planning ahead


Cons:

- Currently low playerbase - Likely need to get friends to buy it as well (it's worth it IMO)


While I don't think it would be fair to call it a "Con", due to the fact that it doesn't impact the gameplay, I would say that the graphics are only adequate. The particle effects and sounds are nice, but I feel like the menus and color scheme are a bit dreary/dated. While this doesn't hamper gameplay in the least, I do wish there was a bit more polish and shine to the overall aesthetics. Certainly not a deal-breaker, however. Just something that would help being a bit more character to the game.

The only other thing I would like to see is an alternate rotation of the gems provided. Those of you who have played games like Dr. Mario will be well aware of the way the gems rotated. While it might seem like a small thing, it really makes a big difference (especially when the game picks up speed and you have very little time to think). I routinely end up misplacing a gem, because its horizontal position moves one column over while being rotated, due to the way the gems rotate arond the right-side "block". The dev has said this alternative rotation scheme might be offered in an update, which would be outstanding and certainly make this the complete package in my mind.

All things considered, I find this game to be a fun game to play with friends. It has that "one more match" appeal that is exactly what you are typically looking for in a game like this. Rarely do you see games in this genre that also offer online multiplayer (up to 8 players!). Not only can you play online with your friends (or strangers), but you can even play cooperatively (teams) in any combination of humans vs AI bots. There is even the ability to spectate a match once you are knocked out (or even for the whole match, if you choose to do so). It's really nice to see so much customization offered.

If you like this genre of game, I don' think you can go wrong with your $10.

This is a really fun game that will especially resonate with fans of Tetris.

While this game does have a single player component, I have mainly been playing the multiplayer. The single player basically consists of "Trials", which are various scenarios where you don't actually compete against anyone except yourself. There appears to be a lot of these scenarios for the completionists out there, but I do wish the the game offered AI opponents. It would be nice to have AI opponents of various increasing difficulties to compete against as you progress through a single player campaign. That said, I don't really play this game for the single player. I play it for the multiplayer, which, in my opinion, is where this game really shines (and is worth the price of admission all on its own).

The multiplayer pits you against 2 to 3 other players (either local or online). There are 3 different game modes:

-Race-

Race is basically a race to the checkered finish line way up in the sky. Once your tower gets fairly tall, all those somewhat sketchy building decisions you made back on your foundation begin to show their face in the form of a swaying skyscraper of death, destruction, and despair. One more ill-placed shape could send most, if not all, of your Jenga-like masterpiece tumbling into the ocean below.

-Survival-

Survival is fairly similar to Race, but you must make sure that you don't lose any pieces into the ocean. You start each match with 3 hearts (think "lives") and a total of 66 random pieces that you will attempt to use. Should you successfully use all 66 pieces before your opponents use all of theirs, you will be the winner. Each time you lose part of your structure into the water below, you lose a heart (your hearts are located under your animated character that floats around your tower). If you lose all 3 hearts, you are out. Fortunately, one of the Light Magic spells is a replacement heart, so you might be able to recover from some mishaps if you are lucky enough to recieve one.

-Puzzle-

Puzzle is a mode where you must try to use as many pieces as possible, without touching (or going beyond) a yellow line that runs horizontally across your screen. Dropping pieces into the water will raise your platform by one unit, giving you less useable space each time. If a player piece comes to rest and is touching the yellow line, the piece is removed and you can no longer add any new pieces. You must wait for the other player(s) to finish and then the game will tally up how many pieces each player used successfully. The winner is the player who successfully used the most pieces.

As if worrying about your own building decisions wasn't difficult enough, your opponents are constantly having a say in the matter as well! Each player will routinely have to choose between helping themselves build a stronger tower with "Light Magic" (special random items that periodically become available, based on current building progress, and can help stabilize your tower) or throwing a monkey-wrench into everyone else's design plans with "Dark Magic" (also special random items that are earned the same way, but impact everyone else in a potentially negative way). The catch is, you can only choose one or the other each time they are offered...

Should you take advantage of a piece that could help steady your swaying tower, or take a shot at your opponents in hopes of literally knocking them off balance? This decision-making process is what really adds a fun twist to this genre.

Things I would like to see added:

o An option to play public games in random mode. As of right now, only friends games will randomly cycle through all three game modes. This keeps the games fresh by mixing things up a bit. If you join a public game, you will stay on the same mode throughout the duration of your stay.

o The ability to chat with other players. I know this can be a 'be careful what you wish for' thing, due to some unpleasant players out there, it would be nice to make a comment periodically to someone for a job well done. At the very least, it could even be pre-defined comments such as "gg" or "well played", etc. This just adds a little bit more to the social aspect of the game.

o The ability to customize the game settings more. "Best of 10", for example. Also, having the game track wins & losses for everyone to see. This would help keep the competitive juices flowing and allow for some bragging rights amongst your friends (or in my case, just the opposite).

o A pentalty for players who "throw away" pieces in the Race mode. As of right now, it appears that players can just discard any piece they don't like by just moving it to the side and dropping it in the water. I would like to see a random dark magic dropped on a player who loses X number of pieces into the water during Race mode.

The game is a lot of fun and I am very happy with my purchase. The developers seem very receptive to customer suggestions, which is always a good thing. I look forward to additional updates that will improve the experience even further.

One of the best (if not the best) online multiplayer shmups on Steam! Simply put, this game is highly addictive. Even after completing the "Easy" route numerous times, I keep coming back to try and do it again, but better (re: higher score, using different attachments, etc etc). I rarely have an urge to do something like that in a game. I still have so much additional content to try (it gets pretty tough) and am really looking forward to beating the game on higher levels (many times) in the future.

+graphics / smooth gameplay
+online multiplayer for up to 4 players
+addictive / fun!
+great price (a steal)
+lots of customizations to change things up... fun trying to find which is the "best" for your style
+developer who engages customers and listens to feedback!
+steady stream of content and fixes

Very happy with my purchase.

Personally, I find this so much more fun than Killing Floor 2. Though the game is old, it still has decent graphics (Unreal Engine 3) and just has a good feel to the movement/guns. It reminds me a little of Serious Sam meets Killing Floor. I have not tried the Vs mode yet, but am enjoying the 'horde' mode. I like the fact that it is not just an endless horde mode (though it appears you can choose that if you like), but instead as a small form of progression to give you something to strive for.

At the current sale price ($2.24) it seems like an easy decision.

One of the most fun and addictive games I have ever played. Absolutely a must to play with friends (or even pubs). Single player is fine for learning the mechanics, but multiplayer is where this game shines.

Others will explain the details of the game far better than myself, but basically this is a game of soccer (1v1, 2v2, 3v3, or 4v4) where people are replaced by cars. While the cars can appear different (a lot of cosmetic customizations), they handle identically. You collect boost from highlighted areas on the field that automatically regenerate after a few moments. You can use the boost to give yourself a burst of speed to try and catch up to the play, drive the ball with some extra force, or even blast your car way into the air (some people are amazing at that). You can also jump/hop/flip your car a bit, which can benefit you by giving you a little extra oomph.

Once you ge the hang of the basics, the game will start to really come to you. After your first MP goal, you will likely be addicted. The matches are only 5 minutes long, which actually seems like the sweet spot for keeping the games tight and white-knuckled.

If you are looking for a fun, relatively inexpensive multiplayer game to play with friends, this will likely scratch that itch for quite a while. Simply put, the game is outstanding fun. Also, due to it being a cross platform game, the amount of players is FAR greater than what Steam will show you. That number just represents the PC crowd. For example Steam was showing around 5600 players during my last game, but there was over 70,000 people playing the game. This should certainly help keep the multiplayer servers active for quite some time.

Short and sweet review. This game is a lot of fun. Well made with lots of polish. So many modes to choose from. Definitely a good party racing game with friends. The current sale price (grab the gold version) makes it a no-brainer!

This is easily the best tennis game I have played (console or PC). Some might find that odd, considering the UI and game visuals seem a bit dated. I didn't say it was the prettiest. It isn't, but it's also not terrible, either. The core gameplay is what makes this the best tennis game I have played.

The controls are excellent. They take a little getting used to and become second nature after a bit of practice. The available strikes in the game can be mapped to your preference. They are as follows:

o Normal Strike
o Short Strike
o Top Spin
o Slice
o Drop Shot
o Defensive Lob
o Acceleration
o Short Acceleration
o Aggressive Lob
o Safe Strike

The game also supports modding and has a strong community that have been modding the various iterations of the game over the years. Several mods add all the real players, statistics, animations, sounds, courts, etc. They also update the UI visuals, which is a nice touch. At this time, there are two major mod packages which seem to have most of the 'best of the best' mods from the community in a nice tidy package:

o Sam's Patch - solo World Tour play with all the real pro players (visuals, stats, animations, courts, scoreboards, etc).
o ITST - online play with all the real pro players (visuals, stats, animations, courts, scoreboards, etc).

This is strictly tennis. You won't be knocking down bowling pins in mini games for example (not that there's anything wrong with that). You will either be playing quick matches, trying your hand at an extensive career mode, or playing against others online.

If you really like tennis, this game is a no-brainer. If you are very casual, I would suggest that you download the 14-day demo that is provided on the developer's website. It even lets you play online. This should be more than enough time to see if it suits you.

This is a very addictive game. While it can be played in single player, the game really shines when playing with a group of friends (up to 4 players in MP).

I haven't laughed in a game this hard in a long time (my face started to hurt after a while due to constant smiling. My laughs were not due to the unwieldy man appendages (I have that turned off in-game -- set to "safe for work"). It wasn't that gimmick making me laugh so hard. It was due to watching friends struggle on-screen trying to accomplish the "simple" task of "walking" a few feet and/or climbing.

The comedy comes from knowing how hard they are trying, yet their on-screen avatar looks absolutely discombobulated. Sprinkle in a few miss clicks here and there, and watch all their hard work go sailing off the screen and to their ultimate demise.

I got my $4 back within the first couple minutes of play...and I suspect you will, too.

Grab a few friends (figuratively) and open your favorite VOIP software (we just use Steam Voice Chat) and prepare for some mounting intensity and good times!

I will start off by saying this is not Fight Night. Fight Night is a 'Triple A' title from a company with a seemingly limitless budget at it's disposal. Don't be turned off by so many bad reviews that this game has to be Fight Night or it's junk. Fight Night is a full-priced title and this is a budget-priced title ($8 at the time of this writing). Some people need to set their expectations appropriately.

That said, I really enjoy this game. Part of it might be related to how long I have wanted a boxing game on PC. Part could also be due to having my expectations set so low by reading so many negative comments from others. I can say with certainty that I am glad I didn't listen to all of those comments. The game is not nearly the "button masher" that several people have made it out to be. Speaking of button mashing, you can also use the analog sticks to fight, which was a pleasant surprise to me, as I must have missed that bullet point prior to purchase.

There are already several accurate reviews already out there (look up "Courteous George"'s for example.His is spot-on in my opinion), so I won't go into great detail. I will just sum this up by saying it's not Fight Night, but it's not a button mashing half-hearted boxing game that was made in a few weekends as some sort of money grab. It is a quality budget title (yes, they can co-exist!) that I would have no problem calling Fight Night Lite, for those who cannot get past the Fight Night comparison. :-)