Prime Gaming: 17 November 2024

I'm not late; you're late! Anyway, it's close enough to mid-month for
it to still count as 'on-schedule'. Look, do you want to hear about
the games on Prime or not?


* Tomb Raider Anniversary (via GOG)
    Is it a remake? Is it a reboot? It's both! Crystal Dynamics
    takes the original "Tomb Raider", adds some 2007 flash to it,
    and tips in a little bit of their own mythos. Not a bad game
    overall, although there were some new features I didn't like
    (the T-Rex battle in particular).  But overall a good balance
    between old and new, and a fairly fun experience.

* Blade of Darkness (via GOG)
    Also known as 'Severance", and for good reason: slicing off
    enemy body parts was a frequent occurrence! Although a bit
    rough in its controls (even in 2001), it made up for it
    with some fantastic visuals and a moody, atmospheric story.
    The gameplay, sadly, was a bit less exciting; think of it
    as a somnolent God of War with inaccurate controls. Still,
    I quite enjoyed it. Those water effects were amazing!

* Chasm: The Rift (via GOG)
    A mid-90s FPS whose defining feature was that it was
    'like Quake, but without a 3D accelerator'. Otherwise,
    a quite average Doom-clone of the day. Not outright
    terrible, but nothing really that memorable either.
    Warning: it features killer clowns. *

* Dishonored: Definitive Edition (via GOG)
    Arkane Studio's definitive sandbox sneaker-shooter.
    Take on the role of a mystically-endowed assassin as
    you creep around through a vaguely steam-punk fantasy
    world. Mechanically extremely sound, and well made
    overall, there's just something about Arkane games
    that never really appealed to me. I may be broken.

* Close to the Sun (via GOG)
    A first-person horror action/adventure game. Think
    'Amnesia' but with more platforming. It's art-deco level
    design is really the best thing about it; the gameplay is
    very rough. It's probably one of those games more fun to
    watch somebody else (silently) play on YouTube than actually
    do it yourself.

* Duck Paradox (via GOG)
    A side-scrolling retro-graphic platformer-shooter.
    Involving ducks.

* House of Golf 2 (via EPIC)
    It's like mini-golf, except the courses are built out of
    toys and in your own house! The levels are imaginative
    enough, but... it's golf. I never really liked golf.

* Snakebird Complete (via EPIC)
    Oooh, Epic being really generous with their freebies here.
    (I think this is like the fourth time they've offered
    Snakebird as a free game)

* Ms Holmes: The Case of the Dancing Men (via Amazon)
    Guess what! It's a hidden-object adventure game! On
    Amazon Prime Gaming! Who'd ever have guessed?!?

* Disney/Pixar Cars (via Amazon)
    If you loved the Disney movie, or have kids, this one
    probably has some value to you. Otherwise, it's a rather
    uninspired racer with all the usual hallmarks of a movie
    tie-in game. I'd pass.

* Mystery Box: Hidden Secrets (via Amazon)
    It's a game where you try to open a puzzle box. Not me
    though. I've seen the Hellraiser movies; I know where that
    leads.


So, an interesting selection of games; a lot more of them are to my
taste than usual. And all the good ones are on GOG too! Jeff Bezos,
are you trying to make me HAPPY that I'm paying you for Amazon Prime?
I won't fall for your trickery!

See you all in a couple of weeks for more Prime Gaming!






* technically, murderous jesters, but close enough to trigger any
coulrophobia you may have