Prime Gaming 1 February 2025

Well, we're back to our usual bi-weekly schedule, it seems. I'm not
complaining; the holiday rush really was killer, and I'm glad for a
more paced release. Let's see the goodies on offer this fortnight.


* Blood West (via GOG)
    I wish I could be more positive about this game -zombies
    meets the wild west is a fun concept- but the actual  
    implementation is so uninspired that I can't. The AI is
    braindead, the stealth is unsatisfying and the visuals are
    dull. It's just not a very good game.


* Deus Ex GOTY  (via GOG)
    Nothing really needs to be said about this one: it's the
    1999 classic. If you've never played it, here's your chance.
    Warts and all, it's still a great experience. If you have
    already played it, here's an opportunity to give it another
    try.


* Zombie Army 4: Dead War  (via GOG)
    Another game that doesn't need description, not because it's
    well known but because its title tells you pretty much
    everything you need to know. It's a first-person shooter
    based on the Sniper Elite games except instead of nazis, you
    shoot zombies.


* Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights  (via EPIC)
    A fairly standard Metroidvania-style platformer. Run around
    giant maze-like levels picking up loot so you can unlock new
    areas to explore and kill all the monsters and bosses. It's a
    okay game (albeit with some weak combat) but otherwise
    doesn't stand out from the crowd.


* Super Meat Boy Forever  (via EPIC)
    It's Super Meat Boy, except with less control because the
    protagonist keeps moving all the time. Want a second or two
    to plan out your next jumps? You won't get it. I never really
    warmed up to the often brutal difficulty of the original
    games; this one has absolutely no appeal for me.


* To the Rescue!  (via EPIC)
    I know nothing about this game except what I see on the
    store-page, but nothing there makes this game attractive to
    me. It's not that I dislike the idea (it's a 'dog shelter
    simulator', and who doesn't want to rescue stray pups?) but
    the implementation looks like a bad mobile game filled with
    uninteresting mini-games and a dull business management sim
    all wrapped up in unappealing visuals. Meh.


* Star Stuff  (via EPIC)
    This one is what they call a "programming puzzle" game -e.g.,
    use various items to solve various logic puzzles that vaguely
    resemble the IFs and ANDs and NANDs of programming. Like
    many of these games, this one revolves around routing
    resources through a factory to produce various goods.
    Personally, I'd rather just program the code.

* Spitlings  (via AMAZ)
    An arcade shooter. Too Indie and retro for me.



So... nothing to really get excited about this week. "Deus Ex" is
always welcome but -like many here- I already own this. Some of the
others are probably of interest, but they're all pretty niche in their
appeal, and none rise to the level of 'must-play' games. Mostly, it's
just fodder for The Number. But I won't be too critical; it's actually
sort of nice to have this moment of calm and be able to refuse a few
games for once.

We'll see what happens in two weeks, though. I'm fine with a few weeks
not being interesting, but I'll start getting grumpy if the trend
continues too long. ;-)