Prime Gaming 2 September 2024

If it feels like it was just the other day that last I did one of
these Prime Gaming announcements... well it was. I try to do them
every two weeks, but I was a bit late on the last one, so the interval
between these announcements is a bit shorter this time. Scheduling is
hard!


* LEGO The Lord of the Rings (via GOG)
    Obviously a tie-in with Amazon's recently released
    2nd season of their 'Lord of the Rings' TV show;
    I'm not complaining if it gets me a free game. But
    there's very little to say about this one that
    couldn't be said about the dozens of other LEGO
    games by Travellers Tales. It's got cutesy kid-
    oriented visuals and unchallenging gameplay that's
    just a bit too focused on the collect-a-thon of
    finding every peg and secret. It's a good game -a
    great one, even- but the fun pales if you've ever
    played any of the other Lego games.


* Industria (via GOG)
    A rather terrible first-person shooter/puzzler
    which -despite having some good ideas behind it-
    pretty much fails in living up to its potential
    in every way. It's just not a game worth playing.
    I'm not even sure it deserves the honor of
    incrementing The Number by one.


* Arcade Paradise (via GOG)
    An Indie game which is a mix of retro-arcade
    gameplay and... laundromat management? It does
    neither really well, but it captures the feel of
    an arcade in the 80s fairly well. How much you
    enjoy this game depends heavily on how much you
    like classic arcade-style gameplay... and whether
    you can endure the forced 'walking sim' style
    gameplay that surrounds it. It's a game I /wanted/
    to like a lot more than I actually did.


* Borderlands 2 (via EPIC)
    Gee, I wonder why THIS one was being given away?
    Could it have anything to do with the awful movie
    just released? I really don't enjoy the Borderlands
    games in general, but even at their worst, the
    games are a much, much, much better way to spend
    your time than the film. But it's also a game
    that's been given away free frequently, so you
    probably already  have this one in your library
    somewhere.


* The Collage Atlas (via Amazon)
    Obviously, the 'hook' to this game is its hand-
    drawn illustrations. It's not entirely clear what
    sort of game it is; it seems more akin to a walking
    sim with light puzzling than anything else. Mostly,
    it just seems an excuse to look at the pretty art.
    But I'm fine with that; the visuals are exquisite.



Five games, not a bad haul. Except for "Industria", all of them are
worth at least looking at, even if they aren't necessarily all to my
taste. I might have liked at least one more 'unknown' game added to
the mix (I like being introduced to new stuff) but the month is still
young. Overall, good job this time, Amazon. You almost make me okay
with giving you my money.

See you all in two weeks (assuming I can keep to schedule!)