Pyre

   I have talked before about how much I enjoyed Bastion and Transistor (I think). Pyre is the third game by 'Super Giant' (the developer of these games) and this is the best one yet. They've only gone and invented their own sport and mixed it with a fantasy RPG. This is not a mix I thought I'd ever see, or would work (if you made this on Game Dev Tycoon it would be crap) but it does, oh it does.

  Firstly, this game isn't Rocket League, which is the first thing I'd be thinking about a video game invented sport (or maybe Mutant league football), it's not a speed fest (although that can come in handy from time to time), it takes thought to play the game, especially s you're only in control of one player at a time. Essentially it boils down to 2 teams of 3 players trying to get a ball in to a Pyre (geddit, like the name of the game). All characters have different abilities and you can choose any mix. I don't want to go in to the rules of the game now, there's a lot to take in, although it's slowly spooned in over time so you never get overwhelmed, and ultimately the sport is fairly easy to understand, but describing all the nuances will take a lot of time, and dull text (though you could argue this is all dull text).
   The actual story in here is based on your character and a group of rogues (not affiliated to the X men) being sent to purgatory for various crimes and having to win games of this sport to return them to the surface world. Over time you meet more characters to add to your party while also losing some characters as you send them off to the world above, just make sure you don't send your star player off at the start because you'll be without them the rest of the game (Jodoriel was my star player (I didn't send her off early though, I'm not an idiot)). The story is deeper than this but that will enter spoiler territory, suffice to say there are multiple endings depending on how many of your squad you rescue and your decision at the end.
   As usual, there's no such thing as a perfect game, and some elements of this story can drag. A lot of the plot is repeated over and over, really drilled in to your head like you're at an internment camp for repetitive storytelling. Some characters really aren't that interesting and the majority of the rival teams don't come across as menacingly as the game seems to want them to.

   Lets talk music though, and just like Sonic Mania before (although Pyre came out a few weeks before that did, but this is the order I'm writing them in) the music is fantastic. Different enemy teams have different songs when you meet them. fitting to their characters as well as other area music like the shop or inside the wagon (what a great time it's been for video game music as of late between these two, Crash and Arms). Music talk moves fairly smoothly on to artistic talk (I recon) and this game looks fantastic. The design of the characters in the still cut scenes is fantastic and the look of the sport is very good as well, with an array of different looking fields in which the games take place, from fiery pits and muddy swamps to gothic sports stadiums and beyond, it looks flippin' great.
   This game truly is special and can stand alongside, and arguably above Transistor and Bastion, this developer keeps getting better and better, I can't wait to see what they do next, but for now, the stars have aligned to create a fantastic game.

Sonic Mania

   It's been a while since a post here, but if one game was ever going to bring me back, this is it, plus I want to catch up again and I've got another idea for a different blog, a more structured and interesting one that's not jut some rambling nonsense like this. Rambling nonsense is the way this is going though and is the way it shall remain, for better or worse, in particular for this post there will be assumed in depth Sonic knowledge that no one I know has except for myself (but other people will have), so best of luck.

   After looking forward to this game it is finally here and it didn't surprise me that I completed it in one sitting (there was a 30 minute dinner break in there), an ode to a 16 bit Sonic where the speedster made his name, before flikies (unbelievably not a real word) island began a downward spiral ultimately resulting in making out with a human woman and turning it to a (sigh) werehog (plus shadow had a game where he had a gun and there was a kinect racing game but they're spin offs (what next, Blaze P.I,? (that's right, multiple brackets are back))) . I've spoke before of how I like Sonic generations, and even though there's been a slump since it seems at least 2/3 of the upcoming Sonic Forces will be along the same vain, so hopes are up on that. I'm not here to talk about Sonic forces though, or the Sonic list I promised and never deliveredupon (kinda seemed like no one but me would care and hence a waste of my time (though argument could be made that all my blog posts are)), I'm here to talk about Sonic Mania, and how great it is.
   Sonic Mania sees the return of some classic zones (with a few surprising choices) that are remixed in to something semi knew, but not in a bad way at all, parts touch the nostalgia bone in my body (though I need several for this insane year (can't wait for them Woolies to strike back), and it was already tickled by Crash) while also offering new challenges, and tunes. Speaking of music, this is one of the best sounding games I've ever heard, probably last challenged by Saints row 4 (btw, what is volition doing with Agents of Mayhem instead of Saints Row 5, seriously?) and that had actual songs in it, this is created music specifically for this game. That great music passes on even better to the new levels which have all new music, yet sound in the same style as any of the classics, and most of these new levels are great too, Studiopilis and the second act of Mirage Saloon are particular stand outs (the latter of which which may be the best sonic act, ever). Bosses are good too (and you know my views on them), not too hard but still a challenge, apart from Oil Oceans', which annoyed me.
   Many new ideas are in there too, as well as old ones, it could be seen as they threw every gimmick from every one of the Megadrive games, and some new ones at a wall and waited to see what stuck, and very nearly all of them did, praise must be given to the developers who were made up of Sonic fans and fan game creators, not even touched by Sonic team, which is for the best in this day and age.

   This is not a totally perfect game though, no game is, the penultimate level reminds me of  Metroplos zone from Sonic 2, my second least favourite Sonic level from the originals (labyrinth being the worst, obviously). I found this one to be full of traps that are unavoidable where you don't know what's coming, although to be fair this always comes up towards the end of every 2D platformer every made, not that it makes this right. I also wasn't keen on the final zone, not for the difficulty but for the length, I ended up being timed out on both acts, which seems to be Casino night and Carnival night zones both mixed in to one, yet somehow longer than both combined (if you ignore the fact that as a child I couldn't figure out how to do that that up and down spinning platform bit on Carnival night zone as I thought you had to jump on it rather than just hold up and down (jeez, the amount of time outs I got from that). That zone in particular being where the gimmicks just cross the line of going too far.
   I don't want to linger on the negatives though, so let's get in to the reference fest that is Sonic Mania, made by fans, for fans. The games is full of references to the main 2D sonic games, beyond just the levels, with the best of all coming from the Sonic CD level Starlight speedway, that's right, time travelling returns, and even the odd choice of sounds from that game turn up. (speaking of Sonic CD, what a shame that until The Sonic gems collection (back on PS2) this game was restricted to the Mega CD (and roms you thief's (definitely not how I first played it...)) so was criminally underplayed, bu at least it wasn't stuck on the 32X like Knuckles chatoix, a game I still haven't played and isn't even referenced in Mania (I think, the chaotix team certainly don't appear (see Sonic the comic/ Sonic heroes as to how I know who they are (I've lost the amount of brackets I've opened now so this should cover it)))). There is also an appearance of famed 'Sonic the fighters' characters Bean, Bark and Fang (though to be fair the latter did appear in the game gear only Sonic chaos sequel, Sonic triple trouble (yes, I've played (and completed) it, pretty decent tbh)). There's also a reference to the reference to Sonic from Deus Ex. The best one of all though I don't want to mention, as it was one of my favourite video game surprises of all time (and no, it's not a Sonic Spinball reference, fortunately).

   So there you have it, for any Sonic fan back from the 16 bit era, this game is for you, and any fan of 2D platformers should get a kick out of this. Can't really do a 'you may also like' thing in here, 'cause the answers are obvious (also Freedom planet, the best Sonic fan game, of which one of the creators worked on Sonic Mania (I think, I'm sure I heard that somewhere a while ago)).

   I want to start writing more blog posts now, I need to catch up on what I've missed and Pyre definitely deserves it's own post (though no one will read it, indies don't get much traffic). I also want to start my new idea for another blog soon, but I'm not setting a date for that.