Just wrote a Jazzpunk review...

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Over the weekend I had a chance to sit down and play through the game Jazzpunk.  The game was developed by Necrophone Games out of Canada, a small development studio of basically just a couple of guys.  The game was published by none other than Adult Swim Games and this should pretty much sum up what type of game this is going to be, AWESOME! 

The game is set as a 50's style spy thriller where you are the one that needs to save the day.  But there is a small twist to this of course being published by Adult Swim Games and that would be the comedy that is vibrantly rich throughout the game.  From the video trailer that was put out before the game was sold, I knew this game would be quite different than most of the others I was currently playing and boy did Jazzpunk live up to that trailer.

The game is divided up into different chapters and each chapter has you exploring and discovering a world that has a unique and interesting look to it as well as enough laughs to make even the harshest critic crack a smile.  I myself cannot remember a game where I literally laughed and chuckled my way through it from beginning to end.  I noticed right from the beginning that this would be a game where you would definitely want to interact with pretty much every NPC in the game, so as you didn't miss a thing.  Each chapter you came across was set in a different locale and each little comedy bit I found, felt like a small morsel to a huge dinner that was being served.  There aren't much to the controls of the game, which makes it that much easier to just want to explore and interact with the colorful and funny world before you. 

I don't want to go too much into the game itself and spoil anything as the game is not one of extreme length.  But if you are fan of anything on Adult Swim, or if you love a good laugh from pop culture, then this game will definitely be worth the price of admission.  From fart jokes to movie references to the many geek tributes that are paid throughout the game, all gamers will not be able to avoid the laughter that this game will provide.  Some of the art style even brought me back to my days of watching Ren and Stimpy which to this day holds a special place in my heart. 

The game can be found on Steam, or directly through the developers website.   It is currently on sale but only for a little bit longer and it is definitely a game that you do not want to pass up.  I can completely say that this game should be on your list of what you want to play now!

Contrast Review

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So the first game that I finished on my PS4 was a small title called Contrast.  I have PlayStation+ and this was one of the free titles that was available at launch so I figured what the hell and downloaded it.  When I finally started it up on the second day I had my console I was actually very surprised how much I started enjoying the title.  I played it for a few hours and realized that the game was probably not going to be very long so I figured before I dug my teeth into some of my other launch day titles I wanted to see how this one ended.  Finishing games is something I seem to always have a problem with.  While I have completed my fair share of games over the years, I do seem to be a little ADD when it comes to finishing one, but Contrast actually kept me interested in the characters and the story the whole time I played through it. 

The game is set in what might refer to as a 1920's noir style world where you not only interact with what you see in the 3d world, but a 2d world as well.  One of the most interesting mechanics in this game is how your character, Dawn, can shift between the world as "we" know it and a shadowy 2d world around her.  This one concept makes the game and will keep your brain thinking and your eyes looking for every detail that may help you accomplish the task at hand.  The game is a somewhat simple platform/puzzle type game, and I use the word somewhat loosely.  There were several puzzles where I sat there for a good twenty minutes or more trying to figure out how and what I needed to interact with in both the 3d and 2d worlds in front of me. 

The art style of the game is really gorgeous and being on the next gen consoles fit this game perfectly.  The story was one that I actually found rather interesting and one that fit with the graphical style perfectly.  Didi, a young daughter to a night club lounge singer, just wants to have a real family.  Since she is alone so much, a companion named Dawn, who you control, becomes the girls best and from what we can tell only friend to help her family become one again.

I really enjoyed the game, and while it may be a little on the shorter side, it was the perfect size, you can probably knock it out in about six to eight hours.  I never felt like any puzzle or game mechanic became overly burdensome and right about the time the game finished, I felt like I had really enjoyed my time in Contrast. 

If you have PlayStation+ then by all means download the game and give it a weekend of your time.  If you don't have PlayStation+ I would still highly recommend getting this game as the price to time comparison is perfect. 

I'll give this game a Definite Let's Play!

Knack Review

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Oh Knack, how can one small little artifact made creature do so few things.  Knack was one of the launch day titles I picked up on my PS4.  I figured the game looked cute and had co-op so it might be something that both my wife and I could enjoy until the library on the PS4 became how shall we say, a little more robust.  I figured for a puzzle/platform game it would be something right up our alley.  Well, if you like walking down the same alley over and over again, with a different color paint on it, then yes, you will love Knack. 

Knack starts out introducing you to all the different characters in the game right off the bat, and I thought, well this is going to be a blast.  The cartoon style of Knack is really good, and could almost be mistaken for that of a cartoon you would find on TV today.  The characters in the game were your common good vs. evil while you get to play the character that will save the world type of cast.  Knack seems to have so much potential as you are playing through the game, you just never get the feeling that its full potential is actually ever reached. 

The levels will start out with you being a small version of Knack and as you progress through the level you become "enormous" Knack and are pretty much a kick ass character.  The larger you get, the more powerful and invincible you feel which felt pretty damn good.  But, when you have to do this thirteen times, each level can get a little on the monotonous side.  All levels have you starting out small and building up to a great crescendo only to be knocked back down in size and feel at the beginning of the next level.  Each level of the game plays out pretty much the same.  All of the level backgrounds and enemies all have the same feel to them.  I really wish that there would have been more of an assortment of enemy types, but I guess once you kill one goblin you have killed them all.  By the end of the game, I sat there and looked at my wife and said, I really feel like I have played this level already! 

It's not to say that the levels aren't different.  There are different locations and the looks is definitely different in each level.  The levels where Knack turns into something else by using more than just the artifacts are pretty cool.  Running around as a wood burning Knack was cool as well as being stealth knack.  But these few instances of a differing mechanic just aren't that different.  Plus, all of the collectibles in the game are really only meant to be used during your second play through I'm guessing.  I really didn't finish any of the gadgets that were offered in the game until I was probably more then 3/4 of the way through it.  When I finally did finish one, it really wasn't one that I was interested in using, but the gadgets themselves become equipped automatically so what the hell.  This was the one aspect that I felt really could have been fleshed out more.  Don't make me collect something for the whole game, only to be able to use it during the last two hours of my play through. 

I'm not to sure what else I can say about this game.  It is a cute little game, and Knack has the potential to be a really cool character.  I really like the concept behind him and I'm wondering if there is actually going to be a Knack 2 somewhere on the horizon where they can develop the character and the game play a little more and maybe have more of a winner on their hands.

I would have to give Knack a Want to Try for anyone thinking about it.