Bargain Bin Games Revue - Round One
by Eddie Turner on September 1, 2008 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
What do giant mutant chickens, rabid firefighters, and the Third Reich have in common? Absolutely nothing, but that didn't stop the folks at the 1C Company from tossing them into the freak-fest that is You Are Empty. In this bizarre chronicle, you play as a wounded soldier who awakens inside a dilapidated German hospital that is overrun with flesh eating nurses and deranged mental patients. From there, you'll embark on a fairly linear journey that will have you shooting your way through the remains of a fallen German empire using signature WWII weaponry, along with a trusty nail gun and a few Molotov cocktails.
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You Are Empty finds its footing somewhere between Half-Life and Resident... Weirdo. The game is completely void of any recognizable story and contains almost no narrative. Much like Half-Life, players will experience the occasional puzzle that can be solved by flipping switches and searching for items that will allow you to proceed into a new area. As for the Resident Evil similarity, the developers have created what many will call a marginal survival horror experience with its array of aggressive inhuman attackers. You'll also experience firefights against Nazis in the game's more rural settings, but those sequences are overshadowed by your dealings with an odd mix of character creations that suggest some level of pot smoking on behalf of the development team. But don't let my references to these two great series' fool you - the game is nowhere near as enjoyable and will leave you feeling, as the title suggests, empty.
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This has to be the strangest game I have ever experienced. There is no plot, there is no objective, and there is ultimately no point to the game. You simply find your way through the game's dreary settings with no clue who you are or where you'll end up. At the same time, it has to be one of the worst games I have ever experienced. While the game has a unique old school presentation, it is certainly amateur hour as far as the game as a whole is concerned.
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The one interesting element the game possesses is a series of black and white animated cutscenes that add a new element of darkness to this Nazi themed extravaganza. However eye-catching, each scene contains imagery that has nothing to do with what's going on in the game. While part of me says to steer clear of this ridiculous shooter, part of me wants you to check it out if for no other reason than to experience how weird the game is. However, the latter is a very small part, so I suggest you bypass it altogether. You Are Empty is as unfulfilling as they come.
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kilkennycat - Monday, September 1, 2008 - link
Penumbra:Black Plague is the second game in a trilogy. The first is Penumbra: Overture, still available retail from Gamestop and on-line sources for $19.99. The game mechanics in Black Plague are a lot less awkward than in Overture. The third in the series Penumbra:Requiem has just been released in the past few days and is available as an add-on EXPANSION to Black Plague. Afaik, there will never be a retail version of the Requiem expansion, however it is available for download purchase for $9.99, currently from www.gamersgate.com. The download version will run with either a retail copy or download copy of Black Plague. Gamersgate has all parts of the trilogy separately available for download purchase and also offers Black Plague Gold Edition for $19.99, which contains both Black Plague and Requiem. This combo may also be released retail, but I have not come across any (US) sources so far. See:-http://www.gamersgate.com/index.php?page=shop&...">http://www.gamersgate.com/index.php?pag...what=bro...
Not affiliated in any way with Gamersgate. I have not (yet) purchased any games from them. I have retail copies of both Overture and Black Plague, knew that Requiem had just been released for download only, so came across Gamersgate yesterday in my hunt.
duderockin - Monday, September 1, 2008 - link
this could also be a useful article series for those who want the more zen perspective of 20/20 hindsight.also good for those who hate spending more time on video card catch-up than actual gaming.
GTForce - Monday, September 1, 2008 - link
Check out Falcon:http://home.novint.com/">http://home.novint.com/
and how Penumbra series benefits from it:
http://home.novint.com/games/games_list.php?c=0&am...">http://home.novint.com/games/games_list.php?c=0&am...
http://home.novint.com/games/games_list.php?c=0&am...">http://home.novint.com/games/games_list.php?c=0&am...
cosmotic - Monday, September 1, 2008 - link
I don't really see any need to do (Ed: blah blah) notes. I presume there is an editorial process that is two way? Maybe these 'issues' should be resolved and the text of the article changed. This makes for an easier read and would help the professionalism of the articles. Thanks.JarredWalton - Monday, September 1, 2008 - link
I felt most were somewhat humorous. Sorry they didn't please, since I added them. Without having Crazy Machines 2 I couldn't verify whether PhysX drivers were sufficient or not.Pottervilla - Monday, September 1, 2008 - link
I agree with the humorous part.However, you guys are one of the premier hardware review sites on the web--I would expect you to know about things like drivers. Also, I would expect that if you were reviewing a game, you would have a copy of it somewhere, and maybe a couple PhysX capable graphics cards.
Overall, it was still a good thing to mention (the possibility that PhysX drivers might open up the extra levels), but I have come to expect a little more than maybes from this site--and a little communication between editor and reviewer would be nice too. :)
I hope this is constructive criticism--keep up the good work.
Nihility - Monday, September 1, 2008 - link
...suck.The whole point of the titles is to make it easier to navigate a 7 page article. Sure it's fun to be random at times and be witty, but seriously give us readers a break please.
StormEffect - Monday, September 1, 2008 - link
I thought they were clever. Enjoy the creativity, if you want numbers and easily searchable reviews go to google or use meta-critic.Anandtech readers can be so dry and boring sometimes. Waa waa waa.
JarredWalton - Monday, September 1, 2008 - link
And here I thought the readers might enjoy some literary quotes as a change of pace. I mean, isn't the point that you actually read about the games rather than just look at a page heading and decide whether or not that's worth reading? Or you can treat it like a magazine and click through the pages; if you see the pictures and don't feel like reading, click to the next page. It takes all of 5 seconds. Besides, more page views are good for the articles - the popular stuff is more likely to get similar articles in the future, since after all we are a business the depends on advertising.Anand Lal Shimpi - Tuesday, September 2, 2008 - link
Honestly I think it's got to be a balance between something creative and something functional, I try to blend the two as much as I can whenever I write - sometimes I get it right, other times I don't.I've never been a fan of forcing pageviews on an article, my thinking is always that if an article is good enough it'll attract its own traffic, regardless of how it's structured.
Thanks for the feedback, while I can't always guarantee that we'll be perfect - we'll definitely try :)
Take care,
Anand