Powerful stuff.

However, this man did not have the good fortune to exist in our prosperous and charitable modern age, a time where even such a penurious vagabond as I might still enjoy a performance of Shakespeare in the park, those delicious little cocktail smokies they give out as samples at the supermarket, and enormous, fully-featured free-to-play video games.

Sucks to be you, William Butler Yeats.

Awwww…now he’s sad.

I had heard about the free-to-play model years ago but I never really gave it much consideration for a couple of reasons, namely the fact that I am a console gamer at heart (free-to-play games exist almost exclusively on the PC), and I was a spoiled brat that took everything I had for granted.

As we all know, things change.

Now I live in a gutter where it always rains, feeding off the refuse of society, without access to any form of video entertainment or basic life-saving antibiotics. Sometimes, when I’m especially riddled with scurvy, the desire to reconnect to the digital aether becomes so intense that I jam my tongue into the exposed wires protruding from the streetlamp on the corner that has become my only friend. I’ve named him Ignacio.

I no longer own a console. I haven’t played Awesome New Game 3. All my pants are hand-me-down bell-bottoms and none of the cool kids invite me to their birthday parties. In such sub-optimal conditions, the siren song of the word “free” is quite alluring indeed.

So I took the initiative, attacked a handicapped citizen in a violent frenzy (they were really old, so it was really easy) and assumed control of their home, cats, and most importantly their computer to give this whole free-to-play thing a shot.

What follows will be periodic information regarding games that follow this model, why I have chosen to exalt/banish them, and how much money you should reasonably spend on whatever baubles they offer. I will do my best to update this feature semi-regularly but when you’re a fugitive on the lam you’ve got to stay one step ahead of the Weasels Closing In, which can sometimes make it difficult for me to communicate with you, our three adorably misguided site-goers.

So click on over. I hope you have as much fun reading this nonsense as I have writing it.

And somebody, please…take care of Ignacio. He gets dim when he gets lonely.

I’ll never let go, buddy.

Here’s a quick overview of what we know about the game so far.

__________

World of Goolins

Until now, we’ve all assumed there is only one Goolin. One gymnast, one Goolin, right? There’s certainly never been evidence to the contrary. Or has there? Turns out, yes. What a lot of fans thought was simply a random stock image, the Easter Island background was actually strategically-placed (multiple Goolin sculptures?), setting the groundwork for a full-on origin story and separate mode in the sequel. Message boards across the net have been swamped with questions, as many have been wondering exactly what Goolin is, and where it comes from, as well as its motivations. It looks as though Goolin 2 will answer many of those pressing queries with animated, full-voiced cut scenes. In addition to that main storyline, there will reportedly be several side missions that, while not vital to complete, offer interesting anecdotes that should please any curiosity.

Goolin Remembers You

The carrying over of stats and key decisions from previous games in a series is nothing groundbreaking. Games like Mass Effect offer that currently, but for indie games, the idea is rarely implemented. No longer the case, as Goolin 2 will utilize your game saves from the first title in a handful of interesting ways (think along the lines of the Psycho Mantis boss battle from Metal Gear Solid). While we don’t know the full extent just yet (the developer is being coy), it’s a safe bet to assume that things like your high score and number of attempts from the first Goolin will somehow factor into this. As if you needed a reason to go back and continue playing the original!

Another Way To Goolin

Just one of many as-yet-unannounced new modes, ‘Stacking’ (no, not the Double Fine game) takes the familiar Russian nesting doll idea and Goolin-izes it, adding a unique challenge. Many players thought that success in the first game (which came after multiple stages of transformation) was satisfying, but still found it to be rather easy once they’d perfected the pattern and timing of the button-presses, which were always spot-on. With the veteran player in mind, ‘Stacking’ takes the now-routine matter of jumping into one Goolin, and applies it to many, with the gymnast here attempting to land into several Goolins in succession, starting from the standard-sized robot, down to a miniature form. You’ll be scored on placement and style, as it seems that once in your ship, the gymnast can now perform ‘tricks’ of some sort. Classy and graceful.

The Walking Goolin

A second revealed mode is said to contain zombies, yet another novel addition to the game. While the particulars have not been established, it’s rumored that the player, after landing the gymnast in a ship that transforms into a shotgun(!), will take direct control of the hulking Goolin itself. The idea of zombies in an indie game is exciting, though it appears this mode will be less-intensive than the core game, and more an arcade style, where players can shoot for high scores. It hasn’t been decided yet if the gymnast’s ship can transform into other weapons, or if that might be made available post-release as DLC.

__________

Whatever your complaints with the first game, if you had any, the follow-up to the cult classic Goolin is on track to rectify any wrongs, as well as branch out from its comfortable base, shedding more light on the dreadfully under-served world of gymnasts and giant robots. There’s no firm release date yet (just the nebulous Summer 2012), but rest assured, your favorite aquatic reviews site will keep you updated as new modes and info trickle out.

Oh, and obviously, Happy April Fool’s Day.

__________

Bonus Goolin footage: Day 18 of Alan’s Odyssey

Update: Ah. It’s now April 2nd, no need to fear, we are not turning into a fisherman supply store. If you missed the gag, you can still access it here.

So why has Alan chosen to undertake this endeavor, by his own free will? The world may never know. My hope is he’s doing it so others won’t have to. I’ve tried talking him out of it, stressing the danger of prolonged exposure, something he’s well aware of already, but to no avail. What we’re left with is a exercise in futility, a chance to laugh at faulty game design, witnessing the daily destruction of a man’s spirit, or so it would appear. At least the doctors will have a reference to understand what went wrong. He’s on Day 4 currently, and in surprisingly good health, but that won’t last. Check back on his channel daily to watch the saga unfold, until eventually we hear / see of him no more. So long, Alan, it was an honor to know you.

So I bought the new DLC, and apologized to the menu screen and Uplay, an attempt to show my commitment and right this relationship ahead of Assassin’s Creed 3, which wraps up the Desmond Miles storyline in revolutionary fashion come October.

Box art doesn’t normally do anything for me, but that is sexy.

The Lost Archives (800 msp, $9.99) is single-player content (with some SP and multiplayer skins, mostly preorder stuff) for Revelations that most people probably aren’t glad to see. It adds to the series’ mythos (always a good thing) and fleshes out the backstory of Subject 16, Clay Kaczmarek, his dealings with the Assassins / Templars, and Lucy Stillman. The downside to some, is that the entirety of the DLC is handled in first-person Creed, the puzzle-platforming, snippet-centric segments that Desmond ran through in Revelations Proper. Imagine a bare-bones Portal, and you’ve got it.

With the admission that I haven’t played through the whole game, I still liked the Desmond memories I have seen to this point. I know I’m definitely in the minority in saying that. A first-person view and platforming is not usually a combo developers strive for (that not being an easy scheme to pull off and all), but, paired with AC, offers a unique chance to drive the story separately from the main game. Using platform pieces and placing them (Assassin’s Creed: Tetris!), you build bridges / steps, traversing the annals of the animus, uncovering previously lost fragments of information.

Attending your own funeral is bad enough. No one showing up, that’s just mean, even for a computer simulation.

In the case of Lost Archives, you’ll discover specifically what it knows about Clay, done over the course of seven memories. These samples of data are hinted at via voiced conversations, letters / emails, effective imagery, and decipher fragments (your required AC dose of collecting trinkets), small chunks of a larger puzzle image that is the key to breaking the ‘loop’ in Lost Archives and receiving the true ending.

Along with the mentioned piece-placing, there’s a jump pad for reaching higher plateaus and out-of-the-way fragments, and, since any good sequence needs infuriating obstacles, instant-kill laser traps and rotating dead-zones. The lasers come in two varieties, red, which is to be avoided at all costs, and yellow, which can be impeded with platform pieces for a brief time, allowing you passage. And as if dodging lasers while placing platforms over deep chasms and dead zones weren’t troubling enough, you’ll encounter block-erasing screens and spots where the platforms you drop are ‘blown’ by unseen animus winds (best way I can describe it, sorry), adding more tricky to the proceedings. First-person is anything but ideal for these sections, and there’s a degree of frustration in that, especially given that two of the ten new achievements / trophies are earned for no-death stretches.

Oh yeah, like a walk in the animus park, they say.

Overall, the story content is minor. The lone big splash, the seeming indictment of a character I’d had my suspicions about for some time, raises more questions than it answers, and the revelation may not even be a surprise to some. Accordingly, the cost and length (about two hours) of Lost Archives, as well as the general distaste among fans for these first-person jaunts, makes this tough to recommend. Though with the rash of ‘leaked’ (yeah, sure it is) news and screenshots for AC3 making the rounds ahead of a March 5th reveal, the excitement for this DLC may be less than it deserves. It’s not a bad release by any means. For diehard fans, achievement hunters, and those looking to right an errant relationship (hand raised), it’s a worthy playthrough to tide you over till October.

]]> http://gear-fish.com/?feed=rss2&p=2283 0 http://gear-fish.com/?p=2245 http://gear-fish.com/?p=2245#comments Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:43:49 +0000 Tim Hurley http://gear-fish.com/?p=2245 Read More »]]> I’ve got a few ex-girlfriends that probably feel differently, but I love to be proven wrong. Not about their lack of a conscience, of course, because that’s just facts staring them in the face, but when it comes to game opinions, I don’t mind eating crow. Two times, no less, about impending new releases. First came Syndicate, a remake of a strategy game now turned FPS, which I honestly expected to be crap, and wasn’t. Even without playing the campaign, I’m dead set on playing it for the co-op. And now comes the Binary Domain demo, Sega’s take on Terminator set in an apocalyptic-looking Tokyo in 2080. Here, I know next to nothing about the announced competitive and co-op modes, which I’ll assume are your typical versus fare and ‘Horde’ variants. They may be fun time-sinks ultimately, but I’m more enamored with what I’ve played in the storyline.

To stay fresh and avoid spoilers, I’ll keep the premise brief. Robots have integrated into everyday society, but, unbeknownst to all, humanoid robots (that live as and fully believe they are human) have also integrated. After a failed assassination attempt outs these robots, yada yada yada, a team (this is where you come in, no ‘I’ in team, Will Smith heroics this time) is sent covertly into Japan to find out who is behind the Hollow Children (the game’s name for the robotic humans) and take back the nation from a machine army. It sounds like it could get corny and melodramatic, but it’s handled pretty well throughout the two stage demo, and yeah, a French-speaking robot as my ally? Oui, I’m in.

I’m making the comparison again, but the gameplay and cover system is lifted from Gears of War. From switching weapons and throwing grenades, right down to picking up shields and firing pistols, it’s all going to feel instantly familiar. That’s not a bad thing. A bit of filching, sure, but not bad. It’s a cover shooter, it’s going to borrow and emulate from the heavy hitters. I expected the controls to suffer or feel off, but they’re responsive. The default button layout is fine, and the demo offers a few different styles, so bonus points there as well.

In a twist to the tried and true shooter formula, Sega has made a big deal of its ‘consequence’ dialogue / action system, which gives you a choice in how to answer to your squadmates in a given situation. Talk back or refuse to listen, and your team won’t be as quick to hear your commands or come to your rescue in a pinch, even outright ignoring you. Play nice, however, and they’ll take the initiative, rooting out a sniper or blitzing the robot ranks. In practice, the idea works well, as choosing different allies results in different conversations and action moments during play, but as far as any lasting effect on their personalities, I’m not entirely sure. Being a dick on purpose, my teammates were still willing to help me up when I went down. I’d hope for some more persistent tracking of your choices, even up to altering the story. It could be there in the full game, but again, what’s present in the demo already is a nice change of pace for shooters.

Also surprising was the character and weapon customization. Killing enemies nets you points to spend at various upgrade stations. The weapon aspects look to be of the standard variety, as does the character building, but it’s there, more than you can say for other games of this type. And outfitting your squad with enhancements and better weapons will directly benefit you, leaving any blame for failing a mission squarely on your shoulders. Kind of a consequence, dickhead-blocking system in its own right, I guess.

The demo is short, and mostly hints at larger battles (one stage does conclude with a little robot rodeo), but it’s got me interested. Taking the machines down piece by piece feels like it should, and with the above-mentioned perks and controls in place, promises to be more than a bland shooter alternative. If Sega can keep the intensity up without veering too far down the path of the absurd, it can go a long way to showing us in the West that the East knows how to play at our game.

Regardless of how you feel about Developers / Publishers shoehorning in multiplayer modes into once SP-only games (Dead Space, Uncharted), it’s important to recognize that it’s often done in a way that rewards players (through depth, leveling up, bragging rights) that take the opportunity to try out and understand the intentions of the online option, while at the same time satisfying the demands of SP fans who either don’t have an internet connection, or could care less about the MP addition (no achievements / trophies to be gained in Online play, zero penalties for not playing).

Mass Effect 3 developers Bioware have gone on the record as such, stating that while the four player co-op component is there for players to explore, and it does ‘help’ in the campaign (raising the ‘readiness’ level of the galaxy to combat the Reaper threat), it is completely optional, and does not penalize you for not taking part. To that end, completionists will be glad to know there aren’t any achievements or trophies that cannot be earned in single player.

As for the mode itself, think Gears‘ Horde (yes, again) and you’re spot on. This idea does play to Mass Effect‘s strengths though, with the diverse set of allies / enemies in the universe, and the biotic powers / abilities in each character class. The demo is limited to two maps (Noveria and Benning), you’re similarly-limited in the cast of characters to choose from, and Cerberus (headed up by Martin Sheen’s Illusive Man, who has gone all Apocalypse Now-like) is the only enemy class to square off against, but you are given free reign to level up and specialize.

Players choose the class / race they want according to style, with each set up to suit a manner of play— offensive, tech, stealth, support, or any mix of those in-between. You’re not held to certain weapons either, so go with what works. Assault rifles are your best bet for being well-rounded, but the sniper rifle is particularly satisfying. There’s ten waves of enemies, followed by an eleventh ‘extraction’ round, with progressively tougher and armored foes, and occasional ‘mini-boss’ types sprinkled in. The matches come in three levels of challenge; Bronze, Silver, Gold. Obviously, the waves get harder the higher the medal.

Leveling up works much like you expect. Defeating enemies, hitting kill / assist or weapon-specific streaks, and completing rotating in-round missions like hacking or taking down high-value targets awards you experience points and credits, the latter of which can be used to purchase, poker-style, card packs that give you a chance to unlock weapons, attachments, characters, added experience points, and the like, with increased odds of getting rare items if you’re willing to spend more credits. There’s also cards that give match-duration perks, like increased armor and damage, and cards that can be carried over and used whenever, like self-revives or single-use rocket launchers, good for taking on Silver and Gold challenges. It’s an effective risk / reward system.

As far as optional gameplay modes go, I feel that Mass Effect‘s co-op take succeeds. I eschewed my usual Vanguard class to take up being an Engineer, found some decent squads, and haven’t looked back since. The controls are tight once you adjust, and the ideas transfer nicely to online. Combining its RPG brand of leveling and class-based biotics to wave-shooter mechanics, it holds up well to repeated play. You can breathe easy for now. Consider it a worthy piece in an already-grand space opera, and if it helps you turn the tide of the war against the Reapers, and it’s a hell of a lot of fun in the process, you’re winning.

]]> http://gear-fish.com/?feed=rss2&p=2227 3 http://gear-fish.com/?p=2171 http://gear-fish.com/?p=2171#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:37:16 +0000 Tim Hurley http://gear-fish.com/?p=2171 Read More »]]> Released this last summer during the height of XBLIG puzzle season, unofficially of course, but it sure seemed that way, Pixel Blocked! became one of the Fish’s favorite puzzlers, indie or otherwise (you can see our review here), presently holding it down in the center of the leaderboard pack at #5. With a Windows Phone version now available, Xbox players are benefiting from a post-release patch that puts them on par with their mobile counterparts. While the update is largely cosmetic, sprucing up the previously sparse background art and such, there is one big gameplay addition, or subtraction, rather.

Missiles are no more. Like a white flag of surrender, they were used primarily to erase a mistake you made in placing blocks. It tarnished your perfect score, but allowed you to advance relatively guilt-free. Without that crutch to lean on, you’re forced to think your moves through, as making an irreversible goof now results in you getting ‘Pixel Blocked!’ and having to restart the level. Their removal might sting at first (as before, all of the puzzles in the game are solvable without the use of missiles), but the reward for finding that ‘Ah ha!’ move feels better.

Before the update. Cloudy, with a chance of unscrupulous missile use.

And after.  Bad move, son! You been Pixel Blocked! No worries, just restart, and please, take a donut before you go.

Besides the new visual sight for shooting and the beautification of the backgrounds, with new pixel art for each puzzle set in the game, the update also adds Awardments (or, if you like to call it like you see it, Fake Achievements) for you to earn by accomplishing various feats, such as playing the tutorial, getting your first gold medals, and for nabbing all of said medals in any given group of levels. The medal system (bronze, silver, gold, natch) replaces the 3-star system of the former build, which the developer has stated that some players found confusing. By adding the tiered medal offerings and Awardments, it does give you a bit more investment in shooting for better times and doing so in less moves.

If actual in-game rewards are more your style, and dammit! you’ve earned it, Unblockables (like Unlockables, but not, get it?) allow you to dress up the game as you please, with new backgrounds, player skins, and a few unique modes not otherwise accessible. Like the Awardments, these are given under certain conditions. You can see what you need to do for each in the menu. If you haven’t yet played the game, you’re now getting the most ideal version, but for Pixel Blocked! veterans (for me it’s purely in title, not skill) it could be the excuse you need to boot the game up again.

Some fair warning, readers— I had previously played through most of the game and some of the bonus levels, and accepting the update erased all that progress for me. What a pixel-block, now I’m a baby-faced rookie again. No retroactive accolades for you!

For a more in-depth explanation of all the added content in the Update, check out the developer’s blog.

Let’s just sit a moment and let that swish around in our noggins. A zombie game on the indie channel. If you’re waiting out numbers at the deli, this’d be ‘Now Serving #1,453′.

Yes, this is an exaggerated number for the sake of this opening, but the actual number of games with zombies somehow integrated into them is probably not that far off. They’re everywhere, crammed into every genre and storyline imaginable. So here you have an oversaturated market, and yet Mr. Common comes in and sweeps us reviewers off our jaded feet with his definitive opus on said shamblers, a homage to past horror games and grindhouse flicks. It’s currently at #2 with a bullet on our Top Ten list, and you’ve (hopefully) already seen our review of the game and its DLC, so you know why we love it, but read on to get the good word from the creator himself.

_____

John Common: I came up with the idea for Dead Pixels when I was looking through other XBLIG games, and realised that very few if any of the zombie games were made by/for zombie film fans.  So I started thinking about how I could make an RPG zombie game for fans of the genre.  A few days later I started working on it.

The original idea took a lot more from rogue-like RPGs.  The idea was that the city would go on forever, and you would try to survive as long as possible. The streets would branch out, and some would be dead ends.  You would have to search the houses for food and ammo and once you died you would get added to an online highscore table.

TH: Kind of a ‘shop ’til you drop’ scenario then. Could have been an interesting take.

Like the main game, the DLC modes are a lot of fun. After the success of the game once it came to market, reaching its sales marks quite rapidly, any added pressure to really step it up with the announced DLC, or were all the basic designs for it in place? Anything that was cut, or that you wanted to add, but otherwise couldn’t due to constraints / conflicts?

JC: It’s kind of hard for me to remember what my plans for the DLC were before I released the main game.  Originally I had no plans for Last Stand and it was because of users asking for a survival mode that I decided to do it.

The Solution was always going to be about prisoners sent into the city by the military.  It was inspired by a terrible film called Doomed, and it felt like something that would happen in a low budget film.

Once the game was out, and I started thinking about DLC and planning it I pretty much stuck to that plan, but I would have liked to have done some new zombies for the new modes if I had more time.

TH: I hate to be the one to ask this question again, but are there any plans to add online co-op for the PC version, and / or to add this via a patch into the Xbox360 version at any point in the future? Or, if there is a sequel, would you prefer to add that feature then?

JC: I know everyone wants online co-op but there is little chance of me adding it to the original Dead Pixels.  Nothing in the game was designed for online and it would be too much work to put it in now.

There are so many things that people have been asking for that are on my feature list for the sequel.  Stuff like online co-op, 4 player co-op, drop in and out co-op, customizable characters and branching paths are all things I’d like to do, and as long as they are fun I will do them.

TH: Now that Dead Pixels is ‘finished’ in terms of content, what’s next for the game? Are there any plans for a sequel, or would you like to work on an original idea? You’ve expressed interest in an FMV game before. What kind of game would the recently-revealed Apocalypse be?

JC: My current focus is on the PC port of Dead Pixels.  A sequel is definitely planned but I’d like to take a break for a month or two from zombies.  

I’d love to do an FMV game but I don’t think I would be able to make my money back on something like that.  While I love them I don’t think there is enough people that like FMV for me to go out and hire actors.

Including a Dead Pixels sequel there are 3 big games I would like to work on this year.  They may not all get released this year but I’d like to work on them.  I’d also like to work on little games here and there to keep my sanity.

TH: Personally I think sanity is overrated. Productive member of society, sure, less police being called, yeah, but the best creative minds are usually introverted nutcases. Plus, I really don’t like doing laundry on any sort of acceptable timeline.

So, what do you think about the XBLIG channel in its current state? You found success on it, but is it a focus moving forward, or is it just too much of a ‘Wild West’ scenario already, hampered by the new-look dashboard that has people browsing through a ton of links just to find indie games, let alone sift through them?

JC: I’d like to release a game on the new dash and see sales numbers for myself before condemning it, but looking at other peoples numbers, I am not hopeful for it.

I would like to be able to make PC my main aim over the next few years, and make XBLIG a secondary thing.  While I collect console games, at my heart I am a PC gamer.

TH: And finally, I wouldn’t be a narcissistic ass if I didn’t twist your interview around to end with talking about myself, so here we go. With the Nate and Hurley characters in Last Stand, was it difficult to balance their stats, what with their inherent awesomeness and everything? How much did you need to ‘nerf’ their skill sets in order for the zombies to pose an actual threat to them?

JC: I actually did have to adjust their skills for the Last Stand mode.  I increased their speed to level 2 to make the first few waves quicker as I wanted the mode to feel quick rather than slow.

Then during testing, two of my friends whilst playing together decided to put all their money into bargaining skill, and then everything was so cheap that they had upgraded everything upgraded in a few waves.  To combat this I made everything in the store more expensive, and made Nate and Hurley start with level 4 bargaining skill.

It’s worth saying that the group in the opening to Last Stand is the same people that are in the airport in the main game. Without Nate and Hurley’s sacrifice in Last Stand, there would be no helicopter to get the player out of the city in the main game.  Also if the airport had been surrounded by zombies, the convicts in The Solution would have to have been dropped off elsewhere, and wouldn’t have enough time to get back to their helicopter.  They are like the gunner in the star destroyer in the first Star Wars film, everything happens because of them.

_____

I’m just going to take that as confirmation. Too awesome to die so easily, too great, and yet not too great, that I can’t sacrifice myself for the betterment of others, so long as the world knows of my sacrifice and sings songs / immortalizes me in stone / writes poems in iambic pentameter about it. I knew it all along, of course, but it’s nice to hear it from others.

So thanks, John, for that, and thanks for taking the time here to answer some questions. Thanks to you for reading, and again, check out the game if you haven’t already. I can personally guarantee you’ll have fun, and if for some improbable reason you don’t, just feed my character to the zombies. We’re even.  

For one, the featured DLC and title, Dead Pixels, is not a Retail or Arcade game. It’s an indie, an XBLIG no less, which isn’t entirely alien to us at the site here (that being a focus of ours), but to the outsider looking in on us for the first or second time? Little weird, which leads into point numero dos; Games on the indie channel aren’t really allowed to publish extra content as DLC. Sure, they could patch it in (as is the case here), but there’s no way they could charge people extra for it. Which more or less defeats the purpose of this DLC Corner, as there’s no judgment to be made. You’re not paying out of pocket for it. Were I to publicly trash this added content makes no difference to you, as you could simply boot up the game, accept the update, and decide for yourself if I’m full of shit or not (I usually am). Well, we could always assume that you haven’t played and bought Dead Pixels, but you’d reside in a very small crowd that excels at being incredibly unhip, and that’s no way to live, my friend.

This is the part where I tell you to go ahead and take a look at our requisite linkage, an interview with creator John Common, reading the review for the main game HERE, following the link to the marketplace, and ultimately spending the 80 MSP to join the rest of society. Go ahead. We will still be here when you get back, promise.

See? You didn’t miss a thing.

Alright, now I was at two, so that makes this part three in this bizarre episode of the DLC Corner. Not only am I reviewing DLC for an indie game, DLC that’s not really allowed to be DLC, that carries no dollar amount or value that I can readily point to and highlight, that resists my due process and verdict because of its freeness, but, but, select members of Gear-Fish, including myself, have a stake in this DLC.

Why, you ask? Well, because the DLC for Dead Pixels expands on the main game of killing zombies and upgrading yourself over a series of streets as you attempt to flee an overrun dead city (takes breath) by adding two all-new modes, a story add-on, and a take on the ‘Horde Mode’ idea popularized by Gears of War. So lets take a look at what you’re getting, while simultaneously explaining Point #3.

LAST STAND

Last Stand (now known unofficially by me as I’m In A Gam3 W1th Zombies 1n It!!!1) gives players a chance to outlast waves of zombies in a mall, upgrading weapons and stats as you progress, but also presents a new collection of toys in the weapons department. ‘Horde’ mode for games nowadays is almost as ubiquitous as zombies in an indie game, so while the idea itself may not be new, to see it in an indie game as polished and thoughtful as it is done here, is still cause for a pat on the back and a hearty congratulations. Some XBLIGs rely solely on the wave shooter concept for their game and still can’t manage to make it fun. Dead Pixels does it better, and for only one part of the total package.

At the beginning of every wave, you have ten seconds to enter one of the vendors (every store is open, and sells the same wares) to spend cash earned during the previous wave. Similar to the main game, you can buy into stat upgrades for yourself, and purchase new weapons and supplies, albeit in limited quanities (don’t rely too long on one weapon or ammo type). You might feel like you have enough, but things get hectic fast. By wave five, you’ll need to have upgraded your weapons and damage output if playing solo, and probably earlier for co-op. Zombies in numbers will quickly end your run otherwise.

I got 91 problems but a zombie ain’t… well, yes, actually every one.

All of the weapons you remember return, and are available from the outset when you have the green to part with. Shock and Freeze grenades are a nifty new option, not only offensively, but as a defensive move to put more space between you and a fast-moving group. Their new gun equivalents do a nice job at finishing them off too. With a hundred zombies to go, most of them bullet-sponges, you thank me later. And aside from the range of types seen previously, Last Stand also features zombified cameos from the hero of the main game, as well as the characters from second DLC mode The Solution.

And, as a bonus you never knew you wanted or asked for, the gorgeous stars of Last Stand are a couple of your very own Gear-Fish writers, dressed to impress and doing our best to kill many zombies for you— Nate (his luscious mane translated pixel-perfectly) and I. So really, this is a first, as we’re sort of reviewing…ourselves? Fourth wall, knocked down. Quick review of us then. How do we look? James Bond-ish. How do we control? Exceptionally. How do we kill zombies? Like a pair of bosses. In short, we look better and kick more ass than we ever will in real life. I am now both sad because of that truth and incredibly honored to be in the game. I think I can speak for Nate here in saying that we can officially scratch an item off our respective bucket lists: Appear in a videogame. Done. Thank you very much, Mr. Common.

So does that make this review biased? Nah, as anyone who’s played it knows, this game stands as a fine example all on its own. Is it improved upon with our presence though? Absolutely. Last Stand is an intensely fun and satisfactory arcade mode with the right amount of depth and strategy, the perfect compliment to the main game for those that just want to bankroll a ton of money and go out killing zombies in colorful and creative ways.

THE SOLUTION

Upon completing Dead Pixels, you may remember the cliffhanger ending, and, as promised, the DLC has delivered a fitting denouement to that story with The Solution. Six time-hardened inmates (currently residing at the H. Mason (*wink) Maximum Security Prison) are given a simple objective; enter New Hexington, rig the power plant to explode and erase all evidence of the outbreak, then get the hell out. Succeed, and be granted a full presidential pardon. Don’t, and, you just don’t want to not succeed.

You’ll get your choice of the six (affectionately named *wink), or two in local co-op. Each character comes with preset stats. You won’t be able to upgrade their traits in this mode, so pick the one that’s best suited for your area of expertise (Kirkman never let me down). Progression is handled a bit differently in The Solution. You still retake the city street by street, but for whatever degree of difficulty you select (I stuck to normal, but the new ‘Hardest’ difficulty will break you if you’re into that kind of challenge), know that however many streets it’ll take you to reach the power plant, you’ll have to travel the exact amount back.

Oh, and there’s also no vendors left in the city. Houses can still be looted, but with limited ammo to find, you’ll have to change the way you play. Using government sponsorship to your full advantage (well, you‘ll still have to pay for it yourself, nothing free in this world, etc.), you can order supplies via radio and have them airdropped in. Though even this has its limitations, as your items are not expedited (usually dropped a street or two ahead of current spot, so plan ahead) and you only have so many uses of it (my guess is fuel costs, program cutbacks). And without the vendors, gone too are the readily available save locations. Solution again references old-school Resident Evil with its new save system: the ink ribbon. Yes! Admittedly, it’s a small thing in the scheme of things, but seriously, it’s always been the little nuances that make DP what it is, and pulling out that once-RE standard is a nod to the Old Guard and a stroke of pure genius.

The Solution, like Last Stand, draws on what makes Dead Pixels fun and unique, changing and adding enough that it feels and plays new, yet remains straightforward in its direction and easy to pick up. Both modes could have been released as separate installments and scored highly on their own, but as free DLC to an already great game, you’ve literally got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Developers take note: This is how you build on success. This is how you thank your fans.

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