Black Mesa Source Review

Hi, my name is Nik and today i am reviewing:

Black Mesa is a source mod, that completely re-imagines the original Half-Life.

You probably know the story of this classic, but for those who don't - a crash course. You play as  the Gordon Freeman, a theoretical physicist who works in Black Mesa. One of the experiments creates a resonance cascade, and aliens appear. Have fun escaping the facility.

As i pointed out Black Mesa is a re-imagines, not just a HD texture pack, that means that a lot of things are changed. The first changes become obvious, as soon as you start the game. The train ride is even cooler then before, showing a lot of the experiments happening in Black Masa. It takes exactly the same path, as far as i can tell, and its a feast for the eyes with all of the new HD textures.

The thing the really impressed me was the lobby. It had a lot more offices, and people who where just talking about physics, experiments, or just some small talk. This made the game much more immersive and believable.   

This is how the entire game is, all of the maps are based on the originals Half-Life, but some of the things are changed slightly.

Some of the game mechanics are also a bit different. The largest and most notable is running. Its the only change that cant be turned off, because you need it for some of the platforming sections. 

The changes also include Iron sight for some weapons, auto-aim (who even uses that?), and others, and they can be turned off, if you want a cleaned, simpler experience.

I found some minor bugs in the mod, but nothing game braking. For example some of the enemies, sometimes shoot threw wall and also you allies are total idiots, just like they where in 1998.

I left the best part for last - its FREE. All of that excellent content, new voice acting, HD textures, new animation and much more for free. I advice everyone to try it, because you have nothing to lose. You can find a guide of how to install it here.

To top it all off, Black Mesa Source is the best mod i have seen, and its perfect for people that are looking for experience an close to that of the original Half-Life.

I hope you liked my review of  Black Mesa Source .

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My name is Nik and i hope you are having a nice day.

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Apache Helicopter

Here's something close to my heart. Ever since doing the art for HeliAttack 2 and 3 back in 2003 and 2005 I fell in love with helicopters. They just make great game assets. 

Back then it was all pixeled and took what seemed like forever to create. In the game there were a few helicopters with limited variations. 

Creating a similar object in vectors allows for easier manipulation and variations. It also makes animations a lot easier and more flexible. 




This tutorial looks a little bit more complex than the previous posts - but I tried to break it down into easy steps and simple shapes. I hope it worked. 

Note:
As with all the tutorials prior I use squares and circles and deform them rather then 'hand-draw' the shapes. With the body of the Apache-style helicopter it might be easier to 'just draw' the shape with the straight lines tool rather than place squares and modify them later - but it takes a little more skill to get the shape right that way.  

Note:

Now you have a basic and recognizable helicopter. It's a good point to save and continue with a new file to give you a base shape to go back to when creating variations.

The next step is adding details (guns, missiles, rocket launchers, etc.) and then add depth to the helicopter by adding some highlights and shadows.

I use basic shapes in light and dark colours - in this case white and black - with transparency to shade the object. This allows for easy changes to the base colour (e.g. an army green or a bright red for an enemy object) without having to redo the shading. 

Note:

If you want softer shadows and lights use a more yellowish tone for the highlight and a dark brown or dark purple for the shadows. 

Here's a version scaled down  

to something resembling an 

iphone (lo-res) ingame size: 

I hope the complexity of helicopter didn't scare you off and you enjoyed the tutorial. In the end it's just another bunch of simple shapes combined to form something bigger. 

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As promised another free bit of art to make up for the long time between posts. Enjoy!

Get the source art (svg file) of this tutorial for

FREE
Download inkscape SVG file in ZIP archive

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Emotional Explosives...

This tutorial started out with some illustration request and I got a little carried away with the facial expressions I could add to a simple bomb. I thought I might just share the fun and turn it into a tutorial.

Like most of my tutorials this one starts with basic shapes - circles and squares and simple lines. If you are new to the tutorials it might be helpful to read from the beginning. Even though they are not in a special order some of the skills used here have been explained in a more detailed way in earlier posts. 

With the basic elements in place it's a matter of working out the expressions you are after... Adding different mouth shapes, squinting or enlarging the eyes.

Note: 
I will add a page or two with the facial expressions here soon. For now I want to finish another tutorial I have been dying to complete first - a cartoony helicopter to take me back to one of my favorite jobs (doing the (pixel) art of HeliAttack 3 in 2005).  

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did - and believe me I really missed doing tutorial art and writing these little posts. 

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Get the art (png files) of this tutorial for
FREE

As a special treat to make up for the long time between tutorials I uploaded the explosives as PNG-images in 256x256, 128x128, 96x96 and 64x64 pixels to be used freely in your projects. 

Download Emotional Explosives ZIP

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Still alive and kicking...

After a long time without posts [due to all sorts of issues but mainly due to lack of piece and quiet] I finally get to sit down and write some new tutorials and reply to questions and requests.

To make up for it I will start off with some free stuff:

First of all 'Wild Surf - Paradise Island' is free for iOS now:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wild-surf-paradise-island/id521631290?mt=8

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FTL: Faster Than Light Review

Hi, my name is Nik and today i am reviewing:

FTL: Faster Than Light is a space roguelike-like with interesting gameplay and a lot of replay value.

The story is simple and kind of a cliche. You carry important information for the Federate fleet and for have to get to them, before the Rebel fleet catches up with you. A simple task, if the Federate fleet wasn't on the other side of the universe. 

On your journey you will have to overcome a lot of obstacles, which will probably kill you a lot of times.

The game will have you managing your crew and ship systems while you fight. This happens in a top-down, RTS view of your ship. 

The ship itself is split in to room, and some of them house important equipment, like life support, shields and others. Some of these systems work better, if you have a crew member operating them and this is where my first problem with the game lies. There are only four systems like that, so when you get four crew members, you will never move them unless there  is some extreme situation, like fire.

When you are in combat, you don't command your ship's movement, but rather which of the enemy's systems to target. Your goal is to destroy their hull, before they destroy yours. Of course you have to deal with other matters as well, like boarding parties, repairing any equipment that is damaged, by the enemy, and others. This are the fight mechanics, in a nut shell. 

You can also upgrade your ships using scraps that you get from fallen enemies. Scraps are also currency, with which you can buy new weapons, parts and others, therefore you have to manege how you spend the scraps.

As a previously mentioned you will die a lot, because the game is very unfair. But if you complete a curtain task, you can unlock new ships,with different starting weapons, and installed systems. This gives the game a lot of replay value.

Now one of the biggest problems i have with the game, is that there are only hotkeys from your weapons. You cant hotkey your crew, your drowned, or clocking system. This can make micro a real pain.

To top it all of, FTL: Faster Than Light is an interesting game with a ton of things to try and a lot of exploration. 

I hope you liked my review of FTL: Faster Than Light.

If you did, comment, share with your friends, like me of facebook, or follow me on twitter.

My name is Nik and i hope you are having a nice day.

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Unreal Tournament Review

Hi, my name is Nik and today i am reviewing:

Unreal Tournament is the best arena shooter and FPS i have ever played.

The story is really simple and non-intrusive. There is a tournament - win. Its all told threw one cinematic at the start, and therefore you will have just uninterrupted action threw the entire game. 

Being an arena shooter, Unreal Tournament has some common elements to games like Quake or Doom.  They include fast and fluid movement system, the ability to carry a lot of weapons, and of course the use of power-ups and health pack threw the level. 

The differences to Quake come in the form of firing  modes, in Unreal Tournament every weapon has two fire modes, primary and secondary. This can change a weapons function drastically, so its better suited for a specific task.

One of the major downsides to this game, is the fact that no one is playing it online. Fortunately the bot in the game are pretty skilled, not as skilled as a human, but they can still pose quite a challenge.   

Another problem with the game are its absolute graphics, they look very bad by today's standards.The was made in 2000 after all, what do you expect? But if you can get passed that, you can have a good time with this game.

One thing i have to point out is the soundtrack. I already made it clear in my "Top 10 Video Game Soundtracks", this game has grate music, and sound effects when it comes to weapons. If you like techno, you will certainly love the soundtrack of Unreal Tournament.    

To top it all of, Unreal Tournament can provide a lot of hours of fun in singleplayer, its sad that the same cant be said for multiplayer.

You can get it on GOG.com for $9.99.

I hope you liked my review of  Unreal Tournament.

If you did, comment, share with your friends, like me of facebook, or follow me on twitter.

My name is Nik and i hope you are having a nice day.

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Top 10 Video Game Soundtracks

Hi, my name is Nik and today is a good time for a top 10.

The title is self-explanatory "Top 10 Video Game Soundtracks". I just want to point out that i haven't played every game in the world, so if i miss something really good, feel free to leave a comment.

 10. Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within.

This is one of those game with a very controversial soundtrack. Some hated it for the reasons i love it - it was Heavy Metal, with oriental elements.

9. Neighbours From Hell 1 and 2.

These were one of the first games i have ever played, and i remember, and love every single track in them. 

8. Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

The soundtrack just suits the game really well. It always gives me a kind of futuristic feeling.

7. Portal 2.

Another futuristic sounding game, but this time its a bit more soothing and calm. Also hearing GLaDOS sing is hilarious.

6. Call of Duty 1.

Epic game, with epic soundtrack. Most of that goes to the amazing main theme, that really set the tone for the rest of the game.

5. Max Payne 1 and 2.

The music for bout Max Payne 1 and 2, captures the noire feel of the game near perfectly.

4. Unreal Tournament 1.

This was the first FPS that i have ever played, and its is still my favorite. One of the reasons for that is certainly, the soundtrack. I don't usually listen to techno, but this is so good even i love it.   

3. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.


I know that someone will probably say "Why not Skyrim?". And my answer is that Skyrim's soundtrack was based on the on from Morrowind. That is not to say that Skyrim's soundtrack is bad. No its not, they are bout amazing, but i like Morrowind's better.

2. Mass Effect 1, 2 and 3.

I am grouping Mass Effect, because if i don't this franchise will dominate the list. 
From the first game the best one, was the main theme, so tranquil and peaceful.
From the second, it was the epic track that played when you saw the SR-2 for the first time. 
And from the third, we had "An End Once And For All", that really captured the destruction and devastation, brought by the Reapers. 

1. Bastion 

Its really hard to explain, how good Bastion's soundtrack is, so i will just say that every track, is perfect for the situation, that its used in.

Other notable soundtracks :

Fable - The Lost Chapters
Ballance
Gothic
Crashday
StarLancer
FreeLancer
Apocalyptica

If you did, comment, share with your friends, like me of facebook, or follow me on twitter.
My name is Nik and i hope you are having a nice day.
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McPixel Review

Hi, my name is Nik and today i am reviewing:

McPixel  is the funniest point & click adventure i played in a long time.

The idea is simple, but very addicting. You play as McPixel, and your job is to prevent disasters, in the most nonsensical way possible. 

Just as an example, in one of the less ridiculous levels, you have to save Titanik, by jumping overboard, and pushing the ship away from the iceberg. The game Is just the silliest thing ever.

The gameplay is the standard point & click formula, with a twist. You have 20 seks, to complete a level, in that time you can do only one action. If you get in wrong, you watch a funny fail animation, and if you get it right, you watch an even funnier success cinematic.

This is one of those games, that are best played with fiends. You just give the game to someone that never played it before, so he doesn't know the answers, and you will have the time of your life. 

You will sill enjoy the game, if you are alone, but not nearly as much.

To top it all off, McPixel is a very funny game, if you play it with friends, or alone, its up to you. 

I hope you liked my review of  .
If you did, comment, share with your friends, like me of facebook, or follow me on twitter.
My name is Nik and i hope you are having a nice day.

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Shank Review

Hi, my name is Nik and today i am reviewing:

Shank is a side-scrolling, beat 'em up (or brawler) that is in the style of Streets Of Rage, or Double Dragon.

The game has a classic revenge story. Shank is looking for the murderer of his girlfriend- The Butcher. Its a  good, simple and well written story, that will keep you fairly interested. 

This is one of the few brawlers, to come out in recent years and its a good one. Shank can perform three attack - light, heavy and range.

For your light attacks, you always use two knifes, a fast, but fairly weak weapon. For your heavy, and range attacks, you can choose from a large selection of weapons, ranging from chainsaws, to shotguns. 

Your arsenal also contains grenades and a pounce attack, that lets you grab enemies and do powerful moves on them.

   

The most important thing for a brawler is combo linking, and Shank has perfected that to the limit. Every time you attack, you feel like a bad ass, because the combos link very nicely together, and the game has very satisfying ragdoll physics. 

Also you can juggle someone with your shotgun, and that definitely is a selling point for Shank.

Of course, the game has some issues. For example the tutorial is kind of useless. You learn that you can attack ... but you knew that already. So you have to learn the controls, with testing all of them, or memorizing them from the controls menu.  

Also playing with keyboard is hard, so i strongly recommend useing a 360 controller, or some kind of PC pad.

One last thing, this game has a really nice cel-shad graphics style, that reminds me a lot of Borderlands and The Walking Dead.   

To top it all of, Shank is a great 2D brawler, that resembles a lot of classic games, but with a modern twist.

I hope you liked my review of Shank.

If you did, comment, share with your friends, like me of facebook, or follow me on twitter.

My name is Nik and i hope you are having a nice day.

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Battle vs Chess Review

Battle vs Chess takes all of the classic chess game and puts a twist on them. As strange as it may seam, this is a chess game with a story - the battle between heaven and hell. 

And because of that, everything is very stylized. All of the chess peaces look divine, or infernal, depending on your fraction. 

Same goes for the backgrounds. The heaven once are very beautiful with trees, rivers and magnificent buildings. And the hell once have lave, spices and ruins.

Of course, if you don't like that style, you can use normal chess peaces and board.

Battle vs Chess is also has a lot of content. If you are new to the game, there is a fully voice-acted tutorial, that explains the rules of chess fairly good. There are also challenges, that can help you become an even better player.

The game also has two campaigns, one for heaven, and one for hell. Bout of them are eventually more challenges, with some story.

And of course, there is a skirmish mod, that is just a normal, straight up chess game. 

This game also has several multiplayer options - online, LAN and local (on the same PC). I just have to warn you that Battle vs Chess is a Games For Windows Live game, so the online play is threw GFWL.

Another problem with the port, is the fact that you can't rebind keys. I know that not a big deal, because the keyboard is for camera control, and you can do that with the mouse. But still it would be nice to see that.

To top it all off, Battle vs Chess is a very stylized chess game, with a lot of content. If you like chess, you will love this game.

I hope you liked my review of Battle vs Chess  .
If you did, comment, share with your friends, like me of facebook, or follow me on twitter.
My name is Nik and i hope you are having a nice day.

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