Viremaster
This was the first bad game i played in my life. I was 3 or 4. I made it steps as jekyll, then suddeny died as hyde. over a decade later, discovering emulation, I tried again. It was a save-scumming slog. Children hitting me with rocks, random bombers, bird droppings the size (and shape) of a bulldog's. And for what? to go through the same stages as Hyde to get the true ending.
It was not worth it. having to sit though ear-grating music, looking at okay graphics (that i at one point adapted into a personal sprite comic) and equipped with a cane that did next-to-nothing.
If you are really curious about the game, we have youtube. Just watch a longplay.
It was not worth it. having to sit though ear-grating music, looking at okay graphics (that i at one point adapted into a personal sprite comic) and equipped with a cane that did next-to-nothing.
If you are really curious about the game, we have youtube. Just watch a longplay.
Robot Dinosaurs in Space.
And it's a tedious slog.
And it's a tedious slog.
This game is my Rosebud.
2020
Before I begin my review let me put into perspective the price of the game.
It's Free.
Like, not even "price of a cereal box" free like it's predecessor, but "the few cents on your electric/internet bill from downloading and playing it" free.
That said, you get what you paid for.
--Story--
Copied over from the original game, the mining planet Bazoik has come under attack by inter-dimensional creatures known as Flemoids. They cannot be harmed, only sent back to their home reality. One character (out of 6 this time) must go the planet and rescue the inhabitants.
If you're expecting Kubrik or even Wiseau levels of story-telling, you are expecting too much. The rest of the story is told through logs found in the secret rooms of the 5 levels, and the epilogues for the 6 new characters.
--Gameplay--
It's an FPS, much like it's Doom Engine counterpart. In fact, most the elements have carried over entirely, including levels, pickups, and weapons (who share the same hotkeys from the original game as well) What is new is the revamp taking advantage of newer conventions, such as true 3d maps, brief cinematics (locked at 30 frames for some mysterious reason), and talking protagonists. And do they TALK. Every phase of action has a bit of speech that can be annoying (plenty of times when they talk over top themselves) bordering on condescending (I think how colored keys work is self-explanitory.) One thing that isn't well conveyed are the prompts for pickups. Get an ammo box? no prompt. New Weapon? Don't know what it's called, but the character likes it. minor health bonus "GET A CAN OF SLIME REPELLENT" "I DIDN'T THINK I COULD GET ANY STRONGER" says Fred Chexter for every other can. 2 other things the game could have benefited from displaying is total munitions - something missing from the original game, but would have been a large help here. Chex Squadron lacks Doomguy's ability to quickly swap new weapons, making it a chore to find which one has any ammo left. Lastly, the game lacks a minimap. This can be confusing for the more labyrinth-like areas in levels 3 and 5. To quote NACL-95 upon finding a secret "This isn't on the map... is what I'd say if they gave me one!"
All that said, it's not too difficult a game. You can finish the 5 levels within 45 minutes, maybe hour-and-a-half if you hunt for secrets. This is also made easier by simplistic enemy AI. Rather than inheriting that of Doom's creatures, these were made from the ground up. I often found Flemoids staring into walls rather than trying to attack me.
There is minor replayability with the addition of 5 new characters (unlockable with codes distributed by General Mills), but the only benefits are different takes on the same dialogue, having some characters receive only partial benefits from health/armor pickups, and a unique epilogue FMV.
--Graphics--
This game uses Unreal Engine 4, and while it shows with the stock lighting and occlusion effects, the rest of the models seem to not take advantage of PBR capabilities, with smooth clay-like materials and simplistic geometry.
I can't fault the game for this, though. This is in line with translating the cartoony appeal of the original game into a 3d space. it would be to its determent if it pushed higher-fidelity technologies that were unnecessary.
That said, there were some noticeable issues with the models in the game, with visible clipping and minor skin weight issues on the collar of the Armored Flemoid. There was also one bug where, after a mine cart segment, my character's arms would disappear.
--Sound--
Many of the sound effects from the original are reused here, adding a layer of familiarity. The music has also been redone, in it's simplistic glory. Apart from some balancing issues and the aformentioned chatty player characters (who also have a dedicated taunt button), i have no notable issues with it.
--Conclusion--
Chex Quest HD is a free game. It would be fair to say its competition is the original Chex Quest and other free games, the latter category putting up against the likes of countless browser-based games, indie passion projects and popular F2P titles. However, I cannot say I feel poorer for playing through this title. I think I got exactly what I paid for with it.
It's Free.
Like, not even "price of a cereal box" free like it's predecessor, but "the few cents on your electric/internet bill from downloading and playing it" free.
That said, you get what you paid for.
--Story--
Copied over from the original game, the mining planet Bazoik has come under attack by inter-dimensional creatures known as Flemoids. They cannot be harmed, only sent back to their home reality. One character (out of 6 this time) must go the planet and rescue the inhabitants.
If you're expecting Kubrik or even Wiseau levels of story-telling, you are expecting too much. The rest of the story is told through logs found in the secret rooms of the 5 levels, and the epilogues for the 6 new characters.
--Gameplay--
It's an FPS, much like it's Doom Engine counterpart. In fact, most the elements have carried over entirely, including levels, pickups, and weapons (who share the same hotkeys from the original game as well) What is new is the revamp taking advantage of newer conventions, such as true 3d maps, brief cinematics (locked at 30 frames for some mysterious reason), and talking protagonists. And do they TALK. Every phase of action has a bit of speech that can be annoying (plenty of times when they talk over top themselves) bordering on condescending (I think how colored keys work is self-explanitory.) One thing that isn't well conveyed are the prompts for pickups. Get an ammo box? no prompt. New Weapon? Don't know what it's called, but the character likes it. minor health bonus "GET A CAN OF SLIME REPELLENT" "I DIDN'T THINK I COULD GET ANY STRONGER" says Fred Chexter for every other can. 2 other things the game could have benefited from displaying is total munitions - something missing from the original game, but would have been a large help here. Chex Squadron lacks Doomguy's ability to quickly swap new weapons, making it a chore to find which one has any ammo left. Lastly, the game lacks a minimap. This can be confusing for the more labyrinth-like areas in levels 3 and 5. To quote NACL-95 upon finding a secret "This isn't on the map... is what I'd say if they gave me one!"
All that said, it's not too difficult a game. You can finish the 5 levels within 45 minutes, maybe hour-and-a-half if you hunt for secrets. This is also made easier by simplistic enemy AI. Rather than inheriting that of Doom's creatures, these were made from the ground up. I often found Flemoids staring into walls rather than trying to attack me.
There is minor replayability with the addition of 5 new characters (unlockable with codes distributed by General Mills), but the only benefits are different takes on the same dialogue, having some characters receive only partial benefits from health/armor pickups, and a unique epilogue FMV.
--Graphics--
This game uses Unreal Engine 4, and while it shows with the stock lighting and occlusion effects, the rest of the models seem to not take advantage of PBR capabilities, with smooth clay-like materials and simplistic geometry.
I can't fault the game for this, though. This is in line with translating the cartoony appeal of the original game into a 3d space. it would be to its determent if it pushed higher-fidelity technologies that were unnecessary.
That said, there were some noticeable issues with the models in the game, with visible clipping and minor skin weight issues on the collar of the Armored Flemoid. There was also one bug where, after a mine cart segment, my character's arms would disappear.
--Sound--
Many of the sound effects from the original are reused here, adding a layer of familiarity. The music has also been redone, in it's simplistic glory. Apart from some balancing issues and the aformentioned chatty player characters (who also have a dedicated taunt button), i have no notable issues with it.
--Conclusion--
Chex Quest HD is a free game. It would be fair to say its competition is the original Chex Quest and other free games, the latter category putting up against the likes of countless browser-based games, indie passion projects and popular F2P titles. However, I cannot say I feel poorer for playing through this title. I think I got exactly what I paid for with it.