Only two downloaded titles come through this week as new purchases. The first is The Binding of Isaac, an indie title released on Steam from part of the creative team behind Super Meat Boy. The second is a PSN exclusive adventure-shooter Rochard, that I can only describe as the PS3’s Shadow Complex with more puzzles.
 The Binding of IsaacPC Release Date: September 28th, 2011The Binding of Isaac is based off the biblical story of the same name. After Isaac’s mom gets a message from God saying she needs to prove her loyalty to the lord by sacrificing her son (Isaac), the young boy makes an attempt to escape his mother’s wrath. Isaac ventures through the basement, sewers, and other nasty places to find a way to get away. The game is touted as a Zelda-inspired dungeon game with more emphasis on action and shooting, and it doesn’t disappoint. Being that it’s from part of the Meat Boy team, the game is tough. You only get one life to try and escape, but each playthrough has a different randomly generated dungeon layout, so things always stay fresh. It’s not a bad game at all, and the creepy art direction and challenge make the $5 package really a good deal. |
 RochardPlaystation 3 Release Date: September 27th, 2011Have you ever wished that the insanely awesome Xbox Live Arcade title Shadow Complex would come out on the PS3? Well, this is probably the closest you’re going to get, and that’s not bad at all. Rochard is like Shadow Complex: it plays like a Castlevania or Metroid title (Metroidvania, if you will), and it features some unique graphics and sound. But what Rochard has that Shadow Complex doesn’t is the ability to control gravity. Titular character Rochard has what amounts to the gravity gun from Half-Life 2; he can manipulate objects by sucking them up and firing them at enemies, as well as turn down the gravity in their spaceship or meteor or space casino (wherever you are at the time) and jump really high or affect the physics of the world. It works out well. Also, Rochard relies heavily on puzzle platforming, and that’s a good thing too. Many puzzles are cleverly designed and will have you stop and think to get across them. I’ve been having a great time with the game so far, and should be wrapping up a full review soon. |
Laters,
Jsick
