The Weaponographist Review
Some games are just likable. Take The Weaponographist, for instance. This top-down dungeon crawler doesn't do anything in an obviously outstanding way. At a glance, you've got a standard, forgettable, dumb Gauntlet clone: nothing more, and nothing less. But the game's speedy pace, stiff challenges, wide variety of monsters and weapons, weapon and skill gimmicks, and loads of old-school cartoon charm hook you. I started off the game yawning. I wrapped things up many hours later with aching wrists (you absolutely need a gamepad here, so don't even bother trying the keyboard option) and a smile on my face.
A big part of the game's appeal is its refusal to take anything seriously. In the solo campaign (there are no multiplayer options other than the ability to check your timed scores online against other players), you play Doug McGrave, a demon-slaying stud in shining armor. As he's wandering around the countryside in the opening cutscene looking for new challenges and new sources of filthy lucre, he encounters a witch who pleads for help stamping out a demon infestation. She's broke, though, so Dougie isn't interested--at least, not until she whips out a vitality- and weapon-withering curse that soon convinces him that he should try slaying evildoers for charity.
All of this is played as a send-up of the traditional role-playing epic, with Doug looking like a cartoon superhero right down to his big, bumper-like chin. The visuals have been taken straight from an old-time cartoon. Both the cutscenes and the in-game graphics come off like lost clips from the Hanna-Barbera shows that aired on Saturday mornings in the 70s. The audio is just a shade smoother than the bleeps and bloops of the 16-bit era, giving the game even more retro allure. Visuals and sound combine to set a light, carefree mood that adds a lot to the overall experience of exploring underground dungeons and murdering all the inhabitants. The writers don't try too hard, either, so you don't have to deal with groan-worthy puns or the obnoxious, unfunny joking too common in games.
Gameplay isn't quite as enjoyable as the setting and story, but it's close. The Weaponographist sticks to the traditional hack-and-slash RPG formula. Doug ventures into multiple dungeon levels (called depths), each loaded with numerous close-quarter rooms that serve as battle arenas. A couple of save points can be found in each depth, letting you save progress midway through and then again before the concluding boss battle. Rooms generally work as follows: You walk in, the door closes, you don't get out until you kill dozens of creeps.
A big part of the game's appeal is its refusal to take anything seriously.
Monsters are played for laughs, as with the overall cartoonish visuals. The wide-ranging rogues gallery consists of demons in all manner of weird forms. There are lions with whips dressed as circus lion trainers, leprechauns with deadly yo-yos, dark elf archers, Ents with slingshots, and more. Each depth features a handful of new creatures with new weapons. All the weapons can be picked up and used against the bad guys, which livens things up as you proceed deeper and deeper into the underground labyrinth of evil. It's all more than a bit surreal, but the creatures are too broadly drawn and colorful to be outright creepy. Art direction that was slightly more adult would have made this a disturbing, nightmarish experience.
As noted above, the witch's curse decreased the durability of Doug's weapons and his skills as a warrior. So every sword, whip, machine gun, spear, and so forth comes with a lifespan that ticks down on a meter on the lower left side of the screen. When your weapon crumbles, you're stuck duking it out with your armored fists, making it imperative to scrounge something else as soon as possible. Magic weapons can be equipped to launch powerhouse attacks. Rings of fire can be summoned up with the magic staves left behind by slain wizards, for example, and the tubas dropped by marching-band goons can be used to fire Death Star-like laser blasts.
Speed is of the essence as well. Doug's curse makes him get weaker whenever he isn't killing monsters, with his strength shown on a combo bar. Slack off on the murderousness, and the bar quickly starts to empty. When it completely runs out, Doug starts losing experience. So it is imperative to get on and stay on a roll where you are constantly killing foes. Do this, and Doug gets into a rhythm where he is regularly leveling up and staying just ahead of the increasingly tougher mobs of bad guys that stock each new dungeon chamber. Fall behind on the slaying, and everything quickly gets tougher and tougher, with the end result being that you become overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies.
Both elements have a big effect on combat, turning it into a fitting blend of speed and strategy. Constantly running and killing is key to everything, although you must also be careful about what weapon you pick up. Some just don't work very well against certain foes, and others are wildly underpowered or a poor fit when dealing with numbers of enemies. The chainsaw, for instance, is practically worthless in swarms of monsters due to how slowly you maneuver it. On the other hand, weapons like the zippy whip are almost too powerful given how fast you can deal out damage while racing around.
A bit of luck is involved here, too, because you can get stuck in some rooms without a good weapon for so long that you might as well just lie down and die. Enemy buffs that speed up monsters or cause balls of death-dealing slime to bounce around rooms can also pop up, making life even tougher. A combination of these apparently random special effects and crap weapons can end Doug's dungeon delving in a hurry, even if you keep up your combo meter.
When your weapon crumbles, you're stuck duking it out with your armored fists.
The action gets repetitive, however. Combat involves doing the same thing over and over again while slightly adjusting your approach to deal with different types of enemies. Depths are tough in the early going, meaning that you have to replay rooms on a regular basis. I found that I had to die a number of times in the first rooms of each depth to trigger a respawn back in the village hub, where I could spend the demon goo acquired from vanquished foes on buffs for weapons, magic gear, and so forth. I had to build Doug up in this way in pretty much every depth, having to die on at least three or four occasions before I was tough enough to start overwhelming the opposition. Be prepared for a fair amount of grinding.
Despite its reliance on a familiar formula and some repetition, The Weaponographist is a dumb, fun arcade romp due to its quick pace and interesting concepts governing weapon use and skills. This is one of those friendly games that just about anyone would enjoy picking up for short play sessions every now and again, especially those who like their dungeon crawlers tinged with a sense of humor and a retro flavor.
The Weaponographist Review
Some games are just likable. Take The Weaponographist, for instance. This top-down dungeon crawler doesn't do anything in an obviously outstanding way. At a glance, you've got a standard, forgettable, dumb Gauntlet clone: nothing more, and nothing less. But the game's speedy pace, stiff challenges, wide variety of monsters and weapons, weapon and skill gimmicks, and loads of old-school cartoon charm hook you. I started off the game yawning. I wrapped things up many hours later with aching wrists (you absolutely need a gamepad here, so don't even bother trying the keyboard option) and a smile on my face.
A big part of the game's appeal is its refusal to take anything seriously. In the solo campaign (there are no multiplayer options other than the ability to check your timed scores online against other players), you play Doug McGrave, a demon-slaying stud in shining armor. As he's wandering around the countryside in the opening cutscene looking for new challenges and new sources of filthy lucre, he encounters a witch who pleads for help stamping out a demon infestation. She's broke, though, so Dougie isn't interested--at least, not until she whips out a vitality- and weapon-withering curse that soon convinces him that he should try slaying evildoers for charity.
All of this is played as a send-up of the traditional role-playing epic, with Doug looking like a cartoon superhero right down to his big, bumper-like chin. The visuals have been taken straight from an old-time cartoon. Both the cutscenes and the in-game graphics come off like lost clips from the Hanna-Barbera shows that aired on Saturday mornings in the 70s. The audio is just a shade smoother than the bleeps and bloops of the 16-bit era, giving the game even more retro allure. Visuals and sound combine to set a light, carefree mood that adds a lot to the overall experience of exploring underground dungeons and murdering all the inhabitants. The writers don't try too hard, either, so you don't have to deal with groan-worthy puns or the obnoxious, unfunny joking too common in games.
Gameplay isn't quite as enjoyable as the setting and story, but it's close. The Weaponographist sticks to the traditional hack-and-slash RPG formula. Doug ventures into multiple dungeon levels (called depths), each loaded with numerous close-quarter rooms that serve as battle arenas. A couple of save points can be found in each depth, letting you save progress midway through and then again before the concluding boss battle. Rooms generally work as follows: You walk in, the door closes, you don't get out until you kill dozens of creeps.
A big part of the game's appeal is its refusal to take anything seriously.
Monsters are played for laughs, as with the overall cartoonish visuals. The wide-ranging rogues gallery consists of demons in all manner of weird forms. There are lions with whips dressed as circus lion trainers, leprechauns with deadly yo-yos, dark elf archers, Ents with slingshots, and more. Each depth features a handful of new creatures with new weapons. All the weapons can be picked up and used against the bad guys, which livens things up as you proceed deeper and deeper into the underground labyrinth of evil. It's all more than a bit surreal, but the creatures are too broadly drawn and colorful to be outright creepy. Art direction that was slightly more adult would have made this a disturbing, nightmarish experience.
As noted above, the witch's curse decreased the durability of Doug's weapons and his skills as a warrior. So every sword, whip, machine gun, spear, and so forth comes with a lifespan that ticks down on a meter on the lower left side of the screen. When your weapon crumbles, you're stuck duking it out with your armored fists, making it imperative to scrounge something else as soon as possible. Magic weapons can be equipped to launch powerhouse attacks. Rings of fire can be summoned up with the magic staves left behind by slain wizards, for example, and the tubas dropped by marching-band goons can be used to fire Death Star-like laser blasts.
Speed is of the essence as well. Doug's curse makes him get weaker whenever he isn't killing monsters, with his strength shown on a combo bar. Slack off on the murderousness, and the bar quickly starts to empty. When it completely runs out, Doug starts losing experience. So it is imperative to get on and stay on a roll where you are constantly killing foes. Do this, and Doug gets into a rhythm where he is regularly leveling up and staying just ahead of the increasingly tougher mobs of bad guys that stock each new dungeon chamber. Fall behind on the slaying, and everything quickly gets tougher and tougher, with the end result being that you become overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies.
Both elements have a big effect on combat, turning it into a fitting blend of speed and strategy. Constantly running and killing is key to everything, although you must also be careful about what weapon you pick up. Some just don't work very well against certain foes, and others are wildly underpowered or a poor fit when dealing with numbers of enemies. The chainsaw, for instance, is practically worthless in swarms of monsters due to how slowly you maneuver it. On the other hand, weapons like the zippy whip are almost too powerful given how fast you can deal out damage while racing around.
A bit of luck is involved here, too, because you can get stuck in some rooms without a good weapon for so long that you might as well just lie down and die. Enemy buffs that speed up monsters or cause balls of death-dealing slime to bounce around rooms can also pop up, making life even tougher. A combination of these apparently random special effects and crap weapons can end Doug's dungeon delving in a hurry, even if you keep up your combo meter.
When your weapon crumbles, you're stuck duking it out with your armored fists.
The action gets repetitive, however. Combat involves doing the same thing over and over again while slightly adjusting your approach to deal with different types of enemies. Depths are tough in the early going, meaning that you have to replay rooms on a regular basis. I found that I had to die a number of times in the first rooms of each depth to trigger a respawn back in the village hub, where I could spend the demon goo acquired from vanquished foes on buffs for weapons, magic gear, and so forth. I had to build Doug up in this way in pretty much every depth, having to die on at least three or four occasions before I was tough enough to start overwhelming the opposition. Be prepared for a fair amount of grinding.
Despite its reliance on a familiar formula and some repetition, The Weaponographist is a dumb, fun arcade romp due to its quick pace and interesting concepts governing weapon use and skills. This is one of those friendly games that just about anyone would enjoy picking up for short play sessions every now and again, especially those who like their dungeon crawlers tinged with a sense of humor and a retro flavor.
Marvel’s Fantastic Four Comic Comes to an End
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Fantastic Four #645!
Marvel closed the door on the Fantastic Four franchise today as they shipped Fantastic Four #645, the finale to James Robinson and Leonard Kirk's run and to the long-running series as a whole. The move apparently comes as part of Marvel's efforts to downplay the FF franchise in response to Fox's upcoming Fantastic Four film. The good news is that the finale issue offered an upbeat sendoff for Marvel's First Family.
Duchovny Talks New X-Files Episodes
David Duchovny has described the upcoming six-episode revival of The X-Files as being "like a six-hour movie."
The Hollywood Reporter spoke with Duchovny (a.k.a. Fox Mulder on the show), who said he's glad to not be doing full X-Files TV seasons anymore.
"When I was doing the show, I always assumed – because we started to do the movies – that we would naturally transition to not carrying the load of doing a full season of the show but doing a movie every four or five years," said Duchovny.
According to The X-Files lead, Fox had some input on the second movie that didn't do the franchise any favours.
Kingsman: The Secret Service 2 in the Works?
20th Century Fox reportedly has a sequel to their sleeper hit Kingsman: The Secret Service in the works.
"There was no announcement by the studio or a timetable," according to TheWrap, "but there will be a followup to the R-rated comic book adaptation directed by Matthew Vaughn and starring Colin Firth, individuals with knowledge of the project."
Budget at roughly $80 million, Kingsman earned over $401 million worldwide, roughly $275 million from much coveted international audiences.
No word yet on whether Matthew Vaughn will direct -- he's reportedly lined up to direct Flash Gordon for Fox -- but it should be noted he's never helmed a sequel to one of his films.
How to Counter Sniper in Dota 2
Welcome to How to Counter, a new show where we tell you how to beat the toughest enemies in competitive multiplayer games.
For this episode we're joined by Jimmy "DeMoN" Ho, a professional Dota 2 player from the team Summer's Rift, and he's sharing some tips on how to kill one of Dota 2's biggest pubstompers, Sniper.
Sniper is picked all the time, but that's likely going to change soon thanks to the incoming 6.84 patch. Still, the update isn't here yet, so you can bet Dota players are going to get squeeze in plenty of Sniper matches while he's still super powerful.
The best way to beat any hero will always be through smart picks and bans and great team-wide coordination, but that's not always a going to happen – especially in solo queue. The following tips are probably most useful for an average 2-3k MMR player who's playing alone or with a small group of friends.
Daredevil: 5 Things We Want from Season 2
Warning: Spoilers for Season 1 of Marvel's Daredevil follow, along with some spoilers from the comic books...
Now that you've all been floored by Netflix's exceptional Marvel's Daredevil (What? You haven't finished/started? Get to work!) it's time to look ahead and sort through our wishlist for Season 2.
When Netflix first announced their plans with Marvel - four separate "street level" superhero seasons capped off with a Defenders miniseries - we still had a lot of questions. What were these shows' chances, based on their own merits, of getting a second season? And when would we find out about said seasons? Well, two weeks after Daredevil launched came word that Season 2 was a go!
Heroes Reborn Adds Another Cast Member
IGN has learned that actor Toru Uchikado has joined the cast of NBC's 13-episode event series Heroes Reborn in a recurring role.
There are no other details about Uchikado's role on the series, but the Jersey native (who was raised in Japan) has stated that he's honored to be a part of the new Heroes season, having watched original series star Masi Oka on Japanese TV as a high school student.
Uchikado joins the already cast Zachary Levi (Chuck) along with returning Heroes stars Oka, Jimmy Jean-Louis, and Jack Coleman - who will be reprising their roles as Hiro Nakamura, The Hatian, and Noah Bennet.
Game Scoop!: 42 Reasons We Would Miss Konami
Welcome back to Game Scoop!, IGN's weekly video game talk show. This week we're looking back on Konami's incredible legacy, talking Batman: Arkham Knight, and playing another round of Video Game 20 Questions. Watch the video above or download the podcast below.
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Daemon
Daemon is the host of Game Scoop! Follow him on Twitter for more scoops.
Let Galactic Civilizations 3 Creator Show You His Space Sandbox
The long-awaited next installment of the Galactic Civilizations franchise is finally en route to an official release. Galactic Civilizations III continues the arc of humanity's faster-than-light exploits in the 23rd century.
But Galactic Civilizations III is bringing much more than the traditional space strategy expansion. The newest iteration of the series will support from 16 to 128 possible players for multiplayer with fully customizable factions, completely designable warships and expansive maps with uniquely generated worlds and challenges.
But who better to offer a guided tour of the stars than the creator himself. Join Stardock President and CEO Brad Wardell as we explore what to expect in Galactic Civilizations 3.