Nex Machina

Nex Machina

Having never played a twin-stick shooter in my life, Nex Machina posed quite an enigma. But one thing was clear to me - shoot things before they shoot you. And so I did, and immediately fell in love with the flow of the game.

I need a hero!

There isn’t much to say about the story. It’s your typical humans invent AI, AI sees they are idiots and decides it’s time for spring cleaning on Earth, so a decked-out hero is sent to stop it.

But who cares about the story when you literally fight a robot version of Donkey Kong. It’s all about the gameplay my dude, as that’s what stole the show; The swift, extremely tight and responsive controls, fun and challenging boss battles, varied enemy design, and just the overall flow of the game. All of it is simply outstanding.

Real player with 38.3 hrs in game


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I’m writing from just 15h of playing it, but I believe I can say what this game is about. It want to give us game “that used to be”. Coming from over 20y old studio Housemarque that made too many PlayStation arcade exclusive games and teaming up with one of the biggest names from days of the arcade, Eugene Jarvis who made in 80’s for Williams Electronics games like Defenders and Robotron 2084. And what this is is Robotron for 2017.

Gameplay

Controlling is basic twin stick shooter. Other then that there are just 2 more buttons - special weapon and dash which are quite self explanatory. Shooting is rapid and constant, so while aiming direction might seam most important stuff to worry about, your positioning and maneuver are what makes you win..

Real player with 27.4 hrs in game

Nex Machina on Steam

Fragmental

Fragmental

At $15 I was on the fence for a while about this game. I’m glad I finally just bought it. I knew seconds into the game it was exactly what I was hoping it would be.

It’s like a Tron-inspired dual-stick shooter with a glitchy 80s/VHS look and feel to it.

It’s multiplayer only at this point. I do hope they add bots eventually, but even if that never happens I’ll be happy with the purchase. They could even do a “campaign” with single-player or coop fighting from level to level versus bots.

Great variety of weapons, interesting power-ups and level design. The controls are perfect. It gets a bit hectic when the arena is spinning, sections of the floor are moving, the walls are closing in, and random red balls of death are raining down on you from above. Rounds rarely last 20 seconds. Most are around 5 seconds or less.

Real player with 11.9 hrs in game


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I think the game is great for the price. Gameplay is smooth, graphics are nice. The only thing up for improvement might be control over the length of the game. I can’t wait to see the online multi-player mode develop for this. Excellent early access game for couch gaming.

Real player with 6.7 hrs in game

Fragmental on Steam

Of Carrots And Blood

Of Carrots And Blood

Buggy and abandoned - but still worth it!

This game has really cool graphics, lovely sounds and music, and a great lively theme with good humor. Even though it has a lot of bugs (annoying but not “show-stopper” bugs) I still readily recommend this at the ~$3 asking price.

I’m very sad that this game appears to be abandoned by the original developers, but it’s not hard to figure out why.

It’s pretty clear they developers spent most of their time working on the graphics, unlock-able characters, unlock-able music, item upgrades, etc, etc, etc, but they didn’t spend enough time where it really counts - the gameplay.

Real player with 15.0 hrs in game


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Wow! A game made of Unity that is not bad? That is quite an accomplishment.

The game is fun, really fun. But it has a major downfall: It’s full of Youtube bullsh!t

And by that I mean it was made to put youtubers as playable characters to sell the game to their fans, instead of making original and cool characters.

What a waste of potential. I’m sick of it.

But the game is good overall, it has a lot of action, enemies pop up all the time, and if you have a friend to play with it gets even better. Some good power-ups are included, and they really help to reach the end of the game.

Real player with 8.4 hrs in game

Of Carrots And Blood on Steam

Polychromatic

Polychromatic

+Simple but also punishing

+No pickups, 3 gamemodes, no pixel graphics, No Bull$hit!

+Great minimalistic arcade bullet hell, 95/100.

weapons: regular pellet gun, bombs, and boost.

Options menu is lacking a way to remap keyboard controlls, but the default controlls arent bad.

If you die its your own fault, just the way i personally like it.

++The skillcieling is also higher than snoop dogg

Real player with 18.7 hrs in game

Pretty decent arcade twin-stick shooter game. It is minimalist and there is not a lot of content : 4-5 hours should be enough to get all of the achievements, and then, you are only left with leaderboards.

Still, I really enjoyed these 5 hours, it was fun, fun enough for me to recommend you to give it a try !

Real player with 5.5 hrs in game

Polychromatic on Steam

BDSM: Big Drunk Satanic Massacre

BDSM: Big Drunk Satanic Massacre

This is an enjoyable shooter chock full of rudeness, lewdness and dudeness. Definitely not for all audiences.

We play as Lou, the son of Satan and join him on his quest to reclaim Hell from the hordes of humans who have come for all the debauched pleasures on offer. Mostly these pleasures are fast food and sex. In order to save Hell from the invaders, Lou takes an arsenal of weaponry and blasts everything that moves into little tiny human or demon chunks.

The most obvious talking point of the game is it’s 18 rated content. There is a bevy of booze, drugs, rock n' roll and sexual references that definitely aren’t for all ages. A downloadable content patch removes censorship, but if you are easily offended, the game is not designed for you anyway and really having censorship is a moot point. Playing as the son of Satan, we shouldn’t be expecting a saintly protagonist. You will be shooting loads, in more ways than one.

Real player with 13.1 hrs in game

For many players, the genre “twin-stick shooter” is a synonym for difficult games that mix fast-paced, long-range attacks, close-range mobs, and giant bosses with tons of health. BDSM is definitely a twin-stick shooter, but I wouldn’t say that this game is difficult. That’s because there are plenty of ways to abuse the combat system, in addition to a special ability called rage; (filled by defeating foes), that gives invulnerability and a lethal laser that overkills ANY enemy! It fits the game’s lore, but it’s unfair to the mechanics of the genre. You’ll never need to worry about ammunition, either: Almost everything in the environment is destructible. And since there’s a default weapon with infinite ammo, you’re covered even if you run out.

Real player with 10.3 hrs in game

BDSM: Big Drunk Satanic Massacre on Steam

Everyday Shooter

Everyday Shooter

This is a very strange game, that I personally love, but I’ll admit it’s not for everyone. It has some very unique artistic and musical sensibilities, and even its game design is pretty far outside the norm for shoot’em ups. The game actually gets easier the more times you replay, because you earn points to unlock things like extra starting lives. Each level follows vastly different logic and behaviors for the enemies, that keeps the game feeling fresh with each stage. And while the challenge is intense, it’s not really about winning, so much as existing in a state of focused flow while immerse in such beautifully strange visuals and the hypnotic music that synchronizes perfectly with it.

Real player with 10.2 hrs in game

I’d rather call this an interactive art project than a game, without the negative undertones that are usually associated with such. Here, not only do you get the audiovisually interconnected experience, but the shmup gameplay itself is tight and reactive as well. I really liked the unique mechanics in each stage that offer a different challenge each time if you want to start racking up points in addition to just surviving. Then you have a range of other elements to complete the package, like the retro-ish low poly aesthetics, the awesome music, the signature bullet hell chaos and the giant bosses that feel super satisfying to beat.

Real player with 9.8 hrs in game

Everyday Shooter on Steam

Geometry Wars™ 3: Dimensions Evolved

Geometry Wars™ 3: Dimensions Evolved

This game is a very good use of $15, and you should purchase it. You should absolutely not hesitate to buy it at sale prices. If you are looking to play “Geometry Wars 2, but better,” you should continue reading.

There’s a lot of people who played Geometry Wars 2 on the XBox. Some of my most fond memories of my last year of undergrad were spent in front of a TV trading the controller off with a friend of mine, making him curse my name for making sure that all of “his” high scores were actually mine. Undeniably, a rerelease of Geometry Wars is going to attempt to play off of that nostalgia.

Real player with 121.3 hrs in game

For those of you that are looking for a quick answer whether you should purchase this game or not, I give you, “Yes, you should buy this game, at $14.99 it is worth every cent and it is insanely good!” and I’ve also added an overview in the code box below. For everyone one else, you are in for an Aficionado treat.

After 6 long years, the moment I thought never possible is here, as ‘Lucid Games’ releases to us the next chapter of intense arcade action with Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions. This is the epitome of “arcade” gaming, the reason why kids everywhere stood around a cabinet, converted their lunch money into quarters and pumped them into a machine to top each other’s score. If you ever wondered what a “Twin Stick” game is, this is the perfect definition.

Real player with 45.4 hrs in game

Geometry Wars™ 3: Dimensions Evolved on Steam

Neckbeards: Basement Arena

Neckbeards: Basement Arena

Easy to get in to, but hard to master. Fun and fast-paced, especially so with the local co-op!

I haven’t seen anything quite like this on Steam before. A blend of challenging gameplay, creative level/enemy design, a variety of awesome characters to choose from. Not to mention the daunting task of 100 levels to conquer.

I’m not great at the game yet but I am slowly improving, fighting each cleverly designed boss as I go along.

I look forward to continuing to best the basements!

Real player with 67.4 hrs in game

I’m so ZZWized right now. This is one of the best games I ever played. The music and the memes just come pouring through your screen like butter dripping off of a hot tub. Very cozy game and fun to play.

Real player with 1.0 hrs in game

Neckbeards: Basement Arena on Steam

RUINER

RUINER

Please make me stop playing the speedrun mode.

10/10

Real player with 42.6 hrs in game

amazing game with one of the most unique and bad-ass main character designs I’ve ever seen. soundtrack slaps and if you like Hotline Miami style of game play this game is for you.

Highly recommend.

Real player with 27.8 hrs in game

RUINER on Steam

Bezier

Bezier

Bezier is a hard sell.

Trying to explain why it’s so exceptional, one cannot help but fall into comparisons.

It’s like geometry wars, it’s got Sinistar flavors, it also channels Asteroids…

Bezier does draw very heavily from these classics yet is surprisingly refreshing due to its near-flawless execution.

Trying to describe the game is also selling it short. A twin-stick shooter where enemies attack you in waves!!!! Sounds incredibly generic.

It’s addictive, overwhelming, difficult in a good way, really robust when it comes to production values and is just a deep=enough experience to warrant your purchase and not feel cheated. It is satisfying and worth digging deeper into simply because it is very well made.

Real player with 24.2 hrs in game

Introduction

Released on 3rd March 2016, published by Niine Games and developed by Philip Bak, Bezier is a simple shooter on the surface, but pulls you in with a deep narrative exploring relationships between evolution, god, family and love. Bezier mixes together a blend of a fun Arcade shooter, with a rather deep storyline that pulls you in wanting you to play more of the game. This game follows the rather classic shoot em’ up genre of gameplay as you go through each zone. As expected in most games, as you progress through the game the enemies will rapidly multiply in numbers and new enemies will be thrown at you with new abilities to attack you with.

Real player with 5.1 hrs in game

Bezier on Steam