Mr. K Reviews: Games

Mr. K's Steam Profile

In my life, I've played a lot of games. I vaguely remember having an Atari as a very young kid but my first real experience in gaming was with the Nintendo. I spent countless hours playing Super Mario 3, Zelda, and so many others. We also had a few places in town with arcade games where I'd spend way too many quarters.

While I don't play on a console much anymore, I do have a HUGE collection of PC games. I've decided to start playing (or replaying) these games and I'm going to rate and review each one. The majority of these games I bought in bundles from sites like Humble Bundle and Fanatical over the last decade or so. There are also a handful of games I got for free through competitions or pure dumb luck. The games I sought out and paid for, usually on sale, will be marked as such. Aside from Steam, I also use launchers such as Epic Game Store (free games every 14 days!), Amazon Prime Gaming (if you are a Prime member, get free games monthly!), Origin/EA Play, Ubisoft Connect, Galaxy of Games, and others.

I use an amazing service called IsThereAnyDeal to track my wish-listed games and games on sale from site around the world. You can hook up your profiles so that your many wishlists becomes a single wishlist. I check this site every single day!


My Rating System

Rating games can be tricky. Here is roughly how I score things:

  • 5/5 This game is a must play and I've probably played multiple times; high replay value; great value.

  • 4/5 This is a great and I enjoyed playing it; not a favorite per se, but it's solid experience.

  • 3/5 This game isn't great but it isn't bad either. I'm glad I tried it but I probably won't be replaying it anytime soon.

  • 2/5 Eh. Not a good game by any means but I've played worse. No replay view for me whatsoever.

  • 1/5 Yikes. For me, this game is terrible and I absolutely hated playing it.

Starbound

Rating 5/5 | Review 8/24/22

You (the 2 people who actually read these) might be wondering where all the new reviews are. Well, this game has been taking up all of my spare time. I might be a little addicted.

This game takes Terraria, one of my favorite games of all time, and kicks it up a notch. I haven't even done any modding- the base game is just so much fun. In a nutshell, this is a 2D survival and crating game. However, it has a real story and interstellar travel! I caught it on sale for a whopping $4!

Despite giving it a perfect score, there are a few things I'm not fond of. You can't use items from the inventory- you have to place it into the hotbar first. Also, when you die, there's no indication of where it happened...and since you drop most crafting items, you definitely want to go find your stuff! In fact, there isn't a mini-map at all which, I think, would improve the game. Maybe there's a mod for it?

Jet Set Radio

Rating 2.5/5 | Reviewed 7/31/22 | Price $$

90's gaming at it's finest. From Sega, this game is a rollerblading adventure mixed with graffiti-ing a town. I played for a few minutes but I got bored. However, 1993 me would have loved this game.

Pros: Interactive 3D World

Cons: You have to watch the cut-scenes before a challenge to see what the challenge is.

Northgard

Rating 3.5/5 | Reviewed: 7/30/22 | Price: $$

Civilization building game where you have to get build you clan. I remember Warcraft 2 was my first experience with this type of game back when I was a teenager. Since then, these games haven't really been on my "to play" list. I get kind of bored and just don't always grasp what works well.

All that being said, this game has potential for me. It was a free-to-play weekend so I won't have it long. If it should fall to under $5, I might buy it.

GIBZ

Rating 4.5/5 | Reviewed: 7/27/22 | Price: $$

This is definitely a fun game. It's a side-scrolling zombie killer. I've played plenty like this before but there's something unique about it.

Pros: Fast-paced, smooth as butter, easy to catch on, and great with a friend (or more...I'm not sure how many can play)

Cons: Pretty tough (after an hour, I haven't beaten the first boss battle. I've come close but haven't quite gotten there!)

Update: 7/30/22

This game as grown on me. It's tough but once you get built up a little bit, it gets much more fun and manageable. I've unlocked 4 mini games as well.

Acceleration of SUGURI 2

Rating 3/5 | Reviewed: 7/27/22 | Price: $

I'm not sure when or where I picked this one up but there are a few things right off the bat that I notice. First, this game is like the Street Fighter of old but floating in the sky. Second, it has a cartoonish/anime style which looks pretty cool. Finally, there are absolutely no instructions as to how to play. You can pause and see a moves list but it's basically unplayable with keyboard and mouse. I don't see myself playing this much at all (I alrighty uninstalled in) but it does have potential for those who like these type of games.

Lost in Random

Rating 3/5 | Reviewed: 7/26/22 | Price: $$$ (or Free with EA Play Subscription)

I really want to love this game. The visual style is very Tim Burton-esque and looks absolutely great on my low-end laptop. However, after about an hour of game play, I'm not invested in the story or gameplay. This 3D adventure/puzzle game definitely has teh potential. I found the camera and its angles to be subpar and hard to get right. I think I'll try playing this with a gamepad to see if the gameplay improves.

Pros: Style, Characters

Cons: Limited configuration, doesn't run well with keyboard/mouse combo

12 Is Better Than 6

Rating 4/5 | Reviewed: 7/22/22 | Price: $

This isn't my first time playing this game but it's been quite awhile. 12 Is Better Than 6 is a top-down, point-and-click, adventure type game. You definitely need patience when playing!

Pros: Awesome hand-drawn style, fun animations

Cons: Pretty difficult and no check-points in levels

About Love, Hate, and the Other Ones

Rating: 4/5 | Reviewed: 7/22/22 | Price: $

I really enjoy this game. I purchased this game back in April of 2022 with no expectations. This game reminds me of Ibb & Obb (highly recommended!) but single player. It's an action/puzzle game with a simple goal in mind- mushroom-looking button.

Pros: Cute mechanics (Love makes characters come toward you while hate pushes them away), a cool visual style

Cons: The controls! I wish I could use the keyboard but the mouse is the only option.