Recent reviews by SYNTHINX

This is not a very easy shoot-em-up (shmup) to get used to. I would suggest adjusting controls where you are most comfortable playing and turning on Automatic Regeneration (Boost seems to work the best). Once you get the hang of the weaknesses and strengths of each Valkyrie, you can adjust your playstyle to focus more on missiles or gunpod.

Currently, there's no English translation, but there are guides out there and it can be pretty easily figured out. As for the DYRL DLC, I don't think you can get it through steam unless maybe you use a VPN. With that, you're missing out on playing HIkaru and there's a level or two centered around the OG Macross series. You aren't missing much, but if you're a purist, you are missing it.

The game itself isn't great. It fails on a lot of things (I personally don't like that it doesn't have full songs and features only snippets from each series). If you're an OG Macross fan, I will say stick to the SEGA AM2 Playstation 2 SDF Macross game. For more of the SHMUP variety, there are several out there, but my favorite is still Macross DYRL for either PS1 or Saturn. This one is fun enough to go through a few times, but I don't see it lasting on anyone's favorite game shelf for long.

Hopefully, this will be a start in the right direction for the franchise. It needs a resurgence badly. I will recommend the game only for true Macross fans. SHMUP fans can find better games elsewhere.

Game can be punishingly difficult and unforgiving if you don't plan blocks, but overall, a good product.

A quick and simple review: Exanima

Pros -
*Gorgeous visuals and graphics for a 4 year old game
*Challenging combat
*Fairly intuitive AI
*Awesome physics
*Challenging gameplay
*Does not baby the player
*Satisfying combat (when mastered)
*Promising future if it ever gets completed

Cons -
*A forever early access game
*Awesome concept that will never be completed
*The prequel to a project this team will never release
*Lack of progress updates or news from the developer
*Goals can be fairly confusing due to lack of in-game prompts to guide the player (can be a pro for hardcore gamers)
*Steep learning curve for new players

Verdict -

While the game is largely incomplete and will most likely remain in stagnation, it is also extremely polished and well-designed. The combat system and gameplay can be a little jarring for new players, but once mastered, a novice player can make it through most content. Given the vision and scope of the game's design, it has a lot of promise, though again, we may never see the game implement the ideas brought forth by the developers.

I've been playing this "demo" off and on for a few years now and I believe there's enough content to justify spending the current asking price ($14.00 USD), but it is strongly encouraged for any newcomer to research the game first to determine whether or not the game will be in line with their tastes. This is not going to be a mass-marketed game and suffices as more of a playable tech demo, but it is fun to play and ultimately, that's all that it should be.

Max Payne 3 goes in a much different direction than Max Payne 1 and doesn't disappoint. The story is fresh and imaginative and gives the franchise a gorgeous new setting to blow up. It's one of the best looking games I've seen for awhile and works pretty well too.

The game is based primarily on the new television show, which is pretty good in and of itself. The player matching / menu system is a little sloppy, the animations are a little stiff, and the one-liners can be a little buggy, but all-in-all this is a fairly decent combo masher. Much in the way of the Batman: Arkham games, TMNT:OotS can be fun to play... especially with friends!