Game Club 199X #24 - Operation Logic Bomb/Fortified Zone
Oct 24, 2013 7:40:31 GMT -5
Post by Feynman on Oct 24, 2013 7:40:31 GMT -5
I played and finished Operation Logic Bomb. I also recorded it, because why the fuck not.
So, thoughts on the game. It's... adequate, sort of. Operation Logic Bomb exists in a weird place where it isn't really a proper action game, but it's not really an action/adventure game either. It lacks the adrenaline and speed of a proper run and gun, having only a handful of enemies on screen at any time. What's more, the high health of most enemies (likely to compensate for the low enemy count) and the large sprites means that rather than dodging and relying on reflexes, the game rewards shooting things from around corners or at angles, resulting in a lot of rather dull battles. Even worse, enemy variety is nearly non-existent... there are a grand total of what, 6 different basic enemy types?
OLB tries to add some depth with minor exporation elements, but it's not enough to be meaningful. There are maps you can find in-game to help you navigate, but the levels are 90% linear and the area each map covers is so small as to render the maps mostly useless. Even worse, the game pulls a few dirty tricks, like having to go back through an elevator you just went through to progress with no indication that is the correct solution (and this is on the first 'level,' no less). The pacing is all kinds of fucked up too. You get all of your primary weapons by the time you fight the first major boss, but you don't get ANY of your secondary abilities until over halfway through the game... then you get both one after the other. Then shortly afterwards the game ends. And the length is another perplexing factor. A 20-40 minute game is fine, but OLB just ends so damn abruptly. You just barely get access to a decent toolkit, the level design and action just barely start to pick up, and then the game ends. It's so sudden and unexpected that it makes the game feel almost like a glorified demo.
Perhaps the biggest tragedy is that the core game really isn't that bad. Pretty solid, even! The shooting feels okay, the weapons and items are enjoyable to use, and with more enemy variety, more robust level design, and perhaps some faster action and better pacing, this game could have been great. Instead, it comes across as a game whose team had a grand vision but lacked the time or money to complete it, and instead tried to salvage what they could.
So, thoughts on the game. It's... adequate, sort of. Operation Logic Bomb exists in a weird place where it isn't really a proper action game, but it's not really an action/adventure game either. It lacks the adrenaline and speed of a proper run and gun, having only a handful of enemies on screen at any time. What's more, the high health of most enemies (likely to compensate for the low enemy count) and the large sprites means that rather than dodging and relying on reflexes, the game rewards shooting things from around corners or at angles, resulting in a lot of rather dull battles. Even worse, enemy variety is nearly non-existent... there are a grand total of what, 6 different basic enemy types?
OLB tries to add some depth with minor exporation elements, but it's not enough to be meaningful. There are maps you can find in-game to help you navigate, but the levels are 90% linear and the area each map covers is so small as to render the maps mostly useless. Even worse, the game pulls a few dirty tricks, like having to go back through an elevator you just went through to progress with no indication that is the correct solution (and this is on the first 'level,' no less). The pacing is all kinds of fucked up too. You get all of your primary weapons by the time you fight the first major boss, but you don't get ANY of your secondary abilities until over halfway through the game... then you get both one after the other. Then shortly afterwards the game ends. And the length is another perplexing factor. A 20-40 minute game is fine, but OLB just ends so damn abruptly. You just barely get access to a decent toolkit, the level design and action just barely start to pick up, and then the game ends. It's so sudden and unexpected that it makes the game feel almost like a glorified demo.
Perhaps the biggest tragedy is that the core game really isn't that bad. Pretty solid, even! The shooting feels okay, the weapons and items are enjoyable to use, and with more enemy variety, more robust level design, and perhaps some faster action and better pacing, this game could have been great. Instead, it comes across as a game whose team had a grand vision but lacked the time or money to complete it, and instead tried to salvage what they could.