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[PC] [PS3] [PSV] Hotline Miami

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[PC] [PS3] [PSV] Hotline Miami

Unread postby Joshua » 20 Dec 2012 07:44

http://hotlinemiami.com/

This is a 2D top-down shooter that the indiefags have been gushing about recently.

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The screenshots don't do the game justice. The soundtrack draws you in, and it's like you're on drugs the whole time lol. However, this is another case where I'm in love with the aesthetics but the mechanics are terrible, specifically in the controls. I actually feel kinda dizzy after beating it, but I'm not sure if that's due to the trippy atmosphere or the shitty controls. Anyway, icycalm already covered this game's main problem in his review of Meat Boy:

icycalm wrote:And that's how Meat Boy plays: whatever is not retardedly easy is basically a crap shoot, which you try, fail, repeat and rinse until you've "made" it, at which point the game autosaves and you are on to the next asinine little "challenge".


Most of the game's 19 chapters are divided into 2 or 3 stages (after an introductory section usually at your house), and there is a checkpoint at the beginning of each stage. A chapter corresponds to one building and each floor of the building is a different stage. So, you have to kill everyone on the first floor to move on to the second floor and so on and so forth, and if you die you instantly restart at the beginning area of the floor you're on.

The enemies either sit/stand in one place or walk around on fairly regular patrols, except that sometimes they randomly stop their pattern and go do something different. That's cool for a game that involves some stealth and planning, forcing you to think on your feet.

The problem is that nothing but a computer can think on their feet this quickly. The mouse and keyboard in this game are hyper-sensitive and jerky, and when the mouse is flying around the screen, the cursor becomes extremely hard to keep track of. So, whenever you're required to improvise, the tendency will be to use some cheap trick like hiding around a corner and killing everyone as they file through it (the AI is quite dumb), or you might just stand there and swing a bat wildly by clicking your mouse indiscriminately. It's inelegant, clunky, and lacks fluidity.

This is most obvious in the boss fights, in which there is one specific thing you have to do to win, and you have nothing but a single instant in which to do it, which you discover through dying repeatedly. So once you figure out what that thing is, you then have to basically button-mash your keyboard and mouse in a certain pattern, and before you know it the whole thing is over. All in all the boss battles, though irritating, ended up being the easiest part of the game.

The whole game follows this rinse-and-repeat format, except that as a whole it is nevertheless much easier than the Meat Boy titles, since your crap shoot spamming tactics usually end up working quite well after a dozen deaths or so. Plus, the difficulty basically plateaus around chapter 5 or so, and only increases a little bit in one of the later chapters -- then goes back down again.

Yet with all that being said, I still cannot get the soundtrack out of my head....
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Unread postby icycalm » 20 Dec 2012 08:09

The phrase "yet with all that being said" would have been appropriate if you'd spend a couple of paragraphs trashing the soundtrack, and yet still "couldn't get it out of your head". As it stands, it doesn't make any sense. It is quite possible for a game to suck while having good music, and if that's how things are, there'd be nothing surprising about it.

As for the game, I went to the official site, and this is what I saw right on their frontpage:

"10/10"
eurogamer.net

"5/5"
giantbomb.com

"5/5"
geekenstein.com

"5/5"
invisioncommunity.co.uk

"5/5"
hiddenaudiolog.com

"10/10"
darkstation.com

"5/5"
pixeljudge.com

"A+/A+"
crit-hit.net

"5/5"
gameranx.com

"5/5"
sidequesting.com

"5/5"
thereticule.com

"5/5"
savingcontent.com

"10/10"
pixelsforbreakfast.net

"98/100"
4playernetwork.com

"9.5/10"
gamezone.com

"9.5/10"
gamepodunk.com

"A/A+"
geekcitadel.com

"9.5/10"
parablegames.net

"9.5/10"
insidegamingdaily.com

"9.5/10"
themarriedgamers.net

"9.3/10"
pastemagazine.com

"4.5/5"
playlegit.net

"9/10"
gamefreaks.co.nz

"9/10"
gamecritics.com

"9/10"
gamersheroes.com

"4.5/5"
horriblenight.com

"9/10"
indianvideogamer.com

"4.5/5"
laserlemming.com

"9/10"
midlifegamer.net

"9/10"
thunderboltgames.com

"9.0/10"
original-gamer.com

"9/10"
edge-online.com

"90/100"
bit-tech.net

"9/10"
ready-up.net

"4.5/5"
presspauseradio.com

"4.5/5"
stickskills.com

"9/10"
incgamers.com

"9/10"
dealspwn.com

"9/10"
gameplanet.co.nz

"4.5/5"
entertainium.org

"9/10"
thegamingvault.com

"9/10"
videogamer.com

"9/10"
onlysp.com

"8.8/10"
ign.com

"87/100"
indiegamemag.com

"86/100"
pcgamer.com

"8.5/10"
eskimopress.com

"8.5/10"
abc.net.au

"8.5/10"
fronttowardsgamer.com

"8.5/10"
gamingbolt.com

"8.5/10"
gamespot.com

"8.5/10"
gamingtruth.com

"8.5/10"
polygon.com

"4/5"
joystiq.com

"4/5"
snackbar-games.com

"8/10"
pressplaytv.com

"8/10"
4logpc.com

"4/5"
mature-gaming.com

"4/5"
vagary.tv

"4/5"
escapistmagazine.com

"4/5"
gamesradar.com

"4/5"
invert-on.com

"8/10"
atomicgamer.com

"4/5"
pixelperfectgaming.com

"4/5"
hardcoregamer.com


It's funny how, when it's a game by a real developer, violence is bad, but if it's a game by a Western student team, violence is fine and good and awesome and edgy.

And what's the point of trumpeting your perfect scores anymore? Everyone gets perfect scores today, especially if no one knows them!

Anyway, I am torrenting it right this moment, so we'll see I guess. I am certainly not impressed by the somewhat garish, pixelated screenshots, so far.
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Unread postby icycalm » 20 Dec 2012 08:16

"Hotline Miami is a strange game but, unlike its creator's past projects, it’s a focused, narratively driven game where all the obscure elements continually build a bizarre, twisted world and fun game."
-Allistair Pinsof (Destructoid)


LOLOLOLOL. This is the labcoatdisaster dude who has an account here (inactive now because his subscription ran out a few days ago).

A NARRATIVELY DRIVEN GAME LOL. THE INTERNET OMG LOLS NOT ENOUGH.

Lots of lols in the quotes on the game's frontpage, if you are into that sort of thing.
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Unread postby icycalm » 20 Dec 2012 08:23

"Hotline Miami may seem like a simple game when watching someone else playing it, but you truly have to experience the carnage for yourself. It is the perfect blend of art, music, gameplay and difficulty, surrounded by a shocking violence that drives the story along. It's almost to a point where the violence becomes a character of it's own, and that my friends is something unheard of modern games."
-Stephen Heller (MMGN)

"I can safely say that I had no idea quite how much fun violent murder can be until I played Hotline Miami at Gamescom."
-Ben Hallett (D22 Zone)

"It’s the distinct feeling of urgency, this compulsion to do things quickly with ugly finesse that turns Hotline Miami from a frantic curio in to a manic treasure trove of barbaric entertainment."
-Harry Bandell (One Hit Pixel)


Just look at this shit. Suddenly all the fags are into violence and loving it. "OMG THE VIOLENCE BECOMES [sic] A CHARACTER OF IT'S [sic] OWN AND WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT EVEN MEAN I DON'T KNOW BUT I AM SUDDENLY SO EXCITED THAT EVERYONE ELSE IS SO EXCITED THAT I JUST CAN'T HIDE IT."

Fags.
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Unread postby icycalm » 20 Dec 2012 08:25

My god funniest vg quote in years:

"It’s the game that Rockstar think they’re making, but never quite pull off."
-Graham Smith (PC Gamer UK)


In YEARS.
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Unread postby icycalm » 20 Dec 2012 08:34

I'll give you the automotive equivalent of that quote, to understand the magnitude of the joke.

Someone makes a new skateboard that's not even that good of a skateboard. A casual skateboard, essentially -- a skateboard for people who don't skateboard. And then the fags come out and say:

"It’s the vehicle that Lamborghini think they’re making, but never quite pull off."
-Graham Smith (Indie Cars UK)

This is what that dude is essentially saying.
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Unread postby icycalm » 20 Dec 2012 09:00

I messed around with it for a bit as it's not really playable on a laptop/trackpad type deal. You need a full keyboard and mouse -- which is pretty stupid for this kind of game. They are using the FPS control method for a fucking top-down 2D shooter lol. And the general artstyle has been ripped off from Loaded on the PlayStation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2wKbELWCSg

Ugly character design, of course, as usual, both in those huge dialogue scene faces, and the actual sprites or whatever they are.

It sure is better than ONE GTA at least: Chinatown Wars, which would have been a much better game if it was on a proper screen with mechanics similar to this.

But again that's not saying much since Chinatown Wars is the worst GTA bar none.

Anyway, this looks borderline "indie" so far. It's not bottom of the barrel, but it's not a cool game either. From the quick look I had I'd put it roughly in Mark of the Ninja territory -- which is a real, if somewhat botched game. More comments from me will be forthcoming once I've built my new PC -- and maybe even somewhat later if the game looks too garish on a 42" 1080p screen. Might have to use a 768p or even smaller res screen to get it looking decent.
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Unread postby Joshua » 20 Dec 2012 16:54

Apparently it was made in Game Maker lol. So I'm guessing it's probably the best game that can be made using Game Maker. I mean it's quite playable and fun at least, compared to the other Game Maker "indie" sensation Spelunky.

Regarding the characters, as I was playing I felt like the game's theme justified, even required, ugly characters in the dialogue sections. Maybe you can, but I simply can't imagine it any other way, just as I can't imagine Dante in DMC being ugly or Niko Bellic in GTA4 being a foppish pretty-boy.
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Unread postby icycalm » 20 Dec 2012 20:24

Because these are the only two choices. Either Niko has to look like an orangutan, or he has to be a "foppish pretty-boy". It is simply impossible to imagine any other eventuality.

I often wonder why you people even bother reading what I write. You have the imagination of a frog, what's the point in even reading, period?
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Unread postby icycalm » 20 Dec 2012 20:36

You can't even grasp the difference between aesthetically pleasant ugly characters (e.g. practically all Japanese-drawn villains ever), and characters who are just simply ugly because the artist doesn't know how to draw. In both cases, Hotline Miami and GTA4, you are simply trying to justify what exists because you are too dumb to imagine them being made any other way than the way they were made. But that's the entire point of criticism. Otherwise everything is already okay and there's nothing to discuss! Which brings us back to orangutans again, and the preface to my Genealogy. And a passage in Orgy of the Will in which I explain why, not only do I deny subhumans the privilege of disagreeing with me (since they can't even parse what I am saying, never mind opining on it), but also of AGREEING with me. If you are subhuman your opinion simply does not come into consideration, and that's the end of that. You are not even allowed an opinion, since you can't even fucking parse what's being discussed!
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Unread postby icycalm » 23 Dec 2012 14:40

http://www.caltrops.com/2012/12/17/that ... ine-miami/

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote:THAT HOSPITAL LEVEL IN HOTLINE MIAMI

OK, so there’s a Hotline Miami level where you lose your weapons and the controls get all screwy!! LOL! You know, I was a bit down on a game that didn’t have save-anywhere and relied on death from an unseen source, but man. This was the greatest level in the history of gaming. So imaginative. So well-crafted. It was the best thing we saw in 2012, but could it be better? Well, as a man with a long history of being a Failed Romero, let me take the Panther XL stick and state that it could only be improved if:

OXoOfl.png.jpg
OXoOfl.png.jpg (51.35 KiB) Viewed 17706 times


- You were asked to escort a Little Sister and all the NPCs from Crossbow to safety

- There was a a frozen minecart hallway requiring you to unplug your second controller from the game port, while holding the cartridge’s light sensor toward the Sun

- While keeping a close eye on the number of shields the cops had, they suddenly finished the Great Wall and Lighthouse right before you did

- There were two minutes left and as you were trying to ice the game level, you automatically fumbled

- You were within range of the finish line and suddenly the computer cars behind you sped up faster than they otherwise could have gone on their own to take the lead

- Jason Rohrer unvaccinates your kids
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Unread postby dinopoke » 21 Feb 2013 07:29

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2013/02/ ... is-spring/

The teams at Dennaton Games and Devolver Digital are thrilled to announce that the pixilated brutality and neon hyper-violence of Hotline Miami will be testing the will of gamers on PlayStation 3 and PS Vita this spring. Through unknown black magic and dark arts, our friends at Abstraction Games are crafting an absolutely perfect version of Hotline Miami for both PlayStation 3 and PS Vita and are taking great care to take advantage of both systems nifty features.


PS3 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPHyMmXldjU
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Unread postby Helios » 25 Feb 2017 10:12

My artist friend's first impression of this game was 'This game uses the worst camera angle that exists'.

It got me thinking that no top-down shooter I've ever played had this camera angle before, it was always slanted so you could actually see more than the top of guys' heads. No one was ever that stupid, even back in the genre's earliest roots. Even the first developers realized why there are very few painters and movie scenes that use this angle. So where did the guy behind Hotline Miami get the idea from?

Well I got the answer. Hotline Miami camera takes its inspiration from Flash games. The things that the kids played on the browsers at public libraries and school computers. Even a passing glance at the games reveals this. Why is set in an office building? Because Stick Arena was.
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Unread postby Bread » 26 Feb 2017 01:38

This camera angle means they only needed to draw characters from one perspective, and then rotate the sprites to have them face any direction. It's economical.

I think you're right that most top-down shooter developers chose slanted camera angles (or non-orthographic projections) for aesthetic reasons. Alien Breed for the Amiga is one exception.
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