March 2015 Video Game Reviews

Guilty Gear XRD: SIGN
AKSYS Games/Arc System Works
Reviewed on: PS4
Also on: PS3
Street: 12.16.14
Whether you’re a fan of anime or not, Guilty Gear XRD: Sign has every technical aspect of a fighting game while maintaining allure for the casual player. The great soundtrack, blended with a unique cast, is a great combo for a unique fighting experience. There are a few challenges to overcome while using the PS4 controller, namely a roman cancel—which interrupts moves early to allow you to continue your onslaught. This requires you to press three attack buttons simultaneously—the default mapping on the PS4 controller has you pushing X, Square and Triangle, which is a bit daunting to do on the PS4 pad mid-combo. An arcade stick or remapping of buttons quickly fixes this, but by default, it can be a bit confusing. If learning the game is truly your objective, the intensely deep training modes will give you all the ammo you need to be a top-tier Guilty Gear player. This game proves that the PS4 is truly the home of the competitive fighter. –Thomas Winkley

I Am Bread
Bossa Studios
Reviewed on: PC
Also on: Mac
Street: 12.03.14
For the chunk of gamers who foster a deep love of games that push hand/ eye coordination to the breaking point—what I call digital masochism— I Am Bread is a godsend. It challenges the player’s reflexes in a way that I haven’t experienced since my embarrassingly fruitless attempts to get past the third level of Donkey Kong. The idea of the game is to guide a slice of bread through different levels on a quest to become toasted. Each corner of the slice is controlled by a different button, a mechanic that becomes controller-chucking-ly aggravating during the moments when tasked with guiding the slice up a wall. Since the bread has to remain edible throughout its quest, the player has to guide it around obstacles like bugs and other kitchen detritus. Despite the deliberately frustrating control scheme, there’s something about this game that encourages the player to keep trying. Whether it’s the bread’s noble pursuit of self-improvement or my own less-noble pursuit of figuring out how to slide the damn thing into a toaster without getting ants on it, I Am Bread is one of those gaming rarities that manages to be fun and irritating at the same time. –Alex Springer

Metrocide
Flat Earth Games
Reviewed on: Steam
Also on: Mac
Street: 10.20.14
Something about the struggle to survive in a difficult game makes victory taste all the sweeter. Unfortunately, Metrocide stands firmly on the unbalanced end of challenging, providing an experience that is intriguing, but fatiguing over long stretches of gameplay. It’s a damn shame, too—Metrocide absolutely nails the desperate oppression of the cyberpunk setting. The dark, rain-soaked streets flicker with the acrid hum of neon lights, while cameras and unmanned police drones observe your every move with panoptic precision. You’re trying to buy your way out of the city, but the only way for you to make a buck is by taking on murder contracts. Death comes quick, and you have to rely on stealth, location and timing to pull off a clean hit. It may be unfairly hard at times, but Metrocide knows its atmosphere, and that’s reason enough to pick up this immersive, if slightly masochistic indie title. –Henry Glasheen