| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| Xbox 360 | 8.80 |
| Overall | 8.80 |
|
The platforming genre is a huge one with many years of history so it's difficult to find a platformer that actually does feel fresh. Super Meat Boy goes right for the essence of the platformer, the act of jumping or maneuvering past obstacles and builds an entire game around just that. Every level is a small platforming challenge, many of these levels last under 15 seconds of you are fast. One level you start on one corner of the screen and you hav to dive down bouncing on walls, avoiding chainsaws and then bounce your way up another tower of death to reach your goal which is your damsel in distress. The level is simple enough but actually finishing it without getting hurt is a whole different thing all together. The second meat boy gets hurt you start at the start of the level. This is instantaneous, I cannot stress how important this is. Meat Boy makes the action of dying a necessary and even fun component. Because its all so instant you are far more willing to attempt more dangerous jumps, try a more daring shortcut. Levels that could be completed in 30 seconds turn into 20 minutes of death exploration as you kill meat bit over and over till you find out how the hell to reach the end without dying. By the middle of the game you will be needing expert reflected and platforming skills to get by. Just in case the game itself is too easy you can try to achieve an A rank on time for each level. Beating a level is fine but I never got a rush until I did a ballet of jumping through a death squad of spikes for 15 seconds without stopping or getting touched; now that is a rush. There is so much content in this game, hundreds of levels, loads of side levels that u lock new character each with different abilities that you may need to find the hidden bandages scattered in levels. Giant awesome boss battles close up each world. The story is more of a spoof of old school gaming, you will spot references to classics all over. My only complaints would be that it's to much of a one trick pony. I like my platformers to offer massive amounts of variety and this game is quite the opposite of that. This is going to sound crazy, it probably is, I think the controls are TOO precise. Yes I am complaining that the controls are too good, hear me out. Most games have some sort of weight to the jumps, so sound of momentum that goes with your level of control. In meat boy you can control every centimeter of your jump, it's needed for the more difficult levels but it makes the simple act of jumping from one small platform to one next to you a mission. Push a split second too long and meat boy is flying off a platform, or you actually land on the platform but you did let off the dpad quick enough so he runs right off. Also the Xbox dpad sucks not the games fault but I need to mention it. This is a fantastic game for everyone who loves the challenge of the platformer. This game is all about skillful jumping and it creates so many different ways to kill you that I can't help but be in awe at the level design. Super Meat Boy is simply one of the best platformers of this gen. |
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Posted by Dvader Fri, 16 Aug 2013 20:21:24
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