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Hotline Miami
PC (Steam)
A Retro Orgy of Death and Violence
4/5 stars
A throwback to the old-school days mixed with the heady violence that everyone has come to expect from the current generation, Hotline Miami is from Dennation Games out of Sweden. It has a retro feel (mainly thanks to the music and neon-colored design) but the story and death feel more refined (the designers say that Drive was an influence for their game). Since I'm not one to shy away from violence - I thought I would give it a try and, despite frequent deaths and some frustration, overall it was a good experience.
Presentation: The game is set in an alternate 1989 era Miami and the game feels like the 80s are alive. The top-down view works well in their world soaked in garish neon - but the palette works wonderfully (especially when you chop someone in half or blow their head off with a shotgun). More so than the artistic design, it's the wonderful 80s-esque score that really sets the mood. Even though the game is short (you could easily blow through it in a day if you were determined), they managed to fit in quite the soundtrack. This is one game that isn't going for the hyper-realistic next-gen look at all - but it doesn't have to - it's perfectly find the way it is.
Story: A very surreal mix that gets weirder and weirder as the chapters go by. Essentially you play an unnamed man (fans refer to him as "Jacket" for his unique clothing style) who receives a series of phone calls that direct him to various locations where he must kill everyone involved - while wearing a mask (you start off with a chicken head but unlock many more as the game progresses). In the early stages he hold conversations with various masked individuals who question his reality. But as things continue - things begin to degenerate - he starts seeing dead people (and talking to them) until, finally, he is shot in the head... only to wake up in a hospital and it is up to you to decide if the preceding events were all in his head or part of a bigger picture.
After you finish the main story you unlock the bonus "Biker" missions where you play as another man getting strange phone calls, but unlike "Jacket" he isn't willing to blindly follow orders and sets out to track down the truth. In order to get the true ending, you have to collect puzzle pieces in each of the levels to solve a computer log in. Apparently it has something to do with Russian/American relations and destabilizing governments - but forget that - it's more fun to just run around and shoot/decapitate/punch everyone around you without thinking too deeply on things. Needless to say, the bizarre story actually fits quite well with the style of game.
Gameplay: Pretty simple - the top-down view allows you to run around the various levels. The goal is to take out everyone else (man or dog) using various weapons provided - and not die yourself. If you happen to die (which you will, repeatedly) you start over on that level. It only gets really annoying in the later stages - the bigger the level, the more guys - and if you happen to clear out 75% and then die, you have to start all over. It can get frustrating at times - even with unlimited lives/tries it can start to get repetitive. As you go along the game you unlock various masks and weapons (that will randomly appear in levels). The masks do everything from allowing you to survive bullets (one or two), run faster, start with a weapons, make your melee attacks (or door attacks) instant kills and get those pesky dogs to leave you alone. Some masks seem pointless (the Mole mask just makes it harder to see for instance) but I guess if you want a challenge - there you go.
I didn't set up a controller for this one and used the mouse/keyboard combination for the whole of the game. The controls are simple enough that I didn't have issue - although throwing objects is a pain (and it plays a major part in the final battle - one reason I really hated it) and having a lot of different weapons together sometimes means you pick up a bat instead of that shotgun you need - but overall I didn't have an issue with the controls. Enemies pretty much consist of: regular guys with melee weapons (bats, knives, pipes, etc.), regular guys with guns (silenced pistol, uzi, shotgun), Heavy Hitters (must take out with a gun - preferably shotgun), dogs (very fast - can be taken out with melee or guns but not fists or the door) and a few boss battles. Every one can deliver a one-hit kill, so you must be fast, vigilant and sometimes even stealthy on your approach. Each level gives you a rank based on various things and you can build up combo kills to increase that score. There is no multiplayer or user-generated maps (maybe in the sequel) but over 20 levels, there are plenty of guys to kill and plenty of ways to die as well.
Replayability: Each level gives you a grade (from A+ to F I guess - I got as low as a C- but I'm sure you can do worse), so those who enjoy acing everything can certainly go back again and again to get the best possible score. Plus the various masks and weapons you unlock give some variety to the missions. This is a game you could play for 15 minutes at a time or spend a couple of hours honing your skills on the more difficult levels. Plus, getting the "real" ending requires searching for clues throughout the levels.
Overall: Those looking for a game with a throwback look and soundtrack - and who don't mind plenty of gore - should give this a shot. Prepare to die (lots) but when you're mowing down enemies with a machine gun or crushing skulls in with baseball bat, it all seems worth it.
Presentation: 4/5
Story: 4/5
Gameplay: 3.5/5
Replayability:4/5
Overall (not an average): 4/5
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