Caltrops - Nintendogs

Forum Overview :: Nintendogs

by Rafiki 02/01/2013, 1:48pm PST

You're in a post-zombie-apocalyptic London wandering through streets scavenging for supplies and searching for a means to be evacuated as you struggle to survive against the greatest threat of all: low resolution textures and effects!

I wouldn't bitch about the graphics except they really do get in the way of the game. The biggest offender is light bloom. Huge blobs of light bloom blotting out the screen. Lit objects radiating enormous glows turning the screen into a blurry mess. The game probably could have had the resolution and clarity of early promotional shots if it didn't have to process all of this fucking light bloom. Then they pile on a dirty window effect if the camera is pointed toward a lightsource and everyone's favorite red jelly splatter effect. Now that the Wii U tablet can function as a TV remote, games might as well just start turning your TV off in the heat of combat. OH SHIT A FLASHBANG *tv turns off, deafening squeal in 5.1 directions*

Gameplay is a cross between the slower Resident Evils (not the retarded dream puzzles) and Demon's/Dark Souls. The first half is mostly pretty rad! You're incredibly fragile and zombies have an insta-kill lunge attack if they're close for long enough, so getting surrounded or caught off guard is Big Deal and super tense. You juggle inventory on the touchscreen, which is fine I guess, and it's kind of clever in that you mimic your character as far as having to let your guard down and take your eyes off of the game. But then they instantly ruin it by giving you a auto-scan radar an hour into the game, ensuring that you can never be surprised by zombies ever again. Wouldn't want the game to be too fun. I think I'm close to finishing it, and you get more weapons and find upgrades to make weapons stronger but there doesn't seem to be any bigger escalation of enemies so you start to become a little overpowered compared to the start so the challenge is petering out. I do have to admit the oxygen tank zombies are simultaneously infuriating and hilarious.

The game also keeps track of how long you survive with your current character, how many kills you get, and gives you a score, and there's online leaderboards. Jerry might be delighted that it's encouraging you to replay and try and finish the whole game without dying, but I don't know if it'll hold up to that kind of replayability since it's starting to plod a little near the end.