Gatling Gears

Gatling Gears

Play as Max Brawley and take on the evil Empire from the cockpit of your Gatling Gear in this top down shooter by Vanguard Games. It features vibrant visuals, tons of explosions and plenty of action. Since the game pretty much only consists of shooting everything in sight, it can become a little repetitive, but blowing things up remains satisfying and with three difficulty levels, you can challenge yourself no matter what your skill level is. It’s not the most memorable or impressive title in the genre, but it is very solid and very enjoyable.

Gameplay: Blowing up everything in sight stays a blast right throughout.

Graphics: The levels are varied and packed with detail.

Sound: So-so music, but the sound effects are really good

The Hong Kong Massacre

The Hong Kong Massacre

The Hong Kong Massacre is a top-down shooter with an addictive blend of all-out action, slow-motion dives, and bloody destruction. It will receive a lot of comparisons to Hotline Miami and Max Payne, but the addictive gameplay and John Woo elements ensure that it makes its own mark on the genre. The cutscenes could be better, and the game lacks some polish here and there, but overall, it is a great shooter with plenty of thrills to offer for those who are up to the challenge.

Gameplay: The game is challenging and unforgiving but very addictive and rewarding.

Graphics: The Hong Kong Massacre features plenty of blood, destructible scenery, and interesting locations.

Sound: No voice acting, but the soundtrack and sound effects are good

Xenocide

Xenocide

Apart from an interesting gameplay gimmick on each of each five levels, Xenocide is a fairly basic and generic top down shooter. It only has five levels, a very limited selection of guns and a paltry amount of power-ups. Shooting waves of enemies while trying to stay alive is still fun for a short while, but it won’t take long to experience everything on offer and then grow bored of the repetition. While the basis for a good game is definitely there, Xenocide just never does anything to elevate it above the competition, which is a real pity as it had potential.

Gameplay: Running and shooting will always be fun, but the lack of weapons and variety results in repetition way too soon.

Graphics: The visuals are competent enough, but a little too bland.

Sound: Unimpressive sound effects, but the soundtrack at least sounds good

JYDGE

JYDGE

A robotic cop that acts as judge, jury, and executioner? It might not be the most original idea, but JYDGE from 10tons Ltd certainly offers a lot of fun. It is a top-down shooter with tons of customization options for your character, as well as weapons. This means that it caters to various playing styles and offers a lot of replay value despite the relatively small number of levels. If you are a genre fan or enjoy games that allow you to experiment with how you approach objectives, you’ll have a blast with JYDGE.

Gameplay: Jydge is action-packed and offers lots of fun.

Graphics: The visuals are perhaps a little too similar to Neon Chrome, but it still looks good.

Sound: The soundtrack is great, and the sound effects are very impressive

12 Is Better Than 6 by Ink Stains Games

12 Is Better Than 6 by Ink Stains Games

There is a lot that can be said about the quality of products making it through Steam Greenlight lately, but when a game is Greenlit in only four days there is usually a good reason. This is the case with “12 Is Better Than 6”, the upcoming Wild West themed shooter from Ink Stains Games. Its hand drawn visual style certainly makes for a striking first impression, but we were fortunate enough to also play an extended version of pre-alpha currently available for the game