Bunny Must Die! Review

Bunny Must Die! Chelsea and the 7 Devils
Developed by: Platine Dispositif
Lovingly Localized by: Rockin' Android
Date of Release: September 15, 2012
Price: $10

The Year is 1999X. Thermomewclear power: a modern scientific marvel that allows free clean energy for all of bunnykind. This safe and renewable energy was the perfect solution, until the Thermomewclear Power Plant blew up and cursed poor Bunny with a pair cat ears. Still retaining her long lapine ears as well, she is vexed by the fact that no one can tell if she is a rabbit or a cat. She even went as far as to seek the aid of a wise old bunny, but unfortunately he was brutally murdered by a rampaging bull and has left Bunny stranded in the cave of the 7 devils. If you think sounds mightily effed up, you are probably right, but no matter. It is time for Bunny to set forth and kick some devilish ass!




Bunny Must Die! Chelsea and the 7 Devils is a classic example of the tried and true Metroidvania formula. It was created pretty much singlehandedly by Murasame of Platine Dispositif (aside from voicework), and like his other works the game can be punishingly hard at times. The original release was only in Japan, with 4:3 graphics and a midi-ish soundtrack. However this localization offers many enhancements over the original release, such as and mew new widescreen graphics coded in by Murasame, a wild soundtrack arrangement by Woofle, and a fresh English translation by none other than my extraordinary editor Sara Leen!




When starting BMD the first thing you'll notice is the lush hand-drawn anime graphics. The next thing you'll notice is that you can't walk to the right. You must first walk to the left a few steps to collect "The Gears of The Past" to be able to turn around. This quirky bit of humor quite obviously pokes fun at the general mechanics of the Metroidvania genre, and trust me when I say that a whole lot more will be lampooned before you finish the game. The game even pokes fun at you (and then throws a viciously hard boss your way) for sequence breaking. Yes, the large-foreheaded first boss lady will fly off the handle if you skip her.




Now despite the amusing jokes and cliches blown out of proportion, the gameplay in Bunny Must Die is your standard Metroidvania exploration with plenty of Castlevania-style combat. You also gain the ability to bend time to your will, and that opens a whole new dimension in gameplay and puzzle solving. I should note though that no matter how good you are at this sort of game, you WILL die often. Just go into this adventure knowing that fact and you will have a good time. The way we learn is by making mistakes, right? And sometimes being repeatedly run over by a turret-tank while it fires laser beams up your arse is a learning experience too.




Rockin' Android has definitely gone all-out in the process of making Bunny Must Die a breakout title for the western world. They have go so far as to give the options to use the original graphical mode and soundtrack, despite the overhaul that is provided by default. This speaks volumes of their dedication to customer satisfaction, and to their preservation of the original product's values. Just as with the Gundemonium Collection, Rockin' Android has taken an already awesome property and further polished it to gleam like a diamond and stand out on it's own in the rough sea of indie games.




Now when it comes to buying Bunny Must Die there are a few options. Desura, GamersGate, and Playism. However, there is also the matter of Steam. Bunny Must Die is currently on Greenlight, and if it gets enough votes then it will be sold on Steam with all the usual benefits that the platform provides. So if you want to see it on Steam, head to the greenlight page HERE, and vote for it! There is also a demo available on the page, so feel free to check it out!




So to recap: Bunny Must Die! Chelsea and the 7 Devils offers frenetic platforming, Metroidvania-inspired exploration, kickass brutal bosses, a rocking re-arranged soundtrack, a superbly localized and hilarious story, a cute as heck main character, a super secret hidden character with a second playthrough, and tight controls that ensure that if you screw up, it's your own damn fault. What the heck are you waiting for? Bust out your favorite gamepad, buy the game, and kick some demonic patootie! Bunny's fate depends on YOU!

Rage: The Scorchers Review

Rage: The Scorchers
Developed by: id Software
Published by: Bethesda Softworks
Date of Release: December 18, 2012
Price: $4.99

Well, here we are just over a year after Rage made it's debut. It seemed like over time id had just forgotten it's carnage-driven masterpiece, but thankfully that is not the case! This may seem like the longest time ever that a company has take to release an addon for a AAA title, but when the DLC is this good, it definitely shows that id Software wanted to take the time to make it just right. Two months past the one year anniversary of Rage's burning hot release we have the official addon pack, titled The Scorchers. And what a hot time it's gonna be!




The first thing that you'll notice about The Scorchers is that it adds an all new difficulty setting to the game, Ultra Nightmare. Choose this difficulty, and only the most hardcore have a hope of survival. Also available is the option to play past the ending, so you don't have to start from scratch to play the new content if you've already finished the campaign. Whichever way you start it, you're going to want to head to the door at the back of the Hagar settlement, and get this party started.




Not long after you start the DLC quest you will gain access to the awesome new weapon that id has added, the Nailgun. This at first may seem like a simple throwback to the Quake days, however once you start using it you'll find that it's much more, with interchangeable barrels that allow sniping with rebar, and railgun shots. Add to that a new bandit clan to fight, a new Mutant Bash TV adventure, and an option to replay your best battles, The Scorchers takes the Rage experience to a whole new level. It's available on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, and after playing both the PC and PS3 versions I can say without a doubt it is worth the cash. So put on your asbestos underwear and get ready to heat things up!