Bonus Review - Hotline Miami

Bonus Review
Hotline Miami
(also known as Alex is in final season and playing video games instead of studying)

It started first after watching Tabu, which was a nice film, though difficult to review. Then I watched a super long documentary on World War II and the Third Reich, which took up all of my March. Then I almost lost part of my finger in a blender - don't ask. I recently watched another film that I will most likely review, but then I got caught up with last-minute semester stuff, as well as some lab work, so I ended up never being home and being absolutely exhausted. And in the midst of this, I picked up Dennaton Games' 2012 Hotline Miami. I'm really bad at making decisions sometimes, heh. But let me explain.

Me and games are... acquaintances. We hang out sometimes, but the games that I've stayed with and completed, I could probably count on one hand. I've played some multiplayer, cooperative games like League of Legends, Dota, and Left 4 Dead 2, but honestly, I never really put my heart into them. And I've come to realise why - I really like games with stories. But the stories better be good. I tried Amnesia: The Dark Descent... Yeah, it was boring. I tried playing it with a friend, and sure, I could turn off all the lights to try and get into the mood, but the plot was not intriguing enough. But Silent Hill 2? I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream? Interesting plots that contributed to the feeling. I liked it. I continued through because I wanted to know more. There are exceptions, but anyway, let's cut a story short. You may have also noticed a common theme from those two games. That's right, sex- I mean, psychologically straining situations for the characters. And that's probably why I went for Hotline Miami. But we'll get to that.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number recently came out, and I got a glimpse of its aesthetics, and I thought, "Wow, this seems legit." I watched one scene from the game - I was hooked. But I'm a bit of an anal person, a perfectionist if you will. I want things done in order, completed one hundred percent. So I decided to pick up the first one, even though I had been introduced to it almost two years ago and was sure it was too hard.

It's not. I mean, it's challenging. But let me explain the gameplay. It's a 2D top-down game where you basically beat/shoot the bejesus out of everyone. You have unlimited tries, and trust me when I say you'll use them. I went through some levels where I hit R on my keyboard five billion times. But that keeps you going because you can always go back to the level later and when you do finally clear the stage, you feel even more rewarded because the R-button repeat is done for this floor. And did I mention it's gory as hell? I like it.

Now, while the gameplay is addictive and challenging enough to keep me going, it's the plot that got me hyped to begin with. I won't go into too much detail, but basically you play this guy called Jacket living in Miami in the 80s (time to call the Cubans). That's not his real name, but you know how people might know you for your hair or gait? This guy is known for his jacket. Yeah... That's all I got. Anyway, he begins receiving these mysterious phone calls that basically lead him to killing a bunch of Russian mafia gang members, but he doesn't know who is sending these calls or why he was chosen (or maybe we just don't know?). But while he is mostly a silent protagonist (Lufia: The Ruins of Lore anyone?), we still get a good look into his psyche. And I like that stuff in my games. And I like the way they go about it - though I will say that Hotline Miami 2 really seemed to take everything up a notch, but still, the first one deserves its place. Plus, Hotline Miami 2 is a sequel after all, so you'll miss out on some plot exposition. Oh, and did I mention that the soundtrack for both games has a neo-eighties groove going on? Yeah. Awesome.

That's all I got for you. I don't play games, so this review is a mess. Still, I wanted to make sure you guys didn't think I completely abandoned you. And I thought it might be good to recommend the one game I've played in the past year - besides Scribblenauts Unlimited. That's another game I recommend, and your children will love it too! If you haven't picked up Hotline Miami and you like games, what are you waiting for? Some Russians need killing! Don't make me call you about it.

Also, did I mention that Jonatan Söderström and Dennis Wedin, the developers of the Hotline Miami games, are awesome? Let's give a round of applause for these guys. Thank you.