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Hotline Miami is an ESPECIALLY cool, uber-violent, top-down retro hack em up. This game looks
like it's straight from the 80s with it's 8bit feel and pixelated graphics, but does
the gameplay seem stale and out of date? Or has this game somehow managed to make 8 bit
graphics cool again. Let's take a look.
Although this game looks like the type of game that you would see on a NES or Master
System. I
certainly don't remember such a bloody or violent affair back in the day. Mario and
Sonic would definitely not approve.
The game is very over the top with it's violence, and it's down with a tongue in cheek manner
much like in the movie kill bill. I felt the crazy blood splatters were there to make you
laugh more than to repulse or offend.
The main character and story are a little messed up from the start. You are a killer
with amnesia who talks to strangers in animal masks in an attempt to remember the past.
You're issued assassination instructions via very slightly crypted answer phone messages
and you respond to these requests with no questions asked.
Although the levels themselves are reasonably short, they are also difficult and you'll
soon realise rushing in all guns blazing will get you nowhere.
I must confess I tried this game on PC months ago and didn't take to it for this reason.
I simply though it was too hard and I couldn't be bothered with it.
However, when it arrived on PSN for PS3 and Vita it kept catching my eye and a Dark Souls
twitter friend of mine kept encouraging me to give it another go.
And I'm glad I did.
Like Dark Souls, in Hotline Miami - prepare to die. There is no shame in it, expect it
and use each death as a lesson. The levels do involve trial and error, and this repetitive
gameplay style will not be for everyone.
I didn't think it would be for me but I found it incredibly stimulating and addictive and
the urge for one more go was always too great for me to resist. For that reason, I would
recommend that you at least try it for yourself and see what you think.
The sound effects and music play a huge role in making this game as cool as it is. The
8bit chiptune tracks are all brilliant and perfectly matched to the gameplay and the
game itself. Bearing in mind you may have to repeat a level over and over and over,
not once did I find the music annoying. In fact, it was the complete opposite.
Although I played the majority of this game on my Vita, I really liked the PS3/Vita crossplay
feature and enjoyed being able to sync my saved game and continue where I left off on
either console. I've seen more games using this crossplay feature recently and personally
I hope it's something that continues to grow.
As mentioned before the levels are quite short, but there are 20 or so to get through and
each level is padded out with an intro and closing segment that helps develop the story.
There are also animal masks, bonus weapons and puzzle tiles to collect, A+ ranks to achieve
and a solid trophy structure that inspires you to play that little bit longer.
The masks probably provide the biggest difference in gameplay by offering power ups and special
moves that can actually change things up quite dramatically. They can help you get through
a level you are stuck on, reach that A+ rank you've been struggling to get or just add
a little fun into the mix.
Some of the perks the masks provide are: being able to walk faster, an increased combo window,
or you can choose to spawn with a knife or other weapon.
The weapon unlocks on the other hand are nice but didn't add that much to the game for me.
So let's sum this up by looking at the positives:
You might have already guessed but I really enjoyed this game because it was different
and fresh , had an amazing soundtrack, original graphics, made great use of the PS3/Vita Crossplay
feature and offered great replayability and rewards.
Considering the negatives:
The game is difficult and repetitive and requires patience to play. So I openly admit it will
not please everyone.
I was originally going to give this game an 8 but I've promoted it to an 8.5 simply because
I'm still playing it and still loving it.
Should you play this game? You should definitely give it a try