The Surlaw Reviews - 1/2/23 - 2022 Year in Review

The Wobbler · Post by **The Wobbler** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 2:55 am

For the last couple of years, I've written lots of video game reviews and a few movie reviews. I regularly post links to them on my personal Facebook page and the Bob Surlaw Twitter account, but it's come to my brain that maybe some people who post here would like to read them.

If anyone liked reading my reviews in HamsterSpeak, you should read these. Also because I have no intention of bringing back HamsterSpeak, so this is the only place you'll get to read this kind of junk from me.

The main review site is here.

If you have anything you'd like to see me write about, feel free to offer recommendations. Agree, disagree, discuss, suggest. Just don't be a dink.

I'll post updates here every now and then as I write them.

Game Reviews:
Games of 2022
Games of 2021
Games of 2020
Games of 2019
My Decade in Games: The 2010's - Part 2
My Decade in Games: The 2010's - Part 1

Movie Reviews:
Movies of 2022
Movies of 2021
Movies of 2020
Movies of 2019
My Decade in Movies: The 2010's - Part 2
My Decade in Movies: The 2010's - Part 1

Get UP TO THE DATE crap on Twitter https://twitter.com/bobsurlaw

Pepsi Ranger · Post by **Pepsi Ranger** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 3:39 am

I wouldn't mind seeing your movie reviews posted here, too. Especially if they're current.

The Wobbler · Post by **The Wobbler** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 3:40 am

There are far fewer movie reviews than games, though I'm working on a couple more right now and will inevitably keep adding to that section. http://superwalrusland.com/moviereviews.html

The Wobbler · Post by **The Wobbler** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 10:02 pm

Life Force for NES: A game where you shoot Space Snakes in the guts.

Post by **Bob the Hamster** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 10:18 pm

Ah! The Nostalgia! Life Force is the first space-shooter game I remember playing.

Looking at the screenshots now, I think that Life Force's sprites were probably a very strong subconscious influence in my maptile design for Jormungand's Belly in Wandering Hamster

Meowskivich · Post by **Meowskivich** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 10:19 pm

As I read this my mind is going "waiiiiiit a tick, this sounds a little too much like Abadox, only made by konami and involves a plent-eating snake instead of a planet eating...um, planet? It's something called parasitus or something like that.
Though this has co-op 2p that sounds pretty good, I may have to attempt to get this game if, you know, I manage to find it and have a job thus having money to purchase it. Yayyyyy jobless.

But yeah, if you've not experienced Abadox, you should give it a whirl. You can get it for about a buck at game stores I've seen (dispite this pricing, it's actually a pretty fun game, it's just maxed out on the difficulty meter).

(on an unrelated note, you should totally join the arena tournament going to go down in the Arena Discussion area. we need at least one more person)

The Wobbler · Post by **The Wobbler** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 6:19 am

Dark Souls
More Dark Souls

This is My Favorite Game.

The Wobbler · Post by **The Wobbler** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 4:12 am

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

I really like this one too.

Post by **TMC** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:01 am

I liked your XCOM:EU review, though I would have liked more elaboration for the claim "While Enemy Unknown and the original X-COM: UFO Defense are at their core the same game, there are enough differences to enjoy them both on different levels".

Seems like every other week that I'm reminded I need to play the original X-COM.

Baconlabs · Post by **Baconlabs** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:36 am

Ooh, I've been wanting to buy XCOM:EU. I downloaded and played the demo/tutorial (and was immensely frustrated by the inability to save since the game crashes a lot, as Surlaw mentioned in his review) and thought it was really fun. I'm way into personalized / customizable strategy games that focus on a small, detailed group of units rather than countless masses of soldiers. I also appreciate the emphasis this game puts on tactical defensive cover.

I never played the original XCOM, haven't heard of the series before, and don't really plan on doing anything about it - I feel like this game will be enough. Thanks for the review, and thanks for the pointers at the end; I feel more prepared to tackle the game now.

The Wobbler · Post by **The Wobbler** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 12:47 pm

If you do want to try the original games you can buy the entire series for like $15 on Steam or Amazon, even if only the first two have anything worthwhile in them.

Post by **Mogri** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 6:18 pm

I kind of like Apocalypse.

In realtime mode.

Does that make me a bad person?

Meowskivich · Post by **Meowskivich** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 6:36 pm

Yes. I don't know why, but yes.

NeoSpade · Post by **NeoSpade** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 6:41 pm

Mogri wrote:I kind of like Apocalypse.

In realtime mode.

Does that make me a bad person?

I think Apocalypse is fun, sure the only playable mode is the realtime mode, and sure the Cityscape is essentially a big game of hide and seek (with a bit of sardines when it comes to vehicle management).

Also Android Operatives are fireproof, seeing aliens flee from an android firing incineration-round shells down a corridor is one of the best feelings ever...

The Wobbler · Post by **The Wobbler** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 7:44 pm

Mogri wrote:I kind of like Apocalypse.

In realtime mode.

Does that make me a bad person?

Nah I like some bad games too.

Edit: Halloween time here's a review.

Dead Rising 2