Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Jun 23, 2014

  Crazy-intense high-twitch side-scroller. Looks like a modernized version of Mega Man or Metroid, but plays more like Contra - lots of enemies coming at you all the time. It theoretically supports gamepad, but it plays nicely with keyboard-move, mouse-aim controls. If that's what you're looking for, it's a lot of fun! Good graphics, good music, occasionally-frustrating-but-mostly-in-the-good-way gameplay.
• gamedeal user

  Dec 29, 2014

  [i]A.R.E.S.[/i] is very much a love letter to the [i]Mega Man X[/i] series, but never quite reaches the same heights. A lone robot goes on a mission to a space station where a mysterious virus has taken over all the machines while an NPC dumps information on them at key points - if it all feels familiar to old console players, it's because it absolutely is. The main issue is that a lot of the charm that made [i]Mega Man X[/i] what it was is gone - the game is linear, weapons are few and stingily upgrade, and [i]A.R.E.S[/i] is nowhere near as responsive as [i]X[/i] was. Controls are slightly clunky, rewarding pattern recognition over reflexes, and areas often have a constrained, restricted feel (oewing to the decent amount of space your character takes up on-screen) that may be appropriate for the space station theme, but aren't much fun to play around in. Enemies often include flying foes that are hard to target with the default gun. Add in 3D environments that can occasionally be confusing as to what qualifies as a ledge and you have the recipe for some issues. Add in a rather pointless crafting system - you need particular elements to craft each upgrade, but... there's no way to predict or seek out the exact elements you need. It also makes you choose between buying disposable items and upgrades, leaving the former as a trap and the latter as the only great choice to make. And the story is pretty forgettable, and ends on a cliffhanger that seems unlikely to ever be picked up again. It's also quite short if that's a issue - lasting only a few hours, it certainly doesn't overstay its welcome. That isn't to say it's all bad - the boss fights are clever, if heavy on pattern recognition, and it's light fun if you're willing to put up with its foibles, and rewards replays with extra unlockables and upgrades. [i]Mega Man X[/i] fans may enjoy it well enough if you pick it up on sale, as it's not truly [i]bad[/i], just exceedingly [i]average[/i] - it doesn't really fall over, but it doesn't do much to distinugish itself.
• gamedeal user

  Feb 23, 2015

  [h1]NOTE:[/h1] Don't buy this version but instead, take a look at [b]“A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda EX”[/b] which is essentially an upgraded version of the game. I'm only recommending this game based on my experience before the new version released. http://store.steampowered.com/app/315340/ [h1]TL:DR? See Conclusion[/h1] [h1]INTRODUCTION:[/h1] A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda is a 2.5D side scrolling action platform game that attempts to fill-in for the Mega Man (Rock Man) drought. Like the aforementioned Mega Man series, this game places you in the shoes of an advance combat android named Ares. After a mysterious asteroid collided with a Deep Space Reprocessing station, a group of scientists were sent to investigate an energy emission radiating from it. Shortly after arriving, the team discovers that all the machines inside the station are now hostile to human life after being exposed to a new vapor gas called Zytron which came from the Asteroid. The Scientists, before being trapped, was able to send samples of the Gas back to earth who then develops Ares, an android immune to Zytron. Ares is now sent on a search and rescue mission on the Minos Space Station and along the way, discover the true nature of Zytron. [h1]PROS:[/h1] + High resolution graphics with a nice and colorful artstyle + Crafting System for weapons and item upgrades + Good weapon variety + Good character designs + Outstanding soundtrack + Responsive controls (specially on a gamepad) [h1]CONS:[/h1] - Very short - The game relies on grinding to extend gameplay (what I call “game time through attrition”) - Story is under developed - Cinematics are dull with no voice acting and, more importantly, no sound effects except the soundtrack in the background. - Underwhelming bosses [h1]CONCLUSION:[/h1] GOOD GAME which is reminiscent of the Mega Man franchise. It has good high resolution graphics with a nice and colorful artstyle; it features a crafting system based on materials you collect from the world and enemies; the game shines with its amazing soundtrack and responsive controls specially with a game pad. For its cons, the game is very short and the cinematics are a bit boring and unrewarding but for the price however, this game would make as a good casual experience for younger audiences. Although I'm placing my recommendation, please don't buy this version and take a look at the [b]“A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda EX” [/b] instead. It's essentially an upgraded version of the game. --------------------------------------------------------- [h1]Like my Reviews? Follow my Curator's Page:[/h1] http://store.steampowered.com/curator/6861651-Miyumi%27s-Review-Corner/
• gamedeal user

  Oct 6, 2015

  A.R.E.S. Goes EXtinct This is not a bad game, it is actually pretty decent. It looks great, has solid gameplay featuring some cool weapons, and decent level design. However, it does suffer from being way too short and lacking difficulty. That is not why I'm not recommending this game though. The reason is that they have an IMPROVED version for the SAME price now available! If you are interested in this title, then stop now and head to the A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda EX page!
• gamedeal user

  Nov 16, 2015

  [i]Title[/i]: A.R.E.S.: Extinction Agenda [i]Genre[/i]: Action, Indie [i]Developer[/i]: Extend Studio [i]Publisher[/i]: Extend Studio, ORiGO GAMES [i]Release Date[/i]: 20 Jan, 2011 You're a lady in a spacesuit, on a space station with mad robots. Shooting things. [h1]Main Review[/h1] You're a woman in a spacesuit on a lone mission to find out what happened in deep space, on an abandoned junk station. Something about this game feels strangely familiar. Ah well, at least she's called Valkyl and not Samus, right? Anyway, after speeding straight into the game, I'm placed as a space suit warrior lady in a a seedy, futuristic station, where all the machinery has gone mental and is now trying to kill everything. The learning curve is harsh, you more or less need to learn yourself the mechanics, deal with weird little robot things fast or die miserably. A lot. I like that you have to figure out everything by yourself. At the same time I dislike it. It's part of the charm of retro games. And that includes the sounds! At least with all this you can upgrade your stuff so it looks more awesome AND kills things a lot faster. I think the design is pretty cool, futuristic shiny green and blue space, with rusting machinery as backdrop. The enemies, and there are a lot, from security system robots to weird little vacuum cleaner things that don't like you. I'm not usually a fan of futuristic style games, but this one has something about it I like. The controls take some getting used to, and they're part of what make this platformer challenging. That, and the oops I didn't expect that to happen moments when you slide under a wall and get blasted by sentry turrets on the other side. I think the controls could be better crafted or more responsive. What I find annoying is how far back a level/save point resets if you die, which can mean you have to refight tough monsters you already killed, and repeat a lot of content, which could make it stressful fast. Though there is a sense of achievement getting past those ANNOYING OBSTACLES. [b]Pros[/b] Cool space graphics Old school sounds Puzzles progress well. Getting weapons is awesome! Throws you straight in(makes it more old style) [b]Cons[/b] Kind of stressful (because of the controls) Not very long Throws you straight in (No help) Controls are clunky TL;DR [h1]Overall Verdict[/h1] I want to like this game, but the controls I feel drag down the quality of this platformer. The story is small but you know what's going on. Everything about the game I think can be amazing, but the responsiveness of the controls, and the situations you find yourself in with them let it down. I like everything in the game, except for the gameplay. [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/jigglesandgiggles] If you'd like to read more reviews from me, join my steam group![/url]
• gamedeal user

  Dec 6, 2015

  It's a good game. Think Mega Man X series game play. Controls are a little different and take some getting used to. I used a controler and didn't think it was that bad. I enjoyed the story and the music too. It's a short game but there is some replay value if you liked it enough to go back and find all the secrets. As for all my reviews, buy it on sale. haha 7.5/10
• gamedeal user

  Nov 14, 2016

  I'm reviewing this game as it's in a bubble. There's an updated version of the game, that interested people should get. It seems to be just an improved version of A.R.E.S., if so, that's what you want. A.R.E.S. is almost a Mega Man game. You get a character which has a array of guns, who runs through levels populated by enemies, and beats them by shooting them. However this game falls short of that mark because a few features. While the hero doesn't defeat enemies and get their powers, he does beat an enemy and often gets an upgrade but he doesn't receive a specific power. In addition this is a linear game. There's five levels and the player has to beat each in order, though he's able to go back and replay old levels. That doesn't make it a bad game, but anyone looking to replace the blue bomber with this game might feel it falls short, however the game is still a great game, and will remind players of Mega Man, even when it's clear this is different. One big change in this game is the player is able to shoot in any direction, instead of just forwards and backwards, and that allows the player to have a better fluidity of motion. There's also a few alternate attacks that ramp up the power. There's a cannon that comes in and fires down, laying waste to enemies in the way. There's also a pair of grenades that can help destroy enemies in the way. However the grenades have ammo, and they have to be replenished almost constantly. The cost is cheap, but at the same time, this comes from the same currency you use to upgrade your weapons, so for my game I rarely used the grenades. Overall though A.R.E.S. is a fun simple game. It's a bit short, though there's a difficulty mode that definitely will challenge the player, a number of achievements that have different challenges attached, and a scoring system for the die hard fans. For five bucks, it's easy to recommend this (or the remake). It might not be anyone's favorite game, but it's a rather enjoyable sidescroller.
• gamedeal user

  Jun 29, 2018

  this is a good mega man clone. it does take a bit to get used to the controls as you aim and shoot with the mouse and use the keyboard for movement and jumping but this lets you shoot anything in a 360 degree arc. (i didn't bother trying a controller because if i can't use the analog stick with fps i wasn't gonna try it here) the upgrades, armors, and new weapons are nice and make the game fun. i only have 2 issues with is game though. 1)jumping is not perfect and i had issues getting up the one shaft you're chased up with an instant death failure and no, it's not cause of the insta-death! this game did a good job of NOT over using that. 2)this game ends on a cliffhanger and instead of making a #2 they did a remake.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 15, 2018

  Short, repetitive, grindy. Sidescroller with some Metroidvana elements like different weapons and armor, which is great. The downside is you only get a couple of levels, which are all rather short. To get to the good stuff (a.k.a. high tier weapons & armor) you'll have to play the same levels again... and again... and again... and *snore* sorry, got bored. Stay away, there are better options out there.
• gamedeal user

  Aug 24, 2018

  Bought it during the sale. But then figured out, that there is no sense to buy it at all! As there is A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda EX - enhanced and updated version of A.R.E.S. without possibility to update Agenda to Agenda EX. So DON'T buy THIS version of game - it's USELESS! Proceed to EX version directly, instead. https://store.steampowered.com/app/315340/ARES_Extinction_Agenda_EX/