 STEAM DRUNK! Earlier this week I posted a video about retro-styled games that were made in the last few years, and of course there were a deluge of comments talking about how I missed such-and-such game, but one in particular I wanted to address was Hotline Miami, just because this game is such a crazy trip. I should mention right off the bat though that this kind of thing probably isn't for everyone, so I'll address two things right away. First, this is a roving shooter that takes a top-down floor plan perspective, a lot like Grand Theft Auto II, if you remember that one. This game was made for keyboard and mouse controls, which is how I played it, but even then it's a bit tough to get used to. Sure, it's easy to be accurate with weapons using the mouse, but movement can get a bit wonky and takes a while to get used to. When playing this on a controller, the opposite is in effect. Movement is smooth, but it can be tricky to aim, so there's all that to take into consideration. Secondly, Hotline Miami's art direction is completely insane, as you can clearly see. The game is set in 1989 in the city of Miami, so you know what that means, an excuse to overload the screen with so many neon colors, your TV will start emitting smoke. The music here is fantastic all the way through, but the visuals can be kind of a mess sometimes. So yeah, the top-down viewpoint controls in the art direction here may be dealbreakers for some people, so I have to put that out there right away, but personally, as spastic as crazy as this game looks, I don't mind it, but I understand if, to you, it looks like a vomited bowl of fruity pebbles. If neither of those aspects bother you, then man, oh man, Hotline Miami is nuts. The story first has you walking into a dark room with three people wearing masks, telling you what an awful person you are because of what happened on April the 3rd. So we go back to April 3rd, and uh, there's nothing here, except for a message on your answering machine, which tells you you've got cookies delivered to your doorstep? What? Check the box and inside is a chicken mask with a list of instructions to retrieve a briefcase. So mindlessly, you do what you're told, and you brutally massacre a bunch of people along the way, using shotguns, baseball bats, or maybe just your fists. What stands out here is the pacing. This game is so freaking fast. You die and respawn immediately at just the push of a button without the music skipping even a beat. Anyway, you deliver the briefcase where it needs to go, and then your character, who's since been dubbed Jacket by fans of the game, seems to realize what the hell he's just done, and promptly vomits all over the floor. Later on, you receive a newsletter from a group called 50 Blessings, and another voice message with another mission. You complete this mission, same sort of deal, lots of carnage and all that. Only this time, afterward, you find things aren't what they seem. For instance, the same guy that works at the convenience store also works at the pizza place, and when you go to order your pizza, it's already been made. Huh. That's how Hotline Miami hooks you. It's not just the gameplay or the art style. It's how you as the player are supposed to piece together what in the hell is supposed to be happening. Are you dreaming? Is it reality? Are you being manipulated or set up? And what's with all these rubber masks? After playing this one for a while, your own sanity will be hanging by a thread. This game is paced so quickly, it's only about a two hour playthrough, but it feels so much longer. Hotline Miami has an uncommon feel of desperation about it, and an intensity that makes you feel like you're sweating from your eyeballs. If you dig this kind of thing, you're in luck, because there's a lot more of it out there. There's Hotline Miami 2, Wrong Number, available on PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, and Android, which fills in some of the blanks before and after the original game takes place, and, plus, more importantly, it's got more weapons, more carnage, and more chaos. It also has a level editor, which is a lot of fun to mess around with. But yeah, I just wanted to take a quick look at the original Hotline Miami, because I know many subscribers to this channel are here for Super Nintendo or Genesis stuff or whatever, and maybe games like this just kind of pass them by. This game isn't perfect, certain missions don't really fit in with the rest of the game's pacing, and the controls and overall aesthetic may not be for everyone. But if you want a crazy, intense, fast-paced shooter with lots of carnage, then you definitely got to check this one out. And if you like it, hey, there's a lot more where that came from. The original Hotline Miami is available on Steam, PS3, PS4, Vita, and Android. And thanks for watching, and have a good rest of your day.