DeVuego

To clear the palate, and because it’s so much fun, I put some time in with Robotron 2084 after I decided I was done with this game. For reference’s sake, I only discovered Robotron in recent years and have no history with the title to feel nostalgic about. It still holds up, though. The ramping up the challenge is perfect, allowing the player to get used to enemy behavior before moving to the next wave. It’s still relentless, requiring an almost superhuman level of situational awareness and quick reflexes. It is a masterwork on how to destroy a player but leave them wanting more. Bot Vice, on the other hand, is missing that magic. With another pass for tuning, the title could be something really special. All the pieces are already there. For now, though, it is something that should only be acknowledged by the truly masochistic.