So, uh, I picked up Hotline Miami for 50% off on Steam and thought I’d give it a “quick try” earlier.

Five hours and an achievement for dying a thousand times later, I appear to have finished it.

That was… Well. Quite something. Gosh.

Also, where the fuck did my evening go?

@unmanneddrone @cgrajko @redswir1 Having just completed Hotline Miami this morning, I also would include it as one of my favourite games in 2012. Love the vibe this game has. The twitchy nature of the action, the graphic violence, the 80s neon lighting, the absolutely amazing synth soundtrack that accompanies it. Everything about this game screams 80s drug bender. Never completely approaches Super Meat Boy level of brutal difficulty/ repeated attempts but I could see it get there for some.

I tended to stick to that mask as well @cgrajko – the fists of fury really helped keep things stealthy. I would also love to hear your theory – if only because the game can lead to interesting interpretations and I’m curious where yours went.

@sinfony Awesome. I don’t think I’ve met another bloke who had played it! What a rich and intriguing world, like some sort of techno-Crimson Skies. I really hope we see another Yager down the line, especially with current gen/next-gen tech. Both that and Battle Engine Aquila need high definition sequels. Two absolute favourites.

@cgrajko That game leaves a fellow breathless and twitchy.

@unmanneddrone @redswir1 Hotline Miami is also one of my favorites of the year. I talk mush about it during the final segment of the most recent Squadcast that we recorded. I love how eventually you go from playing really timidly (because everything is ridiculously lethal) to just bursting through doors and slaughtering fools with your hands. I can’t remember the name of the mask, but the one that lets you kill stuff with your bare fists has become my favorite. (I also love the one that kills enemies by opening doors on them, but there’s something so beautiful about becoming a vortex of carnage with just your fists I can’t pass up.)

I also have a theory that it’s impossible to discuss this game without coming off as completely misanthropic and sociopathic. As @unmanneddrone said to me when we were discussing the game over Steam, “this is the game that parents have been worried about their kids playing for years.”

@cgrajko Good stuff, man. Stunning game.

I got Hotline Miami as a gift, and it is excellent. I remember @bluesforbuddha doing a big writeup on Super Meatboy a while back, and I think Hotline Miami appeals to the same part of the brain.

For those who are only familiar with the aesthetic, which is definitely wonderful, there’s also a good game underneath the gritty, late 80’s bathed in neon Miami veneer. I’m only four or five chapters in (out of 15, I believe), but the story is as such: you get calls on your answering machine telling you to go to a certain place and do something. (SPOILER: THE THING YOU END UP DOING IS WRECKING FOOLS’ FACES WITH BATS, PIPES, KNIVES, AND GUNS.)

The game plays like a puzzle/action hybrid in which every enemy is incredibly lethal. Each level is meant to be played and replayed in order to beat it as quickly as possible, without dying, and while killing as many people as you can in rapid succession. Given that it’s incredibly brutal, you may spend 20 minutes on a level but only spend about 30 seconds on your final run through the level. Normally I would find this type of game play frustrating, but it’s really gratifying to finish a level that you’ve been struggling with. And, I’m not kidding when I say the enemies are lethal. Being spotted without being 1/4 of a second away from smashing their face in with a bat will end in your death. One time I successfully evaded an enemy’s attack only to have him double back and stab me less than a second later. It’s not about being quick, though, it’s about being smart and careful.

Right now I’m on a level in which everyone seems to have a gun and using a gun yourself draws a ridiculous amount of attention. I have to do things like open a door to knock an enemy down, cross the room to kill someone with a gun, and then double back to kill the downed enemy before he gets up. The game wants you to create your perfect run through the levels, and it’s a lot of fun to do so.