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Multiplayer Game Reviews
May 12, 2010
 Yep, you're about to win this one. Little Stars for Little Wars
Little Stars for Little Wars (LSLW) is a game in the style of Civilizations Wars where you have individual stations where your guys build up and then you can decide to send them to another base or to attack a bad guy’s base. However, unlike Civilizations Wars, or any of the other, really, there are preset lines that you can send your guys on.
Gameplay
I didn’t originally think that I was going to like LSLW. When I saw the premise, that there were only certain places that your guys could go, I thought it was going to be very restricting. That turns out to be the opposite case. There are a few subtle differences. First, each of your bases can be in two modes: Store or Move. When in store mode, all that happens is that your guys build up inside of your base. You can send them to another base by clicking, and then everything from that one base will go wherever you clicked. To turn it into move mode, you click your base and then you drag it to another one. An arrow forms and every guy that you make gets sent to the base that it is pointing to.
 Harder than it looks. These changes make for a very interesting game. First, you have to think about covering your tail. Second, tactically you have to think about how many different connections you have to have. There is a pause button, and you can even issue commands when paused, which allows you to take your time and think, a noticeable upgrade from the other games of this ilk. I found that the smaller levels were harder than the bigger ones, if only because there is a smaller margin for error.
Technical
There were only a few bugs in this game. First off, this game is very simple. You only have to worry about using your mouse to click or click and drag. That’s it. However, sometimes things were a bit clunky. Sometimes if you simply clicked on a base that was storing, it would send a bunch of guys to another base. At best this is annoying, at worst you lose the level.
As it stands, there is only one level of difficulty. I would have liked to see a little more variation. However, that’s really my only gripe. The graphics were an awesome 80’s throwback, and this game is beautiful in its simplicity.
Final Verdict
This one took me about an hour or so to get through. I was surprised by how often I lost a level. Sometimes you get so caught up in individual battles that once you win them, you realize that another color has taken over the rest of the map and you are totally screwed. A blend of strategy and reflexes.
Game: Little Stars for Little Wars | Developer: Kendja
May 11, 2010
 It certainly is cold out here. It is very cold in the setting of Eukarion Tales. However, the high council has tasked you, so it is up to you to chop as many goblins in half as you can. That is the premise of Eukarion Tales. You run around in the snow and chop goblins.
Gameplay
If you have played Diablo, then you can skip this part. It is pretty much the same game. For those of you who haven’t this is going to be a blast. You move your guy around by clicking with the mouse. If you see a bad guy, you click on him and your guy goes over to him and starts chopping until the bad guy is dead. You can turn this feature off. This is something you will want to do if you learn any magic. Anything you pick up gets sent to your inventory. That’s when things get fun.
Half of this game is manipulating your stuff so that you get the best stats and have the best weapon. You have your general inventory, but you also have your belt. Items on your belt are activated with a hotkey. So, for example, if you had a healing potion, if you keep it in your inventory, you have to click the inventory button with your mouse and then double click the potion. If you have it on your belt, all you have to do is press the corresponding hotkey, and there you have it. You are healed.
 Gracious, that was quite a row. You can upgrade your armor and your weapons. This can be done by picking up items or buying new things with money. Not only that, but killing things gets you experience points. When you reach a certain point, you level up and you get to spend points beefing up your guy’s base attributes. So, yeah, it’s like every RPG ever made.
Technical
What really impressed me was the scope of this free flash game. With most RPG flash games, you can figure you have about 2-3 hours of solid playtime. Not so in this. This is a real game. The graphics are smooth. There are none of those weird visual bugs that crop up in these games and there are even off-site guides and map repositories.
The one thing I would have liked is an active map. I get lost in these games, and it’s kind of a pain to have to switch to another tab to figure out where I am. But seriously, that is my only beef with this game. The visuals get kind of repetitive. I get tired of bloody patches of snow rather quickly, but honestly I was too busy killing goblins to care.
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for a Diablo-esque RPG to play in your browser, baby this is the game for you. It will not disappoint. The upgrades are balanced, the bad guys are menacing and there is animated blood.
Game: Eukarion Tales | Developer: PM Studios
May 10, 2010
It’s sort of odd to say that I enjoy it when games surprise me. By saying that, I admit that I actually liked the fact that a game failed to meet my original expectations, but somehow still managed to please me enough so that I feel it’s only fair to give it a positive review. Hammerfight is one of the games that have won this honor. Based on the simple, straightforward name of this game I expected something equally…unimaginative. Instead I was forced to eat the words I was foolish enough to mutter while waiting for my download to complete.
I’ll begin where I always do, with the sound and visuals. Hammerfight adopts a kind of futuristic steampunk art style that warms me all the way to my little wanna-be gothic toes. Not only that but it seems to balance the hard, straight lines of gears and metal with gorgeous, flowing backgrounds of fluffy clouds and blooming flowers. I found myself listening to the unobtrusive music that played in the background almost as if it were part of the scenery. If my review were based solely on “pretty” and “shiny” this game would walk away with a five out of five, hands down.
That being said the mechanics of Hammerfight are all about continuation. You play as this flying machine with…well, a hammer connected to it. Actually, the hammer is really a mace and you use it in the same way as a mace should be used. Momentum and careful aim are what you need here, so I had a bit of trouble with the actual playing aspect of this game. Still, it was entertaining and I didn’t quit after my fifth crashing death so I’d have to say it wins in this department as well.
I’m told it’s not all that uncommon for games but I feel the need to point out the fact that this game isn’t pen friendly. If you’ve read many of my previous reviews you know by now that I play with a pen and tablet whenever the option is available to me. It wasn’t in Hammerfight which I suppose was to be expected since it’s a mouse game but still, it would have been nice to use my hardware.
All in all, I would recommend Hammerfight to anyone who wants to try out something fun and a little bit different. I wasn’t nauseous at all playing Hammerfight and none of the graphics bothered my sense of balance or sent me into a raging headache. Always a plus.
Game: Hammerfight — http://koshutin.com/ | Developer: Konstantin Koshutin — http://koshutin.com/
May 9, 2010
 If you hit one of those things you will blow up. BABOOOOM! Ghost Guidance
This may be a stretch of the imagination, but in ghost guidance you are a virus. You are the first AI that can guide spaceships. Not only that, but you can blow up the ship you are inhabiting and then cruise in a ball of energy to another spaceship. Physics definitely supports the idea that this is possible. Be careful though, every time that you blow up or decide to jump ship, you lose some of your energy. When you run out of energy, well, it’s game over man. The army deems you too dangerous to get loose, so naturally they are going to destroy you.
Gameplay
This game has easily one of the shallowest learning curves ever. The arrow keys move you around. The “a” key shoots, and the “s” key self destructs the ship you are currently inhabiting. That’s it.
 Believe it or not, that little guy will be fine. Those big ships fire at diagonals. Would you want a ship that fired that way? The game is divided up into checkpoints and then bosses. The bosses are tough actually. You have to be tenacious to beat them. I found that a strategy of always shooting and not dieing was the winner.
It seems pretty easy until the last level, which is pretty tough actually.
Technical
The graphics for this game are really cool. When you blow up something it descends in a firey cloud of smoke. I don’t really get the physics of this game though. I suppose the gist is that you have a superior AI, but the better part of the antagonists are mindless drones. Not only that, but when you inhabit them, they don’t always shoot the same way that they did before. For example, the main drone that I inhabited just seemed to drop bombs of fire behind it as its only weapon. If you were in front of it, you were fine. However, when you inhabited it, it fired forward. Does this make sense? No. Forget it though, it’s a video game.]
All told, this is a great way to kill some time and blow up some bad guys.
Game: Ghost Guidance | Developer: Nic Daniel
May 8, 2010
 Now this next game I wanted to play, just for the fact that it has such horrible reviews scattered through the web. I mean, really, I’d seen screenshots of the game and it looked like a blast and a half but the more interested I became the more I found people just ragging on the poor thing. I’ve never been one to care about the criticism of others, instead wanting to come up with my own conclusions, but it just seemed like the entire gaming community took this game and stamped it in big, red, bloody letters “Close but no cigar”.
So I decided to give it a run on my own.
If I had to describe Eternity’s Child in one word it would be “cute.” The characters are cute, the levels are cute, even most of the monsters are pretty darn cute. I don’t know how but the game is just so darn cute and not in the hippity-hoppity bunnies type way either. It’s gritty in a way that meshes quirky and beautiful. And standing as the big, fat cherry on top is the music. The music score matches up with this theme, exciting you as well as sort of sucking you in with an awe-inspiring vacuum.
Now, the wonderful artwork and kick butt music aside the game isn’t perfect. I’ve seen it written as a “work in progress,” though it is for sale. At first I wasn’t sure how to take this. Why put out a game if you’re not absolutely sure that it’s perfect? I mean, I wouldn’t buy a book that hadn’t been edited completely or a cake that was only half baked but after actually playing and considering the pros and cons I’ve decided that it’s not as bad as all of that. In fact I would say that it’s even kind of…interesting. You get the feeling after playing for a while that the world is truly interactive. It’s growing and expanding with its playe rs, getting better as we get used to the way it works.
So all of that considered I only have one real complaint for Eternity’s Child. Unfortunately, for me, it’s a pretty big one. There’s a distinct lack of storyline for this game. I don’t know the characters and that being such I can’t really force myself to care about them besides the initial wanting to prevail, not wanting to die instinct. That’s really not enough for me. I can take a glitchy or buggy game with great story but I don’t think I’d ever really be able to love a game (perfect or not) with no story.
That’s just something to think about. The game has a lot of potential but it’s very hard to overcome a first impression, no matter how dressed up you are for the second.
Game:
Eternity’s Child –http://wiiware.nintendolife.com/news/2008/08/eternitys_child_now_available_for_steam
| Developer:
Luc Bernard — http://www.lucbernard.net/
May 7, 2010
If you like racing games where all you have to do is drive insanely quickly then Highway Madness is the perfect game for you.
This game combines high paced action with some basic graphics and controls, which make the whole experience a lot more enjoyable. The format and point of the game are equally simple.
All you have to do is drive along as quickly as you can, picking up bonuses along the way. These bonuses will give you extra cash, mechanical help and speed boosts. Wait until the bar on the left of the screen is full and then use your boost, which will help you fly past other vehicles.
 Mix your driving styles for the best results The controls are simple. You just have to control the car with the keyboard arrows, using the space bar as a heavy brake and the z key for your speed boosts. It is not at all difficult to get the hang of once you have played the game for a few minutes.
There are two things which hold this game back quite a bit. The first is the annoying trance soundtrack, which covers the game and the title menus. It’s annoying and it’s a bit confusing why the developers thought it was a good idea.
Secondly, the two-dimensional graphics mean you cannot see what is in front of you. Once you hit the speed boost button you fly forward so quickly, you have zero chance of being able to dodge traffic and save damage to the car.
 Watch that damage meter! Ultimately this game is well worth a try because once you get good at it, it can be a long time before your car is destroyed and you have to go back to the garage for a re-think and some repairs.
There are many other in-depth racing games out there, which combine a storyline with having to work your way through a race and earn bonuses. This game isn’t trying to be that. It’s clearly designed for someone who may be a bit bored at work or school and wants to be a rebel for five minutes by driving in a way which would end up putting you in jail.
Highway Madness is a solid attempt at an indie racing game, but there are many other better versions currently on the internet. That’s not to say it isn’t pretty good fun.
Game: Highway Madness http://www.addictinggames.com/highwaymadness.html | Developer: Addicting Games http://www.addictinggames.com/index.html
May 6, 2010
I won’t lie to you guys. I didn’t enjoy Metal Drift. The movement of the game is a lot like running on ice. You may push forward as hard as you might but chances are still pretty darn good that you’re going to end up with a sharp curve to the left. The sounds and effects of Metal Drift are comprised either of the sick crunching noises of me getting my butt kicked or the equally humiliating voice of the announcer reminding me just how far behind in the points I am. I only managed to get through about one round of this game before I had to call it quits. Still, I figured I owed you guys a well rounded review so I asked my husband to tackle the challenge for a bit and I’m glad I did.
A game shouldn’t get a bad rap just because the player that attempts to review it is kind of lame so I watched him. As I mentioned before I had a really tough time steering and just “going” in order to chase down and kill my opposing hovercrafts. My husband took all of three minutes to not only have a firm grasp of the controls but he managed to kill two opponents in the same time as it took me how to figure moving. So, point for him even if he made it look like child’s play while I struggled aimlessly. Secondly, it wasn’t until I was watching my husband obliterate everyone else that I realized this game is actually meant to glide. Thus, I am assuming, the name Metal Drift.
Though the fast paced movement and the gliding made me a little nauseous I will admit that the graphics in Metal Drift are beautiful and seamless. Those crunching noises I mentioned before are realistic and the bass was so powerful it made my dogs bark downstairs. Apparently the mechanics of the game aren’t too hard for someone of his considerable experience but for me it was too much at once. Still, it was a nice game to watch and after a few minutes of coaching I believe my husband could get me (and my considerable bloodlust) going in the right direction of total annihilation.
All that being said, I’m going to rate this game based on my experiences after my husband helped me out. It’s a good, solid game and even though it may not be for someone who games like I do (i.e. puzzle and casual games) it’s still worth a try no matter what level of experience you have under your belt.
Game: Metal Drift — http://www.metaldrift.com/ | Developer: Black Jacket Studios — http://www.blackjacketstudios.com/
May 5, 2010
When I originally decided that I was going to review Indie games I was mostly excited about getting to play games and genres I wouldn’t normally spend time on. I wouldn’t consider myself a gaming enthusiast by a long way (at least not compared so some of the hardcore collectors and tournament players that I know) but even someone like me can always appreciate the variety and amazing growth that you can find in the gaming industry. Honestly, where else can you look at products that came out a handful of years apart and be completely floored by the differences in almost every aspect?
But still, I digress. I’ve spent the past few days of my precious gaming time on my first and most definitely not last tower defense game. Now, if you’ve never played a tower game let me go ahead and tell you what it basically is. You set up a bunch of bots and drones to withstand and annihilate waves of enemies as they try to make it through your defenses in order to get to your bases. Basically, you’re a commanding officer and your sole purpose in life is to defend those who cannot defend themselves. If you fail it’s your people who bite the bullet, which in a lot of ways is even more depressing than if you just died yourself.
At any rate I don’t have much to compare this game to by way of whether it was a good game for it’s genre but I will say that I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it myself. It wasn’t easy, which is always a plus, but it wasn’t mind numbingly difficult either. Mostly, it was challenging without making me angry. For the most part I was as much a specter of the game, having laid out my traps and sat back to watch them be sprung. It’s a game highly based on strategy and patience so if you’re not willing to spend the time on both you should probably try something different.
If you’ve never played a tower defense game I’d say it’s worth a shot. I was a little wary myself but in the end I managed to have a great time and more fun than I expected. You just might too if you dive in and don’t panic when things seem to go wrong.
Game: Sol Survivor — http://www.cadenzainteractive.com/SolSurvivor/ | Developer: Cadenza Interactive — http://www.cadenzainteractive.com/
May 4, 2010
Mushroom Madness 2 is a game where you, well, defend mushrooms. When each stage begins, you are given a certain amount of mushroom glades to watch over. Rabbits will try to dig them up, bears will try to eat them, hedgehogs will try to carry them off, and moles will pop out of the ground to steal them. Failing to stop one of these critters results in losing a mushroom. Don’t worry though, from time to time you’ll see a spider, and squashing one makes it rain. And rain makes more mushrooms grow, adding one more mushroom to each of your surviving glades. Your weapon is a tennis racket to start off with, which can be upgraded later. You will also find limited-use items such as shotguns, Gatling guns, bear traps, bombs, and plenty of others. There are crates and boxes you can open (some require keys) that give you these items and more.
 You think all these fences would keep the preditors out, but those critters are resourceful. Besides the normal game stages, there are various gameplay modes that will keep you coming back. There is “Animal Rush” where you prevent critters from racing across the screen, “Vault Defense” where you prevent the animals from getting into your bunker, “Safe Breaker” where you try to open as many safes as possible, and “Survival” which is simply an endurance run.
Every stage has three achievements, that will each earn you a star and a cash bonus. Mastering these achievements unlocks later content in the game, and you can spend your money on weapon upgrades.
While this game is a lot more addicting than I had expected, I have one complaint. The music is awful. Well, the music in the actual stages isn’t so bad, but the opening menu music will make you want to jab a rusty nail in your ear. When I first started playing, I thought it was kind of obnoxious in a funny sort of way, but after coming back a few times, it was just plain annoying.
 Each stage offers three achievements for extra coin. Mushroom Madness 2 is a very addictive defense game, if you can stomach the opening music. I recommend muting the volume until you are past the first menu. After that, though, the game is a blast.
Game: Mushroom Madness 2 | Developer: King.com
May 3, 2010
Disc Pool is a game which offers a unique and contemporary twist on a sport that has been around for decades.
The theory is exactly the same as playing Pool or snooker, the format is just slightly different. Pot your own green or red discs using the golden discs. Pot more than your opponent to win the game and score a digit against your name.
What’s more, is this is a very entertaining multiplayer game. You can create an account for free and play against opponents all over the world. You can even just sign in as a guest and play against the computer or other guests that happen to be online at the same time.
 Pot all of your pieces before your opponent The makers of the game clearly went for some basic graphics. This let them spend more time on improving the speed and efficiency of the multiplayer action and the goods are there for all to see.
The controls are very simple. All you have to do is use your mouse to drag the golden disc to your own base line. You then click and hold down, move the mouse to line up your shot and set power, then release to send the disc flying off.
Do your best not to pot any of your opponent’s pieces because this automatically gives them control of the board in the same way that they would get if you were playing a normal game of pool or snooker.
The game takes no time at all to load. This means if you are having a long day at work or trying to put something off, you can quickly log on and have your own marathon game with someone sitting on a computer on the other side of the world.
 Judge direction and power with your mouse The only disappointing aspect of this game is that the title and build up screens promise a lot more than the game actually is. You may expect some three-dimensional graphics and maybe interactive playrooms, but these simply don’t appear.
All in all, disc pool is a solid internet game. You may not have to wait too long until disc tables start being built by established manufacturers and air hockey goes off on a dramatic tangent, which either ends up as a hit or doesn’t. The game is worth it for the multiplayer functions alone.
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Game: Disc Pool http://www.miniclip.com/games/disc-pool/en/| Developer: Mini Clip http://www.miniclip.com
May 2, 2010
Smashing Toys is a racing game. You would think that after having played so many racing games they’re all pretty much the same but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Most of the innovation from Smashing Toys comes from the fact that you are indeed playing as a toy. During races and game play your toy will take damage and begin to fall apart. In addition to this inconvenience there is also the fact that while you race you gain points from damaging other cars and performing tricks. These points are absolutely essential for winning. So, basically you can run a great race, cross the finish line first: you may fumble quite a bit trying to catch up, and still lose based on the fact that all you did was race and didn’t gather any points.
The music in Smashing Toys wasn’t too distracting. It’s also not all that thrilling. After about ten minutes I actually just turned my music off, feeling it wasn’t all that important to the game itself. The graphics in Smashing Toys were pleasing but once again not the most important aspect to the game. I feel as if it was a pleasing bonus to the interesting game play.
Really the only complaint I had about Smashing Toys was the loading time. Maybe it was because of my computer, though I wasn’t really running anything strenuous, it took the game forever to start up and load each new level. Not only that but I had a real difficult time my first play through every new unlock level. The game lagged a great deal and I ended up having to load each level up, log out, and then start it up, playing it through then. It was a pain in the patella but overall the game was still enjoyable and like I said it may have been my computer.
All in all, the game is very pretty and enjoyable. Still, the real reason to play it would be the point system. In the game there is also a certain amount of attack objects and spells to keep your car from falling apart while yours stays together. I was really pleased by this new destruction feature and I hope to see it in racing games to come.
Game: Smashing Toys — http://www.leon-brothers.com/smashing_eng.html | Developer: Leon-Brothers — http://www.leon-brothers.com/
May 1, 2010
Nob war. A game, which offers something quite different from what you may expect from the title.
This little game is all about conquering the land of your enemies. These enemies get greater in strength and number as the game goes on but by then you will be hooked and determined to win in the face of mounting odds.
The game is very simplistic but resembles war games which have dominated the recent past. Think Total War but on a smaller scale. It is the role playing aspect that allows you to take on a God like role which makes this game popular.
 Fire your arrows into the green area How you get through each level is very simple. You have control over a small army. You advance them using the side arrows and use weapons by tapping a number button.
However, be warned, because the first couple of levels are pretty much all in because the ability to retreat is locked. You’ve also got to be very quick at dodging because enemy archers can significantly reduce your numbers before you’ve even started your deployment.
The graphics are very simple but that works in the game’s favour. It makes for quick and exciting game play, which means the engine won’t freeze if you take the randomly hitting any button approach to warfare.
 Quickly battle through the enemy This game is well worth a try because it’s difficult to stop playing after you have tried it for the first time. There is an auto save feature, which will allow you to go back to where you stopped. But this save is lost if you start a new campaign.
The game would have been better served though if the graphics were a little bit more real. This game only offers up stick figures, which are barely visible while running and fighting on a very small horizon.
Furthermore, if there was a multiplayer version it might have been one of the most popular online fighting or war games on the internet.
However, both of these things would substantially reduce the speed of the game play, which is the one thing that does work in favour of the game. Sit back and enjoy yourself for a few hours while you slowly start to become master of many different lands.
Game: Nob War http://www.addictinggames.com/nob-war-game.html | Developer: Nob Studio http://www.nobstudio.com/
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