Home > Reviews
|
Multiplayer Game Reviews
February 8, 2011
 Blade Kitten is cute. I mean, common! It is one of the cutest games that I have ever played. One look at the neko main character with her big anime eyes and her fuzzy little ears and I was pretty much hooked from “meow!” Blade Kitten is riddled with all of the things that make an action game wonderful. Powerful characters that you actually care about, beautiful artwork, and impressive voice actors make this a real diamond in the rough.
Besides being cute, the game is wonderfully rendered. It is an action game so the controls and motion are very important. During a great portion of the game, you are fighting. There is nothing more annoying when playing a game than mashing a button and having the character refuse to move in response. For this game, those scenes are poetry in motion. From swirling blows to jumping across platforms, our neko friend delivers.
 You play as a somewhat goofy cat girl named Kit. Our hero is a bounty hunter out for her next adventure with the help of her sidekick. It is a rather simple story that carries itself with a semi-humorous vibe that was at one engaging and relaxing. As I stated before the characters are well written. You care not only about the main character but also about her sidekick while playing.
Now, of course no game is perfect. This one comes close but there are some concerns that I need to mention. First of all, I will say the game is one that becomes a lot easier and more fun to play if you have the ability to hook up a controller to your computer. It is not required but it can make your adventure run quite a bit more smoothly. Another concern I had is that the game is a bit…stretched.  It is a bit like a book that would have been fantastic if it had stopped at ten chapters but instead it went fifteen. It is not annoying enough to make the book awful but you can definitely tell they were scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Those concerns being voice I really did enjoy this game. It is cute, quirky fun and who doesn’t like cat girls? For that matter, who doesn’t like cute girls in awesome outfits kicking butt? That’s what I thought. Everyone wants to spend a few hours of their time following the life of something cuddly and lethal. That is what Blade Kitten offers.
Game: Blade Kitten | Developer: Krome Studios
February 7, 2011
 Those are zombie magnets. No, I'm not kidding. Flaming Zombooka 2 is a game that has you shoot zombies with a bazooka and solve puzzles.
The goal is to kill every zombie in each level without killing any humans. There are obstacles in your way, so in order to get all of them you’ll have to do some clever shooting. There are also things to help you, like saw-blades, barrels of explosive radioactive waste, and land mines. While normally these items merely allow you to slay zombies with a little bit of style, there are super zombies that are immune to bazooka shells so you’ll need to kill them by other means.
There are also several types of ammo to use. There is the slider, a golden projectile that slide across the ground; the bouncy, a pink shell that bounces like a super ball; and the dropper, a missile that drops parachuting bombs as it flies.
 Why yes, that is a chunk of zombie flying over my head. Thank you for noticing. Quite frankly, pretty much everything about Flaming Zombooka 2 is counter-intuitive. First of all, the bazooka does almost no damage. You can shoot a zombie in the chest and it will merely fall over. And worse, the humans will take a bazooka shell in the face without flinching. I’m not really sure what the point of giving you a bazooka is if you can’t blow stuff up. (You can explode a zombie if you get a headshot, though.) And magnets that only attract zombies, yet the steel saw-blades are unaffected? Oh, and you activate land mines by shooting them with a bazooka! Come on!
Worse than the questionable physics is that fact that there is a button to reset the level in case you screw up, but if you kill a human or yourself, you are no longer able to use that button. And that’s when you need it most. Otherwise you have to go back to a screen that tells you that you failed before you can try again. And there is no option to quit to level select. If you want to switch levels once a level has started, you need to go back to the start menu, select a character and then finally select a new level. Sure these aren’t game-breaking, but it gets annoying pretty quickly.
I know this sounds like a good idea on paper – I mean, who doesn’t want to ’splosify some zombies? – but it’s an idea that was poorly implemented. Sadly, Flaming Zombooka 2 is just another forgettable zombie game.
 You can tell which ones are zombies by their green skin and their enthusiasm for 1970s fashion. Game: Flaming Zombooka 2| Developer: TurboNuke, robotJAM, and Long Animals
January 29, 2011
Sniper Assassin has set the standard for all web based sniper games. There is a new one on the scene and to be honest it does a pretty good job of trying to match the SA series.
Sneaky sniper follows the same basic set of characteristics that made SA popular in the first place. The stick figures mean the game engine does not take forever to load, and this combined with pretty basic terrain and backgrounds makes for a very fast paced game.
Control is very simple, you move the scope around with your mouse and when you are confident that you have the right target you click to fire. The scope is not small, which is often a problem in sniper based games, and you can see plenty of what is going on in each level.
 Use the mouse to move the scope over your targets The levels work in a very simple way. You are given a clear brief at the start of each that tells you what you must or must not do to qualify for the next mission. Follow these instructions to the letter and you will quickly fly through the game. If you fail then you can have another go but you shouldn’t really because the lay out and design of each level is so basic.
The only problem is that there is no developed story line, which made the SA series popular. However, had this been included then the similarities may have been too similar and this would have taken emphasis away from the individuality of the game.
There is no annoying soundtrack, which you quite often get with action based shooting games. However, there is a gap for it in this game. The levels are really basic, which can make the game get quite boring and an upbeat and good track would help move things along.
 Take out targets quickly before they can react All in all Sneaky Sniper is a pretty good attempt at a sniper based web game. If you’re bored of work or revision then this is a great game. It will take your mind off of other things and keep you occupied for a good number of levels.
Game: Sneaky Sniper http://www.addictinggames.com/sneaky-sniper-game.html | Developer: Sniping Games http://www.snipinggames.net/
January 17, 2011
 Sure, you've seen this menu before. But have you seen it from this angle? The original Mega Man game series was a must-play in the 1980s, with creative gameplay, interesting boss fights, and some of the best music in the industry. Perhaps that is why we are still infatuated with the Blue Bomber to this day.
Cutman Mike loves Mega Man perhaps a little more than the average fanboy though. He spent over a year building his very own tribute to the Blue Bomber with the phenomenal Mega Man 8-Bit Deathmatch. This first-person shooter takes the Mega Man world and puts it into 3D using the Doom game engine. Of course, 8-bit graphics and music have been taken directly from the classic Mega Man series.
Mega Man 8-Bit Deathmatch allows players to choose a character from the Mega Man universe and frag other characters in arena battles. There are weapons and powerups scattered around each map, and fighters collect these as they blast their opponents. There are over 50 weapons in all, every single one of them taken from the classic Mega Man games.
The maps are all 3D re-imaginings of levels from the old Mega Man games as well. Long-time fans will smile as they recognize many of their favorite places.
 Mega Man vs. Mega Man. This will definitely get interesting. There is a single-player mode, in which you work your way through the Mega Man games in order and battle AI opponents. This is pretty cool, but the real fun of the game comes from the online multiplayer, where you can frag your friends or random strangers. Players can join any of the established servers or even host their own.
My only complaint about this game is that players are not given any help as far as downloading custom map packs. If a server is running a map pack that a player doesn’t have installed, the player will not be able to join the server until that map pack is manually downloaded and placed into the correct folder. There is no option that allows you to automatically download the map packs from the server, like you can in most modern FPS games. But this is forgivable, since the game is so incredible. Players with the slightest bit of experience installing custom mods will have no problem getting all the map packs they need in order to get the game running.
Mega Man 8-Bit Deathmatch is a must-play for every Mega Man fan. It takes up a mere 60 megabytes of hard drive space and is completely free. But it does come with a word of warning: this is a fan-made project and is in no way supported by Capcom.
 Mega Man fans will have no problem recognizing these powerups.
|
|
| Gameplay: |  | | Technical: |  | | Multiplayer: | | |
Game: Mega Man 8-Bit Deathmatch | Developer: Cutman Mike
January 15, 2011
 You are helped by the incredibly encouraging messages written across each level. Hanna in a Choppa is a unique flier game, made almost completely of two colors, in which you take control of a helicopter piloted by a girl named Hanna. use the directional keys to move around and spacebar to deploy the winch. If you are especially talented, you can even do flips. Just don’t bump too many walls or you will crash, and you’ll have to start the level over again.
The beauty of the whole thing is the amount of creativity packed into each and every level. You will end up dodging fans, herding sheep, rescuing drowning sailors, and even baking a cake. And if the levels aren’t hard enough for you, you can earn a “Fast Flight” bonus for finishing a level within a specific time limit and a “Perfect Flight” bonus for finishing a level without bumping into anything. There is even a list of achievements you can occupy yourself with while flying around. However, after completing the game, I felt that it only scratched the surface of its true potential. And that’s not because it wasn’t good; it’s actually because it’s too creative. Almost every level has such a bizarre concept behind it that I felt like the developers must have had dozens more ideas for this game that we never got to see.
 This is one convoluted level map! Of course, that’s not saying there is anything wrong with this game. I started playing it at around 2:30 AM, and I wouldn’t let myself go to sleep until I had finished it. I couldn’t leave it alone.
The visual style is so incredibly simple that it’s hard not to marvel at it. It mainly uses two colors: black and orange, with a splash of white thrown in here and there. I am astounded by how much was able to be done with this minimalistic look. And the music fits perfectly. It’s this sort of soothing, yet somehow chaotic ditty that seems to match the spastic nature of the game. And it will probably get stuck in your head.
Hanna in a Choppa is a game that won me over with its unique look, and then kept me hooked through 21 insanely creative levels. I just wish that it were longer. In fact, I hope they either make a sequel, add a level pack, or introduce a level editor so we creative gamers can take a crack at building obstacles for the lovely Hanna.
 Believe me, this level is not easy! Game: Hanna in a Choppa | Developer: deeperbeige
January 13, 2011
 Big Tidy Up is an awesome game for parties. You play as little Sim-ish robots bent on making the world a cleaner place. They start out by picking up trash and then wonder what to do with it. Of course, they come up with the most perfect answer for this day and age. They decide that the only responsible thing to do with trash is to recycle it!
The opening scene for this game is absolutely charming and it makes sense for what the developers were trying to say. We see this cute, fun little robot put a can in the recycling bin meant for plastics and watch the bin make him feel sorry for his poor choice. It is funny, lighthearted, and sweet, just like everything else in this game.
 The opening menu is brightly colored and cheerful while the actual game play is fun and cute. There are clear cut, understandable instructions for each of the different mini games, which was wonderful because there are so many. In addition, every mini-game as a clever little skit that goes with it and tells you why you are picking up piles of steaming dog poop or wondering what color some random car was.
The music for this game is exactly what it is supposed to be. Chipper, fun, and exciting it gets you in the mood to recycle with our quirky little friends.
Honestly, I can’t think of a single negative that I ran into while playing this game. The only thing that I can even remotely think to mention is that the computer AI cheats. Yes, everyone says that but jeez, there is no way anyone with actual fingers could move that quickly. Besides that, this really was a perfect game.
You know, I hate the word “perfect,” but it really was. The game was beautifully rendered, it ran smoothly, and it was a lot of run. I would not be surprised if it was sponsored for a second installment. The story makes this a heartwarming story while the games make it entertaining and challenging.
The game is not only fun and cheerful it has a good message. It shows a lot of consideration, not only for the run we all have while playing it, but also for things we should do in our day-to-day lives. I am putting this on my “must have” list.
|
|
| Gameplay: | | | Technical: | | | Multiplayer: | | |
Game: Big Tidy Up | Developer: Ton3s
January 11, 2011
 Burger Tank? That sounds awesome. The original Left 4 Dead was one of the best zombie shooters of recent times (check out my review of it by clicking here.) Left 4 Dead 2 came out almost exactly a year after the original. While it kept true to the formula that made the first one so good, it brought a few new things to the table.
For example, one of the biggest complaints about the first game was that there wasn’t much of a selection of weapons. I never minded this, since I was a pretty exclusive user of the shotgun. But Left 4 Dead 2 adds some new weapon types, including melee weapons. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical of melee weapons at first, but once I hacked up a zombie with a ninja sword I was completely sold. Other melee weapons include an axe, a baseball bat, a chainsaw, a guitar, and even a cricket bat for fans of Shaun of the Dead.
Another thing that this sequel adds is a new level of violence. You will actually see zombies lose huge chunks of their faces and chests, exposing brains and rib cages. It gets pretty gruesome. But really, a zombie shooter just wouldn’t feel right without some over-the-top gore, now would it?
Left 4 Dead 2 brings players to a new location: New Orleans. It was a controversial decision to use a city recently destroyed by a major hurricane as the setting for a decaying post-apocalyptic world, since some of the imagery may hit a little too close to home. But the Old South lends itself well to the zombie shooter genre. I don’t know what it is exactly, but it just feels right. And one of the campaigns makes players fight their way through a carnival, meaning that this game includes zombie clowns.
The multiplayer versus mode has been improved since the original game, but, in my opinion, it is still a little weak. The new zombie types make it worth checking out, though. As has always been the case, it is the multiplayer co-op that puts this series a cut above the competition. Join your friends via LAN or internet connection, and you will find it hard to put this one down.
Left 4 Dead 2 is one of the best co-operative gaming experiences you can have. Don’t even think about it; just go purchase it today.
 Ninja sword vs. zombie clown. This is going to be epic.
|
|
| Gameplay: | | | Technical: | | | Multiplayer: |  | |
Game: Left 4 Dead 2 | Developer: Valve
January 10, 2011
 I received The Maw as a gift from a friend. At first I was confused why she would send me such a random game but after playing it for half an hour I think I’m going to go give her a big fat kiss. The Maw is not the kind of game I would have picked on my own but thank goodness we all have good friends who know what we should be playing even when we do not ourselves, huh?
Now, my friend obviously did not just pick this game out of a hat and send it to me. At least I do not think she did. She is really not that lucky. The thing is, she knows that I love Indie games. Especially ones that are fantastic. That turns out to be the reason she sent this one to me. The Maw is cute, funny, and absolutely wonderful. It turned out to be one of the best games I’ve played in a long time…but don’t tell my friend that. She’ll think I owe her one.
My first impressions of the game itself were pleasing. The models they used for it are wonderful and seamless. There are no voices in this game. At least none of the characters speaks a particular language. Instead, they tell the story with their actions and beautiful facial expressions. Even though they are aliens, you get the distinct feeling that they are very, very human.
The story of The Maw is heartwarming and hilarious. Two aliens are thrown into a strange world together. They have to rely on one another to get around. Maw is this bottomless pit of an alien that is lead around by the other alien of the game. As the player, you lead them around, watching him eat a number of different beings. When he does so, he not only grows in size but he gains some of their attributes as well. For instance, he eats a kind of fire lizard (after you put it out, of course) and is able to breathe fire. This helps the pair get past obstacles and brings them closer together.
This was a heartwarming and sweet game. Peppered with humor and smooth game play, it is one of those games that it is hard to find fault with. It was charming and cute, all the things I would hope to find in any game, be it Indie or not. This one is really cut from quality cloth.
Game: The Maw | Developer: Twisted Pixel Games
January 8, 2011
 Fast Food is definitely a game right up my alley, so if you’re a fan of games like Diner Dash or Building Cakes, this will be just what you were looking for too. Let me just start off by saying that even though this game looks fairly simple it is also a lot of hard work. Have you ever worked a busy fast food joint buried deep into lunch hour traffic?
Just imagine it. Costumer number one wants a double cheeseburger, small coke, and medium fries. Costumer number two wants a small fry and a medium coke. Costumer number three is asking for a small coke- no, sprite, a large fry, and a regular cheeseburger. The cooks are yelling in your ear, the manager is shouting for fresh onion rings, and something, somewhere has been beeping for the last ten minutes. The line is getting longer and people are glaring at you. Your head is racing and your hands are shaking. Bags are sliding towards you and suddenly– you are back in your room, controller in hands.
Now, most people would not necessarily call that fun but for a nice little adrenaline rush, it’s the perfect set up. It is also exactly what Fast Food offers. Fast Food is all about speed and memory. You have three bags on your conveyor belt, dozens of different food options, and a costumer who knows what he wants and isn’t going to settle for anything less or slower.
Basically, if you can manage to get the bags filled with the right stuff in a reasonable amount of time you are golden. If not…well, unhappy costumers reflect on your paycheck. Eventually they’ll leave but you don’t have to get it right the first time in order to gain the points from their order. It helps if you do, of course, but the key is not to panic. As long as you don’t get too frustrated you’ll get it eventually.
This is a game I would recommend to just about anyone. It is simple and brightly colored so it is something you could play with the family. At the same time, in later levels it is enough of a challenge that I think any of the more hardcore players could have a good time testing their speed too. This was a great game.
Game: Fast Food | Developer: magma2280
January 4, 2011
 Meat Boy Fail. OK, I’m sure everyone already knows how great Super Meat Boy is by now. So I’m going to skip right to the part where I explain why it’s so great.
First of all, there’s the cartoonish visual appeal. From the second you turn the thing on, it promises to be a delightful experience with it’s bright colors and fun artwork. The characters are goofy-looking, yet slightly off, in a way that is remarkably appealing. These aren’t your Saturday morning cartoon characters; they are the outcasts of the cartoon scene. And that makes them interesting, gives them dimension. Just looking at these oddities makes you want to hang out with them.
Next up: the music. Super Meat Boy’s soundtrack is brilliant. The Hell music (yes, you must jump and dash your way through Hell) is one of the best songs to ever be in a video game. And I mean that.
 So much blood! The level design is perfect. It begins fairly easy, but very rapidly increases in difficulty until it is downright brutal. You will need extremely precise timing and complete mastery of Meat Boy’s jumping, sticking, and wall-sliding. But the control scheme is airtight. You will feel you have complete control. And that means that when you die – and you will die a lot – you will know you did so because you messed up, not because the controls weren’t precise enough.
Of course, this brings me to my one piece of criticism. Super Meat Boy’s PC launch was a disaster. The game launched with a damaged control scheme, and only supported one controller type. I won’t go into this any further, since I covered it pretty well in this article, but Team Meat was quick to respond. Within two days, the problem was fixed, multiple controller models were supported, and to somewhat make it up to loyal fans, a new character was added to the lineup via a brand new cheat code unveiled on the official Super Meat Boy website.
 This may be Hell for Super Meat Boy, but it's gaming Heaven! Team Meat truly turned the game’s biggest flaw into a positive thing. The amount of dedication to ensuring this game works like it should is incredible. The biggest video game releases don’t even get their bugs worked out this quickly.
And one more thing. Super Meat Boy pays tribute to decades of gaming. The developers obviously grew up playing and loving video games. If I even began to list some of the examples of clever homages this game makes to other games, this review would grow as uncontrollably and wildly as that plant from The Little Shop of Horrors. So I’ll just leave it alone and let you discover these tidbits on your own.
Super Meat Boy is amazing. Just go buy it. You won’t be disappointed.
 Just a couple more saw blades. You can do it, Meat Boy! Game: Super Meat Boy | Developer: Team Meat
January 2, 2011
 Francis and Zoey. Zombie apocalypse survivors. You may ask yourself, “Do we really need another zombie shooter?” Well, Left 4 Dead proves that yes, we most certainly do.
This game is brilliant. It’s not just any old generic zombie game or some Resident Evil clone, this is FPS gaming at its finest. Left 4 Dead takes classic first-person shooter action and brings a lot of new concepts to the table.
The most obvious new concept (the one represented by the 4 in the title) is that this is not a solo game. There are four characters working together to survive the zombie apocalypse. Whether these characters are controlled by AI, your friends, or complete strangers matched with you by their skill level, there will always be four of them. Unless, of course, one of them dies.
Another great concept is that this game has one of the coolest weapons ever in a zombie game: the pipe bomb. But this isn’t just some thing a teenager hastily slapped together using ideas he got from The Anarchist’s Cookbook, this is a seriously well-designed piece of equipment. Attached to this bomb is a beeper, that for some reason attracts zombies to it like flies on poo. A well tossed pipe bomb can pull hidden zombies out into the open, and can do ridiculous amounts of damage. It’s not unheard of to take out thirty zombies with a single one of these explosive masterpieces.
 The safe room is good. Left 4 Dead has a way of getting under my skin and scaring me in ways that other horror games were never able to. There are a couple reasons for this. First of all, there is darkness. I’m not talking about the dim-lit shadowy corners so commonly found in these types of games, I’m talking complete pitch black. You have a flashlight attached to your gun, and sometimes this tiny beam is the only light you have to see by. And this can be utterly terrifying in a pitch dark room when a majority of your surroundings are completely blacked out yet you can hear things moving, breathing, moaning, running… NOOOOOO!
Another reason this game actually scares me is the witch. There is an elite type of zombie called a witch that hides in corners and makes one of the most unnerving moaning sounds I’ve ever heard. Then, when you least expect it, the witch will shriek and charge with glowing eyes and foot-long claws. I start getting nervous just thinking about those things!
 Brain-splattering carnage. My one complaint about Left 4 Dead is the multiplayer mode. Not cooperative multiplayer, but versus. The versus mode seems to be almost carelessly tacked on. While it is pretty cool to play as one of the elite zombies, it’s kind of annoying to have a zombie class randomly selected for you. Especially as a beginner, since you will most likely die before you get your zombie type figured out, and then be reassigned to a new class.
But the multiplayer co-op more than makes up for it. That is the real meat of the game. That’s where you team up with three of your friends online or via LAN, and you blast away zombies into the wee hours of the night. Yeah, it’s a lot of fun.
Left 4 Dead is one of the best zombie shooters out there. If you like zombies, do yourself a favor and pick this one up.
 So freakin' dark!
|
|
| Gameplay: | | | Technical: | | | Multiplayer: | | |
Game: Left 4 Dead | Developer: Valve
December 24, 2010
 The same developer who made Monkey Island made Deathspank. That really should be enough of a reason to play it but I did not actually know that the first time I picked it up. To be honest, the real reason I bought this game (yes, I do mean bought) is because it was beautiful. I was flipping through a number of screenshots and just, on a whim, ended up looking through these. I have been proven wrong quite a few times but I still believe that no one would make a game look this beautiful, take that much time, and then give me a crappy end product. Therefore, I took a chance and bought it.
Boy, am I happy I did. Deathspank was a wonderful game filled with charmingly funny characters, interesting conversation, and a fighting system that did not bore me to tears.
Now, if you did play Monkey Island you probably expect a certain degree of humor for this game. I do not know what I would have done if the game had not been funny (I probably would have cried myself to sleep) but thankfully, we don’t have to find out. The game continues with that wit and fail that we all know and love.
Now, besides the aesthetics and the humor this is still a fantastic game. You play as a person named Deathspank (go figure), who is on a quest to find an Artifact. The way he goes about doing this is somewhat different from what you may expect from an RPG. It is not so much hacking apart a few bosses and gathering items as much as it is…doing people favors. Some of which involve hacking up monsters, but that is unimportant.
 I am not entirely sure if I am disappointed that our hero in this game is not really much of a hero or if I find the change refreshing. I think, for the most part, I am glad that Deathspank is a little bit more of himself and a bit less…well, Link. Strong characters are hard to find these days but I think we have found one for sure within our hapless Deathspank.
The world that Deathspank lives in is a great wide one. You can find dozens of side quests, though they do get a little monotonous after a while, hook up with friends, or just wander around killing things. Which doesn’t really further the story but I enjoy a little mindless death from time to time, so take that evil unicorn!
Game: DeathSpank | Developer: Hothead Games
December 18, 2010
 Well, I suppose a badly damaged ship is better than a non-intact one. VVVVVV is a game that brings a nostalgic tear to my eye. It’s the exact sort of game I grew up playing, so I can relate to it. I fully understand what it is trying to accomplish, and not only is it successful at this, it is executed brilliantly and beautifully.
The premise is simple: you take control of the captain of a damaged spaceship and try to find the five other crew members who have been scattered across the ship (all of whom have names beginning with the letter V.) Instead of jumping, you have the ability to reverse the direction of gravity at will. So you will spend about half your time upside-down.
Now let’s talk about the difficulty. This game is hard. ridiculously hard. Now, when it comes to platform games, I’m not so shabby. But before I played this game for a single hour, I had managed to rack up over 600 deaths (yes, the game keeps track.) That’s over 10 deaths per minute. That means I died at least once every six seconds. And if you think that’s bad, by the time I hit the three hour mark I was getting close to 2,000. The gravity-reversal gameplay style is a little awkward at first. I guarantee you will find yourself attempting to jump over and over again, only to be hurled feet-first toward the ceiling. But you will eventually get used to it. And when you do, a brand new world of vintage gaming opens up to you.
 I'm embarrassed to admit how many times I died here. But with VVVVVV, the difficulty isn’t a flaw. In fact, it is part of the charm. You may die a lot, but you have an unlimited supply of lives and you respawn almost instantly at the last checkpoint you hit. The checkpoints are close enough together that dying won’t ever set you back very far.
Any vintage gamer will tell you that these graphics are beautiful. 8-bit simplicity. None of this 3d engine, virtual world bullcrap. And the soundtrack is so good that just thinking about it makes me start to sweat with excitement. Yeah, it gets a little repetitive after a while, but you’ll probably be swearing too loudly to hear it since you will be dying so much. If you do manage to keep yourself composed without being completely overtaken with fits of nerdrage, you will be treated to a delectable orchestra of 8-bit melodies.
If you grew up playing 8-bit NES games and long for a time when gameplay was king, VVVVVV is perfect. OK, let me restate that without the unnecessary modifying phrases: VVVVVV is perfect.
 Spikes and platforms. Spikes and platforms. Game: VVVVVV | Developer: Distractionware
December 11, 2010
 Be careful to avoid the glowing stars. They'll burn you up, and they won't even care. Curse them and their multi-billion year lifespans! Galaxy Jumper is a Flash game that puts a unique twist on the platform jumper genre. You control a frog who can leap through space. Now, According to Isaac Newton, an object in motion will remain in motion until some other force acts upon it. In other words, stuff in space never stops moving until it hits other stuff. So every time this frog jumps, he will keep moving until he hits an asteroid or planet. That basic law of physics is pretty much the foundation of this game.
There is only one command in the entire game: jump. You must navigate through fields of planet-like objects, collecting keys and coins. In order to open the exit, you must collect every key in a level. The coins are used as currency so you can buy more levels. You access these levels by hopping across space on a main map (let’s call it the galaxy map).
 If a space frog wasn't odd enough for you, how about a space insect? The look and feel of Galaxy Jumper is just about perfect. The frog, the keys, and the enemies are all silhouettes against a brightly colored sky. The planetary objects almost look like they were hand shaded with a pencil. And to top it off, the soundtrack is satisfyingly mysterious.
While I admire the creativity and appealing aesthetic of this game, I have a couple complaints. First of all, the controls don’t feel very responsive. In a game where split-second timing is often required to get past an obstacle, it’s extremely frustrating when you hit a button and nothing happens. My other complaint is that the galaxy map is confusing. You are often asked to make leaps of faith in order to find the next level. While that sort of thing might be okay inside a level, it’s completely out of place on your galaxy map. (Imagine Mario dying on the World Map in Super Mario Bros. 3. Utterly ridiculous!)
Galaxy Jumper is a one-of-a-kind platform jumper that is pretty, but could probably use a bit of polish. With a tighter control scheme and a more comprehensive galaxy map, this game could be great.
 Froggy went and got himself vaporized. (Yes, that cloud of dust on the left hand side of the screen is all that's left of him...) Game: Galaxy Jumper | Developer: One Life Remains
December 8, 2010
 So much destruction... If you’re a gamer who hasn’t heard of StarCraft, then you must have been living under a rock since the late 1990s. It’s the game that has so much attention that it’s actually become one of the national sports of South Korea. (I know that sounds like a bizarre internet rumor, but it’s actually a fact.) So when Blizzard decided to make a sequel, you can imagine there was an insane amount of pressure for them to make a superior product.
(In case you haven’t heard of this series, it’s a science fiction real-time strategy game, or RTS, in which you build an economy, then create and command an army to do battle against the armies of other players. If you picture a combination of Risk, Chess, and actual warfare, which takes place on alien planets, includes detailed animations, and does not require players to take turns, you’ll have the most vague idea of the premise behind this game.)
So does StarCraft II hold up to its legacy? Well, yes and no, depending on your perspective. The soldiers are very well balanced, an outstanding feat on Blizzard’s part. There are three races in the game: Terran, Protoss, and Zerg. Each race plays completely different than the others, yet in battles between races, neither side has an unfair advantage. Each race has its own foot soldiers, ground vehicles, and starships, and these units are balanced against each other in an almost rock-paper-scissors manner. So rather than picking the “best” race, you must pick the race that most compliments your playstyle. Any nerdrage comments like, “Not fair! Blizzard needs to nerf such-and-such!” are completely unreasonable. (There may have been a few tiny issues when the game first shipped, but Blizzard was very quick about fixing those with patches. StarCraft II in its current state is very balanced.)
 The Protoss ineffectively try to drive back the Terran army. I think this round is pretty much over. However, many long-term players are disappointed in Turbine’s integration of Battle.net. You cannot play StarCraft II without registering on Battle.net, where your stats will be tracked and your achievements saved. Of course, this means that you are pretty much dependent on an internet connection, even when playing the game offline. (You can play offline, but your achievements are awarded via the Battle.net website. It’s quite possible to miss out on achievements if you decide to play the game without logging in.) And there is no LAN support either, meaning if you want to play against your friends, you’ll have to do it over an internet connection.
Another common gripe is the way leagues are set up. Once you start playing against other players, you will be put into a pool of 100 players. You can move up in rank until you reach higher leagues, but your stats will not be measured against players from other player pools. So even if you are the top-ranked player in your pool, you are probably not the top-ranked player in the game. There is currently no in-game way to measure yourself against every other StarCraft II player, so leaderboards lose a lot of their driving force.
However, whether you love Battle.net and the ranking system or hate them, StarCraft II is still one of the most incredible gaming experiences out there right now. Besides the multiplayer mode (which is honestly the real meat of the game) there is a 29-mission single-player story mode. And the storyline is fantastic. Some of the cinematic cut-scenes will get you craving popcorn and a 48oz cup of soda. Yeah, it’s an almost theatrical experience.
One of my favorite aspects of the game (and admittedly one of the things that drew me toward it in the first place) is the detailed science fiction backdrop. There are far too many impressive background elements to list them all, but among them you’ll find deep canyons full of mist and static lightning, rooftop zones in major cities, and an assortment of otherworldly critters roaming, flying, and swimming about. After hours upon hours of gameplay, I still find myself discovering new holy-crap-that’s-cool, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it flourishes that bring layer after layer of depth the world of StarCraft II.
Bottom line: StarCraft II is a major event in the world of gaming, and, judging by the success of its predecessor, it will be around for a long time. In order to completely avoid it you may have to actually crawl under a rock for the next 10 years. But honestly, why would you want to miss out on this? Do yourself a favor and drop the $60. It’s well worth it for a product of this level of quality with almost infinite replay value.
Oh yes. And if you are just starting out, check out these StarCraft II hints for new players to get an early edge on the competition.
 I'm not going to lie. The Zerg gross me out a little bit.
|
|
| Gameplay: | | | Technical: | | | Multiplayer: | | |
Game: StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty | Developer: Blizzard
« Newer Posts — Older Posts »
 |
