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Multiplayer Game Reviews
September 5, 2010
It’s been a while since I’ve gotten off my editor’s throne and actually done a review. But it’s also been a while since I’ve found a game that I really felt I needed to make a personal commentary on. Our reviewers here do a great job with everything they do, but I’ve been feeling the itch to get back into writing myself. So, when I found myself playing through Mafia II the other day and commenting on various things to my roommate, I realized that if I was going to get back into writing myself I had to do it now. And there’s no better game out at the moment to have helped me with my creative urges than Mafia II.
Before I really get into things though, it needs to be said that this game is rated M for mature, and for good reason. Prolific violence, foul language, and nudity mean that this game is NOT for children. So please, be sensible, read the label, and don’t let your kids play games they shouldn’t be playing at a young age.
The game is set in 1940’s America, following the character Vito Scolleta (you), from his early days as a young boy in Italy, through his childhood life in America, up to his days as a soldier during World War II (where the cinematics end and the gameplay begins) and through his Mafioso days after he comes home.
Visually, the game is absolutely stunning. Sure, there are some that have been a tad better, but you’d be hard pressed to find any physical errors with the way the world looks. It captures a look and feel of the 40’s better than anything else I’ve seen from the time. The “Beaver Cleaver” suburbs, the downtown business districts, the dirty slums and even the heavily industrial dock section all received equal love and care to their visual appearance. And the characters themselves are magnificent. There are parts of the game that are gritty and dark, while others sparkle with a chrome-like sheen.
 Things can get pretty brutal in the industrial sector.
The gameplay is equally spectacular. The whole game is driven by a story that has various climaxes and down times, and works well to depict the underworld lifestyle of Vito and his mafioso friends. If you’re not putting the squeeze on someone for not paying their dues, you might be driving like a madman to evade police, boxing some fool who thinks he could take you, or lounging around the strip club and watching the story move seamlessly into the next chapter. The game also has it’s fair amount of open-endedness. You’re free to do as you please, the same as in most games like this. Your criminal activities might range from shaking down businesses for cash, stealing cars and sending them to the crusher for money, or running around trying to find the numerous collectable items (wanted posters and playboy bunny photos) hidden out in the world. Or, of course, any other creative ideas you might have for yourself.
 But sometimes you just need to make an example out of someone.
But no matter what you decide to do with your time, if you’re into a very solid story backed up by excellent gameplay and quality graphics (and are old enough to buy the game with it’s M rating), then you really can’t go wrong with Mafia II. So far, this game looks like it could be a very strong contender for the Game of the Year award I’ve been mulling over for the site.
Game: Mafia II | Developer: 2k Czech
September 3, 2010
 Land sharks? Oh great. And I thought the underwater sharks were bad enough. Time Decay is, well, interesting… In this space shooter, you take control of a UFO from Saturn. Apparently, zombie animals are being created for war, and your mission is to destroy them. Bunnies, sheep, bats, and land sharks (“air sharks” would probably have been a better term for them, since they fly) are among the zombified creatures you’ll be up against. And if you can rescue the friendly animals inside of these man-made monstrosities, that’s a bonus. To help you, there is a time decay drive on your ship. This handy gadget will slow down time so you can dodge bullets with ease. But be careful. Some animals aren’t able to move very well in real time, but Time Slow makes them go absolutely wild.
There are two bars you’ll have to keep your eyes on. The health bar (which is pretty self-explanatory) and the time decay bar, which drains when you are in Time Slow. When your health drops below a certain point, Time Slow is activated automatically, which will keep you alive a little longer when things get especially crazy. Both of these bars recharge with time, so if you get close to running out, jut find a place to hide and wait for your bars to refill.
The controls are very simple. WASD are your directional buttons; aim and shoot with the mouse. Hit the spacebar to toggle time slow on and off. It can’t get much easier than that. That makes Time Decay a great game to just hop right into without having to spend a bunch of time learning how everything works. And if these controls are still too difficult to figure out, there are sentences scattered through each levels that will explain everything. Oh yeah, and they’ll also brag about how much better Saturn is than pretty much every other planet. (Apparently, this zombie madness would never have happened on Saturn. They have laws against this sort of thing.)
One of the greatest things about this game is the music. It has a phenomenal ambient electronic soundtrack, which is made even cooler when you flip on your time decay drive and the music slows down too.
Time Decay is a very entertaining and fairly challenging space shooter with an A+ soundtrack. So get out there and fry some zombie sheep. You’ll be glad you did.
 Of course, this would never happen on Saturn. Game: Time Decay | Developer: TacticalZeppelin
August 28, 2010
 RAWR Dofus
Dofus is one of the undiscovered gems of the internet. It is a free MMORPG with over 25 million players. It is outstanding because of its battle system and its graphics. I am only going to scratch the surface with this review.
Gameplay
This is a pretty straightforward MMORPG. You have multiple character classes to choose from, of which there are 12 (from warrior to animal trainer). Then you assign your skill points and you wander around. Yes, they will train you how to move around and stuff. That’s not important. If you have started, by now you will notice how incredible the graphics are.
I have quite honestly never played a multiplayer game that is as visually appealing as this one. The creators obviously took an incredible amount of time on this, and it shows. With the blend of American rhapsody and Japanese attention to detail, you will have fun simply walking around.
 Home Sweet Home Yes, I suppose you’ll have to battle someone at some point. This leads me to the second part of what makes this an exemplary game, the battle system. It is turn based. Yes, you read that correctly. You can form a team and have 8 person turn by turn battles. It’s awesome, and it’s a thinking man’s RPG.
Technical
What is also striking is the size of the world this game inhabits. 7 continents with over a thousand monsters to battle. This is an incredibly complex game. On top of character class, you can choose a profession for your guy or gal. Maxing out is a barely attainable goal, you have to get to 200.
I’m sure you’re wondering where the word Dofus comes from. Well, a dofus is a dragon egg that you collect by finishing huge quests or beating certain dungeons. I won’t go into details, but they are very powerful.
This game is very accessible. There is not the ‘hardcore’ element that is present in most online RPGs. You can have fun battling or selling your profession. I wouldn’t say that it is a combination of Second Life and WOW, but that would be a useful way to think about it.
Final Verdict
You know what’s the best part? It’s free. WORD. Play this game. You will find it to be much more than a pleasant experience.
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Game: Dofus | Developer: Ankama
August 27, 2010
 Fortix is an adventure strategy game about reclaiming your ancestors’ land. Basically, evil beings have taken over the once fertile land of Fortiana. Your mission is to pillage castles and return glory to your rightful hands. You get to fight dragons, even.
I liked this arcade-esque game. It was really easy to get a hang of the controls and actions, which I was not really expecting. I like to look at the screenshots before I decide to try a game out and this one looked a little more complicated than what I am used to. Still, I am glad I tried it. It was one of those games that had a nice learning curve. It was not hard to get but ultimately, as the game got tougher and the controls and power ups got more advanced it was a very challenging adventure.
It is not really what the game developers focused on but I loved the story for this game. Rather than just killing for no reason or defending some nameless castle, you have a point and reason for everything you are doing. This might not seem like an important thing to everyone but to me it is really important. I do not want to do all that work for something I do not care about.
The visuals and music for Fortix are nice. The game runs smoothly and really takes you to another world while you are playing it. It is one of those games that you can really sink into. Not to mention that this is a game that is family friendly. You can play it with anyone of any ages. The mechanics are childs’ play, being very simple and easy to remember.
 One of the most obvious things about the game is also one of the most compelling. A fantasy game really sucks you into the world it sets up. This means that you do not only play as a valiant knight who battles dragons but you are also presented with many different chances to really submerge yourself in the medieval culture.
As I said before Fortix is great for the family. It has something for everyone. It is fantastic and gritty while being both a strategy game and a casual game. It is very versatile and you might be surprised by the different levels. It was a real pleasure the entire time I was playing it.
Game: Fortix | Developer: Nemesys Team Studio
August 26, 2010
 Harry Quantum and his trusty robotic sidekick, Graeme. Harry Quantum: TV Go Home is the first episode in a series of point-and-click Flash adventures about the detective, Harry Quantum.
 This seems a tad bit embarrassing. The adventure begins when the boss of a TV station (who bears a striking resemblance to Mr. T) walks in and informs Harry that he has misplaced the tapes of that channel’s four best TV shows. He will pay $100,000 if Harry can find a way to recover the lost episodes. Graeme, Harry’s robotic sidekick, says the TV signals probably ended up in space somewhere, so Harry should just go into outer space to retrieve them. The problem is that getting into space is no small task. Well, Graeme has a simple solution: just signal a UFO.
After the whole UFO dilemma (I will let you see for yourself exactly what that entails), Harry gets the video footage, but it’s all scrambled. In order to make things right, Harry must step into a Virtual Reality system and fix each program from the inside. Of course, this means visiting each of the four TV shows and straightening out the mess by hand.
The subplots in this game are absolutely ridiculous. In a good way. You’ll be laughing at each of Harry’s missteps as you try to solve the puzzles spread across the game. And there are little homages to various video game-related things scattered throughout for the observant, pop-culture savvy gamer. (Hint: look at what is currently on Harry’s computer screen in his office.)
To make the game more interesting, there are PIPs (Private Investigation Points) spread across the game for players to discover. These points have no bearing on whether or not you complete the game, but they are sure fun to collect. To find them, you must try looking in places and finding combinations the average player would simply overlook. So if the puzzles are too easy, you can still challenge yourself by trying to seek out all the PIPs in the game. (There are 15.)
Harry Quantum: TV Go Home is quirky and has enough little non-essential tidbits thrown in to keep players on their toes. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a long and entertaining series of point-and-click adventures.
 Welcome to Virtual Reality, where you can step into various TV shows. Game: Harry Quantum: TV Go Home | Developer: Long Animals and RobotJAM
August 20, 2010
 Take that, you annoying bug! Castaway is a charming RPG in which you find yourself stranded on a mysterious island. Very early in the game you come across a village which, conveniently for you, is in a bit of turmoil. Helping these villagers regain the peace that they somehow managed to lose on an island where they are the only real sentient inhabitants will help your hero level-up and gain new skills. But of course, this requires fighting a massive amount of strange, often extremely aggressive creatures.
 I know he's green and has one eye, but I resisted the temptation to name my pet Mike Wazowski. The villagers give you quests to perform various tasks for them (usually requiring you to kill a certain amount of creatures or collect a certain amount of items, which are acquired by killing the aforementioned creatures). Completing these quests grants you experience and cash, and makes the villagers happy.
There are various parts of the island you will be asked to explore, each one getting more and more difficult. The final quest in each area is to start the generator on that part of the island.
But you won’t be asked to do this completely alone. In the very first part of the game, you will find a one-eyed monster, which will be your first pet. This pet will gain experience alongside you, and will level up as well. (However, it will not get any experience when you turn in a quest, so it will eventually stay at a lower level than you.) Killing creatures will sometimes result in an egg dropping, which can be taken back to Castaway Village and hatched into a new pet. Personally, I never swapped out the default one, since I didn’t feel like re-leveling a weak pet. And I got pretty attached to that one-eyed freak.
Castaway has some pretty neat visuals and the music contributes to the overall feel of the game. But I have a few complaints. First of all, the controls are confusing. Since the map is tilted at a 45 degree angle, it’s easy to forget which direction corresponds with which d-pad key. And they don’t always respond immediately. I’ve had plenty of instances where my pet died because I pushed a button and nothing happened. This is especially frustrating since you can’t revive your pet. Once its dead, it’s gone. Of course you can always raise a new one, but that’s a lot of extra work. In fact, if your pet dies, you’ll most likely want to reset the game and start over from your last save point.
Another complaint I have is that there are some serious visibility problems. Especially in the jungle area. There are monsters hiding behind trees, and you’ll never know they’re there. Once they attack, you still won’t be able to see them, which makes it extremely difficult to fight back. When a creature dies, it usually drops an item. But these items will often block your path. You can’t walk over them or through them. So it is pretty easy to block yourself into a corner. This problem is greatly compounded in areas with low visibility.
Despite its flaws, I really enjoyed Castaway. It’s sort of quirky and lighthearted, and the overall feel of the game is pleasant enough that you won’t find it too hard to forgive it for its shortcomings.
 It's a weird feeling, being completely surrounded by swamp mutants. Game: Castaway | Developer: Likwid
August 19, 2010
 Explore the cave, kill baddies, and find treasure. The Enchanted Cave is an interesting little flash adventure in which players are given a quest to see how deep into the cave they can explore. The main goal is to see how far down you can get without dying, but each maze contains monsters to kill and treasure to plunder. While seeking out every treasure chest isn’t completely necessary, you’ll want to loot as many as you can since many of them contain items that are useful on your quest. Inside the red chests you’ll find armor upgrades, potions, spells, and a pair of escape wings that allow you to warp out of the cave and end your quest. (You can always start a new quest, keeping some of the things you’ve earned on previous quests.) Yellow chests are much rarer and contain artifacts. Artifacts are the real deal. You definitely won’t want to pass them up. While most of your items will vanish upon using the escape wings, artifacts will always remain. And some of them are pretty useful, like pieces of armor and new swords. Besides chests, there are gems that offer permanent boosts to your stats.
 Hmmm. This floor seems a tad bit easy. The treasure seems alright though. I sure hope this isn't a trap... On the first floor, and every floor that ends in a 9 (9, 19, 29, etc) there is a shop that will give you money for any items you don’t want and sell you things you’d rather have instead. And reaching a shop is sort of a checkpoint: every time you discover a new shop, the floor on which you start your next quest gets deeper. For example, if you make it to the store on the 29th floor, the next time you start a quest you’ll begin on the 19th floor. If you make it to the 39th floor, you can start at the 29th. And so on. This is pretty helpful, since The Enchanted Cave gets very perilous very fast. In fact, on your first quest you probably won’t make it to the 20th floor.
This game has 100 floors, many of which are challenging enough to frustrate even the most hardcore gamers. That makes this a game that will take a considerable amount of time to get through. Basically, The Enchanted Cave is a lot of game for free. You can’t really beat that.
 Which way to go? Should I try to get all the treasure, or should I just skip it and head for the next floor?
Game: The Enchanted Cave | Developer: Dustin Auxier
August 17, 2010
 Oh, how I love blasting zombies! I don’t know what it is, exactly, but there is something about zombies that has always intrigued me. So when I saw Zombies Took my Daughter! on the main page of the Kongregate site, I had to try it out. This cartoonish Flash shooter tells the story of a man who has lost his daughter, Anna, in the city. Whilst searching for her, he runs into a few tiny snafus. Like the fact that the city is completely overrun by zombies. And that it is scheduled to be nuked in 36 hours. The hero must scour the city in order to find Anna before the zombies do, or before the bomb is dropped. This gives players a sense of urgency, as the time remaining is constantly displayed in the corner of the screen.
You are basically given free range of a city that is randomly generated every time you play. There is a main map with 25 locations on it. You can use the subway to get around, but be warned that every time you do, you lose an hour or two. Every location has 5 city blocks that can be searched, and most of these contain at least two rooms that can be searched. That means there are almost 250 rooms in which Anna could be hiding. But don’t fret. Some of the rooms have clues as to where Anna has not been, most of them have powerups and weapons, and a few of them contain survivors who will lend you a hand by blasting some zombies for you.
 Taylor and Brunner don't look like dudes who would survive very long during the Zombie Apocalypse, but who am I to judge? The weapons in this game range from incredibly useful (shotguns, molotov cocktails, and RPG launchers for the more pragmatic gamer) to the extremely bizarre (teddy bears, guitars, french loaves, and a slew of random items that you can use to bludgeon zombies to death). Unfortunately, there are no cricket bats, which would have been an awesome homage to one of my all-time favorite films. (Shaun of the Dead, in case you haven’t seen it.)
The graphics are cartoony and colorful, the music is eerie, and the gameplay is a perfect blend between mysterious (while you work at piecing together clues you find around the city) and action-packed (while you are running for your life and slaughtering zombies). However, I do have one complaint. There is a bug that allows the entire city to be searched without Anna showing up. The developer made this claim: ‘The notorious “100% and no daughter” bug has been FIXED (really, finally, at long last, 100% fixed. it will never trouble you again.)’ I played the game after this statement was released and still encountered the bug on my second time through. (On my first run, I ran out of time and was nuked along with the city.) But at least the developer is willing to attempt to fix the issues that are brought up during gameplay, which is pretty cool. Many larger game developers don’t care about their products this much. And I was able to find Anna on my third attempt, which proves this bug doesn’t always happen.
Zombies Took my Daughter! is a great way to spend some time, and the fact that the city is randomly generated boosts its replay value immensely. If the “The notorious “100% and no daughter” bug gets fixed permanently, (and I’m fairly confident it will be soon) this will be an incredible game.
 Work your way across the map, searching every nook and cranny. Your daughter has to be somewhere... Game: Zombies Took my Daughter! | Developer: Nerdook
July 28, 2010
 Do subs go 'pew pew pew' underwater? ‘Man up and face the dangers of Deepolis’ is the way this MMO browser game sells itself. In this game you pilot a submarine in a game of underwater adventure.
Gameplay
What separates this browser game from the others is the graphics. Most browser games you don’t even get to pilot your ships or armies or what have you. In this, you float around, blowing things up and fighting the other factions. The environment is in 3D, but you only get to see in 2 dimensions for the better part of the time.
You only control one submarine at a time. In this case, the action is much more PVP based than many other browser games. Yes, most are PVP, but this one you have direct battles with other players.
Technical
 Technically this is a fabulous game. There is an intricate trading system and the action is much more player driven than other ones. The action is smooth and I continually find myself surprised by the quality of the graphics that are running in my browser.
The controls are brilliant, and the ability to dive on the ‘z – axis’ really gives this game a depth that is lacking in most browser MMOs.
Multiplayer
This game is very much driven by PVP interactions. In most browser games, your opponents are places that you simply send a bunch of ships to blast into oblivion. In this case you trade with everyone. Despite the fact that there are 3 specific clans, there are multiple groups within each of these. If you are more interested in multiplayer games because of the politics, this may not be the game for you. However, if you are interested in piloting a ship around and blasting people without downloading any new programs, then this is the game for you.
Final Verdict
A very easy game to jump into. It’s no surprise that this has been nominated for a number of awards. Unlike most browser games, you have to be actively involved with the action. So it’s a little bit harder to have it on a tab and play while you are working.
It’s free to play. But you can also purchase upgrades with real money or money you earn in game. Cool.
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Game: Deepolis | Developer: BigPoint
July 20, 2010
 Want my last gem? How about a flame jet to the face instead? Yeah, that's what I thought... If you’ve ever played one of those games where the “good guys” sneak into the lair of the “bad guys” and steal their stuff, you may have wondered about the moral implications of this. I mean, just because they are orcs and demons, does that really give you the right to march in and take their treasure? Sure, they’ve probably burned down your villages, slaughtered your cattle, and eaten the souls of your fellow townsmen, but hey, it’s stealing for crying out loud! Don’t be such a jerk.
 The control panel is simple. Just click on a structure to build it, or a spell to cast it. Cursed Treasure: Don’t Steal My Gems! is a tower defense game that allies you with orcs, demons, and the undead. Waves of heroes will “Leroy Jenkins” towards your secret stash in order to steal your gems, undoubtedly on some selfish quest to level up and gain money to buy epic weapons which will later be used to conquer you. So you may as well stop these bastards right away, before they have a chance to get too powerful.
The game is very easy to play. Just click on the structure that you want to build, then click the spot where you’d like to build it. However, there is a catch: orcish dens can only be built on forest tiles, crypts of the undead can only be built on snow tiles, and demon temples can only be built on rocky tiles. Also, if there are trees on a tile, you’ll have to use your deforestation spell before you can build anything there.
Once you get your initial structures built, waves of heroes will start pouring in. As your buildings attack these heroes, they gain levels and can be upgraded. Oftentimes, the difference between winning and losing is knowing where to build and when to upgrade.
You also have magic at your disposal. Use it to chop down trees, give your buildings a frenzied boost, or hurl meteors from the sky. Be careful though, every spell costs mana, and you will run out of mana very quickly if you keep on button mashing.
If you manage to complete a level without a single hero so much as touching one of your gems, you will earn a “Brilliant” rating for that level. This can be pretty tough on a lot of levels though, so you may end up playing the same levels over and over in order to accomplish this.
Cursed Treasure: Don’t Touch My Gems! is addictive, and its fifteen levels are enough to keep you playing this one for quite a while.
 The spaces with flags on them are high points. Build here to increase the attack range of your buildings. Game: Cursed Treasure: Don’t Touch My Gems! | Developer: IriySoft
July 15, 2010
 Flamethrower! Time to BBQ some bad guy. The Final Death Wish tells the story of a cartoon character, simply named HERO, who is sent on a mission by his creator. The artist who drew him (Called the ANIMATOR) lost his special paint brush, the one with which he drew HERO and a whole slew of bad guys. HERO must fight through all of these baddies and break into the Generic Fortress of Clicheness, where the brush is hidden. The good news is that before the brush was stolen, the ANIMATOR had drawn an arsenal of weapons that HERO can use on his quest: everything from chainsaws to shotguns to lasers. There is even a flamethrower, if you’re into that sort of thing (I’m more of a shotgun man myself). The bad news is that the ANIMATOR is a complete jerk. Talking with him will always result in a mix of snide cynicism, sarcasm, and sometimes he’ll even reveal his sadistic glee at watching HERO go through hell to get the brush back.
 4 8 15 16 23 42 - Lost references are always good. As you progress through the game, you will earn gold for killing baddies. You can use this gold to purchase new guns, armor, and gadgets that will help you progress through the game. On top of gold, you’ll also earn experience for HERO and for whichever weapon you are using at the time. When HERO levels up, you get to pick a new perk, like meteors that fall from the sky to kill baddies, higher ammo count for your weapon, more health, a double-jump skill, and way too much other stuff to list. When your weapon levels up, you’ll get a preselected reward, usually more ammo and more damage to baddies. And these aren’t the only ways to earn special perks. Every level has a bonus challenge (beat the level in 20 seconds, beat the level without jumping, kill all enemies with a certain weapon, etc.) which gives you extra gold, and sometimes it even ups your stats.
Oh yeah. Slow motion. Can’t forget about that. If you press the F key, you will enter slow motion mode where, like Neo from the Matrix films, you can dodge bullets with ease. You have a focus bar on the lower right side of your screen, and this shows you how much slo-mo time you have left.
 Watch out for those little tanks. They hurt. The Final Death Wish is a fast-paced shooter with a very nice selection of weaponry, and tons of violence. If you like shooting things, and you can deal with the ANIMATOR’s constant insults, this is definitely a game for you.
Game: The Final Death Wish | Developer: Arkuni
July 6, 2010
 Spelunky World
Now what do you think Spelunky World is about. C’mon. Stretch your vocabulary. There it is. It’s about cave exploration. In Spelunky World you wander around a cave system, whipping bad guys and blowing stuff up.
Gameplay
Getting around is pretty simple, you use the arrow keys. Sure, there are other keys, and luckily there is a pretty great tutorial to tell you all sorts of things. For example, you have a seemingly endless supply of rope. Good thing, because a great deal of the rooms cannot be fully explored without the use of rope. The game would be pretty cool (but a little more tedious) if you had to remember to take your rope with you (like in real life).
You have to whip bad guys, blow up walls and collect treasure. It’s basically 8-bit Indiana Jones. Great stuff. The music and sound effects are surprisingly not annoying, which is a welcome turn of events.
Technical
 Technically this is a brilliant game. This has a great 8 bit feel, but has the depth of a game with 3D rendering. Get this, there are randomly generated levels and no saves. Quite literally, every time you play, it is a new game. Whoah. If you’re looking for the buzzword to describe this madness, it is ‘procedurally generated’.
There are twists and turns everywhere; Not just in the different places you’ll explore and the bad guys you’ll fight, but in the items you’ll pick up. I am not giving away anything, play it for yourself.
This is one of those games where losing is fun. That is one of the highest compliments that I can give to a game, I think. You are not so much focused on the end goal, but on the way the game tosses you around.
Final Verdict
Play this game. It is free. It is easy to learn the controls and it has a sentience that really hasn’t been replicated anywhere else. If you liked Nethack (nerd) then you will like this.
Game: Spelunky | Developer: MossMouth
June 24, 2010
Planet Noevo is definitely a game you are going to want to play if you have too much free time on your hands or if you have called in sick for the day.
The game is a campaign style strategy game. You find yourself on an alien planet with some ammo and only the wide terrain giving you some mercy from the constant attack of alien life forms.
You can play this game in one of two ways. The campaign, or story mode, is much more long winded and requires you to complete various levels in set amounts of time over a certain number of days. The other way you can play is through arcade mode. This is simple a ‘see how long you can survive for’ setting.
 Explore the complex terrain You are well advised to pay attention to the tutorial at the start of the game. Unlike many games, Planet Noevo has about a million and one things on the screen that you need to pay attention to in order to be successful as you go through each level.
Controlling the game is actually quite simple because all you need to do is use the keyboard to move and the mouse to aim and fire. The trick is paying attention to everything else which is going on around you, and using the little resources you have to your advantage.
 Attack! The soundtrack works for the game too. If you like a bit of upbeat and funky techno then you will definitely be into this. It keeps the game moving and may well make you play for a few extra minutes once you start to get a bit bored of your online gaming world.
There is nothing fundamentally wrong with this game and it’s enjoyable for much longer than many online games are. Don’t be fooled by the small spider like aliens in the early rounds because once you up the ante and the levels, there’s a surprise or two waiting.
Game: Planet Noevo http://www.addictinggames.com/planetnoevo.html | Developer: Armor Games http://armorgames.com/
June 19, 2010
Glory of Fellowland
Glory of Fellowland is an online MMO that is broswer-based. Set in a middle-ages like area, you build up your village into (hopefully) an empire, by any means necessary.
Gameplay
The development portion of this game is pretty straightforward, if a bit slow. You cultivate various areas of resource production, while expanding your population. At some point, you build an army, but that is complicated.
You have 3 different races that you can choose from (definitely go with human for your first run, definitely), each with their own characteristics. What is really cool about this game is how the game guides you through your first couple days. With most other browser based games, you are on your own to dig up a guide or something like that, but in this, like in Travian, it tells you what you should be doing the first couple days, and gives you prizes when you accomplish them.
Your experience is somewhat guided by taking on quests, but again, after you have developed your village to a certain point, it’s up to you.
Technical
 Nice Dragon, where did you get it? I really thought this game was clunky at first. But then I got over it. Because it is unbelievable how many options this game has. Fighting is part of it. Diplomacy is part of it. SPYING is part of it. Trading is part of it. There are so many paths you can choose, it really sets itself apart from other MMO’s that focus on fighting and diplomacy.
Multiplayer
Co-operation is critical to success in this game. In fact, the game is set up so that if you want, you can have your friends make decisions on your behalf while you are gone. This game is pretty slow to start off with. For example, in AstroEmpires, you would build your first building in ten minutes. In Glory of the Fellowland, it takes an hour. However, you don’t have to build nearly as many buildings.
Final Verdict
This game may set a new standard for browser-based MMO’s. It is slowly paced enough in the beginning so that it is easily digestable, and it does not slow down for even the most experienced player. It’s free for the basics, but then you have to pay to upgrade to the higher level buildings and units. There’s no one path to victory. Choose your own destiny to become a historical figure.
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Game: Glory of the Fellowland | Developer: Feeltainment Ltd.
June 11, 2010
 It's a zombie feeding frenzy! If video games have taught us one thing over the past couple decades, it’s that shooting hordes of zombies is one of the greatest ways to spend an otherwise dull afternoon. The Boxhead series by XGen Studios proves this once again with Boxhead: The Zombie Wars. (Also check out Boxhead Bounty Hunter, which I reviewed a while back. Click here to read about it.)
In this top-down shooter, the only goal is to see how long you can survive. As you kill zombies, you gain points, which will automatically cause your weapons to be upgraded. You start with only a pistol, but you will obtain a shotgun relatively early on. And as we all know, a shotgun blast to the head is the absolute best way to kill a zombie. You will also earn exploding barrels, barricades, and automatic gun turrets. You can use these to build yourself a safe place to hide when the waves of zombies get too thick to deal with. Some zombies will even drop crates of ammo. So if you find yourself running out of shotgun shells, try to find one of these crates so you can keep blasting away.
And if zombies aren’t quite enough for you, you’ll eventually see other monsters peppered into the mix. There are Dracula-like vampires (which don’t die in the daylight, but at least they don’t sparkle like Edward Cullen), mummies, and even devils that shoot long bursts of flames. All of these creatures of the night are still vulnerable to a good shotgun blast, so keep the ammo flowing.
The scenery isn’t as varied as it is in Boxhead Bounty Hunter, and there is no multi-player mode, but you’ll be so busy killing hordes of zombies that you won’t have time to think about that. In fact, you could probably just consider these games as two different modes in the same game: Bounty Hunter is the multi-player mode and Zombie Wars is the single-player.
So if you are sick and tired of being murdered by your friends in Boxhead Bounty Hunter, or if you simply thirst for a good zombie shooter, Boxhead: The Zombie Wars is the perfect game for you.
 Surround yourself with barriers and turret guns. That should keep you safe for a little while. Game: Boxhead: The Zombie Wars | Developer: XGen Studios
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