WORLD'S HARDEST GAME

Oh shut up. I didn't name it but I surely played it and I felt like Tom Cruise from Mission Impossible in the form of a red square. No really trust me.

The whole gist of the game is manouvering your way, avoiding the moving blocks and eating the yellow dots(must do) and getting to the other side of the board. There are 30 levels to this game but I reckon the gamemakers had NO INTENTION or whatsoever for anyone to ever complete this game, hence, the name of the game. If you manage to complete all 30 levels however, you can compete for a spot on the World leader board.... I, on the other hand, kindoff got stuck at level 17.... or was it 9? no let's just stick to 17...

Ok so this is a screenshot of Level 1,

Basically, you get the rough idea of the game. No, sorry, no shooting, no ammunition to reload, no need to build houses, buy furniture, make your character happy or whatsoever. In order to complete each level, you need patience, willpower, and determination.... Well if only I put in that amount of effort into my studies...
Ok so yeah.

The interface of the game is really easy to understand.

As you can see, at the top middle of the screenshot, the number 4/30 represents level 4 of 30. The number of Deaths would be recorded on the top right hand side for you to reflect on your self-esteem towards this game. Because when you reach level 17 and have died 178 times, then you will be a loser like me and you would click the cute red X button on the top right hand screen of your monitor. But if you have enough patience, willpower and determination (like i said on earlier) then this is the game for you... Fairly simple instructions, no manuals, just simple, downright logic... To which I only have upto level 17.... urgh.

RUN, FOREST!!! RUN!!!!

I understand now that the game has been developed into some 3D form or something, but I think that it's best played in 2D. To give you that Atari and vintage feel. And also because it's just better being a flat and under-designed or developed and complicated, compared to the hundreds of other games that ooze sex appeal. I mean, game appeal. No such thing as awesome graphics or interesting storylines here, this game is for serious gamers like me who can't be bothered about all that because all we want to do is to cut the right wire when debombing a bomb. We are THAT serious.

If you'd like to try and beat me at level 17....... then why don't you get yo self over to
www.addictinggames.com/theworldshardestgame.html
and try it... it seriously IS addictive.

So yes, throw out your PS3, your Wii, your Xbox etc2... Get back to basics.
Elementary my dear Watson.

 Defense of the Ancients, more commonly known as DOTA, is perhaps one of the most captivating and long lasting games to hit our shores. 

Dota is actually a custom map made for the game Warcraft III and is not an official map by Blizzard (the creators of Warcraft III). However, the map has established for itself an ever-growing cult following of gamers and I'm not surprised to say the least.

In a nutshell:

- The nature of the game is multi player and can be played across LAN and web.

- Two teams are present at the start of the game

- A maximum of 10 players are split across the 2 teams 

- Each team has it's own base where a heavily guarded 'Ancient' lies

- The bases are heavily guarded with towers (that inflict heavy damage on opponent forces)

- Each player controls a powerful unit known as a Hero

- Other units are controlled by AI and are known as creeps

- Creeps attack enemy forces by default and spawn at intervals from the base

- Gold is attained from slain enemies/creeps and can be used to buy items for the player

- The team that destroys the other team's ancient - wins

The Map

The map is divided into 3 lanes. Dota players affectionately refer to them as the top, center and bottom lanes. The two bases are located at the Southwest and Northeast corners of the map respectively.

The Southwest base is known as the Sentinels and they protect their ancient known as the Tree of Life. The Northeast base is known as the Scourge and they protect the Frozen Throne.

The Heroes

Unlike Campaigns in Warcraft where players must build unit producing structures, towers, etc, etc, in Dota, players only have to worry about controlling their Hero. An example of a Hero is found here below.

Heroes revive after they die. The time they take to do so depends on their level. Higher level heroes take longer times to revive.

In this example, the player controls the Lich King. Each Hero comes with 4 skills that a player can choose to 'pump up'. A player obtains the ability to do so when he levels up. A level 25 hero is the maximum that one can go in Dota. A level 25 Hero has all 4 skills pumped up to Level 4 each. 

In the case of the Lich king, the player can pump up the following skills:

- Frost Nova (Hero shoots out a frost blast which damages other heroes/creeps and slows them down for some time)

- Frost Shield (Gives extra armour to the player and slows down non-range enemies that attack it)

- Dark Ritual (Kills a friendly enemy and exchanges its life for Manna - which is needed to summon spells)

- Chain Frost (Sends out a frost nova which bounces off enemies dealing very high damage)


All skills have hotkeys assigned to it making gameplay much easier.

The fourth skill is also known as the Ultimate as it is the most powerful one.

Multi-player Aspect:

Team members must cooperate well with each other to kill enemies. Players typically choose to attack in swarms and coordinate their attacks to better increase their chances of bringing down an opponent or enemy structure. The game is extremely intense and lasts for roughly an hour each. The best teams often cooperate well with each other.

Also, it is key to note that not all Heroes are good for killing. Some heroes are also known as Pushers or Support Heroes.

Pushers:

An example of a pusher is shown below:

While not the best pusher, the Death Prophet has certain skills which make her an ideal Hero to bring down enemy structures.

The Ultimate skill for the Death Prophet unleashes up to 16 spirits which roam around dealing damage to buildings and enemy units. The spirits lasts for a limited time when summoned and cannot be destroyed unless the hero is killed. The Death Prophet also possesses a skill which unleashes a wave of damage at oncoming enemies. Very useful indeed in clearing out swarms of creeps.

Support Heroes:

Support heroes possess skills which make them ideal in helping out other heroes. They may possess skills that allow them to Heal other players, give them armour, silence them (prevents them from conjuring spells) and many more.

The Goblin Techies seen encircled above is an example of a support hero. This Hero can plant mines around the map which can also be remotely triggered. The hero can also blow himself up dealing immense damage to the opponent Heroes. Unfortunately, when you blow yourself up, you die too. Makes sense doesn't it.

Tanks:

Tanks are heroes that have high life and take lesser damage due to increased armour. They generally are controlled to go into battle first and serve as a 'forced distraction' to enemy heroes while other heroes attack the enemy heroes from behind.

Encircled above is the Treant Protector. This hero has high life, takes lesser damage, moves really slowly but serves relatively well as a tank at times. 

Items:

Players can buy different items to increase their stats and damage. 

- Items that add more intelligence gives the player more manna to conduct spells. This is good for heroes that are spell-based.

- Items that add more strength gives the player more life.

- Items that add more agility gives the player faster attack speed and evasion.

- Other items may give the Hero other special attacks/talents/damage.

Players typically buy for their Heroes items that correspond to their Hero's make. 

For example, the lich king is an intelligence based hero and thus would function best with intelligence giving items.

What keeps this game captivating:

If I said that Fun and joy were the only emotions that came up during gameplay, I'd be lying. One can expect high levels of competitiveness, frustration, anger, disappointment together with happiness and the feeling of accomplishment. This game basically evokes the entire chain of emotions to run in you. Except maybe love. I really don't know how that would fit in here and I really wouldn't want to sit anywhere near you if it did anything like that for you.

Initially, the game is frustrating as too many things may appear to overwhelm you. So my advice is - play with newbies first. One needs time to learn the game but it grows on you eventually. I've seen this game transform the quietest and most introvert people into screaming idiots. Perhaps, it's the mission based and cooperative aspect of the game that keeps things interesting. I've played this same map many times over and I'm not sick of it.

Perhaps the most fun part is the fact that all over the world, players head to LAN shops or link up over the internet to play together and against each other. After an intense game, it is not uncommon to find players discussing the game and tactics that were used. The combinations are endless and the tactics needed keep the game extremely engaging.

Verdict:

The game is an immediate success. Maps have been updated and new heroes have been added routinely by independent parties. The game is played at the World Cyber Games Expo and is regarded as one of the benchmark games of our time.

Do not forget, Warcraft III was released in in 2002. That's 8 years ago. The game however is still running strong and is played by hundreds of thousands of people everyday in different gaming centers all across the world. The graphics are still regarded as acceptable by many even up till today - 8 years later.

Truely, Dota is one of the most epic mods to have ever been made. I recommend everyone to give this game a go. Though it may be frustrating to pick it up initially, get the hang of it and you'll find yourself engaged in one of the most exciting game mods to have ever been made.

Rating: 9.5/10

Pravin Mahtani

Karoshi Suicide Salaryman

http://armorgames.com/play/2407/karoshi-suicide-salaryman
by Karoshi

Wednesday, 19 January 2010




If there ever has to be a game that encapsulates the state of Japanese workers, this is it. This flash game plays over 50 levels with a weird objective: to kill yourself. You play a suicidal businessman who has to navigate through the levels by pushing boxes, activating traps, firing a pistol, which, at the end of every level, will unlock itself to allow you to run or jump into spikes or electrocute yourself.

The controls are deceptively easy: up, down, left, right, spacebar. However, puzzles do get a little bit tougher each level, with the first few teaching the player the mechanics and objectives of the game. However, as the level progresses, the game breaks even its own mechanics to bring surprises to the player. For instance, in some levels the player is supposed to use the mouse to click and build a staircase of blocks to reach up to the top, where the spikes are located.

The puzzles have a good range of difficulty. Some are simple, but the majority of them require some thinking and forward planning. However, the puzzles are not that difficult as to stall players for too long. The game designer makes good use of simple physics to improve gameplay: at some levels, you get to jump on a trampoline while firing a pistol, in others, you have to push a button to let fall a safe deposit box to crush yourself. As there are not many elements in the game (there are probably only 6-7 assets in the game), the players will not feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of assets and instead focus on the gameplay since they already have an inkling as to how each assets 'should' work.

Art style is simple: the entire game is in 2D side scrolling format. But a game like that doesn't need to have superb graphics. Instead, I reckon the game wouldn't be as fun if the graphics were actually better than what it is already. The music has a funky jazzy groove to it, which is really unexpected because you wouldn't really expect a beat to accompany such a theme.

All in all, I would say that it is a fun game, as I went to play the sequel after completing this once. However, I have to comment that the owner of this game really knows how to milk it. He has already created 4 games using the same character with the same type of game objective (kill yourself), save for a few minor additions to the game.

 
Screenshots after the break.

RATING: 8/10

Karoshi preparing to meet his maker.

"Geronimo!"

Splat!

Alternate way of dying 1: getting electrocuted.

Alternate way of dying 2: death from above by a safe deposit box.

Kawaii neh?

Harvest Moon is a 3D life/farm simulation/RPG originally conceptualized by a Japanese gamemaker, Yasuhiro Wada, in 1996 and since have generated a whole line of Harvest Moon series.

The one I'll be reviewing is 'A Wonderful Life' for PS2.

I like how the environment, called 'Forget-Me-Not-Valley' follows a serene Japanese countryside setting which is affected by seasons that will change the species of plants that can be found and the kind of crops that can be grown by the main character- a boy who inherited the farm after the death of his father.

Crops have to be sown and grown, life-stock reared and bred, pets cared for, building relationships with people, etc.

Sometimes pleasant surprises will prop up such as the hens laying golden eggs which could be sold for a lot of money, the cows producing top grade milk, attaining gold wool from the sheep, meeting new interesting people, new births of the farm animals (in which they can be named) and the main character could even get married to a babe of his choice from his countryside and...

Make Baby!

These other NPCs (non-player characters) such as the life-stock/people will also mature over time. Death of some of the villagers will occur and even to the main character at the end of the game storyline/chapter which will then unlock a free-play mode.

Some screenshots of the game:

Let's work hard today! ;)

Fishing requires some experience and skill on the players part cos the fish won't be caught if it's reeled in too fast. The species of fishes caught varies and sometimes rare ones will fetch more money.

Even cows need to be treated with TLC.

Night time reveals some magical plants at particular locations which can interacted with.

Special pen for a newborn cow.

Drawback: The environment is really large and traveling around it feels kinda slow once I'm familiar with the environment (though the character is running). But i guess this is the problem not specific to Harvest Moon and that most RPGs will have the same effect once the player is familiar with the environment.

Other than that it is truly an immersive game for me and I like being in this fantasy world of farm life.

Okay... this game that I'm gonna review is THE BEST GAME EVERRRRRRRRRRRRR! I think I've never been so addicted to a game like I was to Patapon... You have got to try it out if you haven't.

SO WHAT IS PATAPON EH??
(I figured since you guys followed my old template.. I'm gonna make a new one for myself, haha)

THIS IS PATAPON! It is a PSP-based game.It is a story-based game that has one objective; destroy the enemies and get to the end point. How to do that???Go through all the different levels by using drum-beats to navigate your army through the stages.

 So.... what makes people like me get addicted to this game??
1) Aesthetics: Graphics are extremely simple yet interesting. The use of colours and shapes play a big role in their aesthetics.
2) Character design: The extensive use of different characters makes the game even more complex. Every group of character has their own unique strengths/flaws.
3) Sound design: EXTREMELY cute sound effects!!! Have you heard them before?! You must... I'll provide a video at the end of this review so don't forget to check it out.
4) Storyline: I'm sure this factor here is a pretty important one for most games. And the storyline for Patapon is straightforward and simple.


So! While pressing the buttons XOSquareTriangle buttons on the psp, you have to memorise the certain combinations. It is vital that you remember which symbol is for which drum beat.
 O = PonSquare = PataTriangle = ChakaX = Don

For example:
Square Square Square O = Pata Pata Pata Pon = Move ForwardO O Square O = Pon Pon Pata Pon = Attack!
And so on and so forth...

And while you hit the beats according to a rhythm that they will hint to you.. the army does as you ask them to. Here's a print screen of the army once you've built it.


What's next??


You have food excursions... where you kill creatures to gain food, items or $$$



Which enables you to make your soldiers! Different kinds of soldiers will need different amounts of money and different combinations of items to make. Needless to say.. the harder it is to retrieve the asset, the stronger the certain soldier is!


Over here... we can see the entire army getting ready for war. Your army's statistics are all available to you and should you want to change soldiers, you are able to do so.



One feature of the game: You can engage different weather conditions if you want to. Sometimes it helps in your missions to obtain a certain weather condition. For example, you want the wind to blow from left to right so that your arrows will shoot further. This is possible if you enter the weather realm which will require you to beat a certain combination of drum beats before being able to obtain that certain weather condition.



Over here we have the main tribal area where the storyline is fed to you after each mission.



This is during one of the boss mission where you find a boss to kill at the end of the mission. There are different bosses in different missions, each one harder to kill than the previous one.



Another feature of Patapon - you get to play side games to obtain certain items to build soldiers. There are many of these side games. Here is one of them where you have to hit the correct combinations after a singing tree.



Another one is the singing plant. You have to water the plant by hitting the correct combinations and in return, you will also be awarded with valuable items.



As I mentioned previously, Patapon has a compelling storyline that makes you keep on going on and on and on and on and on. It keeps you addicted to the game because you want to find out what's next, what's in the next mission, what's the next reward etc etc. It's really damn interesting! I spent every waking hour playing this game lah....



And once your mission is complete... hooray hooray!!!!


So is this game tough to play?!Honestly? Yes! Maybe at the beginning.. but once you get the hang of it, you never wanna stop. I'm serious. But as with every good game, this game has levels which increase the difficulty with each stage. If not, every level will be so easily accomplished....cannot right?? It'll be boring if it was like that!  Flaws in this game??HMMMM I think the Japanese were too smart for this. I cannot find any flaws though I'm trying really hard to. Really!


Wokays, last Question: Is it fun?NEED I SAY MORE?????? GO PLAY IT NOW!!!!