Wokays Review 12!!

(Recess week not counted right?!)

Okay anyway!

I decided to try this game this week.

Personally I have a phobia of all these ghost nonsense.

So I try not to play any creepy games.

Or games that would freak me out.

But this week I decided to 'challenge' myself.

And try something new.

Okay ah this game that I reviewed this week is not necessarily scary or creepy!

But still.... 

Okay so let's start with the review already:

Objective of the game:
It's pretty simple.
You are a ghost hunter.
And you visit a 'haunted' place.
You are to accomplish a list of things.
Some include taking photos of certain objects.
Some include finding certain things.
Some include decoding certain cases.
Main thing: Unravel the mystery behind this haunted place.


What makes this game compelling?

1) Okay first it's a web-game:
I like web-games because they are basically no-strings attached games.
You don't need to download anything, maybe just wait a bit for it to load but that's it.
Simple use of mouse to control movements and actions.

2) Interesting storyline:
I know there are similar 'mystery' games out there.
But since this was my first try at this genre, I thought that it was pretty interesting.
The whole 'ghostly' theme and scary effects played off pretty well.

3) Content of the game:
As mentioned above, good storyline.
Also, the objects that you were supposed to pick up & things that you have to do were in sync with the game's theme.
The many areas that you can explore also made the game fun.
I spent an hour playing this game!

4) Aesthetics & Sound:
As always, I like to play games which have nice aesthetics.. don't we all?
I thought Ghostscape2 had a right look for it.
I also thought the pop-ups while you're clearing the tasks were very helpful.
The black and white feature made players focus more on the game this time.

Sound-wise was okay. It fitted the theme.
However I thought it could be more creepy-sounding.

5) Level design:
Since this was a one-level game, I thought the way the game was divided into parts was interesting. It was made in a way that you have to remember where you went. And what have you found in those places. Miss one place and you might miss finding things at that area.

6) Mystery:
I think the major attraction for this game was the mysterious factory.
It attracted me based on my curiosity to find out what was the ending and how to get there.
I think this game has achieved what most games want to achieve: to get a player to stay and play it till the end.

Play Ghostscape2 HERE.

Wokays... Review Number 11.

This game starts off as boring and annoying.

But eventually after playing a few levels, I got hooked!

I'm on level 31 now!

Objective of the game:

Use the snake that swings right and left (depending on its speed, you need to aim properly) to throw the guinea pigs so that it lands near the other animals that are in trouble or trapped. Once the guineas land, they will explode the bubble gum. Once the bubble gum hits the other animals, they are free! Aim is to hit all animals with the bubble gum explosion.

What makes this game compelling:

1) Physics game:

I think I have a thing for physics-based games.

I seem to like them a lot.

Anyway, this game, similar to some other games, uses physics to allow you to control the movements.

It's interesting because the mechanics are based on how fast the snake swings from left to right

2) Graphics:

The game art is supremely cute and simple.

They are very cartoonish and you can make out what the animals are.

However I found that some of the game art doesn't sync at the intro.

Don't know.. or maybe it's just me.

(something to take note of when I design our group's game)

3) Interesting features:

As you proceed up the levels of the game, more and more features are added, which keeps the game interesting.

They are innovative with the features, such as the magnetising polarity features which pushes away the guinea pigs when thrown.

4) Level Design:

Their level designs are creative and fun to explore.

Like their features which they keep adding, there are also game structures which are implemented to make the game slightly harder at every ascending level.

Therefore strategy and good timing must work hand in hand to complete the game.

5) Controls:

And since this is a web-based game, controls are extremely simple.

Usage of mouse + click, that's all, making it easy to learn and control.

6) Clear Instructions:

As they add on features/ level-ups, there will be pop-ups before the start of each level to explain how something functions.

Which I taught was a good thing.

Interesting?
Hmmmm okay honestly it wasn't at first.

But I wanted to continue playing it because I was curious to how the levels were like.

Eventually I found myself wanting to complete every level because I cannot help it, the game's pretty interesting when it proceeds!

Now I'm stuck at level 31, which is very frustrating!!!

Flaws?

Hmmm maybe like I said, the art for the intro can be improved?

It's near perfect actually! (to me)

And the background sound/reaction sound...

Don't like it! Don't think it fits also...

Go check it out lah... I don't think it suits the game.

Where to play?

HERE!

 Okay so this week - an Iphone game review.
Fieldrunners is a tower defense game.The objective is to get to the highest level possible by killing the enemy. How to stay alive?You have a certain number of lives and you have to try not to finish it up!Once you deplete your number of lives, game over.
How to defeat the enemy?Enemies will come in from the left and will try to exit to the right.
Your job is to shoot all of them down before they manage to exit.
You can shoot them down, fire them down, send missiles to bring them down or electrify them.
You can line your towers up strategically as enemies will come in waves.
Bringing them down at first is easy.
But the game progresses and the enemies will be harder to kill.

Buying/Upgrading your towers?
Okay so everytime you kill an enemy, your earn money.
And you need money to buy towers.
The better towers cost more, of course.
TowersThere are 4 types of towers:GatlingGooMissleLightning
When you upgrade these towers, their killing effect is more effective.You can sell them if you don't want them.  The good stuff?
1) Easy controls:
Needless to say, the touch-screen makes controlling the game easy.
It's all about touching and dragging the icons to the desired spot.
Navigating around the map is also easy.
You'll get the hang of the game pretty fast.

2) Aesthetics:
I find the game design cool.
We can relate to the whole army-theme easily.
All the graphics are coherent and works well with the setting.

3) Fun:
Everyone wants to destroy the enemy.
This game lets you do it.
Plus it's fun!
4) Level Design:
I find that good games let you advance gradually.
This game lets you do so by increasing the enemy's resistance slowly.
This enables you to adjust accordingly.

I am a casual game player. I realised the reviews I've been doing on are mostly on casual games, hahaha. But okay lah.. they're simple games that doesn't need too much brain juice - games that you play when you need to unwind!

So this time... another casual game! This one's pretty fun! (Every game is pretty fun)

Objective??

 Alright the objective is very simple:

1) Twist each piece until you get connected linkways to 2 same talismans.

They can either be of Gold, Silver or Bronze talismans.

2) The main thing is to get both these talismans connected.

3) The longest linkway will attain the highest points!

4) Gold talisman links will get you gold coins,

Silver talisman links will get you silver coins

& Bronze talisman links will get you bronze coins

5) Of course, gold coins weigh the heaviest and will get you most points for that.

6) You must also fulfill the weight requirement before you advance to the next level

(on the left)

7) Also, you need to do this within a maximum number of moves

(indicated on the bottom right)

Here are some print screens





This is when they are linked! They will immediately be removed from the board.


Why is this game good??
In my opinion... this game is fun because:
1) Graphics are cute.They have a theme and the aesthetics are harmoniously pleasing.
2) Hooked.This game is hypnotic!I kept playing on and on.I'm at level 3-4 by the way!
3) Music: The theme music is also entrancing.Suits the graphics and concept of the game.
4) Again, simplicity rules here.It's a simple game with a clear objective of what to do.No brainer!
5) No time limit:I love this part about games especially.Lets you take your own sweet time in figuring it out.
6) Strategic game:You need to plan your route on this one.Tricky but achievable.
7) Interesting game features:As you level up, more cool features are added on.This makes the game even more compelling.
8) Game mechanics and level design:Both these factors are designed suitably well for each level-up.You find the advancement in every next level accelerated very nicely and gradually.

All in all, I think this game is fun!!!
Click HERE to play :D

Game review time.... This week I shall review a no-brainer game! I got so hooked on to it and ended up playing for half an hour or so.

So what is this game about??

The name of the game is Stoblobs

The objective of the game is to clear the board by matching 2 pieces of the same puzzle.

The further it is away from each other, the more points you receive for each pairing.

It is a very simple game yet compelling.

You are also awarded more points based on the speed at which you complete clearing the board.

Why is this game compelling?
1) Simple, straightforward graphics:Not too complicating and we can easily relate to the aesthetics.Not gaudy at all with the simple symbolic images.Also, the colours used in this game are pleasant on the eyes, something I can learn from and inculcate in the current game design project
2) Sound design:If you switch on the music for the game, it is a bit whimsical and interestingly cute.Not girly kinda cute but it gives off a bit of an 'adventure' spin to it.Get what I mean??
3) Simple rules:Like we learned in game design class, sometimes the simplest rules make the simplest games last longest.In this game, the objective is simple, the rules are simple and the game is just easy to play. 4) Replay factor: I don't know about you guys... but I keep replaying it!?

Flaws?
Okay for this game, sometimes it's hard to click on 2 pieces of puzzle to match them.Sometimes when I click on 2 similar pieces of puzzle, they automatically deselect themselves.Maybe it's a bug? I don't know!

Is this game fun?
I find it fun!

Okay try it here if you want!

WOKAYS. Review Number 7! 

Okay I chose a cute game this week. Initially I found the game to be a bit boring but after a while, you really get addicted to playing it!

OBJECTIVE?

The objective of the game is to turn all the virus blobs dead.

All are infected and your job is to change spread a good virus that will kill them.

How you achieve this is by hitting them.

However, if 2 uninfected blobs collide, they become infected once again.

Meaning 2 dead viruses become alive again.

The physics of this game is similar to online pool games.

As you proceed further into the game, you'll find more features and challenges on how to go about hitting the blobs.

As there is only a limited number of hits you can take, this increases the need to strategically use your number of hits wisely.

WHAT IS COMPELLING ABOUT THIS GAME?

As I mentioned earlier, I initially thought it was boring.

But as the game continues, I actually got hooked to the game.

1) Game aesthetics - The art in the game is simple and cute. No fancy rendering. Just simple renderings.

2) Interesting features - More challenges are added on to the game as you succeed on to the next level, making it harder to play each time but also offering something challenging for you to play.

3) Rules - The limited number of hits is one of the rules that makes the game exciting. This makes you think before you hit any of the blobs. And as enemy blobs have different characteristics, you will need to think it through before hitting them.

3) Level design - The level design of the game is suitably done as the challenges ascends nicely at each level.

ANY BAD STUFF?

No concrete bad stuff... but some levels are really tough and you gotta try a lot of times to win but I guess that's part of the game!

WHY I LIKE IT?

Even though the interface is a bit girly, I think the game gets you addicted and you keep replaying each level whenever you're not able to win it.

You can try to play it HERE!

Okay let's see some screenshots!

Main Menu - As you can see, they provide instructions (which is quite comprehensive) and even a level editor (under create levels) where you can customise you own! Quite cool (weiwen would love this hahahaha)

Under instructions, cute graphics to show you how to play it. But honestly, I think you'll only understand when you actually start playing the game.

As you can see here, I'm at level 23. But now... I'm already at level 39. COME AND BEAT ME!

Level 1... as usual.. simple challenge for you to get a hang of it first...

Something like online pool games. You pull your mouse cursor and the longer/shorter you pull, the harder/softer it hits the rest of the blobs.

Once you turn all of them dead, you win!

Btw when you hit them once, they become dead and turn black.

Barrel elements that provide barriers

More features.. the evil looking lady blob will spawn into more blobs if it hits another fellow enemy blob

Like this! See the smaller ones? Yeah she spawned into that.

And then as you proceed, more cute stuff. These are the bomb blobs.

Okay?? GO TRY!

Wokaysssss... time for some demolishing work! Time to put yourselves into the shoes of a bangla worker.... Have you felt like destroying buildings?! Then this the game for you.

The objective??

Rubble Trouble is a fun, online, building-basher game with the use of the click alone. Its objective is to bring down each structure on every level so that you'd get enough amount of cash for the next level.

You'll be given different kinds of tools to work with at every succeeding level to make it more interesting. Examples of these are nitro bombs, missiles, canons, helicopters with canon balls and even C-grabbers (you'll have to try it out if you don't know what are C-grabbers)!

Some of the tools have limited use because they are more expensive while some are given at your disposal. If you manage to bring the building down and hit the target amount of cash (each time you destroy a part of the building, you earn $$$), you move on to the next level. If you fail, then time to try again.

WHAT is compelling about this game?

1) Simple and straightforward - No complicated storyline, no mess, just a get-on-with-it game that's easy to understand, easy to relate to and simple to play.

2) Aesthetics - The design of the game is cute and quirky. Characters, background and assets all match up pleasantly with just about enough details. Nothing too extravagant.

3) Rules - The rules in this game are not a lot but not too many either. There's the time factor in which you need to complete each level by a stipulated time (note: timer running on the right). Certain tools can perform only a certain type of task so it doesn't mean you'll win all the time. There's a limitation on each tool. Basically the rules enhance the game play.

4) Level Design - Each level provides you with a suitable amount of challenges. After you proceed on to the next stage, the task escalates gently.


FLAWS?

Hmmmmmmm okay lah it's not exactly realistic - the way the buildings are demolished. But I guess it's okay for me! But other than that, it's cool!


Wokays.. moving on... some graphics!

Start!


Choose a level. As you can see, I'm on level 9, hehe.


There's also a storyline along the way... and tutorials on how you are supposed to use the tools






If you hover over a certain tool, a brief description will pop up














Once you get enough money, you move on!



Drill tool



Canon tool



Helicopter tool





All in all.... it's a fun game! Go try!
HERE

Wahhhhhh... Who has been changing the blog template?? So hardworking! Nice nice... :D

It's crunch time now!

Okay anyway! I'm gonna do a review on Solitaire Showdown. What? It's a simple game with simple rules? Yeahhh that's why it's one of the best games ever?! I used to play this back in poly whenever I didn't wanna do work, hurhur. Anyway I'm pretty sure most of you have tried playing it on a pc-based live msn messenger.

As I'm using a mac now, I cannot play this game anymore unfortunately :( So all images in this post are taken online.

So... Solitaire Showdown! What's up with this game?

Wokays... so basically SS (short for Solitaire Showdown) is an online game.

It is played on msn live messenger.

It has to be played with another msn user.

The game is simple - everyone has played Solitaire before right?

This is just an extended version of it.

What do you need to do in this game?

1) While competing with another msn chat user and following the standard Solitaire rules**, a player needs to fight with time also to complete his/her stack of cards.

** Standard rules of Solitaire ** - Firstly, you need to arrange a random stack of cards in a manner that the colours are stacked alternately (black red black red) with addition that the cards are arranged in descending order (King, Queen, Jack, 10s,........ Aces).

Finally, you need to rearrange all these into an ascending order of 4 piles of the same symbols - Spades, Diamonds, Hearts & Clubs. Once you've stacked all the cards into these 4 symbols, you've completed the game.

2) However, in SS, the 4 symbol-piles that you need to arrange them in are shared between you and your competitor.

3) Therefore it is a race against time to see who can fill up the next spot faster, which clears your pile of cards faster as well.

4) Once that spot is filled by a player, the other player will not have the chance to put the same card there. He/she will need to find another slot to place their card.

5) Both players are able to view each others' cards from an overhead point of view.

6) In one corner, there is stack of cards that holds 13 random cards.

7) The objective is to clear that stack of cards.

8) The first to finish their stack of cards wins!

ADDICTION?

HMMMMMM okay personally I think this game is freaking addictive.

Maybe I didn't have any life back then.

But I would kill to get to play Solitaire Showdown on a mac's live messenger, I'M SERIOUS.

In fact, I would pay for them to integrate this!!!!!!!

What factors contribute to this game being addictive?

1) Playability & Interaction - This game invites you to compete with other players and it's not only other people, it's people who you know which are on msn. The interaction in the game is compelling as you and the other player race against time and compete with each others' skills to finish your stack of cards faster.

2) Simple Concept & Familiarity - As Solitaire has been played by mostly everyone, this game introduces only a few new elements and rules which add on to the complexity of the game. Not too much though. Just nice!

3) Competition - As you are competing with a fellow chat mate, topping the charts become quite a priority as the statistics are public and everyone is able to check out who is the king/queen of SS. (ehem ME)

Bad points of SS??

The only bad point I can find is that - THERE'S NO SOLITAIRE SHOWDOWN FOR MAC MESSENGER?! WHY WHY WHY?!?!?!??!

Oh, and that it's highly addictive once you get the hang of the game.

But I'm sure that's a good thing right.

Easy? Medium? Hard?

I'd say it's fairly easy.

Solitaire is a very familiar game to everyone.

Solitaire Showdown has added elements to make the game more interesting.

Elements like:

The time factor that has a new twist: instead of timing how fast you complete your own stack, the clock now is your competitor.

The final piles that are shared between you and your competitor, therefore allowing interaction.

So that's it!

I believe people who have played it before would think that it's a very fun game!