Game: Square meal
Developer: Nitrome
Platform: pc

What is it?
This game is a game whereby you have this square-looking monster. YOU as the player has to control this square monster to eat other monsters(enemies) in each level. The objective is simple and direct and quite typical.


Uniqueness?

Gameplay
However, this game added something interesting. The square monster attacks with its mouth. YOU as the player controls the monster to stuff different type of blocks into its mouth and then shoot the blocks out to knock out the monster enemies. Thereafter player can go and eat up the monsters while it is in a dizzy state. However if the monster wake up and the player touches it,the player will die and have to restart the level again.There are various different types of blocks in the game.Examples like stone,metal,wood blocks. Each types of blocks has a unique attribute to it. For example, the wood will be destroyed once it hit the walls in the game. This meant each wooden blocks can only be used once. The unique attributes of each type of bloacks are not known to the players at the start of the game. Thus it adds in a surprise element to the players as they will discover it while playing the game.


Enemies
There are various types of enemies in this game and each type of enemies have different attributes to it too. The brown looking jelly like creatures are the easiest to kill and the game will get harder as more difficult/sly enemies are added in the later levels. The character design of the enemies looks good to me as it sort of tells me what special attributes it has. For example, the bull skull like creature looks like a bull to me and hence its attribute is to charge upon seeing the square character(player).


Levels
The game is a top down view game ,similar to the bomberman game that i reviewed perviously. The levels are carefully think of as it is kind of a strategy game too. Players have to carefully think which types of blocks to pick up and deal with the different types of monsters, or else they might end up with insufficient blocks to kill the monsters.


Drawbacks
One of the drawbacks of the game is that once the square monster touches other monster, the square monster dies and player has to restart that level again. this is quite irriating to me as i feel that player should have at least 3 lives for each level before they have to restart the same level when they die.
















Screenshot of the gameplay

 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.

Ragnarok online

Ragnarok online, one of the top online game for the last many years. Just like many other MMORPG, Ragnarok is a simple type of game with very little narration but involves almost a zillion of things going on. It can be mini quests, jobs, trading, level up, getting items, stealing, etc. Regardless of that, RO is still one of my most favourite online RPG game.

Although Im very bad with online games, I pretty much enjoyed RO. Believe me, all my characters have never reached the 2nd class. It remains as lousy Trader, or MP-les Magician. It sucks, but I like its graphic and animation design, not forgetting characters avatar. 

RO too is the first time Ive ever experienced real-time based events, like Christmas where there will be Santa monsters giving out free candies and sometimes Santa Hat. Then other events like Valentine, etc. Of course these kinds of events are no longer a rare find, as games in facebook and even iPhone are doing the same. 

One of the best feature of RO for me is the landscape design. Setting such as buildings, towns, mountains, etc are very flat. Yes they make use the 2D landscape but as your avatar roams through the XY grids, it becomes XYZ. Likewise, it is almost the first experience to play on such landscape which tricks your eyes and add another dimension just by you playing on it. Not only that, the design are pretty much realistic but consistent with the characters which are a bit cartoonish and animated.

However, one bad thing about MMORPG is the pace of the game. Well, obviously you are playing your own pace, but that when it is offline. When you are online, you are competing with millions of other players. Some worst scenarios are your monster being killed by others and the EXP goes to them. It sucks big time, especially if the monster drops rare items. Not only that, there are people who spend 24/7 infront of their computer, controlling their avatar and giving no mercy to rare monsters for their extremely high rewards. And if you were to compare with yourself, playing at most 10 hours per week ... you know.

Yes, that is about online RPG games for me. Very much fun but when it comes to competing, it kind of difficult to handle. And without competition, any games would be boring.

kelvin

"Possibly one of the best soccer game there is out there on Earth! No doubts about it!", Hasbullah.

Indeed this is one of the best soccer games out there. Very few can match its quality, maybe FIFA can. Its like the real thing whereby you have control over transfer markets. YOu can buy and sell players just like any manager would in real life. Prices of player fluctuate according to their abilities and popularity among clubs.

Gameplay

The gameplay is exceptionally fluid, as the graphic engines enables excellent rendering. Players look strikingly similar to the real deal and abilities are matched according to the real players on the field.
ISS Pro Evolution (known as Winning Eleven 4 in Japan) is the third video game in ISS Pro series developed by the KCET division of Konami exclusively for the Playstation.
The engine has been recreated providing new player movements, animations and improved graphics. During promotion following taglines have been used: "The King of football returns" and "This really IS football!".

The new version featured updated player rosters, extended amount of game modes, teams (including club teams for the very first time), stadiums and settings providing highly developed player editor not as long limited only to name edition. The game was precise in every detail and aspect of the game, such as the fact that the team captain could be selected with the captain's badge on arm and the colour of players' shoes could also be individualized. The replays could be stored on the memory card as well as won trophies and unlocked bonuses. In this version the one-two-pass system has been highly developed, becoming one of the greatest threats to the opponent and dribbling including trick-shooting has been introduced as a new trick in gameplay.

Modes

There are several modes that you can play in, Exhibition Matches, International Cup(WorldCup), Continental Cup, International League, Master League(Champions League), Training Modes. These modes will keep you stuck to the game for many months to come. I practically played this game for years. Upgrading to new versions as soon as they are released.

Why I favour it so much?

Well I pretty much love soccer, I would have become a professional player if not for the pity state of Singapore football. Its only a 10 year++ career. If they were to pay like those premiership clubs ranging from 10-50k pounds a week, that would certainly be a source of livelihood for me. Hence this game sort of lets me feel the anxiety of the situation to go as far as my dreams could possibly go. Rating 10/10. No doubts bout it. Excellent gameplay, Excellent graphics, Similarities to the real situation of the football world. Four thumbs up!

Peggle
by PopCap games

Peggle is a multi-platform casual game that allows players to drop a ball from the top of the screen, watching it travel down the screen, hitting coloured objects. Doesn't sound like much fun, but wait till you've tried it. Peggle is done by PopCap Games, which also did Plants vs Zombies.

The objective of the game is to hit all the orange coloured balls, or in Peggle lingo, 'pegs'. In the entire screen, there are laid before your very eyes a pool of blue and orange pegs. Players control the starting shot of the ball, and after the initial shot is made, the ball will travel down the screen, its movement and direction dependent on gravity and collisions with the pegs. The pegs are not placed randomly, but is based on the background picture. The placement tends to follow how the picture looks like. At the very bottom of the screen is a little container bucket that glides to the extreme left and right edges, and if the ball drops into the bucket, the player will be rewarded a free ball. There is also one purple peg, which will increase the player's score with each consecutive green/orange peg hit.

In addition to the basic core gameplay mentioned above, there is also some variations to it. Players can choose if he wants to play in 'campaign' mode, or 'free play', or try out for the 'challenges'. In campaign mode, the players start off with level 1-11, and end with a level that approximates 10-5. There are 5 stages per level, and each level differs in difficulty. In each level, players control a 'character', which has different super powers. These superpowers are attained by hitting a green coloured peg. There are 2 green pegs in each level. In 'Free play', players are free to choose any level and any character they want. In 'Challenges', players are given the same set of levels to choose from, but this time, they are given challenges, such as starting the game with only half the allocated balls, attaining a certain score, etc.

Art is definitely good, I like how the whole game is very colourful, which helps to grab your attention. It is very bright, almost neon-ish. Everything is done up in a cartoonish manner, which is directed toward the casual gaming audience. Whenever the player completes a level, A bright orangey colourful 'EXTREME FEVER' pops up, which I like a lot. Helps to make you feel happy. What I also like is the little nuances in the game that one may miss. For instance, while the game is loading up, the text that traditionally shows what is being loaded says something to the extent of 'preparing tea', 'tucking in kids to bed', etc. Together with sound design, it has a very carnival-ish feel to it.

Sound is good, there is a neat sound feature in which enhances the gameplay. When the ball first launches off from the player, the sound with each collision increases from low pitch to a very high pitch. So the more balls you hit, the higher the pitch of the sound. This helps to enhance the gameplay because the sound foreshadows the next ball being hit, i.e. the player knows the next sound the game will play when the ball hits another peg.

I first got exposed to this game when I was interning at a games company and this level designer started playing it on the big screen. Everyone started laughing at him because it looked sissy. A week after, the whole team started playing it religiously and that level designer whined of how they made fun of him last week. One of the initial comments 'everyone' made was that the game didn't allow for much interaction. The only thing the player does in the game is to release the first shot, and watch the ball go down the screen, much like pachinko or pinball. However, I realised that this is very important because the game relied a lot on luck, which then makes the game addictive. Players won't be able to know which orange peg will ultimately get hit. The same scenario happened with my mother, who plays this game every night religiously for the past few months, especially after I got Peggle Nights, its sequel, for her. She, too, initially complained when I showed her the game that it lacked user interaction.

Rating: 9.5/10

http://www.keepbusy.net/play.php?id=the-torture-game-3

Sadistically dismembering a 3D guy might be a good stress reliever at times *evil grinz*. Otherwise it might just be entertaining for those who like horror and macabre theme.

The man is hung via his wrists with ropes. Weapons are provided such as razor, gun, rope, chainsaw, spikes or even stretch him out by using the hand tool. U can also brush paint on him which is a form of humiliation.

After he is all butchered up and there are body parts lying on the floor, the screen can be restarted by clicking on the 'reset' key.

What i like about this game is the ability to control the weapons by using the keyboard such as up and down keys to length on shorten the rope. It feels somewhat like a paint or photoshop application except the outcome is unexpected and you get a different result everytime =)

The physics of the game makes it engaging in the way the body bounces, sways and even wiggles from the pain of the tension from the rope.

It is deviates from other mainstream conventional games that are child friendly.

Yet i feel it addresses the issue of violence in most games that people indulge in. The game isolates and focuses on the violent element like those in shooting and combat games.

It is a unique game, and in the end u can have a screenshot of your very own torture masterpiece.

Developer: Nintendo

Platform: Nintendo DS

Release: 2005

I was thrilled when Mario Kart DS was released back in 2005. After experiencing multiplayer kart racing goodness on the N64 years ago, I was expecting the same experience but on a portable level. The same experience was not ported but in its place is a much better Mario Kart experience.

Mario Kart DS is a 3D go-kart racing game. Like most other racing games, the objective is simple. You earn trophies after winning first place in races. The game has two main types of play, single player and multiplayer. Each type of play is further categorized into a few modes of play. The standard Grand Prix, Time Trial, VS, Battle and a Mission mode can be found in the single player mode. Most of these modes involve standard kart racing with the exception of Battle and Mission modes. In the Battle mode, each racer is expected to take out their opponents using the various weapon powerups in the levels. The racer’s health denoted by balloons can be inflated through blowing into the mic of the DS. Having more balloons inflated means you have a better chance stay in the game longer but the weapon powerups you get will be inferior to another racer who risked his stay in the game by having less balloons inflated. The Battle mode involved a little strategy and it comes into play more obviously when played in teams. The Mission mode on the other hand is there to hone your racing skills as the objectives often forced you to apply certain techniques. The Grand Prix mode is where the main bulk of the game is at and it offers 32 tracks in 4 different vehicle class races. Half of the tracks are brand new while the other 16 are tracks from previous Mario Kart games.

Mario Kart DS is easy to pick up but not quite that straight forward to master. The karts are accelerated by holding on to the A button while the B acts as a brake. It is not recommended to use the brake button in the game for it will slow down the vehicles too much and to circumvent that you can use the L and R trigger buttons to do a drift around corners. Pressing the left and right rapidly while drifting will charge up the nitro boost and will give you a temporary boost of speed. With enough practice, it is possible to get constant speed boost even on a straight path.

Powerups are found throughout the tracks in the form of boxes. The powerup you get is generated based on you current position in the race so the last racer will have the highest chance to get the best powerup. The powerups come in both offensive and defensive forms and some are of both forms. Powerups can be stored in inventory and therefore can be part of your strategy to win the races.

The 32 tracks offer a lengthy gameplay and they are mostly well designed and fun to race in. Most of them are based on levels in Mario’s platform games and create this familiar atmosphere to the game. The levels are laid with obstacles ranging from enemies found in Mario’s other games to oncoming traffic from the opposite direction.

Replayability of this game is extremely high. There are plenty of modes and tracks to try out in the game. Add to that are the 12 characters, 4 which have to be unlocked, each with different vehicles. The characters and their vehicles have different specifications and all of them controls differently from each other. There are also unlockable vehicles for each character which requires you to replay the tracks to get good placings for all races with the individual characters. The multiplayer portion of the game adds on further to the already highly replayable game. It is always fun to race and battle other players whether through local wireless play or online. The online portion has connection issues at times and sometimes will take a long time before the game finds other players.

As this is a portable game, it will not be the prettiest Mario Kart game. The graphics of Mario Kart DS looks as good as the N64 version with bright colourful characters and tracks. Furthermore, it runs at a solid 60 frames per second which is crucial for racing games.

Mario Kart DS is an excellent kart racing game and with its high replayability, can be even described as value for money.

Rating: 9/10

Weiwen

Digital: A Love Story

Website: http://www.scoutshonour.com/digital/
Developer: Christine Love
Platform: Windows / Mac / Linux

Digital: A Love Story is an interactive story set in a fictional operating system of the DOS-era. It's instantly nostalgic for anyone who has used one of those old Apple systems or Windows 3.1. There's even the familiar sound of a dial-up modem when you need to use the internet.

The game is very heavily story-driven. That means reading chunks and chunks of text which would be a chore if the dialogue wasn't so well written. The messages on the BBS discuss technology, games, hacks, all within the context of the fictional world. There's even Star Trek fanboy banter and trolls annoying everyone with their presence, something that is all too familiar in the real world. There's a button to "reply" for every message but you'll only get a response for a few of them. You don't actually type a reply and the only way to figure out what you replied is from the response itself. It's a refreshing storytelling approach to have the player fill in the blanks as the narrative feels less literal and rigid.

That said, the narrative is a still a line from the beginning to the end. The player is expected to reply to certain messages or visit this and that BBS to advance the plot. Much like adventure games, there is a certain order to play the game and being stuck could be a very frustrating experience. In that case, why not tell the story through writing or a short film? Afterall, those are mediums that have already mastered the narrative while games are still tackling the problem of melding gameplay and narrative.

That's because the story works in the setting of a game. The player is immersed in the experience of using a piece of dated technology which is limited in many ways. Each time you access a different BBS, you have to repeat the same routine of dialing a 7-digit number and listening to the familiar drawl of the modem. It's not the intention of the game to frustrate or annoy the player. Rather, it transports them to an older time where there is little instant gratification. There's the allure of an underground culture where people create hacks to overcome limitations in software and to get out of paying for stuff. As you learn new dialer hacks and BBSs, it feels like opening up new places in your world, the same feeling you get from exploring a massive world in a game like Oblivion. It's a world where information isn't as accessible as it is now and the internet is a magical place of equal parts knowledge and mystery.

The narrative melds with gameplay, not as a story to dress up the gameplay. Rather, the gameplay is a narrative device used to tell the story more effectively. When the connection between the characters breaks down, it's interesting to see them trying to re-establish the connection by moving to a new BBS. The game shows people bonding over vast distances, the existence of a community in a virtual setting that is just as real as any in real life. There is perhaps an underlying commentary on our heavy reliance on technology. What if the internet breaks down? How much do we stand to lose from that?

Digital: A Love Story isn't for everyone but it's worth playing just to listen to that modem dial-up sound! It's not as tough to get into as a novel, if that's not your thing. And if books are your thing, it's a great read and a fantastic example of a story-driven approach to games that works well.

--Benjamin