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!

The survival of the Angry Birds is at stake. Dish out revenge on the green pigs who stole the Birds’ eggs. Use the unique destructive powers of the Angry Birds to lay waste to the pigs’ fortified castles.
Angry Birds features hours of gameplay, challenging physics-based castle demolition, and lots of replay value. Each of the 105 levels requires logic, skill, and brute force to crush the enemy.
Protect wildlife or play Angry Birds!

If you’re a puzzle game lover you definitely owe it to yourself to check this one out. So much about this game, from the "weapons" to the physics and level variety, is really quite excellent. If you've got even one destructive bone in your body, I think this military-farm-complex will be fun.


GamePlay
 Your power and trajectory determines the success of your birds' attacks. A direct hit at a critical weak point can bring an entire structure down on top of a pig's noggin, resulting in lots of pained oinks. A recent update just added 42 new stages, upgrading Angry Birds from a clever trifle to a substantial game. There are a host of birds you use to attack, such as the basic red cannonballer, a yellow dive-bomber, and little blue birds that split into three when you tap them mid-flight. Deploying the right bird at the right time is the key to finishing stages with a single fling. It's a very simple formula, but thanks to precise controls (you drag your bird back in the slingshot to determine power and throw angle), great puzzle designs, and excellent atmosphere, Angry Birds is outrageously addictive. (Really, I am sleepy today because I played this until three in the morning.)

Depending on how many birds you use to wipe out all pigs in a stage, you earn up to three stars. I found myself replaying stages over and over until I figured out the linchpin of each structure, determined to drop the houses with a single throw. If you sign up for the social network Crystal, you can compare your scores with other players and log your triumphs on leaderboards.

Verdict
9/10 for excellent gameplay and addictiveness. Graphics are awesome and cute. Will definitely make you play it for quite a while. Levels get challenging and more fun. Definitely worth a try or buy. Careful, you just might be stuck to the game.

Cave Story

Website: http://www.cavestory.com/
Designer: Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya
Platform: Windows / Mac / Linux / PSP / Xbox / Amiga OS / GP2X / WiiWare
Download: http://www.miraigamer.net/cavestory/downloads_1.php

Cave Story was first released as a freeware Metroidvania game that grew to immense popularity among indie gamers. It's recently released on WiiWare with improved graphics and music (the screenshots here are from the free PC version). The game features some of the best pixel artwork in games and the soundtrack is pretty awesome too. What's most amazing about Cave Story is that it's the sole effort of one Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya.

It's an extremely well polished game too. The character movement is one of the most important elements in any platform game, especially the jump. The player character, a robot "from the surface", feels very 'natural' as he jumps around performing shooting maneuvers (you can shoot in all four directions), evading enemy fire. The feel is right and few games achieve that; one of the most notable being the Super Mario games. At one point in the game, you get a machine gun that propels you upward when you shoot it at the ground. How frigging amazing is that?

The story's very engaging with its colorful characters and a deep emotional arc. The Mimigas (bunny-like people) are the target of the evil Doctor and it's up to you to save them from being turned into rabid monsters to be unleashed on the human race. The story unfolds bit by bit as your character traverses beautifully created environments, gaining new weapons along the way. Each weapon could be upgraded by collecting the yellow bits that fallen enemies turn into. Weapons like the Machine Gun have a surprise for the player. When it is upgraded to Lv 3, it gives the aforementioned ability to propel the player upwards. Suddenly, there's new crevices to explore and Cave Story has a lot of hidden surprises.

The monsters are meticulously designed with cute details and it's a delight looking at these creative monsters and environments from the mind of the artist. It's quite a tough game (I'm still struggling to beat the tank boss in the Labyrinth level) and surely provides a challenge for the most hardcore player.

--Benjamin

Fallout 3 is a fully immersive strategic RP game where the player controls the main character who grew up in a fallout shelter. As he grew up he explores the outer world which is filled with hostilities in a post apocalyptic earth where enemies i.e. humans, zombies, critters, mutants, etc roam around.

Enemy. Pip Boy 3000 allos you to choose the spot which offers the most critical hit.

Post apocalyptic setting.

The background is impressive and large as you navigate through different areas and towns in the game, from underground to above ground environments. However the Pip Boy 300 is a device which is somewhat like a PDA for your character to navigate through the game, check inventories, check the vital stats of your player, the game accomplishments and objectives that are yet to be fulfilled.

The audio aesthetics is superb with realistic panning depending on the location of the enemies which made me shocked at times to suddenly hear a growl or attack from behind or the sides which is also shift and blur the camera view from the impact.

Talking to Jericho- given a choice to form allies.

Interactions which other human characters through the game will affect the game outcome. For example being given a choice of response in conversations might determine if that person will be kind or cold towards your character which might hamper or alleviate your progress through the game. You can even form allies through conversations thus depending on your communication skills which is shown in the 'stats' section of the Pip Boy 300, a character with high charm level would have an added advantage in this area.

Pip Boy 300 showing the skills the player has.

One of the best RPG games i've played which is addicted and challenging. No negative sides to it that i can think of but not being able to search for items to complete a quest might be frusting and time consuming at times.

Ghostbusters The Video Game
by Atari

I bought this game without second thought: I'm a Ghostbuster fan boy. When I was young, I used to tie a rolled up vanguard sheet to my school bag and walk around the house pretending I was carrying a proton pack.

The last time I played a ghostbuster game was when I was probably around the age of 10-12. There was a really lousy one that can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhxZdBkUid8, and another later release which was a much better game.

The latest incarnation of the Ghostbusters franchise was released on the next-gen consoles around August last year. I had high hopes for it: it was said to be the unofficial 3rd sequel to the movie. Furthermore, the voice actors comprised of the original talents from the actual movie!

I would say that the game lived up to expectation in the first few missions, but really lacked variety as the game progressed. You play the role of a rookie ghostbuster (a newcomer who joins the original 4), who doesn't really say anything throughout the game (there isn't at all one line from him). 'You' just show your emotions through facial and bodily expressions.

It uses a 3rd person view, which works well for this game. Players can choose a variety of weapons: the standard proton stream, a slime blower, meson collider (which is basically a shotgun), and each weapon has an alternate fire mode. For instance, the slime blower can also be used as a slime tether, which is basically a long line of slime that allows the player to pull objects toward each other. These weapons also work differently against the healthy variety of enemies in the game, as some enemies are more vulnerable to certain types of weapons.

As in the movie, to capture a ghost, the player has to use his capture stream to ensnare the ghost and pull it toward the stasis trap, which the player must throw out. After which the ghost will slowly get sucked into the trap, and it gives a satisfying beep like in the movie to show that the ghost has been captured. Cool!!

The missions, however, are quite a disappointment. Most of the missions involve doing the same thing: while you are walking around, ghosts will suddenly appear from nowhere and create havoc upon that place, capture those ghosts and continue mission. It is too repetitive even for me. The bosses are not at all special, they just have a health bar which decreases as long as you fire your weapon toward them. But to think of it, the ghostbusters franchise relies on a few things: humour, proton packs, and the Stay-Puft marshmallow man. You can't really stretch the ghostbusters film too far, things will just get really serious. With that in mind, its not surprising that the game got repetitive.

What is good, however, is how the whole game is lighthearted. They have managed to port the humour well, considering that Ghostbusters is a supernatural comedy. Players get to play a particular scene in the movie where Slimer slimes Peter Venkman in the hotel. The achievements also reflect humour: when the player slides down the fireman pole in their headquarters for the first time, the achievement 'You gotta try this' pops up, as an allusion to what Raymond Stantz says in the movie when he did the same thing. Others include 'I looked at the trap, Ray!' and 'But the kids love us!'.

Graphics and physics are beautiful, the proton streams look like the proton streams in the movie, maybe even better. The streams also bend when the thumbstick is moved. The colours are bright and neonish, and very immersive.

For the most part, this game is more for nostalgia than anything else. It assumes that the player has knowledge in the 2 movies. Players may potentially misinterpret parts of the game if they haven't seen the movies before. For instance, the antagonist in the 2nd movie, Vigo the Carpathian, or 'Prince Vigo von Homburg Deutschendorf', is in his original painting in the first level of the firehouse. Also, the ever present Janine Melnitz, their secretary, is always giving witty remarks to the phone calls she answers. Players may run the risk of not enjoying this game to the fullest without prior Ghostbuster knowledge, as some parts may seem ridiculous.

What interesting, however, is the game mechanics for death. There is a health bar, but he just goes paralysed if it goes to 0 and he has to wait for a fellow ghostbuster (controlled by AI) to come rescue him before he is back to full health. Similarly, he is expected to rescue his fellow ghostbusters if they go down. However, if all goes down for the count, the mission will restart at the last checkpoint. I find that a lot of games are starting to use this you-will-not-die mechanic. Some examples I can think of are Halo Co-op, Gears of War Co-op and Prince of Persia. How does implementing this feature affect the game? By adopting this practice, the player will be led to think that since the character doesn't die, he/she will/can complete the game. For me, it doesn't really matter, but it does depend on the game that employs this. Some games are better if you can die, and have to find health/medi-paks to sustain yourself. Some games are better off without it.

Rating: 8.5/10

Pokemon 

It started out pretty badly for Pokemon, especially because of Pikachu's Pika Bolt which apparently did struck some of the children who were watching when the show was first shown. But look at it today, about 15 years after it was born, Pikachu is still traveling with Ash! And Nintendo has ever since released countless number of games. Among the first, was Pokemon Red and Blue.

Pokemon Red and Blue seems to be the most classic, primitive game of Pokemon. It was black and white, played on the super gigantic heavy Gameboy which is now a fossil. Graphic wise, it was by grids, even each of the monster, characters, etc. Compared to today, the game is coloured, and even 3D if you play it in Dreamcast or Nintendo Wii. 

What makes Pokemon game is so interesting. For me, it is the idea of collecting the pokemon. The first batch of Pokemon was numbered up to 356, if Im not mistaken and yes, you have to catch all those monsters in order to 'perfect' the game. Of course it is almost impossible to do so, as the last Pokemon was only available through direct trading with the Pokemon Centre in Tokyo and New York. But nonetheless, 'collecting' seems to spark a lot of interest in gaming. Look at gensoSuikoden and even MMORPG like Ragnarok. Collecting characters and rare items is among the main reasons why people play those games. If we see at Harvest Moon, Final Fantasy series and even Plants Vs Zombies, the concept of collecting whatever it is drives players to pay it more and more.

It is not surprising that there are still people who prefer to play the original Pokemon Red and Blue compared to the more advanced one like Silver which turned into Platinum and I think they are coming out with some weird stones for the title. It gives the indie feel also the recollection players will have when they replay these games. Likewise, people too often prefer the squared Mario Bros. compared to the new 3D version.

Back to Pokemon Red, gameplay is very very long and it did get boring in the middle. However, the ending was very much nicely done, with the peak of fighting the Big 5. (and yeah, no matter how fast you play the game, Gary will still be fighting you towards the end). Narrative-wise, this game has definitely a lot of potential, which proved to be correct as the following sequels followed the main story line but added MILLIONS of additional features. 

There are a lot of consideration in creating the game. For example, in the game, you will get a bicycle which is very very helpful as your character tends to walk very slowly. You will also get teleportation devices which will teleport you out of some deep unescapable dark caves with monsters which are 20levels higher than you roaming around. And the points where these items are awarded by the CPU is very much suits the timing when you need it. So Nintendo must have did a lot of trial and consideration. These are minor items and you might not see it as significant, but the truth is, it is, and these items surely help your gameplay easier.

This game also has the best instruction that any other games have ever provided to players. Maybe because it is aimed to suit the young, the instruction is made very very clear. The game also divides the instructions and rules accordingly, not given to players in one big slap. It creates a pacing for the game. However again, the 60% spot of the game seems to be a bit draggy. Many would remember Broke and Misty and maybe Erica, but not many do of Blaine and Sabrina. 

But in overall, I think Pokemon Red especially is among the greatest cutesy RPG game that Nintendo has ever created. For me personally, I would still prefer the more advanced version like Sapphire and Emerald as they have more features and additional side-quests. But still, Pokemon Red is a game not to be forgotten.

kelvin

Developer: Connect2Media
Platform: Mobile/Android/iPhone
Release: 2009

Edge is a platform puzzle game on the mobile gaming platform. The game has the player taking control of a white cube and the objective of the game is to get from the starting point to the ending point of each level with the least number of deaths and the fastest timing.

Edge has 43 levels each with increasingly more challenging puzzles. Cubes are the only elements that make up the levels in the game. Levels in the game are multi-leveled, contain moving parts and traps and can change its own form when triggered by buttons or in-game sequences. Although the levels in the start of the game are pretty boring, they slowly got better and more creatively designed as I progressed through the game. One memorable portion was a moment when I stepped on a button on top of a pile of cubes, the cubes form themselves into a humanoid figure and brought me across a huge gap that would otherwise be impossible to cross.

I played the game on a non touchscreen phone so i cannot get the motion and touch controls of the other version. Controls are simple and intuitive. You move the cube in-game by the 4 directional keypad found on a mobile phone. Holding a particular direction will cause the cube to rotate towards that direction. Release the key before the cube gains enough momentum to tilt over and the cube will flop back to the previous position. This control system allows for an interesting gameplay mechanic which allows the cube to be able to 'stick' to the other cubes in the level if the tilt angle of the cube is within a certain range. This allows the player to travel great distance in the game by 'sticking' onto moving cubes in the game if the player is skilled enough to get the timing and angle correct.

The visuals and sound in the game is fantastic for a mobile game. Presented in an isometric view, the levels look clean and minimal. Shadows that are casted by the cube shows clearly the multilevel design. Music in the game is made up of simple beats which work well with the visuals.
Edge is a great mobile game that is fresh and fun to play.

Rating: 8/10
Weiwen