Game: Metal Slug X

Platform: ps,psp,pc and arcade (quite a lot of plaform)

Developer: SNK

What is it?

It is a highly action packed game whereby player has to constantly killing enemies and awaiting for more new enemies(monsters, soldiers, aircrafts etc) to appear to fight on. It is a play which requires lots of skills to control the character. In the game, player can choose one to use from the 4 characters(Marco,Tarma,Eri and Fion) at the start of the game. Personally i like to use Tarma as my character.There is no special difference in power of each character. Just that they are each unique personality and they will do unique animation in the game. For Tarma, this character will always smoke (which is cute) as it will smoke even it is half way fighting monster.

What i like ?

-Interaction
It is a highly action packed game whereby player has to constantly killing enemies and awaiting for more new enemies(monsters, soldiers, aircrafts etc) to appear to fight on. Animation is used effectively to show the interaction between the player and the enemies. For example, soldiers / monsters/ aircrafts are effectively animated to show that they are being hit/ destroy by the player to give a better user feedback to the player. Thus, effective animation is used to enhance the interaction between the player and the enemies.
In addition, player can find and obtain weaponry upgrades/ machines/ transport throughout the game whereby they can use these special items to fight against the enemies. Great variety of items (weaponry upgrades/ machines/ transport) can be pick up by the players make the game a more interesting one as player can use these items and see how it benefits them. Thus the collectables makes this game into a more explorative game whereby player will play the game in order to explore new weaponry items.

-Challenging level
It is a game which requires great control of the character in order to finish the whole game with the given life given. The placement of the enemies is carefully though of whereby there will be a spur of enemies charging at the player at certain time of the game. This poses a challenge for the player to be able to fight against the enemies and be able to break through this chaos. In addition, the player will meet different unique boss at the end of each mission (stage). Player then has to figure out how to beat the boss and at the same time avoid the endless and merciless attacks by the boss. In this game, it requires good coordination of the hand and eye of the player in order to win this game. Thus, this game is highly addictively as players will aim to win this highly challenging game.

-Competition
This game can either be player individually or in pairs. Players can work together to fight against the enemies by cooperating seamlessly in their movements. At the same time, players can complete with each other in this game. For example, Players can complete with the number of the POW (Prisoner of war) they can rescued in each mission. Scores will be given to both players based on the number of the POW they had rescued and the lives the players had left at the end of each mission. Thus competition pushes players to complete with each other and it urges them to continue playing the game in order to win one another.

Platform wise?

The first time i played this game is on a pc.Personally i do not like playing it on a pc as i find it quite hard to control the keys movement. I feel this kind of action packed game should be played on joss stick(controller). Perhaps it is due to the arrangement of the keys on the joss controller that make it more comfortable to control.

Life Limit?
I play another metal slug series on a ps and one can choose the life limit to UNLIMITED.

YES!!! This game is seriously VERY hard and challenging. If you want to complete this game, either you have very good skills( limited life) OR you have unlimited life where you can heck-care shotting the enemies and heck-care being dying. The acrade has this game and one REALLY have to spend a lot ot money to complete this game (someone like me). Though this game is highly hard, i find this game addictive and will play it again and again( in a unlimited life mode,of course).

The Sims 3

Website: The Sims 3
Publisher: EA Play
Developer: EA Black Box, Visceral Games
Genre: Simulation
Platform: PC, Mac

After reviewing a bunch of bite-size games, I thought it's time I attempted a commercial game. Back when I actually have time to play games, The Sims was one of my favorite time wasters. I played the first and the second game, now I have the third game in the series and I've got swanky green bling to show for it (i.e. the thumb drive)! I'm clearly not the only fan -- The Sims has garnered an enormous fan base as well as a dedicated modding community, which is a sure-tell sign of a game's success. So what is it that is so compelling about The Sims?

Something compelling... there...

If you've never heard of The Sims, it's a game of simulated life. It's a sandbox game -- instead of playing towards a goal, you simply make up your own goals and your own narrative, even. The player controls a family of Sims, simulated people who listen to your every bidding. If you choose not to control their actions, they act on their own. Like in real life, your Sim could make a meal, have a night out in town with friends, work for a job promotion, settle down and make a family, and many others. Also not unlike real life, your Sim has needs to fulfill and there's rent to pay.

"Picnics mean no dirty dishes to wash. I don't eat at home anymore."

There isn't a "best" way to play the game but if you fulfill your Sim's Wishes (such as going on a date or eating a bowl of mac and cheese), you have more points to spend on Lifetime Happiness rewards, perks that improve your Sim in various ways. A Sim with the Steel Bladder attribute won't have to worry about peeing in his or her pants whereas an Attractive Sim gets a lot of glances in their direction. Then,you could work on your Sim's skills are not only necessary for job promotions but are also useful for hobbies like gardening or fishing. At the peak of your Sim's career, there's is no shortage of cash. When you've turned your Sim into a multimillionaire with a huge mansion filled with designer furniture and made friends with the entire town, what's there left to do?

"Blue phallic sea monsters? Not in my town!"

You could start a family, watch your little Sim babies grow up and repeat the cycle. You could explore the local crypt, become the best cook in town, find the secret to everlasting life (yes, it exists), break a few hearts, become a rockstar, design a Frank Gehry-inspired masterpiece of a building, feed your pet piranha named Pooch, catch a burglar, sculpt a bodybuilder's physique at the gym, punch your arch-nemesis, buy out the local hospital, join in a protest against mysterious sea monsters, steal candy from a baby -- the possibilities are many... but not endless. Eventually you'll play out every possible interaction and then you're left wondering: what's next?

"I could do this all day."

Well, this is perhaps what makes a Sims game so compelling. You could wake in the morning, go to work, come home to your loving family. Or you could commit arson, kick your neighbour's trash can then sleep over at a lover's place. There is a lot of freedom to create your own narrative and huge internet communities have been formed for this purpose. Mod The Sims is a website and forum where anyone could share and download user-created content for their Sims game, ranging from custom eye colors and makeup to beautiful villas and even new objects with hacked behaviors, such as a voodoo lamp that could deliver a fast and painful death to any Sim of your choosing. You could then download Paris Hilton and put her in your game where you film a movie, directing her through a series of unfortunate events eventually leading to her demise. This process of film making with games is known as machinima. The trending popularity of this has not eluded the makers of the Sims -- with Sims 3, anyone could upload the movies they created in-game to the official website. This has resulted in some creative storytelling efforts (but mostly terrible ones). The point is that the experience of creating something of your own is extremely satisfying, whether it's making a short film or hacking a coffee maker object to make it talk. You might have played the entire game inside out but you are only limited by your own imagination when it comes to playing in the sandbox.

"I think Daddy just left me a huge inheritance!"

What's more, the amount of customization in the game is staggering. The wardrobe of clothing by itself has a disappointing selection but every part of the clothing could be customized with a different pattern and color. This also applies to the floor tiles and most of the objects in the game. If you ever want to live in a world with only pink in it, you could. The game allows you to put in your own music which could be played on the radio in-game. The Sim also has customizable physical attributes so you could create your dream man or lady. Something I thought is very interesting is the use of thought and speech bubbles in Sim-to-Sim interaction and Simlish. Simlish sounds like a foreign language that makes no sense. It actually doesn't because it's entirely made up! The speech seems to be intentionally designed to be abstract so that users can fill in their own dialogue. This works extremely well because most of us have a story in mind and making the game narrative explicit will really ruin it for us. For those who are familiar with the Tale of Genji scroll, the pictorial scroll portrays the character's faces in a generic abstract style so that the viewer could fill in with their own images of the characters. Likewise in the Sims, if my Sim burns her omelette, I could interpret it as her being a really awful cook or I could pretend that she's intentionally making a charred meal for her two-timing douche bag of a husband.

"You give me the red crayon now or you'll be playing by yourself in that oven."

"Who, indeed! Who took the cookie from the cookie jar?"

The Sims 3 is a step up from its predecessors in many ways. The graphics are better and the game loads really smoothly. Previously, the gameplay is often interrupted by long loading times as your Sim moves from one place to another but this has been replaced with a vast seamless world where your Sims can move around with much ease. Also, the implementation of the Story Progression feature means that other Sims age with your controlled Sims, allowing for continuity in the narrative of the town as a whole. It's not always great though. For some reason, your neighbors have very low metabolism and hate exercise so the next time Aunt Martha comes around, you might have to widen your front door to let her in. The same wacky humor of the previous games are also present in The Sims 3. You might witness enemies engaging in slap fights, full-grown men playing tag and prancing about the sprinklers, ghosts in the house looking for a night snack, etc.

Get off my lawn!

For all the things they got right, there are still parts of the game that leaves much to be desired. Let's start with the appearance of the Sims. They are downright hideous and it takes a great deal of tweaking in the character creation screen to make them look halfway decent. Unfortunately, this means you're the only good looking Sim in a town full of deformed noses and double chins. Worse still, they are look the same even with that many options for customization.

Needs more anatomy. (Yes, that's a dude.)

Actions have little consequences in the Sim world unlike in real life and that's where it becomes less compelling to play. Most objects in the game serve basic needs like hygiene and hunger and they lack a certain "meaning" to them. It would be interesting to see objects having an effect on the Sims (other than the rather bland Mood level). Come to think about it, I often play the game like this: A beautiful Sim seduces someone with a happy family and destroys everyone's lives. There are several mysterious deaths later and new graves in my Sim's home. It's more fun to play this way because there are obvious consequences resulting from your actions. The thing is when it comes down to it, The Sims 3 is a family game and there is no way the game designers are gonna make it anymore "real" than it is.

"That child eats too much. I knew we should have gotten a dog instead!"

So it seems that the "best" way to play the Sims 3 is to play it like a sandbox game: create a narrative with your imagination and puppet your Sims to realize your story. Children do this all the time when they play with Lego bricks or dolls. The camera in the game allows you to take snapshots or videos to share your stories with fellow gamers. It's unfortunately badly designed which is a pity because it's the best feature of the game.

"And for my next trick, I'm gonna make those shorts disappear!"

A feature that could really change and improve the playing experience is to implement multiplayer. Imagine having your Sim go over to a (real life) friend's place interacting with his Sims. Actions are determined by the players instead of being hard coded into the game. A human aspect creates an experience that is social, dynamic and exciting. Of course, it could turn into a disaster if you have assholes for friends who think it'd be funny to build walls around the pool your Sim is swimming in so that he inevitably drowns.

What burglar actually dresses like that?

The Sims appeal to the basic need in all of us to imagine and to create. Because of this, the game is compelling to even the most casual gamer. It plays on something that people could relate to. Where in real life, we are bound by rules set by society; in the game setting, we are free to act our fantasies and escape. This is perhaps why the games in The Sims series are such a commercial success.

One last witty quote! Ah... nope, I ran out.

-- Benjamin

Oh yeah, thats right! Who have not played this game must have been a loser of the lowest order! Period.
One of the epic games of all times. Need i say more?? Oh ya i do have to say more, else he who must not be named would unleash hell as u know it.

What is it?
It is a series of fighting games, developed in Japan in which the players pit the video games' competitive fighters from around the world, each with his or her own special moves, against one another.

Gameplay
Street Fighter was the first one-on-one fighting game to give players a choice from a variety of player characters with different moves, an option which created hitherto unknown levels of depth and replay value for an arcade game. Each player character had a fighting style with approximately 30 or more moves (including previously nonexistent grappling moves such as throws) as well as two or three special attacks per character.

In the single-player mode, the player's chosen character is pitted sequentially against the seven other main characters before confronting the final four 'boss' opponents, who were CPU-controlled characters not selectable by the player.

As in the original, a second player could join in at any point during single player mode and compete against the other player in competitive matches, with the multiple available characters allowing for more varied matches.

Why i loved it?
Another such game that i grew up playing with. Yeah, i know i'm a sucker for these old school games. I cant help it. It really reminds me of the good old games. The kick you get from unleashing combos worthy of a guiness record and at the same time garnering an edge against your friends. Forcing his ego down his throat. That kinda moment which makes gaming inevitably one of the most orgasmic things in life.

ClickPLAY2
www.ninjadoodle.com

This is one of those games where you will spend at most an hour completing it. It is a visual puzzle game, where, as the captions on the splash screen aptly puts it, the objective of the game is to 'point, click & drag to find the PLAY button!', 'Once you got it, click it to move on to the next level!'. There are a couple dozen levels that
the player will encounter, and have to solve.

The game is simple. There is a 'play' button, similar to the icon in any VCR/CD/DVD players, and you have to find it. The first thing that struck me was the simple rules of the game. In every level, there is an element that can be interacted with: the sun, the clouds, buttons, even inconspicuous looking screws. Once you have found the first asset that can be clicked on, the rest of the game should be relatively simple to solve. There is no clue for each level, and so players have to guess how the level works. For instance, there is a level where 3 ropes are presented. When the player drags the rope, he will find that the rope is tied to an item. Of course, the 'play' button is tied to one of the three ropes. I like how the game designer makes use of real life knowledge to design the levels. For instance, the 4th level called 'Mikado' is basically a version of 'pick up sticks'. The clue to each level, is then the player's daily observations and experiences in real life. However, there is the drawback of the user not having been exposed to a particular set of experiences, be it cultural or economic reasons, and thus may not fully appreciate the level design, may not get the 'clue', and be stuck in a level.

Art style and presentation of the game is really really interesting. I like minimal design, and some levels rank pretty high in that aspect, as can be seen in the screenshots. The lack of other assets allow the game designer to direct the player's attention to the stuff which are most important. The entire game is in black-and-white as well, and adds to the effect. The entire game is presented in simple geometric shapes, but with a cartoony feel to it. I like it that way.

Music is interesting, has a jumpy jazzy feel to it. It is professionally done, with proper real instruments layered over each other, unlike some games which uses synthesized tracks. The music is looped over the entire game, which is a drawback, but I guess it would be too much to ask for multiple soundtracks in that game.

One of the major drawbacks of the game is that the user HAS to use a proper mouse to play the game, instead of using the trackpad. Although most levels can be solved with the trackpad, there are a couple time-based levels which are horribly difficult to pass unless a proper mouse is used. I was unable to pass those levels when I played it with my laptop and had to frustratingly find my mouse so that I could complete the game. I managed to beat those horrendous levels with my mouse on the 2nd try.

Rating: 8/10

Tim.

Developer: Team Shanghai Alice/ZUN

Platform: PC

Release: 2004

 Imperishable Night is the eighth game in the Touhou Project series which began in 1996. The Touhou Project series are vertical scrolling arcade shooters filled with characters that are created by the one man developer ZUN. The series is also known for its incredible difficulty.

What made Imperishable Night different from most other arcade shooters is the incredible level of focus required of the gamer while playing it. This game throws out the concept of learning curve almost entirely. The enemies in the game are unforgiving and will throw projectiles relentlessly at you in huge amount. It is not uncommon to see hundreds of moving projectiles all at once on the screen thereby requiring your utmost attention to dodge through them.

While the uncountable amount of projectiles might make the game seem impossible, that is not entirely the case. The designer is smart to have the hit area of your character small enough to make weaving through the projectiles possible only if you respond quickly. The numerous power-ups obtainable once the enemies are destroyed also power up your character enough to balance up the seemingly impossible to beat game. There are two types of power-ups in the game. The red power-up will increase the damage that your character unleash and also allow for more projectiles to be fired at once. The blue ones on the other hand are collectibles that will give you an extra life once a certain number are collected. Continues will set you back to the beginning of a level if you used up all the 3 lives. The game used an interesting way of representing the number of continues that are available for use. Every time a continue is used, the game clock will increased by 30 minutes. The game’s story starts at 11pm (game time) and you must complete the game before 5am (game time). The clock will also progress every time a level is complete.

The game has 4 difficulty levels and I found that only the first three are actually enjoyable while extremely challenging. The hardest difficulty is almost impossible to play through and even the developer states in game that it is a joke. The game is split into 3 levels and all 3 levels are staged in the same way. The story is told through dialogue sequence before the boss fight.

Controls are very responsive and simple. You use the arrow keys to navigate the character around the screen. The ‘z’ key is used for firing and the ‘x’ key is used for unleashing special ability.

The visuals in this game are a mixed bag. On one hand, the hundreds of projectiles flying across the screen are animated with beautiful mathematically calculated patterns. The patterns are very varied and fill the screen much like fireworks. The projectiles, varying in colours and sizes, also help to beautify the game.  On the other hand, the low resolution sprites used in the game is a letdown. The low resolution sprites caused the characters in the game to have a slight blurry look with pronounce stair-stepping effect. A letdown especially since the character designs are done well. The background of the each level also looks similar throughout and does not help in breaking up the level’s appearance or making it interesting. The music and sounds are designed very nicely and gives a soothing feel to the game. They complement well with the frantic action happening on screen.

I enjoyed Imperishable Nights tremendously. The game has challenging enemies and bosses and pretty addictive gameplay if you like the challenge. Gameplay is great but not fantastic as I soon realized that the strategy to beat the game is simply to survive through the projectiles while holding down the fire key. This is the kind of game that may probably fail as a commercial game because of its ruthless difficulty and limited appeal to the masses. But as an indie game built for veteran shooter fans, this game excels.

Rating: 8/10

Weiwen