Welcome to the world of (New Star) Grand Prix! You are a famous racing driver who is set to be this seasons' winner!, game review, Um, that is if you actually win the races, keep your boss,, game review, friends and pit crew happy and don't, game review, loose all your money gambling.
New Star GP provides an extra dimension to the usual "here are the tracks, now Race for me!" attitude of most racing games. For each track you have a week to practice, on Saturday it's qualifying time and then on Sunday it's the actual race! So what's the actual driving part of the game, game review, like? Well.
..
You're gonna need some skill!
The game play is kind of like a more serious version of Micro-machines, having, game review, a top down view while you control the car with the arrow keys. The thing that really took me by surprise is how you really have to learn the tracks., game review, Getting your approach to certain, game review, corners is important and if you get it wrong you have to slow down, or break, or worse, crash! There are certain things you can do to help. You can choose between having a boost that will allow you to speed up faster, but it makes your car heavier.
Strict control of your fuel level helps; less fuel means you're lighter so you'll go faster, but not for as long. And if the weather gets bad,, game review, change to the appropriate tyres, game review, as soon, game review, as possible!
So practice is important, game review,, game review, to get all these things right.
Apart from the driving you have the option to take your friends or the pit crew to the casino to keep them extra happy. You don't have to play any of the games at the casino but if you're feeling extra lucky you might be able to earn a little spending money from it.
One of my favourite points about the game is that you can buy cars with the money you earn and drive these around on the current track! You don't have to do this and it takes up one of your practice days, but it's good fun.
My major complaint about the game would be the lack, game review, of multiplayer, aside from the fact you can compete via track times on-line there is no actual racing against others. The only other niggle for me is the track editor, which I found fairly troublesome to use.
Since there were no crossover tracks (or bridges) available I couldn't recreate the top-gear test track either! I cried.
Otherwise this is good fun and a worthy purchase for any grand prix, or racing in general, fan!
Score: 73 out of 100
Final words: Top notch game-play, a must for any GP fan!
2009/12/19
Flux Family Secrets - The Ripple Effect Game Review
Flux Family Secrets: The Ripple Effect, game review, is a hidden object game that experiments a little with the genre. In this game, you will find hidden objects, puzzles, adventure and even a few history lessons! In Flux Family Secrets, you play the role of someone who does not know their past and are actively seeking it out. A mysterious family contacts you and sends you on an adventure of a lifetime. Using a time travel, game review, device, you get to go back in time and, game review, solve historical puzzles.
The story begins with the mysterious Flux family welcoming you into their home and presenting you with a few puzzles to prove your worth. You then discover that the family has a time travel device that they use to repair damage caused by time Ripples. You then get involved helping them, game review, realign history, going back in time and solving puzzles and obtaining artifacts in the various categories, game review, such as art, music and flight.
The gameplay in Flux Family Secrets is refreshing as well.
Rather than searching each scene for a shopping list of hidden objects, everything you search for in this game has a purpose. You are required to find parts of items, game review, that have been broken up into a few pieces. Once the items are assembled, you will need to either place them back into the scene where they belong, or get them to interact with some other, game review, object in the scene to progress or activate a puzzle.
The puzzles in the game are plentiful and well spread-out throughout the game so that you don't get bored with constantly looking for hidden objects.
The puzzles aren't too complex, but there are many of them and they are pretty well thought out. You, game review, get to solve cryptex puzzles, safe-cracking, arrangement puzzles and even a couple of arcade-style minigames.
When you get to the time travel bits of the game, you will find that the hidden objects and puzzles aren't very straight-forward at all. In every "category" that you go back to fix (such as Art or Music), you will be presented with 3 scenes featuring 3 masters in their craft.
The objects and puzzles in the 3 scenes are interconnected. You will need to solve puzzles in one scene in order to unlock puzzles and objects in a different scene. This adds, game review, a new dimension to the game, requiring you to keep hopping between, game review, scenes.
The game also adds a nice "history lesson" angle that makes it educational as well. The game will give you a brief description of Da Vinci and the Mona Lisa, game review, when you encounter them in the Art scenario, game review, .
Similarly, you will learn more about, game review, the origin of flight and the Wright brothers when you encounter that scene in the Flight scenario.
The graphics and music are above average in this game. The art style and soundtrack are different for each scene and reflect the styles prevalent in those historical periods. In all, Flux Family Secrets is a game that tries to blend in features from the hidden object, puzzle, adventure and mystery genres and succeeds, game review, at doing so.
Rating: 4.
0/5.0
You can read more about Flux, game review, Family Secrets: The Ripple Effect at http://www.hidden-puzzles.com/flux-family-secrets.html
The story begins with the mysterious Flux family welcoming you into their home and presenting you with a few puzzles to prove your worth. You then discover that the family has a time travel device that they use to repair damage caused by time Ripples. You then get involved helping them, game review, realign history, going back in time and solving puzzles and obtaining artifacts in the various categories, game review, such as art, music and flight.
The gameplay in Flux Family Secrets is refreshing as well.
Rather than searching each scene for a shopping list of hidden objects, everything you search for in this game has a purpose. You are required to find parts of items, game review, that have been broken up into a few pieces. Once the items are assembled, you will need to either place them back into the scene where they belong, or get them to interact with some other, game review, object in the scene to progress or activate a puzzle.
The puzzles in the game are plentiful and well spread-out throughout the game so that you don't get bored with constantly looking for hidden objects.
The puzzles aren't too complex, but there are many of them and they are pretty well thought out. You, game review, get to solve cryptex puzzles, safe-cracking, arrangement puzzles and even a couple of arcade-style minigames.
When you get to the time travel bits of the game, you will find that the hidden objects and puzzles aren't very straight-forward at all. In every "category" that you go back to fix (such as Art or Music), you will be presented with 3 scenes featuring 3 masters in their craft.
The objects and puzzles in the 3 scenes are interconnected. You will need to solve puzzles in one scene in order to unlock puzzles and objects in a different scene. This adds, game review, a new dimension to the game, requiring you to keep hopping between, game review, scenes.
The game also adds a nice "history lesson" angle that makes it educational as well. The game will give you a brief description of Da Vinci and the Mona Lisa, game review, when you encounter them in the Art scenario, game review, .
Similarly, you will learn more about, game review, the origin of flight and the Wright brothers when you encounter that scene in the Flight scenario.
The graphics and music are above average in this game. The art style and soundtrack are different for each scene and reflect the styles prevalent in those historical periods. In all, Flux Family Secrets is a game that tries to blend in features from the hidden object, puzzle, adventure and mystery genres and succeeds, game review, at doing so.
Rating: 4.
0/5.0
You can read more about Flux, game review, Family Secrets: The Ripple Effect at http://www.hidden-puzzles.com/flux-family-secrets.html
2009/12/18
Lost in the City Game Review
Lost in the City is a new game that beautifully combines the traditional hidden object puzzle elements with an engrossing and thrilling mystery/horror adventure feel.
The game starts with you waking up in a locked room that looks like it hasn't been cleaned in 20 years. You then recall that you had previously gone on a first date with some girl, and almost immediately fell in love with her. But when you followed her back to her apartment, you remember her giving you a cup of coffee that was drugged, leading you to this predicament.
Moral of the story? Don't drink anything on the first date!, game review, (heh)
So you are stuck in a locked room and need to find your way out. This is reminiscent of the Japanese Crimson, game review, Room and Viridian Room games from a few years back. And when you manage to get out, you suddenly discover, game review, that the entire town is deserted and wrecked, and you seem, game review, to be the only living thing there. Resident Evil anyone?
There are a lot of things going for Lost in the City.
For one thing, the artwork and soundtrack are gorgeous. They totally bring to life the sole survivor horror feel of the game.
What's also interesting and very refreshing is that every item you are supposed to find actually has a purpose later on in the game. All too often in other hidden object games, you end up having to spot totally random hidden objects in each scene. I mean... what are handcuffs and a toy car doing in a barber shop? In Lost in the City, everything makes sense. You need to find keys to open safes, and, game review, matches to light candles.
Having to, game review, find an audio tape, the tape recorder, batteries and cable definitely sounds more logical than clicking on random objects.
There are also mini-games that separate the different stages of the game and advance the story. These include cracking numerical codes to safes, unscrambling, game review, maps and photos, and even solving riddles in order to find out where you need to go next.
The timers in the game also make sense. Rather, game review, than giving you an arbitrary timer during which you need to complete a task, you get, game review, specific story-related timers.
For example, you need to put out a fire in time or you'll inhale too much smoke and pass out.
It's the little things like these that make Lost in the City a perfect blend of storytelling and hidden object puzzles. And the story itself is pretty compelling with lots of detail and depth. I won't spoil it here, but suffice to say that the developers have taken their time to create a very engrossing story that can actually spark an emotion in you.
Whether you're, game review, into powerful, game review, story-telling, game review, and the mystery/horror genre that comes with the sole survivor adventure style, or you like hidden object puzzles that includes a strong purpose and, game review, depth, this game is, game review, definitely worth playing.
, game review, It's time to get Lost in the City.
You can read more about the game at http://www.hidden-puzzles.com/lost-in-the-city.html
The game starts with you waking up in a locked room that looks like it hasn't been cleaned in 20 years. You then recall that you had previously gone on a first date with some girl, and almost immediately fell in love with her. But when you followed her back to her apartment, you remember her giving you a cup of coffee that was drugged, leading you to this predicament.
Moral of the story? Don't drink anything on the first date!, game review, (heh)
So you are stuck in a locked room and need to find your way out. This is reminiscent of the Japanese Crimson, game review, Room and Viridian Room games from a few years back. And when you manage to get out, you suddenly discover, game review, that the entire town is deserted and wrecked, and you seem, game review, to be the only living thing there. Resident Evil anyone?
There are a lot of things going for Lost in the City.
For one thing, the artwork and soundtrack are gorgeous. They totally bring to life the sole survivor horror feel of the game.
What's also interesting and very refreshing is that every item you are supposed to find actually has a purpose later on in the game. All too often in other hidden object games, you end up having to spot totally random hidden objects in each scene. I mean... what are handcuffs and a toy car doing in a barber shop? In Lost in the City, everything makes sense. You need to find keys to open safes, and, game review, matches to light candles.
Having to, game review, find an audio tape, the tape recorder, batteries and cable definitely sounds more logical than clicking on random objects.
There are also mini-games that separate the different stages of the game and advance the story. These include cracking numerical codes to safes, unscrambling, game review, maps and photos, and even solving riddles in order to find out where you need to go next.
The timers in the game also make sense. Rather, game review, than giving you an arbitrary timer during which you need to complete a task, you get, game review, specific story-related timers.
For example, you need to put out a fire in time or you'll inhale too much smoke and pass out.
It's the little things like these that make Lost in the City a perfect blend of storytelling and hidden object puzzles. And the story itself is pretty compelling with lots of detail and depth. I won't spoil it here, but suffice to say that the developers have taken their time to create a very engrossing story that can actually spark an emotion in you.
Whether you're, game review, into powerful, game review, story-telling, game review, and the mystery/horror genre that comes with the sole survivor adventure style, or you like hidden object puzzles that includes a strong purpose and, game review, depth, this game is, game review, definitely worth playing.
, game review, It's time to get Lost in the City.
You can read more about the game at http://www.hidden-puzzles.com/lost-in-the-city.html
Orchard Farming Game Review
There has been hype on the gaming market recently concerning real-time strategy games. Agricultural, game review, simulations have been enjoying success and when you combine strategy and simulations there is likely, game review, to be success as evident by games such as Youda Farmer and Farm Mania to name a few. Orchard however has not been as successful even though it includes the combination of time, game review, management, strategy and simulation, game review, . This game has made an out as it requires lots of time and energy to play often with success being very limited in terms of reaping a crop.
This makes it more challenging than many.
The introductory storyline of the game is quite simple. A former mail clerk Ivy attains a farm as her inheritance from her Granduncle Fred. This introduction then leads to the need to work at a variety of swatches of rural land that are displayed in bright 2D animation with mini cartoon figures running around labouring on the fields, planting and picking crops. The game is rather simple in its objectives with the aspiration being to hire worker and sell fruits to make a profit in terms of money with limited, game review, resource.
Initially work is done single-handed and then when enough funds and wood are accumulated there is an expansion of the holdings. The player is then able to hire workers and construct more building and complete upgrades. The added plus is that you are able to use these additions to work force and other assets to improve operations in each successive scenario and this leads, game review, to a slowly progressive move towards the achievement of the outlined assignments.
One plus is that the, game review, rivals, game review, around do not include the use of additional workers and unlike them you can in this game get workers to aid in collecting wood, picking grapes and erecting housing.
All tasks needed for advancement. You are required to stay afloat with fluctuating market prices and many other factors contribute to your success in attracting customers such as advertising. Specific characters can be dedicated to particular tasks and results in improved advancement as missions get harder and take longer to accomplish. This game has ample playtime ensured with your purchase which is another great reason to download or buy it.
For a game belonging to this genre Orchard outlined in a different, game review, way and some steps are time consuming.
The tutorial alone can take longer than 15, game review, minutes, game review, . Tasks are meticulous to complete and take several steps. Many gamers will like the more economic spin this game puts on the farming game genre, but, game review, it's not for everyone.
This makes it more challenging than many.
The introductory storyline of the game is quite simple. A former mail clerk Ivy attains a farm as her inheritance from her Granduncle Fred. This introduction then leads to the need to work at a variety of swatches of rural land that are displayed in bright 2D animation with mini cartoon figures running around labouring on the fields, planting and picking crops. The game is rather simple in its objectives with the aspiration being to hire worker and sell fruits to make a profit in terms of money with limited, game review, resource.
Initially work is done single-handed and then when enough funds and wood are accumulated there is an expansion of the holdings. The player is then able to hire workers and construct more building and complete upgrades. The added plus is that you are able to use these additions to work force and other assets to improve operations in each successive scenario and this leads, game review, to a slowly progressive move towards the achievement of the outlined assignments.
One plus is that the, game review, rivals, game review, around do not include the use of additional workers and unlike them you can in this game get workers to aid in collecting wood, picking grapes and erecting housing.
All tasks needed for advancement. You are required to stay afloat with fluctuating market prices and many other factors contribute to your success in attracting customers such as advertising. Specific characters can be dedicated to particular tasks and results in improved advancement as missions get harder and take longer to accomplish. This game has ample playtime ensured with your purchase which is another great reason to download or buy it.
For a game belonging to this genre Orchard outlined in a different, game review, way and some steps are time consuming.
The tutorial alone can take longer than 15, game review, minutes, game review, . Tasks are meticulous to complete and take several steps. Many gamers will like the more economic spin this game puts on the farming game genre, but, game review, it's not for everyone.
2009/12/17
Eve Online - A Complete Computer Game Review.
Simply imagine you are piloting your space ship through space, on a search for fortune and fame. Perhaps you are in the process of working, game review, a trade route, transporting ore, game review, from a central mining, game review, area to a heavily industrialized planet in order to sell it at a huge fortune. Just as, game review, you are flying through the star system, your sensors pick up on something…it's, game review, the pirates after you, and you sire off a few shots to keep them away.
One of them shouts out at you, "You must hand over your cargo or die." Though you consider negotiating with them, but realize it's of no use. However you fire off a missle salvo at the pirate closest to you, and he crumbles into dust. As you make a run back to planet, another two pirates open fire thus weakening your shields. Miraculously you duck into its protection just as your shields breaks up, barely escaping death and heading towards the biggest sale of your life.
Eve Online is one of the several MMORPGs that can be found on the internet.
An MMORPG stands for a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. A MMORPG like Eve Online is unlike a number of computer games in that in a regular computer game,, game review, where you are the sole, game review, human player; as for all the other characters you relate with are simply computerized "bots."
On the other hand in MMORPGs you're interacting with other people who populate the world of the game. There are NPCs, game review, (Non Player Characters), who are just a part of the game, however for the most part you're interacting with other people.
For instance, the pirates in the Eve Online form the other people, at times on, game review, other parts of the world, linked through the Eve Online Server. If you receive messages, these are sent out by someone on the other end.
Although MMORPGs have been around for a long time (Everquest was definitely one of the most popular of all time), they are at present becoming increasingly more, game review, popular. Despite the fact the earliest, game review, MMORPGs were almost all fantasy based games that were full of wizards, warriors and dragons, many MMORPGs have split out.
For instance, Eve Online is a futuristic, space-based combat and trading game, while The Sims Online is based on the popular Sims living and building game engine. A number of people are drawn to MMORPGs since they allow them to play an interesting computer game, game review, which enables them to interact with other people, keeping the player's interest and avoiding the predictability that some games can lapse into. Eve Online and other similar games function much alike small worlds with their own leaders, heroes, crooks, followers, wars and politics thus making the fantasy worlds that much closer to reality, game review, .
One of them shouts out at you, "You must hand over your cargo or die." Though you consider negotiating with them, but realize it's of no use. However you fire off a missle salvo at the pirate closest to you, and he crumbles into dust. As you make a run back to planet, another two pirates open fire thus weakening your shields. Miraculously you duck into its protection just as your shields breaks up, barely escaping death and heading towards the biggest sale of your life.
Eve Online is one of the several MMORPGs that can be found on the internet.
An MMORPG stands for a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. A MMORPG like Eve Online is unlike a number of computer games in that in a regular computer game,, game review, where you are the sole, game review, human player; as for all the other characters you relate with are simply computerized "bots."
On the other hand in MMORPGs you're interacting with other people who populate the world of the game. There are NPCs, game review, (Non Player Characters), who are just a part of the game, however for the most part you're interacting with other people.
For instance, the pirates in the Eve Online form the other people, at times on, game review, other parts of the world, linked through the Eve Online Server. If you receive messages, these are sent out by someone on the other end.
Although MMORPGs have been around for a long time (Everquest was definitely one of the most popular of all time), they are at present becoming increasingly more, game review, popular. Despite the fact the earliest, game review, MMORPGs were almost all fantasy based games that were full of wizards, warriors and dragons, many MMORPGs have split out.
For instance, Eve Online is a futuristic, space-based combat and trading game, while The Sims Online is based on the popular Sims living and building game engine. A number of people are drawn to MMORPGs since they allow them to play an interesting computer game, game review, which enables them to interact with other people, keeping the player's interest and avoiding the predictability that some games can lapse into. Eve Online and other similar games function much alike small worlds with their own leaders, heroes, crooks, followers, wars and politics thus making the fantasy worlds that much closer to reality, game review, .
Game Review Of Charlie Ii
Cute. That's is, game review, the first word that occurred to me as I sat down to have a stab at Charlie II. Everything about this little platformer, game review, oozes innocent forest charm, harking back to the child-like glory years of the original Sonic the Hedgehog or Mr Nutz (if anyone remembers that one!) - all primary colours, grass, cloudless skylines and log bridges.
Charlie II, game review, is Dutch developer Wiering Software's sequel to popular platforming title Charlie the Duck. The titular hero is an off-yellow, happy looking little bird (complete with occasional heart melting -quack-, game review, as he stands at rest), who must navigate each of a series of levels in order to collect coins, diamonds and a group of letters to spell out his own name.
Charlie must investigate thoroughly each environment in order to pick up a certain percentage of collectables in order to move onto the next area. That's the gist of the gameplay - simple in theory, and not a lot more complicated in practice either.
Make no mistake though - beyond the cutesy appearance and simplistic gameplay lies a fiendishly difficult game. Even by the second level, I was having quite an amount of trouble not accidentally impaling the plucky young mallard on wooden stakes time after time, or simply being dive-bombed by the cunningly programmed crow things that will indirectly home in on Charlie as they fly by.
Injury seems extremely difficult to avoid, but this free and easy loss of health and, ultimately,, game review, lives is offset by the inclusion, game review, of Zelda-esque "extra hearts" littered around that, game review, will extend Charlie's health bar beyond its original three hits to any amount of extra protection. According to the manual, an extra heart is included in, game review, nearly every level of the game - further enforcing the need, game review, for heavy exploration in the adventure, with extra hearts almost a requirement in order to realistically progress.
So apart from a tough challenge, what else sets Charlie II apart from any number of platform clones?, game review, For a start, rather than the common tactic of picking a random cute creature that bears no relation to the gaming world, Wiering have taken the duck motif and used Charlie's unique skills (as a duck!) within the gameplay somewhat. Yes, Charlie can swim! This removes the familiar platform game frustration of "death by water" and also adds to Charlie II's exploratory focus by actually allowing him to dive below the surface - effectively a shortcut to another part of the level, and a tidy reworking of Super Mario's famous green "warp pipes".
The game's presentation and general atmosphere also set it well apart from more amateur, game review, offerings. A defined, sumptuous, game review, art, game review, style exists throughout each backdrop, enemy sprite and collectable. Charlie himself is an endearing character to play as he waddles along with this little quacking, and special mention should go to the music which never fails to perfectly emulate the happy synthesised backing tunes of a more simple age (except here done with more instruments!).
Simply put: Charlie II is a perfectly pitched slice of retro gaming for a new generation. The game-making philosophy of old is followed to a tee, and the,, game review, game review, result is an authentic, enjoyable and (due, game review, to being very, very hard!) ultimately lastable title that is well worth its $15 registration price to any true platform game fan.
Score: 8/10
Game details at http://www.retro247.co.uk/charlieii.htm
Charlie II, game review, is Dutch developer Wiering Software's sequel to popular platforming title Charlie the Duck. The titular hero is an off-yellow, happy looking little bird (complete with occasional heart melting -quack-, game review, as he stands at rest), who must navigate each of a series of levels in order to collect coins, diamonds and a group of letters to spell out his own name.
Charlie must investigate thoroughly each environment in order to pick up a certain percentage of collectables in order to move onto the next area. That's the gist of the gameplay - simple in theory, and not a lot more complicated in practice either.
Make no mistake though - beyond the cutesy appearance and simplistic gameplay lies a fiendishly difficult game. Even by the second level, I was having quite an amount of trouble not accidentally impaling the plucky young mallard on wooden stakes time after time, or simply being dive-bombed by the cunningly programmed crow things that will indirectly home in on Charlie as they fly by.
Injury seems extremely difficult to avoid, but this free and easy loss of health and, ultimately,, game review, lives is offset by the inclusion, game review, of Zelda-esque "extra hearts" littered around that, game review, will extend Charlie's health bar beyond its original three hits to any amount of extra protection. According to the manual, an extra heart is included in, game review, nearly every level of the game - further enforcing the need, game review, for heavy exploration in the adventure, with extra hearts almost a requirement in order to realistically progress.
So apart from a tough challenge, what else sets Charlie II apart from any number of platform clones?, game review, For a start, rather than the common tactic of picking a random cute creature that bears no relation to the gaming world, Wiering have taken the duck motif and used Charlie's unique skills (as a duck!) within the gameplay somewhat. Yes, Charlie can swim! This removes the familiar platform game frustration of "death by water" and also adds to Charlie II's exploratory focus by actually allowing him to dive below the surface - effectively a shortcut to another part of the level, and a tidy reworking of Super Mario's famous green "warp pipes".
The game's presentation and general atmosphere also set it well apart from more amateur, game review, offerings. A defined, sumptuous, game review, art, game review, style exists throughout each backdrop, enemy sprite and collectable. Charlie himself is an endearing character to play as he waddles along with this little quacking, and special mention should go to the music which never fails to perfectly emulate the happy synthesised backing tunes of a more simple age (except here done with more instruments!).
Simply put: Charlie II is a perfectly pitched slice of retro gaming for a new generation. The game-making philosophy of old is followed to a tee, and the,, game review, game review, result is an authentic, enjoyable and (due, game review, to being very, very hard!) ultimately lastable title that is well worth its $15 registration price to any true platform game fan.
Score: 8/10
Game details at http://www.retro247.co.uk/charlieii.htm
2009/12/16
Downloadable Game Review: Diner Dash
Playvue.com Editor's Rating: 8.0
Storyline
Diner Dash brings us the story of Flo, an office lackey fed up with the monotonous, unchanging pressures of everyday life and work in the big city. Thus she hucks everything out the window and runs off to find something better to do with her life. As it turns out, that is starting a restaurant chain in suburban America, game review, .
We are taken right into her quest as a restaurateur as Flo herself; an energetic, enthusiastic owner, game review, who fulfills every role from, game review, hostess to server, bartender and busboy (thankfully, cooking is provided by a overworked dark figure behind the counter).
Beginning with her, game review, very first diner, and ending with an upscale surf and turf joint, we take on Flo's every activity; seating her guests, handing out menu's, delivering breadsticks, taking and delivering orders (not to mention cocktails), clearing tables, and seating the next guests. All this in the pursuit of money with which to improve her existing restaurants or even open up a new, game review, one!
Navigation
The navigation is easy enough to pick up on the first try; it's point and click (click on a dirty table, she runs over and clears it, click on table awaiting their food, she delivers it from the counter).
This does get quite challenging in the later levels where it becomes necessary, game review, to click on other activities while Flo is executing the current one (the game creates a queue of activities which, game review, Flo will execute one by one until they are complete).
Ease of Use
In terms of ease of use, this game is fantastic. I wasn't surprised when I was able to pick it up rather quickly, however, game review, I was surprised when my grandmother was flying through at a faster pace then I managed to muster, game review, .
While easy to get going, it does require a master's touch to reach the highest scores at the end of the levels, game review, where constant motion is a must. But this just adds to the playability, and is a welcome change to contemporary games which prove easy to complete with no added challenges.
Playability
I found, game, game review, review, myself wanting to complete this game all the way through the first time I played it; which would worry me as to whether the game would hold my interest a week or even a month later.
However, these worries are relieved with the Endless Shift feature: a score building endless level which "keeps 'em comin'" and provides extras like super ovens, bobcat-fast tennis shoes, and a super podium 3000 to help you along the way.
Full Version Features
The free trial includes unrestricted access and, game review, allows you 60 minutes of play; which just got me started. The full version includes 40+ levels of gameplay, 4 different chains, 5 different types of customers,, game review, two modes of play (Career and Endless Shift) and high score tracking.
At only 10MB, it's not a hard drive buster, nor will it clog up your dialup line for too long. And at $19.99 its not a wallet buster either: cheap enough to warrant casual play throughout the year.
Pros/Cons
Pros:
Appeals to the rest of us (non-hardcore teen gamers)
High repeat playability
Easy to use, navigate
Cons:
No, game review, multiple player support
Little high score competition (score posting available on publisher's website)
Bottom Line
A, game review, busy restaurateur provides a nice change of pace to card and puzzle games for those of us who aren't interested in shooting up aliens, goblins, or terrorists, game review, for 12 hours on end.
, game review, Definitely high repeat playability,, game review, even after beating the Career portion of the game. Low price and download size are a real plus. Lacks in competition and multiple player support, however this only matters if you're interested in such things. One of my top 10 games of the year.
Editor's Rating:
Storyline: 8
Ease of Use: 9
Playability: 7
Overall: 8
Game, game review, Specs:
Publisher: PlayFirst
Full Version Price: $19.99
Download: 10 MB
Windows 98/2000/Me/XP
Processor: PIII 600 MHz
128 MB RAM
Free hard drive space: 12MB
Video Card
Sound Card
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.
5 License.
Download/More Info: http://www.playvue.com/pv/downloadablegames/casual/dinerdash/
Keith Blake is a Featured Editor at Playvue.com, an up-and-coming online games website specialing in providing online games, game downloads, and multiplayer games in a rich, immersive, one-of-a-kind environment.
Source: http://www.playvue.com
Storyline
Diner Dash brings us the story of Flo, an office lackey fed up with the monotonous, unchanging pressures of everyday life and work in the big city. Thus she hucks everything out the window and runs off to find something better to do with her life. As it turns out, that is starting a restaurant chain in suburban America, game review, .
We are taken right into her quest as a restaurateur as Flo herself; an energetic, enthusiastic owner, game review, who fulfills every role from, game review, hostess to server, bartender and busboy (thankfully, cooking is provided by a overworked dark figure behind the counter).
Beginning with her, game review, very first diner, and ending with an upscale surf and turf joint, we take on Flo's every activity; seating her guests, handing out menu's, delivering breadsticks, taking and delivering orders (not to mention cocktails), clearing tables, and seating the next guests. All this in the pursuit of money with which to improve her existing restaurants or even open up a new, game review, one!
Navigation
The navigation is easy enough to pick up on the first try; it's point and click (click on a dirty table, she runs over and clears it, click on table awaiting their food, she delivers it from the counter).
This does get quite challenging in the later levels where it becomes necessary, game review, to click on other activities while Flo is executing the current one (the game creates a queue of activities which, game review, Flo will execute one by one until they are complete).
Ease of Use
In terms of ease of use, this game is fantastic. I wasn't surprised when I was able to pick it up rather quickly, however, game review, I was surprised when my grandmother was flying through at a faster pace then I managed to muster, game review, .
While easy to get going, it does require a master's touch to reach the highest scores at the end of the levels, game review, where constant motion is a must. But this just adds to the playability, and is a welcome change to contemporary games which prove easy to complete with no added challenges.
Playability
I found, game, game review, review, myself wanting to complete this game all the way through the first time I played it; which would worry me as to whether the game would hold my interest a week or even a month later.
However, these worries are relieved with the Endless Shift feature: a score building endless level which "keeps 'em comin'" and provides extras like super ovens, bobcat-fast tennis shoes, and a super podium 3000 to help you along the way.
Full Version Features
The free trial includes unrestricted access and, game review, allows you 60 minutes of play; which just got me started. The full version includes 40+ levels of gameplay, 4 different chains, 5 different types of customers,, game review, two modes of play (Career and Endless Shift) and high score tracking.
At only 10MB, it's not a hard drive buster, nor will it clog up your dialup line for too long. And at $19.99 its not a wallet buster either: cheap enough to warrant casual play throughout the year.
Pros/Cons
Pros:
Appeals to the rest of us (non-hardcore teen gamers)
High repeat playability
Easy to use, navigate
Cons:
No, game review, multiple player support
Little high score competition (score posting available on publisher's website)
Bottom Line
A, game review, busy restaurateur provides a nice change of pace to card and puzzle games for those of us who aren't interested in shooting up aliens, goblins, or terrorists, game review, for 12 hours on end.
, game review, Definitely high repeat playability,, game review, even after beating the Career portion of the game. Low price and download size are a real plus. Lacks in competition and multiple player support, however this only matters if you're interested in such things. One of my top 10 games of the year.
Editor's Rating:
Storyline: 8
Ease of Use: 9
Playability: 7
Overall: 8
Game, game review, Specs:
Publisher: PlayFirst
Full Version Price: $19.99
Download: 10 MB
Windows 98/2000/Me/XP
Processor: PIII 600 MHz
128 MB RAM
Free hard drive space: 12MB
Video Card
Sound Card
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.
5 License.
Download/More Info: http://www.playvue.com/pv/downloadablegames/casual/dinerdash/
Keith Blake is a Featured Editor at Playvue.com, an up-and-coming online games website specialing in providing online games, game downloads, and multiplayer games in a rich, immersive, one-of-a-kind environment.
Source: http://www.playvue.com
Endless Zombie Rampage 2 - Game Review
Finally the second installment in the Endless Zombie Rampage, game review, (EZR) Series comes to the flash games community. Released in early, game review, May of 2009 I checked the game out to see if it had outdone the original and brought a new meaning to the Zombie shoot em up genre.
With three more serious entries since the launch of EZR 2, there was a big hill to climb in order to deliver anything original. The three big games to have launched that, game review, vie for the attention of millions of casual game fans were:
• The Last Stand 2 by Armor Games and Con Artists
• Boxhead Zombie Wars by Crazy Monkey Games & Sean Cooper
• SAS Zombie Assault by Ninja Kiwi.
So what's, game review, on offer in Endless Zombie Rampage 2?
Bigger Guns
Just when you thought the gun variety couldn't get any better the second game features 6 new additions. These are the Sniper Rifle, Grenade, game review, Launcher, Gaus Rifle, Rocket Launcher, Flame Thrower and Turret gun, all of which are mightily impressive.
Diseased Productions have also narrowed down the guns choosing to focus more on upgrades rather than variations for each particular gun. An example is the Auto Shotgun, which can be upgraded to increase damage by 2 fold, ammo capacity by 2 fold,, game review, to reduce reload time to half and a special upgrade which turns shotgun bullets into gaus bullets.
Bigger Monsters
The first game didn't have any bosses, now the second one brings you 4! 3 of which are gigantic and when coupled with the use of one of the new colossal weapons brings a whole new meaning to the EZR series.
Boss 1 - A tame spider that looks like its been on the whiskey the night before
Boss, game review,, game review, , game review, 2 - A huge fat brain with tentacles, looks impressive, just don't get squashed by it.
Boss 3 - They get bigger, this time a giant crab is trying to snip you in two.
Final Boss - A huge worm that wants to taste you!
Main, game review, Mode Extended!
The main game mode, namely Endless Rampage Mode has, game review, been extended to include a couple of new features. You can now search for supplies and survivors which serve as mini tasks to gain medical packs and additional points.
Graphics
I didn't believe it to be possible, but the graphics have been improved. The animation now looks even better and there has been more effort put into the landscape design.
The impressive defense base with turrets makes all the difference, where as the first game had a simple octagonal structure to protect this base makes you feel like there's something worth salvaging.
Game Verdict
Definitely worth the wait and although there are a few things that could have been done better such as improved ai for the first boss and a few more mediocre monsters to splatter, game review, around the car park, on the whole the game lives up to its promise and delivers an animated action packed shooter with heavy fire power which should, game review, satisfy all casual gaming fans.
• Playability: 9/10
• Graphics: 8.5/10
• Originality: 8/10
• Game, game review, Detail: 9/10
• Addictiveness: 8.5/10
Final Score: 86%
With three more serious entries since the launch of EZR 2, there was a big hill to climb in order to deliver anything original. The three big games to have launched that, game review, vie for the attention of millions of casual game fans were:
• The Last Stand 2 by Armor Games and Con Artists
• Boxhead Zombie Wars by Crazy Monkey Games & Sean Cooper
• SAS Zombie Assault by Ninja Kiwi.
So what's, game review, on offer in Endless Zombie Rampage 2?
Bigger Guns
Just when you thought the gun variety couldn't get any better the second game features 6 new additions. These are the Sniper Rifle, Grenade, game review, Launcher, Gaus Rifle, Rocket Launcher, Flame Thrower and Turret gun, all of which are mightily impressive.
Diseased Productions have also narrowed down the guns choosing to focus more on upgrades rather than variations for each particular gun. An example is the Auto Shotgun, which can be upgraded to increase damage by 2 fold, ammo capacity by 2 fold,, game review, to reduce reload time to half and a special upgrade which turns shotgun bullets into gaus bullets.
Bigger Monsters
The first game didn't have any bosses, now the second one brings you 4! 3 of which are gigantic and when coupled with the use of one of the new colossal weapons brings a whole new meaning to the EZR series.
Boss 1 - A tame spider that looks like its been on the whiskey the night before
Boss, game review,, game review, , game review, 2 - A huge fat brain with tentacles, looks impressive, just don't get squashed by it.
Boss 3 - They get bigger, this time a giant crab is trying to snip you in two.
Final Boss - A huge worm that wants to taste you!
Main, game review, Mode Extended!
The main game mode, namely Endless Rampage Mode has, game review, been extended to include a couple of new features. You can now search for supplies and survivors which serve as mini tasks to gain medical packs and additional points.
Graphics
I didn't believe it to be possible, but the graphics have been improved. The animation now looks even better and there has been more effort put into the landscape design.
The impressive defense base with turrets makes all the difference, where as the first game had a simple octagonal structure to protect this base makes you feel like there's something worth salvaging.
Game Verdict
Definitely worth the wait and although there are a few things that could have been done better such as improved ai for the first boss and a few more mediocre monsters to splatter, game review, around the car park, on the whole the game lives up to its promise and delivers an animated action packed shooter with heavy fire power which should, game review, satisfy all casual gaming fans.
• Playability: 9/10
• Graphics: 8.5/10
• Originality: 8/10
• Game, game review, Detail: 9/10
• Addictiveness: 8.5/10
Final Score: 86%
2009/12/15
Ice Cream Craze - Tycoon Takeover Game Review
Ice Cream Craze: Tycoon Takeover is the, game review, sequel to the original Ice Cream Craze that made time management games cool (heh). Help Anna grow her business from an old ice cream truck into a force to challenge the well-established ice cream tycoon BigCo.
In the original Ice Cream Craze, you helped a teenager in the 1950's called Jan run her parents' ice cream, game review, shop. Now, it's 2 decades later, and you find out that her shop was run out of business by a giant company called BigCo.
You now play the part of Anna, Jan's granddaughter. Anna believes that she can compete, game review, against BigCo, and starts off by serving ice cream out of an old ice cream truck. Granny Jan is also there to give advice along the way.
The overall goal of the game is to grow Anna's business large enough to challenge BigCo. You do that by having over $5000 in the bank and significant busines presence in all 9 locations in town. How you go about this is what makes the game stand out from other time management games and presents a fresh new perspective.
The main part of Ice Cream Craze: Tycoon Takeover is the actual serving of ice cream to customers at the ice cream truck, game review, . This starts off pretty easy at first, with just cones, 3 flavors of ice cream and 3 toppings to choose from. But depending on each level's difficulty, you might end up having to juggle cones, brownies and pies, and all sorts of flavors and toppings.
The difficulty of each level, game review, depends on which part of town you are in and what you are playing for.
And this is where the game stands out from other time management games. In other games, you get to buy upgrades in between games. In this game however, the upgrades are rewards in completing specific levels. So you will need to decide whether you, game review, want to play for an espresso machine that gives, game review, you temporary speed boosts, or a cupcake platter that keeps your customers satisfied for longer.
The game isn't just a linear, game review, series of levels, game review, as well.
The gameplay, game review, is separated by days, and what you decide to do each day has a huge impact on how successful your ice cream business will, game review, be. Wiill you spend Day 9 trying to earn the espresso machine? Or should you instead be trying to set up a new stall at the circus in order to earn you continuous side income every day? Setting up new stalls might be a good idea, but if you don't go for efficiency, game review, upgrades, you might find some of the more advanced levels a bit hard to cope with.
It is this overarching strategy that, game review, gives the game much of its appeal and, game review, will keep you coming back for more even after you've finished the game. Do you want to play, game review, like a businessman and quickly establish bases all over town? Or would you rather increase the efficiency of your ice cream service and earn big bucks every day?
The look and feel of the game isn't too, game review, bad either. There aren't any flashy movies or cool animations, but the graphics in the game are pleasant and definitely capture the feel of an ice cream business.
However, one thing that bothers me is the abnormally big eyes that the characters have. They just creep me out...
Ice Cream Craze 2 is a great game to try, not only because it contains a really good, game review, time management aspect, but also revolves around a very fun and delicious business. Furthermore, the overall strategic and business decisions, game review, you have to make in this game give it a unique feel that is different from the other time management games out there.
Rating: 4.
0/5.0
You can read more about Ice Cream Craze: Tycoon Takeover at http://www.game-tycoon.com/ice-cream-craze-2.html
In the original Ice Cream Craze, you helped a teenager in the 1950's called Jan run her parents' ice cream, game review, shop. Now, it's 2 decades later, and you find out that her shop was run out of business by a giant company called BigCo.
You now play the part of Anna, Jan's granddaughter. Anna believes that she can compete, game review, against BigCo, and starts off by serving ice cream out of an old ice cream truck. Granny Jan is also there to give advice along the way.
The overall goal of the game is to grow Anna's business large enough to challenge BigCo. You do that by having over $5000 in the bank and significant busines presence in all 9 locations in town. How you go about this is what makes the game stand out from other time management games and presents a fresh new perspective.
The main part of Ice Cream Craze: Tycoon Takeover is the actual serving of ice cream to customers at the ice cream truck, game review, . This starts off pretty easy at first, with just cones, 3 flavors of ice cream and 3 toppings to choose from. But depending on each level's difficulty, you might end up having to juggle cones, brownies and pies, and all sorts of flavors and toppings.
The difficulty of each level, game review, depends on which part of town you are in and what you are playing for.
And this is where the game stands out from other time management games. In other games, you get to buy upgrades in between games. In this game however, the upgrades are rewards in completing specific levels. So you will need to decide whether you, game review, want to play for an espresso machine that gives, game review, you temporary speed boosts, or a cupcake platter that keeps your customers satisfied for longer.
The game isn't just a linear, game review, series of levels, game review, as well.
The gameplay, game review, is separated by days, and what you decide to do each day has a huge impact on how successful your ice cream business will, game review, be. Wiill you spend Day 9 trying to earn the espresso machine? Or should you instead be trying to set up a new stall at the circus in order to earn you continuous side income every day? Setting up new stalls might be a good idea, but if you don't go for efficiency, game review, upgrades, you might find some of the more advanced levels a bit hard to cope with.
It is this overarching strategy that, game review, gives the game much of its appeal and, game review, will keep you coming back for more even after you've finished the game. Do you want to play, game review, like a businessman and quickly establish bases all over town? Or would you rather increase the efficiency of your ice cream service and earn big bucks every day?
The look and feel of the game isn't too, game review, bad either. There aren't any flashy movies or cool animations, but the graphics in the game are pleasant and definitely capture the feel of an ice cream business.
However, one thing that bothers me is the abnormally big eyes that the characters have. They just creep me out...
Ice Cream Craze 2 is a great game to try, not only because it contains a really good, game review, time management aspect, but also revolves around a very fun and delicious business. Furthermore, the overall strategic and business decisions, game review, you have to make in this game give it a unique feel that is different from the other time management games out there.
Rating: 4.
0/5.0
You can read more about Ice Cream Craze: Tycoon Takeover at http://www.game-tycoon.com/ice-cream-craze-2.html
Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove Game Review
MCF: Dire Grove is the latest chapter in Big Fish Games' Mystery Case Files (MCF) series, with the events in the game taking place right after Return to Ravenhearst. Once again, you take on the role of the master detective as you continue to tackle mysterious cases that include hints of the supernatural.MCF: Dire Grove starts with, game review, the detective (that's you!) driving back through the English countryside after solving the mystery in MCF: Return to Ravenhearst. As you're driving, you are caught in a freak snowstorm that is so intense that your vision is entirely obscured, and you are forced to stop in a secluded village just, game review, off the motorway: Dire Grove.
As you approach the village, you find an abandoned car along the road. Investigating it, you come across scraps of paper and a video cassette containing disturbing information about a dark legend that had come to life. As you progress further into the village, you start to discover that something is really wrong here. The village seems abandoned, and you find more video cassettes showing recordings by a group of archaeology, game review, graduate students who had come to Dire Grove to investigate an ancient dark Celtic legend.
And by the looks of it, they found what they were looking for...The first thing you'll notice when playing MCF: Dire Grove is that the production values for this game have gone through the roof, much better, game review, than its already-impressive predecessors! All the art and music in the game are gorgeous and fit the theme and atmosphere brilliantly. To enforce the atmosphere of a snowstorm, you also have snowflakes and flying leaves moving all over the screen.What stood, game review, out for me was the almost movie-like quality in the cutscenes.
The intro scene and all the video clips showing the archaeology students and their misadventures are live action recordings. The acting is pretty decent and the recordings have an almost Blair Witch-like quality to them. All of this adds an extra dose of realism to the game, drawing you in like never before.The gameplay of Dire Grove has also evolved from the basic hidden object gameplay of the earlier instalments in the MCF series, game review, . This game is an adventure and exploration game first, with hidden object gameplay and puzzle elements, game review, thrown in.
You don't, game review, get mindlessly led from one hidden object scene to another. Instead,, game review, you need to use a bit of exploration and logic to decide what you should do to achieve your immediate goals and advance the plot. The game isn't extremely difficult to solve though; most of the objects of interest will have a slight sparkle to guide you along your path.The hidden object scenes and the puzzles that appear as minigames are both of the standard that you would expect from a MCF game.
The designs are crisp and clear, while the puzzles are difficult enough to require, game review,, game review,, game review, a moderate amount of thinking and planning, but not so difficult as to detract from, game review, the story or become a stumbling block.There are also puzzles that span across multiple scenes. You might find a crowbar or, game review, a bunch of nails in one scene, and won't find a use for them till an, game review, hour or more later. There are also obstacles that require, game review, manipulating the scenes.
For example, there's an object of interest on the top shelf in the garage. Now what can, game review, I find in the area that I can use to reach it?As has been said before, the game has superb production values, and is a full-fledged adventure puzzle game, game review, that will draw you in for hours on end. What else can you expect from the developers of the Mystery Case Files series who have yet to disappoint?Rating: 5.0/5.0You can read more about MCF: Dire Grove at http://www.hidden-puzzles.
com/mcf-dire-grove.html
As you approach the village, you find an abandoned car along the road. Investigating it, you come across scraps of paper and a video cassette containing disturbing information about a dark legend that had come to life. As you progress further into the village, you start to discover that something is really wrong here. The village seems abandoned, and you find more video cassettes showing recordings by a group of archaeology, game review, graduate students who had come to Dire Grove to investigate an ancient dark Celtic legend.
And by the looks of it, they found what they were looking for...The first thing you'll notice when playing MCF: Dire Grove is that the production values for this game have gone through the roof, much better, game review, than its already-impressive predecessors! All the art and music in the game are gorgeous and fit the theme and atmosphere brilliantly. To enforce the atmosphere of a snowstorm, you also have snowflakes and flying leaves moving all over the screen.What stood, game review, out for me was the almost movie-like quality in the cutscenes.
The intro scene and all the video clips showing the archaeology students and their misadventures are live action recordings. The acting is pretty decent and the recordings have an almost Blair Witch-like quality to them. All of this adds an extra dose of realism to the game, drawing you in like never before.The gameplay of Dire Grove has also evolved from the basic hidden object gameplay of the earlier instalments in the MCF series, game review, . This game is an adventure and exploration game first, with hidden object gameplay and puzzle elements, game review, thrown in.
You don't, game review, get mindlessly led from one hidden object scene to another. Instead,, game review, you need to use a bit of exploration and logic to decide what you should do to achieve your immediate goals and advance the plot. The game isn't extremely difficult to solve though; most of the objects of interest will have a slight sparkle to guide you along your path.The hidden object scenes and the puzzles that appear as minigames are both of the standard that you would expect from a MCF game.
The designs are crisp and clear, while the puzzles are difficult enough to require, game review,, game review,, game review, a moderate amount of thinking and planning, but not so difficult as to detract from, game review, the story or become a stumbling block.There are also puzzles that span across multiple scenes. You might find a crowbar or, game review, a bunch of nails in one scene, and won't find a use for them till an, game review, hour or more later. There are also obstacles that require, game review, manipulating the scenes.
For example, there's an object of interest on the top shelf in the garage. Now what can, game review, I find in the area that I can use to reach it?As has been said before, the game has superb production values, and is a full-fledged adventure puzzle game, game review, that will draw you in for hours on end. What else can you expect from the developers of the Mystery Case Files series who have yet to disappoint?Rating: 5.0/5.0You can read more about MCF: Dire Grove at http://www.hidden-puzzles.
com/mcf-dire-grove.html
2009/12/14
Urban Rivals Game Review
Urban Rivals is a free multiplayer online trading card game with more than 500 characters to discover, collect and level up by fighting live against players from all over the world, game review, . You represent one of the clans, game review, trying to gain control of Clint City, and are out to show that your clan is the, game review, top dog in town!The game is loosely based on the collectible or trading card game phenomenon that took the mid-90's by storm. In fact, the genre is still going, game review, strong, with games such as, game review, Magic: The Gathering and Legend, game review, of the Five Rings still in production with expansions coming out every few months.
However, while those games are limited by the fact that they are physical games, Urban Rivals has brought the trading card game concept online, allowing players to, game review, play, trade and chat with thousands of other players around the world. And this happens instantly too: no more having to juggle conflicting schedules in order to get a bunch of friends to come together for a game!Clint City has become a lawless, game review, town, and there are nearly two dozen clans or factions fighting for control.
From the chivalrous Sentinels and the sporty All Stars to the demon-worshipping Nightmare clan and the gangland Montana's; various factions from all walks of life have come to represent, game review, and fight for what's theirs.The basic gameplay in Urban Rivals is elegantly simple, and easy for a new player to pick up. In order to battle, you have to field a team of eight characters as your "deck" of cards. When you battle another player, four characters out of your deck are randomly chosen to fight against your opponent's team of four.
You each start the match with a certain amount of life and a limited resource of power-boosting "pillz". Your goal is to reduce your opponent's life to zero while protecting, game review, your own. The match happens in four rounds, each of which has one of your team, game review, of four fighting one of your opponent's, game review, characters, using their abilities and the "pillz" to hopefully swing, game review, the, game review, game in your favor.The actual "game" in this is two-fold: the deck-building strategy and planning that happens before matches, and the resource management and bluffing that happens during the matches.
While building your deck, you will need to think of a few things: which clans' characters to use (each clan gives a different bonus to the characters); the power of the characters; which mix of characters that have the best chance of winning; and you can even consider including abilities that counter the kind of decks you go up against often.The gameplay during the match, game review, involves analyzing which of your characters (and their abilities) have the best chance of beating your opponent's characters.
There is also a lot of bluffing and on-the-go strategizing too. "Should I use a lot of pillz now to boost my attacking character, or should I not use any and hope the other, game review, guy wastes a lot of pillz this round?"Urban Rivals also caters for a whole range of players. Casual players will enjoy getting into a match instantly whenever they have 5-10 minutes to spare in between doing other things. Players who have more time to spare, game review, can also take part in the organized tournaments (12 tournaments are run, game review, every day).
More competitive players can also take part in official tournament ladders with great prizes. On the other side of the spectrum, collectors can spend their time collecting all the available characters. Gotta catch, game review, 'em all!Though the many layers of gameplay and strategizing are impressive on their own, the developers keep providing updates to the game to keep it fresh. A new clan is introduced every six months (with new characters and abilities) and new characters are also released every two weeks! In addition, the battle for Clint City isn't static.
There is also an evolving story, as depicted in the Urban Rivals online, game review, comic. So come on down and represent your clan, and show those wannabes who's the real boss in Clint City! (Plus you get 8 character cards the moment you log in!)Rating: 5.0/5.0You can read more about Urban Rivals at http://www.game-tycoon.com/urban-rivals.html
However, while those games are limited by the fact that they are physical games, Urban Rivals has brought the trading card game concept online, allowing players to, game review, play, trade and chat with thousands of other players around the world. And this happens instantly too: no more having to juggle conflicting schedules in order to get a bunch of friends to come together for a game!Clint City has become a lawless, game review, town, and there are nearly two dozen clans or factions fighting for control.
From the chivalrous Sentinels and the sporty All Stars to the demon-worshipping Nightmare clan and the gangland Montana's; various factions from all walks of life have come to represent, game review, and fight for what's theirs.The basic gameplay in Urban Rivals is elegantly simple, and easy for a new player to pick up. In order to battle, you have to field a team of eight characters as your "deck" of cards. When you battle another player, four characters out of your deck are randomly chosen to fight against your opponent's team of four.
You each start the match with a certain amount of life and a limited resource of power-boosting "pillz". Your goal is to reduce your opponent's life to zero while protecting, game review, your own. The match happens in four rounds, each of which has one of your team, game review, of four fighting one of your opponent's, game review, characters, using their abilities and the "pillz" to hopefully swing, game review, the, game review, game in your favor.The actual "game" in this is two-fold: the deck-building strategy and planning that happens before matches, and the resource management and bluffing that happens during the matches.
While building your deck, you will need to think of a few things: which clans' characters to use (each clan gives a different bonus to the characters); the power of the characters; which mix of characters that have the best chance of winning; and you can even consider including abilities that counter the kind of decks you go up against often.The gameplay during the match, game review, involves analyzing which of your characters (and their abilities) have the best chance of beating your opponent's characters.
There is also a lot of bluffing and on-the-go strategizing too. "Should I use a lot of pillz now to boost my attacking character, or should I not use any and hope the other, game review, guy wastes a lot of pillz this round?"Urban Rivals also caters for a whole range of players. Casual players will enjoy getting into a match instantly whenever they have 5-10 minutes to spare in between doing other things. Players who have more time to spare, game review, can also take part in the organized tournaments (12 tournaments are run, game review, every day).
More competitive players can also take part in official tournament ladders with great prizes. On the other side of the spectrum, collectors can spend their time collecting all the available characters. Gotta catch, game review, 'em all!Though the many layers of gameplay and strategizing are impressive on their own, the developers keep providing updates to the game to keep it fresh. A new clan is introduced every six months (with new characters and abilities) and new characters are also released every two weeks! In addition, the battle for Clint City isn't static.
There is also an evolving story, as depicted in the Urban Rivals online, game review, comic. So come on down and represent your clan, and show those wannabes who's the real boss in Clint City! (Plus you get 8 character cards the moment you log in!)Rating: 5.0/5.0You can read more about Urban Rivals at http://www.game-tycoon.com/urban-rivals.html
The Advantage Of Using Xbox 360 Game Reviews
The Xbox is one, game review, of the most popular video game consoles of our time, and any Xbox owner, game review, should keep up on reading the different, game review, Xbox 360 game reviews, especially if they are trying to decide on which game they should purchase next. These Xbox 360 game reviews will not only make it much easier for you to decide which games you are interested in and which you want to purchase, but as well will save you from spending money on games that you end up regretting buying.
Where Can I Find Them? If you are interested in reading up on some Xbox 360 game reviews then one of the best resources you can use is the Internet. This is because the Internet allows you the ability to browse through millions of different websites and, game review, the Xbox 360 game reviews offered by these websites in a short, game review, period of time which is something, game review, that you would obviously not be able to do otherwise. Team Xbox The Team Xbox Company is just one of many online companies that are worth checking out and, game review, they are constantly updating and reworking their Xbox 360 game reviews.
They are a leading Internet media and services provider that is focused on the video game and entertainment enthusiast markets. They presently attract over 31 million unique monthly users worldwide, and are definitely one of the first companies that anyone, game review, looking for Xbox game reviews will want to check out. Metacritic is another worthwhile option here and they provide reviews from a carefully screened group of the most respected critics which means that you get the best reviews, each and every time.
They feel, game review, very, game review, strongly that multiple opinions are, game review, better than one and this is why they always have a multitude of critics on their staff to offer these reviews to consumers. Reading up on Xbox game reviews will be very much to your advantage, because they will help keep you informed on all the newly released games and help save you money by preventing you from buying, game review, games that you may not be sure on and which may end up turning out differently than you expected.
There are hundreds of different games that are available for the Xbox and these game reviews will help make the game buying process much less intimidating and more enjoyable. Also keep in mind that there are various video game based magazines available that offer these types of reviews as well, and which you are even able to subscribe to.
Where Can I Find Them? If you are interested in reading up on some Xbox 360 game reviews then one of the best resources you can use is the Internet. This is because the Internet allows you the ability to browse through millions of different websites and, game review, the Xbox 360 game reviews offered by these websites in a short, game review, period of time which is something, game review, that you would obviously not be able to do otherwise. Team Xbox The Team Xbox Company is just one of many online companies that are worth checking out and, game review, they are constantly updating and reworking their Xbox 360 game reviews.
They are a leading Internet media and services provider that is focused on the video game and entertainment enthusiast markets. They presently attract over 31 million unique monthly users worldwide, and are definitely one of the first companies that anyone, game review, looking for Xbox game reviews will want to check out. Metacritic is another worthwhile option here and they provide reviews from a carefully screened group of the most respected critics which means that you get the best reviews, each and every time.
They feel, game review, very, game review, strongly that multiple opinions are, game review, better than one and this is why they always have a multitude of critics on their staff to offer these reviews to consumers. Reading up on Xbox game reviews will be very much to your advantage, because they will help keep you informed on all the newly released games and help save you money by preventing you from buying, game review, games that you may not be sure on and which may end up turning out differently than you expected.
There are hundreds of different games that are available for the Xbox and these game reviews will help make the game buying process much less intimidating and more enjoyable. Also keep in mind that there are various video game based magazines available that offer these types of reviews as well, and which you are even able to subscribe to.
2009/12/13
Bloons Tower Defense - Game Review
The 1st in a series of 3 Bloons tower defense games created by Ninjakiwi has a minimal variety of defense towers and only 1 level in which to play the game through. This already demonstrates that the game is short lived and isn't anywhere up to the game originality provided by the first ever Bloons game.
The general idea of the game is to pop all the balloons, game review, that float around the given path using a collection of defense towers that you can, game review, deploy, game review, . Each round gets harder because more balloons float past, some of which are harder to pop and also move faster.
Every time you pop a balloon you receive points in which to use to buy more towers and upgrades.
The dart tower is the first of the 5 defense mechanisms and is simply a giant monkey that fires a single dart at the oncoming balloons, being a no thrills tower it provides little visual appeal or excitement and is rather ineffective, game review, at popping balloons without the upgrade of piercing darts and long range radius. You can obtain both upgrades straight away, before the game starts.
The tack tower is the second defense, game review, weapon in line, it spits out 8 tacks at a time, but you won't find it popping 8 balloons in a row, there is no strategic point on the circuit in which to place it to make full use of all tacks.
This weapon is very useful in taking out heavy groups of balloons, especially when you upgrade it with faster shooter and extra, game review, range options.
There are a maximum of 2 upgrades, game review, for each tower which makes the game pretty limited, especially in comparison to the 2nd and 3rd games in the series. It means you soon run, game review, out, game review, of variety and something to look forward to later on once you have stacked up enough points.
The game play of Bloons tower defense is as good as it can be.
It's easy to deploy your towers wherever you like, there's no real difficulty in picking up the controls as it's a simple point and click game. With the game being so simple there is no risk of any freezing or slowing of play whatsoever.
Considering there were many flash tower defense games out before Ninjakiwi even contemplated releasing their own, such as the desktop tower defense game, there was little effort put into this one, game review, . It lacks, game review, any variety in what you would term 'baddies', game review, or balloons in this, game review, case.
Even though they pretty much stuck with the balloon concept for the series, more imagination could have been placed on the kind of balloons being used, for example some, game review, could have had a mind of their own, game review, or been a bit more gruesome looking rather than plain old party balloons...
After the first 10 rounds the game becomes a lot more difficult, with balloons moving rapidly across the circuit, so a wise choice in tower deployment is vital. The idea here is to see if you can survive some of the more difficult rounds whilst, game review, resisting the temptation to add additional weaker towers.
Somewhere along the line you will have to hold out for longer in order to be able to afford a stronger form of defense such as the ice tower in order to make surviving the later rounds realistic.
Both the ice and bomb tower offer nothing special in terms of visual appearance, effects and creativity. They are both fairly bog standard and won't provide any temptation for you to play on beyond this point with only the Super Monkey being left to deploy. By the time you can afford Super Monkey, game review, you will be most likely fed up of the game and will have exited out.
Game Verdict
The first tower defense game fails to live up to the original Bloons series in my opinion and, game review, lacks the imagination to bridge, game review, the gap over many boring levels of the same old balloon popping defense strategies. My advice would be to quickly move on to the 2nd and 3rd game in the series.
Playability: 10/10
Graphics: 5/10
Originality: 4/10
Game Detail: 3/10
Addictiveness: 5/10
Final Score: 54%
The general idea of the game is to pop all the balloons, game review, that float around the given path using a collection of defense towers that you can, game review, deploy, game review, . Each round gets harder because more balloons float past, some of which are harder to pop and also move faster.
Every time you pop a balloon you receive points in which to use to buy more towers and upgrades.
The dart tower is the first of the 5 defense mechanisms and is simply a giant monkey that fires a single dart at the oncoming balloons, being a no thrills tower it provides little visual appeal or excitement and is rather ineffective, game review, at popping balloons without the upgrade of piercing darts and long range radius. You can obtain both upgrades straight away, before the game starts.
The tack tower is the second defense, game review, weapon in line, it spits out 8 tacks at a time, but you won't find it popping 8 balloons in a row, there is no strategic point on the circuit in which to place it to make full use of all tacks.
This weapon is very useful in taking out heavy groups of balloons, especially when you upgrade it with faster shooter and extra, game review, range options.
There are a maximum of 2 upgrades, game review, for each tower which makes the game pretty limited, especially in comparison to the 2nd and 3rd games in the series. It means you soon run, game review, out, game review, of variety and something to look forward to later on once you have stacked up enough points.
The game play of Bloons tower defense is as good as it can be.
It's easy to deploy your towers wherever you like, there's no real difficulty in picking up the controls as it's a simple point and click game. With the game being so simple there is no risk of any freezing or slowing of play whatsoever.
Considering there were many flash tower defense games out before Ninjakiwi even contemplated releasing their own, such as the desktop tower defense game, there was little effort put into this one, game review, . It lacks, game review, any variety in what you would term 'baddies', game review, or balloons in this, game review, case.
Even though they pretty much stuck with the balloon concept for the series, more imagination could have been placed on the kind of balloons being used, for example some, game review, could have had a mind of their own, game review, or been a bit more gruesome looking rather than plain old party balloons...
After the first 10 rounds the game becomes a lot more difficult, with balloons moving rapidly across the circuit, so a wise choice in tower deployment is vital. The idea here is to see if you can survive some of the more difficult rounds whilst, game review, resisting the temptation to add additional weaker towers.
Somewhere along the line you will have to hold out for longer in order to be able to afford a stronger form of defense such as the ice tower in order to make surviving the later rounds realistic.
Both the ice and bomb tower offer nothing special in terms of visual appearance, effects and creativity. They are both fairly bog standard and won't provide any temptation for you to play on beyond this point with only the Super Monkey being left to deploy. By the time you can afford Super Monkey, game review, you will be most likely fed up of the game and will have exited out.
Game Verdict
The first tower defense game fails to live up to the original Bloons series in my opinion and, game review, lacks the imagination to bridge, game review, the gap over many boring levels of the same old balloon popping defense strategies. My advice would be to quickly move on to the 2nd and 3rd game in the series.
Playability: 10/10
Graphics: 5/10
Originality: 4/10
Game Detail: 3/10
Addictiveness: 5/10
Final Score: 54%
CSI: NY Game Review
CSI: NY is a abundant bold if alone for the actuality that it is the absolute car for a hidden article game. Afterwards all, what bigger acumen to be analytic for hidden altar than if you were a badge investigator analytic annihilation scenes for evidence? CSI: NY is a appealing affectionate, game review, adjustment, game review, of the hit TV series, with the alternation stars such as detectives Mac Taylor, Stella Bonasera, Don Flack, Dr. Sheldon Hawkes and Adam Ross all featuring heavily in the game.
The feel and atmosphere of the bold aswell captures the aspect of the TV series. The scenarios in the bold are structured like episodes of a TV series, and what absolutely got me was that anniversary, game review, chance started off with a blow of the annihilation victim getting begin followed by credits, game, game review, review,, game review, absolutely like a TV series. And anniversary change of breadth aswell incorporates a cine blow of the cityscape, game review, of New York, afresh a affectionate adjustment, game review, of the alternation and a absolute nice blow to the game.
The absolute hidden article puzzles in the bold are aswell chip absolute well. As detective Taylor, game review, or Bonasera, you appear a abomination arena and charge to seek the breadth for affirmation and any artifice items that ability advance to abeyant assemblage or suspects. Added hidden article scenes absorb analytic, game review, the bounds of abeyant suspects and last-known-whereabouts of the victims. There is absolute little accidental altar to be found: aggregate seems to fit accurately into the story.
There are even nice touches such as bi-weekly clippings that if begin acknowledge, game review, the history of the victims and added advances the story. Another affair that makes the hidden addle area of the bold altered is that anniversary arena starts with you not alive what items you're, game review, meant to be analytic for. There is a account of items to be found, but that account emerges absolute slowly. So for the aboriginal minute or so, you're on your own aggravating to assumption which altar could be affirmation in anniversary case.
What this, game review, bold excels in admitting are the mini-games that are broadcast throughout, and there are affluence of them, game review, . These are not your archetypal mini-games such as jigsaws or afterwards puzzles, but are in fact neatly chip into the chance and affair of the game. You get to besom abomination scenes for fingerprints, yield photos of the actual evidence, accomplish facial recognition, account the victim's falling aisle and a accomplished lot more. It is these altered mini-games that makes CSI: NY absolutely angle out a part of the added amateur of this brand and sets the accent you'd apprehend from a bold based on the CSI franchise.
There are 4 "episodes" in this game, with altered characters from the alternation accepting starring roles and with anniversary case getting altered (as altered as they can be... afterwards a dozen seasons of the assorted CSI series, every affectionate of annihilation becomes appealing cliched). There is a fair bulk of amusement and assuming in the bold to accomplish it feel like the TV alternation as well. Scenes such as Adam Ross adage "Umm... Mac? Why do you and Stella consistently wish to do the, game review, fingerprinting, game review, yourselves? Is there something amiss with my work?" are funny and abduction, game review, the aspect of the show.
Admittedly, the bold is appealing beeline with absolute little allowance for accessible exploration. Aggregate occurs in a arrangement and could be airless for gamers added acclimated to the exploration-style chance games. But CSI: NY stays accurate to the anecdotal scene-by-scene storyboarding of a TV show, and is a appealing acceptable adjustment of the franchise. Definitely a bold account arena if you're into the abomination scenes affair and wish to accept a duke in allowance stars like Gary Sinise break crimes.
Rating: 4.0/5.0 You, game review, can apprehend added about CSI: NY at http://www.hidden-puzzles.com/csi-ny.html
The feel and atmosphere of the bold aswell captures the aspect of the TV series. The scenarios in the bold are structured like episodes of a TV series, and what absolutely got me was that anniversary, game review, chance started off with a blow of the annihilation victim getting begin followed by credits, game, game review, review,, game review, absolutely like a TV series. And anniversary change of breadth aswell incorporates a cine blow of the cityscape, game review, of New York, afresh a affectionate adjustment, game review, of the alternation and a absolute nice blow to the game.
The absolute hidden article puzzles in the bold are aswell chip absolute well. As detective Taylor, game review, or Bonasera, you appear a abomination arena and charge to seek the breadth for affirmation and any artifice items that ability advance to abeyant assemblage or suspects. Added hidden article scenes absorb analytic, game review, the bounds of abeyant suspects and last-known-whereabouts of the victims. There is absolute little accidental altar to be found: aggregate seems to fit accurately into the story.
There are even nice touches such as bi-weekly clippings that if begin acknowledge, game review, the history of the victims and added advances the story. Another affair that makes the hidden addle area of the bold altered is that anniversary arena starts with you not alive what items you're, game review, meant to be analytic for. There is a account of items to be found, but that account emerges absolute slowly. So for the aboriginal minute or so, you're on your own aggravating to assumption which altar could be affirmation in anniversary case.
What this, game review, bold excels in admitting are the mini-games that are broadcast throughout, and there are affluence of them, game review, . These are not your archetypal mini-games such as jigsaws or afterwards puzzles, but are in fact neatly chip into the chance and affair of the game. You get to besom abomination scenes for fingerprints, yield photos of the actual evidence, accomplish facial recognition, account the victim's falling aisle and a accomplished lot more. It is these altered mini-games that makes CSI: NY absolutely angle out a part of the added amateur of this brand and sets the accent you'd apprehend from a bold based on the CSI franchise.
There are 4 "episodes" in this game, with altered characters from the alternation accepting starring roles and with anniversary case getting altered (as altered as they can be... afterwards a dozen seasons of the assorted CSI series, every affectionate of annihilation becomes appealing cliched). There is a fair bulk of amusement and assuming in the bold to accomplish it feel like the TV alternation as well. Scenes such as Adam Ross adage "Umm... Mac? Why do you and Stella consistently wish to do the, game review, fingerprinting, game review, yourselves? Is there something amiss with my work?" are funny and abduction, game review, the aspect of the show.
Admittedly, the bold is appealing beeline with absolute little allowance for accessible exploration. Aggregate occurs in a arrangement and could be airless for gamers added acclimated to the exploration-style chance games. But CSI: NY stays accurate to the anecdotal scene-by-scene storyboarding of a TV show, and is a appealing acceptable adjustment of the franchise. Definitely a bold account arena if you're into the abomination scenes affair and wish to accept a duke in allowance stars like Gary Sinise break crimes.
Rating: 4.0/5.0 You, game review, can apprehend added about CSI: NY at http://www.hidden-puzzles.com/csi-ny.html
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