Wildhollow Game Review by Josh Komon
Game Rating = 3/5 Balls
WildHollow, by Karjasoft is a new take on empire building. The story is a mix of bizarre and contrived, but the dialogue indicates that the game’s creators are fully aware of this. The game is littered with tongue in cheek humor. The idea is that the hero returns to his or her home town to find that the family farm has been destroyed, and that mom and dad are no where to be found. This hero needs to simultaneously rebuild the farm to its former glory, and find and possibly rescue the parents.
GAMEPLAY
For the most part, Wild Hollow is a point and click game. There is a world map, with plenty of locations, and plenty more which can be unlocked. Within each of these locations, there is a still frame of the town, farm, orchard, or whatever the location is. At these locations, there are people and buildings to click on, each of which starts up a conversation. The player is given plenty of options for what to say or ask the people of the towns. Through these conversations, the hero is given quests to undertake, each of which is rewarded with money or items. There are a few other things that can be done at each of these locations. Items are sometimes hidden in the scenery. Some of these are quest items. Others are statues which the hero keeps as part of the collection. Lastly, there are a few mini-games which can be played at some of these locations. These are incredibly simple, and a bit stupid, but at least they are a change of pace from the monotony of point and click.
All of these actions ultimately lead to the acquisition of money. This money can be used to buy things, but most importantly, to help rebuild the family farm. Once the first repairs have been made, the hero can start to keep animals, feed them, raise them, and sell them.
GRAPHICS
While most graphics in Wild Hollow are still images, they do have a polished look. The design for the characters are very creative, albeit a tad on the intentionally cheesy side.
AUDIO
The music changes by location, and while the sound designers tried to put a bit of a modern twist on it, the game still sounds like every other medieval game.
CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
Wild Hollow tried a few new things, and to some degree they worked. But all in all, this was a pretty unoriginal game.
THREE REASONS TO BUY
-The game is loaded with humor.
-The character designs are quite colorful.
-There are plenty of things to do.
THREE REASONS NOT TO BUY
-$19.99 is a bit much for a point and click game.
-The game is mostly devoid of action.
-The game play can be monotonous.
OVERALL
Wild Hollow is an average gaming experience, but just is not worth the time and money. It receives a 3/5.
Nintendo 2004, http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/data/918882.html
The game made for ADD kids, WarioWare combined fast-paced gaming with the potential of multiplayer madness. Consisting of series of 4-second minigames, it quickly grew chaotic and combative, a good formula for sharp-wit trash talking and belly laughs. As we see developers continue to churn out innovative, imaginative titles, we will undoubtedly continue to see hilarious games. And that, for gamers, is something to look forward to.
Sam and Max Screenshot
34. Sam & Max
Steve Purcell’s lovable characters began as a video game with Lucas Arts’ 1993 Sam & Max Hit the Road. Several episodic adventures have followed with Telltale Games in 2005. Charming and kooky, Sam & Max bumble along, answering questions like ‘how do you defeat a Robot Lincoln?’
http://www.telltalegames.com/samandmax
33. Mad World
Developer: Platinum Games. Publisher: Sega. Year Published: March 10, 2009. Platform: Wii.
Whats funnier then Disemboweling your enemies with an arm mounted chainsaw? Having Two Equally blood thirsty announcers (Greg Proops and John DiMaggio) commentating on your every kill.
32. Rom Check Fail
Farbs, 2008 (Web)
As a massive retro-gamer at the best of times, the prospect of a mash-up of a dozen or so classic arcades in a single Flash game was irresistible. The sheer lunacy of this game, which switches between Arkanoid and Spy Hunter and Pacman with a flourish, makes it absolutely unmissable.
31. The Simpsons: Road Rage
Playstation 2
Fox Interactive 2001, http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/data/528328.htm
Another intentionally funny game, this title in the Simpsons line of video gaming gems features a crackpot storyline with mission-based driving. With the addition of multiplayer mayhem, the possibilities in Springfield are endless.
30. The Simpsons Game
EA 2007 release for Wii, PS3, XBox 360, PS2, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable included colourful writing. Resplendent with pop culture, and clever plot, the only problem with the game is the awkward camera. That shouldn’t stop a comedy craving gamer from playing this award winner.
http://www.ea.com/games/the-simpsons-game
Boogerman Screenshot
29. Boogerman
Developer: Interplay. Publisher: Interplay. Year Published: November 18,1994. Platform: Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, Wii virtual console.
Snotty Ragsdale is a eccentric millionaire that has a secret. He is the booger flinging, big belching, Flatulance flailing superhero, Boogerman. I think its pretty obvious why this game in on the list.
Create towers from balls of goo in this innovative and award-winning creation. Most of the humour comes through the cartoon graphics and the brilliant surreal plot of the cut-scenes. Truly brilliant on every level, and well worth a look.
Developed by Rockstar Games in 2001, GTA III is a sarcastic romp around the seedy underbelly of Liberal City. Say what you like about the penchant for hooligan violence, but GTA III is steeped in clipping humour. Available on PS2, PC, and XBox, the GTA series adds sardonic entertainment to sandbox gaming.
http://www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto3/
26. Feel the Magic XY/XX
Developer: Sonic Team. Publisher: Sega. Year Published: November 16, 2004. Platform: NintendoDS
Feel The Magic is a unique story following a young man in his attempts to impress a woman. And what better way to do that then by making people puke up goldfish and riding unicycles across skyscrapers!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rub
25. Eets
Klei Entertainment, 2006 (Windows, XBox Live)
A riotous 2D puzzle game in which you can alter the emotional state of a little bunny creature by firing food at it to guide it to a safe exit, Lemmings-style. Huge amusement can be derived from annoying the little creature by repeatedly hitting him with objects.
24. Kitten Cannon Online Freeware
BurstStudio.com 2005, addictinggames.com
Perhaps only for the sadistic, Kitten Cannon is pretty self-explanatory: Players fire a kitten out of a cannon, and see how far it flies and bounces. While it loses its novelty after a hundred tries or so, the first time you realize that hitting explosives makes the cat projectile travel farther is pure cruelty gold.
23. We Love Katamari
Refreshingly psychedelic, the Katamari Damacy series is epic in its chaotic ridiculousness. Released in 2005 by Namco for the PS2,this game is the story behind our favourite fop, the King of All Cosmos. Situational humour comes a long way, if you can get past the rave-like absurdity, this game is worth all the giggles.
http://www.katamariforever.com/
22. Super Mario RPG
Legend of the Seven Stars
Developer: Square. Publisher: Nintendo. Year Published: March 9, 1996. Platform: Super Nintendo, Wii virtual Console.
What makes this game stand out, is that it was the first Mario game where he just isn’t jumping over goombas and kicking Koopa shells. The addition of dialog (very funny dialog) adds a lot of charm to the game, even though many of the funny moments come from our mute hero.
In which our heroine meets a dead pirate who urges her to save endangered seabirds. A lot more fun than it sounds, another witty adventure game in the Monkey Island mold, even down to including pirates!
20. Dodge ‘Em Atari 2600
Atari 1978, http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/a2600/data/584686.html
Best appreciated at 3 a.m. after chugging a few caffeinated beverages, Dodge ‘Em is a two-player contest that pits two racing cars in a laned, circular track with goals to grab. So, basically, it’s like Pac-Man with head-on collisions. Hilarious!
19. Dead Rising
Developer: Capcom Production Studio 1. Publisher: Capcom. Year Published: August 8, 2006. Platform: XBox360
Frank West is a photo Journalist who never fails at getting the perfect shot. Sometimes that shot involves throwing pies, or putting silly masks on, or suplexing the undead purseing him. In Dead Rising there are thousands of hilarious ways to destroy your undead attackers.
http://www.capcom.com/deadrising/
YetiSports Screenshot
18. Yetisports
Chris Hilgert, 2004 (web)
Games of few words, but huge laughs, as an athletic Yeti batters and abuses penguins in a variety of ways, to their apparent delight. Smack them with a baseball bat in the original, or with a flamingo acting as a gold club in Flamingo Drive, or just launch them into the air to be slapped around with seals. Simple, addictive, frustrating fun.
Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo 1990, http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/data/587653.html
A wonderfully refreshing entry in the adventure/RPG genre, Startropics boasted a profoundly rich storyline, rewardingly challenging gameplay, and a unique blend of islander comic style. Whether being told “You must have bananas in your ears!” or encountering the old ladies that lie about their age, Startropics was good for a chuckle and beyond.
16. Monkey Island Series
Lucas Arts started the series in the titular 1990 release originally on PC, now available for the iTouch/iPhone, as well as the PS2. Player-friendly to a fault, Monkey Island is rife with satire of the Pirate genre led by Guybrush Threepwood as he attempts through many off kilter hijinks to become the greatest pirate ever.
Apparently the very first commercial AGS game, The Adventures of Fatman (Special Edition) is reminiscient of the early Monkey Island adventures and Day of the Tentacle in its comedy. An incredibly polished effort, with a sequel coming out soon! Save Shadowlawn from the evil Toxicman, while not stuffing your face…
14. Grim Fandango
Released in 1998 by Lucas Arts for the PC, Grim Fandango is a play on film noir classics, with an Aztec twist. Brilliantly clever, and arguably one of the best crafted games of all time, we follow Manny, the Travel Agent as he undergoes wacky adventures to get the deceased their tickets to the Number Nine train. All aboard?
A simple but addictive retro-style game where the player gets to wreak havoc on Santa’s elves, scything them down in their hundreds to stop them climbing down the chimney. Surreal and hilarious, a perfect Christmas treat for Scrooges.
12. Earthworm Jim
Sega Genesis, other
Shiny Entertainment 1994, http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/genesis/data/586155.html
Even the instruction booklet warned “humor measured by volume not by content, some settling may occur.” From the initial cow-launch to the final mind-boggling ending of the saga, Earthworm Jim is a trip down Intergalactic Insanity Lane. Whether dealing with manic bosses possessing exaggerated personalities or literally whipping yourself into a frenzy, Jim delivers on all fronts.
11. Captain Quazar
Cyclone Studios’ 1996 release for 3DO, re-released for PC in 1997 stars the bold banter of Captain Quazar, a cross between Jim Kirk and Rambo. Flailing through the galaxy in search of justice, and fantastic guns, Captain Quazar never takes itself seriously, which keep the tone light and comedic. A gem of the 3DO platform, Captain Quazar is plain fun, and easy to play.
Jon Ritman and Bernie Drummond, Ocean Software, 1987 (ZX Spectrum, etc)
The finest isometric adventure ever created, Head Over Heels succeeded not just because of its (then) innovative approach of having two controllable characters, but also through the surreal minds behind the game’s graphics and backstory. Head fires doughnuts at enemies to immobilise them (while they lick the jam from their faces), and Prince Charles’s head seems to have been stuck on to a Dalek.
9. Earthbound
Super Nintendo
Ape Studios 1997, http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/snes/data/588301.html
Earthbound follows the zany adventures of an unlikely yet fated group of friends through different cities and eras. With performances by washed-up blues artists, a constant barrage of witty dialogue, and silly weapons galore, Earthbound achieves a unique feel as truly quirky role-playing game rife with dry humor.
Released in 2005 for X-Box, Playstation 2, and PC by Majesco, Psychonauts is the extravagantly well crafted game about Raz, a boy running away from the circus to become a psychic warrior. Created by Tim Schafer, Psychonauts is one of the world’s most entertaining games. Supporting characters are rich and hilarious, as Raz delves into their subconscious to save the day at a psychedelic psychic training camp.
http://www.psychonauts.com/
7. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Developer: Capcom. Publisher: Capcom. Year Published: October 11, 2005. Platform: NintendoDS.
Phoenix Wright invents crazy situations, silly characters, and also definatly gives you a ton of laughes. It also is a great investigation game, that leaves you waiting for a sequel. And in each series, they bring you new characters, and more oddball situations.
A new graphic adventure game, full of foul-mouthed juvenile student humour. It is big, and it is clever, with time-travel, alternate universe Hitlers, armies of cloned dinosaurs and plenty of sick jokes.
5. Fable 2
Developer: Lionhead Studios. Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios. Year Published: October 21, 2008. Platform: XBox360. http://www.lionhead.com/News.aspx?newsid=74
This game has you cracking up from the start! Everything from the People of Albion, the documents and item descriptions, to the loading menus packs some silly. The developers really hit the nail on the head. The comedy in this game not only makes you laugh, but it absorbs you into the world of Albion, making the game more rich, and fun.
Graphics can impress you, gameplay can engage you, but a joke or a funny situation is there to amuse you, and to help you connect to a character. Nothing cures a bad mood better then laughter, well maybe killing zombies, but to each his own.
http://www.lionhead.com/News.aspx?newsid=74
4. Portal: The Cake is a Lie
The cleverest AI (GLaDOS) in video game history made this 2007 Valve Corporation release for PC, XBox 360, XBox Live Arcade and PS3 arguably the funniest game to be produced in years. GLaDOS leads us through cutting, darkly mind twisting blind leaps through puzzles, rewarding the player with pure entertainment. http://orange.half-life2.com/portal.html
3. Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams and Steve Meretsky, Infocom, 1984 (PC)
Immortalized by the tortuous puzzle to get the Babel Fish, this text adventure based on the cult radio series of the late 1970s is still developing a quarter century after its release, as the 20th anniversary Flash edition on the BBC website demonstrated. Featuring some exclusive Douglas Adams material, as well as a devious game engine that lies to you about exits, this was the first truly funny game I ever played.
2. Brutal Legend
XBox 360, other
Double Fine Productions 2009, http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox360/data/943672.html
With the voice work of Tim Curry and Jack Black, Brutal Legend is the story of a hero who is vaulted back to the Age of Metal in order to fulfill quests and slaughter foes with the power of Rock. Considering that you can literally melt enemies’ faces off with your guitar solos, Brutal Legend blatantly aims to be a righteous send-up of metal rock humor.
1. Conker’s Bad Fur Day
Nintendo 64
Rare 2001, http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/n64/data/196973.html
Legendary for managing to cram so much adult humor onto a Nintendo game, this is not the mild-mannered Conker we know from prior experience. The game featured urination, swearing, and other crass features that were best left for its target audience of frat boys. Once the Mighty Poo boss shows up, you know Conker is a riot.
World of Goo Game Review by Tim Peters
Game Rating = 5/5 Balls
World of Goo by 2D Boy must be seen to be believed. It started in 2005 as Tower of Goo; just another rushed-together game in the Experimental Gameplay Project. But thanks to its runaway success, this prototype mutated into a complete game that defies expectations and demands attention. World of Goo is a construction/puzzle game like nothing you’ve played before, and nothing you’ll ever play again.
In each of World of Goo’s stages, all you have to do is get the little balls of goo from their starting base to a pipe somewhere else in the level. Building towers and bridges and whatever else the demented designers have in mind for each level is as simple as dragging one ball of goo to another ball of goo. But these aren’t your usual building blocks. They sway, they collapse, they shudder. They’re alive and they’re always watching you. Even when you sleep. (more…)
At first Elf Bowling Hawaiian Vacation is a bit difficult to get the hang of. But after you master the controls it becomes quite fun. Although it has ‘bowling’ in the title, this game is very different from traditional bowling. The pins have been replaced by Santa’s hard working Elf’s and the traditional alley is replaced by three exotic locations. The game progresses as you complete the various game modes, eventually allowing you to unlock almost 20 different bowling balls and a variety of avatars to bowl with. The addicting gameplay is complimented with a Story Mode, a Single Player Mode, and a Multiplayer Mode, creating an enjoyable Elf Bowling experience.
A kidnapped relative, murdered parents, an elderly mentor who turns out not to be a relative at all, strange masked figures killing villagers in the middle of the night, a quest for revenge…it’s another RPG, isn’t it?
Eets has a daft name, but is a fantastic puzzle game suitable for all ages. Guiding Eets across a precarious landscape towards his destination, a jigsaw puzzle piece (all the world’s puzzles have apparently been broken), by manipulating his emotional state and (of course) blowing things up, the game constantly feels fresh, imaginative and most importantly fun.
