Game Review by Matt Remley
Game Rating = 4/5
It seems that puzzle games are all the rage these days, luckily Oddgoat Studios doesn’t stray too far from this with their latest downloadable game. Go Go Medley seems to be the new word for chaos, as that’s what players will be experiencing in this fast paced puzzle game similar to that of Tetris or other block stacking games.
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Winter Wolves released the next chapter of Vera Blanc called Ghost in the Castle. Feel free to check out our review of the first chapter Full Moon. The Ghost in the Castle, a detective mystery written in a comic book style finds the heroine Vera Blanc travels to a small town in Italy to discover who’s behind the ghost and a string of deaths scaring the locals.
Game Review by Matt Bird
Game Rating = 1.5/5
Game Review Summary
You should buy this game if:
- You like similar games – Bust a Move, Snood, and so forth
- You don’t have any access to the previously mentioned games
- You like a bit of a puzzle
You should not buy this game if:
- You can find any sort of alternative
- You want an engrossing game that will eat up long hours – this one is a bit dull
- You value flashy graphics and sound – again, Bubble Shooter is boring
Most gamers, if not the rest of the world, have probably played a game like Bubble Shooter before. Whether its name is Bubble Shooter, Bust a Move or Snood, the formula for all is roughly the same – and that is the problem with this version of Bubble Shooter, not to mention its derivative, Bubble Shooter Premium.
The formula for all of these games is simple. You launch colored bubbles from a pointer at the bottom of the screen into a large mass of similarly colored bubbles at the top. Group three or more together with this fired bubble and you eliminate the lot, potentially dropping whole columns of other bubbles in the process (they can’t be left suspended in midair). Clear the stage and move on to the next.
Basic, and fun enough – but that’s all there really is to Bubble Shooter. Other games include more extensive puzzle modes and flashier graphics (Bust a Move in particular), but not here. It’s the basics of the game, stripped right down, and that makes the end result rather mundane. All you can do is move through levels filled with bubbles and hope you get the right color. There’s little challenge to the process beyond your aim – and even that is a bit easy since you can use your mouse to great effect.
For a free or relatively cheap game this wouldn’t be a problem. Bubble Shooter Premium, unfortunately, has a $20 price tag, and though you may be able to track it down for cheaper than that there are superior alternatives. There’s a WiiWare version of Bust a Move, for example, that costs a great deal less and offers a much more exciting way to play. Not everyone can access it since not everyone has a Wii, of course, but the point is made. There are superior, cheaper alternatives.
Bubble Shooter probably wouldn’t seem so bad if it weren’t such a simplistic game. The programming is solid, and nothing goes wrong while you’re playing – it’s just such a boring experience with basic colors, a few different skin options and, ooo, some backgrounds. And the prospect of unlocking a screen saver! How gleeful! Multiplayer expands your options a bit, but if no one else is playing the game…?
There’s not enough here to warrant a purchase, in short. Play the basic Flash game on the website and ignore Bubble Shooter Premium. There are much better indie titles floating around that deserve your money instead. 1.5/5
http://absolutist.com/bubbles_premium/
Game Review by Maria C. Collins
Game Rating = 1/5
Hidden object games are my passion and I eagerly anticipated reviewing this downloadable game “Hidden in Verona”. Unfortunately, the reality did not match my anticipation. Initially, all was well, the graphics were bright and cheerful and the sound good. The storyline loosely based on Romeo and Juliet was interesting and appealing. The game was creative and innovative. I completed and enjoyed the first two object searches although the hint feature takes ages to reload. Then to a match three game. It seemed to bear no relevance whatsoever to the story and was completely out of place. It appeared that the game designer put the match three game there to show his prowess rather than because it belonged.
Hidden object games are my passion and I eagerly anticipated reviewing this downloadable game “Hidden in Verona”. Unfortunately, the reality did not match my anticipation. Initially, all was well, the graphics were bright and cheerful and the sound good. The storyline loosely based on Romeo and Juliet was interesting and appealing. The game was creative and innovative. I completed and enjoyed the first two object searches although the hint feature takes ages to reload. Then to a match three game. It seemed to bear no relevance whatsoever to the story and was completely out of place. It appeared that the game designer put the match three game there to show his prowess rather than because it belonged.
The first puzzle picture of the Cathedral was quite difficult to complete and there were insufficient instructions on how to move the pieces successfully. I could not get the “skip” feature to work at all. I solved the puzzle eventually and continued with the game. The game told me that I had unlocked more games in the trophy room, where more jigsaw type puzzles followed. I solved all the unlocked puzzles available, but every time I tried to get out of the trophy room, the game cut out and I had to re launch it. I could not return to the map of Verona no matter what I did or where I clicked and the game continually cut out.
This game needs more work and I do not recommend that anyone spend hard-earned money buying this downloadable game. It is not ready for market yet. The spelling mistake in the help feature clearly illustrates that “Hidden in Verona” was not checked or tested sufficiently and, thus, is not ready for market; someone appears to think that the word “panel” needs an extra “n”. This game really disappointed me and I score it 1/5 because it promised much but never delivered. The game is inexpensive compared to similar games but even at 9.95 dollars US, it is far too expensive in its current state.
I cannot find three reasons to buy the game in its current unfinished state. However, if the designers were to remove the irrelevant “match three” puzzle, clean up the glitches in “Hidden in Verona” and make this downloadable game work properly, it is a promising and interesting game. I especially liked the jigsaw type puzzles they exercised my brain considerably and the pictures were interesting. I would have liked some quick facts about Verona. All game designers should understand that people who enjoy hidden object games find “Match three” puzzles boring and prefer puzzles that make them think.
Game Review by Brandon Rutter
Game Rating = 5/5
Turba makes an innovative effort to fuse music with color-matching puzzles – and succeeds.
Reasons to buy Turba:
- If you love music, Turba is the game for you. Music is the driving force behind the generation of the puzzles in Turba. Each song creates a unique level – and you can use songs from your own computer!
- Hardcore puzzlers will get days upon days of entertainment and challenge from Turba. Sporting multiple game modes, 3 difficulty levels, unlockable content and a slew of special abilities, Turba brings plenty to the table.
- Casual gamers will be pleased with Turba’s Casual Mode, which offers a more laid back experience.
Reasons not to buy Turba:
- Even in Casual Mode, Turba can be a little intense. Some songs are absurdly difficult (which appeals to some) and with so many options and modes, the learning curve can be imposingly high for some.
- Each level in Turba is one song. This puts the average level length at around 3-5 minutes. Puzzlers who favor a more long-term single-level format may be frustrated with having to periodically select new songs.
- If you don’t have much music on your PC, then Turba will lose a lot of its replay value.
Turba is a downloadable puzzle game with a musical twist. The objective of Turba is to select groups of 3 or more blocks of the same color to clear them – blocks appear to the beat of a song, starting from the bottom, and if they reach the top of the screen, it’s Game Over. Survive for the entirety of the song and you win.
What really makes Turba great is its flexibility. There are plenty of game modes, multiple difficulty levels, and a literally infinite amount of songs, creating a unique custom experience for each player. The greatest feature for sure is the option to load a song from your own computer. The inclusion of a colorblind mode is also a nice touch.
The interface of Turba seems complex at first, but after the initial hump and a few trial runs, things begin to make sense. There’s also a handy tutorial and manual included. While the focus of the game is obviously the audio, the display is well-done and impressive as well.
Turba is an excellent downloadable music/puzzle game, and the flexibility of its features gives it additional appeal to anyone who enjoys music – A truly innovative and worthwhile download, and well-worth its price.
Actionsoft released the sequel to their classic downloadable platformer, Midnight Mansion, aptly called Midnight Mansion 2. Actionsoft has revived their version of Indiana Jones, Jack Malone who pursues a quest for treasure as he explores underground caverns, mad scientist laboratories, spooky graveyards, old abandoned castles, and outwits enemies. Feel free to try it out. It retails for $25.00. We will publish a complete review of this downloadable platformer in the next two weeks.
Screenshots:
Odd Gate Studios released the downloadable puzzle game called Go Go Medley. This downloadable puzzle game offers five different play modes which change throughout each level. Here are some thoughts on Go Go Medley from Odd Gate Studios:
Experience earthquakes, raging infernos, spirit invasions, lightning strikes
Combat puzzler-boredom
Easy to pick up and play, difficult to put down
Wonderful, colorful graphics,
Global online and local high score tables
Custom game modes
Earn over twenty unique and challenging awards
Here are the screenshots:
Harry Balls will publish a review of this downloadable puzzle game on the next few weeks.
Brunilda and the Dark Crystal Game Review by Matt Bird
Game Rating = 2/5
You should buy this game if:
- You adore point and click adventures
- You like puzzles
- You like mini-games
You should not buy this game if:
- You’re bored of fantasy tales
- You dislike generic games
- You want to preserve your eyesight
Fantasy stories are legion. Point and click adventure games are legion. Stick the two together and what do you get? Aside from something so common you’ve seen its kind a billion times before, you get Brunhilda and the Dark Crystal.
There is, apparently, a fantasy world that exists beyond our own, known as the Faerie Realm – and, for reasons most dire, the magic of the place is seeping away, which will result in some nasty implications. A demon has been sent out to look for the only one who can save the realm, a girl named Brunhilda, whose aunt is knee-deep in magical lore.
Accompanied by the vexatious demon Brunhilda must travel through a variety of locations, trying to discover the mystery behind the loss of magic – entombed within an artifact known as the Dark Crystal – and save the Faerie Realm. Sounds rather generic, yes, and it is: there’s little innovative substance behind this story, if you’ve read even one fantasy novel, and though the overall setting has some neat aspects there’s almost nothing new here.
But enough story. On to the game play. What makes Brunhilda tick? Unfortunately, it’s a mechanic that’s familiar to the extreme, as Brunhilda and the Dark Crystal relies almost entirely on point-and-click mechanics to get the job done. As she travels Brunhilda is propositioned by all manner of creatures to do something or other for them, from finding cheese to matchsticks to spider webs, and this requires the tried-and-true method of hunting through static environments and clicking until you find what you’re seeking.
And, unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot more to this game. There are some mini-games, true, but they’re not boisterous or inventive enough to save Brunhilda. It’s too simple. If you like these kinds of games you’ll probably have fun regardless, but for the rest of us…
Nor does the presentation help much. Brunhilda isn’t UGLY, per se, but there’s something off about this game’s aesthetics. Everything looks blurry, which doesn’t help when you’re trying to identify items of importance. Your eyes will probably start to hurt when you strain to pick out important details.
This is all rather unfortunate, because Brunhilda’s programmers tried to be ambitious by including full voice acting. This would have been awesome had the writing not turned out rather poor: some of the storytelling is downright awkward, and even the spunky demon is boring as a sidekick. Add in the fact that most of the voice actors are bad (Brunhilda has no emotion at all) and, well, there you have it.
Brunhilda and the Dark Crystal is par for the course. It’s the same as anything and everything else you’ve ever seen in a point and click adventure. It’s not really worth the money unless you’ve never played a point and click before, and even then there are better titles.
Astro Driller Game Review by Matt Bird
Game Rating = 3/5
Game Review Summary
You should buy this downloadable game if:
- You like testing your reflexes
- You enjoy a lack of story
- You like classic arcade-style games
You shouldn’t buy this downloadable game if:
- You prefer a slow pace
- You have bad memories from the early days of gaming
- You’re picky about fonts
Astro Driller sounds like should be a great downloadable game by default. That name is gold, as it sounds exactly like the kind of classic you’d find on the Atari or the NES. In practice, though…?
Astro Driller is a fast-paced downloadable puzzle game. There’s no story behind this sucker: you’re just an astro miner, and your little guy at the top of each screen is busy carving chunks of asteroid off a giant gray one that fall into a series of vacuum tubes at the bottom. You need to use a series of laser lines to grind the asteroid bits to pieces, revealing the colored gems beneath before they’re collected in the vacuum tubes.
Sounds simple enough, and it is – though it gets frantic. There’s often more than one carver up top, peeling new asteroid chunks, and occasionally other obstacles along the way may or may not impede your progress. You’ll also start getting different colored vacuum tubes that match the colors of the rocks, and using your laser lines you must grind the rocks down to their crystalline forms and guide them to the right tubes.
It is, in essence, a straight downloadable action puzzler. Guide rocks, get points, move on. And in this sense it’s relatively fun… if a little sparse. Granted, the game gets more complex as you go along, but in the end you’re always doing the same thing, over and over. This wouldn’t be so bad if it were a bit more cerebral, but Astro Driller is more about quick reflexes than complex thinking: if you’ve got a swift wrist, you’ve probably got this game in the bag.
If there’s one thing Astro Driller has going for it it’s the controls. All you need is your mouse hand (and, presumably, a mouse – it would be way too difficult to play this with a laptop pad) and you can take care of everything with a few quick clicks. The tutorial is confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it controlling your lines is a breeze.
That said, Astro Driller’s big flaw is its presentation. Normally lackluster graphics aren’t a problem, and for the most part they aren’t in Astro Driller. It looks decent enough. Problem is, the programmers decided to pick a truly awful font for their menus and directions, and it’s really difficult to read. Trying to learn what to do will probably strain a few eyes, and may be enough to dissuade a few would-be players. The game also doesn’t seem to have any music, despite volume controls, though that may not be a problem for everyone.
Overall Astro Driller is ho-hum. It’s fun but not overwhelmingly so. Still, it’s a good way to kill an hour, and may prove enjoyable enough for some to buy – but not this reviewer.
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Tidalis Game Review by Matt Bird
Game Rating = 5/5
Game Review Summary:
You should buy this game if:
- You love puzzlers
- You love a challenge
- You love off-beat humor
You shouldn’t buy this game if:
- You want a relaxed, easy experience
- You dislike puzzlers
- You’re crazy – just buy it (more…)
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