I actually never liked the original NES Zelda, but was hooked after the SNES version. This is sort of a mix of the SNES version and the very capable GameBoy Color titles: oracle of time and seasons. Anyway, enjoy.
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Not only can you play the original flashgame HERE but the very successful indie game that I mentioned only weeks ago has just been picked up for Xbox Live Arcade! Check it out here @ Xbox.com
so yes, Crackdown is out and actually fun, but when is the Halo 3 Beta going to activate? and when is Halo 3 going to be available in stores. Well, if you look back a couple posts, you'll see that Halo 3 is confirmed for Fall 2007...my guess is somewhere in November right before the holidays a la Gears of War. Bungie has said the Halo 3 Beta will be available in Spring though they said it might be late spring in their last weekly update. In order to satisfy your Halo 3 appetite below is a leaked video of the alpha. It mainly shows off the weapons, some familiar and some not so familiar. The new mongoose ATV looks sweet...does anyone believe that this wasn't an allowed leak? I mean it shows off no surprises and everything in it has already been announced by Bungie- still worth watching though.
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So what's Crackdown best known for?...undoubtedly the Halo 3 Beta. You have to tip your hat to Microsoft on that brilliant marketing move...a game that was receiving only mediocre hype and attention boomed to one of the most discussed games on the 'net. The question is how do you evaluate Crackdown as a result? For some Halo 3 fans, the Beta itself is worth the $60 price tag. Well, maybe the value of Crackdown/Halo 3 Beta package will have to wait till the Beta is actually available. As it is right now, Crackdown is $60 for Crackdown, so how is it?
I have logged a considerable amount of time in Crackdown over the weekend...both alone and online. The coop option is an immense feather in Crackdown's cap. If any other GTA-style, Sandbox games come out that do not offer some sort of similar online option are just stupid. Playing with a friend is so fun in that not only can you complete the missions and murder mobsters, but also just enjoy the world of this game. Let me share such an enjoyable moment with you:
Playing on my friend's game (from the beginning...we both just got it- though I had played around some and level upped earlier in the day) we start off in the Los Muertos Gang area, quickly acquire a supply point and kill a plethora of gang thugs. Now info comes in on a Gang Boss...we want him dead and after collecting some green orbs, proceed to the Boss's facility. Now the game picks up and gets intense and we're jumping, blasting, and hurling grenades...my partner dies and I'm on my own. I am talking on my headset pleading for backup...he says, "I'm coming." Minutes pass and my low life indicator is chiming at me. "Where are you?"...I get back. "Almost there, don't worry you'll see me." At this point, the gang has amassed in full force and hot rods and big ass trucks have surrounded and barricaded me in. Boom, my friend rolls in with a Semitruck with a car rack on the back, destroying the barricade and allowing me to proceed through and waste the Gang Boss. Laughter ensues, mission complete...but then the real fun happens. I tell my friend to drive straight while I hop in and floor a gang hot rod. I use the ramp on the back of his truck as we both fly down a highway to propel my care up into the air over dozens of moving cars, enjoy a sec of success before all out destruction on the highway. Cars crash, and explosions soon rock the bridge throwing bits everywhere. At this point, my friend and I both knew we'd be playing together soon.
The above experience cannot be reproduced in any other sandbox game to my knowledge, and that's a shame. Crackdown doesn't have a story, doesn't have very many side missions or tasks, but does offer you the chance to play with a friend in an environment where your character levels up and starts to take on super hero abilities. Driving around is Ok. The agency vehicles are significantly more fun than any you can find on the street (and they level up with you). I guess driving is necessary, but what's really fun is scaling rooftops. You can leap like Neo, Trinity, and the best of them in Crackdown and it is damn fun. I have spent more time looking for green orbs than I have looking for gang members, driving or anything else. The game is fun to play and the controls are easy to learn. As a solo game, Crackdown is probably shallow, but as a co-op game this game, so far, seems fantastic. I mean look at the fun that can be had:
Crackdown is about Explosions, Superhuman abilities, and pure funfactor. Did I mention I like the campy announcer too? Granted I payed a fraction of Crackdown's full price, but I am confident in saying that it is worth checking out and if you're a Halo fan you may find yourself playing Crackdown more than you expected while you wait for the Beta. Look for a full review later in the week, but if you can't wait you can buy Crackdown from Amazon below (and save some bucks as well):
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and the winner is.... MelBU[@]yahoo.com (I assume yahoo.com because the dog was named yahoo). Please email me at your earliest convenience and set up a paypal account if you don't already have one. I'll deposit $5 into your paypal account as soon as you are setup and ready to go. Congratulations! MelBU, you will also receive a Deluxe Grad Games Arcade Pak game when it is released in the coming weeks (all the online games...offline to play anytime.) Thanks again to everyone who gave Coed Crazy a Try. You can of course still play it for free along with all the other free arcade games in the right column of the blog. Cheers and have a great weekend! Work week is over in 30 minutes!
Joust is the other free game that Microsoft provided me with. It is much better than Frogger, but maybe that's just because Joust is more action oriented. The fact remains that the game is a direct port of a twenty year old arcade game. Again, all the developers have done is slapped some achievements on this old game and addes a new menu and some Xbox Live functionality. Yes, Joust is a better game Frogger, but where's the classic mode, and an updated graphics mode. When xbox live arcade games can look like Cloning Clyde, Outpost Kaloki, or RoboBlitz (hello?) there's really no reason these older games shouldn't get a facelift. I'd be all for just porting old games to the arcade for free, but if you're going to make us pay for them add some features, and update them a little. Joust is better than Frogger...or maybe I'm just better at it. Still not worth your purchase.
Verdict: 50%
Look for a post with the winner's name around 4'oclock today. Just remember to use a name that corresponds to your email, so if you get the highscore (current winner is MelBU) then hopefully their email is MelBU@(whatever.com). You can totally win $5 here, there really isn't much competition. Spread the word in the final hours!
Just a reminder that tomorrow night the Coed Competition will end. I will annouce the winner tomorrow in a post. Just email me from the email address that corresponds to the highscore name. Good Luck.
You may notice the new previews of websites when you highlight any link on our blog. Very helpful right? Now you can check out what a website looks like before clicking the link...meaning you'll spend more time here at Gnade Games! But seriously, I hope everyone enjoys the feature. Please let me know if it is detrimental to the site and I will remove it. Cheers-
So Xbox had this promotion and I received 2 predetermined Xbox Live Arcade games free: Joust and Frogger. While I appreciate the free games, they were not all that good or entertaining. So to not waste time and words on them, we're just going to do 2 mini reviews on them...quick paragraph and a verdict...that's it.
Frogger Review:
While any game for free is pretty much great and worth it, the very notion that Microsoft would charge for Frogger is ridiculous. The game is the exact same game from way back when except it has Achievements and Xbox Live scoring/internet connectivity...whoop-dee-do! The development team merely ported this decades old game over to Xbox Arcade and added some achievements in...and a new menu. Graphics are the same blocky sprites they were back then. And the gameplay, which was addictive and fun twenty years ago, is bland and repetitive now. Wasn't there a new Frogger game somewhere along the way with updated graphics for Playstation or something? This game needs more features, some updated graphics, and variations in its gameplay. The classic game is nice to have but isn't worth more than a dollar up against other original Live arcade games like Outpost Kaloki, Small Arms, etc. Frogger makes other Live Arcade Games look good! if not great! Avoid this one. Frogger just isn't as great as I remembered.
Verdict: 35%
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Super Jazzman is a real homage to the classic 2D Adventure games popularized on the PC in the late 80s and throughout the 90s. It offers a great adventure experience if that’s a genre you enjoy and have missed, but has a few flaws that keep it from greatness. In the end though, if you like adventure games and feel the need for one and a charming one at that, then Jazzman is for you.
Gameplay: 9/10
Pros: The same mind bending puzzles and click interface make it into Jazzman. Click to use, look at, move, etc. standard move set/controls in a game genre long forgotten. Anyone remember Lost Secret of the Rainforest?...just checking
Cons: The excitement of these games is never in the gameplay, but rather figuring out what to do. There’s also no replay value in these adventures since once you figure it all out and get the story, you’re ready to move on since figuring out the mystery and what to do next is the whole point of the game.
Graphics: 7/10
Pros: The graphics are well animated and have excellent sprite and pixel work…\
Cons: …the problem is that the game window is incredibly small…like 320 x 200 pixels or something. It’s really hard to see the object you need to pick up when it’s a whole 10 pixels.
Sound/Music: 8/10
Pros: The sounds are all done really well and fit the mood of the music. I love the walking echo.
Cons: There’s not really any music and the sounds are somewhat minimal. It is nice to not have elevator music repeating over and over as you are trying to figure out where Jazzman should fly to next.
Lasting Appeal: 8/10
Pros: This is hard one for me to judge since I haven’t played the whole adventure, but so far it’s been a charming story that works well.
Cons: As stated earlier, the nature of these games is the initial puzzle solving and figuring out the story. Like most books, you’ll read it (or in this case: play it through) once and be done with it.
Average: 80.00%
Tilt: +/- 0.00%
For my little closing, I would like to point out that Herculean Effort is very paranoid about piracy. Super Jazzman has the most ridiculous protection I have ever gone through with an Indie Game. Even after downloading the full version, getting a password to unzip it and install it. You still have to put in a code when it boots up and then it’s only registered on one computer. A little overzealous if you ask me, but again it doesn’t really effect gameplay. I just thought it was an interesting factoid.
Verdict: 80%
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Halo 3 is getting closer and closer and with it comes all the marketing and hype. This first batch of marketing materials is cool, but really just a rehash of the Ark seen in the initial Halo 3 trailer. Still worth seeing and checking out. For those Halo fans out there stay tuned for more on Graduate Games Bounty Hunter game. Yes it is more like Metroid, but it still has a lot of sci-fi elements taken from a plethora of inspirations. The game's story is actually becoming more mythic and historic (pulling a lot of stuff from Roman Empire, classics, celtic...let's just say thank god for Wikipedia). I'm hoping to get an Alpha of the Demo online in a couple weeks or months or whatever to get feedback. Hopefully, people will take some time out of their Halo 3 Beta playing to give us some feedback. Anyways, cheers and sorry for the lack of reviews, but developing is taking over. I'll still do at least one a week though.
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How great is this? I only wish there were more options and an easy way to save and post your Simpsons likeness. Hope the Simpsons movie lives up to the legacy of the show.
As requested what follows is what I deem idiot proof directions to launch Coed Crazy and enter the competition:
Step one: click the Coed Crazy button/logo in the right column of the blog under "Grad Game Arcade." You can also go to the Grad Games Arcade Directly. Clicking the Coed Logo should open up a new window that will load/stream the game...if you are using Internet Explorer just accept any Vitalize and subsequent extension downloads after you click the button. I have popup blocker and the game still launches, but some popup blockers may be more aggressive than others.
Step two: window opens but stuff isn't happening...again refer to the right column of the blog and click http://download.clickteam.com/vitalize3/test.html to test if you have Vitalize to run the games. If you are using Mozilla Firefox, or other browsers you may need to install the Vitalize plugin: http://download.clickteam.com/vitalize3/plugin.html
Step three: If you are still not playing by now, comment below with your problems. If you are playing and want to win $5, get the highscore and make sure that your name input matches up with your email. Refer to other rules here.
Hope that answers everyone's questions. Please comment below to discuss and help each other out if you have further problems. Enjoy!
Right now there's not a lot of competition for the Coed Crazy Win Cash Giveaway. I believe the top score is currently held by moleman who reached only the 6th level! Want to get paid $5, play Coed Crazy (which is a completely innocent game) for I don't know...10 minutes and you'll probably take the lead for a $CASH$ payoff to be given out next Friday! Where else can you get paid and earn money for playing free games? No, honestly, tell me because I would so do it.
Also sorry for the slower Review Schedule but since the review queue is shorter... the pressure to get it all done is reduced. Plus, our new game is really starting to crank and I'm spending more time developing rather than reviewing. Look for Screens, Beta/Demo Testing soon. I want everything right before we move onto the level design etc.
Alien Flux is an all out shoot em up and by far Puppy Games best offer. For one, it’s not a direct remake of a classic arcade game, feels newer, and has superior graphics, sound, etc. compared to Ultratron and Titan Attacks. I would describe it as an action packed hybrid of Robotron and Asteroids. You fly around as in asteroids, but safe fluffies like you save humans in Robotron. If you like shooters, you’ll love this. There are some quirks and misfires, but the game is a lot fresher and more fun to play.
Gameplay: 8.5/10
Pros: Classic type gameplay, with newer FPS control scheme (use of mouse/keyboard). A lot of options to change the controls to best fit your style. Gameplay is action packed, challenging, and exciting. Easy to pick up and play.
Cons: The camera is really wonky…it’s awful and nauseating if you don’t turn on the fixed mode which is a godsend, but still not perfect. As with most Arcade games, the driving force to keep playing is a higher score and the fun frantic gameplay…no real story etc. to carry you through all 100 levels minus facing 1 of the 4 bosses.
Graphics: 7/10
Pros: Definitely the slickest and most vibrant game by Puppy Games so far. There are a ton of cool explosion and particle effects. Your ship is well animated, and there is a good variety of enemies with different looks.
Cons: Background is some type of Brain or Generic background that just changes hues/colors from level to level, so there is no real level variety. Many baddies are bubbles, triangles, or other geometry inspired derivatives.
Sound/Music: 8.5/10
Pros: B!tching soundtrack that has a retro feel but also a modern and scifi element to it that works really well. Again, far superior to other Puppy Games offerings.
Cons: Somewhat stereotypical music, and can be way too loud! I had to adjust my speakers and ingame options to get it right. Bass tones were somewhat distorted.
Lasting Appeal: 6/10
Pros: There are 12 different power-ups, 16 different baddies, 8 fluffies to save, 100 levels, 4 bosses and an online high score table. The gameplay is fun and will keep you interested in the game far longer than you might first expect.
Cons: High scores are not a good enough motivation to play 100 levels of the same gameplay for most these days. It’s fun seeing the bosses and new baddies, but once you blast all the different things to blast, the static/same backgrounds will start to wear on you.
Average: 75.00%
Tilt: -2.00
I think Alien Flux is a good purchase if you try the demo and find yourself wanting more. I think $19.95 is a little steep, but the title is up to Indie standards and that’s what people charge for their games online so I guess it’s ok. My big thing is that for $20 you can get an Xbox, PS2 game, or even newer games on eBay and the like, so shouldn’t arcade games like this be about the same price as Xbox Live Arcade games ($10)? Alien Flux for $10 would be a steal…at $20, it seems like it may be for some and not for others.
Verdict: 73%
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Get ready for the Coed Crazy Competition (and no it is not a porn game- so don't fear it). With an empty leaderboard, we are going to jump right into a competition to win CA$H. That's right a CA$H prize will go to the person with the top score in Coed Crazy on February 24th. Think of it as a belated Valentine's Day Promotion. Here's the details of the competition:
Coed Crazy has been tweaked ever so slightly and is ready to play and compete for high scores online! Coed Crazy is sort of original NES Metal Gear meets Robotron. In the game, you play a Coed who must collect all of her books for class while avoiding and tricking nerds. Those Nerds really find you cute and will eventually wear you down and you may actually go out on a date with them! Obviously, you can't let this happen because your popularity would plummet. The game features a Tutorial which explains all the game mechanics etc. One of the cool weapons at your disposal in the game is the use of your trusty little dog (which you can name yourself). Your Jack Russell (or Parson Russell...whatever) can scare nerds away and chase them if you use your bones, and tennis ball items wisely. To play Coed Crazy simply click the logo above or to the right. I have implemented a stricter high scoring system which will only list your highest score. If you beat that score, it will erase your old lower score. There is also room for only the top 30 players. Best of luck to everyone and there may be some sort of competition with a monetary reward for the top 5 players. More on that later! Good Luck, enjoy and if you like it, add it to your website! If you have any problems see the links in the right sidebar. Please let me know if there are any glitches or problems. Cheers-
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Check out our New Affiliates Page!
You can add our Headlines, Sell our games, and the very best...add our free games to your very own blog or website! Hurray! There is absolutely no backlinking to my site or underhanded links to tinker with in the code either. It's just the javascript and the logo of the game which you click to launch. You can get all of this great free game code now @ our Affiliates Page. I think Javascript works with Myspace too, so pretty much any webpage or blog or myspace page, etc. should be able to support our games. Thanks for all the support and I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier. Enjoy!
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Remember Sonic? Sega really had something going with him in the early 90s. I saved up my allowance for 8 months to buy a Genesis and Sonic. SEGA was sweet before they blew it (though i did have Saturn and Dreamcast).
Graduate Games
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Mr. Robot immediately impresses with its visual style and presentation. The dialogue is witty and funny, and the different robots even exude personality. It’s a more traditional style RPG and the battles are nothing to rave about, but the room puzzles are fun and all in all Mr. Robot is a solid package.
Gameplay: 8/10
Pros: The game is very well-tuned and tweaked and all the menus etc. are easy to navigate. The buttons are simple: Action and Jump and the game is instantly playable. The game offers a pretty engaging and enjoying little story and the RPG battles are more traditional, but succinct and fun.
Cons: The isometric view makes moving around Mr. Robot a little awkward. I found the Mouse control to be very poor and clunky and switched to the keyboard to move around and jump, etc. In my opinion, the other weakpoint of the gameplay is the generic, traditional RPG battles, though I have to admit they are well spread out.
Graphics: 9/10
Pros: Definitely one of the strongest aspects of this title, the graphics are great and have a nice 3D feel to them. I am especially fond of all the robot animations which are incredibly fluid. The robots really come to life.
Cons: The battles take place in cyber space which apparently doesn’t look as good as real space. The textures, spaceship look gets repetitive.
Sound/Music: 8/10
Pros: No complaints…it all fits within the genre and game
Cons: I would’ve loved to see some voice work because the dialogue is already really funny and witty and could’ve really excelled and amplified the experience if the personalities could’ve come through more with different voices. It’s understandable that an Indie studio doesn’t contract such work though.
Lasting Appeal: 8/10
Pros: I have to admit that I don’t like Mr. Robot as much as Moonpod’s first title, Starscape, but Mr. Robot is a very refined and delightful title. The story is stronger than Starscape’s and the writing is really topnotch.
Cons: It’s an RPG and I’m not sure if you’ll want to play the story over an over again since the battles, I found to be somewhat tedious and too “old school.” It lacks the inventive real time engines of the newer RPGs like Final Fantasy X, Grandia, etc.
Average: 82.50%
Tilt: +0.50%
Indie RPGs are very difficult to execute and even harder to execute well. The scope of Mr. Robot is perfect: it takes place on a massive ship- with a finite area and sectors to cover. The thing that really keeps you playing Mr. Robot is the writing and personalities of all the robots. They really are all quite charming. This game is simply charming, and while it’s $5 more than most Indie Titles, the production values, graphics, presentation, etc. all make it an understandable increase in price and quality.
Verdict: 83%
Visit the Moonpod Website to Download the Demo or Buy Mr. Robot
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Pretty obvious post....yes we have a new look. I have finally given in and am using the new blogger layout and template builder. I am working on some sweet changes...especially with our reviews. I am working on categorizing all the reviews to our : try, buy, must buy, needs work system. I'm sick of constantly revising the "our Reviews" post so hopefully this will put an end to all of that. Co-Ed Crazy will also be added to the blog and soon you'll be able to add our games to your own website or blog! Look for that this week.
I'm assuming Coed Crazy is brilliant since I have received absolutely no complaints. I have some minor tweaks, but it will be finished and officially released later this week as well. Cheers and hopefully everyone enjoys the changes.
Download the Demo
Buy Titan Attacks now
Much like Puppy Games other title Ultratron, Titan Attacks is really just a remake of the more well known Arcade Game: Space Invaders. Like most retro remakes, this game suffers because ultimately it is based on a game you’ve already played over 2 decades ago. It has the edge in graphics, and the same tight gameplay as the original. It really just comes down to how much you enjoyed the original.
Gameplay: 6/10
Pros: Titan Attack offers some gun upgrades, and a couple other tweaks to the classic Space Invaders/Galaga formula.
Cons: It’s a lot easier than the original arcade game…I count that as a negative, but more casual gamers will probably be thankful. When you die…you start all over again! It’s a remake that doesn’t really take any risks from the original formula.
Graphics: 6.5/10
Pros: Much better than the original and an overall aesthetic and pleasing presentation
Cons: Not much animation or things to rave about. Decent and satisfying enough explosions, but the graphics are retro and not the focus.
Sound/Music: 7/10
Pros: Retro and sufficient. There’s something comforting about the old 80s arcade music
Cons: game suffers from “been there done that syndrome” this goes for the music/sound too.
Lasting Appeal: 5.5/10
Pros: There are 100 levels and some boss fights in there to break up the level structure. Some challenge stages, and the much appreciated online high scores.
Cons: The novelty of Space Invaders has worn off for me, and I don’t really care to play a game for a high score any longer. It got monotonous for me.
Average: 62.5%
Verdict: -3.50%
So back with the Ultratron review, I said Titan Attacks seemed better…at first the graphics/etc. do come off as stronger (it does have interesting backgrounds that differ level to level). Even though the scores aren’t exactly reflecting this, I think that’s still the case. It really just comes down to which old classic you like more: Space Invaders or Robotron. The thing that is really ridiculous about Titan Attacks is the price tag of $20. I believe the prices were recently increased and there’s really no basis for such an increase. That comes down to 20 cents a level. Find an old Space Invaders Arcade game or Galaga machine and put in a quarter…if you get past level 1, you’re getting a bargain over Titan Attacks.
Verdict: 59%
Download the Demo
Buy Titan Attacks now
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Xbox Live Arcade Review
