Posted by Derek Yu Fri, 26 May 2006 14:03:00 GMT
Fluid dynamics, flashy particle effects, techno… Pong. Left-clicking blasts plasma outward, holding down the right mouse button grabs the ball and “charges” it. Release the right mouse button for a super shot. The game comes with a pretty cool sandbox mode (which I think is more fun than the actual game).
We’re going to be playing Pong clones pretty much forever, aren’t we?
Posted by Albert Lai Tue, 23 May 2006 16:06:00 GMT
Now, some of you may be glad that TIGSource is back, but I think no one is happier than the staff at PCGamer. Oh, sure, they claim that they’re the ‘best-selling magazine about PC games’, but we know what site they surreptitiously check for stuff to fill out the freeware section of the Gamut. TIGSource! Well, probably not TIGSource, because they wouldn’t still be talking about Cloud if they checked this site often.
Enough about PCGamer. Some of you may remember "Geometry Wars" that was featured as a game on the XBox360, as well as a high-score video. Well, if you aren’t really into blowing your wads (of cash) on it to play this game, Grid Wars may make the wait worthwhile!
Grid Wars 
is a standard Robotron-style game. However, faithfulness of this recreation
raises it several steps above the other Robo-likes.
The sparks and distortion patterns created by your shots and enemy deaths seem
simple at first, but quickly evolve into stunning light-shows as the game progressively
becomes harder, even if the graphics don’t match up to the real Geometry Wars.
The monster designs range from black holes, snakes, and things that, if I were
to try to describe them within this list, would break parallelism so bad my
English teacher would come back just to smack me upside the head.
One more thing, when you start this dongle up, make sure that you set the controls to either mouse or keyboard, since the game sets the control scheme to dual analog sticks by default.
Posted by dessgeega Tue, 23 May 2006 02:20:00 GMT
within a deep forest is a freeware game that harkens back to the days of 16-bit design. it is lush and beautiful, drenched in twilight and ambience, with a mellow downtempo soundtrack. like many games of the 16-bit era, progress is tied to the unlocking of new abilities—new forms for your ball.
you’re a bouncy ball – holding A makes you bounce further, holding S makes you bounce less. different forms have different properties and abilities that need to be mastered. this game never lets lock-and-key design supersede skill – the game has no qualms about working you hard for your next upgrade, and then requiring you to get comfortable with it right away. be prepared to play many sections repeatedly until you get them right – instantaneous respawn keeps this from becoming too frustrating.
there’s a speedrun mode (and online low-time table) for players who finish the game, and a couple of unlockable bonus games for players who are thorough. completing the game the first time should be plenty satisfying, though.
