Posted by Tim
Sun, 18 Jun 2006 13:30:00 GMT
Literally translated as “Do your best, Ms. Natsuki!”, Gambare Natsuki-San is an excellent puzzle platformer which borrows a few elements from an obscure PSX game called Umihara Kawase Shun. The rope has been replaced with a metal gadget, able to extend and grab on to walls and ceilings.
Press the Z key to activate it, and use the directional keys to move around while holding down the same button. Jump using the X key, and tap the C key to bring up the pause window. Selecting the third option from the main menu will take you to the tutorial, complete with demonstration regarding controls and advanced techniques.
The objective of the game is to collect all food items, while avoiding water and contact with spikes. Very addictive and highly recommended. Click here to download.
Posted in Platformers, Puzzle, Windows, Freeware | 8 comments
Posted by Albert Lai
Sat, 17 Jun 2006 09:15:00 GMT
Penumbra
is a dark adventure horror game about a intrepid son who heads to Norway to
investigate a place that his estranged father alluded to in notes about a book written in a strange language that was in safety deposit
box to which the hero recieved the key following his mother’s death. Or something like that. All of these horror/adventure
games tend to blend together after a while. If it’s not a badly lit office it’s
a spooky town with a secret to hide.
Sporting 3D graphics, Penumbra sports a physics engine that is used in certain
mini-puzzles (Physics! Cool!). Action sequences cause the character (who isn’t
armed with weapons in the conventional sense) to slow into bullet time while
you try to figure out how the hell you kill monsters without any type of bat/shotgun/ninja
saber. In-game clues allow the player to figure out where to go next with the
minimum of becoming hopelessly stuck.
But wait! There is no such thing as a game without flaws. For one, the system requirements
for Penumbra are a bit intensive, and, more importantly (since I doubt that
many of you readers won’t be able to support Penumbra), constant loading screens
detract from the experience. If you’re willing to put these problems aside,
though, Penumbra is sure to be a good game to immerse yourself in.
Posted in Adventure, Windows, Freeware | 9 comments
Posted by Tim
Fri, 16 Jun 2006 04:49:00 GMT
Muslims consider dogs unclean, and do not keep any in their household. Bet not many of you knew that.
Dogs are featured prominently in Wanwaran, an excellent mini game by Kaeishirodai. The objective is to guide two dogs to the end of each level safely, avoiding any hazards and obstacles along the way. Click on either one to make them jump over safety cones, mines or weights.
Later stages introduces new actions. For example instead of jumping when you left click, a dog will slow down for as long as the mouse button is held. If you’re having difficulty with controlling two puppies, then expect to struggle when a third is introduced. Extra lives can be earned by collecting bones for combos and bonuses.
Click on the large green text to download, and use the free 7-Zip to extract the files. No knowledge of the Japanese language is required.
Posted in Windows, Freeware, Doujin | 4 comments
Posted by Tim
Mon, 12 Jun 2006 01:18:00 GMT
Gothic Blocks is a pretty addictive mini-game by Dylan, made using the Torque 2D engine. Similar to Free Lunch Design’s Icy Tower, you guide a character going by the name of Ionesco who must reach the highest altitude possible in ninety seconds.
A combination of mouse and keyboard controls can be used. Tap the left mouse button to jump and right click to freeze the ferries. Your avatar will always move towards the mouse cursor. The jump action is only allowed when you’re standing on solid ground or a frozen ferry.
There are several advanced strategies to attempt, such as freezing a ferry only when it’s underneath your character or pushing ferries into certain positions before pressing the right mouse button. Your best score can be submitted online for ranking purposes as well.
Posted in Platformers, Windows, Freeware | 3 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Thu, 08 Jun 2006 23:44:00 GMT
Tremulous is a free, open-source RTS/FPS hybrid that once again pits teams of humans versus teams of aliens in mortal combat over the last piece of apple pie. The RTS aspect of the game comes from players being able to build helpful structures during the game (like respawn points). It looks pretty cheap, but could be fun for fans of this sort of thing.
Also, the creators are quick to point out that they were working on their game long before Natural Selection, so there!
(Source: Kotaku)
Posted in FPS, Mods / Hacks, Windows, Freeware | 3 comments
Posted by Tim
Thu, 08 Jun 2006 05:00:00 GMT
Naturally Friendly Air Bubbles is a Game Maker effort developed by newcomer Dan Eriksson in just one week. Your objective is to guide the blue bubble around spikes and burst all pink bubbles on screen to complete each stage.
Health is measured by the amount of air stored inside your bubble, with a circle that shrinks in size over time unless replenished. Click on anywhere inside this circle to make the bubble move in a straight line. Download the stretched version if your monitor does not support any resolution higher than 1024 by 768 pixels.
Posted in Windows, Freeware | 2 comments
Posted by dessgeega
Tue, 06 Jun 2006 00:44:00 GMT
zi (which i am hosting on my webspace) was developed by alan gordon as a class project. it’s a puzzle game similiar to the “same game” where clicking a tile removes all adjacent matching tiles. zi has a bit of panel de pon mixed in, though—you can drag tiles to rearrange them before clicking to remove them. your score multiplier is always falling, so keep making matches.
in addition to the standard game, zi includes a “trendy” game mode which is an homage to mizuguchi’s meteos—in each stage the player has to cope with different conditions, like color-changing tiles, low gravity, and delayed matches. pretty trendy, and coded entirely in python!
Posted in Puzzle, Freeware | 3 comments
Posted by dessgeega
Mon, 05 Jun 2006 18:15:00 GMT
gamma bros is a gorgeously chunky game about two tiny pixel people trying to get home to their families in time for dinner. developed in flash, it plays with both windows and macintosh users.
the game plays like robotron versus galaga. getting close to your enemies increases your firing speed, and you can “tag” in your brother if your own ship takes too much damage. the game is intended to be played in one long session that moves seamlessly between screens of enemies, bosses and bonus rounds, and there are some lovely rewards for finishing it.
gamma bros is by “neo-retro games” developer pixeljam. the game is freeware, but they would love you to support them by way of a donation.
Posted in Macintosh, Highly Recommended, Windows, Freeware | Tags PixelJam | 6 comments
Posted by Tim
Sun, 04 Jun 2006 05:09:00 GMT
Veck is the latest in a line of Geometry Wars clone for the PC, also a Retro Remakes Vector competition entry held just recently. It’s not surprising to see why it’s getting plenty of votes. Graphics are great, the effects are mesmerizing, plus the enemy ships have their own specific behaviors and attack patterns.
Selecting directional firing is advised, although a joypad is still the best choice for these sort of games. Map the right analog to your directional firing keys using JoyToKey for a dual analog configuration. You can guide your ship towards a corner to survive for the first five minutes, but it’s not such a safe haven when the portals begin to appear.
A new type of enemy is introduced every minute, and your ship gets a weapon upgrade when that happens. The ability to fire hundreds of bullets per second is the reward for lasting at least ten minutes in the game. Shields automatically regenerate over time.
Sometimes the quit window does not appear on screen when the escape key is pressed. Simply tap the enter key to quit when this happens. The sequel is currently in production.
Here’s a video of Veck in action.
Posted in Shoot-em-ups, Windows, Freeware | 7 comments
Posted by Tim
Fri, 02 Jun 2006 12:00:00 GMT
One among many of dessgeega’s releases this year, Invader is an exploration number which can be described as Space Invaders turned upside down.
You play the role of Sammie the alien, stranded on an unfamiliar world after crash landing her craft. She must search for an escape route, hidden somewhere in a labyrinth full of strange creatures and automations bent on vaporizing anything that crosses their paths.
Fortunately the two blasters she wields can be used to destroy some of these obstacles. Others can only be avoided, though certain destinations may have more than one route available.
There are a few secrets and unlockables worth earning, revealed only if you manage to find the exit and complete the game. An excellent freebie with plenty of bonuses and extras. Thanks again, dess!
Posted in Windows, Freeware | 7 comments
