Posted by Derek Yu
Wed, 07 May 2008 16:14:00 GMT
Droid Assault is a new action game from Puppygames. Just as Titan Attacks was a “Puppified” version of Space Invaders, and Ultratron a Puppified Robotron, Droid Assault is Paradroid given the Puppy treatment.
In Paradroid, players controlled an “Influence Device,” an otherwise weak droid with a very special ability – it could control and command droids after beating them in a logic-based circuit game. Droid Assault eschews this mini-game and lets you “transfer” to a droid so long as you have enough transfer points (obtained per 1000 score points). Also, once a droid has been transferred, it joins your team and can be controlled at any time (or when your current droid is blown up).
Longtime Paradroid fans may find this a bit off-putting, since the circuit mini-game was a big part of Paradroid (and allowed skilled players to take over even the mighty level 999 droid with a lowly Influence Device). However, Droid Assault is clearly built for speed and action, and as such it’s a highly enjoyable game with frantic action. The graphics and music are also ace, as we should come to expect from Caspian Prince and his team.
If I had any complaint, its that it’s occasionally difficult to discern blocks, pits, walls, and floors. Other than that, I’d highly recommend this very affordable ($10) little game. (And give Freedroid a try if you’d like to play the original!)
Posted in Remakes, Macintosh, Highly Recommended, Linux, Windows, Action / Arcade | Tags Puppygames | 30 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:31:00 GMT
POWDER’s been around for quite a while, but I noticed it just hit version 1.0 this year, so I took it for a spin (it’s currently at version 1.04)! The developer, Jeff Lait, created it so he could have a roguelike to play on his Gameboy Advance, and primitive versions of the game were only available for that platform. Now, however, you can also play the game on Windows, Macintosh, Linux, DS, and even PSP!
POWDER is a graphical roguelike, and it’s much smaller in scope than most games in the genre (which typically try to throw the proverbial or literal kitchen sink in there). The game also includes a mouse-driven interface and a tutorial that walks you through the basics, so I’d recommend it readily to beginners… and to veterans of the genre, too! If you’re looking for some lighter fare (or something to play on the go). It’s quite fun.
But be warned… there’s no diagonal movement!
(Source: Slashie, via Rogue Temple)
Posted in Mobile / Handheld, Macintosh, Highly Recommended, Roguelikes, Linux, Windows, Freeware | Tags JeffLait | 22 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:37:00 GMT
This came out a while ago, but it’d be a shame if anyone missed out on it… Phun is an incredible 2d physics sandbox developed by Emil Ernerfeldt for his Master’s of Science Degree at Umeå University, Sweden. The game lets you create objects of any size or shape and then hook them up to springs, chains, and other objects (all the while tweaking variables like density, bounciness, and friction). But what really makes Phun so “phun” is how intuitive the interface is – it’s super easy to use and even lets you undo and redo. No need to worry about making “mistakes.”
I remember spending a lot of time as a kid playing with stuff like Kid Pix on the computers at my school. Not to knock Kid Pix, because it was pretty awesome, but if Phun had been around back then, I probably never would have gone home.
(Note: To make water, just right-click any object and “liquify” it. This isn’t explained in the in-game help, so it took me a little while to figure it out.)
Posted in Highly Recommended, Linux, Windows, Physics, Freeware | 18 comments
Posted by Jordan Magnuson
Tue, 25 Mar 2008 23:45:00 GMT
Gladiator is a brilliant Action/RPG hybrid playable by up to four players on one keyboard. Yeah, the graphics are “old” (whatever that means). Yeah you’re going to need an attention span longer than the average casual gamer to get your team set up. So what. Period.
In my opinion this game is one of the best and most classic multiplayer on one keyboard games you will ever play. The game was originally released by Forgotten Sages for DOS in 1992, but has since been ported to your twenty-first century operating system courtesy of Snowstorm Entertainment. Check out the game and see why it has an average rating of 9 out of 10 at HOTU.
Download and more info at Snowstorm. Man, you don’t even have to pay for this!
Posted in RPG, Highly Recommended, Linux, Windows, Action / Arcade, Freeware | Tags ForgottenSages | 19 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Thu, 13 Mar 2008 06:52:00 GMT
The desert sand squirms beneath your feet, alive with mutant nanomachines. Sheriff Clayton has Elias. He’s hanging him at noon.
It looks like you’re going to have to shoot some people.
So begins Gun Mute, a new interactive fiction game from Pacian, the developer of Snowblind Aces, a Text the Halls favorite.
And yeah, you’re definitely going to do a lot of shooting in this game, which may seem out of place for a text adventure. Non-linear exploration and item collection/usage are kind of the hallmarks of your “typical” IF, but in Gun Mute there are only two directions – forward and backward – and the only item you’ll ever need is your trusty six-shooter (ain’t that the truth!).
That Pacian can craft some tricky puzzles around such a limited set of actions is a testament to his abilities as a game designer. But it’s the narrative, set in a far-out futuristic Western, that keeps you hooked until the final, climactic showdown. Games like this really show off why interactive fiction is such a unique and exciting genre. Superb work!
EDIT: And if you’re stuck anywhere, you can type ‘HINT’ for hints.
Posted in Macintosh, Interactive Fiction, Highly Recommended, Linux, Windows, Freeware | Tags Pacian | 24 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Sat, 01 Mar 2008 16:10:00 GMT
Jason Rohrer, the creator of the moving and bittersweet Passage, has released a new game, called Gravitation. The basic theme behind Gravitation is “mania, melancholia, and the creative process.” To say any more, of course, could potentially ruin the experience, but I can recommend it highly.
(Thanks, Phil Fish!)
Posted in Platformers, Unique / Bizarre, Macintosh, Highly Recommended, Games and Art, Linux, Windows | Tags JasonRohrer | 127 comments
Posted by ithamore
Sat, 13 Oct 2007 09:00:00 GMT
Joe Barr at Linux.com recently reviewed the Quake II-based Alien Arena and declared it better than the Quake III-based Tremulous which use to be ”. . . the best free software FPS game [he had] had the pleasure of playing.”
From the review:
“If you’re a gamer but not familiar with Alien Arena, think of Quake III or Unreal Tournament and you won’t be far off the mark. If you’re not familiar with those icons of the first-person shooter genre, think massive, sustained, unrelenting, ankle-deep-in-blood, kill-or-be-killed carnage which can be enjoyed solo, just you against the bots on your PC, or, if your taste in killing tends toward living targets, in multiplayer mode on a network server.”
Also, here is a bit on Tremulous:
“Tremulous is basically a struggle between two teams: the humans, a species I will assume you are familiar with, and the aliens, which look like bugs and sometimes crawl along walls and ceilings. During the game, each side progresses through three stages, with advanced abilities and equipment coming in during the second and third stages. There is one major difference between the species, beyond being on different teams. Humans can upgrade their equipment. Aliens can upgrade themselves. Both species have structures peculiar to themselves.”
I haven’t tried either game, since I’m not into FPS’s, so you’ll have to tell us what you think about them and which is better in the comments. And, for the record’s sake, this is the first time Slashdot (the source) has been “officially” TIGSourced [Edit: on the new TIGSource that is], the unofficial Mac version of Tremulous is available here, and the images I used were nabbed from the games’ websites.
Posted in FPS, Macintosh, Mods / Hacks, Linux, Windows, Freeware | 12 comments
Posted by ithamore
Wed, 10 Oct 2007 13:00:00 GMT
For the past few days, I’ve been enjoying this free, X-COM inspired game:
“UFO: ALIEN INVASION is a squad-based tactical strategy game in the tradition of the old X-COM PC games, but with a twist. Our game combines military realism with hard science-fiction and the weirdness of an alien invasion. The carefully constructed turn-based system gives you pin-point control of your squad while maintaining a sense of pace and danger.”
I wish they had kept the Greys, but it retains much of the spirit of X-COM, and it’s more than just a graphical upgrade of the original games. There is multiplayer support, you can choose to play as aliens fighting against the alien invasion, and it’s cross-platform: stable releases for Windows and Linux and a beta for MAC OS X Intels of the current version (downloads).
The open-source programmers behind UFO: AI will soon release version 2.2, and they could use some beta testers to find any bugs created by the beta’s new features. It shouldn’t need to be mentioned, but, for clarity’s sake, there isn’t a 2.2 beta for Mac users yet.
A special thanks goes out to Adrian Werner and his guide to freeware games released in or significantly updated during 2007, which Tim pointed all of us to a couple of weeks ago and thus lead me to this game.
Posted in Macintosh, Linux, Windows, Strategy, Freeware | 5 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:09:00 GMT
Wolfire Software’s Black Shades puts you in the role of a psychic bodyguard. Yeah, I know, that’s already pretty damn awesome, right? Well, the game itself does a good job of living up to its description, although it was made for a short deadline and it shows. It’s a full meal, just don’t expect a lot of gravy. The scoring system, for example, is pretty much vestigial, and level transitions are non-existent. And when the game ends, it just ends!
In each of Black Shades’ levels, a VIP dressed in white wanders around a randomized city. Also in the city are civilians and assassins, who are indistinguishable except for their weapons and movement patterns. Using your psychic powers (either “psychic aiming,” which slows down time, or “soul release” which lets you leave your body and scout out the area), weapons (a different one in each level), and physical moves you must protect the VIP from the assassins.
The game does a great job of making you feel like a psychic bodyguard with very basic graphics and simple game mechanics, and that’s really something. It’s so satisfying when you catch an assassin rushing in with a knife, only to plug him with your gun… or when you spy a sniper across the street, and knock over the VIP as a bullet whizzes over his head.
This game is made by the creator of Lugaru.
(Source: Soldat Movies)
Posted in Macintosh, Highly Recommended, Linux, Windows, Action / Arcade | Tags Wolfire | 14 comments
Posted by Shabadage
Sun, 22 Jul 2007 20:43:00 GMT
Well, the simulated skies anyway. FlightGear is an open-source, multi-platform flight simulator. Highly configurable, FlightGear even allows you to choose from different flight dynamic models. There are numerous official scenery packs, aircraft, and the userbase generates a large amount of downloadable content as well.
The launcher can be somewhat picky sometimes, and the terrain somewhat sparse (without the massive scenery packs anyway), but for such a detailed sim with fairly moderate system requirements, FlightGear deserves a look.
Posted in Macintosh, Linux, Windows, Sim, Freeware | 4 comments
