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 | 29 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
Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:08:00 GMT
This trailer was made for the Nintendo WiiWare Press Day. Hi-res versions at the 2D Boy website! Have you pre-ordered yet? (Embarrassingly enough, I haven’t. But today is going to be the day. I want that Profanity Pack.)
(Thanks, Data! Be sure to check out the newly-designed Data Realms website.)
Posted in Macintosh, Videos, Windows, Wii, Previews | Tags 2DBoy | 13 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:17:00 GMT
Z Sculpt has finally released Return to Dark Castle for Mac OSX, after a long development that began in 1996! Wow! That gives me hope for Duke Nukem Forever. (I’ll wait until the year 3000, Duke!)
The original Dark Castle, and its sequel, Beyond Dark Castle, were developed for the Macintosh by Silicon Beach Software, and were subsequently ported to other platforms (including a terrible Sega Genesis/Megadrive port). Return to Dark Castle retains the gameplay from the first two games, and adds a lot more stuff, including “remastered” versions of the 30 levels from the original games. A level editor is also forthcoming.
I had a great time with the DOS version of Dark Castle as a kid. Damn was that game hard. To hit a bat with a rock you needed some skills, dawg. And I’ll never forget the three prisoners getting whipped in the torture chamber, and how they’d help you pick the key that wasn’t booby trapped.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a Mac, but Benzido, who tipped me off about the game, does, and he had this to say:
Anyway, I bought it, and it’s extremely compelling. I’m into the 15 fps cap… it gives everything a film-like feel, like the stop-motion sequences in Star Wars.
Thanks, man! The full game is $30.
Posted in Platformers, Remakes, Macintosh | Tags ZSculpt | 23 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Sun, 30 Mar 2008 04:08:00 GMT
The Graveyard is a new game by Tale of Tales, creators of The Path, which was nominated for an IGF award this year (for visuals). In it, you play an old woman on a walk through the titular cemetary. Her destination is a small bench at the foot of a mausoleum inside.
Tale of Tales’ Auriea Harvey and Michaël Samyn are well-regarded for their unique approach to games. In the Graveyard, they ask us to contemplate the various themes at play while we move through the cemetery. It’s a worthwhile experiment and an interesting narrative, made all the better by the lush black and white visuals. There are little details in there that are really wonderful.
But unfortunately, I think the forced linearity and lack of direct control holds the experience back significantly. This is a case where, in my opinion, a little more “gaminess” would have actually let me appreciate The Graveyard better for what it is supposed to be (“interactive poetry,” or what have you). As it is, I feel that a movie might have conveyed the experience better, almost. Almost.
The full version of the game is $5 and adds the possibility that the old woman will die. It’s a minute change. But I was happy to pay it to support the developers. I think it’s pretty cool what they’re trying to do (even though I feel they haven’t gotten it quite right yet).
Posted in Unique / Bizarre, Macintosh, Games and Art, Windows | Tags TaleOfTales | 34 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:24:00 GMT
In a world… of gentlemen…
When filthy pigeons plague the city…
One owl will rise to the challenge…
To take back the night sky with fury and malevolence.
Will that owl be you?
PLAY OWL COUNTRY NOW. LEARN THE TRUE STORY.
Read more...
Posted in Nerd Love, Macintosh, Highly Recommended, Community, Windows, Action / Arcade, Freeware, IGF / GDC | 28 comments
Posted by Jordan Magnuson
Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:13:00 GMT
I have a knack for covering things that aren’t new. I’m sorry. But these Lux expansions haven’t been mentioned here yet, and I only got around to trying them out recently, so voila this post.
If you aren’t familiar with the original, Lux is the definitive computer version of a world domination game (in my humble opinion). Beautiful graphics, fast play, a lot of online players, etc. etc. You can see what I had to say originally here.
But enough on the original. These expansions, which are stand alone games, add some wonderful historical flavor to the original game. Ancient Empires lets you control 58 different nations in 11 original scenarios, while American History lets you play through 10 of America’s epic wars, from the French and Indian War to the Iraq War.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to think of these expansions heading in, as both games are arguably only slight variants on the original: the gameplay pretty much continues to follow the standard rules of Risk, and the maps are not that different from some of the hundreds of fan created offerings. However, Sillysoft has impressed me again: the production quality is high, the themes are well implemented, and the games feel much more complete and cohesive in their historical flavor than any of the maps you can download for the original. I give both of these a thumbs up, though I think the prices ($15 and $20) are perhaps a bit high relative to Lux Delux.
More info and Downloads: http://sillysoft.net/
Posted in Macintosh, Windows, Strategy | Tags Sillysoft | 15 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
Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:57:00 GMT
Kriegspiel, or “War Game,” is a digital remake of a board game developed by French avant-garde writer, film maker, and activist Guy Debord.
Inspired by the military theory of Carl von Clausewitz and the European campaigns of Napoleon, Debord’s game is a chess-variant played by two opposing players on a game board of 500 squares arranged in rows of 20 by 25 squares.
One of the fundamental strategies behind the game is to maintain various “lines of communication” across the map, while cutting off your opponent’s lines. These lines radiate from arsenals and relay points and allow your troops to move and attack. If a troop is not on a friendly line, it’s immobilized, but if it’s on an enemy line, it blocks the line at that point. The game is won when a player’s arsenals or troops are completely destroyed.
RSG, the developers of the remake, have chosen not to add a single-player component to the game, in order to preserve the “fidelity” of the original idea. Unfortunately, it makes the game, already in a niche, that much more challenging to get into. But for war/strategy buffs, I think it’s worth checking out what looks like an extremely elegant, Chess-like game (and a well-done remake).
(Source: Tim Stone, via Rock, Paper, Shotgun)
Posted in Macintosh, Multiplayer, Windows, Strategy, Freeware | Tags GuyDebord, RSG | 10 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:39:00 GMT
At a town-hall meeting at Apple HQ in Cupertino, Steve Jobs and company announced the release of a free iPhone SDK for developers, as well as a $99 iPhone Developer’s Program that allows devs to publish their apps (both free and commercial) to iTunes. On top of that, venture capital company Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is investing $100 million dollars (Dr. Evil voice) to fund development of apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. How that money gets divied up is anyone’s guess, but Apple made sure to point out that it’s 10 times more than what Google has in its coffers for Android devs.
This is all part of an announcement for iPhone 2.0, which is coming to customers in June, and has some nifty new “enterprise features.” But really, the important thing is that now indie game developers with Mac OSX can go apeshit on the iPhone! For details the new SDK, head over here (Gizmodo).
(Thanks, Phil!)
Posted in Mobile / Handheld, Macintosh, Community, Developers | 19 comments
