Posted by Derek Yu
Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:27:00 GMT
Final Ninja is a new platformer by the same guys that made Dirk Valentine and the Fortress of Steam. In the game you control a ninja who has ninja star grappling hooks. That’s right, ninja stars that are also grappling hooks!
Like Dirk, Final Ninja has a fun premise and looks great (love the “stealth” camo effect!), but also suffers from a lot of the same problems – relatively uninspired level design, repetitive graphics, and meaningless pickups. The game does pick up in the later levels, and at least the hand-holdy textual “hints” are fewer and far between (and less irritating), but overall, I was still disappointed. It’s not bad, it’s worth checking out… it could also be so much better.
This is obviously a trend with Nitrome games, which leads me to wish that they would stop making Flash games for the quick n’ dirty Miniclip audience. They really aren’t doing enough with their talent.
TIGdb: Entry for Final Ninja
Posted in Platformers, Browser Games | Tags Nitrome | 26 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Sun, 29 Jun 2008 01:59:00 GMT
Dirk Valentine combines sweet pixel art with mustachioed gentlemen and steampunk. And a chain cannon. I feel like it could be great instead of just good if Nitrome would only:
1. Take out like 3/4’s of the messages from “Monty,” the irritating old fart that enjoys telling you things like “avoid the deadly green gas!” and basically spoiling the fun of figuring anything out for yourself for the first dozen or so levels.
2. Add a little variation in the level artwork. As good as it is, it gets a bit tedious toward the end.
I also wish that secondary objectives like collecting medals and rescuing gents were meaningful gameplay-wise, but that’s a minor quibble. Otherwise, I had a good time with this one – the chain cannon’s abilities are pretty interesting, and the puzzles inspired by them are well thought-out.
Plus, pixel art and steampunk.
Posted in Platformers, Browser Games | Tags Nitrome | 8 comments
Posted by Derek Yu
Mon, 24 Sep 2007 03:55:00 GMT
Everyone remembers Squidi’s attempt at 300 game ideas, right? Sadly cut short to 60 games, but still an admirable effort.
Well, y’all, it looks like we’ve got a little indie internet drama going on, as Nitrome’s latest flash title, Yin Yang, looks a wee bit similar to Squidi’s first game idea, Negative Space. Okay, maybe a little more than a wee bit. More like, if you shaved Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen’s heads and stripped them naked, would you be able to tell which was which? No, because you’d be throwing up. Zing!
In all seriousness, though, here are the facts:
1. Nitrome is claiming they came up with the idea on their own. They are, unsurprisingly, supported by Jay of Jay is Games, and the Jay disciples.
2. Squidi did, in fact, say that his game ideas could be used without credit.
3. Squidi raised a bit of a stink over it, however, both on his blog, and on the Jay is Games site.
4. One thing he claims is that MTV contacted him about his 300 game ideas long before Yin Yang was released. (MTV hired Nitrome to create Yin Yang.)
5. Jay is now threatening libel for a (rather innocuous, imo) quote from Squidi’s blog.
Hit the extended for my very serious opinions:
Read more...
Posted in Platformers, Browser Games, Community, Casual, Developers | Tags Nitrome, Squidi | 126 comments
