Living LIVE 02.08.10: Issue No. 58
Posted by Trace Aber on 02.08.2010
Featuring reviews of Chime, Inevitable Outcome, Hockey Fights and more!
After an entire week of studying for an exam, I bought a $500 camera and computer. I've been revisiting old video game classics such as Mario 64, Sunset Riders, and WWF No Mercy, I've also been playing Back to the Future on the NES. Of course, I've also spent a lot of time taking photos of just about everything possible. It's the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS/EOS 1000D. The name is far too long. This week we have OneBigGame's newest release, Chime on tap, along with four indie games in a week that saw the release of five or six zombie games. Seriously, overkill?
My name is Trace Aber and this is LIVING LIVE
Arcade Releases
Chime (400MP)
Chime is a nice little game, it really is. It combines puzzle, musical, and visual elements to provide a one of a kind experience that appears simple on the surface but is quite actually a deep playing experience. And at such a cheap price, it's a steal and appears to be one of the better for the price deals in a while.
Chime has three simple ideas behind it: Place blocks to create quads, create quads to gain coverage, and gain coverage to fill the grid. So let's go a bit more into these ideas. First, shapes appear in the grid that makes up the level. You can rotate the shapes with the trigger buttons, and place them with the A button. After making a 3x3 or larger grid of shapes, they form quads. Quads then are "active" for a set period of time, and placing shapes next to the quad during this time will cause the quad to grow. After the time is up, the quad is "filled up" and you score points for it. Then there's the beatline. It occasionally crosses the grid and is activated when it hits shapes or quads, and the impact determines the sound of the music. In a sense, you create the music. Immediately after the gridline passes the quad, the area it covered is marked as, well, covered. You win time bonuses through doing this. You unlock the next level at 50% coverage and unlock the stage-within-the-stage for score bonuses. It may seem a bit confusing at first, but you quickly get the hang of it.
The game features two separate modes, time and free mode. They are exactly how they sound, though neither one was playable in the demo. Five songs are featured, including Moby, which is the only name I recognized. But they're all techno music and work well with the visuals of the game. I'm surprised how well the game came together. As mentioned earlier, the game is cheap and should provide hours of entertainment. Highly recommended. Rating: 9.5
Indie Games
Inevitable Outcome (240MP)
Now this is how you do a top-down shooter! Outcome really impressed me with its impressive graphics, varied weaponry, and ability to incorporate slugs into a fun gameplay experience. And, to top it off, four player co-op is supported! Of course, as with most Indie games, local co-op only.
As I said earlier, the graphics are really good. The game takes place in a large field that has ups and downs to it. Your goal is to keep fighting, day after day, until the inevitable happens. While I expected zombies to the enemies, it turns out you're fighting against mutant slugs. Why they're so pissed off, we never find out, but it's up to you to blast them in the face. It's the civil thing to do, really. Luckily, you'll have a nice selection of weapons to accomplish this task. Starting out you have a pistol that is extremely weak, though it does provide unlimited ammo. As you kill slugs they will occasionally drop weapons, grenades, or health. Some of the other guns you'll use include a sniper rifle, laser gun and, my all-time favorite, the flamethrower. Though I imagine the smell must be terrible. At night the sun goes down and it becomes dark. Extremely dark. These portions of the game can get intense not knowing what's behind you, and the effects are well done. After completing each night you have the opportunity to collect a bonus, which is essentially a stat upgrade. You can improve in a variety of ways including speed, recoil, luck, and even your health. All in all, it's simple enough to pick up but complex enough to become engrossed.
Flame.Throwers.
To be entirely honest, I purchased this game right after playing it. It's an extremely well-put together package that's well worth the price. I've noticed a general increase in quality for these indie games recently, which is quite exciting. Rating: 8.5
Hockey Fights (80MP)
I really enjoy Silver Dollar Games, and it's hard not to. They release a slew of indie games and a lot of them are fun and addictive games, but the best part is that the games only cost a buck! It's a brilliant concept and it continues with Hockey Fight. It's a stripped-down fighter that employs the best part about hockey – the fights.
HELL YEAH!
You can choose from an assortment of teams that all have their own jerseys and separate stats. These stats play an important factor in the fights, so choosing the right team is imperative. Once in the hockey rink, it's time to duel, complete with rock music, fireworks and a roaring audience. It has all the important things down to a science. You block by pressing Y and B and punch by pressing X and A. Each button signals a lower or upper body block or shot. When you block you charge your energy, which allows you to punch harder. The game becomes about balancing when to block and when to hit, and can get intense playing against a friend. After you complete a successful combination of blows, you are able to "jersey" the opponent, which blinds them by placing their jersey over their head. It allows for unanswered shots that can change the pace of the fight quickly.
For 80MP, or a buck, Silver Dollar Games continues to provide fun, cheap games. Down to the music, graphics, and addictive gameplay, it's definitely worth downloading. Rating: 8.0
Ten Seconds or Less (80MP)
No no, this isn't the life story of my Fact or Fiction opponent Mitch Michaels, this is a "photo based adventure." That's what the description says, anyways.
ADVENTURE!
The game revolves around finding specific areas of a photograph. You have a circular area to find and you have to be within the region of the hidden area. It's not entire complex but can be a bit fun. In the final product you get thirty photos, though based off the demo it appears some are going to be extremely easy and others extremely hard.
Fans of these types of puzzle games will most likely to be pleased by what's presented, but I've never been a huge fan of these types of games. Nothing offensive, though nothing exciting either. Rating: 6.5
Avatar Quest (240MP)
Another puzzle game, Avatar Quest manages to stand out by allowing the use of avatars (which people eat up) and a unique spin on the standard puzzler.
Spanning across 4 environments and 186 levels, this might actually qualify as a quest. Perhaps even an adventure! Either way, your goal is to cross a series of colored stones and stepping on only one color of stone. This may seem easy at first but the game incorporates plenty of other little surprises to throw you off. There are white blocks which allow you to step on any other colored block and it will instantly become that color, though you must clear two colors of blocks to get the time bonus. And you'll want to do that because time is most definitely a factor here. There are transporters as well, which send you to different parts of the map.
Like I said, it gets challenging.
Though the levels can be beaten fairly quickly, 186 randomized levels will keep your interest going for a while. While some co-cop would have been nice, I feel like this is still a fun game that uses the avatar in a way that enhances the game, not overshadows it. Rating: 7.5
Review Round Up Chime: 9.5 [Buy] Inevitable Outcome: 8.5 [Buy] Hockey Fights: 8.0 [Buy] 10 Seconds or Less: 6.5 [Skip] Avatar Quest: 7.5 [Try]
Check back next week as I review the newest arcade and indie games and let you know what's worth buying, trying, and skipping. Also, don't forget to bookmark 411Mania! And a note to all of the Indie Game developers out there – if you have an upcoming title that's going to be released soon drop me a line at traceaber@gmail.com and let me know. I'll write a full review of your game to be posted on 411Mania.com, which is a great way to get your game promoted!
