The first Mega Man game I ever played was a worn-out NES game on its last legs. I had rented it out from a convenience store in Old Town, Maine, when I was in school in Orono in 1990. It had been rented so many times I had to huff on the contacts to make them work, though that ultimately killed it.
Mega Man has come a long way from mutated John Denver cover art, branching into a leggier version while staying faithful to the squat prototype that wowed us all in the late 80s. This fan tribute, while quietly bootleg in the sprites department, throws out an original mash of RPG elements and chop-chop sprite action.
MegamanX RPG offers an improved jump-in setup. Mash enough menu buttons and you can equip your found and purchased gear, spend points to upgrade a ton of chips, each with 5 or 6 abilities, level up techniques, and more. Featuring a lateral, WoW-style talent tree for each of the main characters, there's plenty of leeway for customizing your characters as you go along.
It's really a shame that Capcom hasn't offered this guy a job yet, as seen on the game itself. Fun writing, multiple paths, an upgrade system worthy of a professional game, and deep combat make Megaman X RPG worth checking out once more.
Excitement:B. The RPG elements are about as pulse-pounding as rock-paper-scissors, which can be taken either way. Still, the mad MM soundtrack can't help but snap you out of your lethargy and a lot of the limit breaks are pretty fun. And a lot of times the sharp writing gets you pumped up enough to make it through a menu-driven boss battle.
Originality:Visual content N/A, coding A+. With true-to-genre writing, item descriptions, and game mechanics, this game is a sleeper for the slacker wishing to convert his life into a few hours mastering a game.
Graphics:N/A. Spliced and diced. Nice try overall, though some of the pixellation was never seen in a real MM game.
Controls:A-. A chaotic clutter of options, with some bogdown if you're not 7331 enough to get it all down. Still very sharp and intuitive over time. At least it doesn't say "PC load letter" anywhere.
Sound:A-. Somewhat muffled to keep total file size down, but it's high-octane, original, and two slaps across the mouth because he freakin' likes us.
Replay value:B It's possible, if you want to re-evolve all your characters again. But it's a lot easier to wear a loud necktie and walk outside, too.
Overall value:A- A little constrained by having to patch an existing game into another, but if you can get past the stitching it's a very solid effort. Great for the die-hard Mega Man geek.
Monday, June 29, 2009
At It Again: Megaman X RPG: Chapter 1
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Tower's Tactics: Aphelion: Major Originality Points!
I really like finding a home-brewed game system, whether it's a one-page RPG or a Flash game. When I saw Tower's Tactics, I thought "Hm, could be another decent tower defense game". However, TT completely threw off my expectations and turned out to be a fun, well-crafted game with a few very minor edges I wouldn't be any better pressed to fix myself.
Excitement: N/A. This is a meter-based 2-D game, so it's a little on the slow side. It still does have its hectic fun as things warm up.
Originality: A+. While some might think TT could benefit from minor polish here and there, this title is an outstanding fusion of a creative mini combat system with multiple team members, a skill-learning system, and a campy, humorous tale of a medieval dude and his undead servant.
Graphics: A-. A curious mix, something like PHP meets a Renaissance Faire. Competent design with neat touches like a sword falling down when you're killed.
Controls: A-. Responsive enough, but it makes this 37-year-old a little squinty trying to click over and around small characters to point and click where I have to. To be fair, when you click on a special attack, you can mouse over multiple enemies until you find the right one.
Sound: A. Magnificent medieval-themed music with a haunting guitar and chant track for the world map. Combat sounds are a bit low-key but the music more than makes up.
Replay value: Unknown, but there is enough play going through the first time to make it a pleasant play.
Overall value: A
Check out Tower's Tactics: Aphelion at http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/495476.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
RP Flash Heaven: Megaman X: RPG Chapter 0
I always feel a little bittersweet about starting up a Flash game. I know it'll be like a candy bar where the enjoyment lasts about a minute and then it's all over. Considering the file size, it's an inevitability.
But every so often a game comes along, one that smashes the boundaries of file sizes, one that oozes, stretches and bends into several hours, even several days of deep, strategic gaming. Megaman X: RPG Chapter 0 is such a game. Taking its own sweet, luxurious time, this Newgrounds title takes this month's title crown of time wasters.
By turning Mega Man into a turn-based combat came, MMX cuts out most of the geegaws and lengthy programming sequences that give a Flash game a short life. Compressing itself into a package that would make a starlet at an awards ceremony blush with envy, MMX turns a lot of flat Mega Man sprites into a deep roleplaying experience with equippable head, arm, foot, weapon and body slots. Not only that, but players are also able to unlock special techniques by equipping special chips in there armor. The game encourages you to try to break it, even suggesting in the awesomely thorough tutorials that you wear several chips of the same time.
MMX's difficulty seesaws between laughably easy in the beginning to make-no-mistakes hard, but so far it's been a really fun ride. The mad robo-techno makes gearing up about as pulse-pounding as you can hope for, and while the sprites and explosions are a little pixellated, I don't care. It's what the designer has done with the action to make it all worth playing and building my robotic team up. There isn't any old-school arcade shooting here, but if you love the series and games where you can get lost in minute customization, MMX is the game for you. Play it at http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/491405.
Excitement: B+. Turn-based, but it's involving.
Originality: A. RPG games have been done to death, but this one manages to cram as much content in as 25 students in a phone booth.
Graphics:B+. Limited, but they capture the overall Mega Man experience.
Controls:A-. A little awkward at first, and points off for not having mouseovers to explain the scan icon vulnerabilities to squinty old-schoolers, but otherwise well done.
Sound:A+. The music overcomes all sound effects, but it's part of the cool factor.
Replay value:?? I have a long way to go before finding out. I bet I could wrangle out some more play with some alternate strategies.
Addiction factor: A+. Be warned, don't have anything that remotely resembles work on the table once you pick this baby up. Call in sometime in the week and tell the boss you're not coming in.
Overall value:A+. A great effort and any natural shortcomings are just part of the Flash game experience. Try it out today...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Quintessential Lost Productivity: Shopping Cart Hero
Check it out here: Shopping Cart Hero
Excitement: B+
Originality: B-
Graphics:A Points for minimalism!
Controls:B
Sound:A Just you, the cart, and the rocket.
Replay value:D A one-trick pony, but what a trick.
Overall value:B+ Ground-smashing fun for the whole family.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Get TreeTD With Some Fun Defense Gaming
The defense genre of gaming is one I thought would be hashed and rehashed by now. Originally limited to games where you defended a castle, there have been variations that have you defending gardens, redneck retreats, temples, cities, bowling alleys... and now, trees. Yes, trees.
This time, in TreeTD: Tower Defense, you set up your towers on, of all things, some branches. They sure seem pretty sturdy for the amount of firepower you can call up. The goal here is to take potshots at marble-like baddies as they roll down the limbs of the tree toward the roots. Lose enough lives and the game ends.
There's enough difference in your towers to make the gameplay interesting: there are Pebble Towers (stinky), Water, Lightning, Rock, Metal, Earth, and Fire. The elemental towers (Earth, Air, Fire, Water), like in the science they taught me in first grade, are each superior over one elemental form of bad guy. Earth beats Water enemies handily, Water beats Electric enemies, and so on. Metal and Rock? They beat everything, man. Metal fires really slowly and isn't that accurate, but it does monster damage when it hits something. One of the cool mechanics of this game is how some bullets roll along the tree limbs, and often hit something.
The playing area is huge, several screens high. There's a click-and-drag bar on the left you can use to jump down, but my 2006 computer gets all choppy trying to handle it.
I just tried it out on Medium, and was able to pepper everything with a mix of elemental, Rock and Metal towers. I didn't bother with the Pebble towers... even the programmers admitted they were lousy once you upgraded them. I guess if you do some of the harder challenges, there will be a need for them.
Not only do you have a choice of straightforward difficulty levels, you can also choose different challenges like Funnel Tree ("the hardest tree to defend on the planet"), One Life (let one creep slip to the roots and it's over), 20K (build your defenses fast -- advanced waves come every 10 seconds), Quick Release (one monster a second for 300 seconds), and Marathon (100 waves, 20 lives).
I wasn't able to really hear the sound effects over the brassy music, but they're there if you turn the music off. I'd keep the music on though, it's silly and fun in a wacky old-timey way, and there are several tracks.
This was a very enjoyable game to play, with a lot of effort put into it. Though the enemies were just a bunch of brightly colored goofballs with nothing to make them stand out much on Medium, I'm going back for another round or two of challenges tomorrow and seeing what sort of trouble I can get into.
Well done!
Excitement: B+. Some of the challenge modes are downright wack.
Originality: A. A great variation on the defense game, with great creativity on the chaotic rolldowns and multi-screen gameplay. Hectic challenges too!
Graphics: B+. Crisp and clean. Some mutant monsters of different sizes and shapes would have upped the score.
Controls: A-. Very intuitive, though some better boundaries and labeling would have made finding the upgrade button a little easier.
Sound: A. You will never hear the kind of music this game offers in another defense game ever. It is music I think John McCain would love and should have used for his campaign.
Replay value: B. Worth a try tomorrow but I don't think I'll play it after that.
Overall value: A-. A few tune-ups and extra variations here and there, and this would be an A game.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Stee-rike! Zombie Baseball
I like the occasional rough-around-the-edges flash game. Where there isn't finesse, there's originality.
Zombie Baseball is a mildly gory game with a zany premise: Rapunzel-style, some hot girl is letting... baseballs?!? down to you. And, with your choice of two bats at a time, you're using these baseballs to hit zombies away.
Things start out slow and clumsy on all sides, but with some practice you can start knocking heads off the zombies with line drives. As you progress you can pick up a second bat with special powers and also upgrade Rapunzel and your own stats (strength and swing recovery).
My only beefs with the game are that there are no continues, and that the hitting strength curve is too high when you max out. At the end of the curve, you're hitting homers with every swing, when all you're trying to do is hit the zombies coming for you. Still, if you keep your batting strength (which, strangely, doesn't seem to do extra damage) at around four bars, you'll do fine.
Excitement: B. Things get hairy if a lot of zombies get close. Fortunately a few of the special bats help by drilling through zombies, igniting them, and eventually setting off nukes.
Originality: A Zombies and baseball have never crossed my mind.
Graphics: B Some of the later zombies are downright freakish. Points off for taking a lot of graphic detail off what's usually beyond the edge of the screen.
Controls: A- Solidly responsive. But if zombies get too close and you're recovering from a powered up swing, you're pooched. You'd think you could hit them away with the bat... :D
Sound: C Good zombie effects, but please stop making those annoying "Maximum ATTACK" and "Come on, come on!" phrases repeat so much. Great nuke effect.
Replay value: B+ It's easy to play through 20 rounds without losing the rest of your day.
Overall value: A-
Play Zombie Baseball at http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/466365.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Don't Be A Quitter -- Keep Playing Splitter!
When a game comes up with a vibrant new take on tried and true rules and challenges, my ears pick up and the game makes its way to Lost Productivity.
Splitter is a 25-level mini-masterpiece. Instead of pushing, pulling, throwing or shooting things in your average physics game, all you do is cut them. And you can only cut wood and joints (they look a lot like yellow strings to me).
You control a total slacker of a smiley face who's subject to the laws of physics. That's right, your mug just sits there and does nothing. Kind of like me. However, you have a very sharp knife. A knife so sharp, it can slice through wood or strings in a single cut.
The law of gravity is in effect in this game, so when you cut things in strategic places, things begin to happen. Supports fall, attached spheres roll free and bonk you on the head, ramps form, and so on. You have a certain number of cuts you can make each level. The difficulty starts out just right and slowly gets fiendish from there. There are bonus stars you can collect, but the instructions don't say what you get if you collect all of them (a Herculean task requiring solid reflexes and a physics degree).
Two innovations include being able to record your best solves for people to watch online, and a limited jump-ahead feature if you really get stuck on one level. A very fun game and the music, while repetitive, doesn't grind on your like "Maximum Attack" in Zombie Baseball, a game I'll be reviewing soon!
Play Splitter at http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/467404.
Excitement: B. You cut wood and strings. It does have its moments when you carve up a particularly ornery level.
Originality: A-. It's a physics game, but some of the puzzles are elegant and downright fun.
Graphics: A. Functional and smooth.
Controls: A-. Though you can make cuts any way you want, you're going to have to deal with a lot of trial and error unless your sweater says "MIT".
Sound: B+. Complex music, with minimal sound effects for gameplay.
Replay value: C. After a day bordering on carpal tunnel, some of the crazy cuts I had to make will be left for other people to watch on the tutorial. Maybe someday before I die I'll make a resolution to solve levels 19 and up, and get all the stars, but it's not likely. :D
Overall rating: A-
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