RepliCat

May 26, 2009, 0 comments

RepliCatRepliCat is a bit like that episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where the Enterprise stumbles across a time-shifted doppelganger of itself. Yes, I know — wasn’t that EVERY episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation? Forget that for now: just focus on this very clever, very compulsive little game. All you have to do is fly from planet to planet, dodging the ghostly shadows of your own past — who have the really annoying tendency of doing exactly what you were doing, three seconds ago.

RepliCat is, curiously, both fast-paced and brain-frazzingly cerebral, and the mouse-only ship control really works. The music (Chaoz Fantasy by alextheDJ) is terrific, too. More of this kind of thing please. Play RepliCat (Flash)

MegaSuper:TIMEWARP

May 25, 2009, 0 comments

MegaSuper:TIMEWARPPut down that croissant and spend five minutes with MegaSuper:TIMEWARP, Sophie Houlden’s twist on the rhythm action game. Music goes bomf-bomf-bomf, you go tap-tap-tap — so far, so familiar. But wait! The better you are at matching the timing, the faster the music goes. It’s strangely gratifying, and Sophie’s done a bang-on job of matching the beats to the button-presses and luring you hypnotically inside the music. Gets hard and fast at the end, too. As a result, my keys have come off and I want to know who to sue.  Play MegaSuper: TIMEWARP (Unity, Windows, OSX)

Heavy Weapons

May 25, 2009, 0 comments

Heavy WeaponsStarts off slow, this one. Roving spaceship, short waves of enemies, seems a bit easy… and did the developer not get the memo that all shoot-’em-ups need to have glowing neon lights now? But then Heavy Weapons goes shopping. Grab cash from dropped enemies and you can spend it on 20 bigger, beefier guns — the details of which are all hush-hush until you can afford them. The lure of what’s behind that $500,000 slot is too much to resist — and with only three weapon slots, you have to be intelligent about your choices as the 60 levels get more varied, and tougher, and better. Who doesn’t love a field full of retro robots with orange heads?

Good stuff, then. Especially level 15. We eagerly await the sequels, Heavy Weapons 2: Heavier Weapons and Heavy Weapons 3: Ooh No, I’m Not Lifting That, I’m Worried I’ll Put My Back Out. Play Heavy Weapons (Flash)

Toast Boy

May 24, 2009, 0 comments

Toast BoyUpdate: Toast Boy too tricky for ya? here’s a Toast Boy save file with all the levels unlocked. Just download it and stick it in the same folder as ‘Toast Boy.exe’.

Blocky pixelated characters propelling themselves around levels with reverse-thrust jetpacks are sooo hot right now. The cute but adorable Nolegs was released just yesterday — and now here’s the all-shooting, all-flying Toast Boy, who clearly isn’t content with the warmth of a toaster and would rather risk frazzling his legs right off courtesy of combustible rocket fuel. This simplistic little platform-shooter isn’t complex, or varied, or easy to control. But it’s got a couple of mini surprises — and cute-as-a-button characters with wiggly arms. Only 25 teeny levels, too, so no need to cancel that crucial lunch, business types. Play Toast Boy (Windows download)

Pixels from the past: Mug Smashers

May 24, 2009, 0 comments

Mug SmashersSo I’m worshipping Easy Retro as my new god now — sacrificing goats, the lot. They’re creating a library of old arcade, console and computer games that you can play right in your browser — none of that faffing about with emulators, which means more time for fun and biscuits. One highlight is obscure ’90s beat-’em-up Mug Smashers, which isn’t as good as Final Fight but obv has a much better name. The array of mugs you have to smash include sailors, street workers, and men wearing little more than leotards and an angry face. SMASH THEM ALL, because these basts think nothing of hanging your trussed-up girlfriend out of a helicopter. Or, slightly less sinisterly, driving her around on the back of a forklift truck. Play Mug Smasher (Flash)