Tag Archives: fun

Game of the Week: Super Adventure Pals

Posted by Chad Knick on

*dusts off the old manuscript*

Oh gosh, how long have you folks been sitting here without a good game to get your hands on? Well, for the record, I just want to apologize for that. It’s summer, and despite popular belief, I am not a vampire who writes game blogs every day. I like to feel the warmth of the sun on my pixelated skin tone. Well now I’m back, and I’m rolling up my sleeve to deliver a pretty awesome game from developers, Jay Armstrong and Julian Wilton, called Super Adventure Pals.

Now close your eyes and picture this:

You are a young boy. You have a pet giraffe and a pet rock. You’re having a peaceful picnic in the forest, when out of nowhere an evil villain STEALS your PET ROCK! Now it is up to you to save your pet rock [ and vicariously your village ] from the likes of evil genius mastermind: Mr. B. You’re an action hero. A superhero – oh, and did I mention he has a giraffe?! YES. He does. Save the rock, get the girl, and save the town in this adorably addictive Action/Platform/RPG.

‘This picnic ROCKS Giraffe!” “Murrrruuu!”

If the concept is hilarious to you, well then all that’s holding you back from seeing this gem is playing it. In light of this though, I suppose we should be talking about accessibility. OK! Armstrong and Wilton did a lot of small tweaks to the game’s overall design which I feel really make this game enjoyable and I hope you do too – so here goes nothing folks! Hoo!

Pros:

  • Optional control scheme at the start of the game. Left and Right handed schemes.
  • All text/dialogue is written out or symbolic. No audio is necessary to complete levels.
  • Color scheme and art animations are clear and sharp enough to be distinguishable.
  • Simple gameplay makes the platforming enjoyable and the quests engaging.
  • A humorous storyline combined with a plethora of levels to play through makes S.A.P. a joyful and unique platforming experience.
  • Health kits are automatically used making traveling and healing simple.
  • 75 levels, 4 bosses, and 3 towns full of content gives this game quality time.

This level feels so slow – oh. It must be the sloths!

Cons:

  • The text is only available in English, so international gamers may have issues if they’re not proficient in reading English.
  • The control schemes may be simplistic, but they often times require both hands.
  • Motion-impaired gamers may have difficulty with the platforming in further levels.
  • The game doesn’t have a mouse-only option for movement, so one-handed gamers will have extreme difficulty in accomplishing levels.

“Muhahahaha! ALL YOUR ROCKS ARE MINE!”

Overall, while the game has challenging platforming that may make some gamers frustrated, the appeal of the quirky artwork, humorous storyline and engaging levels makes Super Adventure Pals a definite ‘must see‘. Save your pet rock, ride your giraffe, save the world from evil masterminds! Armstrong and Wilton have done an impressive job with this game and I tip my hat to their genius Flash designs. You can play Super Adventure Pals NOW on Kongregate. It’s an accessible little blast of challenging fun and one of the best I’ve seen Armstrong release!

Way to go gentlemen! Now, if you’ll excuse me – I have a giraffe waiting to fight aggressive sloth monsters. He gets cranky when I don’t feed him.

Game of the Week: Gotham City Impostors

Posted by Chad Knick on

Well, they did it, they finally did it. A game company finally took two of my favorite concepts in the world and smashed them together. Seriously? Did you have to do this?! – because you know I’m just going to become super infatuated with this game and then I’m never going to want to put it down – Oh, what game? Well Gotham City Impostors of course!  How best to describe it? Well take one half of the Batman Universe and mash it together with Team Fortress 2 like a crash-test dummy slamming into a wall at 130 mph!

“If you can’t beat them, just join in the chaos!”

That’s pretty much what this game is all about. It’s a multiplayer shooter experience that will leave you both scratching your head at its oddity, and chomping at the bit to continue the madness! Gotham City Impostors was designed by Monolith Productions and WB Games. The demo wasn’t as lush as I would have liked it to be [ no access to the character costume customization, etc. ] but what I didn’t get to discover in customization I made up for in gameplay.

Now it’s important to note one thing – I found that waiting for lobbies to fill is exhausting. You have to have at least 6 players to play a match, and as soon as you think you’ve got 6 – someone losses connection or drops out and it can screw up the start of a match. All that being said – let’s get to why you come here in the first place: Accessibility. Gotham City Impostors has a lot to offer, but unfortunately, what they offer is an experience that’s mostly catered to able-bodied gamers. Here’s the run down on features:

Pros:

  • Color saturation/Brightness is decent enough that it won’t affect colorblind play.
  • Players can communicate via headset with each other
  • Controls, while complex, felt smooth and unique, after a few sessions.
  • Menus are easy to read and understand making navigation of game easier.
  • Enemy players glow orange when behind walls/buildings etc. as well as tag above.
  • The Initiation Tutorial is both fun and informative.
  • Boomerangs have auto-targetting, which is nice for motion impaired gamers.

“Hey guys… does this afro make me look fat?”

Cons:

  • Long wait times in the Lobby queues. It took at least 5 – 10 min for enough players.
  • No subtitles for deaf players. There is an Initiation Tutorial, but it’s all spoken audio.
  • Precision/Motion is key – which makes game much harder for motion impaired.
  • Multiple button inputs/Complex control scheme makes havoc for motion impaired.
  • NO Customizable Control Scheme available [ Tons of customization, but buttons… ]
  • Screen tends to flash red when you’re shot – may cause issue for colorblind gamers.
  • Fast paced gameplay/control scheme lends itself mostly to two handed gamers.
  • Even though content within the game is rated T for Teen – some of the content, while blurred and bleeped, is still understandable and noticeable, which could be a downside for parents with teen gamers. Just a warning – not really a con per say.

“Step right up! Step right up! First to knock Bats from his perch wins a stuffed Boy Wonder doll!”

Gotham City Impostors is exactly what you want out of a multiplayer-free-for-all shooter type of game – and while it lacks a LOT in the accessibility department I’m still going to give it a nudge and suggest folks check it out. Now keep in mind too that I only played the demo, and I also only played the PS3 version, so I’m not sure if some of these negative issues are resolved on the PC version or the 360 version or not.

All I will say is that this game looks like I would be willing to invest my hard earned coin into it just to roam around the city slaying Bats and Jokers all day long! Clever, unique quips – fun and stylized art and guns – and with DLC packs flowing into it, this game looks like it could take off. Now if only they could refine it a little bit – I’d be all over this thing like Batman chasing Catwoman!

Addition: They have a Steampunk DLC pack – if that doesn’t scream nerdy endorsement I don’t know what will!

Game of the Week: Teddy’s Excellent Adventure

Posted by Chad Knick on

Have any of you ever lost a toy as a child before?

Have you ever wondered if they’d ever try and find you?

Well I found a lovely, simple, little game that was designed by PlayKidsGames. The artist Jimp and code by Gazsmith Games collaborated together to create this lovely, charming, little platformer that I simply feel that I have to share with folks. I was immediately drawn to it due to the art style, but more than that it’s the story and childlike characteristics of this game that make me just smile when I clicked on it. Join me as we go on an adventure with a teddy in his search for his owner with, Teddy’s Excellent Adventure!

Cute + Platformer = Teddy

I swear when I saw the title I was immediately drawn to my childhood memories of Winnie The Pooh and Christopher Robin, but while the game doesn’t have Disney-esque artwork it’s simple whimsy are what will grab you. It’s a combination platform/point-and-click adventure. The mechanics are very simple and it makes the game simple and light for all ages to enjoy. You can use either the Arrow or WASD keys for movement, and a simple click of the mouse controls interaction with objects within the game.

‘Oh I love honey and I’m a pooh-bear, so I do care, and so I climb there!”

Now, here’s a quick breakdown of the accessibility of Teddy’s Excellent Adventure:

Pros:

  • WASD and Arrow Keys are a benefit for giving users a choice of control
  • Relaxed gameplay, that gradually amps up in intensity, is a nice touch.
  • Simple puzzles and platforming provide exhilarating gameplay as puzzles get tough.
  • Art style is warm, inviting, and seems to be easy on the eyes. Good for colorblind.
  • All words/tutorials are text based. Great for deaf gamers.
  • Music changes from moment to moment depending on puzzle/area.
  • If you fail, game allows you to start from start of newest stage.

Cons:

  • Platforming, while simple, can become a bit of an issue for motion impaired in later sections of the game. Doesn’t ruin game, just will make game more challenging.
  • Some sections have very similar color schemes and may make differentiating objects a bit hard for colorblind gamers later in the game.
  • Music can be a bit loud, but can be muted, so that helps.
  • No sound cues/audio other than music makes game extremely difficult for blind.

Other than that, this game is full of fuzzy, cuddly, adventurous fluff and should definitely be looked at. It may be simple, but isn’t that something that we all sort of secretly desire? Simple games that we can enjoy and experience in short amounts of time? The game has this lush draw of trying to get to the end. You want to so desperately get your teddy back to his owner and it drives you to continue working towards accomplishing goals. So – you can gladly check out Teddy’s Excellent Adventure on Kongregate now! – and while we’re at it I’ll also promote the promoter of this game: PlayKidsGames.

If you’re looking for a great little site full of educational/kid friendly games PlayKidsGames is a in-depth site with a large library of educational flash games that can be shared with kids.So – go platform the stuff and fluff out of this game! I’m sure this game would make Winnie blush with happiness. In fact, I’m pretty sure, he’d be busting with happiness:

Take care folks and enjoy your gaming – one input at a time!

Development: “Project D” is a Must See…

Posted by Chad Knick on

Now, quick, here’s my 50th post – and in honor of my newest blogging achievement – I felt like we should go a little retro. I love retro games – the old NES, the SNES, the Sega Genesis, etc. They’re the type of systems and games that drove me into my love of video games. I recently saw a video series that I felt spoke volumes to my retro heart:

Project D

Project D is a heartwarming, nostalgic, and educational view on how children view current video games vs. retro games. The series podcast is the chronicle of a young boy, Dylan [ 11 ] who gets introduced to a series of retro games to see what his opinion and interaction will be with them. If you haven’t seen it yet, I’d seriously recommend seeing it. The video will help give developers a glimpse into the mind of a child, the entertainment value of vintage vs. modern gaming. The old debate of graphics vs. gameplay – all of these topics are discussed in the series, and you’ll definitely get a heartwarming nostalgic feeling with some of the old school games they detail:

  • Contra
  • Battletoads
  • Megaman 2
  • Punch Out
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

I’ll make it easy for everyone to access by posting them here, but check them out and let me know how you feel.

Here’s the Question of the Day based on Project D:

Do you feel like aspects like: graphics, movement, player interactivity, etc. affect the appeal of a game? – does a game have to have superb graphics, amazing sound, etc. to be entertaining to players?

Let me know how you feel and let’s start the discussion!

 

I personally know, that whenever I have children, I’m going to be doing this with my kids. You can only learn how to build games and admire games by respecting, playing, and studying the vintage retro moments from our youth.

I think this sort of project is definitely a wonderful solution if you want to give children a real view of appreciation for how far games have come for them. Take care folks – and enjoy this lovely project! I hope more and more families actually try this out – it might actually make games and family interaction grow!