Recent Game Reviews
Spewer
Rated 4.5 / 5 stars May 13, 2009
Almost as good as can be
Spewer is by far one of the more original games I have seen for the last few years - and it doesn't squander the opportunity presented by its originality. The game contains enough levels to occupy one's time for a few hours, depending on skill. It is difficult, yet accessible for even those who might be considered newbies. I myself have never advanced far into such games, yet I managed to beat every level in Spewer - the difficulty level was just right.
Some levels seem a bit less inspired than others, but this is balanced by the brilliancy of others. I found that the difficulty level was a bit jumpy as I advanced through the stages, some levels were downright ridiculously easy compared to those preceding them. This could be counted as a flaw or a feature: On one hand, the jumpiness can be a little irritating/perplexing; on the other, some easy levels in between the very difficult ones can provide a much needed breather.
Controls are responsive, excluding some of the more processor-intensive levels. I found that even my relatively high-end laptop (MacBook Pro) struggled a bit with some stages, but restarting the game sometimes helped bring speed back up. Due to this, I detracted one point from my final score. I do not know if such a thing is possible with this game, but an optimized version for lower-end computers would increase playability a lot.
The audio was delightful - from the sucking sounds of spew-swallowing, to the relaxing music that completely failed to get on my nerves, unlike the music found in many other similar games.
All options and configurations I would have expected were in the right place, no complaints there.
Finally, the level editor was a nice touch. It is easy to use ( it would be nice if it were a little easier to browse the different tiles, though ) and the in-editor physics tester is a much appreciated feature.
My final score is 9/10, or 5/5. Although perhaps unavoidable, the slowdown found in some levels brought the score down a little - as the game requires such precise movements in some key areas, the slowdown can render the game unplayable. My only other nit-pick was the somewhat clunky palette in the editor and the sometimes - just enough to bring the score down to nine.
Thanks for the great game! It was very enjoyable and recommended to all who like puzzle-platformers.
Ship Escape
Rated 1.5 / 5 stars December 21, 2008
Sub-par.
This game is slightly flawed: In one level, the green portal doesn't work. It's not possible to get a higher score than 500 for this reason. Also, the background was uncomfortable for the eyes, and I could not see any connection to a ship while in-game.
Level passwords belong in the cartridge age, as well.
Until these issues have been worked on, I can only call this a sub-par and incomplete game, with a score of three out of ten.
The Majesty of Colors
Rated 5 / 5 stars December 20, 2008
Excellence.
Truly, this is art. Beautiful, and haunting. The influence from Lovecraft is clear, sadly I do not recognize Benmergui.
I can not say much more. As others have noted, it was just a tad too short, but it is nevertheless complete. I don't like to give out tens, but I felt this was worthy.
Recent Movie Reviews
Rated 4 / 5 stars December 28, 2008
Fantastically Twisted
Very nice, indeed!
The sick, morbid humor is very nicely executed, the facial expressions were very nice, and the audio was a perfect choice. Many will be offended, and I'm sure the score will suffer because of it, but it doesn't really matter. I won't be surprised if this gem ends up on the front page.