Web Designer & Front-end Developer
Lumines: Electric Symphony – Fun Like I Remembered
April 24, 2013
by Matt
in PlayStation
| 118 Views
While browsing Slickdeals the other day, I noticed a familiar game on sale for the PS Vita. This game was familiar to me because I remember playing its prequel years ago on my PSP and it was a lot of fun. For $10 shipped I figured I’d give Lumines: Electric Symphony a try. The game arrived within the usual 2 days and I popped the microscopic cartridge into my PS Vita. I instantly hopped into a game and remembered how to play so fast that it was like the seven years since I last touched the game didn’t exist.
One of the more obvious things about the new Lumines was how much sharper the graphics looked. The gameplay is very similar to the original with a few modifications. There’s now a new bonus block that comes every once in a while that when landed, will remove all blocks of it’s color that are attached to it vertically or horizontally. I also noticed a new experience progress bar after you finish your game. The higher the experience level you get to, the more skins and songs you will unlock. Speaking of songs, like the original, this game has an amazing 33 track soundtrack. I also love how the music works with the skin and level design so well. In addition to the awesome soundtrack, there are a few new modes of play that are fun. Overall I am very happy with this purchase. As a big fan of both puzzle games and dance music, this game has a lot of enjoyment to offer me.
More @ Lumines Electronic Symphony.
Fun Burn your PSVita with Sunflowers
April 22, 2013
by Matt
in PlayStation
| 143 Views
Today I downloaded that game Sunflowers for PS Vita. Apparently the game is available for iPhone too but I have never heard of it before. The first thing that you will notice that’s different about this game is that it’s played on your PS Vita in vertical format which means that when playing you need to rotate your Vita 90 degrees. When I first heard this I instantly got turned off but it turns out that it really works well for this game. Because Sunflowers controls are touch screen only, There’s no need awkwardly push buttons while holding your Vita this way. The gameplay is very simple and great for casual gamers like myself who don’t have a lot of time and want to pick up a quick, 10-minute enjoyable game once in a while.
You control the sun, and the goal is to drop rain drops on the flowers below. To make the rain drops, the suns rays must pass through the clouds that move by. If you drop a ray of light that doesn’t pass through the clouds, it will burn whatever it touches on the ground. If it touches a flower, then that flower will burn and you need to give it water. If you burn too many flowers then you will get an X. Three X’s and game over. There are bonus levels once you collect a certain amount of points.
The graphics in Sunflowers are very good for such a cheap game. The sound is also very good and works well with the game. As you progress through levels, you can grow and collect new types of flowers. In the games main menu, you can view all the flowers that you’ve collected (there are over 300 types to collect in the game!) For $3.99 on the PlayStation Store you really can’t go wrong with this game. After purchasing it, I would consider it a must have Vita game for anyone that enjoys casual, arcade style games.
View the trailer below or check out the website with more pictures.
The Addictive Mr. Crab on Your iPhone
Today I’m taking a look at an app I downloaded called Mr. Crab (not to be confused with the SpongeBob character) for my iPhone. The game can be had at the standard 99 cent price tag (How are these games continuously so cheap?) and is a casual gamers dream. In the game, you control Mr. Crab, a fast little crab that crawls sideways in a circular motion around a giant sand castle. The goal is to make it to the top of the castle but that is no easy task young grasshopper. On the way to the top you will encounter obstacles, enemies, walls and coins that give you points. You can also try to collect all of the baby crabs that the level has to offer on the way to the top.
Bumping into an enemy will bump you down a couple of levels, prolonging your trip up the maze. The game controls are simple – you tap the screen to have Mr. Crab jump. Mr. Crab is capable of doing a double jump when he touches a wall in mid-air. The game has some beautifully colorful graphics that look great on high-resolution devices. The sound is okay. Mr. Crab works in both portrait and landscape modes but I prefer portrait. I’ve only made it about 1/3 of the way through the game so far but I’m having a lot of fun with it.
Ou Est Le Swimming Pool Lyrics
I’ve been listening to Pandora lately and I’ve really been enjoying the music of an English band called Ou Est Le Swimming Pool. The name of the band, translated to “where is the swimming pool” in all english, was inspired by a line in the 1987 seven-episode TV show, Hardwicke House. After doing a little research I found out that the band is no more because the lead singer, Charles Haddon, commited suicide after being upset about an injury sustained by a fan after stage-diving into the crowd. It’s rare that I enjoy every track on an entire album, but their album The Golden Year has 12 tracks and 9 or 10 of them I really like.
It’s sad to think about how great this band could have been because I haven’t heard much music like them and their unique style in the past few years. In fact, I don’t remember synthpop sounding this good even in the mid 80′s. Not only do the songs sound great but the lyrics are well written. Now I understand that everybody has their opinion of a well written song. To me though, songs like these are really special. They sound like beautiful poems similar to songs of the Smashing Pumpkins songs in the early 90′s. In much of the songs lyrics, they speak of making choices of love. Here are my favorite lyrics from some of my favorite songs of the group.
A song they did called Answers has lyrics that may sound like dancing and being left alone. But it goes deeper than that. Am I being left alone while dancing for one dance song or forever?
If the beat of the night
Gives rhythm to my soul then I’ll be alright
But if she go, go, go, go, goes away
I’ll think I’ll be left standing‘Cause the music has the answer
To all the questions I had inside
But when she leaves me on the dance floor
I question all the wrongs I knew from my rights
Dance The Way I Feel is Ou Est Le Swimming Pool’s biggest commercial success. The lyrics sound like an innocent state of being where no one judges anyone for who they are. Dance the way you feel as if none of this was real.
Stop Well I just dance the way I feel
Stop breathing Imagine none of this is real
These lines in The Key are self-explanitory. Your significant other is leaving even though they said they wouldn’t
Your leaving cuz theres some place you should be.
And i can’t believe it, cuz you swore out loud that place is here with me.
You Started is one of their slower, beautiful songs that is really about making a choice to be in a relationship.
You have started the beginning of my life
So take a moment to decide
What you thought is You picked a different side
I’m so relieved that side is mine
Kim Jong Un Playing The NES
I came across a picture on the internet the other day of Kim Jong Un doing something on a computer with his associates. I started to wonder what he was looking at with them. Then I used my imagination (and Photoshop skills) to go ahead and create this. Happy April Fools!
Google Treasure Maps and What’s That Smell?
Yesterday Google started of April Fools with a Google Treasure Maps feature that replaced Google Maps. Basically what it did was removed all the map detail of regular Google Maps and made the maps look more treasure map like. In addition to yesterdays prank, today they “introduced” Google Nose - go beyond type, talk, and touch for a new notation of sensation. Check out the funny video of the product in action and happy April Fools!
Popcap Brings Us Free Peggle Day
Today you can download your free copy of the game Peggle for a PC or Mac. The free download is available in celebration of PAX East (Penny Arcade Expo). Here is what you need to do in order to enjoy your free copy of Peggle:
- Download the game installer:
(If you have already installed the trial version from us skip to step 3)
http://downloads.popcap.com/download/peggle/mac/en/latest - Follow the prompts to install. What installs is a free trial version, but don’t worry – you’re getting the full game.
- Launch the game.
- Click the “Already Purchased This Game” link under the Play Button.
- On the next screen, enter your ORDER NUMBER you’ll receive in an email and then click Register.
Temple Run: Oz Follows the Yellow Brick Road
Lately, when a new children’s movie comes out, along with it comes a movie game based off of an already popular game. Some past examples include Hop (Doodle Jump), Brave (Temple Run) and Rio (Angry Birds). This however is the first time I can think of that a movie has used a game that has already been used for a movie. This version of Temple Run is based off the new Disney movie Oz: The Great and Powerful coming out to theaters soon which is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz which came out some 70+ years ago.
Temple Run Oz plays just like the other Temple Run games but with a few differences. One of the neatest things about this game is the new hot air balloon feature. Control the balloon through the sky by tilting your hone or tablet and collect coins but avoid the dangerous crystals. Another cool thing is that you can switch between locations as you progress through your game. After you get so far, there will be a sign for the dark forest at which point you will turn and see a status bar. Eventually you will go through a cloud tunnel and then be transformed into the new world. You will go back to the first world again after a few more minutes of play. The trick is to pay attention to the post signs as they offer you hints on which way to go to get the bonus features.
Rest Your Bottom on a Classic 80′s Icon
Just hope he doesn’t think you’re a pellet. Next time you sit down, think about what you’re sitting in and how it’s not as cool as one of these Pac-Man chairs. There’s not a more comfortable feeling than knowing that Pac-Man is protecting your backside while you enjoy playing your Pac-Man table top arcade game that you have set up in your living room. Don’t get too excited because I honestly don’t know if these chairs are actually for sale or just some art students senior project.. that he Aced.
Here is the Pac Seat’s creators description from the website that this image was posted on:
This chair was designed for children taking as inspiration the immortalization of an icon of the arcade games of the 90s.
New PlayStation 4 and Dual Shock 4 Controller
February 20, 2013
by Matt
in PlayStation
| 372 Views
Tonight, Sony announced the PlayStation 4, their latest console along with the Dual Shock 4 controller to pair up with the system. The new controller design comes in contrast to the last iterations of the controller due to the new touch screen. The more rounded, rubberized controller now also features a share button, camera and headphone jack.
The PS4 system will have 8GB of memory, a local hard drive and x86 CPU, alongside a secondary custom chip that allows users to play games while they download. The newly announced PlayStation Cloud will stream PS1, PS2 and PS3 games, and it appears the PS4 won’t be able to play legacy discs. The PS4 should be coming out later this year around the holiday season.
Joe Danger: Excitebike on Red Bull
The other day I downloaded a racing game called Joe Danger on my iPad. In this colorful game, you control a stuntman named Joe Danger as you race through different levels which get more and more difficult as you progress through the game. At three dollars, I expected a little more than what I’d get with the standard 99 cent app downloads and the game does deliver. To control Joe, you tap the screen to jump (and double jump) while swiping will perform speed-enhancing tricks. Holding a finger on the screen will make Joe duck which is good when going through Super Mario Bros. looking green pipes.
As you make your way through the levels jumps and loops you can collect coins and stars. Gather enough and you can unlock new characters like Elvis and a Zombie and a Mario looking mustache man. The graphics are very crisp and the sound and music is fun and energizing. Overall Joe Danger is not a bad pickup for three bucks. Whether you buy it now or wait for it to go on sale, it should provide you with countless minutes of fun.
Gunman Clive Wanted on the Nintendo 3DS
What?!? You don’t have a old west themed indie downloadable game for your 3DS yet? When I first saw the price of Gunman Clive I thought it was some crappy DSi game that never made it but that’s not the case at all. For $1.99 you get a solid platformer with pretty awesome graphics and controls. Apparently the game is available for iOS and Android too but I won’t play it on those platforms after I realized how well it works with the 3DS d-pad. The game is as indie as indie can get. With cartoony brown graphics and a chiptune soundtrack, this game screams It was my side project while in programming grad school and living in my parents basement but that’s why I love it. The price is so right too. This game could easily sell for $4.99+ in the 3DS store but at $2, the same price as a coffee, there’s no reason to not download it. Especially when you considered how much recycled garbage you can find in the 3DS Store.
Temple Run 2 Out for iOS
When I was checking out the app store a couple of days ago, I noticed Temple Run 2 was the number one app in the store. I didn’t even know that this game was being developed but I was very excited to grab it for free and begin playing it. Right away I noticed the resemblance to the first one but I also noticed that this one was actually better than the first. The first thing that you will notice is that the graphics of the terrain are much more improved and realistic. Where as in the first game, the terrain was mostly flat, in the new game there are many more hills and turns. Another neat thing about the sequel are the new elements of gameplay including rope slides and mine cart. There are also more coins and gems to collect in this version. If you were a fan of the first, definitely check out the second.
Google Scores with Ice Hockey Zamboni Doodle
January 16, 2013
Today, while doing work a co-worker told me to check Google which I did. The second it loaded, I instantly knew that I was about to either view a fun animation or play a fun game. It was a Zamboni game where you control a Zamboni as it cleans up ice that different characters skate on. The characters include children ice skaters, ice hockey players and figure skaters. After you clean up the ice, you continue on to the next level. The levels get progressively more difficult because the play area gets larger and more items are thrown onto the ice that may cause you to slow down like banana peels. There are also helpful items to collect including a gas tank which will fill up your Zamboni with more fuel and a coffee pot that will make you caffeinated and faster. Once your Zamboni runs out of gas, it empties the snow and your game has ended.
One thing I noticed was that I was mistaking ice that I missed cleaning with specs of dirt on my computer monitor. Overall however, this is one of the best Google Doodles I’ve ever seen/played. The graphics and gameplay remind me somewhat of Ice Hockey for the NES. If this game was a 99 cent app for phones and tablets, it would sell very well. Thank you Frank Zamboni for creating the Zamboni and for inspiring Google to make this fun game.
I was able to iframe the game in below. I also discovered that you can use your mouse to control the Zamboni instead of using your keyboard keys. If playing with the keys, just make sure you click on the game before you start playing and it should work. Here is a link to the official game page along with vintage instruction manual. Enjoy!