Mission Accomplished! 2 Games in 11 hours!

The games are complete! Both Drawrmy and Curse of the Space Mummy are done - 14 people, 12 hours, 2 games. Give 'em a spin, tell us what you think!

Curse Of The Space Mummy - http://www.ninjabee.com/public/Curse_of_the_Space_Mummy1.zip

(Download to play)
This game can be played with either a controller, keyboard and mouse, or just keyboard. If your ship gets destroyed look for the green smoke to see the enemy you are possessing (re-spawning).

Drawrmy - http://ninjabee.com/public/build808/game/drawrmy.html

(Play in-browser)
Draw your units to create your drawrmy. The colors you choose affect your attack and defense stats (think Rock, Paper, Scissors). Red is strong against blue, blue is strong against yellow, yellow is strong against red. Keep this in mind when creating your characters and when choosing which units to attack.

Let us know what you think! We can only do so much in such limited time, but if people like the games we might just keep working on them :)

(PS - XBLA Code winners are Skylar Wolf, Andrew (posted 5:25 p.m. on Friday), Mark Litzinger and Chun Lau. If you haven't been contacted send an email to contest@ninjabee.com with your contact info and we'll pass you your code. Congrats!)

Game in a Day - Game Descriptions

Time to introduce you to the games with a short overview - let's start with Drawrmy (yep, Draw + Army, pronounced dr-army).

Maybe one way to describe this game would be to say it's like Stratego meets Pictionary meets Rock Paper Scissors. It's a army creation and battle game where the player first creates their own units and pits them against enemy forces in turn-based battles. The colors you draw with are strong and weak against other colors. For example, red beats blue, blue beats yellow, yellow beats red. The catch though, is that you can't see the enemy's forces. So be careful because attacking reveals your strengths, and weaknesses, to your opponent.

Now, for Curse of the Space Mummy. A game where the player takes control of an ancient curse as it possess enemy ships, exacting vengeance on those who disturbed its tomb. But a curse can't die. If your host ship is destroyed the curse possesses the enemy ship that destroyed it. The game uses a classic, dual-stick scheme.

Both games are for PC and you'll be able to play them for free if we can finish in time!

Here are some pics of the team - working like crazy to get these done.

Game in a Day - And the game will be...

Last night we got together, pitched our game ideas to the team and voted on which game to make. We started with 10 awesome game ideas with everything ranging from puzzle alchemy games to zombie napoleon platformers. But in the end the voting came in and we picked...

TWO GAMES!

We're going to be ambitious. Team got split into two games. And they are...

Drawrmy

and 

Curse of the Space Mummy

More details about the games are coming as the day moves on, but the teams are ramped up and working feverishly to get the games up and running. Images, video and game details to follow.

Post questions in the comments section and we'll try to provide info in upcoming blogs. Keep checking back, we're trying to post every hour, so stay tuned! (Don't forget, commenting on posts today gets you a chance to win XBLA codes)

NinjaBee Game in a Day!

We want you to come to our game in a day event tomorrow! Well, not really. What we mean to say is we want you to virtually come to our game in a day event.

Tomorrow, Saturday May 5, a bunch of the devs at our studio are getting together to try to make an entire game in just one day... and then release it!

We're going to be doing hourly updates throughout the day so you can follow our progress as we go. Keep checking back here on the NinjaBee blog and follow us on twitter @NinjaBeeGames to get more real-time updates.

Obviously, if we don't finish in a day we can't release it, so make sure you're here to cheer us on! We may just give out an XBLA code or two randomly to people who comment and any of tomorrow's (or this) blog posts. *wink*wink

We're choosing what the game will be tonight. Any requests?

Ninja Lightning Pack!

Usually a ninja strikes in silence from the shadows, but sometimes it uses lightning.
That's right, lightning.

www.indieroyale.com is hosting a sale of 5 NinjaBee games on PC: Ancients of Ooga, Cloning Clyde, A Kingdom for Keflings, Outpost Kaloki, and Band of Bugs!

The quicker you jump in and purchase, the cheaper you can get the bundle. Or, if you're feeling generous, pay extra, which knocks down the current price for others. This deal is only going to last for the next 100 hours, so you gotta be quick to catch the lightning!

The Friday Review: Serious Sam 3 BFE (PC)

Serious Sam 3: BFE
review by Stevil

Take the story, character development, and tactical cover mechanics in today's shooters and throw them on the ground, you're an adult!

What you have left is a challenging first-person shooter experience in its purest form.

This game is all about the combat. If you are looking for an epic story to go along with the explosions then look elsewhere. While a game that's light on story may cause more elitist gamers to jerk their noses up in disgust so violently they barrel roll off the sofa, I'm fine with minimal story as long as it sufficiently explains character motivations and the context of events. In Serious Sam 3 the story goes something like "Aliens are bad, we need to kill a lot of them."

Frantic battles against truly absurd numbers of bad guys are where this game really shines. Single levels can contain 1000+ enemies and they enjoy attacking suddenly, from more than one direction, and in massive waves. The fact that enemies are pouring in from all directions really keeps you on your toes and encourages a running gun battle through the large and very well designed levels. Enemies come in many shapes and sizes, as well as unique behaviors and inherent weaknesses that can be exploited. While there are some great new monsters, fans of the franchise will recognize many a familiar face among the hordes—such as the nimble and deadly Kleer Skeletons, as well as different varieties of the heavy-weapon toting Biomechanoids.

Each enemy type is best defeated by combinations of different tactics and weapons and you can expect to find many different enemy types in each battle. Battles are dynamic and your already slim chances for survival are maximized when using the right tool for the job, much like a muscle bound Bob Villa spreading intergalactic justice one smoking barrel at a time.

One of the areas Serious Sam 3 really shines is in the large selection of weapons it offers, 13 to be exact. Each weapon plays well, has its own feel, and covers a unique area in which it excels. Earlier I mentioned that using the best weapon for the job is your best bet for making it out alive; however it is still very possible to stick with just the one or two weapons that strike a resonance with your inner Chuck Norris and survive. I had a great time taking on some of the biggest and baddest enemies in the game with my sledgehammer, just to see if I could, and if I played my cards right I usually could. Very challenging but also very satisfying.

Serious Sam 3 runs on Croteam's new Serious engine and on higher settings it does look pretty; although at times I felt like the lighting could get a little weird (too much/little light intensity and some other very minor issues). The environments are detailed and well rendered as are the enemies. Be sure you're hardware is up to the task—those sweet graphics are going to tax your system. There are engines out there that are superior, however I think the Serious engine has potential and look forward to seeing it developed further.

 I would recommend this game to anyone looking for a solid, fast-paced shooter. It delivers in all of the important areas and it delivers on them well. I would also recommend playing with a friend,

CO-OP is an absolute blast. Seriously!

The Friday Review: X-Com: UFO Defense (PC)

X-Com: UFO Defense
-review by CJ

Why am I reviewing an 18 year old game? Because if you haven't played it yet, you should. Considering that it is an 18 year old PC game, there's a very good chance you haven't. Even if you aren't normally a fan of the tactical turn-based strategy RPG horror shooter genre... Oh wait...that's not a genre. It's a game called X-Com: UFO Defense. Mixing a bunch of genres can be risky, like when you throw a bunch of vegetables and stuff into your juicer in hopes of downing your daily dose of "healthy" as quickly as possible, but end up creating a sickly brown liquid that may or may not actually be edible anymore. However, X-Com is more like a well concocted blend of ingredients that you might not think work together, but then when you try it you just can't get enough. Like cinnamon on chocolate ice cream (seriously). Ok, so what is it? X-Com is, at its heart-of-hearts, a turn-based strategy game. You move your men around a map trying to find sneaky aliens and kill them before they kill you. Between combat scenarios you research new tech, expand your base, build new bases to increase your global coverage, and basically wait in fear of the next announcement of "UFO detected". Now let's get right down to what you can expect to find.

PROS:

-Complex yet simple. There's a lot going on in X-Com, but the game mechanics are simple enough that even without any guiding hand (see CONS), you can figure it out. Even though there's a lot to do, it doesn't feel overwhelming.

-Emotional. It may be just me, but every time I hear an alien shot I tense up. I watch with horror as it hits one of my soldiers, ending their lives forever. Or sigh in relief as it passes them by, a near miss.  The mortality of your soldiers makes you care about them, especially when they've survived three missions, have been promoted to Captain, and are the best shot in your army.

-Mystery. Never knowing what lays beyond the ramp of your dropship at the beginning of each mission makes each battle feel like a new experience. What enemies will I be facing? How many? Where are they? Each map is procedurally generated, and when and where UFO's appear is random as well. Besides that, you never know what's happening just out of range of your base's sensors. As I guard Africa, is Europe being invaded?

-Great environment. The quiet, creepy music, the fog of war, the empty farm houses and fields of wheat, the creak of a door opening when all you can see is a screen that says "Hidden Movement" during the alien's turn...this is what an alien invasion should be like! Few gaming experiences are equal to your first encounter with extra-terrestrial life in X-Com.

-Many, many more! Seriously, it's $5 on Steam ($2.50 at time of writing, yay sales!). Just try it.

CONS:

-No help. I don't mean in the game, I mean about the game. If you're downloading the game it's not likely to come with a manual (my Steam version didn't). A nice F1 screen that told you what all the different buttons did would be a great start. An explanation about how research and manufacturing work would be awesome. These are things you can figure out on your own, but by the time you do you will probably want to start a new game, so that you can take advantage of all your new found knowledge from the beginning.

-Possibly impossible. After dozens of hours of playing, you may find yourself between a rock and a hard place. Money is running out, and alien forces are becoming increasingly overwhelming. This can happen from just plain laziness, of course, in which case it's your own fault, but even if you are being careful, the randomness of the game can put you in these positions while you remain ignorant, until it's too late to fix. Although this is rare, when it happens it is extremely frustrating.

SUMMARY: X-Com: UFO Defense is a unique game that every gamer should play at least once. I have played it multiple times, and still find myself enjoying it whenever I pick it back up. Although there is a new version coming out later this year (by a studio I trust with such a mission, and that I'm very excited for), I can't imagine it ever fully replacing the original.

The Friday Review: Puddle (XBLA, PSN, PC)

Puddle (demo)
review by CJ

Well, so far we've given you mostly great games to look up, but this time I've got beef. Actually, I like beef, so I'll call it turkey. It may look like chicken, but don't be fooled! Puddle is about guiding liquids through a maze of obstacles by tilting the map left and right, and letting gravity do the rest of the work; however I sense a far more nefarious purpose lurking within those seemingly harmless, oozing liquids.

"Reviewing a demo?" you say. "Is that fair?" you ask. Yes. In this "Golden Age" of gaming, there is so much good content being released on nearly a weekly basis, that I simply don't have time to play every good game that comes along, let alone the bad ones. I believe this is why demos are so necessary, as it allows the consumer to decide for themselves which games are worth their time. I didn't even finish Puddle's demo. I mention that I played only the demo as a disclaimer. I suppose it's possible that the worst levels were put into the demo to display the ultimate level of difficulty the game eventually achieves, but since it was a demo, I expect that it is a representation of the majority of the game's levels, rather than the exceptions. Now let's get down to the bottom of this gooey mess.

PROS:

- Puzzles. It claims to be a puzzle game, and it delivers. If you love puzzles, are a glutton for punishment, and have so much time on your hands that you are sick of all the great games flooding the market, this may be enough reason for you to try out Puddle.

CONS:           

- Trial, error, and luck. If you like to solve puzzles through logic and quick reflexes, play something else. When your options are pull the left trigger or the right trigger, there's not a whole lot of thinking going on. Most of the puzzles are solved through endless repetition until you get a favorable result; which is an unknown variable. A single lost drop early on may mean not having enough liquid to survive later down the line.

- Long and complicated. Other than the early learning levels, you aren't going to pass on the first try, as you can never tell what's coming, and more often than not a single miss-tilt, even for just a moment, can mean sudden, or eventual death. At times I found myself plodding along, as slow and carefully as I could, so that nothing could surprise me, just to find that what I needed was some serious speed and momentum, and that it was my caution that killed me.

- Start over. No checkpoints. This may not be unusual for puzzle games, but for me this was the breaking point. Nothing is worse than finally getting to the end of the level, after twenty tries, just to be taken out by the final obstacle, and having to start all over from the beginning again, taking another ten tries to get to the end again, just to have a second chance at figuring out how to get through to the end. And it may take five tries on that final puzzle before you get by.

- Impossible. Seriously. There were a couple levels of the demo that I just gave up on (one before I could even get anywhere significant) because of how ridiculous the difficulty was. Mostly this is because of the above mentioned problems, but even without them, there were some obstacles which I simply could not get past.

SUMMARY:  I'd rather have an anvil dropped on my head than play Puddle again. It would be less painful. Maybe I'm just not cut out for this level of difficulty, but I don't know anyone who would rather get angry at a game than enjoy it.

The Friday Review: Bug Village (iPhone, Android, W7 phone)

Buggin out...
 -review by TRON

I was introduced to Bug Village while strolling through the office minding my own business. Two coworkers were hovering over their Android devices discussing what appeared to be a living, colorful, miniature city.  When I took a closer gander at the pint sized colony, it was indeed a small insectopia teaming with life.

Bug Village is a quest filled town builder with a back yard, down to earth feel. The game centers around building colonies of small structures made from a variety of natural objects. The structures attract new insects to the village, and these new residents can gather resources to increase the size of, or customize the colony. The game is full of quests that give the player extra resources and experience for completing. The experience accumulates into levels that raise the maximum number of structures that can be built in the colony.

Brass Tacks:

The Nifty:

+5 Customization - With a wide assortment of dwellings and decorations the user has plenty of objects available to make their very own unique playing experience. The dwellings that the player has access to can be upgraded to add a new visual spin on the structure, on top of adding additional functionality. The decorations come in a wide variety from fences, chairs, tables, lights to landscape changes like pots. With so many objects to choose from the visual combinations are endless.

+4 User Interface - The game's User Interface reads like a mid-summer night's dream, guiding the player with ease through menus and options. The icons for each section are polished and well thought out. The sliding menus when selecting a structure, decoration, or food item, glide sleekly from selection to selection with ease. The game does an excellent job symbolizing the action that will be performed with each UI element.

+4 Graphics - The graphics seemed to fit the game style and feel really well. The cartoon, bubbly characterization kept the game visually interesting and enchanting. With a wide assortment of structures, decorations, and food items, the game did an awesome job tyng all of these objects into the theme. The game ran smoothly on my Samsung Galaxy S with silky camera movements and animations.

The Cruddy:

The game is based in real time, which can lead to a lot of waiting around for things to do or happen. The player can purchase or perform tasks for coins to make tasks instant but that pulls the player out of the game. The player can purchase acorns, the main currency of the game, to build objects but they are limited by what is currently unlocked.

The player is not really able to get ingrained in the game due to the short play times. This issue is caused by the slow and sometimes painful progression of the real time system. The issue is further compounded by the way structures and decorations are unlocked through quests. The player can unlock the structures and decorations by using coins, but I think this destroys the gaming experience.

Conclusion:
Bug Village was a lot of fun to play. With so many objects available to customize my micro village I will continue to play for some time. The game is great for people who do not have a lot of time to spend playing a game in long spurts.

The Friday Review: SPAZ (PC)

Space Pirates and Zombies
review by Peter

Space Pirates and Zombies calls up memories of games like Star Control. You explore a procedurally generated galaxy filled with life, blasting anything you want into floating debris. It strikes a good balance between tactical and arcade game play, and does a magnificent job of presenting a galaxy that feels alive. One example of this is the completely random content in systems without specific missions or events. Sometimes you will warp in and find an asteroid field littered with resources, other times you will warp into the midst of battle. Life goes on even when you aren't present to observe it.

You start with a very small fleet of ships and a quest to reach the center of the galaxy. You directly control your ships one at a time, but can give very basic commands to the other ships in your fleet. Ultimately, battles will hinge on your skills as a pilot more than as a commander. You have what amounts to two forms of currency, rez and goons, which you can collect from missions for the various factions and characters you meet throughout the game. You can also do things like hanging around hotels or mining outposts, and scavenge what you need. The flexibility in resource collection is pretty nice. A lot of the time I would just run blockades guarding the warp gates in the general direction I wanted to go and pick up what I needed as I went. You will meet only a few factions in the game, but they are not in communication with each other, so souring the relation with a faction in your current system will not affect relations in any other system. The disconnect between the various systems in the galaxy feels very contrived at times, but it allows you more tactical freedom.

The physics are surprisingly detailed. Projectiles will glance off your ship at high angles. Explosions will push you around. The weightlessness of space is portrayed well.

The story is a little thin, but it's mostly a vehicle to keep pushing you through the game, so it's a minor annoyance. The voice acting by Totalbiscuit was fun. I have seen people complain that it is bland, but, considering the game's universe, I feel it adds to the atmosphere of the game perfectly.

The graphics are not ground breaking by any means, but there is great attention to detail, and the amount of ambiance floating behind you is incredible.

The humor is a constant treat. The random broadcasts; the quips of "rescued" goons in space; the description of ships and modules; and even the holiday mods the developer's created, all add to the fun and quirky feel.

With 33 ships to collect and 70 unique components to add to them, there is endless variability in what ships you can design. You can hunt down specific technologies to make an agile brawler, or a clunky ranged missile launcher. It's all up to you. There is a definite feeling of grinding for resources and technology, but if you are like me you won't notice too often. After all, there's nothing more satisfying than punching through an enemy fleet with a ship custom fitted to you, and with a new galaxy generated for each play through replay value will not be an issue.

The Friday Review: Orcs Must Die! (XBLA, PC)

Orcs Must Die!
review by Casey

Twisting the Tower Defense genre seems to be fairly popular these days and Robot Entertainments Orcs Must Die! is one of the latest to remind people why this genre is so awesome! Much like the game Dungeon Defenders you play the game in a 3^rd person character mode choosing from several traps, abilities and weapons to destroy the Orcs trying to infiltrate your fortress. The premise is simple, but I think Orcs Must Die! really captures the charm and simplicity of the Tower Defense genre. There’s one way in and one way out, and it is up to you to keep as many of those nasty Orcs out of your tower as possible by setting up floor spikes, arrow walls, spring traps and several other creatively crafted defenses.

Pros:

- The one thing I notice right off the bat is that this game is gorgeous. The art is great and it captures a unique cartoon style that feels similar to an animated film. The characters are vibrant, well designed, and well animated, especially the main character who, upon defeating a level, gives you a variety of “Touchdown” dances depending on how high you score. The illustrated cut scenes throughout the game, and the schematic breakdowns of the traps, weapons, and characters that appear during the loading screens, have a real cohesiveness that helps reinforce the art style.

- The game-play is incredibly tight and polished. Each level brings a unique challenge to the player and your progression allows you to unlock new abilities and new traps to choose from (6 weapons, 17 traps). With the option to upgrade your arsenal of traps and replay levels with those newly upgraded traps, you have the opportunity to battle for a higher score value, which gives a great replay value to the game.

- Last, but not least, the game is fun! There is an overall lighthearted theme to the massive amounts of chaos and destruction, which is both humorous and gratifying to the player. It also caters to different player types. You have the option to play at the lower level “Apprentice” if you are not a hardcore Tower Defense player, but for those who are, you are given the opportunity to play through the “War Mage” or Medium setting and unlock the “Nightmare” mode.  I myself have not yet unlocked the “Nightmare” mode, but I am still finding myself getting beat pretty hard at some of the higher levels in the game, so I doubt a harder difficulty will be somewhere I go next.

Cons:

- Loading times in the game are painfully slow. You’ll see the little loading icon in the bottom of the screen struggling to indicate your games progress at every turn. Even when booting up the game I thought it froze it was moving so slow. Luckily, this does not affect the game-play in any way, so no slow downs during combat.

- Setting Traps is a little wonky due to the 3^rd person controls. You have to use your character to aim were you want to set your traps on somewhat of an invisible grid layout in the game. Visually it looks cool because the character “summons” each trap, but often times you find yourself setting traps in oddly misaligned positions. Fortunately you can remove traps and reset them, but in a game where time affects your overall score this can get pretty frustrating.

- One-liners are abundant throughout the game, in fact you get one every time you lay a trap, and they get to be pretty ridiculous. They have their moments of humor, but often times you hear the same line over, and over, and it gets old quick. It would probably be better if the main hero had someone to talk to throughout the different stages, but he’s just bantering to himself annoyingly.

Final Words:

Orcs Must Die! is a great time and definitely appeals to the Tower Defense crowd, however there is enough 3^rd person combat and humor in the game to attract even the most inexperienced strategist. I recommend that everyone should at least download the Demo and give this game a try. Also, I have recently discovered that there is a DLC pack that features five new fortresses, new traps, and weapons. I don’t buy DLC too often, but I am sure by the end of this game I might find myself looking for more Orcs to kill.

Orcs Must Die! by Robot Entertainment is available now on Xbox Live, Steam and OnLive.

The Friday Review: From Dust (XBLA, PSN, PC)

From Dust
review by CJ

There is something uniquely charming about the tribal feel of From Dust, Ubisoft’s god game for XBLA and PC. As I look at the games art style, and beautifully rendered world, I really want to like it. Even while playing it, I really wanted to like it. On the surface it’s a great concept: be a kindly god-like being who helps the little people in their world survive by shaping the world to combat an assortment of natural disasters. Along the way you unlock additional powers by helping the people build villages and spread vegetation across the islands. I was expecting more out of the game than it offered, however. In the end it’s just a puzzle game.

PROS:

- Beautiful. Seriously, this game looks good. The way water flows, lava bursts from volcanoes, and vegetation slowly spreads across the land, it is all very pleasing to the eye.

- Great controls. I always knew what a button was going to do, and never felt frustrated because of accidently doing something unintended. The way matter is released from the “Breath” is dependent on how far depressed the triggers are, and I felt as if the game could read my mind on how much I wanted to release, and how quickly.

CONS:           

- Bad camera! With two zoom options—too close or too far—I never felt like I was looking at the world from a comfortable distance.

- Misleading. I was expecting more control of and interaction with the villagers and their villages (such as in Black and White). The game gives you the ability to zoom in on individual people, see their name, gender, and capabilities, but gives you no reason to care. Villagers die, and die often. Then they are simply replaced without any real effort. Even if an entire village is destroyed it can be immediately rebuilt as long as you have 5 villagers left, either survivors or from another village. I was upset when I realized that the people and their villages are just a component of the puzzle.

- Extreme difficulties. Sometimes laughably (or boringly) easy, and other times frustratingly (or throw-your-controller-at-the-TV-and-boil-a-pot-o-tea-on-your-steaming-forehead) difficult.  

SUMMARY:  I feel like From Dust is a tech demo. The game does some really amazing things, and does them really well. The sad thing is that the best part of the game was the final level, where it gives you full power to create the world in what ever image you can imagine, including placing springs, vegetation, volcanoes, mountains, etc. The extremely sad thing is that you can’t do anything with it. I’m not one to spoil endings, but if you’re going to play this game you may want to know this before it happens to you. If you don't want to know, skip ahead to the safe zone. SPOILER ALERT: at the end of the last level, after you have spent however much time you want tweaking your world to be just the way you want it, everything gets destroyed, without warning, and without any way of saving it. I was outraged. SAFE TO READ NOW: I would have loved to been able to share my creations with friends, or create puzzles for them to complete. This is one game that’s going down in my book as “full of untapped potential”.

Choose the Next Keflings DLC - Vote NOW!

Voting is LIVE!!! Head over to PlayXBLA to cast your vote for the DLC you want us to make (and win a chance to be Kefling-ized!)

You can vote once per day, so keep coming back for more votes and more chances to win!

You Choose the DLC!

NinjaBee is super excited to announce their new DLC for A World of Keflings!

Trouble is, we don't know what it is! We need you to help us decide. This week Play XBLA will be unveiling three (not 1, not 2, but 3!) different DLC concepts, and next week the voters will decide which one gets made.

BUT WAIT! THAT'S NOT ALL!

For next week only, each person will be allowed to vote once a day for the DLC of their choice, and for each vote cast you will get entered into a chance to win your likeness "Kefling-ized" as an in-game character!

Operators (myself) are standing by to post the different themes as they are announced Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this week. Enjoy!

Theme #1: A Graveyard for Keflings

Theme #2: Candy for Keflings

Theme #3: Pirates for Keflings

The Friday Review: Rock of Ages (XBLA, PSN, PC)

Rock of Ages

 -review by Tesh

One part Monty Python, one part Marble Madness, one part Monkeyball, one part Skee-ball, garnished with light Tower Defense seasoning, Rock of Ages is... weird.  It's a good weird, but it's still... weird.  It's an innovative little beastie, well worth spending some time with; especially if your dream game involves crushing things with giant rocks.  Breaking stuff never gets old.  Funny how we're wired that way.

The Good:

• You control a big boulder and smash stuff along a zany obstacle-ridden path, ultimately crushing your opponent in person after leveling their fort door.  You crush stuff.  With a big rock.  It's not subtle, but it's fun.
• Controls are surprisingly tight for driving a big slab of stone.  The titular rock handily ignores many Newtonian rules of rock-rolling and it's relatively easy to roll back uphill if you happened to miss something.
• Winning seems to hinge on solid steering, good timing, and smart defenses.  I like that all are important, though I'll readily concede that's a matter of taste.
• Sounds are solid.  The whimsical music feels appropriate and the characters, for all their simplicity, work well.  Smashing stuff and sending bystanders screaming is satisfying.
• 300, Castlevania, Greek legends, great art and artists... nothing is sacred, and the Greek ancestry of this game runs deep.  It's funny in a twisted sort of way, but never really mean.
• Falling off of the track doesn't hurt, it just costs time.  Smart call, that.
• There are shortcuts in some levels that make exploration rewarding.  Sometimes they make it too easy to win, but sometimes that's exactly what you're looking for.
• Varied alternate boulders make for some fun experimentation.
• The game's demo is good for getting a feel for the core mechanics.

The Bad:

• Most forts will take three hits.  It would have been nice to have a bit more variety or fudge room, especially in harder levels... but on the other hand, that does mean bouts are relatively quick.
• Spatial awareness and camera control are very important.  The automatic camera is decent, but it may take time to get used to controlling the camera and finding your way around some of the occasionally large and convoluted maps.  Thankfully you can invert the camera controls, if you're so inclined, and there are helpful signs to suggest a route to the enemy.
• Lack of good feedback on the defensive part of the game.  You need to build structures to trip up the other player, but it's not terribly clear how well they actually work, or when they will actually be functional.  You'll get used to it, but that comes with time, not explicit instruction.
• Those fun alternate boulders typically aren't even necessary, and are too easily broken.
• The game's demo doesn't really hint at the crazy level design that shows up later.  Don't expect the whole game to be as straightforward as the demo.

The Ugly:

• Count Vlad Dracula and the personification of Plague.  Blame that on the Medieval artists, though.  The bosses are creepy, too.  On the plus side, that makes smashing them more satisfying.

Fudge or Chitlins?

On the whole I heartily recommend Rock of Ages.  As always there are a few things I'd have done differently (especially feedback in the defensive part of the game), and the humor is a bit juvenile, but the game is original and fun enough for me to have thoroughly enjoyed it.  It tests skills I'm fond of (spatial awareness, planning, exploration, steering) and gives enough control and short enough play sessions that it always feels like I can conquer a level if I play well.  It feels fair, like failures are my fault, not that of bad game design.  That's a Good Thing, and Rock of Ages is a great game.

Happy Holidays!

We hope you all had a great time with the holidays these past couple weeks. The Friday Review will continue again this week, and for those of you who may have missed out on the mystery, check out playxbla.com for some fun clues!


Hint #1
Hint #2
Hint Hint & Hint #3
Hint #4
Hint #5
Hint #6
Hint #7
It all begins to come together...

FINALLY!

The Friday Review – Muffin Knight (iPhone, Android)

Do you know the Muffin Knight?

 -review by Mike

When I first saw a brief plug for Muffin Knight (Android game) I thought, “That looks like some light-hearted arcade fun with my kinda humor.” And I was delighted to find that I was absolutely right. Bright color pallet, comedic fantasy characters, platformer game mechanics, and lots of unlockables; mix them all together and you get a killer recipe for awesomeness... mostly.
Here's the breakdown:

The Goods:

• +5 Visuals of Stunningness - the game has really fun graphics; a color pallet that sings; and a good amount of visual polish; all beautifully executed without totally bogging down my phone's hardware (Galaxy S).
• +4 Game Mechanics of Cleverness - at its core Muffin Knight is a platformer and, as such, automatically gets a +1 right off the bat in my book. It also happens to be a GOOD platformer with tight controls. The best part was the various character abilities. Every time you gather a prized muffin you randomly switch characters. Each character has a unique attack style, so you have to constantly change your strategy based on what character you happen to be playing.
• +2 Strategies of Power - the game does a great job of using the interplay of level design and character abilities to create interesting strategies. Each character has a strength - kill lots of guys with the archer; utilize long platforms with the pumkin king; lay a crap load (literally) of traps all over as a safety net with the unicorn, etc. Good stuff.
• Unlockables of Ultimate Collectability - I love games with unlockables/collectibles. I think it's almost always a good idea to work this mechanic into games when possible. In Muffin Knight, the more you play the more characters you unlock. You also unlock more levels for scoring highly. On top of all of that you can also level up each character multiple times with XP that you earn by playing. The game really maximized the replayability, and it worked.

The Lames:

• When I downloaded the full version of the game, for some reason it wiped out all the progress I had made in the trial. LAME. I had achieved some serious progress in the trial and it all went down the crapper when I downloaded the full version.
• On-screen-controllers are never my favorite thing, and in this game, as in many others, it was easy to botch them. Overall it’s not horrible, but there were many times that I missed the button I was going for, or accidentally pushed the wrong one, simply because a screen doesn't work very well as a controller. The player needs tactile feedback to be completely successful with a controller - something that phones just don't provide. That said this game was a lot better than some.
• The game provided a lot of really good content in the trial version. Too much in my opinion. After I spent the 3 bucks and bought the full version I found myself wondering why. It's true that you can only play on the first 3 levels in the trial mode, but those are my favorite levels anyway. I don't know if there's a cap on the number of characters you can unlock in the trial, but I never ran into it - you can unlock a ton! And the full version advertised "boss battles", which ended up very disappointing. The "boss" in the lava level just hangs out in the background. You never fight him directly! Boo.

Conclusion:

I really love this game. Super fun mechanics, good level design, and tons of unlockables that are as tasty as the muffins you collect. I might recommend that people stick with the trial though. Most of what I love about the game can be found there without spending the 3 bucks. Though if you want multiplayer the full version would probably be worth it. I never tried multiplayer though, so I'm not sure if it works well. Peace out!

NinjaBee Costume

Have you ever wondered how to make a NinjaBee costume? Well ...
http://sailorcrafty.blogspot.com/2011/12/ninjabee-mascot-costume.html

Keflings comes to Android and iOS with OnLive Release!

It's finally happened - you can now play A Kingdom for Keflings on your iPad2, Android tablet or smart phone! The game released on OnLive last Thursday, adding in new, native touch controls. The mobile version was released simultaneously with the new, free OnLive app that will allow you to play OnLive games on Android and iOS devices.

The game is available on OnLive, which means that with one purchase ($9.99 USD) you can now play Keflings on demand, anywhere, on PC, Mac, the OnLive Game System or on your mobile device.

Plus, if you've previously purchased the PC version of A Kingdom for Keflings from NinjaBee.com we'll give you a free copy of the OnLive version of the game, just for being awesome. All you need to do is send an email to Swag@NinjaBee.com with the subject line "Keflings OnLive" and make sure you include your name and email address you used when purchasing the game. Once we get your email we'll send you a code to unlock the game!

To get the OnLive app on Android, click here: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.onlive.client

PS- OnLive is giving away free copies of Lego Batman to anyone who downloads their mobile app!

The Friday Review: Age of Booty (XBLA, PSN, PC)

Age of Booty
review by CJ

Yarrr mateys! If you’re looking for some fun pirate action, or just a good multiplayer game to enjoy with friends, Age of Booty is worthy target. In this real time strategy game you take control of a pirate ship, with the goal of sacking and capturing as many towns as possible to take control of a map. Resource collecting is an important aspect, needed for upgrading your ship and towns defenses and offenses, but such resources are won by sacking villages, sinking merchants and other pirates, or capturing towns. Sinking merchants can also win you fun bonuses such as bombs and whirlpools, which can be used to surprise your enemies in an otherwise losing battle. Play through the entertaining campaign solo, or play with friends online or local. I was excited to find that the game also came with a map editor, a veritable “cherry on top” in my book.

PROS:

- Great cooperative play. Not enough games allow local play anymore, let alone local with up to 4 players, co-op or versus. This is a great party game, with quick levels and at times hilarious and tense battles.

- Worthy challenge. The single player campaign starts off easy, and increases in difficulty at a great pace. It ends with a bang, as well, the final map being nearly impossible, giving the player a great sense of accomplishment once won.

- Pure entertainment. This is a fun game that doesn’t take itself seriously. Easy to play for just a few minutes or hours.

CONS:

- Poor story. This isn’t necessarily a con, per se, but if you’re looking for an inspiring story look elsewhere. This game is all about the fun.

- Odd controls. The point and click controls work great for PC, but feel a little awkward on a console.

- Predictable AI. There are a few tactics you can use that will almost always guarantee victory over the AI. This can take away from the difficulty and fun.

SUMMARY: This game is only $5, and easily worth more. If you’re looking for a great game to play with friends and just have fun, check this one out.