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

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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.

The Friday Review: Outland (XBLA, PSN)

Outland
review by CJ

So I know that last week's game featured the excessive use of the color black, and I realize that this week’s game does as well. But this one also features red and blue. Actually many of Outland's environment backdrops are very colorful, and all of them gorgeous. This game is mainly a puzzle platformer, with some great combat, varied enemies and seriously epic boss battles. The side scrolling maps are set up similar to games like Castlevania and Metroid. There are co-op aspects to the game, which I was unfortunately unable to try, but the game stands up well enough on its single player, which features a captivating story. The games main mechanic revolves around switching between 2 aspects, Light and Dark, allowing you to pass through dangerous puzzles and fight enemies. Outland also gifts players with useful and fun powers as the game progresses, which increases the intensity of both the puzzle solving and the combat. Throw in some hidden treasures and purchasable upgrades, and you have a fantastic title worth a look from anyone.

PROS:

- Polished. It's rare to find a game so completely finished. The controls work flawlessly, the difficulty curve is just right, and the game works the way you expect it to. I never encountered a single glitch.

- The little things. Background music, interactive environment, sound effects, the lighting; each of these things add up to make a rich experience, pulling you into the world and making you feel a part of it.

- Epic! From a story that puts the fate of the world in your hands, to intense boss battles, Outland makes you feel like each moment is an important step forward on an epic adventure.

CONS:

- Backtracking. Returning to previous maps to access areas that were previously unreachable without new powers is acceptable if it is for progression in the game, but I am easily annoyed by using such tactics for grabbing collectables. Finding the hidden items in the game is a part I enjoy, but I get upset when finally find one just to discover that I am unable to collect it because I lack the ability necessary to do so.

SUMMARY: I have had a great time with Outland. At times the combat and platforming is so intense and fast paced that you feel a sense of awe at your ability to flow through it so well. Few games have given me such a sense of connection, as if you, the controller, and character onscreen are one. I’d happily suggest anyone give it a try. Download the trial and see if you can resist paying for the full game.

The Black Friday Review: Limbo (XBLA, PSN, PC)

Limbo

review by CJ

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Welcome to the special "Black" edition of the Friday Review. Limbo wins the privilege of this review for excessive use of the color black. I just recently bought Limbo (during the half-off sale) and beat it. In 2 hours. First try. Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoyed those 2 hours. The puzzles were fun, and the black mood was uniquely enjoyable. Over all I thought the pacing was good, and the difficulty set to enjoy it but not get too annoyed at overly difficult trials. Still, I was very disappointed because of how quickly it ended. If you've played it I'd love to hear what you think about it.

PROS:

-Artistic. This can be either a positive thing or a negative thing depending on if it's well presented and still has some actual play value. In Limbo's case I think it is very well done, and has an amazing atmosphere to it. In fact I believe that the dark creepy tone contained around 80% of

- Great puzzles. They started out simple and rose in difficulty over the course of the game at a good pace. Also, I never felt like I was repeating similar puzzles. Of course, 2 hours worth of unique puzzles is much easier than, say, 5-10 hours worth, so it only gets minor points for this. the game's overall value.

-Got it half off! I think that $7.50 (600 MS points) is a decent price for this game, but I wouldn't want to pay more than that.

CONS:

-Lack of Re-play. This isn’t always a Con, I don’t think games need to have re-play value, but if your game is only 2 hours long I better be able to enjoy it over and over with separate modes, or collectible hidden items, extra difficulty levels, etc. Limbo's puzzles aren't going to change the second time through; there is practically 0 replay value to it.

-Poor puzzles. Ah, I know I put good puzzles in the Pros, but unfortunately there were some bad ones as well. Some of the later puzzles were more the “trial and error” type rather than the “figure this out” type. They involved dying over and over again until you were able to time an action just right, or find the nearly impossible to see switch as you fell quickly through a busy scene. This isn’t puzzle solving, it is annoying. Of course, if these puzzles were replaced with the regular kind the game may not have taken a whole two hours…

-You guessed it! Length. I can’t imagine someone paying $15 for this and not being angry 2 hours later. It hurts me because I feel like this game was very high quality in every other aspect. There are also a lot of other high quality games out there which charge $10-$15 and offer several hours of game play and high re-play value.

SUMMARY: I enjoyed almost every minute of the 2 hours. The last minute, when the credits started and I realized that it was really over, was painful. I felt swindled. It’s important to note, though, that I felt swindled because I was enjoying it so much, and thought I was just getting started. If you have 2 hours with nothing else to do and the extra $15 with nothing else to buy, then maybe this is the game for you.

Side note: It's only $9.99 on Steam, and currently (at time of post) 50% off. I think $5 is a perfect price for this game.

Akimi Village on Sale on PSN!

Akimi Village is on sale this weekend! So put down Skyrim and Batman and try the free trial.

PSN Fall Sale

Nov. 22 - Nov. 28

Akimi Village on sale for $6.99 ($4.89 for PlayStation Plus members)

The game has a demo available, so head on over the the Playstation Store and try it out! If you liked Keflings you'll love Akimi Village - it's like Keflings, but with 4x the zen!

The Friday Review: Dungeon Defenders (XBLA, PSN, PC)

Dungeon Defenders

review by CJ

For my first review I have chosen a game with which I have been thoroughly entranced. Dungeon Defenders is one of those rare gems, not only in concept, but in execution. At first glance the game seems to be trying to combine too many genres, but it does so very well. Mixing the excitement of random equipment drops found in games such as Diablo, or Borderlands, the strategy of the best tower defense games, the RPG level grind, and some seriously fun up-to-4-player co-op, plus more, this game has something to offer anyone.

PROS:

- Great cooperative play. This is a game that can be enjoyed by yourself, or with friends, and the more the merrier. Not enough games offer 4 player co-op these days, and even less that are this much fun.

- Upgrades! Not only does your character level up and receive skill points with each level, you can also upgrade your equipment and pets, and customize their attributes as they upgrade.

- Many modes. Replay value is an important aspect, these days. With so many games on the market we want our money to spread as far as it can, and the more time you can spend on a game the better. Dungeon Defenders incorporates many different modes and challenges for each of its many levels, which changes things up and allows you to replay the same area multiple times with a new experience each time.

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.

SUMMARY: This game is well worth the $15 (XBLA, PSN, or Steam). The four classes are very unique, and the many levels are all well designed, and varied. The story may not be anything to mention, but the game play is solid and fun.

Introducing "The Friday Review"

Hi everyone! This is Matt Bockholt (aka Captain Jax), and I’m happy to announce “The Friday Review” on the NinjaBee blog. Every Friday I, or one of my fellow flying insects of death, will be reviewing a game here on the NinjaBee Dance. Our purpose? To force our superior and correct opinions upon the masses…Actually, it’s just because not only do we love to make video games, we also love to play them, and in the playing of them we often discuss their pros and cons, spreading the happy news of rare finds (like a red rupee popping from a patch of freshly cut grass), or warning against the snarly hidden teeth beneath cute and fuzzy exteriors (like Jason, from QA).

First of all let me assure you that these reviews will in no way reflect the opinions Wahoo Studios or NinjaBee itself (such opinions—if they exist—could not be expressed using any tongue spoken by man), but are only the mad ramblings of those who write them. Second, let me also assure you that our purpose is not to demean other publishers and/or developers. We love our fellow game creators, and want them to continue doing the awesome job they are. But we’re not afraid to point out the parts we don’t like.

We hope that you will express your opinions in response to our reviews, and we can discuss in friendly manner the creations that fuel our gaming hobby.

Fusion: Sentient out today for Windows Phone!

As mentioned in our last post, from time to time we do contract work for publishers who need a development team to work on a game for them. When we do contract work like this we release the game under Wahoo Studios - our second name.

Fusion:Sentient is a futuristic RTS that lets you control a group of really powerful robots called Sentients. The game released today for Windows Phone 7. It's a companion game to an XBLA game called Fusion: Genesis, which was developed by Starfire Studios and also was released today. You can level up your Sentients on your phone and then send them to your Xbox and play with them there, and vice versa.

If you want to check it out, more details are on Microsoft's site - http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/3d55dbb2-2bb3-4b91-bb6c-8c8a1ab21201

Family Game Night 4 is in stores today

We do contract work under the Wahoo name. One of our big projects for EA, Family Game Night 4, hits the shelves today! We made a version for all three consoles. The game features Mr. Potato Head as the game show host. For our celebration party the other day we had a potato bar. 

Come on, you have to admit we are pretty hilarious.

That will be the last time Paul says anything bad about Justin's mother.

Halloween at NinjaBee!

Every year at NinjaBee we have a costume contest at NinjaBee. Check out this years costumes. Who do you think won?

And because nothing says Halloween in Utah like a donut-on-a-string eating contest -