Hi everyone,
A lot of stuff's been going on in the strange world of YouTube recently, much of it pretty much the same as everything else. I'm referring to the gaming community in particular here - it seems respect is rather hard to come by these days. But something kind of interesting is coming up soon - there's a charity event coming up this weekend called Call of the Community. The goal of this event is to bring together YouTube's gaming community, grow some respect, and most importantly, make it worthwhile on a global scale, raising money for three charities:
- Thirst Relief International: Aims to give clean water and sources thereof to developing, third-world countries.
- Gamers for Giving: Gives cancer victims Xboxes and PS3s to pass the time during Chemo.
- anthonynolan.org: Funds cancer research and supports the families of cancer victims.
Anyways, it's a great event, and I'm really excited for it. Visit the website to watch the live stream and/or to donate at 9 pm EST on Friday, July 15, 2011 for team-making, and 3 pm EST on Sunday, July 17 for the main event. Call of Duty MLG rules, all that awesome stuff.
http://callofthecommunity.com/
You can also donate right here:
MMO and Facebook App Reviews
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Flash Game Review: Steambirds Survival
Steambirds: Survival is a flash game that sort of falls into the turn-based strategy genre, but makes a few innovations to the formula. Based on the original Steambirds, it uses the same basic gameplay, like how you move and attack and use special abilities, but you only control one airplane, and you can buy new ones with the in-game cash that you earn from playing, or with the game's microtransactions system. Players are to survive as many waves as possible before being shot down.
There's something of a plot, but nothing too deep. As you defeat more and more waves, text in the background informs you of the lives you've saved and communities you've evacuated.
Steambirds: Survival, along with the rest of the Steambirds series, is a highly tactical game. Before you end each turn, you really have to think of what'll happen to you afterwards. You're only in control of one unit, so that one unit is infinitely important. Unlockable airplanes make for brilliant and unconventional strategies, like rushing an enemy, and pulling back at the last minute while dropping a deadly barrage of bombs.
You're almost always at a disadvantage when it comes to raw firepower. To aid you in overcoming this disadvantage, the game includes several different powerups that you can acquire and use over the course of the game. Each airplane starts off with a few of them, and others can be picked up from downed enemies. They offer an expanded variety of possible tactics, like letting loose poison gas that damages enemies and jams their guns, so that on your next turn you can do a u-turn and blast them to pieces while their defenceless.
Steambirds: Survival is, as far as anyone can tell, unwinnable. All you can do is shoot down unending waves of increasingly difficult and numerous enemies until you die. Then you're taken to the page where you can buy new planes with your newly earned points, and restart. The inspiring messages they show you each wave must have some end though, so perhaps you can "win".
All in all, Steambirds: Survival is a great game. It's alternate-history steampunk atmosphere is perfect, and it always keeps you thinking. They're making a multiplayer Steambirds game soon, so stay tuned for details. This is definitely a series to keep a close eye on.
Score: 9.5/10
Screenshots:
There's something of a plot, but nothing too deep. As you defeat more and more waves, text in the background informs you of the lives you've saved and communities you've evacuated.
Steambirds: Survival, along with the rest of the Steambirds series, is a highly tactical game. Before you end each turn, you really have to think of what'll happen to you afterwards. You're only in control of one unit, so that one unit is infinitely important. Unlockable airplanes make for brilliant and unconventional strategies, like rushing an enemy, and pulling back at the last minute while dropping a deadly barrage of bombs.
 |
| The Bunni and PandaPoet are my favourite two airplanes to fly, primarily because you can blow up half a wave of enemies without a singlle shot fired. |
You're almost always at a disadvantage when it comes to raw firepower. To aid you in overcoming this disadvantage, the game includes several different powerups that you can acquire and use over the course of the game. Each airplane starts off with a few of them, and others can be picked up from downed enemies. They offer an expanded variety of possible tactics, like letting loose poison gas that damages enemies and jams their guns, so that on your next turn you can do a u-turn and blast them to pieces while their defenceless.
Steambirds: Survival is, as far as anyone can tell, unwinnable. All you can do is shoot down unending waves of increasingly difficult and numerous enemies until you die. Then you're taken to the page where you can buy new planes with your newly earned points, and restart. The inspiring messages they show you each wave must have some end though, so perhaps you can "win".
All in all, Steambirds: Survival is a great game. It's alternate-history steampunk atmosphere is perfect, and it always keeps you thinking. They're making a multiplayer Steambirds game soon, so stay tuned for details. This is definitely a series to keep a close eye on.
Score: 9.5/10
Screenshots:
Monday, June 6, 2011
Battlefield 3 "Thunder Run" Tank Gameplay Demo
This is the tank gameplay of a demo called "Thunder Run" from the upcoming game Battlefield 3, revealed at a demo at E3.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Warfare 1944
Warfare 1944 is one of my favourite flash games. It's a real-time-strategy World War II game. Enjoy!
Free Online Games brought to you by Armor Games
Free Online Games brought to you by Armor Games
Friday, May 20, 2011
Facebook App Review: Battle Pirates
Battle Pirates is a real-time strategy Facebook App with the rather unique setting of modern (or a bit steampunk) pirates. Like most Facebook games, it relies on the interaction of its players. Players are in command of their HQ, or outpost, and build and upgrade structures and fleets with the intention of gaining more power and control over their area. They control each fleet of five ships separately, and move them around the world map, giving them orders to explore, mine, salvage or attack the world around them.
Pros: Relatively deep strategy, high level of ship customization, friendly playerbase
Cons: Restricted by politeness (you attack someone, everyone else in the world attacks you)
The world of Battle Pirates is a constant struggle between players for power and resources. You build ships, give them the weapons and armour you want, and put them to the ultimate test - the battlefield. After launching them from your dock, they'll be thrust out into the wide open, daunting sea, where you assign them missions such as mining for resources, attacking enemy fleets, and even taking down an outpost. There's a lot to be done in the big, wide world.
There's so much to do, it can get rather intimidating. So many people have such bigger ships, but don't worry - for the most part they'll leave you alone.
The way the game works is that you gather resources, either from the buildings at your HQ or from resource mines. Resource mines give you resources a lot quicker, but you need to manually send a fleet out to mine and you need to attack to gain possession of it and defend it from enemy players and Draconians, the game's NPCs. Because they have such a high resource production rate compared to your home base, they can be in very intense contention, especially the higher-level ones. Draconian fleets will attack player-owned resources every few hours.
When you attack an enemy, or when an enemy attacks you, a separate battle sequence starts. Each of your five ships can be ordered to attack any given enemy or go to any given spot on the battlefield. Smaller ships generally move faster than larger ones, allowing for flanking and other tactics.
The ships themselves are highly customizable, too. New hulls are unlocked in the Naval Lab. You can choose weapons and armour, too, which are unlocked in the Weapons lab and Naval lab. The different items have different weights, and each ship has a weight limit. Fleets have a total weight limit too, but it can be raised by upgrading the dock.
It's also nice that they've implemented NPCs, because without them the game would depend completely on PvP like in Combat Zone. The problem with Combat Zone, and to a lesser extent, Battle Pirates, is that politeness makes PvP difficult. Whenever someone attacks someone else without provocation, eveyone on chat is talking about it and gangs up on the aggressor. It's not so bad when fighting over resources, but attacking someone's base can start quite an episode.
Score: 9/10
Battle Pirates is a relatively deep game (considering it's a Facebook app). The setting is very original, and the ship customization really complements its gameplay. This Facebook app has been one of the most entertaining ones I've played in quite a while, and it's well worth taking five minutes to check it out.
Pros: Relatively deep strategy, high level of ship customization, friendly playerbase
Cons: Restricted by politeness (you attack someone, everyone else in the world attacks you)
The world of Battle Pirates is a constant struggle between players for power and resources. You build ships, give them the weapons and armour you want, and put them to the ultimate test - the battlefield. After launching them from your dock, they'll be thrust out into the wide open, daunting sea, where you assign them missions such as mining for resources, attacking enemy fleets, and even taking down an outpost. There's a lot to be done in the big, wide world.
 | ||
| The world of Battle Pirates can be intimidating at times. |
The way the game works is that you gather resources, either from the buildings at your HQ or from resource mines. Resource mines give you resources a lot quicker, but you need to manually send a fleet out to mine and you need to attack to gain possession of it and defend it from enemy players and Draconians, the game's NPCs. Because they have such a high resource production rate compared to your home base, they can be in very intense contention, especially the higher-level ones. Draconian fleets will attack player-owned resources every few hours.
When you attack an enemy, or when an enemy attacks you, a separate battle sequence starts. Each of your five ships can be ordered to attack any given enemy or go to any given spot on the battlefield. Smaller ships generally move faster than larger ones, allowing for flanking and other tactics.
 | |
| Always try to enter battle with a decisive advantage. |
 |
| Battle Pirates Ship Customization |
It's also nice that they've implemented NPCs, because without them the game would depend completely on PvP like in Combat Zone. The problem with Combat Zone, and to a lesser extent, Battle Pirates, is that politeness makes PvP difficult. Whenever someone attacks someone else without provocation, eveyone on chat is talking about it and gangs up on the aggressor. It's not so bad when fighting over resources, but attacking someone's base can start quite an episode.
 |
| This is what tends to happen when somebody gets cocky. |
Score: 9/10
Battle Pirates is a relatively deep game (considering it's a Facebook app). The setting is very original, and the ship customization really complements its gameplay. This Facebook app has been one of the most entertaining ones I've played in quite a while, and it's well worth taking five minutes to check it out.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Oops.
 |
| A...mistake in Battlefield Play4Free. I didn't know the game's physics even made this possible. |
Monday, March 14, 2011
Runescape Review
Runescape is your typical MMORPG. Players explore the world, playing as their characters, killing enemies, collecting resources, crafting items, etc. It's good for older computers and netbooks because there's no download and the graphics are simple.
Pros: Broswer based - no download, large playerbase, good economic system (Grand Exchange), no classes
Cons: Small game world for non-members (free-to-play users), too many macro users
Runescape is a fantasy MMORPG. You know, with the elves and orcs and goblins and all. At the higher levels there are dragons, much like every other MMORPG. But one unique feature of Runescape is that you're not limited to being just a mage, or just a warrior. There are no "classes" in Runescape - you can train in any skill you want, and switch to an entirely different way of fighting at any time, even in the middle of combat.
Despite being criticized for its low-end graphics, it's actually pretty good for a browser game. It lacks the beautiful landscapes and large worlds of its client-based counterparts, but considering it doesn't require a download and it works on even the slowest computers, that's acceptable.
Runescape is a lot more popular than many of the browser games on the market, and it's even developed a realistic economic system called the Grand Exchange. Any player can make an offer for any of their items on the Grand Exchange. They choose the item and the price (defaulting to the Market Value), and it is pooled with all the other identical items of that price. Any player on any server can search for any item and a desired price, and if there are any players selling what they want, the transaction will be made, automatically transferring the item and the in-game money. Purchases and offers can be made in bulk, and players have been known to make millions of gp (gold pieces) off of it.
The problem with Runescape, though, is that the game world is very small compared to the worlds of other MMORPGs. That is, the game world for non-members, those who don't pay a monthly fee. The world for members is huge and always expanding, with even more than what you see below in dungeons. The free-to-play world is very small compared to the world including the pay-to-play expansions. They try to convince everyone that the "members" world is just an expansion of the free-to-play one, but the free-to-play world is (compared to other MMORPGs) puny. I mean, it's pretty decent for a browser game, but it just doesn't reach the standards set by the other free-to-play MMORPGs on the market.
Score: 8/10
With the growth of the free-to-play MMO market quickly accelerating, Runescape is starting to blend in with other MMORPGs. It just doesn't have enough unique features, and its game world is far too small for its free-to-play users. But, looking past cheesy graphics and a small world, there's definitely some fun to be had on Runescape with an excellent economic system and a unique class-free leveling system. It's worth playing, and you don't need to sacrifice disk space to play it, either.
Pros: Broswer based - no download, large playerbase, good economic system (Grand Exchange), no classes
Cons: Small game world for non-members (free-to-play users), too many macro users
Runescape is a fantasy MMORPG. You know, with the elves and orcs and goblins and all. At the higher levels there are dragons, much like every other MMORPG. But one unique feature of Runescape is that you're not limited to being just a mage, or just a warrior. There are no "classes" in Runescape - you can train in any skill you want, and switch to an entirely different way of fighting at any time, even in the middle of combat.
Despite being criticized for its low-end graphics, it's actually pretty good for a browser game. It lacks the beautiful landscapes and large worlds of its client-based counterparts, but considering it doesn't require a download and it works on even the slowest computers, that's acceptable.
Runescape is a lot more popular than many of the browser games on the market, and it's even developed a realistic economic system called the Grand Exchange. Any player can make an offer for any of their items on the Grand Exchange. They choose the item and the price (defaulting to the Market Value), and it is pooled with all the other identical items of that price. Any player on any server can search for any item and a desired price, and if there are any players selling what they want, the transaction will be made, automatically transferring the item and the in-game money. Purchases and offers can be made in bulk, and players have been known to make millions of gp (gold pieces) off of it.
The problem with Runescape, though, is that the game world is very small compared to the worlds of other MMORPGs. That is, the game world for non-members, those who don't pay a monthly fee. The world for members is huge and always expanding, with even more than what you see below in dungeons. The free-to-play world is very small compared to the world including the pay-to-play expansions. They try to convince everyone that the "members" world is just an expansion of the free-to-play one, but the free-to-play world is (compared to other MMORPGs) puny. I mean, it's pretty decent for a browser game, but it just doesn't reach the standards set by the other free-to-play MMORPGs on the market.
 |
| Runescape's free-to-play world is highlighted in red. |
Score: 8/10
With the growth of the free-to-play MMO market quickly accelerating, Runescape is starting to blend in with other MMORPGs. It just doesn't have enough unique features, and its game world is far too small for its free-to-play users. But, looking past cheesy graphics and a small world, there's definitely some fun to be had on Runescape with an excellent economic system and a unique class-free leveling system. It's worth playing, and you don't need to sacrifice disk space to play it, either.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)