Game of Interest: Mario World Online

Posted on October 20, 2006

Just the mention of the name Mario makes many gamers emit a nostalgic sigh (even if you weren’t even born when Mario was released in his first incarnation as the princess-saving Donkey Kong-beating pixel plumber).

I found this morning that a gaming company has translated the Mario-goodness of Super Mario World into a flash version so you can play it in your browser.

Ah, the sweet joys of bouncing on koopas and growing larger and smaller at the whims of a mushroom. Just thought I’d drop it by all of you readers (uhm… the two of you that happen by every day) so you can go reminisce. No, I won’t review this particular game.

Prelim Review: Gorgeous graphics, stifling gameplay

Posted on October 19, 2006

Muffin: The Star Hunter has one glorious attribute: it’s absolutely stunning. The environments are colorful and the pixel character you control is fittingly cute (not to mention small — her slimy enemies look as if they could squash her just by sitting on her).

But, as we know, stunning graphics alone do not a pleasant experience make. (Remember the movie version of Final Fantasy?) I call this a prelim review because I’ve only played through a small portion of the game. However, I don’t know if I’ll be returning to this game anytime soon.

The rules follow the basics of platform games: collect 10 stars in each level while bouncing on listless enemies that could hurt you if you touch them. Her only weapon is the fact that she can jump very, very high and bounce on the head of jello-like snail… things. It’s engaging for a while, and then you realize that there’s no way to recover what you’ve done. No password system. Period. Meaning, once you die, Muffin has to start from the bright and cheery depths of level one.

Another annoying part of the game is the sound. I’d advise anyone who enjoys his eardrums to turn the speakers off when playing this game. Muffin makes a high-pitched squeak every time she jumps. And she jumps often. The music itself is actually nice to listen to. But paired with that squeak, it’s just not worth it.

 I’d advise people to play this game just to look at the pretty graphics. But it’s not extremely enjoyable, and the lack of a password mechanism makes the game all the more frustrating.

Puzzle game turns your time into gold

Posted on October 17, 2006

Talismania Deluxe 1.0 (that’s the whole, mouthful of a name) is one of those downloadable puzzle games most subscription game services offer. Unlike its puzzle-game counterparts, Talismania presents a quirky storyline with a thoroughly enjoyable gameplay.

You take the role of King Midas, the man whose touch turned everything to gold. Unfortunately, this time, he made quite a mistake: he turned his daughter into a gold statue. Now, he needs to do charitable deeds around the (Greek) neighborhood in order to restore his daughter to perfect health. You need to raise coins to build such monuments as the walls of Troy and the Temple at Delphi.

All you need to do is connect pathways between various animals made of precious metals. Okay, you’re probably thinking I could do a better job of explaining myself. I probably could, but that would involve a lot of convoluted writing. Looking at the picture on the left will probably be easier. You have to connect the like talismans together. Unlike other games, this game does not reward speed so much as your ability to make the longest possible trail between talismans (men?). Some talismen cause problems (the Medusa turns your paths into stone), and some reward you with extra coins.

All in all, Talismania is a great puzzle game. It’s simple, so there’s not much more to say about it.

Talismania can be downloaded from many subscription games sites. I downloaded it from Shockwave Unlimited.

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