It’s like tree ice cream
Posted on January 30, 2007
Vanilla comes from a flash game programmer who brings us such game gems as Grow, a strangely surreal game that has you trying to cultivate a creature from a single seed. Vanilla isn’t quite the same game, but it does involve you growing a shrub that looks somewhat like a multi-scoop ice cream cone. The only thing is, each shrub seems to have devil ears.
This flash game features, quite possibly, the cutest pieces of botany that the Internet will have seen in its history. That’s one plus for this simple game.
When you first open the window to play Vanilla, you are greeted with a Flash screen that doesn’t sit in your browser. Actually, it extends beyond your browser, unless you happen to have a rather long resolution. And while most times, a flash screen that extends beyond your browser is a sign of poor planning on the programmer’s part, that’s not the case here. In fact, it’s quite deliberately longer than your screen.
Why does it stretch so long? Because the whole point of the game is to make the shrubs grow as high as you can by clicking on the blinking square generally placed on the forehead of the shrubs. As the shrubs get stacked higher, you need to click on the foreheads of each shrub in sequence in order to make it grow higher.
The trick is not only to make the shrub grow in height, but to also keep it from touching the outside of the flash screen. Since the flash screen is quite skinny, this actually takes a bit of conscious effort on your part. If you press a little to the left or a little to the right of the flashing square, your whole shrubbery will threaten to tip over.
This game is a simple diversion that will have you wanting to beat your last highest shrubbery score. Bet you can’t just play it once.
Filed Under Flash Games, Free, Video Games | Leave a Comment
Abducting the Earth, one human at a time
Posted on January 29, 2007
UFO Mania pits you, an orange-colored UFO just trying to save the humans, against the humans that, sadly, don’t want to be saved. Actually, they don’t want to be saved so much that some of them even carry around rocket launchers that they aim at your rather fragile ship. Come on, space age technology, and you get taken down by a measly rocket launcher?
In any case, the game makes you pick up people off the ground and drop them on a different planet where, presumably, they’d live a happy and healthy life. Or be experimented on. One of the two. I’m not really sure which, since the game doesn’t make that too clear.
You only need to use the mouse to play. Guide your traction beam over some humans, and be careful not to drop them. If you go to fast, they’ll fall. And, if you’re too high above the ground, they’ll die. So don’t kill any humans. That’s not the point of the game.
Also, I’d like to point out that, if you don’t like the color orange, you probably won’t have much fun playing this game, as every inch of the flash screen is orange.
Filed Under Flash Games, Free, Video Games | Leave a Comment
Amazon Deals: Under $20 (PS2 Version)
Posted on January 28, 2007
This weekly feature is my attempt at finding good deals on Amazon. I will feature two games a week. Please note that, if you buy something after clicking through one of my links, I do get some money from Amazon.
Xenosaga — $19.99
Xenosaga is the first of a three-part video game series that follows Shion and her humanoid robot, KOS-MOS. And the rest of their merry band as they traverse around the galaxy. It’s an RPG with a turn-based battle system and a story that I really enjoyed.
Xenosaga Episode II is being sold for $19.82, which is another deal, considering I paid about $50 for Xenosaga, the first episode. And Episode III is also out, which is about $30.00, slightly more than the other two.
Katamari Damacy is one of those games that people rave about in a sort of awed tone, merely because it’s not something that should be remotely good, let alone addictive. Turns out, the game is wonderfully addictive, fun, and weirdly set up. You need only use the analog sticks on the game pad to guide the katamari (clump) around the screen to pick up various objects. Anything that you see, you can pick up. As long as you’re big enough, of course.
This is one of those games that need to be seen and experienced. Don’t just take my word for it.
Thanks for coming to this PS2 edition of “Under $20,” deals from everyone’s favorite on-line retailer.
Filed Under Not Free, Video Games, Under $20 | Leave a Comment
