100 Word Review - #E7 - Braid

Why would someone bring a red tie to this?

Braid

Genre - Strategy, Indie, Casual

Metascore - 90%

Developer - Number None

Other Games by Developer - N/A

Edgar's Playtime - 4.1 hours

Braid is a rather unique game. Behind an apparently simplistic platformer is a thoughtful adventure with an adult theme (not erotic, you perverts) and full of never before tried game mechanics. Each of the six levels has several sublevels with puzzle pieces to fetch, a piece of history to tell and a new perk to learn (like rewinding and stopping time) that must be used to successfully complete each level. Some see this as a masterpiece, and I can see why, but by the time you get to the final puzzles, they start to get a bit too challenging.

Edgar's Score - 7/10

100 Word Review - #52 - Sanctum

Everyone loves a good pile of bodies.

Sanctum

Genre - Action, Strategy, Indie, Casual

Metascore - 70%

Developer - Coffee Stain Studios

Other Games by Developer - N/A

My Playtime - 3.9 hours

Sanctum is another game with an interesting mix of genres – tower defence and FPS. This blend works very well and means you can get your strategy and action fixes in the same place. Before each wave, you can set up and upgrade your towers and also upgrade your weapons. I’ve found the game to be relatively easy, especially when you’ve fully upgraded your first few towers and main weapon. As soon as you do that, enemies rarely get past you. Apart from the genre mix, nothing about Sanctum really stands out, with the graphics and music feeling a bit bland.

My Score - 6/10

100 Word Review - #47 - Puzzler World 2

Ain't no bitch-ass game gonna tell me what to do.

Puzzler World 2

Genre - Strategy, Indie, Casual

Metascore - N/A

Developer - Ideas Pad

Other Games by Developer - Puzzler World

My Playtime - 4.6 hours




One issue of Puzzler magazine has 60 puzzles for £1.80; Puzzler World 2 has 720 (plus 560 mini-game puzzles) for £9.99. If you can buy it at 80% off like I did, then it’s just incredible value. I bought it because it looked like a good boredom reliever, and that is exactly what it has turned out to be. Sure, the controls may be a bit glitchy at times and sure, the puzzles either seem to be too easy or too hard, but overall it does its job well and I would recommend it to serial boredom dwellers like myself.

My Score - 8/10

100 Word Review - #S5 - Rock of Ages

Nothing can stop the rock

Rock of Ages

Genre - Action, Racing, Indie, Strategy

Metascore - 74%

Developer - ACE Team

Other Games by Developer - Zeno Clash

Stef's Playtime - 4 hours

Marble Madness meets Tower Defence, ACE Team clearly didn't want this title to be pigeon holed. Set up your defences of elephants, catapults, fans and explosive barrels, then roll your boulder down a winding hill towards the enemy's gate while avoiding their defences. Each run allows you and your enemy to add more defences which makes each attempt that bit harder. The very colourful and Monty Python-esque art style really complements this wacky title. RoA is not a game to sit and play for hours but it's great fun to pick up once in a while for a quick roll.

Stef's Score - 7/10

100 Word Review - #T23 - Hoard

Flame on!

Hoard

Genre - Action, Strategy, Casual, Indie

Metascore - 65%

Developer - Big Sandwich Games

Other Games by Developer - N/A

Tom's Playtime -  2.4 hours

If ever the genre “Casual” was meant for a game, it was probably this. Hoard is a fun little title, in which you play a dragon competing against none or more dragons to collect the most treasure via destruction, intimidation and the such. The gameplay actually gets quite frantic towards the end of each stage as towns become better guarded and wizards show up, but Hoard earns its casual tag from the fact that playing any single session of decent length becomes dull as there is very little variance. However, as a game to play occasionally, it's very enjoyable.

Tom's Score - 7/10

100 Word Review - #J2 - Evil Genius

Gentlemen, you can't fight in here...
This is the control room!

Evil Genius

Genre - Strategy

Metascore - 75%

Developer - Elixir Studios

Other Games by Developer - N/A

James's Playtime - 3.1 hours





Evil Genius is unlike any strategy game you have ever played. But let’s be honest, you’ve been playing it in your dreams since you first saw a James Bond film. Taking inspiration from the spytech of the past, its graphics still amaze me even to this day. I’ll be honest; world domination was a career path I was very fond of as I was growing up. Planning your volcano island base, setting traps for snooping agents, committing heists and other crimes around the world, even henchmen are covered! Gaming doesn’t get much better than this hidden gem.

James's Score - 9/10

100 Word Review - #T21 - Gratuitous Space Battles

The battles aren't even that gratuitous.

Gratuitous Space Battles

Genre - Strategy, Indie, Simulation

Metascore - 72%

Developer - Positech Games

Other Games by Developer - N/A

Tom's Playtime - 2.4 hours

I saw GSB on sale once and thought “that looks interesting.” Conversely, GSB is one of the least engaging “games” that I've ever seen. The idea is that you design your own spaceships using a plethora of different components, before assembling a fleet to take on each level. Interaction stops here as the only option during battles is to watch in ecstasy or exasperation. I imagine GSB is enjoyable if you're persistent enough to decipher the egregious amount of mathematics involved in making anything decent, but it failed to give me any reason to want to do so.

Tom's Score - 4/10

100 Word Review - #S3 - Sol Survivor

Who replaced the laser with a spotlight?

Sol Survivor

Genre - Strategy, Indie

Metascore - 75%

Developer - Cadenza Interactive

Other Games by Developer - N/A

Stef's Playtime - 7.8 hours

Sol Survivor is one of the first tower defence games to get a retail release I am aware of, and while the strategy aspect is sound something just doesn't seem right. The weapons just don't feel like they have any "oomph!". Even the orbital laser cannon feels like a laser pen instead of a WMD. A lacklustre soundtrack doesn't help either. I think the best way to describe this game is "competent but bland". I did enjoy the challenge of fending off waves of creeps but a complete lack of atmosphere really stopped me from getting drawn in. Decidedly average.

Stef's Score - 5/10

100 Word Review - #22 - NightSky

Absolutely stunning

NightSky

Genre - Strategy, Indie, Casual

Metascore - 78%

Developer - Nicalis

Other Games by Developer - Cave Story+

My Current Playtime - 2.4 hours

‘NightSky’ is a deceptively simple puzzle platformer in which you play as a little glass orb that rolls around a beautiful twilight world, trying to solve puzzles and get to the next screen. You sometimes have the use of special powers, like being able to invert gravity, although these powers can also be forced upon you to add an extra challenge. There are also various contraptions (such as flying machines) that get you through the levels. It is quite short but there is a higher difficulty available. I’m pleasantly surprised and sorry that I've overlooked this game for so long.

My Score - 8/10

100 Word Review - #T12 - Sid Meier's Civilization V

Could do with a few more tanks.

Sid Meier's Civilization V

Genre – Strategy

Metascore – 90%

Developer – Firaxis Games

Other Games by Developer – Sid Meier's Pirates!, Sid Meier'sCivilization IV

Tom's Current Playtime – 33.7 hours

The fifth installation of a series which has seen much evolution, “Civ5” benefits from many of the plus points of previous games with few of the cons. With numerous victory possibilities, from killing everyone else to sending the first shuttle into space, and many civilizations with unique traits, you'd be hard pressed to find two identical games. One of the few games around where every decision genuinely does have some impact, the game encourages you to play your cards carefully, lest one of your opponents take advantage. Is this the best “Civilization”? Maybe. Regardless, a damn fine game.

Tom's score – 9/10

100 Word Review - #15 - Plants vs. Zombies

I would say that it can get a bit hectic,
but apparantly I'm not allowed.

Plants vs. Zombies

Genre - Strategy

Metascore - 87%

Developer - Popcap Games Inc.

Other Games by Developer - Peggle Deluxe, Insaniquarium Deluxe

My Current Playtime - 45.1 hours

Popcap has a wealth of turds in its catalogue, but it also contains some gems. ‘PvZ’ is an example of the latter. It’s a spin on tower defence, where your towers are plants, and the attackers are zombies (shock). The main story leads you on a journey around your house, trying to defend the different entrances. The different factors added in each level (water, night, etc.) make you adapt the way you play, bringing in different plants to develop a winning strategy. It’s a very addictive game, and the puzzle and survival modes you unlock later keep you coming back.

My Score - 9/10

100 Word Review - #K8 - Atom Zombie Smasher

 "Pew, pew! Pew, pew! Take that you yellow dots!
Mwahaha!" Need I say more?

Atom Zombie Smasher

Genre - Strategy, Indie

Metascore - 75%

Developer - Blendo Games

Other Games by Developer - Air Forte, Flotilla

Kris' Current Playtime - 0.8 hours

Despite being based around zombies again (are we not done with zombies yet?) I love this game. This game is listed under RTS but I prefer to think of it as tower defence with a new twist. This is truely one of the better indie games to have come around in the last few years. It is such great fun to find new ways defending your (procedurally generated, geek thumbs up there) city from of hoards of yellow dots whilst saving your pink dots, with a little humour thrown in from the creators to keep you chuckling along for hours.

Kris' Score -  8/10

100 Word Review - #T6 - Uplink

Maybe I went a bit overboard with this re-routing thing...

Uplink

Genre – Strategy, Indie

Metascore – 75%

Developer – Introversion Software

Other Games by Developer – Darwinia, DEFCON

Tom's Current Playtime – 5.2 hours

Being in possession of a Computer Science degree, 'Uplink' should make me a very angry person. In 'Uplink', you play a “hacker” working for a hacking organisation, given missions of varying difficulty to hack into a computer somewhere in the world and steal, delete or alter a file, all the while ensuring you aren't detected. A format which gets a bit stale. Being a game it is, naturally, hideously innaccurate so don't expect to learn how to actually hack, but as something to keep you entertained for a few hours, 'Uplink' is something different and does the job nicely.

Tom's Score – 6/10

100 Word Review - #K3 - Eufloria

Tranquillity and good game play is a recipe for burning time

Eufloria

Genre - Strategy, Indie

Metascore - 63%

Developer - Rudolph Kremers & Alex May

Other Games by Developer - N/A

Kris' Current Playtime - 3 hours

Personally, there are 2 things that make this game interesting. The first is that the combination of the 'easy to pick up but hard to master' gameplay and the soothing music make this game so easy to play. It's very entrancing. After first installing it, I sat playing for hours and didn't realise how much time had passed. The second interesting part is the games visuals. The minimalistic design which is underpinned by some clever fractal algorithms makes something that is very plain also beautiful. The simple beauty adds to the ease of play and draws you in for hours.

Kris' Score - 7/10 

100 Word Review - #T2 - Ghost Master

Gotta Catch 'em All!

Ghost Master

Genre – Strategy

Metascore – 81%

Developer – Sick Puppies

Other Games by Developer – N/A

Tom's Current Playtime – 9.8 hours

 In 'Ghost Master' I'm reminded of my childhood playing 'Haunting Starring Polterguy^TM' on my Sega Mega Drive. As the title suggests, you are the master of ghosts with various abilities and given new ghosts to collect and various objectives to complete per level, most of which involve using your ghosts to scare people out of buildings. While far from perfect, lacking any real story and relying a little too much on the seemingly random movements of the NPCs, I found it a nice time sink with some charming pop culture references and it's easily the best 79p I've ever spent.

Tom's Score – 7/10