I thought I’d revisit the theme of Arkanoids. It’s been two months since I posted the last ones, so it’s about time I posted the following. The first two used to be full commercial games, but are now freeware (though DXBall 2 is only a small game with around 25 levels. The developer hopes that people will enjoy the game enough to buy the level packs. However I think you can buy much better ‘up to date’ arkanoids for just a little more than what they are asking for each of the expansion packs. The third one has always been freeware. I posted details of it previously in the Arkanoid thread and it is called Poing. Two of the games come with levels editors. Poing is a sideways breakout with a difference. The ball physics are also excellent. You can spin the ball and make it curve. Leading to some excellent trick shots, lol.
POWball aka Power ball:
I bought this several years ago and was pleased to discover that the developer had made it freeware though he hasn’t updated the main site to this fact yet. Follow the first link to download the game for free.
You can get extra levels directly from the author’s site. There are quite a few custom made levels and there’s also the ability to make your own levels using the editor that comes packaged with the game.
The graphics are very old, so expect to see lots of grittiness; but, don’t let this put you off the game. It’s one of the better freeware arkanoids available.
Quote:
Set in the 25th century out in the cold depths of space this game challenges you with 100 levels in the classic style of the Breakout and Arkanoid games but with much more than the original offers. You'll find this incarnation to have much better playability, action, strategy, sound and graphics than any other. The basic idea is to hit a ball with your paddle and knock away bricks until the screen is cleared, whilst trying to keep at least one ball on the screen. But what better introduction can there be other than to dive right in and start playing. So, whadya waitin' for?
Download link
http://www.softempire.com/powball.html
Authors site:
http://www.powproductions.co.uk/powball_index.html
DX-Ball 2
This is yet another game I purchased several years ago and now its freeware. I did post the original DXBall a the beginning of this free game project, but thought I’d save this one till now. There are similarities to the original (as you would expect), but there are also some improvements. I hope you enjoy it. You can get more board packs if you like the game, but you have to purchase those from DXBall’s home site.
Quote:
Fans of Breakout have no shortage of spin-offs to quench their brick-destroying thirst. DX-Ball 2 adds to the mix explosive bricks and power-ups that include multiple balls, fire balls, ball catch, and more.
If you haven't played a Breakout-style game before, the idea is simple: Use the mouse to move a paddle back and forth along the bottom of the screen, while bouncing a ball to break through a pattern of bricks above.
Download Link:
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,18720-order,1-page,1/description.html
Authors site:
http://www.ldastore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=LDA&Category_Code=DXB2
Poing:
<blkquote>Poing! PC is the award-winning freeware game that puts an innovative twist on the tried and tested style of Breakout. Destroying bricks will not necessarily help since they will keep coming back… instead, the aim is to break a path through each level and smash the back wall until it fades away, allowing you to progress through to the next level in the set.
As an added twist, if you lose the ball after progressing through several levels, you won’t lose a life immediately. The ball will plummet back through the levels you’ve beaten until you either catch it or it goes past the first level of the set. Sounds complicated? It isn’t! Download the game and play it to find out how simple the idea really is.
Fortunately there’s a wide variety of power-ups to help you along the way, including the Bat Autopilot, Force field and Promote. Poing! PC also keeps track of your games and compiles a whole list of lifetime statistics along with the per-level set and all-time hiscore tables - and if you get tired of the included levels, you can make your own with the included level editor!.
finally, for those new to the forums, check out the arkanoid thread. You’ll find many great free arkanoids to keep you occupied for months:
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/2607
I highly recommend you visit http://www.gametop.com and download all of the arkanoids they have which numbers at least 10 and include Nuclear Ball, Egyptian Ball and Twinzoid, though apart from Egyptian ball, the names have been changed to A-Ball and Geometry Ball. All 10 are full commercial games, but you get them free. Check the links via the forum links rather than the Gametop one though as I do explain about the Gametop policy of opening up your browser when a game is closed down.
