Installation and Introduction:
Sorry for the late posting of this short review. I overslept this morning.
This one received 86% of 116 votes last time it was given away back in December 2006 when the game giveaway project was only a few weeks old. I’ve still got this from the first time it was given away, but that’s only because the game is a standalone like yesterday’s game so I’ve been able to use the original installation even after reinstalling windows, though you then have to create a short cut from the executable found within the games folder. If you’re not sure how to do this there’s a small tutorial in the games discussion forums:
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/2594
Installation is a breeze with a combined activation and set up executable, so all you have to do is click unless you wish to install the game to a different location, which iof you have more than one drive is a good idea because as the C: drive fills up, the slower your computer can become because part of the C: drive is used for swap files - if you want to find out more about this just Google swap files or key words to do with computers efficiency. :lol: On starting the game a small window opens that enables you to adjust options such as the window mode (ie full screen or windowed) and your screen resolution. I did notice that by default this is supposed to be set to emulate your desktop settings, but this wasn’t the case for me as the game set the resolution to 800x600 which I rarely use these days. You can also toggle off the initial help screen from this menu.
The Game:
This is a decent blocks game that my kids loved when it was first given away. They played it for several days before finding another giveaway that interested them.
There are several skins you can choose from the main options menu (there are two options menu’s) and two game modes normal and Arcade. The only difference between the two modes is that the arcade mode is timed ( and I think your progress when leaving the game isn't saved). The help menu that pops up at the start of a new game (unless you’ve toggled it off) is exactly the same for both modes????
You have to create blocks of four cubes in a square (though you can also create larger blocks of six) or by using the pattern from the designated one found to the right of the playing arena, which once achieved changes to another pattern which can be a simple line of four to quite complex patterns of up to nine blocks. Completing the one that is shown to the right of the playing area will give you a bonus. The more matches you make during one turn the greater the points you are awarded. The designated pattern may contain more blocks than the four you need for the basic pattern of a square. You can combine shape, for example you may be asked to create a line of four cubes, but you can build up a square of four as part of this pattern and will be rewarded with a higher score. Though the larger the pattern you try to build the more likely that it could fail because after each turn new cubes appear randomly on the board. The more turns you take the harder it becomes to create the designated pattern due to the board being filled with randomly placed colored cubes.
The only bonus item I saw was the bomb, which to activate you have to move to wherever you want it used. It destroys all cubes that immediately surround it.
The normal mode is saved when you leave the game but the arcade mode appears not to be; though I'm not entirely sure about this as I was having problems with the game (see below for details).
Images:
All on one page:
http://s109.photobucket.com/albums/n61/Whiterabbit_01/gaotd/Super%20Cubes/
As a Slideshow:
http://s109.photobucket.com/albums/n61/Whiterabbit_01/gaotd/Super%20Cubes/?albumview=slideshow
Here’s what the developer says about the game with respect to features (copied from the readme file found in the start up programs folder).
FEATURES:
• Extremely addictive game play
• 3D graphics with impressive visual effects
• Various cube skins
• Timed and untimed game modes
• Additional bonus levels
• Step-by-step tutorial
• Saves the last game
• Superb music and sound effects (I wasn’t impressed, though it’s okay)
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
• Pentium II 233 Mhz
• 8 Mb Video Memory
• DirectX 8.0 or Higher
• DirectX-compatible sound card
• Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP
•
Problems:
The game played okay most of the time but I did get several errors. When I initially exited the game I received an error message that said Exception EInvalid Pointer in module Super Cubes.exe…….I had to shut the game down via control - alt - delete and then found that all my icons on the desk top and within folders had disappeared, though the names of each icon were still visible. I had to restart my computer using the task manager because the start menu had also disappeared to get the icons back.
I also received an access violation error a couple of times that had a different address to the first error, but each time the super cubes executable was referenced.
Conclusion
The 3D graphics are okay though not ground breaking and the game play is okay in short doses. I found playing it for more than half an hour or so became a little tedious, but initially I really enjoyed playing the game so will score this a 7 out of 10 for family fun and a reasonable challenge. Unfortunately you can't set up multiple profiles, though there are ways to accomplish this in a round about way:
If you want to play this with family I would suggest you install it a couple or more time in different places on the computer (If you have more than one computer this wouldn't be needed) so that each family member can set up an account. The beauty of this program
(as with any other game) is that you can always just copy the program to another folder on the computer so that you have multiple copies on the same computer. You would have to create a new shortcut for each instance of the game, giving each one a different name; then when you're done, delete the whole thing (unless you're playing the normal mode which saves whenever you shut it down. In that case you can always copy the save dat file found within the data folder so that when you want to compete against a family member or friend you just have to re-copy the whole game and then copy the saved dat file back to the data folder. I know that sounds like a pain, but it does allow multiple profiles. As an alternative you could just save the saved dat file (which can be found in the data folder inside the games folder)somewhere within the games folder anyway so long as you place it in a seperate folder; at least then each family member will have their own saved game.
You can change the in game music by going to the games folder and opening up the music folder. You will need to convert your chosen music to the ogg format which is easy enough to do using one of the many audio converters we’ve been given via the giveaway project. If you’re new to the project and don’t have a music converter you can find one in the freeware library:
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/freeware/2007/07/30/free-mp3-wma-wav-converter/
You must rename the files you’re going to use to the same ones that are in the music folder. I suggest you back up these before you change the music though just in case you do something wrong.
Thank you Terminal Studios (and for your screensavers) and the game giveaway team
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As an alternative you may want to try Diamond Lines from gametop. Though the gameplay isn't exactly the same there are some similarities:
