Since I slept through yesterday's game, I'm posting what was supposed to be yesterday's along with today's. Yesterday's game was a game that I had been saving for a rainy day and well it was raining here yesterday (as it has for much of the month) and I decided it was well time to dust it off. Noitu Love is an excellent old-school platformer. For today's game, I ran across a new developer called Syn9. Syn9 has some pretty interesting games in their database and I've chosen 3 of them to highlight: Gorevania (zombie shooter,) The Griffon Legend (Zelda-like RPG,) and Prompt Critical (shmup.) Without further ado:
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Noitu Love
I'm very fond of this game and as I've said, I've been saving it for the right time. Considering how we've embarked on our 1 year anniversary, I thought this would be a great week to introduce some stellar games. Hopefully some of you have agreed that the games this week have been a little above par. The following is a review from Abandonia Reloaded:
"Gone are the days of classic platforming!" cry the fans that remember the original Mario, Bionic Commando, MegaMan, Donkey Kong, and scores of other platformers that included the Nintendo-proven platform formula. If you are one of these fans, then look no further than Noitu Love and the Army of Grinning Darns; you won't find a better throwback to the days of retro platforming.The story, although relatively shallow, deals with a mad scientist that has a rather strange fascination for robots and soldiers with smiles and plans for taking over the world with said minions. The plot does not really progress much between the initial introduction to the world's current state and the last level. You fight your way past hordes of grinning darns to get to the end of the level and fight a boss that is a greater minion of the mad scientist, until the very last level, where you get to trade blows with him yourself. A twist is thrown in where you have the ability to transform yourself into different creatures (a monkey, a super smart person with a big brain, and a bird) to get past certain obstacles. Although it was a great idea, I wished I had seen more used with it; there was great potential for some creature specialty combos, and it wasn't utilized until the last boss fight.
Unfortunately, the game probably would have been longer if more creativity had been put into the plot, but as it is, it is comprised of 6 levels that took me about two hours to beat on normal mode. Granted, I only have 24% of the game complete, but even if you play it on other difficulties to unlock more extras (of which there are hardly any), you'll still be playing the same levels with harder enemies. As it is, replayability is limited.
Although sometimes this same-old formula is bad (like in terms of the plot), the platforming action shines with old-school goodness as you run (and jump) circles around your enemies, all the while dodging bombs and bullets (or whatever other harmful projectiles that might come your way) and smashing your foes into the ground. The greatest part about all this fast-paced gameplay is the fact that it comes with an easy learning curve; you'll be beating up enemies like a kung-fu master in no time, thanks to Noitu Love's simplistic (and classic) controls.
Rounding out the game, and at the same time being the biggest reversion to classic platforming is definitely the graphics. They grab you, suck you in and do not let go, much like my mom's mashed potatoes. That's a good thing.
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Gorevania
Gorevania is a great little 2d side-scrolling zombie shooter. Not much on story, but it is darned fun to play and a great little time waster. I know Stephen will appreciate this one. The following is a description by Syn9:
Use your shotgun and grenade launcher to blast away at the zombies.
Pickup the medical box to regain health. If you get bit by a zombie
your infection bar will begin to rise. Stop it from rising by picking
up a needle. Make sure to grab all the shotgun shells and grenades
you find so you dont run out of ammo.Remember, stand too close to one of your grenades and you'll hurt
yourself too.Controls
Left - Left Arrow
Right - Right Arrow
Jump - Up Arrow
Fire Shotgun - Space
Fire Grenade - CTRL
Aim Grenade - Up/Down Arrow
Pause - ESC/P
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The Griffon Legend
The Griffon Legend is a fun Zelda-like RPG, with some outdated graphics. Don't let the graphics deter you though, as more often than not, outdated graphics actually add to the game. Consider this to be true here. TGL, actually has the distinguished honor of being the very first RPG created and finished using FreeBasic. This game led the way for many more RPG's using FreeBasic. It's a must download for any Zelda fan, or RPG in general. The following is a description from Syn9:
500 years after the Griffon-Dragon war, the Dragons have
returned to reclaim their empire. Cities are falling,
everyone is dieing, and the lone Griffon Knight Fayne is
caught up in the middle of it all.During gameplay you can see up to 3 bars below your character.
The top is health, the next is attack strength (let it charge
to hit harder) and then spell strangth (same as attack). When
you learn new spells you will see their icons in the bottom
right corner with a meter below them to show them charging.
When the meter turns orange they are ready for use.Controls:
ctrl - use item/cast spell
space - attack
esc - main menu
alt-enter - fullscreen/window
Download The Griffon Legend Here!
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Prompt Critical
Prompt Critical is one of those newer style shmups where the developer incorporates highly stylized graphics and colors into the game. Though this game is slightly older, and the graphics aren't up to par with today's, it's still an excellent shmup worth hours of your time. If you don't have fun with this game, I'll refund your money in full and give you credit for one of next week's games. That's how confident I am (lol) In all seriousness, the graphics are great and the gameplay is intense enough to keep you coming back for more time after time. More from Syn9:
You are orbiting a worm hole and an enemy is coming through. It is your job to destroy them. Most of the time they fire homing bullets but sometimes they release a bullet bomb. If you do not shoot the incoming bullets they will take your health down.When you see the blue star shoot it. You will receive a random powerup which can be health, missiles, or shields.
Destroying the environment and accuracy give you bonus points. As well as not getting hit.
Controls:
Mouse Look
Shoot = Left Click / Spacebar
Switch Weapon = Right Click
Pause = ESC / P
