Friday Town

Friday Town is a brand new groundbreaking social game created by a partnership between Cadbury’s Crunchie and nDreams, it launches today on the social media website Facebook.

Friday Town invites players into a virtual world and challenges them to help its inhabitants brighten up their lives with a series of puzzles that will unfold over the coming weeks and months.

On arriving in this virtual world the player takes on the role of a Friday Feeling Engineer, whose job is to make everyone feel more Friday-ish, with progress measured on a Friday-o-meter: the more fun and excitement generated, the better the player does.

The aim of the game’s first chapter is to help the Friday Engineers make the town fountain pump out chocolate instead of water, and turn it into a giant sundae!

As each additional chapter is then unlocked, players will face a whole new set of puzzles, meaning the game is constantly evolving to bring new bursts of that Friday Feeling. To add an extra level of competition, the game rewards those who recruit new players, via their own Facebook friend lists, with access to a secret area.

The theme of the game has been developed in parallel with Crunchie’s new TV advertising campaign, which sees a team of Friday Engineers helping a man singing to himself in a Monday-type way ramp it right up to that Friday Feeling with lights, fireworks and a full-on festival stage.  The TV campaign is in support of the launch of new Cadbury Crunchie Rocks, crispy Crunchie honeycomb pieces and golden cornflakes tumbled in delicious milk chocolate.

The game has been developed by an expert team, headed up by former Eidos Creative Director Patrick O’Luanaigh, who has worked on twelve worldwide number-one selling games over the last fourteen years.

Past successes have included overseeing a return to form for the Lara Croft franchise with Tomb Raider Legend, two Conflict: Desert Storm games that have sold well over 3.5 million copies, and Xi, the first console ‘Alternate Reality Game’, which had over six million visits in the first six months.

Patrick moved from Eidos to become CEO of nDreams in 2007, and has brought the same instinctive flair for creating addictive games that led to these hits to the development of Friday Town.

Ross Farquhar, brand manager for Crunchie, comments: “People are going to love this game. We’ve deliberately chosen to work with the experts behind some of the biggest gaming success stories of recent years, as we knew they’d be able help us realise our ambition: a truly immersive game with real fun-factor that brings that Friday Feeling to anyone who plays it, any day of the week.”

Patrick O’Luanaigh, CEO of nDreams, adds: “The challenge with Friday Town was creating a genuinely entertaining game that people would want to play, while also delivering an experience that reflected Crunchie’s brand identity. There are so many social games on offer now that having a recognisable name attached isn’t enough to make a game a success on its own. We’re confident that with Friday Town we’ve struck the right balance between exciting gameplay and brand messaging, and we have lots of great things planned as Friday Town grows week by week!”

To take part in this exciting new social game visit Crunchie at Facebook.

“Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH is a fantastic addition to the WiiWare library for puzzle fans both young and old”, said Martijn Reuvers, Managing Director of Two Tribes. “With Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH players get a mind-boggling puzzle game that will really push their imagination and challenge their puzzle solving skills to the next level.”

Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH is an original 3D puzzle game that provides hours of puzzling fun and excitement across more than 70 brain-busting levels. Utilizing the intuitive Wii controls, players ‘herd’ coloured cubes to their exit points across stylish environments using a crazy mix of tools including conveyor belts, warps and stop signs. Developed exclusively on WiiWare by puzzle masters Two Tribes Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH is the first in a series of Rubik inspired games to come from the studio.

In addition to the 70-plus levels included, Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH also features the original Rubik’s Cube gameplay as a bonus. Players can try to solve one of the four sizes available, play the unique pattern matching score mode, learn how to solve the original Rubik’s Cube and even compete in the two player mode. Rounding out the package are the online leader boards, with the potential to host tournaments, with prizes awarded to those players who achieve the best scores.

Watch the trailer;

dead santa-spooky spirits

The latest touch friendly puzzle game app, Spooky Spirits: Puzzle Drop!! is now available via the iTunes app store, following the recent launch by developers Innogiant in conjunction with Legendo Entertainment.

Developed by the handheld specialists at newly founded Innogiant, Spooky Spirits: Puzzle Drop!!, will have players traveling the world, capturing  runaway spirits in various fun and exciting game modes designed for puzzle fanatics and casual players alike.

Having fallen asleep on their watch and lost the Spookies, Becky and Tim are banished and risk losing their spirit warden jobs unless they manage to recapture these pesky ghosts.

The unfortunate duo must search haunted locations on Earth to track down the Spookies including the Sphinx of Egypt, a Haunted House in England and an abandoned crypt in Finland featuring none other than Dead Santa himself.

Spooky Spirits: Puzzle Drop!! offers a unique twist on the classic falling block and “match-2” gameplay format. In the game, players build and expand stacks of Spookies in any direction and in any amount.

Three Game Modes:

• In the Panic Mode, players must clear each level by catching an appropriate amount of Spookies before the screen overfills.
• Puzzle Mode is a relaxed mode with no stress – players must outsmart the Spookies’ clever puzzles and beat them in their own game using only a limited number of blocks.
• Eternity Mode is a Tetris-inspired exhaust mode that just keeps going for as long as players can keep it at or reach the max-score of 9,999,999 points (that’s A LOT of Spookies to catch!).

Touch Controls:

• Swipe the screen to control the game, left and right selects blocks, up swaps them and down drops them!

Spooky Spirits: Puzzle Drop!! – Trailer

Spooky Spirits: Puzzle Drop!! can be downloaded from the Apple App Store via iTunes or directly from compatible handsets and costs $1.99 USA, £1.19 UK or €1.59 Europe.

rubik's puzzle galaxy: rush

Independent game developer Two Tribes have teamed up with The Game Factory to announce a new series of Rubik inspired WiiWare puzzle games, with the first game of the series Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH being available throughout Europe this Autumn.

Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH has been developed by Two Tribes, the creators of the popular Toki Tori and Worms: Open Warfare 2. The result is a 3D puzzle game that provides puzzlers with hours of fun across more than 70 brain-busting levels.

Utilizing the intuitive Wii controls, players ‘herd’ coloured cubes to their exit points across stylish environments using a crazy mix of tools including conveyor belts, warps and stop signs.

In addition to the 70-plus levels included, Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH also features the original Rubik’s Cube gameplay as a bonus. Players can try to solve one of the four sizes available, play the unique pattern matching score mode, learn how to solve the original Rubik’s Cube and even compete in the two player mode. Rounding out the package are the online leader boards, with the potential to host tournaments, with prizes awarded to those players who achieve the best scores.

Martijn Reuvers, Managing Director of Two Tribes said;

“We are very excited to be releasing our second WiiWare title. Inspired by the cult classic from the eighties, Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH is a totally fresh and unique 3D puzzle game experience which we can’t wait to show to Wii gamers.”

Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH Highlights:

·      Original 3D puzzle solving gameplay

·      More than 70 brain-busting levels

·      Tailor-made Wii Remote™ control scheme

·      Conveyer Belts, Warps, Stop Signs, Directional Signs, Splits, and more.

·      Stylish environments

·      Classic Rubik’s Cube in four sizes

·      Tutorial on how to solve the original Rubik’s Cube

·      Unique score mode

·      Online leaderboards

For more information visit the Rubik’s Puzzle Galaxy website.

For a more relaxing time away from the stress of the fast lane, why not consider a cruise holiday?

archer macleans mercury

Archer MacLean’s Mercury is a challenging puzzle game that was originally released on the PSP in 2005. Mercury has now been re-released on the PSN (PlayStation Network) for £4.79. This is a recommended buy for anyone who hasn’t already played or purchased Mercury, as it is a frustrating and challenging game in a most enjoyable and unique way.

Mercury is a ball of liquid that you have to get to the finish before you lose too much mercury. To get to the finish you must complete many tasks including opening doors, activating buttons and just staying alive!

You will need to focus quickly to find the best route to finish in time, you will also need to change the colour of mercury to activate colour specific switches (or buttons), doors to allow mercury into the next area and colour filters which will only allow  a certain colour to pass through.

There may be a paint shop which allows you to transform instantly to the colour you need, or you may need to create your colour by using two or more paint shops and mixing the colours together in order to obtain the desired colour. Some levels contain teleports which can be used by any colour mercury just by waiting under it. This adds to the difficulty of some levels as you must identify where each teleport goes to.

The game itself contains six worlds, each with many challenging levels to complete to unlock the next world. These worlds are Neon (Tutorial), Quartz, Xero, Aqua, Helios and Nano. Each world contains various levels, the main ones being Race, Percentage and Task.

Race requires skill and speed as you are in an epic battle with time and you must complete the level quickly. Finishing these levels usually requires a small percentage of mercury, so you can rush through the level with little concern for losing mercury.

Percentage will normally require a larger amount of mercury in order to complete the level. You are given more time so be sure to take a steady route to the finish.  But you still need to be fast enough if you want to be placed top of the high scores chart for each level.

Task will require a lot more skill than the other levels. These levels are designed to challenge you, usually with colour filters and colour specific switches, you may even need to finish the level using a different colour than what you started with. Despite this you still must battle against time and not always a high percentage of mercury is required to finish the level.

At the end of each world there is a “boss” level.  The levels are very difficult to complete compared to the previous levels in that world as you must finish quickly, maintain a lot of mercury and use paint shops, colour switches and colour filters efficiently to complete the level.

Additionally, enemies can be included in some levels.  These enemies feast upon mercury.  Try not to get trapped in a corner with multiple enemies. Enemies automatically follow you when you get close to them so you can trick them by luring them away from the finish or switches you need to activate. You can even distract them by breaking off a small amount of mercury and let them nibble on it while you go for the finish.

Overall Mercury is a very good game which can offer hours of frustratingly difficult fun with its addictive and challenging gameplay.

Mercury offers a challenge to all levels of gamers. A recommended buy especially as it has been re-released at a low price.

Great game.

Buzzin Games Rating: 83%

Popcap’s Zuma is an exciting single player puzzle game that is suprisingly addictive and includes challenging levels that had me playing the game for longer than I had anticipated – always a sign of a good game.

Zuma has two game modes Adventure and Gauntlet Adventure which allow you to play through many temples, each with three stages, each with three unique levels.

The aim of the game is to destroy all of the coloured balls before they reach their goal. By shooting all the coloured balls you will make it to the next level.  However, letting just one ball drop into the hole will have you started over.

An added bonus is to get balls of the same colour to line up, three in a row which has the balls disappear.

The concept is simple, but Zuma is really challenging. Each level becomes more difficult and more taxing, leading to simple addictiveness, a challenge you get sucked into without realising it.

The Gauntlet game mode gives you an endless stream of balls. By destroying a specific amount of balls your status increases, and with the level of difficulty, until you reach the ultimate level, The Son of Sun.

In the Son Of Sun mode there are many different arenas to play on. All your scores, from any game, are placed onto a leaderboard.  So you know what you are competing against.

Zuma comes with it’s own PlayStation 3 trophies.  You can play it on the move via your PSP Remote Play.

Overall Zuma is an exciting game with bright effects and colours that spawns hours of fun, with its addictive nature and challenging gameplay.  The game is only £6.99 and is available on the PlayStation Network.

There was one brilliant third party title that deserved to sell millions and didn’t, despite Steven Spielberg’s involvement: Boom Blox. A superb physics based party games where players would attempt to throw, pull and shoot their way into demolishing towers – a sort of anti-jenga if you will.

But it’s great news to hear that the original’s disappointing commercial performance hasn’t stopped EA coming up with a sequel, and here’s the trailer. Makes you want to risk tennis elbow and an arm that feels it will break any second all over again, doesn’t it?

The most exciting thing about this, aside from the prospect of more arm-achingly good gameplay? Well, the original allowed you to create your own levels using a wonderfully simple tool, but the game is following in the footsteps of Little Big Planet and Guitar Hero World Tour in allowing users to share these creations over the Wii’s internet connection meaning it’ll be a lot harder to memorise those tower-toppling strategies in multiplayer.

Boom Blox Bash Party is due out this Spring only on Wii.

It’s a stupidly low price for one of the finest games of last year. Also available on WiiWare (though you’ll pay a fair whack more), World of Goo sees you constructing architecturally astounding structures from balls of goo to achieve physics defying challenges. It’s accessible enough for casual gamers, with plenty of scope for challenge in completing all of its “OCD achievements”…

Written by just two former EA employees, it’s a genuinely indie project that everyone should experience. It picked up plenty of awards, including grabbing the number 10 spot in Eurogamer’s 2008 Top 50, and currently has an average score of 91% on Metacritic. They even released the surprisingly enjoyable soundtrack free of charge.

You can download the game for just £4.24 this weekend only from the Steam Store, and it will work on practically any PC with its low system requirements. Go on, what are you waiting for?

Pikman - First Wii New Play Control! Title

For many Nintendo newcomers welcoming a games console into their house for the first time, gaming started with Wii Sports*. Not true, and now Nintendo can prove it with the first of many GameCube games being remade to take advantage of the Wii’s unique control system.

New Play Control! (yes, the name could have been far more snappy: no argument here) titles are classic GameCube games remade to take advantage of the intuitive Wii controls. First out of the blocks is one of my all time favourites: Pikmin. It’s available to buy now, and sees a miniature spaceman leading some adorable animal/vegetable creatures around to do his bidding and help him back to his home planet.

Later on, we’re due to see Pikmin 2, Metroid Primes 1 & 2, Mario Tennis and Chibi Robo receive the same treatment and I think this could breathe some new life into much loved classics. There’s also Donkey Konga Jungle Beat, which I’m more sceptical about given the original’s reliance on some plastic bongo controllers.

If you never owned a GameCube, this is a great opportunity to see what you missed. While you can play any GameCube disk in the Wii, you need a GameCube pad and the price of old GameCube games can be pretty damned high so this is a good solution.

* Yes, fine, they may have downloaded some NES games on Virtual Console but that clarification would have made for far less punchy an intro!

De Blob Mobile Game Review

De Blob is fighting to keep Chroma City full of life and colour.

To do so he must stop the evil INKT robots from draining the city of every last drop of vibrant colour and defeat the evil INKT Corporation.

Starting the De Blob mobile game, you will need to undertake some ‘Blob Training’.  This will show you all the things you need to know to fight and destroy the evil INKT Corporation robots whose goal is to erase all the colour from Chroma City.

Your role is to put the colour back into the buildings by finding paint, covering yourself with it and then splashing colour all over the buildings. As well as basic colours you are also able to blend colours by mixing two together to create colours you  can’t find naturally such as green, purple and brown.

Some of Chroma City’s buildings are very large.  The bigger the building the more points are available. But you must be a certain size and colour to completely cover them.

You can destroy your enemies from the evil INKT Corporation by locking onto them and squashing them. You can also destroy INKT vehicles,  but to do this you have to be a ‘Size 4′, the maximum paint size.

But be careful! If an enemy touches you losde your own colour and turn to black.  While you are ‘colourless’ be careful not to touch any coloured buildings or you will erase the building’s colour and lose yourself points.

De Blob Mobile Game screenshot

To get rid of the black colour you will need to find the nearest fountain or water supply and wash it off  so as colour returns to grey. By going in water you can also reduce your size this can prove helpful if you want to travel through a narrow passageway.

‘In Revolution’ is the story mode in which to play the main game.

There are four different areas (Residential, Commercial, Industrial and Government) each containing four ‘blocks’ or levels which increase in difficulty as the game goes on.  By completing levels and areas you will unlock the next stage.

In each block there is a score limit which must be reached to open the exit gate.  A time limit is also set.

Furthermore, there are missions within each block that if completed will reward you with extra points and time bonuses.

With each block you can collect ‘block stars’.

In De Blob there are five to collect with each block:

Green Star- Obtained by completing the block

Blue Star- Colour 100% of buildings

Red Star- Complete all available missions

Orange Star- Complete the block in under the Orange star time (indicated before the level)

Purple Star- Complete the block with a greater score than the Purple star score (indicated before the level)

De Blob is a cool game to play with good graphics and colour; and the gameplay is fast too.  This mobile version works well; and I would recommend it to anyone.

The game is suitable for all ages.

Buzzin Games Rating: 80%