Posts Tagged ‘’

Kaijin Review

Action, Adventure, Arcade, Shooter | Posted by Zeke
Sep 09 2010


While watching the Boston College Eagles win their first football game of the season, it reminded me that I need to write a review for Phelios’ action packed arcade game Kaijin. There are 3 modes to play: Way of the Eagle (see the connection?), Way of the Tiger (not that Tiger) and Way of the Dragon. Kaijin is a homage to Galaga where aliens are not in short demand as they come at you in rapid succession.

The year is 2546 on Planet Terria. The Terrians survived on their own wits growing their own foods not genetically modified. All others destroyed their central neuron system by eating bad flesh. These beings went to a dark place and turned into mutant insects. These demented beings are planning to take over Terria. Your job as the best Terrian fighter pilot must battle these evil forms and save the good people of Terria and their pure and happy way of life. Kaijin is your trusted ship. The Japanese connection is another salute to the Galaga link.

The way of the Eagle will allow your ship to go to every part of the screen. You are not limited to the bottom. The Way of Tiger is the classic play a la Galaga where the ship is at the bottom of the screen moving from back and forth. The way of the Dragon is full on action with 3 levels of craziness. Tiger and Dragon are locked for the demo version. It’s like getting 3 games in one.

The enemy will come at your ship in wave patterns, and not only must you destroy them, you must be sure to get rid of the eggs laid by some of these creatures because if you do not, they will burst into more aliens. In addition, there are bosses that you need to contend with and you know how hard it is to annihilate them.

At the bottom of the screen you will see the shield guards. Every time you get hit by an alien, the gage will decrease, but every time you hit an enemy, it will increase. The more energy you get, the more firepower is available to you. There are bombs, shield recharges, extra points and more bonuses. Your weapons are based in the shield level and can include lasers, blasters, fireballs and more.

Just like in football, you are attacking and moving forward except in Kaijin it’s not that easy. There are so many aliens flying up and down, in circles, exploding into more mutants and never stopping. When you think you can catch your breath, more enemies come swooping down. Kaijin is an intense, solid arcade shooting Mac game for experienced gamers and gamers who are willing to practice and play until they are experienced. The scenery and is simple but you do not want to be distracted with background art when you are fighting these evil monsters. I was too busy to notice the sound effects, but I am sure it was fine because the whole experience was great. I give Kaijin a 4 out of 5 for an awesome Shump (shoot em up) play.

Features of Kaijin:
-20 Types of Mutants
-4 Worlds
-3 Modes
-146 Levels

Rating: ★★★★☆

MacPinball Review

Action, Pinball | Posted by musicaltrack
Sep 08 2010

macpinball

Do you remember the good old days? Riding in your car and hearing your favorite song on the radio. That was the best. Even if you were having a bad day, those first few notes, which you know by heart, would instantly brighten even the cloudiest of weather. Well, think about that image and bring it to 2009. Now you can listen to your favorite song whenever you please with iPods and MP3 players that can be put on whenever. Now, you may be asking yourself, what does this have to do with MacPinball?

Think about those good old days once again. What is something that reminds you of a simpler time, a time when MPBALL_3happiness was only a quarter from Mom’s purse away. That was the pinball machine, and even though I might not remember the glory days of the pinball parlor, I am old enough to remember going to the arcade and trying to break the high score on the machines. Now, bring that memory back to the 21st century.

MacPinball is the answer to your craving for nostalgia. And better yet, you don’t have to pay thousands of dollars to have your very own pinball machine. Rather, just boot up the computer and you can play pinball all day, everyday. MacPinball has six different boards, so it’s like having six different machines. Every level is unique and has special nooks and crannies that makes the game so replayable. MacPinball also has many different options that allow you to change camera angles, ball speed, and sound effects.

Speaking of sound effects, in addition to having the real deal pinball noise, MacPinball boasts a soundtrack of over 50 different streamed songs. If this doesn’t get do it for you, you can turn off the sound completely and blast that favorite song of yours over the sound of the rattling balls and flashing lights.

Even though many PC people will say that they already have a free pinball application, Mac users do not have the same luxury. Free internet games have a similar pitch, but the adds and dependence on a solid internet connection make gameplay difficult at times. MacPinball is your answer for pinball wherever you are. Commuting to work on the train, bring your laptop and play MacPinball the whole time. Going to a boring piano recital, sneak the computer in and play to your heart’s content (on silent mode of course). Flying on an airplane, well you get the picture. Overall, this game inspires the kid inside us and who can put a price on that. I would give MacPinball four out of five stars.

Features of MacPinball:
- Awesome 3D effects
- More than 50 original streamed songs
- Global and local scoring tables
- Solo or 2-player modes

Rating: ★★★★☆

Big Kahuna Reef: Chain Reaction Review

Aquarium, Match, Puzzle | Posted by Meg
Sep 05 2010

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Big Kahuna Reef 2: Chain Reaction is the sequel to Big Kahuna Reef, but the developers went way beyond the scope of follow-ups to make an action filled and fun Mac game. Yes, it has the same music, exotic fish and the scenic reef, but it goes further than the first game by adding a lot more chain reactions, new fish, new reefs and a lot of explosive pieces making it a more dynamic play.

The game has 2 modes, Action and Relaxed. Action is timed and your time is up when the fluid in the Kahuna Tiki head runs out. You begin with 3 lives and if you do not finish a level, you lose a life. You can also use a life to extend your time. Relaxed play lasts until the board is cleared. There are 3 areas of difficulty. You begin the game at Kahuna Quest where you must match 3 or more sea items in order to complete the level. After completing a set number of levels you unlock the next section, Tiki Challenge. It has a lot more difficult levels to play. This section is not only challenging but can also get a little demanding with the Tiki jumping and making noises. The third group is the Other Adventures, and it is where you will find over 600 themed levels created by players around the world. In addition to the hundreds of levels to play, you can create your own and submit it to be used in the game.

There are many extras to this game play, some similar to the earlier version and many new surprises. It feels like the game play moved along faster due to more chain reactions, dynamite, regular and nuclear bombs. The larger the explosive, the bigger the area cleared. The explosives are best used after manipulating the play so they are in the best possible position for the most effective use. As well as the helps in this game, there are many obstacles to clear the game board: steel boxes (need 2 matches to clear), single and double chains (2 and 3 matches to clear), and the ominous Kamehameha Skeleton fish (creates more boxes when matched). The puzzle boards are different and more challenging. The irregular shapes make it more dangerous to haphazardly make matches. Strategy must be used to avoid leaving boxes in hard to play corners. Other new bonuses are the shark eating license plate level and diving penguins.

Although Big Kahuna Reef 2 had all the familiar themes of the first game, there are a lot of excitement and movement to this new version. I enjoyed BKR 2 so much more and know you will too. So if you liked the first version, you will like this second one even better. Try it out and see for yourself.

Features of Big Kahuna Reef: Chain Reaction:
-Oceanic Adventure
-40 Exotic Sea Creatures
-over 750 levels
-Quest to become the Big Kahuna
-Save games

Rating: ★★★★☆

Ladybugs Review

Action, Children, Puzzle | Posted by Meg
Sep 02 2010

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Ladybugs is a Mac game for very young children. You will have a lot of fun with your little toddler “working” on the computer. There is much opportunity here to teach your child the basics of the keyboard and mouse and have loads of entertainment as well.

There are short instructions where you can practice reading letters and words with your child. The white letters outlined in black make it easier to clearly see and read out loud, however it would have been more age appropriate with block lettering. Very young kids are able to learn so much it’s almost unbelievable. They can learn their letters and words if given a chance, enough instruction and patience on your part.

Ladybug 2The game has 3 modes of play and each one should be enjoyable for your child. Color Trouble is a section where you match the color of your ladybug to her house. Following the flower path, you guide the ladybug to the same color house. In the Ladybug Race you are racing the blueladybug to the houses. I think the blue ladybug is a little confused because she sometimes loses her way. This will give Ladybug 1your child a chance to beat her. In the Tangled Maze you guide your ladybug through a maze to her like color house.

All 3 games will help your child with color recognition, coordination, direction and learning to win or lose. Even if you must control the mouse and keys for your tyke, I think a 2 year old would still appreciate the cute ladybugs and colorful scenery. All of these factors are very important in the development of young children. I think it would have been perfect if the developers added a memory game mode to the puzzles. It is incredible how much a toddler remembers.

The simple graphics, large cursor and the happy music will set the stage for a lighthearted afternoon of fun while at the same time learning new things on a cute, joyful game like Ladybugs. An extra bonus is the priceless bonding with your little one.

Features of Ladybugs:
-Fun Hands on Play
-Colorful, Cute and Simple graphics
-Happy Music
-3 Modes of Play
-Non-violent

Rating: ★★★★☆

Pirate Poppers Review

Action, Arcade, Match, Puzzle | Posted by Zeke
Sep 01 2010

pirate-poppers

How can you go wrong with a name like Pirate Poppers? Aaargh! With its pirate theme and music what else is left but a treasure map and riches? You need to piece together a map for the location of the legendary treasure of Isla Calabera.

There are 3 modes to play in this pirate game: Adventure, Puzzle, and Arcade. The Adventure mode has 77 levels of Pirate Poppers3play. In the Puzzle mode you must clear the row of balls with only a limited number of cannons, so you must figure out exactly how and where you will place these balls on the rail. In the Arcade mode you get a number of lives before losing a level.

The play is to simply shoot cannon balls at groups of colorful balls rolling on a track towards a barrel. You must aim for like color balls and shoot while the chain of cannons continues to move forward. When the balls are blasted and disappear, the cannons on either side will come together and if they are the same color and are 3 or more, they may also explode and clear the game board.

There are a lot of power-ups in this game. Some of the extras will change the color of the balls to blasting a whole slew of cannons with an explosive one. With some of the other features, the balls will move backwards giving you extra time to figure out your strategy. There is a spyglass when you are able to shoot faster and more accurately. On top of all that there are many extras you can catch with your cannon. The many jewels and treasures will give you extra points and the skull medallions will increase the number of lives.

Pirate Poppers is very similar to ZumaSweetopia and Luxor where you shoot at orbs coming down a tube-like conveyor belt.Pirate Poppers2 This is an action packed arcade Mac game with pirate cannons, treasures (gold, silver and jewels) and much more. You’ll have fun just sitting back and shooting cannonballs out into the chains of multicolored spheres. This game takes some strategy and thinking, but on the most part it is just an enjoyable game to kick back and shoot.

Features of Pirate Poppers:
-Pirate Theme
-6 Power-ups
-Treasure
-77 Levels

Rating: ★★★★☆