Contraption Maker

by Spotkin

Vitals:

• Rube Goldburg Puzzler
• Worth the price ($14.99)
• Approx. 10 hours playtime
• Immense replay value

The makers of the classic Incredible Machine are back with more wacky Rube Goldburgian puzzles and creative mayhem. Contraption Maker revives the circuitous, absurd and educational engineering puzzle game genre, duplicating all old mechanics that made its predecessor so great while introducing a slew of new objects and features.

For me Incredible Machine is one of the great games of my childhood. The wacky chain reactions and challenging cause effect problem solving puzzles would keep me occupied for hours on end. Contraption Maker appeals for those very same reasons though I’ll admit some elements feel slightly juvenile now. It should however still be a wonderful bit of nostalgia for anyone who loved the Incredible Machine as well as an excellent family friendly educational tool for anyone looking to put a little fun into their child’s development of a problem solving skill set.

The objective here is to put a cat in a box then drop it down a bottomless pit. Reddit is not going to be happy.

Contraption Maker brings back the traditional puzzle mode, wherein a player must cause a chain reaction to cause a desired effect through the use of various objects, each of which has its own physics and properties. The game comes with a sizable library of scenarios of varying difficulty. The later puzzles are actually pretty hard. One oddity I noted while playing through them however was the games tendency to jump about through the difficulty levels. For example on several occasions I would have just completed an easy level puzzle and I would find myself, after selecting “next puzzle” immediately facing a hard puzzle. It can be somewhat jarring, especially if you are trying to complete the game in a linear manner, to have just knocked a bowling ball into a bucket then immediately be tasked with helping prevent the uprising of an army of clones using a cannon, a flashlight, some rope and a hamster. It’s easy enough to click out to the menu and pick up where you left off but it is somewhat annoying. It’s also worth mentioning that a majority of the puzzles have zany back stories and it makes it much easier to engage with them when instead of just popping a blimp you are stopping the self-destruct system of a secret base.   

 Free build mode is also available so players can step outside the confines of the presets built by the games makers and experiment with any object they like, building their own contraptions and puzzles for friends. Any puzzles that are built can also be uploaded onto the steam workshop to share with other users. Players looking to access this user generated content can do so easily by clicking the in game community button. This kind of workshop integration always nice to see and is perfectly suited to a game where players designs are the core of the games extended life. The makers have even gone so far as to hold build offs in which user created designs are judged by the game creators. The level of community integration in the game is exemplary and provides for a theoretically endless amount of content.

Some of the puzzles get pretty complicated

 Contraption maker also features an in game link to their wiki, for players looking to learn more about how various objects work as well as a clearly labeled bug report option which, while concerning at first, is a great way for a game to ensure that any errors players encounter are fixed quickly. The game also promises to release updates with new elements that can be incorporated into players contraptions, already dogs have been introduced in a free patch.

Contraption make is a great successor to the incredible machine and will be enjoyable to fans of the classic or more contemporary puzzle enthusiasts. The game runs for $14.99 on steam and considering the immense amount of additional content is probably worth picking up.

Mountain

by David OReilly

Vitals:

• Screen Saver
• Worth the Price ($0.99)
• Endless Playtime

This week’s game delivers all the serenity and majesty invoked by massive upcroppings of earth known as mountains, sprinkled, literally, with a touch of absurdity in what can only be described as the most postmodern game I have experienced date. Though to call Mountain a game may be less than accurate.

In mountain you watch a mountain. That’s pretty much it. The mountain slowly rotates as calming music intermittently plays and occasional Zen phrases such as “I feel dissolved inside this blooming morning” appear in the corner of the screen.  As the mountain spins day and night cycles occur, providing ample opportunity for experiencing that sunrise or sunset behind a towering peak moment that outdoor enthusiasts will surely recognize. At night the trees sparkle with fireflies adding to the magically soothing atmosphere. Seasons also pass on the mountain, sometimes covering it in a blanket of snow or obscuring it with clouds as rain pours down.

Your own digital snow globe

However not everything that happens in this game falls under normal mountain behavior. At times random objects will appear on the mountain and then later, again for seemingly no reason at all, they will disappear. For example as I am writing this there is a gigantic umbrella resting near the peak, a bunch of bananas sitting in one of the forests dotting the slopes and a horse lodged halfway inside the base of the mountain. The game gives no reason for these appearing and disappearing oddities and other than the weather cycles they are the only thing that changes about the mountain. It would have been nice to see more natural changes to the topography and ecosystem of the mountain, landslides due to heavy rain or the growth and death of the forests that populate it surface.

 Graphically the game is fairly basic, polygons are visible, shadows are simple and almost all of the textures are just gradients of color. This simplicity however does not diminish the game, it is not a 3D Mark testing software or a photorealistic shooter, it is a meditation tool and striking graphics are not necessary for serenity.

Just another picturesque day

Getting to the nature of what this game is I feel I should define the word “game”. Marriam-Webster defines game as: “a physical or mental activity or contest that has rules and that people do for pleasure.” While participation, in the philosophical sense, with Mountain could constitute a mental activity there are no rules that govern it. Furthermore there are no controls by which the player interacts directly with the mountain. In fact when the menu is opened the controls option clearly states “nothing”. The only interaction the player has is by spinning the mountain to view it from different angles or zooming in to observe the mountain up close or zooming out to see it as a chunk of dirt floating in a small atmospheric bubble amidst the vastness of space. Audio events for dawn, dusk and ambiance can be toggled on as can the mountains reflections on its simple life. Quality can be set which seems only to turn textures from basic to entirely flat and remove the stars from the sky when fully zoomed out. Window size can also be adjusted to make the mountain full screen and center stage or a smaller background experience. Given the extremely low level of interactivity I would classify Mountain as more of a screen saver than a game.

It's a mountain... floating in space

Despite the lack of some crucial and defining game characteristics Mountain is a wonderful meditation and relaxation tool. Set in the background of any program it provides intermittent simple short and soothing notes and calming environmental sounds such as the gentle falling of rain. More active observers will catch the mountains positive observances and feelings on the world around it. Altogether this creates a very Zen garden experience.

Mountain may not be enthralling or complex but it is at the very least the best screen saver you will find. There is no real playtime with it, in theory you could run it in the background perpetually and still enjoy the subtle boon it grants. At just $0.99 I really can’t not recommend this program.

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger

by Arc System Works

Vitals:

• Fighting game
• Wait for the sale ($9.99)
• Approx 30-45 min for a single play through
• High replay value

There are few things more exhilarating than button desperately mashing punch, kick and block, screaming obscenities while trying to eek out that last bit of damage to bring your buddy down in the third round of a hard fought match. There are also few things more satisfying than hitting a finishing move perfectly to KO your opponent and few things as soul crushing as having victory snatched from your grasp after a rousing start in the final battle. Blazblue: Calamity Trigger offers everything fans of the fighting game genre have come to expect, interesting characters, varied and exotic locales, several modes of play, cheesy voice-overs and best of all the opportunity to beat your friends to a pulp. Unfortunately it doesn't go much beyond that basic formula and the glue that holds these pieces together is spongy at best.

The library of characters isn't huge, but there is definitely variety

The game features 12 playable characters each with their own, somewhat limited, set of moves. The characters speed and style are well varied so player should be able to find at least one that suits them. Command lists contain 10-20 different moves giving non-button mashing players a decent sized arsenal. While none of the moves require vast strings of input to pull off they all require translation from the games designations, “A” for weak attack “B” for medium attack “C” for strong attack and so on, to the control setup the player is using, be it keyboard, PS3 or Xbox 360 controller. It seems likely that this is the result of the cross platform nature of the game though one wonders why the games developers would force the player to do the conversion when they could have easily gotten the computer to do the translating work by simply adding a select controller option.  

All it takes to pull off this move is a charged combo bar and one button. You have to figure out what button that is first though

The game offers several modes of play. The first, and arguably most relevant given the origins of the genre, is arcade mode. Arcade in BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is not fundamentally different from any other fighting game. The player chooses a character and must battle each other character in best two out of three match-ups with minimal story line in between. Story mode in contrast involves clicking through unnecessarily long, poorly written, terribly voiced narratives to reach single elimination battles where one loss leads to game over. For some reason the developers also decided to include decision moments in the story line which if navigated incorrectly can lead to an abrupt game over. The game also features versus mode for battling it out with your friends, however if you are playing on PC investing in a few of your favorite controllers will be a good idea since space on one keyboard can get tight. Obviously there is a training mode where players can practice moves and hone their skills against a computer opponent whose behavior they define. And finally the game features score attack mode in which the player battles computer challengers to achieve a high score based on combos, damage taken and number of rounds won.

Sounds interesting right? Yeah, it's not

Overall BlazBlue: Calamity trigger isn't a bad game it’s not an especially good game either. Given the number of characters several hours could be spent beating all of their arcade and story sequences. Replay value for the game increases dramatically if you have a friend who’s into fighting games. The game goes for $9.99 on Steam which seems a little high for this title. So unless you are an avid fighting game fan I’d say you’re better off waiting for a sale on this one. 

Appointment With F.E.A.R.

By Tin Man Games

Vitals:

• Choose your own adventure
• Skip it ($5.99)
• 15-20 min. playtime
• High replay value

There was a time in gaming, before the graphical revolution and the implementation of radical control schemes, when story and content was king. When worlds were experienced entirely through text and gameplay consisted solely of choosing the correct path through various mental challenges. Appointment with F.E.A.R. attempts to draw on this bygone golden age of choose your own adventure book gaming, even augmenting it with a thematically appropriate comic book venire, but unfortunately misses the mark on every important hallmark of the genre.

Titan city, home of the most forgetful scientists ever

You play as a super hero who has committed their life to protecting the citizens of Titan City from the forces of evil and calamity. The game attempts to create a sense of customizability by allowing the player to choose their character’s gender, super power and appearance from a list of presets; however the number of options is extremely limited and mostly irrelevant. Even the heroes name must be selected from a predetermined list. Ultimately only the chosen super power ever comes into play beyond cosmetics.

The visual overlay is well conceived and thematically stays true to a classic comic book form which makes the super hero experience feel more familiar. The art for the heroes and villains is also done well in a very distinctly comic book style. The writing is similarly stylized and dialogue is packed with all the melodrama and one liners you might expect from a comic book. It feels though that the PowerPoint presentation that constitutes the entire game is all flash and no substance.

I get to pick a primary AND secondary color!?

 The story has almost zero continuity and the disjointed subplots are frequently left unresolved. In fact nothing about the narrative of this game is in any way satisfying. Even upon successfully navigating through the guess work and chance of an event the only rewards are hero points, which amount to zero in game value and are tabulated only at the end of the game as a score; or clues that might be useful in potential future events which the player may never even encounter.

There is also absolutely no skill involved in this game and only minor deductive reasoning. Combat consists of choosing one of three moves that deal more or less damage and are, respectively, more or less likely to hit. With nothing but chance and some basic arithmetic determining whether the hero or villain is victorious the battles begin to feel boring and repetitive. Even the farcical descriptions of attacks tire quickly, especially after they have appeared for the second or third time. Outside of combat the decisions made, for example stop an argument or investigate a commotion, must be made with limited to no prior information and occasionally dead end without warning as either a complete waste of time or outright death.

It takes a real hero to bite a radioactive dog in the knee

Due to the randomization of events and four selectable character powers the game does have an elevated replayability factor however frequently events will recur in subsequent playthroughs which forces the player to click through actions and narrative that they have already seen. This becomes more frustrating when a successful outcome that the player achieved in a previous playthrough is made impossible because a necessary event failed to occur earlier in the game. This leads to an overall sense of impotence as the games randomization element, and not the players own ability, is the primary factor in determining success or failure.

It’s painful to think how easily this could have been made into an enjoyable game, more painful even since that the game dangles the answer in front of the players face as if to say it wanted them to suffer. A map of Titan City, which highlights all the locations visited so far, is included in the menu. Had the world been opened to exploration the player would be free to uncover and pursue leads as they saw fit. By railroading the story, giving players only two or three options for progression at any juncture and exposing them to only certain, potentially uncorrelated, information and events, the developers at Tin Man sidestepped what could have been an exciting, deep and rewarding game.

Appointment with F.E.A.R. is an utter failure of a game. Players can expect to spend 15-20 minutes on each playthrough. While the game is designed, to a fault, to have a large amount of replay value it is unlikely that most players will have the fortitude to endure more than 3-4 adventures. The game sells for $5.99 but considering its major shortcomings there are plenty of better things to spend your time and money on.   

Trace Vector

by Vexel Games

Vitals:

• Retro Space Puzzler
• Worth the Price ($6.99)
• Approx. 4 hour playtime
• Moderate replay value 

This weeks review harkens back to the days of high speed space action and vector graphics where quick fingers and quicker thinking are the only thing between you and certain disintegration. Trace Vector places you in the cockpit of an interstellar craft lost thousands of light years from home desperately navigating dangerous warp paths on an uncertain course to earth.

Each segment of the game is broken down into hyperspace networks, grids of possible travel the player must navigate across to reach the next area. Along the way fuel cells must be collected in order to keep progressing and dead ends must be dodged in order to avoid sudden explosive death. The levels vary in dynamic and pace; some force the player to fast twitch their way across minefields of hazards as their ship rockets through the area at ridiculous speeds; others slow the craft down providing time to think and plot a course to obtain the most fuel cells possible. Intermittently frustrating and satisfying Trace Vector excels in providing intense challenges and gratifying success even if the mechanisms are somewhat simple.

     The players ship streaks across the black void

The world the game takes place in is purposefully underdeveloped, reinforcing a sense of being lost in the void of space. As the player progresses conversations with the ships AI, dropped in between levels as status updates, take a markedly “2001, A Space Odyssey” turn. This narrative amplifies the sense of urgency and suspense the gameplay already implies upon the player. There are a few more choice moments that impress upon the player but I’ll leave out the spoilers, you’ll just have to play it. The whole game is also set to an original electronica sound track which helps set the mood and tempo for the game and fits in perfectly with the retro futuristic visual design. 

Your only friend on this journey is the ships erratic AI

For the die-hard completionists and high-score hounds out there, Trace Vector provides scoreboards and allows any level to be replayed so you can collect every last fuel cell to attain the perfect score. There is also an endless mode in which the player must navigate a safe route as the ship increases speed across an endless hyperspace network.

For gamers who long for the nostalgia of 1980's arcade gaming Trace Vector is a sure fire hit, providing thrills reminiscent of greats such as light cycles or asteroid. But the game has a lot more to offer than just quick thrills and fond memories.  Trace Vector stands on a pedestal as an exemplification of how a game can, through perfect synergy of parts, provide an incredibly suspenseful and evocative experience using only the most minimalist design.

Trace Vector runs for $6.99 and the main quest will take about 4 hours. With scoreboards, attaining perfect runs and endless mode avid fans will find a decent amount of replay value. Given the high atmospheric quality of the game it’s a title that’s overall worth the price. 

Super Trench Attack

by Retro Army

Vitals:

• Top Down Shoot'em Up 
• Worth the price ($4.99)
• Approx. 6 hour playtime
• Low replay value

It’s a pixelesque day on Pebble Beach. Green Star soldiers relax on the sand, drinking soda while their tin pan helmets shade and likely chaff their scalps. Out past the surf and sea-mines seagulls call their affections to each other. Suddenly the menacing armada of the questionably competent Black Army appears on the horizon. Within moments the beach is overrun, Green Star soldiers are run up flagpoles by their underwear, bunkers are defaced with anti-Green Star propaganda and ice cream cones are brutally smashed and left to melt under the onslaught of the blazing sun. And so a war begins for the survival of the Green Star Nation and with it the journey of one unlikely, possibly immortal, butt chinned pornography connoisseur.

                The world of Super Trench Attack is wonderfully conceived. Even in the darkest moments of warfare humor and absurdity rule the land. It’s clear that the developers went out of their way to make the characters and plot ridiculous in every way they could. The result is a lighthearted romp through the trenches and battlefields of a conflict which clearly draws inspiration from our own World Wars.

               Our hero unabashedly celebrates his success

  The majority of the gameplay involves shooting your way across beaches, fields and towns to complete specific objectives such as clearing bunkers, blowing up tanks or repeatedly rescuing the Green Star Armies highly skilled spy and master of disguise. The lighthearted feel that makes the game is present even in simple shootouts, scoring a foot shot will sometimes cause an enemy soldier to drop his pants stunning him for a moment; enemies killed with grenades or explosive barrels will be reduced to ash in classic ACME style. Unfortunately the basic game mechanic quickly wears thin. With a few rare exceptions enemies are identical in tactics and armaments, only changing their physical appearance and overall life total. The player is given the opportunity to purchase upgrades and perks unfortunately this only ever keeps them up to pace in an arms race to equivalency and new combat or game-play mechanics are never introduced. The challenge doesn't really increase either since throughout the game death results only in a silly interlude before the player is returned to their tent in camp with the option to immediately teleport to the most recent checkpoint. Upon returning to the front-lines they will find that none of the enemies have re-spawned and they are free to casually stroll back to where they died and continue the fight. By the end of the game being killed is little more than an annoyance and one wonders why death or health packs are even included in the game at all.

You may be outnumbered but you're also immortal so things kinda balance out

The boss fights are disappointing as well. There are a few active and engaging battles against large mechanized machines of war that are somewhat reminiscent of Metal Slug bosses, only here they’re top down instead of side scrolling. Unfortunately these are far outnumbered by the amount of shooting galleries that pass themselves off as boss fights, stationary point and click to win events that seem like something off a banner ad. After surviving an exciting battle against a giant mechanized submarine each one of these trials winds up feeling like a lazy slobber in the eye.

It was better with the Light Gun

               Super Trench Attack is an enjoyable game even if only because of the absurdity of the world and the characters in it. Most game-play mechanics are amusing but tire quickly and won’t hold much, if any, entertainment value after the first, approximately 6 hour, play through. However the game is available for $4.99 on Steam so despite its shortcomings it definitely ranks as a title that’s worth its price.