Showing posts with label Space Invaders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Space Invaders. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

The Game Show:Squishy Tank for the Nintendo DS

Squish!

Squishy Tank is a nifty little puzzle game starring many of these bizzarely cute little tanks who need extra protection because they're, well...squishy! Players help the Squishy Tanks by breaking up different colored blocks, with certain amounts of each color needed to finish each level. There are also various special items(such as the tornado pictured below) that aid gameplay in such ways as increasing time, getting rid of a bunch of blocks at a time et al. 

The game modes include Time Attack mode, Survival mode, Quest mode, and Story mode, the latter of which follows the Squishy Tanks through various humorous escapades. Also included are various unlockables, such as 3 different mini-games(one of which being a humorous nod to the legendary Space Invaders) and costumes to dress the Squishy Tanks in(the descriptions of some of which being humorous allusions to Bob the Builder, DragonBall Z, Ghostbusters et al.).



Pros:-A fun, amusing, hard-to-put-down game(You may ask me how I know, LOL :-D).
 
 
          -Easy gameplay with virtually no learning curve.
 
 
          -Very humorous overtones.


Cons:-Honestly, what's there to complain about in a game about cute Squishy Tanks?

Overall, this is an enjoyable, humorous game that's every bit as likeable as its adorable little protagonists. If you like puzzle games and you like funny games, and particularly if you like funny puzzle games, this is the game for you!


Friday, June 1, 2012

The Game Show:Rhythm Heaven for the Nintendo DS

They got rhythm, they got music. Who could ask for anything more?

Woohoo! 50 posts so far! Yaaaay! Whoopee! Hooray!....Ah, ahem, where was I? Oh yes....
Rhythm Heaven(or Rhythm Tengoku Gold, as it's known in Japan) is a music/rhythm based game made by the creators of the acclaimed Wario Ware series. The game is made up of a series of(rather bizarre, as is par for the course for the makers of Wario Ware) rhythm-based mini-games, such as Glee Club in which you play one of a trio of singers, Fillbots in which you work at a factory fueling up robots, the Space Invaders-esque Shoot-'Em-Up in which you have to blast incoming alien invaders, Love Lizards in which you play Cupid to a lizard couple, Moai Doo-Wop in which you play one of a pair of Moai(a fancy name for Easter Island heads) singing a very 50s-esque doo-wop song, and Fan Club in which you play one of a pop singer's entourage of monkeys.
One can't help but wonder...why monkeys? But, then again, why not monkeys?
New games are unlocked by achieving "OK"(good) or "Superb"(high) scores in games; medals are won when "Superb" scores are achieved. When enough medals are won, various rhythm games and rhythm toys become available(such as the "Slot Monster" pictured below). Once a "Superb" is achieved in a game, there will occasionally be the option to try for a perfect score in said game(this is done by playing through the game without making any mistakes); a prize(either music or something to read) is won once a perfect score is achieved.
For some reason, he reminds me of Meowth from Pokemon...probably because he has a somewhat cat-like look about him.

Also present in the game is a cafe` where you can listen to the music you've won, read the books you've won, practice flicking, or talk to the barista(Although many of the latter's anecdotes are apropos of nothing, he will also occasionally give you tips on how to play the games and tell you when a chance for a perfect score is coming up).

An interesting fact regarding Rhythm Heaven BTW, is that it isn't the first of its kind. The first game in this series was a game entitled Rhythm Tengoku for the Game Boy Advance, which was never released in America. Regrettably, I don't know much about it, other than that it basically had the same premise as this game.

Pros:-A fun, original game concept.

         -Beautiful Wario Ware-grade graphics.

         -Fun, catchy music composed by famed producer Tsunku.

         -The game is absolutely HILARIOUS!
  
Cons:-For those(like myself! :-p) who are rhythmically-challenged, this game can be a bit tricky. On a fortunate note, the barista will occasionally give you the option to skip a game you're having trouble with.
          -As such, winning medals, collecting items, and trying to get a perfect score is also tricky.


 "Hey! Stop looking at me like that!"

Overall, this is a good, fun, humorous, one-of-a-kind game with plenty of replay value. Despite it having a certain degree of difficulty, it's still very enjoyable and worthwhile. If you like music games and you like funny games and especially if you like funny music games, this is the game for you, I suppose, I SUPPOSE! YEAH!



BTW, I'd also like to share this YouTube video somebody made of Rhythm Heaven with a Pokemon makeover. (Honestly, it would be nice if such a game actually existed-it looks mighty cool!)