XCVB: Shame! Shame! Shame to waste programming talent on a bad game!   I’m a girl, I don’t fart and I like anything that comes in pink, so it pains me to have to say it that way: XCVB sucks dead monkey balls. Intentionally crappy controls do not make a game « challenging ». Ugly and lazy graphics do not qualify as « minimalist design ». The only decent thing about it is Jarrydn’s soundtrack, to…

Madness Metro 2033 Random Battles: Rayman meets Mad Max Madness Metro 2033 Random Battles is an okay shooting game. Details like discarded shells on the floor, a medic running on the battlefield, all these little things save the game from being too boring and repetitive. It’s a close call though, the map feels very small, almost like the battle is taking place in one of the guy’s garage.…

Mr. Timan meets Mr. Timan   Reviewing Mr. Timan is very easy: it’s a good platform puzzle game. Nice graphics? Check. Good music? Check. Interesting story? Check. And last but not least, controls are intuitive, work well and the gameplay is smooth. The time portal concept isn’t the most original but there is no need to cause a gaming revolution to create a good game. The levels are easy, so those…

Building Rush 2, a bird’s eye view of trucks making deliveries. Building Rush 2 is technically a good game. No bugs, no lag. The production runs smoothly, deliveries are on time, and with a good strategy, it’s fairly easy to beat a level. And… that’s it. The game works well and looks good, but lacks in entertainment. You’ll spend the whole game looking at trucks going from point A to point B,…

Revenge of a Dead Man never takes itself seriously and ends up being better than expected.   Revenge of a Dead Man is the browser game equivalent of a good B-movie. The graphics are bad. The animations and AI movements are ridiculous and you will care about that for about 10 seconds. The controls work quite well and the levels are quite challenging since you don’t get a second chance. Getting hit…

Forgotten Hill: Puppeteer: do I really have to go in there?   Forgotten Hill: Puppeteer is terrifying if you are like me, a wuss who’s terrified by dolls and puppets. Otherwise, it’s a well polished point-and-click game, with very challenging puzzles, horribly good graphics, a scary story and great sound design. The game makes you do things that you really, really would rather not be doing. This…

Apollina’s Spell: exclusive inside view of a uterus.   Apollina’s Spell is… different. Unlike most platformers where you pick up stars and hop to the next level to pick up more stars, the developer did bother giving the player some context before throwing him/her in very strange situations. Well, it’s strange if you are unfamiliar with Greco-Roman mythology. If you are familiar with it, then you…

Sanity Check’s plot revolves around breaking the fourth wall.   The Sanity Check game entity will patronize you, throw you in a cozy house-dungeon full of treasure chests, dolls and pizza, and more. But don’t get too distracted by the weird stuff going on around you, this is still an RPG and you have main and side quests to complete, turn-based battles to fight and NPCs to talk to. Sanity Check…

I had to level up to 50 to get you a more interesting Clicker Troops screen capture.*   If “idle hands are the devil’s workshop”, then Clicker Troops is your highway to hell. Detailed and varied enemies and heroes, upgrades, achievement bonuses, countdowns: this game has been crafted with addictiveness in mind. *Here are some excuses to keep playing Clicker Troops: I’m only a few minutes away…

Mixed Macho Arts’ “Absolute Randomness” mode. With its ’80s movie montage-rock music and flashy color palette, Mixed Macho Arts sets the tone for the whole game. “Fighting” here means rolling around ragdoll-style, grabbing your opponent and throwing him into a rising lava lake. Game modes range from Boringly Ordinary (less chaotic) to Absolute Randomness (expect the unexpected). What makes Mixed…

Detective Sir Biscuit: a heart-pounding crime mystery drama about a broken neon. Detective Sir Biscuit was a bit of a let-down. Detective stories have a great potential for games, but it wasn’t used here. First, if I see a detective with blue hair and a ponytail I’ll except a Vice Squad guy or an eccentric CSI. But no, he’s investigating a minor case of vandalism. Someone broke a restaurant’s…

Dragons Adventure’s beautiful scenery looks a little like a Hayao Miyazaki cartoon   Dragons Adventure would be a great skill game if it wasn’t for that damn mouse arrow appearing on the screen. It distracts from the real problems: floating islands and rocks, evil wizards and fellow dragons. It’s also bad for immersion. Yes, I roleplay a casual skill game, but come on. Dragon riding. I was into…

Meet our hero, the fearless Broken Horn Broken Horn is a nice mix of skill and puzzle games, with good cartoony graphics and sounds. The protagonist is an armless, legless green blob that rides a fiery horse to the entrance of a dungeon. One wonders if dungeon crawling is the best activity choice for this particular sprite. The blob can only complete his quest by getting kicked and bumping into…

Enter Into Darkness is an old-school text adventure     Jimmy Hall Jr.’s Enter Into Darkness is no fairy tale. According to the legend if you make it through the catacombs and get rid of the evil in your land, you will have to sacrifice yourself. If it is true, then might as well do some damage before becoming a martyr hero. Writing a story is hard. Writing a story with multiple branching…

With Oh! I’m Gettin’ Taller! the developer tried to be different and succeeded.   Oh! I’m Gettin’ Taller! is a platform adventure game that doesn’t look like one and it will be more appealing to point-and-click fans than action shooter ones. It’s a bit cheesy on occasions, but Oh! I’m Getting Taller’s mood and graphics are charming enough to make you forget about it fast. Since the child…

Fatal Fighters Story Mode’s best feature: the 2-player mode!   Fatal Fighters Story Mode is not quite the gaming revolution of the year but at least the developer made the effort to add something to the game. It’s a well-done match-3/turn-based battle combo. Most casual gamers have collected enough candy and gems for a lifetime, there is no need for more clones and the makers of Fatal Fighters…

Temple of Boom: good old arcade fun! Pew pew pew!     Temple of Boom is more enjoyable when played in Versus Mode. It’s still fun in Single Player Mode but lacks a bit of variety. It’s an excellent game when you want to play with a friend, but don’t have time to deal with networks and cables. Two humans, one keyboard, one virtual fight to the death. The smooth game mechanics ensure a pleasant and…

What… that’s…no that’s ridiculous! That spoon COULD be useful at some point, I don’t have a problem!   Tales of Valorian is the introduction to an upcoming JRPG series that has great potential. The game feels a bit incomplete: bugs, long time for the text to appear when talking to NPCs, elements shown but not available yet,… but the developer does admit this is more of a teaser than a full game.…

The Visitor is a point-and-click game that gets everything right.   The Visitor‘s cartoon graphics and humor balance out nicely the horrible things you will have to do to win the game. The main character is a little pink leech and its cuteness makes the whole thing work better than if the designer had done a menacing creature. Every scene is animated, the sound design is good. For once, I have…

Ultimate Alien Runner is all about the gold and the destruction. Ultimate Alien Runner is a new version of the game Ultimate Mage Runner 4. Not better, not worse, if you hated or loved Ultimate Mage Runner 4 it’s unlikely your feelings will change a lot. The developers even reused graphics from UMR 4 for some backgrounds. If you did like this game, then it’s all there. The explosions, the…