A two-fer the week before the final shopping days of Christmas, and they’re good ones, making it difficult to hold back if you’re trying to conserve funds for gifts.
Team 17’s remake of their obscure Amiga classic is a winner, at least in terms of gameplay. The darkness sets a mood, but also obscures the alien invasion aboard a crumbling ship. Trying to keep up when you can barely see what is happening is unfairly a difficult, a shame since the satisfying weaponary makes it a joy to shred the bug-like critters.
The character moves slowly through the top-down stages, although this adds to the adventure feel and the tension. Key cards to open doors is a relatively archaic mechanic, but one that also forces exploration, something worth doing for ammo and health. It is important to note this is only the first part of the game though, so consider that this will cost more than $10 in the long run.
The only complaint with Tecmo’s latest is the rather small size of the playfield. Those with smaller TVs will have to squint to see the blocks which as moved by rows to match up at least five. Think a faster-paced Yoshi’s Cookie, with missiles.
That is the joy of Puzzlegeddon. It’s not enough to just remove pieces from a playfield, but you earn defense or offense. Your opponent is eliminating their own blocks, and can send missiles or disrupt your play. You need to have quick wits to manage both sides, especially when three others gang up on you. Offense can be fast, and landing a powerful missile strike on an opponent is pure gaming bliss, especially since you had to work to get the chance. This is a fantastic concept, and one that knows its limitations, staying firmly in a tightly wound clever package that doesn’t try to do more than it should.
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