EA has launched Sims Carnival, a collection of Flash-based games that can be played, modified, and shared with friends. Users are free to play pre-designed games, or to create their own. To celebrate the launch, Sims Carnival has also opened a “Galactic Game Challenge” that will award the best designer a cash prize.

The site offers a number of options that allow users to build their own games using tools that require no programming experience. Users can utilize a wizard that streamlines the creation process down to a few simple questions (What genre? How many enemies?, etc.), or they can choose to create a more customized game using the site’s downloadable editor (Windows only for now). They can also use the Swapper, which allows users to exchange a game’s default images for their own.

The site also allows developers to upload games that they’ve created in Flash independently, while retaining all of their links and branding. This could be a boon to developers looking to gain exposure in the somewhat-saturated Flash games market.

Each completed game can be embedded in social networking sites or blogs, and users can stitch together games to create a playlist. The site will soon introduce an API that will allow game creators to tabulate high score rankings, which can be distributed through email on a regular basis.

Gamers looking for a tie-in to the hit Sims series will be disappointed - it seems that the site is affiliated with the brand in name only. That said, Sims Carnival will likely appeal to much of the same audience. Many of the games are fun but not particularly complicated, and there’s good deal of satisfaction to be had from making your own game, even if there wasn’t much effort involved.

Site: simscarnival.com

Tower Defense games are one of the most popular types of online flash games today. Headlining this genre are tower defense games with titles like Desktop Tower Defense taking the spotlight. However, most of this genre is filled with bad to mediocre games that have limited play value. That is not so with Ultimate Defense 2, which with a polished interface, well-done graphics, and several different play mechanisms easily stands out from the rest of the field. Graphically, this game alooks alot like Protector and indeed it has a lot of the same game-play mechanisms like unit level upgrades based on XP and spells.


This game may take some getting used to but its well worth the learning curve. One thing that new players should be aware of is unlike traditional tower defense games were the towers fire at anything within a certain AOE of them, towers in this game only fire in one direction so be sure to make your defenders face in the direction where they will be able to fire the most shots. You can rotate your defenders once and plan on doing this or you will not be able to beat the level. Most of the units can only shoot two squares when they are purchased so be vary that you may need two defenders to reach across an entire lane which is usually 3 squares wide. Since you are allowed to rotate your defenders once on each level, be sure to put strong defenders at the turn positions and make them face the weaker side first so when the enemies get past the weak side, you can rotate them to the strong side where they will be permanently. This takes a bit of skill and micromanaging to master, especially if you are managing several rotations at once. For an easier walkthrough look to the end of this article for a more in-depth walkthrough.

Also, unlike traditional Tower Defense games, you do not purchase upgrades for your defenders, rather they gain XP according to the number of enemies you kill. You can use this to your advantage as it is possible to place towers so that one tower gets most of the kills thus giving you once super-strong tower, which is very helpful in single-handedly killing enemies. You can also unlock new defenders by completing levels and gain extra goodies by digging for treasure.

Spells and items are also an important part of this game. Watch your mana because you’ll need to have some in critical moments to prevent creeps from getting away. Early on the poison spell is great to pick creeps off but be sure to cast it early on in the level as it is a damage by time spell and takes a while to kill an enemy. If your looking for an easy direct-kill spell, go for lightening instead. The lightening spell is unlocked shortly after the game begins.

This game is a breathe of fresh air in the genre of tower defense. It is the first TD where micro-management is an important part of the games and is required for success. This alone makes the game a little more involved than traditional TD’s as you can’t just sit there and watch after building your defenders. You always have to be active rotating your defenders and using your spells to slow the enemy down.

The one complaint I do have about this game is that it is a bit too hard in the beginning and the learning curve is steep as it doesn’t quite play like a traditional Tower Defense game. But besides this small complaint, Ultimate Defense 2 is a solid all-around game.

Okay, still can’t beat it? I’ll take you through the game. Its actually quite easy to beat. You are basically going to use 4 defender types to beat the game. Archers, Mages, Ninjas, and Dragons. You never have to build knights and warriors(and they suck with only 1 in attack range). In the first two levels, build mainly archers and build lots of them. Building as many archers as you can while throwing one or two mages in there will do the trick. Be sure to use the pivot spots so you can use rotation. Digging for treasure is key, dig up all the squares that are not bordering the path as you won’t need to use them. You will get treasures for spinning the slots and more important in the early going, you will get mana potions to cast spells. A few creeps may get past your archers but with the spells of poision and lightening you should be fine(actually I never had to use more than these two spells the entire game). Starting at level 3, you will need ninjas. Ninjas have a range of 3 so one can cover the entire lane, place them at the pivot point(s) so you can rotate them. Usually one Ninja accompanied by a few archers in the right positions and the use of a few spells will be able to get you through level 3. On level 4, you will probably need two ninjas, some mages, and archers. Try to dig as much as you can for Mana potions as this will allow you to save money you will need to get through the levels until you can get dragons. Do not build warriors/knights as you don’t need them, Ninjas are better. I found that usually 3 strategic placement of ninjas accompanied by 2-3 mages and several archers were all I needed to get me through to the point where I unlocked the dragon. Try to save as much money as possible. You should be having a little bit more money at the end of each level. Don’t build extra defenders if you don’t need them. By the time you unlock dragons, you should have about 2500 or so to start the level with. Dragons take up four squares so after you get them, scout out the map for places that you can place them on. For the first level or two after you get dragons, build 1 dragon immediately, 1 ninja, and 1 mage(you should have enough start money to do this by this point in the game). That should kill everything perhaps until the last wave(but with spells it should be able to kill the last wave as well). After a level or two, you will have more than enough start money to buy 2 dragons. Basically at this point you’ve won the game as 2 dragons and one ninja is enough to handle all enemy creeps until the end. Never stop digging! I dugg every square I didn’t need to place on and ended up with 10+ mana potions at the end.

So lets recap — Until you can get dragons, build mainly Ninjas and archers and save as much money as possible while digging for treasure and mana potions.

After dragons, build only dragons and Ninjas and keep digging. Save as much as you can. If you can start every level with more than $3800(which is easily doable), the game is pretty much beat.

Overall, this is one of the easier TD games I’ve played. Took me about an hour to figure out how to beat it.

Play Ultimate Defense 2

A remake of last year's Penguin tossing games, Nanaca † Crash adds depth to the original by featuring nine (9) different characters that affect game play in unique ways. The characters are actually from a Japanese PS2 adventure game called Cross†Channel: To All People, developed by Flying Shrine and targeted at the mature market. This game, however, is definitely safe for all ages.

Nanaca†Crash begins with a click of the mouse. Simply click and hold the mouse when the meter shows the desired angle, release it at the desired power. Nanaca will then come barreling in on her bike from out of nowhere to send Taichi flying via her AERIAL CRASH! ability. The object is to make Taichi travel the farthest.

Once in the air, Taichi's flight may be influenced by any of the characters standing on the ground when a collision occurs, or from additional aerial crashes you can activate with a click of the mouse. When the word "AERIAL" highlights in red or blue, clicking the mouse will summon Nanaca to teleport in and give Taichi an additional boost. Red aerial crashes launch him upward, blue aerial crashes boost him at an angle towards the ground.

You have only three (3) Red AERIAL crashes, use them wisely. You may use as many Blue aerials as you wish, but they take some time to regenerate.

Under certain conditions, when Taichi hits Miki, Kiri, Touko, and in rare occasions, Misato, an alert signal will sound and the word "SPECIAL" will appear. Clicking the mouse within this special condition will activate that character's special ability. Some characters summon other beings, others use the character following her for a special combo. And there is much yet to discover about this very unique and unusual game.

Each character will affect Taichi roughly according to these rules:

When Taichi hits Kiri, she gives him a boost. Her normal boost accelerates him up at a 45 degree angle.

Misato will usually force Taichi to stop, so avoid colliding with her if at all possible. However, if you are able to activate her SPECIAL, she will boost him with the highest power of all.

The first time Taichi collides with Youko, she does nothing ("Through and Run"), but the next time Taichi hits a female character, Youko will block that character's effect.

When Taichi collides with Miki, she gives him a boost at a high angle of elevation. Power is a little stronger than Kiri.

Hitting Sakuraba Hiroshi simply changes Taichi's angle. There is no change to his speed.

When "AERIAL" highlights in red or blue, click the mouse to summon Nanaca to boost Taichi using her AERIAL CRASH ability.

When Taichi collides with Touko, she gives him a boost at a low angle of elevation. Power is a little stronger than Kiri.

When Taichi hits Tomoki, he just slows him down. Avoid the male characters if possible.

There is a lot of fun packed into this deceptively simple looking game. Summoning, combos, special abilities, and some real nice graphic effects. My record so far is 7,650.16 meters. How far can you make Taichi fly?
Review by Jay on jayisgames.com

Click here to play

Play Texas Hold 'Em against skillful computer opponents in Governor of Poker by Youda Games, creator of the previously reviewed Youda Camper. Build your reputation and wealth in a dusty western town by winning at poker and buying up property. You start out in the small Texas town of San Saba with money in your pocket and the ambition to climb up in the world. The game directs you to a poker tourney starting at the local saloon. As you win at poker you are able to buy property and increase your reputation. The higher your reputation, the more poker games you get invited to, and so on, until you own the whole town. You even make headlines in the newspaper! And best of all, if you're not in the mood to download, give the free Flash demo a try and see what you think.

The bulk of the game is spent at the poker table displayed in overhead pov, but those ten-gallon hats have a bunch of personality. Hand and body movements mimic real play, which is a nice touch. The most fascinating thing to me was that the characters had verbal and visual "tells." When he twirled his chips, was he strong or weak? Did the crack in her voice just tell me she raised with pocket Aces? Did the guy staring straight ahead when he made a quiet all-in bet mean he had made his flush? Usually. I called a bunch of hands just to see if I could figure out the code. If you show some bluffs, you might make someone start to steam or go on tilt! You can see the steam coming out of their ears, and they start to play badly.



Once you build your wealth and own houses, you'll have keys with you at the table in cash games, and you can bet the worth of those houses. But be careful, because other players have keys too, and when the short stack throws in his key, suddenly you'll be calling a much bigger bet than you expected. If at any point you don't have enough money to join a game, you can sell a house, or click on the "next day" button a ton of times and earn rent on your properties until you have enough to play. You can also win a series of 24 medals for various hands and situations, like "Busted A Player," "Won All-In Against Two Players," "Won 1st Place," etc. You can eventually own the town and are offered to play heads-up against the best player to win a horse. Once you win the horse you can mosey on to the next town and take more players to the cleaners all over again. You'll have thirteen towns and cities to conquer with your poker prowess, buying up all the houses and saloons as you go until you run all of Texas!



Analysis: Simple with few frills, Governor of Poker focuses on gameplay and creates a superb experience as a result. The AI is really pretty satisfying, even at just this first town. There are three skill levels to choose from, and a couple of the opponents are quite challenging. It's up to you to figure out who's the bluffer, who's betting true value, and who's betting their house on the nuts.

If you're new to Texas Hold 'Em, you won't find the instructions very helpful. But you can see a hand ranking chart on what beats what. There are lots of onscreen tips which you can turn on or off, and all the people in the town seem to want to give you poker advice every time you talk to them. You'll also get used to how the "blinds" (forced bets) go around the table and learn plenty of poker lingo as you play.

Governor of Poker has a nice feel for a computer poker game, a bit more like playing against people than other casual AI poker games I've played. The graphics and animation are very appealing, and the added goal of buying up property is a strong incentive for playing well. Too bad there isn't a multiplayer version!
Review By StaceyG on jayisgames.com



Try the Game of Governor of Poker!

Bomb It is one in a growing trend of Flash games based off of classic SNES-era games. What makes it worthwhile is that it's very effective in emulating its predecessor, the Bomberman series. However, it does not take the easy route of simply imitating the game down to the last detail. It brings a number of interesting new ideas to the table, and a catchy visual style.

That said, the graphics are very clean and soft. The only reason I hesitate to rate them more highly is that they don't really exceed my expectations in any case. Animation is limited to the bare bones, and an abundance of gradient shading may be compensating for a lack of detail in some areas. Nonetheless, very effective in their own right.

The sound was on par. It didn't feel like any sounds were missing, and the music suited the mood quite well. Although the overall quality of the audio was arguably inconsistent, more sounds were high-end than low. The option to turn the sound off was nice, but a few select sounds still played even with this feature in place.

The game's control was not unlike Bomberman itself. As you collect pickups, there's a lot to do with very few keys, so you might end up accidentally blowing yourself to pieces a few times before you really get the hang of them. Navigating the grid might also take some getting used to. Players might find themselves boxing their character off in a dead end when they had meant to turn a corner. Still, if this control issue existed in the original, it wouldn't be fair to condemn this Flash game for sharing it too.

The presentation in Bomb It was perhaps the most professional-feeling aspect of the game. The menu was easy to navigate and the instructions were very straightforward. Perhaps some further instruction might have helped the players unfamiliar with the Bomberman series, but it's a pretty easy concept to teach yourself anyway. The menu functionality had a few quips, such as being unable to toggle audio on and off while the game is paused, but these problems are minor and don't really hurt the overall presentation of the game.

There are several Bomberman-inspired games speckled across the Flash gaming world, but this one offered more fun than any other I've played. If you're not worn out on this type of game, or if you've yet to play any like it, Bomb It is definitely worth a shot.
Reviewed by NegativeONE from negativeflash.com

Click here to play Bomb it

Bomb it Video

We've all played that game. You know, the one with the wooden blocks stacked up like a tower that has the uncanny ability to turn the most reserved of adults into a group of six year olds on a sugar rush while you nervously load test each and every single block as you try and remove it without sending the whole tottering structure collapsing with a magnificent crash.

Now, thanks to the efforts of Gabriel Ochsenhofer, the very same who brought you Armor Picross 2, you can savor the very best of the classic party game without all the annoying side effects. Side effects like spending half an hour just stacking the tower in the first place, or chasing down that last wayward piece after a particularly good crash, or, my least favorite, having to endure your brother in law jumping around the room screaming, "IN YO FACE!" for a minimum of twenty minutes.

Totem Destroyer is, to say the least, an ironic name for this little jewel of a puzzler, considering that the very last thing you want to do is destroy the totem. The goal of each level is to instead retrieve the tiny golden little idol unharmed. Doing so is easier said than done, however. Keeping you from your prize is the precariously stacked structure upon which its perched. Your goal is to selectively destroy the required number of blocks for each stage without letting the totem touch the ground.

You will find in your hunt for priceless totems black blocks which can't be destroyed, normal brown blocks which can be destroyed, and green blocks which are equally destructable, but throw some added challenge into the mix with their bounciness. Whips, Fedoras, and the ability to outrun giant boulders won't be needed on this expedition, just your wits and a little luck.

Analysis: There's very little to find wrong with this game. The physics upon which it is balanced (heh) are incredibly well done. I did eventually find it unusual that the longer blocks landed so easily standing up, but even this little hiccup is one that I didn't notice until after level twenty. Beyond that, the physics really make the game; providing a natural feeling reaction to your every move that is predictable enough to plot your moves yet provides just enough randomness to keep you second guessing. Also, the dead time between when you can destroy blocks at first feels like a game flaw until you realize that it forces you to slow down and find a logical way to reach your goal as opposed to just clicking like mad and hoping the totem lands on one of the indestructable black blocks.

One criticism is the fact that successfully completing a level is determined by destroying a requisite number of blocks. For many levels this works fine, but for many this puts you in a situation where the totem is safe and low and you are just gratuitously clicking blocks that are out of play. Further, once you've reached the goal, you aren't allowed to destroy any more blocks, which sometimes puts you in a situation where if you could just destroy one more your totem is safe, but instead you have to watch as it slides down to the deadly grass below while you remain helpless to do anything about it. An alternative possibility might be to have a line below which you could bring the totem so that you could "reach" it.

The other quibble I have with the game is that it's just too short. At 25 levels, you should be able to work your way through in a relatively brief amount of time, and while we are promised at the end that more is to come, by the time the game is over you're going to be wanting some more NOW! And indeed, this game screams for a level editor option where players can build their own devious towers for others to try and deconstruct safely.

But these are minor annoyances and won't take away from the game's inherent charm and seemingly infinite possibilities. Thanks to the underlying physics, there are numerous logical solutions to each puzzle, as well as a few that can be reached through some good old fashioned luck. And when you're done, you don't even have to hunt down all the blocks so you can put them away in your closet.

Play Totem Destroyer.

The McDonald's Videogame is the newest Flash creation of Molleindustria, an Italian design team dedicated to the discussion of the social and political implications of video games.

The game is a simulation and parody of McDonald's where you are in charge of creating profits for the company by managing the four sections of its business: Agriculture, The Feedlot, Fast Food and Headquarters.



The Agriculture Section is where soy is grown for fodder for the feedlot and where cattle are raised to maturity.

The Feedlot is where mature cattle are fattened up and slaughtered for hamburger.

The Fast Food Section is the actual restaurant itself where you control employees and sandwich production.

Headquarters is where the executive decisions are made in relation to advertising, public relations and profits.

Your job is to balance all areas of production, make profits and keep the business running smoothly for as long as possible. Occasionaly consumer and public problems pop up for you to deal with due to your business decisions. The game ends once you have accumulated a debt of around $30,000.

The game provides a decent tutorial and a reasonably intuitive point-and-click interface that unfortunately doesn't compensate for a steep learning curve and high difficulty. This shouldn't stop you from giving it a try though. Overall the game is an entertaining distraction that is definitely worth it for the satire and laughs or if you enjoy a challenge. Click here to play

The article is from jayisgames.com by By Kate

Those of you Crimsonland fanatics are in for a treat. And if you've never heard of Crimsonland or the RIP series (top-down [WASD] shooters), you're in for an even bigger treat. Rock Solid Arcade's newest release, Robokill, is an extremely well-polished shooter game that's as fun to play as it is easy to learn. You play the role of a mercenary robot hired to investigate and eradicate the hostile forces that have taken over Titan Prime, a space station orbiting Mars. On arrival, you're dropped off in the first level of the station, equipped with dual miniguns attached to your shoulders. Sound enticing? It only gets better...



Each level of the station features around two dozen rooms where all the action takes place. You have a mission objective in each level (such as destroying a particular target or finding a vital component to progress). Your job is to blast through room after room, destroying everything that gets in your way, all while gaining experience to boost your stats, and finding money and upgrades to enhance your robot. Any fan of top-down shooters will embrace the familiar controls instantly: [WASD] or [arrow] keys to move and the mouse aims and shoots. For those of you not familiar with this style of shooter gameplay, you have a top-down view with the ability to move in all directions while simultaneously aiming with the mouse and shooting enemies while you move. As always in this kind of game, if you stand still, you die. Veteran players know the key to staying alive is to keep moving, especially in a game like this where most of the enemies fire projectiles back at you. The key is keeping a bead on your enemies as you fire at them while strafing around the room to dodge incoming fire. Luckily some of the rooms in Robokill provide non-destructible cover for you to hide behind if things get too hot. On the other hand, lots of barriers can be destroyed, sometimes revealing items or traps.

Each room in a level is kind of like its own mini-level. Once you enter a room, all the doors around and behind you slam shut and won't open again until you've destroyed everything in the room. Enemies are varied and unique, with a decent AI. Some enemies like little robot spiders merely chase you around, trying to damage you by exploding on impact. But most of the enemies are equipped with some heavy firepower, from mini-gunners to rocket launchers to flying drones, there's a sizable array of bots trying to take you down. There's even some stationary turrets thrown in for good measure. As you blast apart these enemy bots, you'll need to collect drops such as shield power-ups, wads of cash and even new weapons and items (more info on these later). In some rooms, enemies spill out of spawning nodes that resemble holes. Even though there's only a limited number of enemies in each node (eventually they run dry), you'll want to destroy them as quickly as possible or you'll find yourself overrun and out-gunned.

As mentioned, each level consists of around a couple dozen inter-connecting rooms, some of which have doors you can move freely through, while others require a key to open (usually found in adjacent or nearby rooms). You can bring up a snazzy-looking map by pushing [M], which shows your location relative to the entire map, as well as other areas of interest. Checkpoints in Robokill are lighted tiles that you'll find in certain rooms. Before the checkpoint is activated though, you'll need to clear the room first by destroying all the enemies in it. Once you've cleared the room, the checkpoint is activated so that if you die, you'll respawn back at the nearest one. The checkpoints also give you the ability to instantly teleport to and from each other, accessible via the map screen. This is a convenient feature so you don't have to waste time re-tracing your steps through empty rooms. You can also teleport back to the shop, which is available in every level to sell weapons and items you pick up, and buy new ones.



The items, upgrades and level progression of your character by experience is what launches Robokill above and beyond the myriad of Crimsonland clones released in the past. First of all, your robot has a total of eight slots available to equip guns and items. Four of these slots are reserved for weaponry, such as a couple miniguns mounted to your shoulders and a grenade launcher and shotgun on each arm. The four lower slots are for items such as shield boosters, health-regeneration packs and more. All of these weapons and items can be obtained either by drops from enemies or purchased at the shop with the cash you collect in each level. Some items even have enhancements on them, like a boosted rate-of-fire, a knock-back effect or the ability to freeze enemies in place briefly. Access your inventory by pressing [I] to see what you've got and swap out items. You can also upgrade your base stats (like shields and damage) by gaining experience to level up, which you're awarded by killing enemies and progressing through rooms.

Analysis: Robokill is one of the best top-down shooters I've seen in a long time, maybe since Crimsonland itself. The graphics are great for a two-dimensional game, giving an emulated 3D depth effect in some rooms where you can accidentally fall off the floor and into space below. Graphics aside, the game just plain rocks. Our main man Jay said it best when he played it, describing the gameplay as amazing and gratifying. The controls feel just right; even projectiles hit with satisfying accuracy and damage. The only negative thing I could find after a few hours of playing is that the death penalty might not be strong enough. Once you die, you're returned back to your nearest checkpoint with full health. Sometimes half the enemies you destroyed in a room before you got killed will still be gone when you return. So what's your incentive to stay alive? Just a few seconds of wasted time as you walk back from the checkpoint? The developer might have considered taking away a percentage of cash with each death, or re-spawning all the enemies in rooms between where you died and the checkpoint. Other than that, it's hard to find many flaws in Robokill. The progression of new enemies, items and weapons keep things fresh, and the level designs (in terms of difficulty and the attention-span factor) are spot-on. Play Robokill!
By Josh at jayisgames.com

Final Ninja, created by the same Nitrome team (Simon Hunter and Aaron Steed) that brought us Dirk Valentine, has just been released! This side-scrolling action adventure has plenty of tricks up its sleeve, and the word "ninja" alone will grab many players. In Final Ninja's case, however, I'm happy to say that it's one of the few ninja-based titles that really is fun (and faithfully ninja-like, for that matter).

In Final Ninja you play an anime-inspired ninja armed with throwing stars, a grappling rope, and the ability to stealth-hide into the shadows. The stealth mode is a pretty fun tactic, as you'll be met with lots of security systems and enemies that will require a delicate touch to overcome. The grapple is definitely the key mechanic that makes this game shine. Without it, it'd be just another run-and-gun ninja platformer (although still noteworthy).



You're charged with the task of completing each level by reaching a black data access card, all with the intent of facing down your nemesis, Akuma. It's the classic "student tries to rebel against old-and-wise master" story, as you're called into action once again after 10 years of meditation to don the special ninja suit and vanquish your arch rival. You can use the [arrow] or [WASD] keys to run and jump, while the mouse button fires your throwing stars and grapple (aimed by the mouse cursor). Pressing [down] or [S] will let you enter stealth mode, a state in which you'll become virtually transparent except for your cool green, glowing eyes. This state allows most enemies and security lasers to pass you by you undetected. And it wouldn't be a ninja game without wall-jumping, would it? You can push against any wall to latch onto it, slowing your fall until you jump in the opposite direction.

The real acrobatics come from using the grapple. Throwing stars can be fired in quick succession by tapping the mouse, but if you click and hold it instead of releasing, you'll fire the grapple that hooks onto most surfaces and lets you swing from ledge to ledge. The grappling system will be most familiar to those who have played the Worms series. Once deployed, you can climb up and down the rope by using the applicable directional key or gain momentum by swinging back and forth. You can even gain enough momentum from a standstill to pull a complete 360 (if you can master the right timing between the up-and-down and side-to-side movement).



Analysis: Nitrome didn't stray off the beaten path when it comes to the look and feel of Final Ninja. The cartoonish pixel graphics are exactly what we're used to seeing and they're just as good as ever. Aside from a seemingly "sticky" wall jumping mechanic, I was a bit hard-pressed to find many faults in Final Ninja. Level progression tempo is tuned perfectly, introducing new elements level by level with signpost tutorial hints along the way. Within each level, no matter where you are, you'll never find yourself far from an arrow indicating which direction you should follow so you don't get lost.

As you get past the fifth level or so, a larger variety of enemies and security systems are introduced, keeping your environments interesting and dynamic. Things get a bit tougher when electric platform edges are introduced, limiting your grappling options. Tto quote the game, "Even a ninja cannot defeat electricity...I respect its ability to bring death to those who are slow".

An interesting, atmospheric and all-around fun grapple-based platformer from Nitrome!
(By Josh on jayisgames.com)
Play Final Ninja.

One of the most aptly-named casual games ever, Armed with Wings by Sun Studios for Armor Games is an enjoyable platformer with some innovative twists. You play the role of a fallen hero, brought back to life from the "blackmist" in search of vengeance, armed with a katana and an eagle. That's right, an eagle. Designed to augment the typical start-to-finish run of platformers, you have control of an eagle that helps you reach your goal in a variety of ways. In most levels, that goal is simply to make it to the end flag by chopping your way through enemies and solving various environmental puzzles, like getting bridges to extend, distracting enemies and more.



You will want to run the tutorial stage your first time playing because there's a slight learning curve (mainly using the controls) to this game. The first thing you'll notice is the monochrome environment, reminiscent of the classic N. The levels are stylish enough to hold your attention without getting tiresome, especially when you consider that according to the story, you and your eagle are manifested in the "blackmist," an alternate reality of sorts. Controls take a bit of getting used to: move with the [arrow] keys, [Z] to attack, [X] to block, while the [A], [S] and [D] buttons control your eagle.

The sole aspect of this game that sets it apart from any other typical action/puzzle platform games is your pet eagle, which lets you to interact with both the environment and enemies in some fun and interesting ways. You release the eagle by pushing [A], allowing it to fly around under your control for a certain time before it's summoned back to you. Using [S] allows the eagle to pick up various items like rocks and keys; things that you need to advance through the level but can't reach yourself. [D] sets the eagle to an idle mode, returning control to the hero while the eagle stays in place. All of this adds up to a variety of uses such as distracting enemies while you slice-and-dice them from behind, scouting locations up ahead, picking up items you need to advance, and much more. In early stages, reaching the goal flag can be as simple as cutting your way through a few opponents. In later stages, you'll have to rely on your puzzle-solving skills, even when it comes to certain boss fights. The attacking mechanic is pretty fun; basic attack is a three-swipe sword combo. There's also an uppercut swipe that leaves enemies reeling, giving you some breathing room. Then there's the ultimate; a charged attack that can devastate enemies (as well as some objects in the environment).



Analysis: At its core, Armed with Wings is an action/puzzle platformer, and no amount of glitz and glamor is going to change that. But even if you're sick to death of platformers, this game offers something special: an innovative game mechanic with polish and style. Snazzy cut scenes before and after boss fights add some great eye candy, while an evenly-progressing difficulty system keeps you from throwing in the towel. Control would have been better if configurable (for fans of WASD movement), but it works. The ability to jump would also have been a nice addition, although many of puzzles rest solely on your inability to do so. Check out the built-in walkthrough on the menu screen if you get stuck and again, be sure to check out the tutorial stage in the "How to Play" section or you'll be flying blind.
By Josh at jayisgames.com
Play Armed with Wings.