(Page 2 of 2)
0:30 It takes me eight minutes to register my first death on level 2. I know it's still a "novice" level, but I just haven't replicated the edge-of-my-seat thrill from the original yet.
0:31 Of course, right after I write that, I die three times in quick succession. Maybe my mind was wandering, or maybe I was just lucky before. Either way I still get another gold medal and a lot more geoms. My drone levels up. Maybe now it will be less useless?
0:34 Y'know what I really wouldn't mind? A "zoom out" option too see more of the level at once. Seeing only about an eighth of these big levels makes it hard to plan out routes in advance.
0:37 I'm noticing the already-sluggish gameplay slowing down a little more when there are a lot of enemies on screen. For a game like this, in this day and age, this is simply unacceptable.
0:40 The slowdown is getting ever-present and very annoying.
0:44 Ten minutes and 20,000,000 points later, I'm considering quitting this level out of boredom. The slowdown removes whatever hint of challenge there once was.
0:50 After 25 minutes, 25 million points and I finally lose my last life on level 3. Hooray for slowdown!
0:53 I buy the most expensive level I can afford. This one is actually interesting... I only have one life, and face only blue diamond enemies on an odd layout full of corners. It actually shows some promise.
0:58 I purchase another interesting level with some moving, invincible obstacles. This is even more promising. Maybe I was too quick to judge based on the first few novice levels.
Would I play this game for more than an hour? Possibly.
Why? It's not as thrilling as the original, and it has some technical problems, but there's something interesting starting to show up in the level design.
This column was based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.
Want to know more about Games for Lunch? Check out the FAQ
here.
Go to
Kyle Orland's blog for even more Games for Lunch.