Category Archives: Games

“Rayman Origins sometimes feels like playing a half-watercolor, half-oil painted version of LocoRoco” -Eric

There have been a lot of Lums at lunchtime here at Fire Hose becuase we’re playing Rayman Origins. It is a bright and colorful platformer that offers fun environmental puzzles and Super Mario Wii-esque four player gameplay (with slightly less griefing).

“It’s awesome!” wrote Jeff, Fire Hose programmer, “Collection performers are totally my thing, in 2D or 3D.  I loved the first Jak and Daxter, I loved Ratchet and Clank, and …Rayman is just really, really polished fun.”

“I agree with Jeff,” said Eric, another Fire Hose dude that was kind enough to bring the game in for everyone to play, “I’ve been playing Rayman Origins and loving the hell out of it.”

We have found that playing with four players can be a bit busy, with onlookers only being able to keep up with Globox, the largest and bluest character.

He kind of stands out.

Everyone else seems to blend into the scene, with cameo appearances made when they make sweeping jumps or fall behind enough to stick out from the crowd.  Not that that doesn’t add a certain level of fun, like Super Mario Wii each player can interact with the others, pushing, prodding, or helping. (Usually just pushing and prodding when we play.)

The game design itself is kind of awesome; there is a rhythm to the game that the player can discover by uncovering “Lums”, which are sleepy personifications of musical energy. A player can go through a level and free the pink and rather fab “Electoons”. You can get one Electoon for making it through he level, but uncovering more Lums and discovering the tempo of the level will earn you more.  Not only that, but as you traverse the stages you may run into a super spiffy King Lum whom will give you further hints which will allow you to uncover the inner rhythm of the level and allow you to save every Electoon. And you totally want to save every Electoon, just check out that pony-tail! Plus Each world contains a “tooth” level. In these levels you have to chase a living treasure chest through a dynamically changing, thematically interesting environment.  They are super challenging but the restart is quick and you frequently get that “just one more try” feeling.

Check out the game for yourself on the official website over here.

There are some terrific games coming out this holiday season; but today we want to take a look at some of the greatest holiday themed games to grace a console or computer. We even put them in order for you based on fun and overall ridiculous-ness.

10. XMAS Lemmings

9. Christmas Nights Into Dreams 

Released as part of a Christmas console/game package in 1996, Christmas Nights Into Dreams almost made up for the fact that you got a Sega Saturn when you had asked for an N64. Christmas Nights is a two level version of the cult favorite Nights Into Dreams from Sega. Fly through wreaths, collect pretty baubles, and weave your way along a path filled with goodies to achieve a high score. Also, for some reason, there are birthday cakes scattered about.

8. Popples Christmas Adventure

Created as a 1986 give-away item from American Greetings, this gem features the adorably weird Popples. Playable on the Commodore 64, this “game” offers little in the way of interactivity, instead you sit and watch as the Popples bounce around on screen. Sometimes they play instruments.

7.  Die Hard Trilogy

You may think that the top Christmas action movie would translate into one of the greatest action Christmas games, and you would be right! This game was a fun run through the first three films. Available on the Playstation, PC, and Sega Saturn John McClane runs around barefoot kicking butt and taking names. Maybe not taking names.  Pretty sure he just calls everyone ‘jerkweed’.

6. Elf Squad Seven

An indie game from Stardock Entertainment, Elf Squad 7 offers single and multi-player elf squad action.  Lead your elf team through puzzles to save Santa before it is too late!

5. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Help Kevin find his family in this game based off of the sequel of the same name.  You’ve got baddies on your tail as you adventure through strange environments towards the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center where your rather neglectful family is waiting for you. Plagued by wonky controls and an incoherent plot, the game released for the NES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, and Super NES system does not hold up well to scrutiny. There is a portion of the game though in which you are charged with avoiding bird droppings as a flock of pigeons flies above you… so there’s that.

4.  Elf Bowling

Santa has the bowling ball. The elves are the pins.  Let the festivities begin! This game released in 1999 by NStorm is not only ridiculous but also has a fair bit of obscenity thrown in for good measure. The elves taunt St. Nick when his bowling ball misses by calling out, “Is that all the balls you got, Santa?” If that were not enough (and no, it is not enough) the Elves moon Santa, smack their butts in his general direction, and dance in between frames to ‘Elf, Elf. Baby’ (a play on a famous Vanilla Ice tune that is not in any way similar to a David Bowie song)

3. Santa Saves The World

This Playstation One game pits Santa against the menacing Nilam. Collect candy canes, climb ladders, and drink soda in a strange new land. Nilam hates the holidays with a  serious passion and attacks Santa with cavemen, flying elephant creatures, and tigers. Clearly one of the most realistic holiday titles to come out of 1992.

 2. Daze Before Christmas

In this 1993 game for Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo, Santa is minding his own business being jolly and wonderful when, for the purposes of plot development, he drinks a magical elixir that turns him into the feared ANTI-CLAUS! Anti-Claus, overflowing with newfound jumping powers, attacks each mouse that dare stir in his workshop as he collects the presents strewn about the levels. The presents have been refilled by baddies and now contain enemies for the Anti-Claus to beat including snowmen that decapitate themselves and then use their heads as weapons by flinging them at Santa.

1. Duke Nuclear Winter

Hail to the King, Santa. One of three expansion packs to 3D Realm’s Duke Nukem, Simply Silly’ s Duke Nuclear Winter (aka Duke Nukem’s Nuclear Winter) has everyone’s favorite misogynistic dude saving Christmas.  Santa has been brainwashed and Duke has to shoot and wisecrack his way through legions of holiday themed baddies.  The star on top of the tree: bodaciously evil female elves that dual wield sub-machine guns.

Honorable Mentions

The Christmas Story Room in Borderlands

I am not going to tell you how to get there. (You can look here if you don’t want to find it on your own) But yes, there is a secret room in Borderlands and it is A Christmas Story Themed. Ralphie would have loved to play with half of the weapons in Borderlands and you can sneak down to this secret room and find a make shift tree, spiffy presents, and a rather macabre leg lamp.

Christmas is Here Mission in Bully

This mission is a pretty straight forward one.  Jimmy wakes up in his dorm and hears over the loud speaker that a present is waiting for him in the office. What makes this little side mission ripe for the list though is that by not completing this mission you can make Christmas last forever.  Sure in this mode Jimmy cannot attend class or partake in missions, but who wants to go to school on the holidays anyway?

Did we miss one of your favorite in-game holiday moments? Talk at us about it on our Facebook page or Twitter.

Got an XBox 360, and want a fun old school platform puzzler for $3? Then go onto the indies channel (XBLIG) and download Escape Goat, the latest offering by Magical Time Bean.

In escape goat you star as an inexplicably purple colored goat who has been imprisoned for witchcraft. Teaming up with a small mouse with a taste for magic hats you have to navigate and escape from 64 puzzle rooms using a relatively simple rule set of jump, dash, push button, avoid fireball. The game shines because the level design is fairly tight and most of the levels are fun and interesting to play, and the few bits of dialog you encounter are relatively amusing.

My gripes with the game are few; the graphics aren’t very impressive, some of the critical elements blend into the background too much, and the game elements all have a similar look and feel (for instance, keys and magic hats look almost identical). However none of these points are damning, and we found ourselves coming back to this for more on a regular basis until we beat the game. The title even comes with a level editor that is surprisingly easy to use and fun to make your own levels.

If you are an indie fan and want a puzzler then this is certainly one to get. And for $3 it’s pretty damn cheap. Go on XBLIG and grab it now!

Oh yeah, and if you like the game’s music (composed by the dev, mixed by Chainsaw of Twisted Pixel fame) then you can grab it for whatever you want here.

Dinosaur fans, rejoice! We’re incredibly excited to announce our brand new game, Go Home Dinosaurs! We’ve been working really hard on this for the past few months and we can’t wait to show it off for the first time next week at PAX in Seattle. Gonna be attending the show? Then be sure to stop by our booth and try it out! We’ll right in Indie Alley and next to the PAX 10 in booth 6408.

But what’s this? You want to know about the game? Well wonder no more! Go Home Dinosaurs! (GHD! to the cool kids) is a fun new take on tower defense where players fit together puzzle piece shaped weapons powered by small, cute mammals to defend against invading, mischievous dinosaurs. Gophers shooting lasers! Pterodactyls attempting to crash your BBQ! METEORS RAINING DOWN FROM THE HEAVENS! Oh, and did we mention that you can level up your character and gain new dino destroying abilities by collecting and trading cards? It’s true!

This game has it all, blending short, simple, easy-to-get-into fun with deep mechanics that keep things exciting and new. Pack your bags dinos, ’cause you’re going home!

Ever feel like your video games don’t have enough consipracy theories, secret illuminati like societes, meditating aliens, or insane “spiritual” rambling? Well never fear, because Esoterica America has got you covered. YEAH!

I’ve never seen a video game that has managed to continually surprise us as much as Esoterica America. Here’s a partial list of the things you’ll do in the game:

• Meditate through various underground societies scattered throughout Washington DC
• Talk to your dead father
• Listen to a space fetus pontificate on life
• Help a stuttering former soccer superstar get over his past shame for missing an important goal
• View a picture of Jesus riding a velociraptor, with the caption “Never Forget”
• Tell a man that he should stop being so racist and should love his gay son
• Enjoy some hilariously over the top voice acting
• Ride on a public transit bus that sounds like a jet
• Communicate with aliens via crystal ball
• See several frames of animation
• Sing Bob Marley songs

Really, I don’t think any review of the game can do it justice. If you play this you will find yourself constantly surprised and, most likely, frequenly laughing (especially if you play with friends). The game costs $3 on Xbox Live Indie Games and is definitely worth checking out.

Score: 4 out of 5 masonic hieroglyphics. Buy it and play it if you really want to see something different.