Super Meat Boy

Easily one of the best games to be released on XBL and PSN ever, Super Meat Boy grabs hold and doesn’t let go. Team Meat has stuck gold with this charming little platformer that promises punishment for players, but also promises to keep them coming back for more. Make no mistake, Super Meat Boy will separate the boys from the men quickly. It’s going to be a blood bath, but if you’ve got the wherewithal to pick up what this game is throwing down, you will not be dissapointed. It’s the whole package. The gameplay, music, characters and the art style are all top notch. If you’re a fan of platforming games in anyway… it would be an absolutely crime to skip this one.

Hard… But Fair

I don’t usually don’t like very difficult games. Old Super Nintendo games use to break me quickly with their unforgiving nature, but I do love Super Meat Boy. The difference is where I place the blame. Those old games we’re hard for the sake of taking longer and often killed you in very unfair ways. Super Meat Boy doesn’t pull anything funny. The controls are simple and the mechanics are rock solid. I never get angry with the game, I only got mad at myself. It’s impossible to feel cheated when you know the only reason you died was because you screwed up, the game’s not at fault. It’s best not to even think about in terms of deaths. It’s just a botched attempt, I’m sure you’ll get it next time…or next time…or next time…etc

The premise can’t be simpler. The Heroine (Bandage Girl) has been taken from Super Meat Boy by the evil Dr. Fetus! Navigate these levels to get her back. Bandage girl is always at the end of the level so you always know where you want to end up, but getting their is the problem. This game doesn’t feature a health bar. You’re either dead or you’re not. Touch anything bad, and you’re right back at the beginning of the level. No load times or game over screen. That is absolutely critical in keeping you playing. The levels are extremely bite size. 15 seconds of well timed jumping will get you through just about any level. They keep the game fresh by introducing new level mechanics such as floor that crumbles away as you run over it or meat boy tracking missiles that hunt you down mercilessly.  It’s all up to how good you can be. Just get to the other side of the level. Sounds simple enough, right?

A Beautiful Game

The game features a throw back 16 bit style that is a real treat. Visually it’s gorgeous and the music is fantastic. The characters are adorable and hilarious. You’ll have a hard time finding a more funny game this year. With hysterical throw back cut-scenes to old arcade games, it does the genre justice. The game jumps from making you feel absolutely horrible for a character to laughing in the blink of an eye. It’s a real testament to the level of cared poured into the game that I can understand and relate to characters that never speak. The stages are great as well. The game explores a wide variety of scenes. Anything from a world set in a cute forrest, to a world set in a salt factory. You can also save your replays to post online if you want to drag about your accomplishments. The reason these replays are so worth watching is the fact that you see every single Meat Boy attempt…at the same time. That means if you did die 40 times, 40 meat boys are going to attempt this level in the replay. Only the winning run will make it obviously, but it’s hilarious to watch 15 meat boy’s die in the EXACT same spot.

Content. Lots of it.

If you can get 100 percent completion in this game, my hats off to you. Not only is the main game tough, every single stage has an alternate “Dark World” version where the difficulty is cranked up even further. Their are also bandages placed erratically throughout worlds, and boy they are tough to get. You’re usually going to find them somewhere you don’t want to go. Collect them to unlock even more awesome characters who you can switch to at any point. Yeah, you can play this entire game as a whole selection of familiar characters. Ranging from Commander Video from bit.trip.runner to the Alien from Alien Hominid. Each with their own unique abilities, switching characters can be a great way to get a fresh approach at a level that’s really been kicking your but. You can also unlock characters in “warp zones” which consist of three levels set in the desired characters world. The game even take you back further to 8 bit graphics for a few warp zones,, that includes remixing the music.

In Closing

If this game in anyway sounds like it could be fun for you, go get it. You will not regret the purchase. Super Meat Boy is easily my favorite arcade game title this year, it might be my favorite console arcade title yet.

Movie Challenge

Visually appealing, Movie Challenge provides entertainment when you have a few minutes to kill or even an hour. Featuring a very slick feel, responsive control, and fun sound effects Movie Challenge is the must-have movie trivia application for the iPhone. First off MT is broken down by different genres and directors. For each you are presented with options such as: Trivia, True or False, Quotes, Order, Jumble, What Year?, and ‘Preview’ which are timed. As you progress you unlock further genres and are scored based on your responses.

I found all of the modes fun and they did a good job of keeping things varied. I especially liked the Trivia, True and False, and Order. They really make you think. The only mode I came to dread was the hangman like ‘Preview’ which I felt had less to do with trivia and was fairly random. I’m sure it would require a lot of space, but a ‘Guess the Screenshot’ mode would be neat where you had to name a film based on a random screen capture. Movie Challenge also offers what are known as “power-ups” these are meant to help you along the way. Each power-up is different according to the type of mode you are playing.

At $1.99 you can’t go wrong with Movie Challenge. It is a fun way to test your film knowledge. I consider myself a pretty big film buff and I was pleasantly surprised by being stumped by some questions while feeling proud that I knew others. With three difficulties to master Movie Challenge has plenty of content to bring you back time and time again. Movie Challenge is the must-have movie trivia application for the iPhone.

Trace

Trace is a very simple but a very unique game. Trace is a platforming game similar to the Mario games we’ve come to know and love but this original title brings a new twist into play and that twist is the ability to draw your terrain. The endpoint is marked by a yellow sun-shaped circle. The object is to reach that endpoint in the quickest time possible. To reach the endpoint you must draw a path or multiple paths to it. You are forced to get more creative as you go along. Enemies will be flying around and making it harder and harder to get to that endpoint.

The controls are standard. One button to jump, two buttons to go left and right, touch the screen to draw, and hit the erase button to erase. The art style is just a simple MS Paint-style direction. Everything is hand drawn but that’s what gives this game a different feel to it. The music also adds a lot to the game. Each world has a different style of music to compliment the type of terrain. Trace has a whopping 120 levels total spanning 6 worlds including Paint, Water, Plant, Chalk, Flame, and Space. Each world brings a different flavor into the mix. You can also go back to any level and work on improving your time.

Trace is a great platforming game for the iPhone especially since it’s free…yes it’s free so you may as well go give it a try.