This is the first of possibly several more games that I’m going to add to this thread as the day goes on. I’m really tired at the moment after many days of staying up very late into the early hours of the morning, so need more sleep before I continue gathering together more games from the games project folder. I thought I’d post details of the first two as a starter. (I was going to write 'taster' as opposed to starter, but this game is much more than a taster – It’s yet 'another' game that I purchased when it was first released on a floppy disc; and I spent many a good hour trying to beat my high scores. I think you’ll be amazed at how addictive this game is. I recommend that you play the game on normal to start with. The easy mode is the only mode that resembles another game that I dare not mention until you’ve read more about the game, lol …. Intrigued? Well you should be as this is a brilliant game.
If you're not into Squarez Deluxe you could try the other game included with squarez called Jetpack, but if neither of these wett yout appetite, I will be posting more games in this thread later in the day, so as to give you a choice from a few more genres of game. Hopefully then there will be a game for everyone. :)
======================================================================
Squarez:
Squarez Deluxe started out as simply "Squarez" on a Commodore 64. That project was abandoned for the PC version, which was released without a publisher in 1992. After Jetpack was released (both games are included in one download and the file is actually named Jetpack), Squarez Deluxe was rewritten with improved graphics . It’s very popular among the puzzle / strategy game crowd. Apparently; (according to the developer) many people complained about missing sleep and marital problems because of their Squarez addiction, lol).
You can play with the mouse, keyboard or joystick. It’s worth watching the second video because the guy who is giving the commentary covers most of the points worth mentioning about the game, though he does miss a few of the power ups. Ignore the beginning of the video though. The game has three modes easy, normal and extreme. - Now that sounds like difficulty levels and not modes; which is partly true, but with Squarez, each of the difficulty settings is a mode because you get different attribute with each setting. You’ll see what I mean when you play the game.
When I first re-discovered this game last year I definitely got it to work on one of my XP systems, but as mentioned somewhere else all of them are down apart from this one at the moment and unfortunately it wont work on this computer without a DOS emulator such as DOSBox . You will get a message popping up about an MS DOS 16 bit sub system if the game isn’t going to work without DOSBox. Please don’t let that put you off; (until starting this project I was very reticent about using DOSBox – I can’t explain why, but I was. Now that I’ve started using it though, I’ve found it’s opened up a whole new world of abandonware gaming that I really thought I’d left back in the past – I highly recommend that you download a copy of the latest DOSBox or it’s equivalent, and start playing some of these DOS gems (follow the link below for a tutorial on how to set DOSBox up. I also recommend that you watch the videos below, especially the second one as it gives you a good grounding in what you can expect from the game; though it doesn’t cover all of the power ups that are available in game.
The game is a two player game but thankfully it includes a computer AI, so you can effectively play it as a single player game, but it’s much more entertaining playing it with a family member or friend. There’s one power up that moves the dividing barrier so as to increase, or decrease your playing area, and is one of the more important power ups for getting high scores. Another is the multiplier power up, which is a lot like the multiplier on a pinball game. The further you move the barrier, the more room you have to maneuver. You’ll find that this power up is really important when you’ve unlocked the sticky power up, which when activated effectively locks and piece you are moving in place until you’ve formed a 3x3 grid of squares. That’s the idea of the game, creating 3x3 squares; but it’s not as simple as it seems because most of the pieces that appear are odd shapes that you have to piece together much like Tetris; but this game is a lot more than Tetris. I don’t like using the Tetris analogy, even though this is a distant cousin of Tetris, because I actually dislike Tetris a lot due to overplaying it on the game boy in the early 90’s.
Overall I give this game a 9 out of 10 for addictive game play and also for being a superb puzzle game that I’m truly amazed hasn’t been copied since it’s demise. There is another game called Squarez, which is nothing like this game (more like a match three game) which you can see amongst the images on the Google page I’ve linked to below. Please note that the file that you download is named jet pack and included both Squarez Deluxe and Jetpack another game worth checking out. Please note that when you unpack the files from the zip archive, squarez can be found within the jetpack folder. You just need to remove this and place it in the folder you've set aside for DOSBox programs.
Images:
http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=squarez++deluxe&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2
Videos:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=08sfayp2W9M
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=oYG6tRQZTXE
download link:
http://www.adeptsoftware.com/squarez/
Setting up DOSBox:
Check out the following thread which links you to a good tutorial on how to set up DOSBox:
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/4420
======================================================================
Jetpack:
This comes as part of the Squarez Deluxe package I’ve posted above, so you’ll find the download link the same. Jetpack was a take on the platform game with a twist in the tail that I’ll let you discover for yourselves. It also requires DOSBox. The first video below gives a good talk through about the game, though I must warn you the guy does swear several times so be sure not to have any children around when you listen to it. I nearly deleted it because of this, but unfortunately the guy does explain the game and I’m short of time to bother writing a full review about the game.
As I said when I first started this project three months ago I wouldn’t be reviewing most of these games, just posting video links, other peoples reviews and screenshots, though I have tried to write about some of the games I’ve posted when I’ve had the time.
Video:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gBVyYMuEr2k
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=IHGIoYDV8fg
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vjg2eb18XCI
======================================================================
As most of you know already, Gamehouse are giving away a full version commercial game every day. The only payment is an 18 second advert that you have to watch every few levels. They can be annoying, but apart from that the games that you get are clean of any other malware. (do you call ad-ware bad if you agreed to watch it? - which you do when you install the game. Today’s game is called Nancy Drew - The White Wolf of Icicle Creek.
Nancy Drew - The White Wolf of Icicle Creek:
Solve a perplexing mystery plaguing a rustic lodge in Nancy Drew(R) - The White Wolf of Icicle Creek. Mournful howls and thunderous explosions roll across the frozen Canadian mountains surrounding the Icicle Creek Lodge. Former guests say that the resort is jinxed, but the staff blames a mysterious wolf. Is the wild animal connected to a lurking saboteur, or is the wolf warning the residents of bigger danger? It’s up to you, as Nancy Drew, to uncover the secrets before someone leaves you out in the cold! Follow a trail to hidden secrets and sabotage! Dare to play Nancy Drew(R) - The White Wolf of Icicle Creek today!
download link:
http://www.gamehouse.com/download-games/nancy-drew-the-white-wolf-of-icicle-creek
======================================================================
More games to follow later today and possibly tomorrow if there isn’t a game giveaway on Sunday. :(
