Category: Games

a new Tower Defense game

There’s a new Tower Defense game, by same people who made the infamous Desktop Tower Defense that we linked to.  It’s different from the original in several ways.  There is only one path, and you build various towers along the edges of that path.  And there are 10 different kinds of towers.  Also, there are tokens, which can unlock more towers, and you can also do dares and double dares.  A dare gives all creeps of that round 2X hit points, and the double dare gives them 4X hit points plus faster speed.  You can get a lot of extra points if you pull that off.  Also, there are “elements” on the screen, at the end of the path.  If the creeps get to the end of the path, they will steal your elements, but they have to go back through your maze to escape.  If they make it through, you lose that element (and the ability to build that kind of tower, until you buy it back).  It sounds somewhat more complicated than before, and perhaps it is, but it’s still easy once you play a game.

The creeps make audible statements, but you can disable that under options.  (I recommend it, because one group of them occasionally use words that aren’t good.)  Also, the game can last a while (if you’re as good as me, anyway), so note that there is a fast-forward button which lasts through that round (although you can disable it before then).

In my first game, I got to Level 42 before losing an element, which I then bought back.  But Level 50 will make you wonder, once it gets going…  I beat the easy one (Wiggles) on my first try, getting 28,864.  I realize that will be broken by some of you, but it was my first game, and I had to figure out what was going on.  (And maybe I should’ve read the directions first.)  My second game I got 38,340 (which will also be broken, I’m sure).  On the 2nd map (which is harder difficulty), I got 24,153, to the 50th level.

Use group BuffetoBlog to put your high scores on the same board.  (After you create a login ID, be sure to login before playing so your scores will post under the same user ID.)

Here’s the link : Flash Element TD 2.  Be forewarned that this is an addictive game…  🙂

trap the cat game

I just came across a really easy game that’s hard to beat.  It’s one of those addictive games where you keep thinking, “Just one more game…”  🙂  Continue reading at your own risk.

The gameplay is simple.  There’s a grid of circles with a cat in the middle.  Each time you click on a circle, the cat cannot cross that circle, and he gets to move one circle for each click you make.  It’s one of the easiest possible games to play, in technique.  But beating it is not quite so easy.  In fact, it can be rather frustrating, because sometimes it seems like you can’t win.

But don’t give up on it too quickly, because I have beaten it several times.  (I can provide screenshots on request.)  You win whenever the cat is not able to move a single spot anymore.

Here’s the link : Chat Noir

beating Tyson’s Punch-Out on Nintendo

intro screenI’m sure many of you remember playing on Nintendo (NES).  It was a legendary game, not only for its colorful characters, but for the difficulty of it.  Many people never were able to beat it.  If you’ve played it before, the list of characters will take you down memory lane : Glass Joe, Von Kaiser, Piston Honda, Don Flamenco, King Hippo, Great Tiger, Bald Bull, Soda Popinski, Mr. Sandman, Super Macho Man, and then Mike Tyson.  They just don’t make games this unique anymore.

I found a video / short film that chronicles the adventure of a kid in junior high who decided he had to beat it.  There’s a full story behind it, but I don’t want to spoil it for you.  If you have any interest in this at all, you’ll probably enjoy the movie. Little Mac training  It was well-done, and it captures the situation well.  It even has an authentic ’80s set to capture the feel of the era.  (You’ll probably notice several things, like cheese balls, Big League Chew, the clothes.)  It sure brings back some memories of junior high and competing against friends on video games.  It’s somewhat like going back in time, because I can relate to how the main character felt.

The video is 16 minutes long, and it’ll probably prompt you to install some software to watch it.  (The software is okay — DivX is a video standard, similar to MPEG4 on DVDs.)  Here’s the link : .

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve beaten Tyson over a hundred times (trying to get the best time), and even beaten him several times without him ever hitting me… even back in high school.  No brag, just fact.  🙂  I even have witnesses to verify these facts.  I think my best time was 1:09 in round 2 on the original Nintendo (not emulation).

Mike TysonNow, here’s a few quotes I’ve come across concerning how legendary and awesome this game was.

Sadly, defeating Mike Tyson at the end of this game was something I was never able to do.  It’s probably one of the most famous and most difficult accomplishments in video game lore.  If you were able to take out Tyson without using any cheat codes, you were the uber gamer. ~ Viper, at funkdiggityfresh.com

The set of all natural numbers can not adequately represent the number of times I’ve been schoolboyed by Mike Tyson.  I’ve entered the “Tyson code” so many times it’s permanently etched in my brain.  I can’t remember my girlfriend’s middle name but I can remember 007 373 5963 by heart.  Crap, I can’t remember my social security number and it has less digits than the Tyson code.  No matter how many times I fight him I rarely make it into the second round and have maybe knocked him down twice in 15 years.  Twice in 15 years!  I’d like to think I’d have better odds fighting him in real life. ~ Hughes Johnson, concerning Tyson’s Punch-Out on Nintendo

I must admit, if you can beat Tyson (which is obviously an impressive feat, deserving of an audience) then you can do better than me.  I never was able to down that sucker! ~ Kri’, 1/19/05

So there you have it — according to other people’s words, I am “the uber gamer”… obviously.  🙂  I’m not surprised.  But I do feel honored.  It’s nice to be recognized by my peers for my greatness.  Thank you, thank you.  Ever since I started gaming in the late ’70s / early ’80s with my , I recognized that “I’ve got skills… I’ve got game.”  Even today, the legend continues… and grows.  🙂

I hope you enjoyed the movie.  Feel free to share some of your early gaming memories in the comments section.  I’d like to hear from you.

Desktop Tower Defense

I recently came across a new Flash-based game called .  This is quite a fun game, and it requires some strategy to get high scores.  The basic premise is that you build towers to keep the “creeps” (aliens/robots/ships/whatever they are) from getting across the screen.  Actually, that’s the whole premise.  But there are 6 different types of towers, each with unique strengths and weaknesses, and there are variances among the “enemy”.

If you’ve ever played Age of Empires (AoE) or Empire Earth, you should be familiar with building towers for defense.  If you’re like us, you’ve tried to build a “Path o’ Death” that the enemy could not get through, so you wouldn’t have to do any work while your defenses protect you.  In this game, all you do is build a path of death.  It may sound simple, and the concept is, but making it work on the advanced levels isn’t quite so easy.

A little trivia on this game : it was developed by a Visual Basic programmer who had no professional experience with game development, yet now he’s making, by his estimate, high four figures per month for this fun, little game, all from ad revenue.  (Perhaps this is what I should be doing!)  This shows that you don’t need fancy graphics and high-dollar budgets to develop a fun, profitable game.

Feel free to post your high scores (along with what difficulty you were on) in the comments section.   Instead of having to create a screenshot if you get an outrageously ridiculous high score, you can submit it to the online scoreboard (except on the Easy setting).  It’ll prompt you to enter your name, and when you get a chance to enter a group, put : Buffet_o_Blog.  (If it doesn’t prompt you, then your score wasn’t high enough to be considered and you will just have to practice more.)

Have fun!