GAME > Puke! 2 (Zack Banack)

Puke! 2 is a fluid shooter to sequel an old game of Zack’s. Well, I say shooter, but I mean, er... puker. See, the aim of the game is to basically vomit all over the enemies, hence destroying them (must be acidic puke) and increasing your score (online leaderboard). Of course the enemies do everything they can to stop this happening, throwing varieties of bullet arrangements for you to shun. The visuals are very flowing and the small details help put together a nice arena scene. The colours seem well balanced, however the background and the bullet colours can frequently clash, resulting in frustration and injustice to the player. The music is well chosen, but I would’ve liked to see more audio interactivity with events on-screen, such as explosive sound effects when explosions occur; y’know, that sort of thing. Overall, it’s another fun abstract game from Banack.

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GAME > Duum Mashine (David Scatliffe)

Duum Mashine is an original arcade game from no other than David Scatliffe (also known as Scattle). The game seems to have a serious pragmatic message associated with using solar energy, reinforced by the fact that you only earn points by gaining energy and not by destroying the rapidly approaching enemies with your crazy laser gun. The ironically low efficiency of the gun means you’ll be desperately scavenging for more power from the wandering sun, while the enemies get more and more demanding to deal with. The graphics bear a messy but consistent style, which symbolize the works of a small child; this nicely fits in with the unrealistic premise of Duum Mashine as well as the childish title. John Marwin’s music fits with the gameplay very well (it’s head-nodding worthy) to round off a great experience, even if it may be a little short-lived (more content would’ve been welcomed). Show off your skills (or lack of) on the online leaderboard.

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GAME > Rainbow Planet 2.1 (Andrew McCluskey)

Rainbow Planet 2.1 is a speedy-paced shooter with glorious graphical effects that stake a part in the gameplay. You play as a colourful square which appears to ooze some kind of bubbles when you hold down the mouse button. The aim of the game is to last as long as you can by shooting down (or dodging) the enemies. Your score constantly decreases, so keeping on the move is a must. Andrew has cleverly incorporated the controls so that you have to move towards to the enemies to shoot them – this puts a little risk in the air, although it can be somewhat wearisome. The visuals stand out more than anything in Rainbow Planet 2.1. If you compare it to the original Rainbow Planet, you’ll see how much the developer has sharpened his skills. While the exaggerated effects can disable your vision, they add a lot to the experience. The music is also fabulous – it’s not repetitive and it sounds very fitting. But perhaps the most fascinating part is the fact that the game is synced with a Twitter account which posts the leader of the high score leaderboard every time there’s a new player at the top.

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GAME > Psychedelic Zombie Assault (Gideon Simons)

Psychedelic Zombie Assault is a short and simple shooter (made for Gideon's own competition), where you play as an unknown protagonist who finds himself in a sinister dungeon-like arena. Using the mouse, you must shoot rapidly oncoming hordes of zombies (yes, zombies...) while a strategic dynamic is added amid the emerging lasers destroying anything in their path. Some more arena designs and a wider variety of enemies and traps would have improved the gameplay side, although making it more complex could ruin the fun to be had. The juddering graphics remind me of those found in Virtual Silence and the dark, minimalistic style fits the setting nicely. The game features one appropriate soundtrack and a number of sound effects to reflect the actions on screen. Overall, this is another momentary yet well-made shooter from Gideon; a great excuse to waste a few minutes.

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GAME > StopHappyMonsters (Gideon Simons)

StopHappyMonsters is an exceptionally demanding horizontal shooter with basic but well-worked and appealing visuals. You must obliterate wave after wave of (satisfyingly) bouncy ball-like monsters, interrupted by larger bosses which take the game to an even harder level. A subtle but nifty feature determines the direction of each bullet by the current momentum in the ship. This cleverly decreases the number of keys needed, making way for a brilliantly uncomplicated control system (in stark contrast to the game’s difficulty). The simple graphics work very nicely and the fine range of colours reflect the cheerful, carefree mood, much like the apposite music and sound effects. Online highscores would have been a good addition, but maybe I’m asking too much from a quickly developed game. This thoroughly fun shoot-‘em-up was made for the third GMG mini-competition and will undoubtedly stand an excellent chance.

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GAME > Mouse No. Probably a Rat. (David Scatliffe)

Mouse No. Probably a Rat. is a stylish parody of Squid Yes! Not so Octopus!, with many noticeable similarities to the shooter. You (probably) play as a rat that must dodge around the arena speedily, avoiding the relentless enemies that appear from nowhere in large groups. Survival is very difficult – the online leaderboard was a good idea, increasing replayability. The graphics and effects are well worked and consistent, especially for the short time the shooter was developed in. Audio is also aptly stylish to round off a thoroughly fun experience that fits the theme of the competition it was created for. All arcade fans will enjoy it.

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GAME > Angry Gorilla Machine Monsters (Andrew Brophy)

Angry Gorilla Machine Monsters is a trademark Andrew Brophy shoot-‘em-up, where you typically play as some kind of ship shooting down a bunch of ugly enemies that appear in a periodic configuration. Because enemy emergences are generated randomly, you’ll have to play through the game a number of times to experience them all, especially since it’s so hard (touch a bullet and it’s game over). As customary, the visuals are the focal point, with an array of gorgeous effects to compliment the fluid gameplay. A nifty high scores table shows that quite a bit of effort has been put into development, even if it does seem to end before it's really begun. The music (courtesy of John Marwin) is perfectly apt for the high tempo and feels on par with the other facets of the shooter; there are no complaints to be made. Play Angry Gorilla Machine Monsters if you want a quick burst of optical niceness.

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GAME > Colorion (Zack Banack)

Colorion is a colourful retro-styled shooter with straightforward gameplay. You must dodge around the arena taking out the multitude of enemies and collecting power-ups, while everything gets progressively harder. When your health reaches zero, you can submit your final score to the online high score leaderboard. The graphical effects are arguably the main focus of this simple arcade shooter, with abundant multi-coloured visuals. While some effects do hamper your vision, they create a unique feel and make it more than just an ordinary arena-based shoot-‘em-up. The retro sound effects and music go well with the graphics to create a fun shooter that’ll occupy a few minutes of your time.

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GAME > Soda Pop (Andrew Brophy)

Soda Pop is yet another shoot-‘em-up by Andrew Brophy, which feels rather similar to one of his recent creations, Scraap. Right from the off, you’ll be frantically dodging colourful waves of enemies (interestingly, in the form of rotating letters) at the same time as shooting as many of them as possible. Combo scoring adds a strategical dynamic that makes the game more than brainless shooting (although that’s probably what you’ll do…). Again, the graphics are the attention-grabber with many visual techniques used to make it look as abstract as possible. The music is nice to listen to and fits the gameplay style, matching the tempo very well too. Only two sound effects are included, but a shooter of this simplicity needs no more. If you normally enjoy Andrew’s shoot-‘em-up offerings, you’ll likely find Soda Pop a pleasure to play.

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GAME > The Widescreen SHMUP (Jan Willem Nijman)

The Widescreen SHMUP is a shooter with a 16:9 ratio screen size. Quite definitely. Measuring only sixteen pixels wide and nine pixels in height, it’s the smallest game I’ve ever had the joy of playing. While it is a joke of sorts, The Widescreen SHMUP’s still fun to play (as long as you have a magnifying glass or a very low resolution). Using the directional keys, you direct an involuntarily firing ship to destroy anything that appears on screen. If not, you’ll experience death – in the form of a number. The audio is average, but of course it’s the joke that makes this game. Play it for laughs and you should appreciate it.

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GAME > The Hilarity of Murder (Andrew McCluskey)

The Hilarity of Murder is Andrew McCluskey’s latest shooter offering, created using the ‘Lite’ version of GameMaker. You must venture through a top-down ‘fake 3D’ world, shooting offensive pink robots (big and small) to keep yourself happy (that’s what terminal illness does to you), while making sure you stay healthy as well (hospitals come in handy). The graphics are simplistic, but the fact that Andrew has achieved such a good-looking 3D urban world with GM7 Lite is simply stunning; I like the consistency in visual style, with the HUD matching nicely too. As usual, Andrew has put much effort into the menu, presenting a great preface for the rest of the adventure. The music is admirably appropriate, providing a nice feel to the game and the sound effects are also limited but fine. Overall, it’s another fun arcade shooter from good ol’ Klusky.

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GAME > BOOM (Jan Willem Nijman)

BOOM is an FPS featuring Jan Willem Nijman’s well-worn style, created for a school project of his (pretty awesome, eh?). There are three ranks of difficulty (each with a funny name) that allow you to explore the two levels at your own pace, changing the effects of a few things. The graphics will be nice to see for fans of the original Game Boy – the creator purposely paid homage to the era and did a pretty great job; for a 3D GameMaker game, the visuals are certainly not bad, providing a seamless adventure with no apparent glitches. The audio is fitting for the style and atmosphere of the shooter, although the bullet firing sound effect was a little dreary. Basically, if you generally like Nijman’s games, you’ll probably enjoy this.

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GAME > Scraap (Andrew Brophy)

Scraap is a generally rough-looking shooter, but that doesn’t harm the fun factor. You face a large array of chaotic enemies, all bent on creating destruction. Simply fire your colourful multihued beam at the torrent of enemies to turn them into, well… scrap. The abstract visuals are well blended to create a haphazard atmosphere, appropriate for the ‘Explosions’ competition it’s been entered in. The high tempo music fits the pace of the game and complements the sound effects that enhance the feel of blasting those adversaries to pieces. Overall, it’s a short but interesting shooter that all action-lovers will enjoy (if it doesn’t lag your computer).

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GAME > Miniblip (Andrew Brophy)

Miniblip is an extremely small game, created in only two hours. But what’s there is fun. You control a simple ship and basically just shoot the skulls that come from the top of the screen. Strategy is added with the possibility of building up huge multipliers to gain massive scores which greatly enhances the depth of the shooter. The graphics are aptly minimalistic, but a nice touch allows you to change the main colour to any you wish. There’s also a cool blurry effect which crops up throughout, adding more interest to the visual side. The retro-ish background music is nice to listen to and the sound effects are fitting. Overall, while it may not exactly be revolutionary, it’s a cool little shooter.

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GAME > CrytorYan (Ahmed Hassan)

CrytorYan is an insanely difficult arena shooter based around the story of Dr Zack. The game arena plays the part as the container for the material he has discovered – CrytorYan. The gameplay follows a set of initially indigestible rules concerning the two atoms in the material – ‘Bluy’ and ‘Whity’ (yes, they’re very creatively named). The fundamental aim is to control and fire germs from the ‘Whity’ atoms at the ‘Bluy’ atoms, while avoiding actually making contact with the ‘Bluy’ atoms, racking up points. The graphics are very red and pixelized – this style is held consistently and, although very simple, the colours work together nicely to give a tidy display. A cool effect that mixes up the visuals a bit is the beating vibration of the screen. This compliments the background music to build up a rhythmic environment that lets the game flow impressively.

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GAME > Madness Endam (Gideon Simons)

Madness Endam is a short arena based shoot-‘em-up with a lot of flair. Using just the mouse, you help a skull-like being destroy 100 creatures that appear to be running riot inside his frail brain. These drones come in varying forms and things get progressively harder as more and more of them are destroyed. It’s a very basic formula, but it works well and the game is a lot of fun to play, even though it’s arguably a little short-lived. Yet it has to be said that the graphics make this game. The flickering effects, font and colour scheme work well together, creating a fantastic visual atmosphere that will keep you allured. Moreover, the music by Cube-C is pretty groovy and reflects the game very well. All round, it’s a great little shooter that’ll keep you occupied for a small chunk of time.

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GAME > Inturbonauter (Ryan Langewisch)

Inturbonauter is another GM bullet-hell shoot-‘em-up, but this one comes with some pretty nifty effects. You venture through 30 fairly short levels of increasing difficulty (a fun ‘Random Mode’ is also included), where you must fire continuously at the boss positioned in the centre of the battlefield, until you’re greeted with the message ‘WIN!’ (or ‘FAIL!’). Facing masses of spiralling bullets in varying formations makes this no easy game, but good hand-eye co-ordination will go a long way. An interesting feature pulls your bullets to the centre of the arena (towards the foe); I’ve never seen this before, so it’s a pretty cool idea. The visuals are… pretty mad, it has to be said; ever-changing highly contrasting colours and flickering effects really add to the experience, increasing the excitement factor. Upbeat music is also incorporated, giving the shooter a suitable atmosphere that makes you want to just keep on playing.

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GAME > Love Machine: Pod of Dreams (Andrew Brophy)

Love Machine: Pod of Dreams is a short shooter with simple gameplay. The aim is to use the straightforwardly manoeuvrable pod to soar around and shoot an array of looming enemies with the ship’s beam. That’s really all there is to it. Graphically, the game is sound, with interesting gunfire effects and consistent visuals elsewhere. A cool little feature allows you to invert the colour of the screen, creating more interesting artwork. It all feels nice and retrofied, which the fitting audio underpins. All in all, this is a pleasant shooter that’ll keep you busy for a few minutes.

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GAME > CoilFighter (Ben Smith)

CoilFighter is an intense vertical shoot-‘em-up with vivid colours and a series of increasingly challenging boss battles – eleven of them, in fact. The player is given a choice of three ships to control, each with their advantages and disadvantages, adding to the complexity and diversity in strategies to use in this difficult shooter. The gameplay itself is very testing – one look away from the screen could be to the player’s peril. Continually varying strategies and bullet formations from the enemy ship keeps the player alert and the experience fresh. The graphics generally look well done and most of them are consistent; the dynamic menu visuals are to my particular taste. The particle effects are perhaps a tad overdone, but the game genre justifies this characteristic. In addition, the audio aspect is fabulous, with a perfectly fitting range of dramatising music and sound effects to keep up the tension – especially important for a game of this kind.

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