Editorial 2-PC Isn’t Everything

The Personal Computer is not the only thing we can play games in. Lots of consoles have been created and some really stand out like Sony’s Playstation 3. Some are totally exciting and involving like the Nintendo Wii. So why have they not been featured in this blog? Well, the answer lies in the name of this blog-The ‘Free’ Games blog. Not many consoles apart from the PC have a load of free games to boast of. However, you can get certain games for consoles like mobile phones which are totally free (the games, not the mobile).

It is for this reason I’m also going to feature games from other consoles in this blog. I really think this will vastly improve the content of my blog. Also, this is one reason why I’m going to change the table of reviewed games. The second reason is because I’m going to change the system of rating games. Stay tuned to see the changes.

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Tagging Along…

I am going to upgrade the system of tags I use to a more comprehensive one. Here is what you’re likely going to find in each of these tags:

Games: Game reviews and the Table of Games

Gaming: Gaming experiences and consoles

Blogging: General Abouts of this blog and changes

Changes: The changes made to this blog

Table: The Table of Games

Others: Miscellaneous

Oh, and by the way, this post can be tagged as blogging and changes.

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Karoshi 2.0

It seems there are only a miniscule number of pessimists in life and this is very obvious through the fact that almost 99% of the games we play today require surviving through all the levels. You are even given lives on some games so you can continue at ease and there are even games which have an unlimited number of retries. However, here is a game which needs just the opposite from you-to kill yourself. And that is exactly what means Karoshi in Japanese. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to say the developer of this game is a pessimist. On the contrary, I believe him to be creative and adventurous-taking the beaten path.

Though it would be very easy to kick the bucket in many games, Karoshi has a different attitude. On some occasions, you will be dumbstruck and won’t have a clue as to what to do. On the very few others, you will need to do a bit of guesswork. Needless to say I didn’t get very far without a walkthrough.

The gameplay is great and I couldn’t find much faults. However, there are some places in which the level gets boring.

Not much features are found here except the game and a distraction level in which you just kill yourself infinite times.

The graphics are very bad. The same can be said for the sound.

Verdict:

Simply designed game which requires some guesswork

Specs:
Gameplay:	7/10
Features:	6/10
Difficulty	6/10
Graphics	5/10
Sound	4/10
Overall	5.6
Age recommendation:	7+
Genre:	Side scrolling arcade

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Saving Gas

Alright- let’s be honest here. You are really, really (and I really mean really) and even more really, absolutely and preposterously sick of hearing a word of environment conservation. But don’t fret. Conserving the ol’ e-word may not be dumb but is not boring either. In fact, it can be really fun and the number of conservating people is growing. But why am I ranting about the ecology in a games blog? Well, that’s because it’s a free games blog and I intend to do my best to live up to the name. Don’t get it? No problem. Read on.

If you had read my post in which I had told you how ‘free’ gaming was not free at all, you should be clear. If not, here’s the link to the post. The ‘free’ gaming world. To conserve energy for saving money, read on.

So let’s get down to the real nitty-gritty of the ecological helping. Follow these simple tips:

1. Reduce the brightness of your monitor-15 is more than enough for most purposes.

2. Use green PCs and hardware.

3. Turn off hardware like printers when you don’t need them.

4. If you have two graphics cards, rather than running them in SLI or Crossfire mode, run the easier-on-energy one when you can.

5. Limit internet time.

6. Run your PC in a cool area but not too cold.

7. Disconnect external hardware like USB drives when not needed.

8. Don’t leave applications running unnecessarily.

9. If you’re buying a new PC, take Windows XP or Windows 7 rather than Vista-it requires more system resources.

10. Turn off your PC when not needed or leave it on standby mode. The least you can do is turn off the monitor when not in use.

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Practicing For No Reason?

Alright-this is one of those phrases which have been heard about at least a hundred times already by most of us. Can you guess what I’m talking (texting, not blabbering) about? Yeah, ‘Practice makes perfect.’ But we have also heard of a less frequent saying- no one is perfect. Guess those phrasers just wanted to outwit each other for fame. But honestly, they were all dumb blokes wasting their time because hardly anyone knows any phraser. If you do know, don’t bother sending me an e-mail of his biography (or autobiography for all those self-centered phrasers) as I don’t really care much about them. Well, anyway forget about those little-goods and concentrate on the task at hand.

So what exactly is our subject for today’s post? It’s a scientific approach to see if practice really does help. And if it does, how? And how exactly do we get the most benefit through practice? All these doubts should be cleared and if not, do leave a comment so I can improve upon my blog. And just to avoid useless comments- I’m saying this-this is not that scientific an approach as you think. So let’s get started.

The How

So how exactly does practice help us? Here are some of the ways:

1. Our brains get the information of the levels we try to play and therefore, we can get a prediction of what’s going to happen.

2. Our motor functions adjust to suit the needs of the game. How easily these adjustments are made determines how soon we become good.

3. Sometimes, it’s not practice but luck that gets us past that enemy after struggling with it for millennia.

Getting the Best

By following the following tips, you can get the most out of practice:

1. Practice for some time but don’t overexert yourself.

2. Don’t get discouraged.

3. Try to get motivated in any way you can.

4. Practice during hours in which you feel ready to tackle.

5. I know this may sound silly, but try to get energetic before practicing. Do some exercises and be well fed but don’t overeat.

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My First PC Game

Almost all of us have clear memories of the first games we ever played on any PC. I am no exception. The first game I ever played on my very first PC (not those games which come preinstalled in windows) was Claw. No-it’s not free but you could download the demo if you’d like from the official website. It used to be a popular game back in err… 2003 with you playing as the feared sea pirate captain claw and trying to find the amulet of 9 lives which would grant him near immortality. Oh, and by the way, Claw is a cat and the enemies you face are mostly dogs, apart from a few miscellaneous enemies such as birds, crabs and the like. I’m not going to give you a full review of this game right now but maybe in the near future- who really knows. And to end my post, I’d like you to feel free to be more than just readers. Be active participators with constructive comments and email the names some of your games not listed on this blog. You can see every game on this blog on the quick glance table. See the sidebar. My email address is thehamzarocks@gmail.com.

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A Quick Glance

Hardly any, if none of the blogs out there have had any visitors on their first day. Mine is no exception. So if you want a quick glimpse of all the games I’ve reviewed so far, see this table. You should see a link to the latest version of this table on the sidebar. Happy gaming.

N A M E	G A M E P L A Y	F E A T U R E S	S T O R Y	D I F F I C U L T Y	G R A P H I C S	S O U N D	O V E R A L L	A G E R E C	G E N R E	D E V E L O P E R	P U B L I S H E R
BMW M3 Challenge:	9	7	N.A	6	7	7	7.2	0+	Racing	Blimey Games!	10Tacle Studios Belgium
Frets On Fire:	5	7	1	7	7	9	6	7+	Music	Unreal voodoo
Hurrican:	5	5	5	10	6	7	6.333	0+	Side Scrolling FPS	Poke’ 53280
Jumper:	6	5	4	10	5	4	5.666	0+	Side Scrolling Arcade	Matt Thorson	ADF Software
Jumper 2:	7	4	4	10	5	5	5.833	0+	Side Scrolling Arcade
Mario Forever:	7	N.A	2	8	6	7	6	0+	Side Scrolling		Buziol Games
Paroxysm:	7	6	N.A	7	5	7	6.4	12+	Side Scrolling
Trilby:The Art of Theft	9	8	7	6	5	5	6.666	3+	2D Side Scrolling Puzzle Action Adventure

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Trilby- The Art of Theft

My blog started two months ago, on July 23^rd and it is sad that till now, none of the adventure games I reviewed had anything more than getting from one end to the other. Well, I’m about to change that by giving you Trilby-the art of theft. It’s got a decent story too-a first in my blog. Well, let’s carry on.

Story:

The name of the game is no misnomer. You are Trilby, a professional cat burglar who is trying to build up his already solid reputation. You start out by robbing Protocorp, and then decide to pick on Dominic Perota’s Art Gallery. However, it turns out that picking on Perota was a mistake as it puts you in trouble. You then meet a lady who will try to help you by giving you info on a machine the ‘Company’ is building. You can steal the machine to blackmail them.

Gameplay:

It turns out that for the first few levels are really interesting and addictive but in the end the game turns a bit-a really small bit-sour. Anyway, you have to complete objectives for each level. Usually, hey consist of stealing a specific amount of loot but they can also consist of other things like getting to meet Perota in his resort. The tutorial is great with clear info and enriches the gaming experience. You can do a lot of things like hug walls, mess with electricals and pick locks to aid you on your mission.

Features:

As Trilby says in the tutorial-‘the cash isn’t much use but I can use the reputation I get from the missions to buy things’ you can bet this can enliven the gaming experience. Trilby also isn’t just stuck with his boring pinstripe jacket-he can get a lot of other costumes too which can or cannot benefit his game. How you get them I won’t say- It’s up to you to figure out.

Difficulty:

The game is difficult in two places- when you start the game and don’t have much experience with the world to be looted and in the end. However, it’s nothing a bit of practice won’t be able to accomplish.

Graphics and sound:

The graphics don’t really do justice to a game like this. The images are too pixilated. The sound isn’t much better.

Specs:
Gameplay:	9/10
Features:	8/10
Story:	7/10
Difficulty	6/10
Graphics	5/10
Sound	5/10
Overall	6.666
Age recommendation:	3+
Genre:	2D side scrolling puzzle action adventure

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