TurboFool (Neither, really)

I have no idea if this is old, but a friend just sent it to me and I had to post it:

So, I was just playing 1 vs 100 on Xbox Live (which is SO much fun), and Chris Cashman was giving away copies of the awesome (from everything I’ve heard) Live Arcade game, Shadow Complex. The challenge was simply to email in a good reason why you deserve a copy of the game. But he said no sob stories, so that pretty much ruled out the fact that I was laid off yesterday, and that he was mostly looking for the most clever or funny reason we deserved a copy of the game.

That got me thinking. What could I write that would be funny enough to get their attention? Occasionally I manage to write something funny, but I was short on time and had to come up with something fast.

So then I remembered The Drabblecast‘s recent Nigerian Spam Scam contest, where people wrote some damn clever parodies of the well-known Nigerian emails. I figured what the hell, it was a unique angle on the idea, so I quickly threw something together and sent it in and waited patiently.

He read a few entries, most of which didn’t win, and then revealed that they were getting so flooded with entries that they were now up to over 3,000 emails! I knew there was no chance I could win with that many people writing in. I simply wasn’t that clever.

And then I heard my name on TV. Well, not my real name, but my gamertag, TheTurboFool. Chris Cashman began to read my message live to over 50,000 people. Sure enough, they loved it, and I was the second winner of the night! And I don’t remember him reading off any others, so if anyone else did win, they were only contacted by email.

So here, unedited, with typos and all, is what I sent in. Given more time I probably could have made it much, much funnier, but it did the trick:

Dear kind sir Cashman,

I bit you fare do from the majestic heartful land that is glorious
republic of Nigeria. I inform you that our grand leader, the honorable
Motombu Lalalalalalaling has past to the great orchard in the sky due
to long battle with boredom.

It is ours to understand that he had no family to pass his fortune.
But it has been our attention brought that your kindness and
generosity is much beyond that of television game show hosts, and we
believe you to do great things with his belongings.

In order to achieve the transmittal of his funds, we merely request
that you send along a code for the king’s favorite Xbox Live Arcade
game, Shadow Complex, as proof of your devotion to goodness. Please
send game to his Gamertag at TheTurboFool in order to initiatize this
important transfer.

Thanks to your wonderful glory and unmatched loveliness,

Consult to King Motumbu and your loyal fan,

TheTurboFool

So, despite its flaws, I still won, and I’m extremely happy. I’m going to get started on the game as soon as 1 vs 100 ends, and I’ll try to write in a mini review when I have time.

I haven’t delved far enough into this game yet to give a truly professional review, plus I’ve rarely spent time reviewing games in the past. But since it’s E3 week, so far the game seems to have been passed over in the review process. In fact, due to the lack of reviews, I almost didn’t buy it. But as I have great trust in the team over at WayForward for being one of the more solid developers out there, I decided to take the plunge. The fact that I’ve known the lead artist, Matt Bozon, as well as Voldi Way potentially jades me a touch, but in the end I either enjoy a game or not.

In this scenario, so far, I’m definitely enjoying it. As is common to most good puzzlers, the gameplay is deceptively simple. The character can move only left or right (no jumping, ducking, etc.), climb fences (think of Mario), and change pages. Wait, what?

See, each level’s made up of multiple pages. So far I’ve seen as many as six, and as few as two. Each page is essentially a different platform layout for the current stage, each with its own hazards, walls, pathways, fences, etc. When you reach a limitation in your current page, you simply hit any button, and it swaps for the page that’s displayed on the bottom screen. Your character remains exactly where she was, whether she be on a platform, fence, or falling through the air, and ends up in the corresponding place on the new page. By continuously flipping pages, moving your character, and figuring out where you need to be on each page, you’ll work your way to the goal.

So far one twist’s been thrown into the gameplay, and I can only assume there will be more: little critters you have to collect along the way before you can exit the level. This often requires more creative movement and backtracking, and adds some challenge.

Beyond that, most of the game has a very classic feel. Gameplay graphics are simple, with an almost 8-bit (well, maybe 16-bit) feel, but purposefully so. It seems like it’s meant to remind us of the classic puzzlers of that age. Meanwhile the between-stage artwork, in particular, is classic Matt Bozon, with all of his charm fully intact. Music and sound effects also pay homage to the classic style, although they’re slightly more modern. That said, I tend to play my DS games with the sound off so I don’t bother those around me, so I don’t hear much of them.

It’s one of the most expensive games on DSiWare at the moment, being one of only four (if I’m not mistaken) selling for 800 points. But that’s still far less than any retail game on the DS, and I think it’s worth it. Along with the Art Style titles, I think it’s one of very few titles on DSiWare that show off the true potential of the medium.

If you’ve picked up the game, please pass along your comments here. I’d like to hear what you thought of it.

So just got the exciting confirmation that I solved the latest puzzle in the mystery of the Lost Coin-Op over at PixelVixen707.

See, Rachael’s been searching for an arcade machine she played with at a then-local restaurant as a kid. She had a chat with her dad about it, argued a little over what game it is, and ended up making a pretty wild bet that one could track down the EXACT MACHINE she played with all those years ago. Seems absurd, and she was definitely kicking herself for it, but the thing is, they’re sort of pulling it off. And it’s taken quite a wild ride. To watch the story unfold, check out the appropriate tag here.

On a COMPLETELY unrelated note, J.C. Hutchins’ podiobook precursor to his forthcoming novel, Personal Effects: Dark Art has just been released on his podcast feed. I strongly recommend you check out Personal Effects: Sword of Blood for yourself. Now where have I read the main character’s name before…?