Demolition, Inc. is a new action strategy game: Assume the role of the daring demolition worker Mike and start a devastating chain reaction on earth. Use cool tools and weapons and expand your destructive powers!

What We Think:

In this physics-based puzzle game, you play the role of an alien bent on demolishing the earth. No, you aren’t a Vogon constructor fleet levelling the entire planet in order to make way for a hyperspatial express route. You’re just one greasy backwater alien who managed to undercut his competition and get the contract to smash all of Earth’s cities and return it to the green place it used to be so it can be used as an intergalactic recreation area.

German-based Zero Scale Game Development has built one solid title in Demolition Inc. From top to bottom it shows a level of polish that, while becoming more common, is still a pleasant surprise in independent games.

Graphically we aren’t talking cutting edge here. The intro and levels have a low polygon 2005 vibe to them, but the cartoony style of the game lends itself nicely to that level of detail, so it isn’t detrimental. It made me think of GTA 1 + 2, converted to 3D, which is a good thing.

Each level consists of one or more roads winding their way through buildings that must fall before your mighty…intergalactic tow-truck? The army has detected your presence and are on the way, so you must quickly smash those buildings with your deadly…oil slicks, glue bombs and exploding cows?? OK, so the premise, while funny, is also pretty stupid, but I think the moment we accepted birds going kamikaze just to get back at some pigs who were being jerks we collectively gave up our right to complain about such things.

Other than a couple of super attacks, your saddled with demolition by proxy. Oil clouds slide vehicles out of control. Wheel glue jerks vehicles into skids. Explosive cows…explode. When you get the game (and you should) I don’t think there’s an item that isn’t self-explanatory; once you’ve gotten your vehicles to smash into a building or something suitably explosive and things start falling down, swoop down and suck up all that debris for cold hard cash. Finish off a block for a bonus and the sight of grass and trees magically replacing all that nasty steel and concrete. Clean up every block to clear a level.

The physics model used in Demolition Inc. isn’t the most realistic, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t entertaining.  Buildings teeter precariously after having an 18 wheeler full of gasoline smash through their front lobby, only to fall over into the street when the fuel tanks inevitably explode. Canisters, concrete and bits of burning cow fly into the air causing unexpected secondary explosions elsewhere on the map. It’s mayhem on a grand scale and you are its master.

Music in the game is upbeat and fun, though there are so few that it can get a bit repetitive. Sound effects are well done.

I’d say the difficulty level of Demolition Inc. is easy to moderate. Most levels you’ll finish on the first try, but there are a few tricky ones that will take the right set of lucky circumstances to pull off. If there’s a single glaring problem it’s that there aren’t enough of them. You’ll probably finish the game in a couple of hours and, while a quick game in rampage mode once in a blue moon might be fun, you aren’t likely to play again once you’re done.

Fun as this game is, I hope the good folks at Zero Scale are already hard at work on additional DLC or, better yet, a construction kit so the community can build and share their own smash-tastic cityscapes.

Get Demolition Inc. on Steam

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Click here to view the embedded video.

A deep cover operative has gone missing in Batarian space, days after reporting conclusive evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion. Shepard must travel to the edge of the galaxy, rescue the Alliance agent, and discover the truth behind the Arrival. Uncover new research and three new achievements in this spectacular new mission for Mass Effect 2!

What We Think:

It almost seems like a bad idea giving me a Mass Effect review. My praise for Bioware has been unyielding, so much so that I am sure by now people might wonder if the company has me in their pocket (I wish). But like I’ve said before, good work yields fans and Bioware is about as close to PIXAR Animation studios as a game company can be, putting out one fantastic title after the next.

Sure it’s stumbled from time to time (I still feel the sting of Dragon Age: Awakening) but for the most part the consistency of this developer has been pretty damn strong. In my opinion, to date Mass Effect has been the strongest of their library of works. With the release of The Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC, in all its awesome glory, I was convinced Mass Effect could do no wrong.

But it could and it did.

Um.

The Mass Effect 2: Arrival DLC felt like George Lucas took the reins of the storyline instead of staying in the back and producing where he belongs. Up until now, the Mass Effect arc has been one ominous reveal after another in the classic style that Mark Twain would call “show, not tell” storytelling. But with this latest and last DLC before the final installment, the seemingly unbreakable awe that the Mass Effect plot inspires suddenly feels like it got the brush off.

In short: this game feels like Bioware threw us a bone to shut us up so they could go back to work on Star Wars: The Old Republic and Mass Effect 3. “SHUT UP” they cried, “leave us the hell alone and stop your bitching on our forums! Here, have some more Mass Effect DLC, now go upstairs and play quietly while mommy has a drink”.

This DLC is short enough that there isn’t much I can say that isn’t a spoiler. So I’ll just say that all in all, this DLC feels rushed and half-assed for a Bioware game. I mean, Mass Effect is like a well oiled machine at this point and the only way it could be screwed up is if passion for the work is omitted for the sake of fan expectations. That’s the price for being on top Bioware: anything less than 110% from you is going to have the same mass effect on your fans as Star Wars: The Phantom Menace did on Star Wars fans.

So the final word? I can’t believe I am saying this but – I would tell you to skip this DLC, except you can’t. I mean you really can’t. It’s Mass Effect DLC. If the entire DLC was about Legion playing solitaire in the A.I. Core for three hours, you would still need to download it because when Mass Effect 3 came out you would be the only person that missed the part where suddenly Harbinger assumed control of the Jack of Spades and tried to give a Geth its first paper cut.

You don’t wanna be that guy.

Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

As the mysterious and powerful “Guardian of Earth” your steely eye and HYPER-POWERED LASER ARM have kept Earth safe for generations (as well as proving a hit with the ladies).

With all your awesome TALENT and FLAIR, surely if would be IMPOSSIBLE for a devastating invasion of Doom Beasts to descend on your cities and cause havoc without your knowledge? (Even if you were MAYBE showboating for a magazine photo-shoot at the time…)

Now, you must not only defend your cities from the ravenous hordes of Doom Beasts – you must defend yourself from accusations of gross incompetence from the Galactic Council of Justice! And this is all BEFORE you can even start to get to the bottom of just who or what is really behind the attacks…

What We Think:

With great power comes great responsibility. Therefore, it logically follows that being invincible is a royal pain in the ass. A fast-paced, humorous, highly-addictive pain in the ass…

Dad always taught me, when fighting an alien slug, aim for its giant mouth.

I Never Thought I Could Feel So Free (ee-eee!)

Who’s That Flying centers around the trial of the Guardian of Earth. After a great extra-terrestrial invasion, the high galactic council has charged Earth with shirking his duties as planetary watchdog. Sure, he eventually fought off the Doom Beasts (flying swarms of giant, slug-like mouths with teeth), but some serious questions remain: Could he have prevented the tragedy altogether? Has the Guardian’s vanity caused him to lose his edge? If another planet were to be discovered in the solar system, could its guardian’s name be any more intrinsically funny than “Uranus”?

Each block of three levels is presented as a memory that is used as testimony for or against Earth, and the performance of the player will determine whether it is positive or damning. There is a count that appears in the top-right of the screen that indicates how many more attacks the city can withstand (to a maximum of fifty). For each Doom Beast that manages to slip past the Guardian, that number will diminish by one. If fifty get past, the Guardian is found guilty, and the level will have to be replayed.

How completely each level in a city is defended will be the factor that tips the scales of the Guardian’s personal justice. Defend a level well, and the people of the city the Guardian has just saved will award him with a medal. As the level of these medals are used as evidence in his trial iwth the Galactic Council, it is vital to get the best performance possible. Fortunately, each level can be replayed after it is completed, and the highest medal acheived will be displayed.

Oh, Uranus...when will you learn to not open your...mouth...?

Chibi Ultraman, We Love You!

The Guardian of Earth is completely invulnerable: no matter how many times he gets smacked down, slimed or pulverized, he leaps back into the fray with nary a scratch on his space-age polymer tight pants. There are also no health bars to replenish whatsoever. Unfortunately, this doesn’t make the task of defending a planet any easier.

Swarms of Doom Beasts approach the planet’s great cities, and only Earth can stand in their way. Using the arrow keys to fly around the screen and holding down the space bar fires a continuous volley from Earth’s blaster arm, taking out lesser foes in one shot. If a critter is getting too close for comfort, no worries! Just fly right into it, and Earth will tear it assunder with his hands.

Later attackers will run defense for the Doom Beasts. Some will charge at the Guardian, sending him for a spin. Others will fire projectiles that can slow him down. They don’t hurt the Guardian and would be annoying at best, but an ill-timed distraction can provide a window for multiple Doom Beasts to slip through. A few instances like this will mean a quick Game Over, so be prepared to incorporate some fancy flying in your defense strategy.

Fire shots at blocker beasts to wear them down until you can finish them off with a flashy attack loaded with heroic poses and multiple explosions. No super hero tale would be complete without an epic boss battle. Reach the end of the third stage in any city, and the screen will zoom out to accommodate the massive foes that will square off against the Guardian.

Did it just get explodey in here, or is it just me?

Defending the Defender

The cutscenes between levels stick with the cute, cartoon-like characterizations found in the playable portions. All dialogue that goes on in the trial is done through subtitles accompnied by nonsensical verbal mimicry. This makes the bickering between the members of the Council (particularly between Earth and Uranus) absolutely hilarious. Overall, the presentation is warm and endearing.

Getting used to the mechanic of unleashing special attacks (holding CTRL when an enemy is weakened, but only AFTER releasing the space bar, then mashing the space bar) was a little off-putting, but it was really the only control difficulty to speak of. The Guardian flies quickly, and responds will to the keyboard commands, making for a fast-paced SHMUP feel in later levels.

Nothing is more frustrating then having a perfect defense of a city ruined when a lone Doom Beast manages to sneak past. Fortunately, the levels aren’t excessively long, so perfectionists will likely fire up levels a few times to get the best possible medals in all cities.

Having an invicible hero in a goal-keeper role turns the side-scrolling shoot-em-up genre on its ear, and with great results. It’s all wrapped up in a bright, sunny candy coating with a smart-ass centre, and enthusiasts of the genre will find themselves going back for another handful. There is also an abundance of challenge and infinite modes and other unlockables. In short, Who’s That Flying? is funny, fast, and highly replayable.

For $5.99 USD, isn’t about time you strap on your arm cannon and take to the skies? (Warning: trained stuntman. Do not attempt)

Who’s That Flying?! is available at the Steam store

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Betrayed by the only family he ever knew and left for dead it’s up to Shank to seek revenge for the death of his beloved at the hands of the underworld’s deadliest assassins.

Shank is a 2D cinematic brawler, built with the things that Klei is passionate about: amazing control, great animation, immersive environment, and a cinematic lens to tell a great story.

What We Think:

Exploitation films have made a comeback recently and so have old-school 2D Platform games. The good people at Klei Entertainment asked, why not blend the two? Why not, indeed. Shank is certainly a strange breed, but it got the best features of both parents. Be forewarned though, the best parts of exploitation film is NOT under any circumstances meant for children.

Shank is a man out for vengeance. His old gang boss did him the worst kind of wrong and left him for dead. Now Shank will wade through every minion in his way to return the favor. The blood sprays and limbs fly as you hack, chop and blast your way through levels that include urban streets, strip clubs, and a palatial mansion. The weapons at his disposal include knives,a chainsaw, machetes, a katana, dual pistols, a shotgun, an uzi, and grenades.

For an indie game, the production value here is stellar. While it isn’t quite traditional hand drawn quality, it is the best flash-style animation I’ve ever seen. They could quickly cut the clips together and with few editions have a fantastic 30-45 show.

The in-game animations are equally excellent. Shank spins, jumps, stabs, and shoots with amazing fluidity. In waiting for this titles arrival on PC, I’ve had occasion to read a number of reviews of the 360 and PS3 versions and saw many complaints about the reaction time between pushing a button and Shank reacting, and I can tell you that there weren’t any problems in my experience with the PC version.

The way Klei Entertainment blurs the line between animation and game are equally amazing. You’ll find the game jumping between animation and gameplay almost seamlessly, but with enough skill that you wont become surprised by the transition. Animation and dialogue also plays over the action, further blending the two elements.

The gameplay in Shank is also top notch. Rather than the simple couple of buttons typical to the genre, Shank has a control scheme more on the level of Devil May Cry. Beyond switching between multiple melee and ranged weapons, you also have the capacity to leap onto, grab and dodge away from enemies, creating an amazing amount of combinations to your mayhem.

The action is perhaps a little repetitive, but with the entire game taking around three hours to complete you shouldn’t find yourself becoming bored with it. Boss fights are a simple matter of finding the right combination of actions, but are entertaining and often humorous. The single player story is also enhanced by a shorter two player local co-op prequel.

I wouldn’t often recommend spending $15 for a game you can finish in a few hours, but this one has such polish that I’m happy to do so in this case. Pick it up. It’s quite a ride.

P.S. One caveat I share with the developer is the need for a gamepad of some sort. If you don’t have one, get one. The game just doesn’t play as well without it.

Get Shank on Steam

Release Dates:
August 24th, 2010 (PLAYSTATION Network)
August 25th, 2010 (Xbox LIVE Arcade)
October 25th, 2010 (PC)

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Click here to view the embedded video.

PS3 Footage

DS Footage

I think it’s safe to expect a game that mirrors Ghibli’s animated works in it’s kid level accessibility and parent friendly depth of character and visuals. Look for both versions of the game to be a different experience because they are being developed independently of each other at Level 5. The DS game is due out late 2010 with the PS3 version due out sometime 2011. Oh, and Pokemon-style creature collecting! Yay!