The Wizard of Oz

"The Wizard of Oz
Platform: PC
Publisher: MediaHaus
Developer: Dataworks
System requirements: Pentium II, 64 MB, Windows 95/98/Me/2000, sound card.


Hello, ladies and gentlemen gamers. Blast off for a second downloaded from somewhere on the Internet semi-nude pictures of Lara Croft and think of your brethren below. That is literally their brothers and sisters, you have like two hours to keep the trapped baths, closets and attics to, say, playing not to interfere. Today I will tell you about the game, which is designed specifically for them: four-year-decadal potential gamers ever get underfoot in the older brothers.

Why this article to you? Very simply: it is possible, the mother has forbidden you to sit at the computer until you do not show my sister how to use it, perhaps, the younger brother's birthday soon, and maybe (no, it's unbelievable) you really care about one more Chad, his parents . Anyway, here's to you: "The Wizard of Oz" from the Australian company Dataworks, presented on the Russian market MediaHouse.

The Wizard of Oz
So, what is the game itself? A remarkable tale about the adventures of Ally and Totoshka, familiar to us as "The Wizard of Oz" became the basis for developing a set of interactive mini-games designed to teach a child to understand something a little better than before, train smart, memory, and sometimes even a reaction. In Oz, along with the lumberjack, Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow Children will visit the two cities, magic mine and locking the evil witch Bastinda. Somewhere will help the fruit tree to get rid of parasites of beetles, but they are disguised as fruits, and their difference is not so easy to find. In another place, to help gather his things the gnome from the cliff above the volcano, but the flashes of light are rare and very short, so that the act would have on memory. And one more thing where the player will be able to cure the saleswoman juice from forgetfulness, but a prescription drug is not given exactly, but about one of the components - this zadachka on knowledge of the concepts of "more" and "less." Overall, the major puzzles in the game nine of them are given magic stones. Our characters are inserted into slots mascot, then to open the door lock Bastinda and save Ellie. But apart from these problems will have to solve some problems and time travel to Oz. Here the game becomes like a quest where you have to wander from one place to another and do something. At one point Leo is asleep, nanyuhavshis fragrant sleepy poppies - than to wake him up? In another place to swim the river on a boat and will need to pick up elements of the keyhole so that the key went. Without solving these puzzles, it will be impossible to reach your destination, but there are also those who simply decorate the game: a little hummingbird, for which we can repeat the melody played on bells, or a bird "Echo" published by different funny sounds. Here such here, "Phantasmagoria" for the kids!

The Wizard of Oz
Let us also from the educational function of the game to its artistic merits. The plot of "Oz" is, of course, does not retell the entire story in great detail, on the contrary, it is very short, but interesting and well-built. He probably intended for those who are familiar with paper originals, but fit and those whose parents used to deprive a bedtime story.It even exists in a kind of catalyst repleyabiliti - three difficulty levels, affecting the puzzle. Passed one - has received a bronze award and a silver or gold do not want?


The Wizard of Oz
As for graphics, alas, nothing like tunsheyding, terramorphing and bill shaders (or, as they are there?) In the game there. Advertisement cost a flat engine, based on QuickTime. But this is not Unreal! No need to load a computer and a child, when sufficient to be able to make beautiful, cartoon, and not too cool for iron. Look at the screenshots: sweet, kind, smiling characters, bright colors! Animation, too, did not disappoint. Good old QuickTime copes with it much better than lotions from Macromedia, now become popular with developers of children's software. The same went steppe and sound: bravo, MediaHouse! On the cover among the voice actors flaunt a "people's" yes "deserved" - the text is read them with feeling, really, with the arrangement. The only flaw - it seems that the Russian replica sometimes ends before the animation of the speaker's character, but it is hardly noticeable and did not detract from the merit of localizers.

You know, I'll be happy to play this game. Nostalgia for childhood, you know. Well, if you are not so much nostalgiruete, my advice - wait denya birth of their younger colleagues through life and give them a good drive with a good game. At the same time and the domestic producer support.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
After repeatedly delayed release of Gran Turismo 5, many fans have simply lost faith in Polyphony Digital, in which they answered the new GT 5 Prologue.

Ominous Horizons: A Paladin's Calling

Platform: PC.
Genre: FPS with a splash of Adventure.
Developer: N'Lightning Software.
Publisher: N'Lightning Software.
Website: http://www.n-lightning.com/horizons.htm



Ominous Horizons: A Paladin's Calling
Say what you like and have to wonder every day something new, hitherto not seen. That's only if you come across in everyday life that something unusual is quite simple, the computer games the probability of such a meeting is gradually reduced. Recent hits are almost always cloned ideas of their predecessors, the long-standing and try to give them a super new feature, and those who ponaglee, and did promise to "revolutionize the genre." Trying to, you know, to entice gamers sweet words. Hmm ... And in fact, any of these innovations has necessarily been realized a long time ago in some ancient Spectrum toy. But agree that there are "new items", continuing where the player is not something that is not waiting, but just do not understand, there will be those in the second part or sequel. Not to mention their borrowing by other developers. Why? Now to find out ...

Ominous Horizons: A Paladin's Calling
I think many readers will remember the terrible events that took place not long ago in the U.S.. Then a few collapsed with oak shells at most teens can not diverse ammunition and decided to have some fun. The place chosen is quite fun and crowded - the second his native home, in other words, a school. But already there staged a very real slaughter - who from his father's rifle, and some with a hunting knife, killed a lot of their friends and classmates. Brutally so, quite mercilessly. So far, in the eyes of standing footage from television news, when his mother weeps over a dead bloody daughter ... What those bastards slipped roof so no one really ever knew, but one of the first version appeared on the corrupting influence on the fledgling teenage psyche of computer games in general and in particular DOOMopodobnyh. The logic, of course there is, but ... In general, as it may be, but there are people who undertook to do the "right" shooter. The name itself is also picked up right - N'Lightning, that even the last hungry beavers Arabian desert have recognized the usefulness and enlightenment of the office. All in order to, so rebetenok the computer not only wits studied, but also became a kind. What came of that, gamers will recall, had the misfortune to buy Catechumen. Good, and perpetual deeply mired in a miserable implement and complete lack of interest in the game. And here comes the repetition - Ominous Horizons. Those same features, side view.

Ominous Horizons: A Paladin's Calling
It starts very entertaining and original. A paladin, the guardian of the holy order and total well-being, the will of fate turns out to be a small town. Put bluntly, the town is right (you may have noticed, I pressed on that word?): One big street, one restaurant, one hotel, a smithy and a church.Residents are also alone in his misery - the insidious power of evil to contrive secretly sneak into this quiet corner of piety and created most terrible blasphemy! Heathens only destroyed the entire village printing machine and stole the Holy Scriptures. The trouble repeatedly exaggerated when it turns out that the Bible is a library of Evil did not stick. In consequence of that was dispelled by the wind, and now languishes in separate leaflets on various nooks and crannies. What is there to do? Accounts in a matter of urgency to seize a local cleric weapon of revenge (who said that regular paladins rich?) And dive into a kind of portal. Look, you know, adventures on their second ninety.

Ominous Horizons: A Paladin's Calling
The correct play for the right children have to be free of violence. But if you already own genre affiliation and the existence of monsters oblige make chlenovreditelskie action, then do without blood, as it turned out, very possible. Everything you need to do is remove the animation of monsters with a hit in their "holy bullets" (and you're naive, thinking we're going to hack sword ?..). Shot a couple of crossbow - vrazhin and vanished. And completely without trace, and then suddenly, child looking at the corpse run! So one should not hurt the psyche of gamers sudden appearance because of the angles of all villains. Therefore, they claim only to the appointed place and be sure to report their presence soon - porychat, wings poshelestyat. Boring and tedious. And without any interest in the game kill blotches genre adventure. Realized they were as follows. If you see a high step, leading further down the hall, then somewhere close (in fact - to distant lands in a secret island, guarded by evil scarecrow) will lie shoes that improve jumping ability. Likewise, we find and the rest of the knightly equipment, but interesting to play this does not become. Or, for example, have to wade through the cave, blowing winds, dropping players to the entrance. They do not blow constantly, so we have to choose the time and hide the tabs. Very interestingly, is not it?

Ominous Horizons: A Paladin's Calling
Alas, but the game disappoints with first seconds of lame graphics. Gray-brown-poshkaryabannye texture escorted us from the very first episode to the last. Ubiquitous sprite lights, coupled with a grim and confusing architecture level creates an oppressive experience. Just think of it, and after the third GeForce appeared already quite a while ... Although here it would be correct to recall the first Riva TNT. Monsters often scare negligible number of polygons spent on their modeling than ferocious grin, and intelligent behavior. Developers can only praise for a really lovely night sky and a good implementation of water hazards. Moving in the underwater kingdom made a rare weird - instead of what would dive and swim with graceful arms and legs, our hero is forced like a frog move my body weird jerks. First, this "feature" is funny, and then somehow not very much. In general, there is not praise for that - nothing new since the ill-fated Catechumen'a have not been identified. If something is creates an atmosphere that only a quite decent sound effects. No, music is like everything else is horrible, but that's howling wind in a cave (the same one where the wind blows) really bad. In the rest - gloomy darkness.

As a result, we received virtually unplayable product. The game, which really can not even shoot and run within the beautiful lawns and byways, we have to spend hours looking for a place of "shoes", wandering among the ruins of the dark and stupid monsters.Alas, what local analog Halsey realized in the form of scrolls containing biblical texts, does not play the saint and on whether mandatory for viewing. I only need to thank the developers for trying to create a toy without violence and brainless mysheklikanya, but ... One's ideas is not enough. And as experience showed, did not have even two. They say that God loves a trinity, but that if this case? In my opinion, we should not torture yourself, and other such religious innovations.

The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom

The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom
This Mary Poppins does not teach children good ...
In describing The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom do without reference to Braid impossible. In a masterpiece of the year before the game connects almost all: the platform and genre, the game mechanics and a lot of attention to visual style. Graphics, and style of narration, send the player for a hundred years ago, at the beginning of XX century. Frame with curls covering the screen "film artifacts, cheerful music, even the colors of the game obviously bowing in the direction of the silent cinema. The plot is told in between levels with funny quatrains illustrated static designs. The main character - Mr. PB Winterbottom, a big prankster. The sole purpose of its existence is stealing and eating other people's pies, and in this field it is with great promise. But once it catches up with mold in the spirit of Dickens: the hero comes to see a giant flying pie and lures into the mysterious portal. Once in the past, PB quickly understand what is required - to fix their mistakes, because of which his fellow citizens have suffered so much. Just quickly before it comes, that way you can eat a lot of pies. However, granted a magical dessert special-abilities will not take away: Mr. Winterbottom has learned to create their own clones, "writing" the sequence of their actions. Twins to help him be in several places at once, and always glad to lend a shoulder or push an umbrella in the right direction. The whole set of levels divided into five "films, each with the power of cloning varies slightly. Apart from these, PB may attend opening as you progress through the Challenge, in which he has already got to try on the result: to act quickly and do not shave heaps of clones. However, the majority of puzzles are solved quickly and not very difficult. This is perhaps the most noticeable difference in the game from his older brother: a puzzle in Braid is almost devoid of action and require the preferential development of intelligence. The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom this myself for some reason can not, and more attention to skill your character controls.

Pikmin

Platform: GameCube
Genre: Strategy with elements of adventure / puzzle
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Official site: http://www.pikmin.com/



Pikmin
As often happens, unfortunately, the graphics in games used as the sole tool in attracting consumers' attention. Moreover, if the game with a beautiful shell and creates something akin to the gameplay, not always it turns out, I'm sorry, advanced. After all, much easier on old ideas and the famous name to earn a few million American rubles, but this industry is not getting better. Well, that today there are developers and they actually are not enough to create for us the original game products and carry a small revolution. Industry successes in recent years confirm that the interest in it is on the rise, and last but not least due to the increased number of unique games.

Pikmin
W December 2001 on the GameCube got the English version of this innovative and exciting strategy Pikmin. By and large, this review could be completed, publicly stating that the game was developed under the leadership of the Shigeru Miyamoto. But it would not be fair to the reader who wants to know the details.

Pikmin
Pikmin is interesting primarily a history of its appearance. The idea of ​​the game came to Shigeru Miyamoto, after several trips in Japanese garden, which is a brilliant designer grew near his home. He considered that an interesting and bustling microcosm of the daily bustle of the flower garden it is quite possible to move into the virtual environment. The idea was very interesting, and Nintendo project was given the green light.

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
From the first time it's difficult to understand what the salt trick. While on the DS, one after another out new series Castlevania, on PSP Konami gives us a three-dimensional remake Akumajo Dracula X Chi no Rondo for the PC Engine, which outside of Japan, who played very little. And if the words "three-dimensional remake of" do you remember about the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time or Ninja Gaiden in 2004, driving obsession. Castlevania series has long been in something akin to skrolshuteru - practically every enemy move or attack on the simplest path, and the difficulty in passage appeared only because of the abundance of enemies, awkward arms, brake characters and lack of space to maneuver. Just imagine that the path of endless head of Medusa, plotted their deadly sinusoid, we can retreat to the side - after all nonsense out, right? That series and no luck with "honest» 3D. So Dracula X Chronicles on the mechanics is a two-dimensional platformer, and the polygons here - only a rather controversial way to modernize the image.

Europe II

Platform: PC
Genre: Strategy
Publisher: Strategy First/1C/Snowball interactive
Developer: Paradox Entertainment



Europe II
Good afternoon, my dear readers!
Did you know that this year will bring you Santa Claus? Most likely, it will be something very nice, white and fluffy. But it may turn out that this will be another masterpiece of Paradox Entertainment, localized alert teams 1C and Snowball interactive - "Europe 2" Europa Universalis II.