Link Dump Friday
July 25, 2008
While crafting this week's Link Dump Friday, I uncovered a mysterious pattern that could be a sign of greater things at work. On a standard North American QWERTY keyboard, 33 of the 47 letters used to write the names of the five games below (numbers and symbols don't count) can be typed with the left hand alone. In fact, Starwave doesn't need the right hand at all! Government conspiracy? Alien intervention? Or does my being a lefty subtly influence the games we feature each week? You decide!
UberTube - A unique 3D arcade game where you rotate a tube with the [arrow] keys to keep tiles beneath your bouncing self. Very challenging, often frustrating, and different enough to be wholly interesting. Also worth noting, this game has the most annoying "death" sound ever heard in video gaming history.
Spin-In - A sliding block puzzle game that uses rudimentary physics as the central focus of gameplay. Use the [arrow] keys to tilt the game board up, down, left and right. Your goal is to get the smiley face to the exit, but with each tilt blocks slide to fill open spaces.
Starwave - Another simple puzzle game, this one of a sci-fi nature. Place your units on the grid so they will eliminate the oncoming enemy fleet. When everything's in place, hit the "ready" button and hope all turns out well. If not, re-adjust and try it again.
Mad Vlad II: Revamped - A vampire-themed adventure platforming game where you control the mad spinning Vlad on a quest to prove he is a worthy master of his castle. Avoid the sunlight as you work your way through a surprisingly cinematic adventure.
Solarsaurs 2 - We here at JIG strive to bring you the best games so you don't waste your time playing duds. In that spirit, we meticulously crafted a one-line review for this game that's sure to answer any questions you might have. Ready for it? Here goes... "It's like curling, with dinosaurs."
In soloarsaurs 2
I thought that they could have made it have a goal. Like maybe shuffle board or something. But it was a nice relaxing game.
If you call hitting dinos into random items relaxing!
Want to know something really creepy?
Try typing "stewardesses".
UberTube was interesting. Got 67,571
Couldn't really figure out how the "Level" counter worked, couldn't they just use a number?
Be careful of the green and white squares (when you can tell what they are) sometimes that boost can make it hard to land right.
Starwave was a lot of fun but way short, is the "Earth" game someting new the maker is working on if so that should be excelent.
Love those hanayama puzzles! (the graphic on Spin-In's intro screen)
starwave started to be real fun, then it was end of levels already, too bad..
every time i tried to play spin-in, it froze on me. i really enjoyed starwave, but it's way too short!
This is clearly a JiG conspiracy, intended to make life harder for us righthanded people who wish to comment on today's games!
Game ruining bug in Mad Vlad
Won't let you have both the wine bottle and the oil can. Or at least it won't let me. I pick up the oil, then drop down to pick up the wine, and it flashes and disappears like I picked it up, but doesn't show up on my inventory, and when I go back to the chapel, the guy states that I need both to get the key. Arg!
Did I mention the fact that I am an idiot? Not a bug.
I was grabbing health potions, but since I hadn't gotten any before this section, I assumed it was the wine
is anyone playing spin in? I'm stuck on level 12. Help anyone?
Here's a high score breaking exploit in Solarsaurs 2.
Click and hold the dinosaur and bring it about 10 pixels left of the line. Make sure the last movement of the mouse is to the right and release. The dinosaur should move slowly across the line. Sometimes it won't go far enough but you can redrag the same dinosaur back and try again.
Take your next dinosaur and bring about 5 pixels left of the line and below the other dinosaur, so that they will collide. Make sure the last movement of the mouse is upwards. Release it and they should collide, giving you 1000 points. You can now redrag the same dinosaur downwards and do it over again ad infinitum.
i think it`s quite fun, comparing with the previous Solarsaurus
Starwave was brilliant, but it ended to soon.
With around 80,000 points, I managed the daily (so far) highscore on UberTube. Also managed number 8 alltime, although that's not saying much seeing as all the scores are less than a week old =P
Long time reader, first time poster. I'll probably make an account later.
Played through Vlad. On the castle level, first scene, the large block you push has "Abandon hope all ye who enter here." It's a reference to Dante's Inferno. That was inscribed above the door to Hell. (Am I allowed to say that? I'm not using it profanely...)
Just thought I'd point that out.
Welcome, Will. :)
Yes, you're allowed to say that. Contextually, you're fine. ^_^
Starwave was great fun, but it was too easy and way too short. It needed 30 more levels and some more types of enemy ships and defences. Here's hoping for a sequel which is more of a full length game.
Starwave is nice - I'm not sure how much design space there is there without overcomplicating things, but I liked what I saw and would love more.
Need help on Mad Vlad:
At the desert level, there's one point where you have to walk across a bunch of seesaws. At the third one you have to jump past a high wall.
But how is that possible? Every time I as much as touch the right end of the seesaw, it moves down and I can't jump that high. Is there an item I need to get past there?
ThemePark
Maybe if you could get something big and heavy to stop the left side from raising, the right side won't move down. Vlad does like pushing things around.
ThemePark
There's a movable just before the sunlight that you can use to wedge the lever
For the seesaw puzzle in Mad Vlad,
There's a block you have to push against the left side to keep it from tipping up with your weight.
kim:
I am playing Spin-In.
Unfortunately I can't help you on level 12 as I am stuck on level... um... 2.
Normally these types of things aren't that difficult for me; I think the addition of the tilting/arrow key feature is making my brain not know what to do.
In Mad Vlad II,
How do I get past the "Repolarizing Crystals" Red? Blue? Yellow?
I have tried sequences, etc. Do I have to be OCD and have 10 hours to waste to get past this?
Kellyhalia, Kim
About Spin-In
level 2 :
R,U,L,D,R,U,R
level 12 :
Hint :
Don't get rid of the blue square.
Solution:
L,D,R,U,L,D,L,U,R,D,L,U,R,D,R
I'm currently stuck on level 16 :o(
First post but big fan of JIG for... can't even remember how long!
Rook:
Set one beam to red and the other to green, then put the lever to the up position. If it was like that already, put it to down, then up.
Thanks for the help with the seesaw, everybody.
Just played through Mad Vlad, and wow. Awesome, awesome game. Great story, great music, great gameplay. Now I just have to find all the secrets.
Mad Vlad was... wow... Easily could've been considered a professional production quality game worthy of a major developer if it had more content. And I highly recommend anyone who played it to also give inquisitive dave a shot, it's under games on the same site.
I'm not entirely sure if this guy knows just how good he really is.
[Edit: We have a review of Inquisitive Dave coming up soon. Look for it. -Jay]
Can anyone help me with level 3 on Spin-In, I just don't get what i have to do, there seems to be no way out!
AHHHH
rant over :)
but please help :)
thanks
Spin-In. Help on level 10,please !
WARNING!!
If you are running on safari DO NOT update flash as Mad Vlad asks you to. I did and now I can no longer play ANY flash content. Many people are having problems with the latest update, this has really pissed me off.
Hi!
I was wondering how to get past the
sniper level.
in Mad Vlad.
Thanks!
Nvm, I figured it out.
Steph,
level 3 Spin-In
U,R,D,R,U,L,U,R,U,R
In Mad Vlad does anybody know how to get past Hugo? (He's Hugo and he's boss! I love that!) I'm jumping and spinning but not having any particular effect on his health bar.
Zelie:
As with all the bosses in the game, you have to wait until they're exhausted and standing completely still. That's when you can cause some damage to them by using your spin attack.
Can anyone help me with level 5 on Spin In? I'm sure I did it before but I've no idea how...
Thanks Themepark, but I've completely depleted his healthbar and he still keeps fighting. I spin on him repeatedly when he is standing still and yet he doesn't die. Is it a bug or something I'm not doing right?
Spin In was great, however the last level, 20 was by far the hardest. No bells and whistles at the end, just CONGRATULATIONS!
Spin In lvl 16:
Hint: You want to get rid of the horizontal block at the same time as the smiley face block.
Solution:
D,L,U,R,D,L,D,L,U,R,U,L,D,R,D,L,U,R
help with lv. 10 in spin-in, please
I could also use help on lvl 10 of spin in
Spin-In Walkthrough
level 1
D,R,U,R
level 2
R,U,L,D,R,U,R
level 3
U,R,D,R,U,L,U,R,U,R
level 4
U,R,D,L,U,R,D,L,U,R,D,R
level 5
R,U,R,D,R,U,L,D,R,D,L,U,R
level 6
D,L,U,R,D,R,L,U,R,U,R
level 7
D,L,U,R,U,L,D,R,U,L,D,R,U,R
level 8
L,D,R,U,L,D,L,U,R,D,L,U,R,D,R
level 9
D,R,U,L,D,R,D,R,U,R,D,L,U,R
level 10
D,R,U,L,D,R,D,R
level 11
U,L,D,R,U,L,D,R,U,L,D,R,U,R
level 12
L,D,R,U,L,D,L,U,R,D,L,U,R,D,R
level 13
U,R,D,R,U,L,U,R,D,R,U,L,D,R,U,L,D,R,U,R
level 14
R,D,L,U,R,D,R,D,L,U,R,D,L,U,R,U,L,D,R
level 15
U,R,U,R,D,L,D,L,D,L,U,R,U,L,D,R,D,L,U,R
level 16
D,L,U,R,D,L,D,L,U,R,U,L,D,R,D,L,U,R
level 17
D,R,U,R,D,L,U,R,L,D,R,U,R,D,L,U,R
level 18
D,R,U,L,D,L,U,R,D,R,U,L,D,L,U,R
level 19
D,R,U,L,U,R,D,L,U,R,D,L,U,R,U,R,U,R
level 20
U,L,D,R,D,L,U,R,D,L,U,L,D,R,U,R,D,L,U,R,D,L,U,R,D,R
Mad Vlad 2 is awesome.
I'm stuck on Hugo. I've gotten to the point where one more hit will kill him, but I keep dying from either the dynamite or the crystals of light. Any tips?
I can't play Starwave... Is it supposed to show up on the page you linked to, or am I missing a link to click once I get there?
Using FF 3.0.1 in Ubuntu Hardy... is it a shockwave game, or something else besides flash?
Update