As many of our faithful JiG readers know, we're presently concerned with making ends meet. (And if you don't know this, please read Dora's take on the situation and make your thoughts heard!) One of the more intriguing ideas to me is offering premium content for those who have donated to the site, as this would give me a paid captive audience for the "Untranslated Japanese Doki Doki Game Thursday Excitement!" and "JiG Presents: Tricky... After Hours" features that have been percolating in my head for years. For now, though, I satisfy myself with sharing some of my favorite puzzle, interactive art, and strategy titles from the JayIsGames archives.
Also, because I don't say it nearly often enough: thank you to JiG readers everywhere. It meant a lot when Jay first told me that he thought I was worth paying to write things on the internet for him, and it means a lot knowing that there are those of you out there who think so too and want to help keep this site going.
All right, enough sentimentality! Here are the games!
- Bustabrain - The folks at NinjaDoodle might be best known for their contributions to the field of one-button ClickPlay-ing, but Bustabrain, the 2010 point-and-click puzzle, is just as fun. The chill kind of Brain Age and WarioWare mish-mash that Nintendo really should have created by now, Bustabrain is a gentler kind of puzzle game, meant to tickle the brain cells, rather than tax them. NinjaDoodle has always been adept at the kinds of games that put players in a good mood, so why not take the time to crack a few codes, solve a few rebuses, and move a few too many matchsticks?
- Mitoza - Gal Mamalya might be best known for his contributions to the field of Bamba Snack Quest-ing, but his 2011's Mitoza, shows that he needs not the crutch of Israeli peanut-butter puffs to put together a supremely entertaining piece of interactive art. From a tiny seed grows mighty awesomeness in many facets, some cute, some humorous, some disconcerting, some downright bizarre, but always interesting enough that players will find it difficult to keep themselves from cycling through each and every permutation.
- Evacuation - Bennet Foddy might be best known for his contributions to the field of QWOP-ing, GIRP-ing and CLOP-ing, but Evacuation, a strategy game he developed with Ryan Chisholm in 2008, is just as entertaining. The concept behind this game of opening doors to keep astronauts safe and alien monsters hurtling into the blackness of space has a real classic feel to it, like it was a remake of an EGA classic from the early nineties, rather than a new work from the late aughties. It's a game that requires you to have both luck and logic on your side, and that makes for an addictive combination.
While we welcome any comments about this weekly feature here, we do ask that if you need any help with the individual games, please post your questions on that game's review page. Well, what are you waiting for? Get out there and rediscover some awesome!
You might want to spell check, Tricky. Let's not give any more ammunition to the obnoxious haters saying that the quality of reviews has declined and the writer's are overpaid.
I think this generation may have smudged the lines between constructive criticism and haters gonna hate.
Ah, I love Evacuation! I miss the audio. The wee people...
Wow, one of my 2010 reviews is now in the Vault. Don't I feel old. :)
Dandy:
Thanks for the heads up. In my defense, I think that about 40% of the words I used in this article would not, technically, be found in any dictionary. This is, of course, part of my ongoing plan to make my articles so much of a word salad that even I myself do not know what I'm talking about.
Stay tuned for next week's new feature: "Bamba Mitoza Chisholm WarioWare Doki GIRP-ing Blernsday!"
Tricky you are built for a podcast. Maybe they'll pay for that premium perk!
Tricky:
You don't make friends with salad!!!
Sorry, I just had to. One mistake got corrected (wuth -> with) but if someone could change the we to we're in the first line and remove a few commas before the word 'and' that would appease the grammar demons.
I can't wait until "Untranslated Japanese Doki Doki Game Thursday Excitement!". Happy fun time!
And I would add to Dandy's comment(s) that some of us grammar geeks might be willing to help edit when needed. It was mentioned in "the conversation about money which shall not be named", but it's worth mentioning again.
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