Mac Games – reviews and game downloads

Do you love that old Super Mario game where you jump around on the platforms and battle your friends. You know, the one with the TNT brick in the middle of the level to bail you out if the enemies became too overwhelming. If you know what I am talking about, then you will love Snowy Bear. This game is very similar to that game, but adds a new and interesting element. Instead of jumping on top of enemies to destroy them, you throw snowballs at them until they become one giant snowball. Once you do this, you kick the snowball, which jumps around the level and takes out the other enemies in its path. What is cool about this is that you can beat the levels very quickly but most of the time it is much more challenging to be successful with this type of attack.

The simplicity of Snowy Bear makes it great. Even though this game has been done before, it feels new and interesting. It is definitely something I could play over and over. The music is also upbeat the fun, something that can be enjoyed by the whole family. I would definitely say that the coolest part of the game is discovering the cool upgrades that you get when you destroy giant presents that drop into the level. Besides giving you extra points, these presents often give you something else like an extra life or in one case a helicopter that allows you to fly around the entire level and attack your enemies that way. There are also boss levels at the end of the stages which are both challenging and a good change of pace from the regular game. This is one of those special games that you know are just plain fun. I give Snowy Bear five out of five stars.

Rating:

One of my favorite genres is platform games. I was lucky enough to come across Professor Fizzwizzle because of the unique and humorous name. The story of the game is that the Professor was working in his lab one day, when he decided to invent robots to help him do some of his work. Everything was going fine, until he accidentally turned the switch from happy to mad. The professor was promptly thrown out of his lab by the robots and is now forced to make his way back inside.

Like other platform games, the character has to reach the exit in order to pass the stage.  You control the Professor, who is unfortunately uncoordinated.  He is unable to jump and can’t climb over obstacles.  In order to get through stages, you must push boxes, land on rolling barrels and trigger different switch-gates.  All this happens, while trying to avoid those evil Madbots who follow you when they see you.

This game was very fun and I really enjoyed the puzzle/platform style of the game.  However, I am inclined toward Mario-clone games, just because it is what I am used to, so I do prefer games where you have the ability to jump.  Besides that, Professor Fizzwizzle has some great graphics and a kid-friendly plot that everyone can enjoy.  There is also a feature that allows you to watch the computer solve the stage.  This takes away from the challenge, unless you have the self-control to avoid the free pass on some of the more difficult levels.  Overall, this was a solid game and I would give it 4 stars out of 5.

Rating:

What if Mario decided he was done with the plumbing business? What if he decided that he’d rather become a 19th century gold miner? Well, that game would be something like Gold Miner Joe.

Gold Miner Joe is an energetic platform game full of action and adventure.  You are Gold Miner Joe, determined to find all the gold that you can get your hands on.  At your disposal are unlimited rocks and sticks of dynamite that you find on the ground in order to destroy the cavemen, crustaceans and bats that attack you at every turn.

The point of the game is to collect all the pieces of gold scattered throughout the level.  Once this is accomplished, the exit to the level opens and you are free to move further into the mine.  In addition, there are other bonus items, like pick axes and shovels, that you can pick up to increase your score at the end.

Overall, this was a very solid game.  The game play worked really well and the added option of the joystick was nice.  The player controlled well and the jump button was touch sensitive, making jumping much easier.  The main differences I saw that made it different from a “Mario-clone” was the fact that there were no power-ups, enemies could not be killed by jumping on them, and that it took two hits to kill Miner Joe.

Rating: