Trying to keep up with all of the downloadable games and content that's out there these days is enough to make a person cry. But cry no more, because Download Lowdown is here to help. Each week I sift through the good, the bad, and the weird to help you get the most from your game system of choice without leaving your house. Plus, if you read now I'll also toss in some select (usually less-than-helpful) quotes from folks around the Internet at absolutely no extra charge!
This week I try to learn the Secret of Monkey Island, do some adventuring with Trine, and yell at Bit Boy for not cleaning up his Puzzle Domino mess....
Trine
Systems: PC (via Steam), PS3 (coming soon)Â
Price: $29.99 on Steam and $19.99 on PS3
The Lowdown: Trine is an amazing-looking game to be sure. Too bad it doesn't play quite as good as it looks. It's fun when played co-operatively (if you can find the option, which is buried in a menu), but neither the platforming, nor the action are anything special. I'd certainly say it's worth a look if it were cheaper, but at $30 it's too expensive to download on a whim. If you're curious you can check out the free demo, but if you're not blown away you might want to wait for the cheaper PS3 version that's due out "soon."
What Twitter says:
Diablopath is in love. It's so cute: "Trine, Trine, Trine. I'm so happy you came into my life, Trine."
Emteekek seconds my opinion that Trine is too expensive: "Finished Trine. Great game not worth its money though. Short and after playing it once don't see a reason to go back to it and play it again."
Magicman411 drops some math all up in here: "im thinking about using my 32$ gamestop credit towards a psn card if i get 8 more dollars i can get 40$!!!! im gonna use it for trine."
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
Systems: Xbox 360, PC
Price: $10
The Lowdown: The first Monkey Island game I ever played was on the PlayStation 2 so it's safe to say that I was a bit late to the party. Old-school PC-gamers love this series, and while it's quite amusing, the gameplay is a bit antiquated. There's lots of pointing, clicking, and running back and forth looking for random objects. If that's your kind of thing you should jump all over The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition. It's gorgeous, has built-in hints, and is just $10.
You can even switch back and forth between the old and new versions on the fly. I know, it sounds too good to be true. Watch the video below to see it in action! Exciting!
What Major Nelson's commenters say:
Atomicow hasn't learned to never EVER tell a game publisher that it would have been OK if their game was more expensive: "800 points FTW! This is one game that could have gotten away with a 1200 point price, but at 800 it's just going to sell itself."
GuZ1977 almost got me to fall for it: "Look behind you, a three-headed monkey!"
UnHolyOne got out from under his rock and took a calculated risk. It didn't work out: "At the risk of sounding like a moron, should I have heard of this game before??? I've been a gamer since Pong and this game doesn't ring a bell at all."
Puzzle Domino
System: iPhone
Price: $3.99
The Lowdown: Puzzle Domino is kind of like a cross between Tetris and Drop 7. Dominos fall from the top and you have to match three-in-a-row either diagonally, horizontally, or vertically. It's simple and a lot of fun, just like a good puzzle game should be. Oh yeah, and cheap too. Weird, I've harped on the price for every game this week. It's almost like I'm broke or something....
What the App Store reviews say:
Notty Not's review is less a review than it is a cry for help: "Pry it from my hands, please. I need to blink. Very fun, very addictive. More interesting than the Tetris color blocks. My best score yet, 2700."
415MO LOVES THIS DOMINO GAME MORE THAN ALL OTHERS AND WILL SHOUT IT TO THE WORLD: "BEST GAME IN MY OPINION BETTER THAN THOSE OTHER DOMINO GAMES LOVE IT PASSES TIME NEVER GET BORED OF PLAYING IT."
Apelk doesn't mind a long walk as long as Puzzle Domino is by his/her/its side: "I actually missed my bus stop... very engaging!"
Bit Boy!!
System: WiiWare
Price: $6
The Lowdown: Back when Bitmob was in college it got really drunk and hooked up with a random girl on the soccer team. Nine months later Bit Boy!! was born. That story isn't actually true (as far as you know), but there is really a game called Bit Boy.
The game is basically a Pac-Man clone and it gets old rather quick. The faux-retro look is appealing, though, which is why I'm highlighting here. You might not ever play the game, but the short trailer's kind of neat if for no other reason than to enjoy the concept.
What the Internet says:
Braindead_hero isn't so brain dead after all: "i think what they did with Bit Boy!! would have worked really well if it was a platformer or something like that."
Hotrodder07 has got my back on this one: "It really isn't worth it. Like somebody else said, it's pretty much pac-man, and you can finish it in no-time at all. It was pretty boring and repetitive. Stay away from this one."
Nickytetlow just isn't a fan of Bit Boy: "Honestly this game is awful. It tries to capture to the evolution of video games but completely fails at it. AVOID."
That's it for this week's Download Lowdown. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next week!












