Giveaway of the Day - ShellBlast

Today’s game was originally given away last year (Nov 07and is the sequel to the freeware games Acidbomb and Acidbomb 2, both of which are still freely available from Vertigo’s web site. I’ve included links to both at the end of the review together with quotes from the web site.

This certainly looks like an intriguing game. The aim is to select and defuse bombs before they blow or be destroyed. You have six modes of play to choose from plus you are also able to create levels via the levels editor that comes integrated with this puzzle game.

Quote:

The sequel to one of our most acclaimed puzzle games is back!

The commercial sequel to Acidbomb (voted 1up.com’s Best 101 Free Games and Gamespy’s “Download This” pick of December) and Acidbomb 2: Rearmed delivers a unique mind-bending action puzzle experience. Described as a cross between Minesweeper and Picross, ShellBlast is a game that offers something most puzzle games out there lack: a unique experience.

The objective of ShellBlast is simple: using a series of tools, defuse the bomb before it blows up. Of course, the further you progress, the more advanced the bombs get…

This version is jam-packed with features never seen on both Acidbomb and Acidbomb 2: Rearmed. The full version includes the following:

Classic Mode- Play the fifty-level campaign as you tour the world defusing bombs. From prank bombs to nuclear superweapons, this mode will give you the grand tour of what ShellBlast is all about.

Simulation Chamber- Choose from eighteen empty bomb shells and fill it to your specifications. Want a massive Biological bomb with a short timer? Or a small Oxidation bomb with plenty of extra helper tools like Chaff Grenades? You got it!

Blast Editor- Simulation Chamber too limiting for you? Build your own bomb from scratch using the editor or play custom levels built by others. Create the ultimate superweapon!

Endurance Mode- Take on this massive bomb one layer at a time. How many quadrants can you unlock?

Shell-Drop- A unique randomly generated bomb mode that puts you to the ultimate test. Can you beat the top ranking bomb solvers? This mode is almost a game in itself!

Puzzled- Take on the bomb from another angle…this time, using preset grids and an unlimited timer. Only true masterminds can solve the harder challenges…

Nuke- Team up with another agent working on the field to tackle one of the hardest bombs in the game!

Along with all these modes, ShellBlast carries a unique blend of gameplay, including always-randomized solutions to bombs in any mode (ensuring unlimited replay value!)

Installation Issues:

The download size of 22.6Mb seems rather steep for such a simple looking game. However on investigating the games folder I found 66% of the size is actually an extensive music folder that contains around 15Mb of music files. I only query this because of the dial up users. It’s a shame that the music folder couldn’t be removed for the dial up users and a separate link created for them to use. , or te option to add your own music. When unpacked the game comes as a combined activation and set up module. Unfortunately there are no desktop or start up program shortcuts created, and the installation executable does not include the usual installer, so if you just point and click the game will be installed on the desktop or wherever you have downloaded the zip file to. The destination path can be chosen by clicking on the browse button (I use winrar’s self extraction program to unzip and install my games) and selecting a suitable path for the game. If you use windows own extraction utility, I suggest you place the downloaded zip file into the directory you wish it to be installed to because otherwise the windows extraction facility will extract a zip file to the same directory as where the zip file is.

As I’ve mentioned previously, it is always sensible to install programs such as these on a disc other than the boot disc, that is if you have more than one hard disc drive (HDD) or have created one or more logical drives from a single HDD (called partitioning). See my notes in the comments section from the following link for a full explanation.

http://game.giveawayoftheday.com/hyperspace-invader/#comments (comment #12)

Once the path has been chosen and you’ve installed the game, you will need to open the installed file and right click on the games executable and scroll down to create a shortcut. Once this has been done you can then either cut or copy, then paste the shortcut within your games shortcut folder, or wherever you normally keep your game shortcuts. You can also create a program start menu by following the path below:

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Start Menu\Programs

Then create a new folder by right clicking on an empty space within the window and selecting new, then scroll down to folder. Name this folder Shellblast, or whatever you wish, then click on an empty space again. Copy your short cut from the game and paste it into the folder. You can even add a shortcut to this folder from the games home site if you want by clicking on the game sites link that you’ll find in the installed games folder:

http://www.vertigogaming.net/shellblast.htm

Then going to your favorites menu on the toolbar (or bookmark if your using fire fox) of the internet browser you use, and create a short cut by clicking on add to favorites (this will be something slightly different in fire fox). Once this is done follow the path:

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Favorites

Find the link, and then you can copy and paste the link directly to the start menu folder you’ve just created.

The Game:

All in all I found this to be an entertaining puzzle, although the In Game music did get a little annoying after a while; the intro music is an exception though. It’s almost like one of those relaxation CD’s, which is a total contrast to the in game music. There’s actually quite a few music tracks included with this game, all in the ogg format. It should be possible for example to swap the intro music which IMO is a lot more pleasant with the initial in game music, by just swapping the files around from their respective files and renaming them. You could also convert your own favorite MP3’s to ogg using one of the many audio converters that have been given away (although none recently). If you are new to the game giveaway and giveaway projects you will find freeware versions in the freeware library that’s accessible from the giveaway home page.

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/freeware/2008/06/23/free-audio-converter-cs/

or

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/freeware/2007/07/30/free-mp3-wma-wav-converter/

There are seven game modes which I’ve mentioned above, though the classic mode is the main one. It has over 50 levels to explore and the free play contains several mini games as well as a levels editor for making your own levels. There’s a forum where you can share these, though you’ll need your own ftp to upload the files to first. I use filefront for uploading most files. You can create a free account.

http://www.Filefront.com

The graphics are unusual as well as colorful in the same was as ‘The Magic Blackboard’ or bullet Candy is. That is the colors seem to be phosphorescent in some way. Maybe it’s my eyes lol.

The game is controlled by a combination of mouse and keyboard. To move the scanning beams use the arrow keys. Use the F2 key to see all the key bindings that are used in the game and if you want to scroll through the music selection you can hit the 7 and 8 key. There isn’t a help menu, however the game does provide a decent in game tutorial and story line, (though some may argue that point). You can read all the previous comments about this game by following the link below. Apart from my own comment (#11, which I’ve basically repeated and expanded upon here) I’d recommend comments #27 by APR, #29 by Mapsking, #38 by Bovi :

http://game.giveawayoftheday.com/shellblast/

Anyway I do like the look of this game and will be keeping it to explore further. I usually like games that come with level editors because they add so much more playability to a game. My children love them to and can spend most of their computer time designing their own levels. My son is particularly good at it now.

Video:

The following is a YouTube introduction to the game; it should give you a good idea as to what the game looks like when installed. Following that are screen captures and Googled images:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmsT72WBvUw

Googled Images:

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=Shellblast&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2

It’s a different sort of puzzle from what I’ve been playing recently. There’s an excellent array of different game modes so for that it’s going to be worth 7 out of 10. I doubt I’d actually buy it, but then again,. It’s quite an intriguing game, so I’ll need to explore it further. I’d certainly say, download the game and see what you think. For those who miss the giveaway; the two precursors to Shellblast are available for free, though they don’t contain all of the modes you get in shell blast.

Other useful information:

There’s a useful forum where you can post details of any levels you’ve created and request any help regarding the game:

http://www.vertigogaming.net/newboards/

The original version of Shellblast called Acidbonmb and it’s se4quel Acidbomb 2 can be downloaded from the following links. I’ve quoted the information found on the Vertigogaming website for each of the games :

Acidbomb:

http://www.vertigogaming.net/acidbomb.php

Acidbomb is a fifty level puzzle game where you must find the pistons used to trigger a bomb and defuse them before time runs out. There are many bombs scattered around the world, from biological bombs that have hair-sensitive triggers to napalm bombs that are exploding at the seams, to nuclear warheads that have challenged even the highest trained bomb defusal agent.

Along with this game you get the Virtual Bomb Simulator which allows you to make your own bombs, and a minigame called Ac!drop that is completely different from the rest of the game…but you’ll see that for yourself.

Given that all the bombs in the game have random pistons, you will never EVER solve a bomb the same way twice. Ever.

Acidbomb 2: Rearmed:

http://www.vertigogaming.net/acidbomb2.htm

Quote:

Acidbomb 2: Rearmed is the sequel to the acclaimed Acidbomb (noted by such sites as Gamespy.com and in the Top 100 Free Games of 2006 on 1up.com) that takes the original and gives it a complete overhaul. If you thought the first game was too easy or unbalanced…you’re in for a treat. This game is for the casual and hardcore puzzle fanatic alike.

The objective: secure the world by defusing bombs from criminals and terrorists alike. As you crack down on this new and dangerous threat, the technology improves with both the Homeland Security team (new weapons) and the terrorists (new bomb types, such as Biological, Oxidation and more). We also have reason to believe that there are several nuclear bombs hidden in major public areas in the United States, Europe and Japan…and the clock is ticking…

With over fifty levels, unlockable content and minigames and more, you’ll be busy fighting the terrorist threat for quite a while. From Jayisgames.com: