Star Defender 4 is a breathtaking space shooter. Get on GOTD only today!

#23

Background music bouncing from my right and left ear was annoying so i turned it off

Reply | Comment by John – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#22

For starters, I just want to signal that the game.giveaway.com TICKER is NOT visible on a forum (where I put it as my sign).
It isn’t visible even in the Spread the word section of this website.
See my last reply at 32nd comment on the previous GameGiveAwayOfTheDay given away on Sunday, November 15th, 2015: http://game.giveawayoftheday.com/questerium-sinister-trinity-collectors-edition/#comment-3305335

I submitted the compressed package, and the unzipped files, to WinDefender, SuperAntiSpyware, Malwarebytes and EmsiSoft Emergency Kit (those programs are installed or portable on this PC): no problems detected.
I submitted the compressed package to virustotal, jotti, metascan-online, and virscan: virustotal and jotti found nothing, FPROT scan engine on virscan found W32/Felix:P:Lastsect_unkn!Eldorado (probably the G/GAOTD setup.exe), metascan-online found nothing for readme.txt and for setup.gcd but it found the usual false positives for the G/GAOTD setup.exe --> virit scan engine found Trojan.Win32.DownLoader16.CH, Fortinet has failed to scan, but the other fortyone engines found nothing.

The game "installed" (it has been extracted) well on windows 10 standard x64.
I install all the games in d:\games and usually I move the shortcuts from the desktop to that folder... But when the shortcut isn't created by the application of the game, I must do this task myself.
This time I HAD to create the shortcut on myself (because the game has been extracted to the games folder, i.e. it hasn't been installed).
The game started and finished without problems, although "system requirements" say Windows XP/Vista/7/8.
On the exit, the windows compatibility app manifested itself; it enabled/ticked/selected Disable display scaling on high DPI settings in its properties – compatibility tab, because I’m using high DPI settings (150%).
Altough it worked well also without that setting (it seems there was nothing changed in the game, like the first time I started it).

Thanks for this game, as usual, to Whiterabbit-uk (aka Stephen), to GGAOTD and to Immanitas!!!

..............................Moderator Comment.....................................

As usual thank you for your feedback xilolee. appreciated.

For starters, I just want to signal that the game.giveaway.com TICKER is NOT visible on a forum (where I put it as my sign).
It isn’t visible even in the Spread the word section of this website.
See my last reply at 32nd comment on the previous GameGiveAwayOfTheDay given away on Sunday, November 15th, 2015: http://game.giveawayoftheday.com/questerium-sinister-trinity-collectors-edition/#comment-3305335

I submitted the compressed package, and the unzipped files, to WinDefender, SuperAntiSpyware, Malwarebytes and EmsiSoft Emergency Kit (those programs are installed or portable on this PC): no problems detected.
I submitted the compressed package to virustotal, jotti, metascan-online, and virscan: virustotal and jotti found nothing, FPROT scan engine on virscan found W32/Felix:P:Lastsect_unkn!Eldorado (probably the G/GAOTD setup.exe), metascan-online found nothing for readme.txt and for setup.gcd but it found the usual false positives for the G/GAOTD setup.exe --&gt; virit scan engine found Trojan.Win32.DownLoader16.CH, Fortinet has failed to scan, but the other fortyone engines found nothing.

The game "installed" (it has been extracted) well on windows 10 standard x64.
I install all the games in d:\games and usually I move the shortcuts from the desktop to that folder... But when the shortcut isn't created by the application of the game, I must do this task myself.
This time I HAD to create the shortcut on myself (because the game has been extracted to the games folder, i.e. it hasn't been installed).
The game started and finished without problems, although "system requirements" say Windows XP/Vista/7/8.
On the exit, the windows compatibility app manifested itself; it enabled/ticked/selected Disable display scaling on high DPI settings in its properties – compatibility tab, because I’m using high DPI settings (150%).
Altough it worked well also without that setting (it seems there was nothing changed in the game, like the first time I started it).

Thanks for this game, as usual, to Whiterabbit-uk (aka Stephen), to GGAOTD and to Immanitas!!!

<blockquote>..............................Moderator Comment.....................................

As usual thank you for your feedback xilolee. appreciated.</blockquote>

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Reply | Comment by xilolee – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#21

Yes, it's a demo version only!

...............................Moderator Comment...................................

There has been over 14 thousand downloads of this game, with three community members saying they have got a demo. I cannot explain this as I've never got a demo from this site ssince the very first game gveaway. I think it may be your security blocking the activation process???

Reply | Comment by Darek – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#20

Installed and ran on window 10. Played a few levels to make sure it worked. it is an OK game. But when I tried to set new restore point I found out I had issues from the install. A lot of my PC systems would not display. I had to use one of my tools I got from another site to open system restore and back up to before the install of this game. I would keep this but it messes with my system. Will not re-install.

Reply | Comment by Terry S – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#19

Runs great using Linux and Wine. Great graphics and SFX sound. Very similar to Star Defender 3, but somewhat improved. Don't care much for the music, but it can be adjusted separately from the SFX sound. Thanks!

Reply | Comment by Ralf – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#18

Hooray! Did first mission on Easy and certainly played with less difficulty or traps than the earlier versions. Or so it seemed. Prior ones never acted much dif among the level settings. Sharp graphics add to the fun. Lowered music level though not a bad element. Want to try higher levels soon, no rush. Just mouse one hand so can chow some Eat Me tidbits if need a 5-10 minute game break along with feed bag. Windows 10 x64 Pro. Thanks.

Reply | Comment by beergas – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#17

Setup.exe doesn't work - only gives error message: "Failed to launch the program".

Downloaded StarDefender4-tu8r4e.zip for a second and a third time, but same error message again and again. Too bad... :-(

(Win 7)

.....................................Moderator Comment.......................................

Have you checked the fAQ's thread that i link to in comment number 1. That error message usually means the game is conflicting with another program, usually your security software. Though there are also other reasons which are mentioned in the FAQ's

Reply | Comment by Mad Ollie – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#16

I couldn't access the game even after activating it

..........................Moderator Comment.........................

Hi Desmond, when you say you can't access the game, do you mean you can't find it? Read my review above, it tells you where it should be installed to. There is no shortcut installed, so you have to create one yourself. Let me know if you find it.

Reply | Comment by desmond – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#15

I got so hooked on Star Defender 2 when you gave it away that I bought 3 and 4 from BigFish on a 50% off weekend. I have not gotten very far on this one yet because I am still trying to break my grandson's high score on Star Defender 2. Does anyone know how to erase Top Scores in any of the Star Defender games? The insectus and powerups in Defender 3 and 4 are a lot larger than in 2 and that was confusing for a while. I still haven't made it out of 'Rookie' level but I am trying. I get tired playing the Defenders because I am kicking and jumping while shooting, and dying!! Love them all.

........................Moderator comment...............................

You could always try the tips and tricks I've posted. They tell you how to make your weapons more powerful. Okay, you could call it cheating, but to be honest, if you are finding it really difficult to progress, the fun can soon disappear. Games like this do tend to rely on speed and a little tactics (e.g. saving as many missiles as you can for the big boss fights). :)

Reply | Comment by Stonebec – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#14

very good game fun and easy to play better than star defender 1 , 2 and 3 ! thanks

Reply | Comment by justchuck69 – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#13

(You can add these 2 posts together if you want, WR. Don't always have time to test after I download, but I got a quick chance here). Got a chance to try the 1st 3 levels of the 1st mission. Some differences. Only 1 difficulty level, where 2 and 3 had multiple. Some of the non-right click power ups have changed, like the temporary ray boost that wasn't present in 2 and 3, and slight difference in the right click power ups, but the latter is common to all versions as the developers played with the playability. Normal part of game development. Liked the music in 2 and 3 better. This is less monster creepy and more synthesizer power chord (literally) action music. But, the bottom line is, I like this approach to this type of game, so I know I'm going to like this. Thumbs up!

Reply | Comment by watcher13 – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#12

Wow! Glad Immanitas resurrected these from AWEM. Hooked on 3 and 2 when AWEM originally gave them out here. Didn't really expect to get 4. Thanks Immanitas and GGOTD!

.......................Moderator Comment..........................

This is the best of the 4 in my opinion. :)

Reply | Comment by watcher13 – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#11

Star Defender 2, 3, and 4 in the past few months. Great basic arcade shooters, good graphics, good sounds (crank it up late at night and make the neighbors wonder what you are up to), low resource requirements so runs on anything (even my antique Vista system). Perfect for a few minutes of mindless "shoot anything that moves". My only complaints echos what someone else wrote - I would rather lose a life than a weapon (in all three games I've ended up in a boss fight with only the starter weapon remaining but plenty of lives).

Reply | Comment by jgf – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#10

Good to see a Galaga type space ship shooter on GGOTD. I have no issues with Hidden Object games and have been enjoying the last few offered but also like the variety. This game is awesome!

Reply | Comment by Little Bear – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#9

This appears to be a demo with only 5 levels. At least that's what I infer looking at Levels/Demo_0

...................................Moderator comment..............................

There has never been a demo given away here on the game giveaway site since it's inception Dec 2008, there has been well over a thousand games given away since then; every game is a full version. Make sure you are installing the game by clicking on the file with the orange icon with a key symbol on it.

Maybe your security is interfeering with the activation process. The game will inatall, but then needs to phone home to activate. Your security could be blocking it????

Reply | Comment by A Concerned Gamer – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#8

The Star Defender games are among my wife's favorites -- it's often booming from the speakers on her desk. Versions 3 & 4 are different of course -- in her opinion 3 [an earlier GOTD] is a bit harder FWIW. The system requirements above are XP 8, but it ran on my small tablet with 10 just fine. You'll find lot of hits Googling on Star Defender 3 & 4, along with quite a few for version 5 -- be careful as some of those for 5 are scams [or worse].

Reply | Comment by mike – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#7

I hope no acid bombs hit you in the face today. I have no interest at all in this game. Wait! Nope, not even a single drop.

Reply | Comment by Swamp Thing – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#6

Downloaded, installed and activated with no issues on my Win10 machine. Played the first few levels and will be back for more. Have had this game or one of its siblings before. Lol believe it or not I tried to get Star Defender 2 from GameTop just last night. (Couldn't get THAT one to install/work at all)

This is an older game but very fun to play. As mentioned, it can get quite challenging on the higher levels. Graphics are very nice, even the static backgrounds of the playing field are quite lush.You have a decent inventory of power ups which brings me to the only "suggestion" I have for the developers. (I'm pretty sure this is the version I've played before)Once you get to the higher levels and get a few hits, its almost impossible to get the armament built back up. Maybe on next version of Star Defender you could have it to lose a life instead of the armament. lol, yes, its THAT hard to get it all back! At least for me. The little sinking "beachball's" can be few and far between and quite hard to reach on some levels.

Thank you to the Developers and GGOTD for this old but still very enjoyable and challenging game.

Reply | Comment by indianacarnie – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#5

Don't see anyway to get this out of trial version. The software informer screen refers you to the "readme.txt" for installation instructions. The game is a trial version that asks for a activation code, and there is no code in the "readme.txt". Attempted to install 3 times in 3 different directories--same results on Windows 7 machine. Not usually a problem installing software from here. Today though, doesnt seem like its possible. Maybe next week.

..........................Moderator comment...................................

You are the second community member to report this, however there have been thousands of downloads and more than likely installations of the game since it went live this morning. There has never been a giveaway given away that wasn't a full version. Don't know what the problem is. I've installed the giveaway version onto three different computers and it's activated on all three.

Maybe your security is interfeering with the activation process. The game will inatall, but then needs to phone home to activate. Your security could be blocking it????

Reply | Comment by Steve – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#4

Played this game before, but it got my goat. Wanted to try the cheat to make it fun, but the bonuses.xml file is NOT in my game folder. Is there no cheat for the game anymore?

.............................Moderator comment............................

Create and add a bonus.xml doc to the games folder. It may work???

Reply | Comment by Semo – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#3

This is the little game, I allways install as the first. I use to get it from GameTop - in full version. However, there's a bit of commercials build in, and I'm glad to see Stardefender 4 offered. Easy to play and yet exiting - especially, when I'm stressed. Thanks a lot for Stardefender 4. I got to know it from an early giveaway - guess where. Yeah, GAOTD provided it. Happy weekend.

Reply | Comment by Allan – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#2

Thanks, Whiterabbit, for the review. Can you recommend any other shmups similar to this - of similar or better quality?

..................................Moderator Comment.......................................

Sorry, I thought I'd left a note earlier today to say I'd check if I had time, unfortunately I was distracted while writing the reply and never posted it. I've been really busy all day till now. I'd email you the list, but you have given a fake email address. Pity as I'm sure you'd find some games better than today's giveaway. Let me know if you return and see this list. :)

Anyway, the following are some of the games I found in my Steam library that fit the bill (or at least loosly). There are others, but it would take me a long time to sort through all of my Steam library, which has over 6400 games in it now. I have been slowly sorting the library by categorising my games. Due to my memory I tend to forget the names of many of my games, so it's hard to find them. Giving each game several catergories, such as Shmup, shooter, space etc, it's easier to find, but I'm not even a third of the way through categorizing my library yet. I hope you find some amongst the following games that will interest you. All in my opinion are excellent shmups:

Ikaruga - http://store.steampowered.com/app/253750/
Raptor: Call of The Shadows - 2015 Edition - http://store.steampowered.com/app/336060/
SCHAR: Blue Shield Alliance - http://store.steampowered.com/app/342240/
Dark Matter - http://store.steampowered.com/app/342240/
Biology Battle - http://store.steampowered.com/app/335080/
Space Salvager - http://store.steampowered.com/app/319210/
Zeit² - http://store.steampowered.com/app/33390/
Blast Zone 2 - http://store.steampowered.com/app/349260/
RefleX - http://store.steampowered.com/app/281860/
Bullet Candy - http://store.steampowered.com/app/6600/
Raiden III Digital Edition - http://store.steampowered.com/app/315670/
Drive to Hell - http://store.steampowered.com/app/334840/
XenoRaptor - http://store.steampowered.com/app/298280/
QP Shooting - Dangerous!! - http://store.steampowered.com/app/316600/
Waves - http://store.steampowered.com/app/107600/
Super Galaxy Squadron - http://store.steampowered.com/app/345860/
Enemy Mind - http://store.steampowered.com/app/285840/
eXceed - Gun Bullet Children - http://store.steampowered.com/app/207370/
eXceed 2nd - Vampire REX - http://store.steampowered.com/app/207380/
eXceed 3rd - Jade Penetrate Black Package - http://store.steampowered.com/app/207400/
Redux: Dark Matters - http://store.steampowered.com/app/336930/
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved - http://store.steampowered.com/app/8400/
Geometry Wars™ 3: Dimensions Evolved - http://store.steampowered.com/app/310790/
Spaceforce Homeworld - http://store.steampowered.com/app/278850/
Ensign-1 - http://store.steampowered.com/app/312310/
GundeadliGne - http://store.steampowered.com/app/92220/
Gundemonium Recollection - http://store.steampowered.com/app/92200/
Hitogata Happa - http://store.steampowered.com/app/92210/
Roche Fusion - http://store.steampowered.com/app/334140/

Thanks, Whiterabbit, for the review. Can you recommend any other shmups similar to this - of similar or better quality?

<blockquote>..................................Moderator Comment.......................................

Sorry, I thought I'd left a note earlier today to say I'd check if I had time, unfortunately I was distracted while  writing the reply and never posted it.  I've been  really busy all day till now.   I'd  email you the list, but you have given a fake email address.  Pity as I'm sure you'd find some games   better than  today's giveaway.  Let me know if you return and see this list.  :)

Anyway, the following are some of the games I found in my Steam library that  fit the  bill (or at least loosly).  There are others, but   it would take me   a long time to sort through all of my Steam  library, which has over 6400 games in it now.  I have been slowly sorting   the library by categorising my games.  Due to my memory I tend to forget the names of many of my games, so it's hard to find them.  Giving each game  several catergories, such as Shmup, shooter, space  etc, it's easier to find, but I'm not even a third of the  way through categorizing my library yet.  I hope you find some amongst the following games  that will interest you.  All in my opinion are  excellent shmups:

Ikaruga - http://store.steampowered.com/app/253750/
Raptor: Call of The Shadows - 2015 Edition - http://store.steampowered.com/app/336060/
SCHAR: Blue Shield Alliance - http://store.steampowered.com/app/342240/
Dark Matter - http://store.steampowered.com/app/342240/
Biology Battle - http://store.steampowered.com/app/335080/
Space Salvager - http://store.steampowered.com/app/319210/
Zeit² - http://store.steampowered.com/app/33390/
Blast Zone 2 - http://store.steampowered.com/app/349260/
RefleX - http://store.steampowered.com/app/281860/
Bullet Candy - http://store.steampowered.com/app/6600/
Raiden III Digital Edition - http://store.steampowered.com/app/315670/
Drive to Hell - http://store.steampowered.com/app/334840/
XenoRaptor - http://store.steampowered.com/app/298280/
QP Shooting - Dangerous!! - http://store.steampowered.com/app/316600/
Waves - http://store.steampowered.com/app/107600/
Super Galaxy Squadron - http://store.steampowered.com/app/345860/
Enemy Mind - http://store.steampowered.com/app/285840/
eXceed - Gun Bullet Children - http://store.steampowered.com/app/207370/
eXceed 2nd - Vampire REX - http://store.steampowered.com/app/207380/
eXceed 3rd - Jade Penetrate Black Package - http://store.steampowered.com/app/207400/
Redux: Dark Matters - http://store.steampowered.com/app/336930/
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved - http://store.steampowered.com/app/8400/
Geometry Wars™ 3: Dimensions Evolved - http://store.steampowered.com/app/310790/
Spaceforce Homeworld - http://store.steampowered.com/app/278850/
Ensign-1 - http://store.steampowered.com/app/312310/
GundeadliGne - http://store.steampowered.com/app/92220/
Gundemonium Recollection - http://store.steampowered.com/app/92200/
Hitogata Happa - http://store.steampowered.com/app/92210/
Roche Fusion - http://store.steampowered.com/app/334140/</blockquote>

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Reply | Comment by Michael – 9 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#1

......................................Moderator comment..........................................

For those of you who are getting hits by your anti malware suites; it's because they are picking up the Themida based protection, which was put in place to protect the game from unscrupulous community members that were hacking the giveaway wrapper which then gave them unlimited access to a registered copy of the game, which was being put on peer to peer sites. Some community members were even uploading video tutorials on You tube telling you how to do it yourself.

Themida based applications are sometimes seen as a thread by anti-malware. I can assure you this game and hundreds before, that have given community members cause for concern have been totally safe. The game giveaway team have managed to secure well over a thousand games for us since they first started giving away games back in late 2006 (firstly via the main site back in Oct 2006, then via the game giveaway site early December 2006). There has never been an infected game given away.

If you are able to configure your anti-malware suite to allow the 'offendiong' file through security, the game should then install normally. if you can't, or don't know how to, then the other way would be to temporarily turn off your protection. You do so at your own risk, but please do take into account what i've already said above; in a nut shell, every malware occurance reported here since the game giveaway went live in Dec 2006 have been false positives due to overly sensitive anti-malware suites.

It would be against the teams best interest to allow such an occurance as it would destroy their good standing with the big search engines and I'm sure many who have frequented this site for a long time would leave. The giveaway team use several antimalware suites to test every game given away here.

Another thing to consider when you think the game is infected, if it really was, there would be hundreds of community members posting about the infection; we rarely more than a few posts for any particuylar game; though, since the gcd file that contains the Themida code was introduced in 2012 I have seen many more community members reporting infections due to the Themida based code found in the giveaways wrapper protection. However, out of the thousands of downloads each week, those numbers are insignificant and supports the fact that the results they are getting are actually false positives. They have always been proven to be so.

Star Defender 4:

Installation:

Star Defender 4 downloads as a 14.5 MB zip file that unpacks to a read me document that contains the terms and conditions and a wrapped dual activation and set up module and a security set up file (setup.gcd). Just for the newcomers amongst today’s users that means the game will be registered once it’s gone through the set up process, so there’s no registering the game with an activation code. The instal path is:

C:\Games\StarDefender4_Game

There is no desktop or Start menu shortcut installed. To install a desktop shortcut right click on the games executable and select Send to then, from the drop down menu select Desktop (select shortcut). Sometimes I've found the installation path shows the previous game I installed from this site, so to be sure you don't install the game inside a previous game, check the installation path when you start the installation. You can usually find where it's supposed to go by looking in the read me file that comes with the download. To stop this happening, clear your cache. The installed game is 30.3 MB in size

If you have any problems installing or registering Star Defender 4, check the problems section below and if none of the fixes work, it is available free from MyPlayCity (MPC) 24/7 HERE and Gametop HERE. If you like this genre you'll also find Star Defender 2 and 3 and the Space Invader clone Chicken Invaders (at least 3 versions) at MPC. You may also find Star Defender 3 on other free game sites, but I've not had the time to check Do take care when installing from such sites as you may install toolbars or have your home page or browser provider changed. Make sure you uncheck all check boxes during installation. :)

Introduction:

Star Defender 4 is a breathtaking space shooter that still has all the best features of Star Defender series. You’ll be dazzled by splendidly craft graphics and music. Face tons of new enemies with a unique style of behavior and new ways of attacking in Star Defender 4.

Use new Star Defender 4 weapons: machine-gun, saw, flame thrower, acid bomb and cutter! And also the best weapons from the previous game: parasitron, lasers, infector, ball lightning, missiles, homing laser and barriers! Blast through more than 100 levels, 8 original missions and of course huge impressive Bosses in the end of every mission! You'll get the real pleasure playing Star Defender 4!

If you need a breathtaking game that won't let you let a mouse out of your hands to have a cup of coffee, which got already cold… If you want to feel as you were the Intergalactic Disinfector Number one who craves for taking vengeance on that disgusting annoying insects... If you long for the real war - then Star Defender 4 is for you! Download free full version game today and hold your breath...

Reference accessed HERE Nov 21st 2015

The Game:

Ever get the chance to play seminal 1981 arcade shooter Galaga? If not, rest assured you aren’t missing much at this point – one of the first interactive titles to pit a single spaceship against hordes of incoming alien fighters, it’s looking slightly dated 26 years on.

Thankfully, that’s where dozens of catchy tributes like Star Defender 4 come in. But just because the concept – using your mouse to move a futuristic jetfighter left or right along the bottom of the screen, empty round after round into seemingly endless waves of onrushing extraterrestrials – isn’t particularly original, doesn’t mean that it can’t hold up. In fact, despite its humble origins, the game is actually one of the better offerings of its kind in recent months… Not to mention a great way to put your brain on cruise control and give that itchy trigger finger a workout.

Offering over 100 levels of fast and furious plasma-spitting action, the title revolves around a lone human hero’s attempts to defend mankind from the creepy-crawly, slavering hordes of Insectus. Doing so is as easy in theory as moving horizontally out of the way of incoming fire and blasting back with several dozens volleys of your own. Light on storyline though, heavy on action, it’ll take nerves of steel, and cobra-like reflexes, to see the adventure through.

Traveling between deadly asteroid fields and caverns filled with egg-spewing beasties and legions of winged, horned and multi-legged monstrosities, one can’t help but quickly come to a single realization as early as 10 minutes into the tale. Specifically, that it’s punishingly difficult as casual offerings go, but equally rewarding for those who dare to persevere and see the day through.

Mind you, it’s annoying how many hits it takes to kill each monster or obstacle such as organic barriers, making it hard to achieve instant gratification. (Let alone survive, for that matter, especially when the screen begins to fill with shimmering bullet- and fiery glob-spitting opponents all too happy to box you into a corner.) Nor will even experienced keyboard vets appreciate unfortunate issues with game balancing that make you near-unstoppable after collecting several power-ups, yet a sitting duck without them. (While getting hit happily won’t finish you off in one shot, it does reduce your firepower… and good luck staying alive long enough to earn your way back to fighting status, the title’s main source of challenge.) But hey, that’s the price you pay for a shot at experiencing the outing’s attractive, if unashamedly sci-fi flavored audiovisual presentation, and – more importantly – killer range of power-ups.

That’s right; special weapons save the day here, letting you furiously unload into adversaries in a variety of eye popping ways. Lava-flinging beetle just randomly materialized in front of you? Send it packing with spread shots, swarms of bees, machinegun bursts or even a handy flamethrower. Dancing rows of wasp-like opponents getting on your last nerve? Launch a batch of heat-seeking missiles their way, score the last laugh with time-delayed explosives or just throw up an impromptu shield and watch baddies crash headlong into oblivion. Showing striking range and imagination in terms of both the adversaries it throws your way (watch for pulsing globules, hovering droids and bomb-laying chiggers) and options you have for beating them back, it’s no surprise that offense proves the best defense herein.

Nonetheless, prepare yourself for a bruising, even on easy levels, and a real ego-crushing experience at higher challenge settings. Thankfully, you can set to some degree the severity of the trials you’ll face, but even seasoned joystick jabbers will attest how much skill winning takes. Hence you can imagine our surprise when we finally did manage to juice up on bonuses, and turned into a lean, mean, rocket- and homing laser-spitting machine that could literally level bosses in 20 seconds flat. Ah, schizophrenia.

Fun, frantic, but also slightly unpolished, there’s not much more to say. A hardcore outing dressed in casual game industry trappings, Star Defender 4 offers more of what you already know and love from the shoot-’em-up genre – or don’t.

Reference accessed HERE Nov 21st 2015

Controls:

Mouse Control:

• LMB – Fire Primary Weapon (guns and lasers)
• RMB – Fire Secondary Weapon (mines, missiles and defence)
• Mouse X axis – Left & Right movement of your ship
• Alt – Enter - Windowed mode

Keyboard Control:

• Left Arrow – Move left
• Right Arrow – move Right
• Shift - missiles
• F1 – HELP
• Esc – Game Menu

Tips & Tricks:

The game can get quite hard at times, especially for those new to the genre or a little slow on reflexes. There's an excellent tips and trick post that although related to the third game, is probably applicable to the fourth as well. I've not had time to test the cheats, but for those who find the game almost impossible to beat, it may be worth trying the values suggested to see if you can increase the strength of the weapons.

You can find them HERE They give advice on how to survive the insectoid onslaught, you can even change the strength of various weapons by editing the bonuses.xml document file found in the games installed folder. You can change the value of the following weapons to whatever you feel you need to survive. 1 Energy, 2 SG STRAIGHFORWARD MISSILES, 3 SG HOMING MISSILES, 4 MINES, 5 LASERS, 6 NUCLEAR BOMB, 7 SG PIRANHA, 8 PARASITRON, 9 BFG, 10 LIGHTNING, 11 INSULATOR, 12 INFECTOR, 14 BALL LIGHTNING.

Video:

You can see several videos of game play HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

System Requirements:

Windows /XP/Vista/7
Processor 600 Mhz or better
256 Mb RAM
32 Mb of video memory
DirectX 8.1

Conclusion:

Star Defenders 4, like it's predecessors has loads of action, high explosives, boss battles, weapon upgrades, and a decent audio track (Intro and in-game music). Try playing this game with the lights off and turn up the volume on this game. You'll have yourself an immersive time (if you like shmups). The game is yet again an improvement on all previous, sadly this is the last in the series as far as I know. Star Defender 4 is one of the better space shooters (Shmup's) IMO, with gorgeous graphics and a good array of weapons and enemies. The game is very colourful and the in game screens are filled with alien 'space-scapes' not just a black background interspersed with a few stars like some shmup's I have.

I'd definitely give this one a try. It doesn't require much thinking apart from considering how you're going to beat the end of mission bosses which are quite hard to beat if you don't have a fully armed ship. This is one of those games that is ideally suited to stress management (ie. Blowing off steam) or if you've only got a few minutes to play in between more important jobs/games. It's one of those games that can be easy to play but hard to put down once you've started.

Scoring:

I've included new categories to reduce the scoring bias that is inevitable when a single person is scoring a game.

Game play ------- 9 (I'd have given this a 10 if it had an end of level shop where you could upgrade your ship, thankfully in level upgrades are carried through to the next level)

Gameplay ------ 8
Graphics ------- 8
Audio ------- 8
Replayability ------- 8
Originality ------- 7
Fun Factor ------- 9

Total = 48 out of 60 which equals 8 out of 10

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Problems:

If you have any problems installing or getting today's game working, please go HERE for help. I've posted most of the common problems and solutions in a FAQ thread, which you can find in the sticky section of the forums by following the above link.

If you are posting late in the day I would also suggest posting in the main giveaway forums; in the game discussion section, because I cannot moderate 24hrs a day over the weekend. I've created a thread HERE for that purpose. If you've installed the game but it doesn’t work for some reason, it should still be registered, so someone may be able to help at a later date. Unfortunately if your problem is actually downloading it, once the giveaway deadline is reached you will no longer be able to download the game unless you've already started downloading it before the cut-off. Sometimes you can still register the game after the giveaway has ended so long as you managed to start the download before the giveaway ends. I've tested this and the grace period lasts for up to 1 hour. Apart from the above instances; i.e. already installed, but having problems running the game, (with the possibility of receiving help from the community via the giveawayoftheday game discussion forum); or still downloading after the cut off period, but within the 1 hour grace period, or registering within an hour of the cut-off period. Once the giveaway period is over there’s nothing that can be done to get the game (unless its available from one of the free game sites) until the game is given away again (though that isn't always guaranteed).

It's worth checking the giveaway game discussion forums the day before the giveaways go live to see if we are getting a large sized file (I usually post a comment about approximately how large a file is, though if I'm particularily busy I may neglect to do this). It is especially important for those who have slow connections and even more so if the game is popular. We can have up to forty thousand (40 000) community members downloading over the 24 hour period, with the bulk of community members downloading in the first 12 hours of the giveaway going live, there is always a massive strain on the giveaway servers. The bigger the file size, the more community members will be downloading at any one time. Because the bandwidth is shared equally amongst all community members, downloads can become excruciatingly slow, so if you do have a slow connection, its important to start your download as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Because these games are free, the giveaway owners cannot invest in more bandwidth without compromising the whole project, so we have to be satisfied with what we have at present.

A download manager can help speed the download up and also protect the download in case of an interrpution. There's nothing as frustrating for those with really slow connections to have the connection break after an hour or so, then have to start from the beginning again. I would ask community members if you do have decent bandwidth please avoid using a manager as it does add to the number of downloads occuring at any one time, for example some download managers will download your requested file in up to 32 packets simultaneously, that will take 32 download spots, thus slowing down everyone else's download speeds. For those with slow downloads (due to having a slow connection e.g. a 2MB Broadband connection or less) I would advise using a download manager if the file is larger than around 200MB. My broadband connection is 100MBs, so I don't need to use a download manager, (I do have one called Internet Download Manager, but don't use it when downloading files from the giveaway site). For me a 1GB file usually downloads in about 1.5 minutes or less. My connection is quite a long way from the provider so it is slowed a little, but is still quite good at a download speed of around 12 to 14 MB's per second.

I hope the above goes some way in expalining why we sometimes have really slow downloads.

It’s always worth checking out the free games sites because sometimes the games we get here are also available for free from them. MyPlayCity (MPC) has the most with over 1000 games to choose from. Today's game is available from MyPlayCity (MPC) 24/7 HERE and Gametop HERE. I've not checked the other free game sites.

If you do download any games from MyPlayCity, Gametop or the other free game sites please 'do' watch out for toolbars etc. Make sure you un-check the check-boxes during installation, and, in the case of MyPlayCity, every time you boot the game up, (this may have changed now as these free game sites tend to change the format frequently)....... I've posted links to all of the common free game sites below in the games, games games section. If you do download a game from any of these sites you do so at your own risk. We cannot be held responsible for problems arising from an installation recommended here. :)

For now I won't be recommending you download games from Jenkat Games. They have changed the way you get games from their site. Diane has posted information about this over in the game discussion forums. If I have time or remember, I'll link to it. TooMyk Games are now safe to download from. They have removed the games that were suspect and have cleaned up their act. As always, you download from those free game sites at your own risk. The giveaway site is the safest site I know of where you can get free software and games. The only disadvantages with downloading from here is you have to download and install within the day of the giveaway (apart from the instances mentioned above and if and when you upgrade or buy a new computer legally you aren't allowed to transfer games given away previously, unless they are being given away on the day you upgrade, or if you've purchased a licence. :)

You just have to look at the sites track record since the game giveaway site was created back in December 2006. Zero games given away have been infected with malware, there are no toolbars installed, nor home pages hijacked or browsers changed. There is one slght annoyance, but that only occurs if a community member isn't paying attention when the final window pops up after installing a giveaway. That is the Software Informer installation. Some community members have complained that they were given no choice in its installation. That is not true; when the final window pops up, there are two buttons, one asking if you want Software Informer installed and the button to close the giveaway window down. Some community members have clicked on the wrong button, probably because they weren't paying attention. Thankfully Software Informer is a genuine application, that can easily be uninstalled by the usual means. It's actually a useful piece of software, especially if you have a lot of applications running on your computer. Basically the program will list the programs that need updating, or programs that have available updates. They wont be automatically installed (thus cancelling many giveaway registrations); you have to click on individual buttons to update each program/application. :D

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Other Shmup's:

You'll find loads of shmups posted in the free games project. Check the Space Shoot 'Em Ups thread for a great list of Shmups such as Forbidden Galaxy, Galaxy strike, Alien Arena, Allegiance, Fraxy, Orbiter, Noxis, Parsec 47, and Universal Combat to name just a few , also you'll find many more in the Game Discussion forums, just look for threads entitled Week……. . Then there's the Free Games Synopsis where you'll find most of the previously named free games mentioned, though I've not updated the synopsis since week 100 (it's in week 145 at the moment). You'll also find over 30 space orientated games over at MyPlayCity, where you'll find Astro Avenger available 24/7 and Gametop.

Games, Games, and yet more Games:

There are 356 games on sale over on Steam this week, ranging from 10% to 90% off. The weekend deals include 50% off the excellent zombie apocalypse game Dying Light and 50% off Space Engineers a sandbox game about engineering, construction, exploration and survival in space and on planets. Players build space ships, space stations, planetary outposts of various sizes and uses, pilot ships and travel through space to explore planets and gather resources to survive.

There are too many other great deals to mention here, just check out the specials section for all 650 plus titles on sale HERE.

There's loads more in the weekly sales and the 48 hours sales to choose from; and almost certainly something for everyone. The next set of weekly sales starts on Monday with usually a few hundred titles added. :)

You'll also find some excellent deals over on the following Game sites.

GreenManGaming They usually have coupons to the value of 23% and sometimes more off pre ordered games. I've just pre ordered Just Cause 3 XL and XCOM 2 using a voucher and saved £22 on the price paid in the Steam store
Gamersgate Summer Sale
GOG (DRM free games)
Gamestop
GameFly (soon to be sold off)

I've removed the Desura link because the owners are bankrupt and there has been no activity on the site in months. The servers are still live (at least until Bad JoJo's subscription to the servers has ended, Bad JoJo are the owners of Desura and Indie Royale, or were until filing for bankruptcy). If you own any games via Desura I advise downloading all of the drm free games you have on that platform and on the Indie Royale site before the sites are taken down.

Free Game Sites:

MyPlayCity (over a 1000 games to choose from)
Gametop
FreeGamePick

To be honest there are too many game deals around too list them all. Just visit the sites I recommend above and I'm sure you'll find something that suits you for a very decent price. If like me you prefer Steamworks games, many of the above sites also sell steamwork games.

If that's not enough, check out the Game Discussion forums HERE for details of other games either free or on deals such as the Indie Game bundles (there's over 20 of them - If you purchased all of them you'd be paying around $80 for around a thousand dollars worth of games); or check out the four day sales at IndieGameStand. you'll find the indie bundles thread HERE. The thread is outdated, but all of the links will still take you to the latest bundles.

The latest IndieGameStand game is Uncanny Valley:

Uncanny Valley is a survival horror game, focusing on a bone chilling story, exploration and heart pounding action.

About the game:
Uncanny Valley is a survival horror game that includes a mix of exploration, puzzle solving and a bit of action with a lot of optional story content. We're trying to preserve the old survival horror kind of gameplay instead of following the modern trend of creating a third person shooter with horror elements.

Story:
You play as a security guard named Tom at a remote facility. He's in charge of the night shift, while his lazy partner Buck is in charge of the day shift. Nights are long, so Tom starts exploring the facility and finds things he shouldn't. The story plays a huge part in the game, so saying anything more would be a major spoiler.

Consequence system:
Uncanny Valley's main difference from other games is a thing we like to call the consequence system. Whenever you fail at something, the game goes on, but with harsh consequences for your character that can impact both the story and the gameplay.

For example - you fail at avoiding your attackers, meaning your character will move slower throughout the game, making it harder to escape future pursuers. The player then needs to be careful and more clever, which adds more tension to the game. Of course, there are mistakes you can do that lead to your death, but we're trying to avoid that as much as possible.

Why? Because dying and repeating the same section over and over is tedious and leads to frustration. The game stops being scary if you're angry and just want to rush through it, so we think that adding such a system will still keep the tension while adding a new layer to scariness.

Key Features:
- a huge, explorable facility with multiple floors and buildings
- intense moments of dread
- detailed story with rich characters
- consequence system mechanic

You can get the game for $0.99; pay over the average to get the soundtrack. (The price at the time of writing was £1.30 and rarely goes above $2 unless the bonus content includes a second or third game).
The deal ends Sunday 22nd Oct 2015 5am (GMT)

The latest DIG game is War in a Box: Paper Tanks:

Finally the war of paper tanks comes into your room!

How long can you hold the defences against paper tanks.

Build your towers of paper before they get out of the box and make a big mess in the room. Manage the turrets, upgrade and be careful where you put them... every decision can be fatal! Watch out for the air units, they have a different route!

Take out your toy box and get ready for some of the most intense battles in a tower defence game that will make you reconsider the entire genre. As peaceful and simple War In A Box may seem for the casual player as fierce and thrilling the action will be once you get your hands on this paper battle madness!

Shred your enemies into pieces with different turret models - from simple guns to Tesla towers in a battle against both land and airborne units that will do everything to get behind your lines of defence. Featuring real 3D environment and delivering a large number of original levels, War In A Box: Paper Tanks is as addictive as it is simple to play.

Features:

- True 3D environment in each level
- Turret and air view with different zoom options
- Different game modes for different types of players
- Game speed controls for adjusting the intensity of action

Pay £0.99 for the game or you can get two keys if you pay more than the average of $1.07 (at the time of writing ). One Steam key to share with a friend or family member perhaps? You'll find that deal HERE. They also have five bundles of several games that'll cost you less than $1.50 each HERE (DIG Bundles 45,46, 47 & 48 and Greenlight 3). You get Steam keys for all of these games except the Greenlight bundle, however, if a game is Greenlit, you will get a Steam key.
The single game deal ends just after Midnight Monday 23rd Nov 2015 and will be replaced with Alter Worlds a 2D platformer with an interesting gameplay mechanics

Most of the bundles available retail for around $5 give or take a few dollars (apart from the Daily Indie bundles that only cost $1.49 for six games), but you can pay as little as a dollar for some. There are some excellent bundles out at the moment. Check out the following:

Groupees (5 bundles)
Indie Gala (? bundles)
Humble bundle (2 Bundles)
Indie Royale (this bundle is no longer live)
Bundle Bandits (0 bundles)
Blink Bundle (0 bundles)
Play Injector (0 bundle)
Get Loaded (0 bundles)
Games Rage (0 bundles)
Flying bundle (0 bundles)

The free game from Origin is one of Command & Conquers later games Red Alert 2 plus you get the expansion Yuri's Revenge. This is another AAA game, well worth having if you are into strategy war games.

The world erupts in conflict as Soviet forces invade American soil in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2. Time travel has helped to eliminate the German threat, and now the Soviets are expanding into the West unchecked. You are the Supreme Commander. Arm yourself to the teeth with top-secret technologies and lead the Soviet or Allied troops to victory.
Plus, defeat an army of mind-controlled Soviet forces in the expansion Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge.

Game Features:

Many ways to play. Lead Soviet or Allied forces in a gripping single-player game or a Skirmish game, where there's no particular objective other than destroying everything else on-screen. Who will win the war for world domination?
No need to play nice. You'll need to pull out all the stops if you're going to win this war. Thankfully, you've got a well-stocked arsenal of legitimate and illicit technologies from Prism Tanks and Terror Drones, to Psychic Mind Control devices and Soviet Cloning Vats. Use them.
Deliver the fury. Dominate land, air, and sea battles with the help of over 80 units and structures. Plus, you'll benefit from a enhanced veterancy system that turns newbie forces into battle-hardened war machines -- and brings you closer to victory.

Check it out HERE.

You do need a free Origin account and install the Origin client to get these free games. Once you've installed the Origin client and signed into your account select 'On the house' from the 'Free Games' drop down menu. Then select download now. The game will then be registered to your Origin account permanently.

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A Request for help:

Developers rely on good feedback to improve their games. If you download this game please take some time once you’ve played it a while to leave some constructive feedback either positive or negative. The more constructive feedback we get, the more likely developers are going to give more games away. The giveaway site already has a very good standing with the search engines. Developers want their products out there on the WWW, this site has the potential to do that. The game giveaway project gives away on average between 9 to 17 thousand downloads for each game depending upon what genre and how obscure the game is. That’s a lot of homes these games are being downloaded into and a lot of 'potential' cash that’s being lost by the developers. If we get better games because of better feedback, the community are likely to continue to benefit from the generosity of the developers. Satisfied community members are then more likely to visit the home sites of those developers and purchase games that they may not have bothered with before they discovered the developer via the game giveaway site, thus giving the developers more incentives to give away even more decent games.

Please leave some feedback once you’ve checked the game out. It can be positive or negative, but please explain what your reasons were for the feedback you post. You could also leave suggestions for improving the game, for example, this game could do with more block types for the levels editor, add more power-ups, describing the ones you think would be suitable, add some mini games (which seem all the rage in some arcade games now) or enable the user to be able to change the in game music easily.

Thank you in advance to all those who take the time to post a constructive comment, and a big thank you to immanitas games for sharing and to the game giveaway team for getting these games.

Regards

Whiterabbit aka Stephen

<blockquote>......................................Moderator comment..........................................

For those of you who are getting hits by your anti malware suites; it's because they are picking up the Themida based  protection, which was put in place to protect the game from unscrupulous community members that were hacking the giveaway wrapper  which then gave them  unlimited access to  a registered copy of the game, which was  being put on peer to peer sites. Some  community members were even uploading video tutorials on You tube telling you how to  do it yourself.

Themida based applications are sometimes seen as a thread by  anti-malware. I can assure you this game and  hundreds before, that have given  community members cause for concern have been totally safe.  The game giveaway team have  managed to secure well over a thousand games for us since they first started giving away games back in late 2006 (firstly via the main site back in Oct 2006, then via  the game giveaway site  early December 2006).  There has never been an infected   game given away.

If you are able to configure your anti-malware suite to allow the   'offendiong' file   through security, the game should then install normally. if you can't, or don't know how to, then  the other way would be to temporarily  turn off your protection. You do so at your own risk, but  please do take into account what i've already said above; in a nut shell, every  malware  occurance reported here since the  game giveaway went live in Dec 2006 have been false positives due to overly sensitive  anti-malware  suites.

It would be against the  teams best interest to allow such an occurance as it would destroy their good standing with the big search engines and I'm sure many who have frequented this site for   a long time would leave.  The giveaway team  use several antimalware suites to test every game given away here.

Another thing to consider when you think the game is infected, if it really was, there would be hundreds of community members posting about the infection; we rarely more than a few posts for any particuylar game; though, since the gcd file that contains the Themida code was introduced in 2012 I have seen many more community members reporting infections due to the Themida based code found in the giveaways wrapper protection. However, out of the thousands of downloads each week, those numbers are insignificant and supports the fact that the results they are getting are actually false positives. They have always been proven to be so.</blockquote>

Star Defender 4:

Installation:

Star Defender 4  downloads as a  14.5 MB zip file that unpacks to  a read me  document  that contains the   terms and conditions and a wrapped  dual activation and set up module and a security  set up file (setup.gcd).  Just for the newcomers amongst today’s users that means the game   will   be registered once it’s  gone through the set up process, so  there’s no  registering the game with an  activation code.  The instal path is:

C:\Games\StarDefender4_Game

There is no desktop or Start menu shortcut installed. To install a desktop shortcut  right click on the games executable and select Send to  then, from the drop down menu select  Desktop (select shortcut).   Sometimes I've found the installation path shows the previous game I installed from this site, so to be sure you don't install the game inside a previous game, check the installation path  when you start the installation.  You can usually find where it's supposed to go by looking in the read me file that  comes with the  download.  To stop  this happening,  clear your  cache.   The installed game is 30.3 MB in size

If you have any problems installing or registering Star Defender 4, check the problems section below and if none of the fixes work, it is available free from MyPlayCity (MPC) 24/7 <a href="http://www.myplaycity.com/star_defender_4/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> and Gametop <a href="http://www.gametop.com/download-free-games/star-defender4/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. If you like this genre you'll also find Star Defender 2 and 3 and the Space Invader clone Chicken Invaders (at least 3 versions) at MPC. You may also find Star Defender 3 on other free game sites, but I've not had the time to check Do take care when installing from such sites as you may install toolbars or have your home page or browser provider changed. Make sure you uncheck all check boxes during installation. :)

Introduction:
 
<blockquote>Star Defender 4 is a breathtaking space shooter that still has all the best features of Star Defender series. You’ll be dazzled by splendidly craft graphics and music. Face tons of new enemies with a unique style of behavior and new ways of attacking in Star Defender 4.

Use new Star Defender 4 weapons: machine-gun, saw, flame thrower, acid bomb and cutter! And also the best weapons from the previous game: parasitron, lasers, infector, ball lightning, missiles, homing laser and barriers! Blast through more than 100 levels, 8 original missions and of course huge impressive Bosses in the end of every mission! You'll get the real pleasure playing Star Defender 4!

If you need a breathtaking game that won't let you let a mouse out of your hands to have a cup of coffee, which got already cold… If you want to feel as you were the Intergalactic Disinfector Number one who craves for taking vengeance on that disgusting annoying insects... If you long for the real war - then Star Defender 4 is for you! Download free full version game today and hold your breath...</blockquote>

Reference accessed <a href="http://www.gametop.com/download-free-games/star-defender4/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> Nov 21st 2015

The Game:

<blockquote>Ever get the chance to play seminal 1981 arcade shooter Galaga? If not, rest assured you aren’t missing much at this point – one of the first interactive titles to pit a single spaceship against hordes of incoming alien fighters, it’s looking slightly dated 26 years on.

Thankfully, that’s where dozens of catchy tributes like Star Defender 4 come in. But just because the concept – using your mouse to move a futuristic jetfighter left or right along the bottom of the screen, empty round after round into seemingly endless waves of onrushing extraterrestrials – isn’t particularly original, doesn’t mean that it can’t hold up. In fact, despite its humble origins, the game is actually one of the better offerings of its kind in recent months… Not to mention a great way to put your brain on cruise control and give that itchy trigger finger a workout.

Offering over 100 levels of fast and furious plasma-spitting action, the title revolves around a lone human hero’s attempts to defend mankind from the creepy-crawly, slavering hordes of Insectus. Doing so is as easy in theory as moving horizontally out of the way of incoming fire and blasting back with several dozens volleys of your own. Light on storyline though, heavy on action, it’ll take nerves of steel, and cobra-like reflexes, to see the adventure through.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Traveling between deadly asteroid fields and caverns filled with egg-spewing beasties and legions of winged, horned and multi-legged monstrosities, one can’t help but quickly come to a single realization as early as 10 minutes into the tale. Specifically, that it’s punishingly difficult as casual offerings go, but equally rewarding for those who dare to persevere and see the day through.

Mind you, it’s annoying how many hits it takes to kill each monster or obstacle such as organic barriers, making it hard to achieve instant gratification. (Let alone survive, for that matter, especially when the screen begins to fill with shimmering bullet- and fiery glob-spitting opponents all too happy to box you into a corner.) Nor will even experienced keyboard vets appreciate unfortunate issues with game balancing that make you near-unstoppable after collecting several power-ups, yet a sitting duck without them. (While getting hit happily won’t finish you off in one shot, it does reduce your firepower… and good luck staying alive long enough to earn your way back to fighting status, the title’s main source of challenge.) But hey, that’s the price you pay for a shot at experiencing the outing’s attractive, if unashamedly sci-fi flavored audiovisual presentation, and – more importantly – killer range of power-ups.

That’s right; special weapons save the day here, letting you furiously unload into adversaries in a variety of eye popping ways. Lava-flinging beetle just randomly materialized in front of you? Send it packing with spread shots, swarms of bees, machinegun bursts or even a handy flamethrower. Dancing rows of wasp-like opponents getting on your last nerve? Launch a batch of heat-seeking missiles their way, score the last laugh with time-delayed explosives or just throw up an impromptu shield and watch baddies crash headlong into oblivion. Showing striking range and imagination in terms of both the adversaries it throws your way (watch for pulsing globules, hovering droids and bomb-laying chiggers) and options you have for beating them back, it’s no surprise that offense proves the best defense herein.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Nonetheless, prepare yourself for a bruising, even on easy levels, and a real ego-crushing experience at higher challenge settings. Thankfully, you can set to some degree the severity of the trials you’ll face, but even seasoned joystick jabbers will attest how much skill winning takes. Hence you can imagine our surprise when we finally did manage to juice up on bonuses, and turned into a lean, mean, rocket- and homing laser-spitting machine that could literally level bosses in 20 seconds flat. Ah, schizophrenia.

Fun, frantic, but also slightly unpolished, there’s not much more to say. A hardcore outing dressed in casual game industry trappings, Star Defender 4 offers more of what you already know and love from the shoot-’em-up genre – or don’t.</blockquote>

Reference accessed <a href="http://www.gamezebo.com/2007/09/21/star-defender-4-review/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> Nov 21st 2015

Controls:

Mouse Control:

•	LMB – Fire Primary Weapon (guns and lasers)
•	RMB – Fire Secondary Weapon (mines, missiles  and defence)
•	Mouse X axis – Left & Right movement of your ship
•	Alt – Enter  - Windowed mode

Keyboard Control:

•	Left Arrow – Move left
•	Right Arrow – move Right
•	Shift - missiles
•	F1 – HELP
•	Esc – Game Menu

Tips & Tricks:

The game can get quite hard at times, especially for those new to the genre or  a little slow on reflexes. There's an excellent    tips and trick  post that although related to the third game,  is  probably applicable to the fourth as well.  I've not had time to  test the cheats, but for those who find the game almost impossible to beat, it may be worth trying the values suggested  to see if you can increase the strength of the weapons.

You can find them <a href="http://www.cheatbook.de/files/stardefender3.htm" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> They give advice on how to survive the insectoid onslaught, you can even change the strength of various weapons by editing the bonuses.xml document file found in the games installed folder. You can change the value of the following weapons to whatever you feel you need to survive. 1 Energy, 2 SG STRAIGHFORWARD MISSILES, 3 SG HOMING MISSILES, 4 MINES, 5 LASERS, 6 NUCLEAR BOMB, 7 SG PIRANHA, 8 PARASITRON, 9 BFG, 10 LIGHTNING, 11 INSULATOR, 12 INFECTOR, 14 BALL LIGHTNING.

Video:

You can see several videos of game play <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUAXnysCXzU" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNtPrkaytm4" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shyx66dqdYg" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewcDCLiGDRE" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>.

System Requirements:

Windows /XP/Vista/7
Processor 600 Mhz or better
256 Mb RAM
32 Mb of video memory
DirectX 8.1

Conclusion:

Star Defenders 4, like it's predecessors  has  loads of action, high explosives, boss battles, weapon upgrades, and  a decent audio track (Intro and in-game music).   Try playing this game with the lights off   and turn up the volume on this game.  You'll have yourself  an immersive  time (if you like shmups).  The game is yet again an improvement on all previous, sadly  this is the last in the series as far as I  know.  Star Defender 4  is one of the better  space shooters (Shmup's) IMO,  with gorgeous graphics and a good array of weapons and enemies.  The game is very colourful and the  in game screens are filled with alien 'space-scapes'  not just a  black background interspersed with a few stars like some  shmup's I have.

I'd definitely give this one a try.  It doesn't require much thinking apart from   considering how you're going to  beat the end of mission bosses which  are   quite hard to beat if you don't have   a fully armed  ship.  This is one of those games that is ideally suited to   stress management (ie. Blowing off steam)  or   if you've only got a few minutes to play in between more important jobs/games.  It's one of those games that can be easy to play  but hard to put down once you've started.

Scoring:

I've included  new categories to reduce  the scoring bias that is inevitable when a single person is scoring  a game.

Game play ------- 9 (I'd have given this a 10 if it had an end of level shop where you could upgrade your ship, thankfully in level upgrades are carried through to the next level)

Gameplay ------  8
Graphics -------  8
Audio -------   8
Replayability -------  8
Originality -------  7
Fun Factor -------  9

Total =  48  out of  60   which equals  8  out of 10

<u<blockquote>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</blockquote>

Problems:

If you have any problems installing or getting today's game working, please go <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/11647#post-101133" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> for help. I've posted most of the common problems and solutions in a FAQ thread, which you can find in the sticky section of the forums by following the above link.

If you are posting late in the day I would also suggest posting in the main giveaway forums; in the game discussion section, because I cannot moderate 24hrs a day over the weekend. I've created a thread <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/257721" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> for that purpose. If you've installed the game but it doesn’t work for some reason, it should still be registered, so someone may be able to help at a later date. Unfortunately if your problem is actually downloading it, once the giveaway deadline is reached you will no longer be able to download the game unless you've already started downloading it before the cut-off. Sometimes you can still register the game after the giveaway has ended so long as you managed to start the download before the giveaway ends. I've tested this and the grace period lasts for up to 1 hour. Apart from the above instances; i.e. already installed, but having problems running the game, (with the possibility of receiving help from the community via the giveawayoftheday game discussion forum); or still downloading after the cut off period, but within the 1 hour grace period, or registering within an hour of the cut-off period. Once the giveaway period is over there’s nothing that can be done to get the game (unless its available from one of the free game sites) until the game is given away again (though that isn't always guaranteed).

It's worth checking the giveaway game discussion forums the day before the giveaways go live to see if we are getting a large sized  file (I usually post  a comment about approximately how large a file is, though if I'm particularily busy I may neglect to do this).  It is especially important  for those who  have slow connections and even more so if the game is popular.  We can have up to forty thousand (40 000) community members downloading over the  24 hour period, with the bulk of community members downloading in the first 12 hours of the giveaway going live, there is always a massive strain on the giveaway servers.  The  bigger the file size, the more community members   will be downloading at any one time. Because the bandwidth is shared equally  amongst all community members,  downloads can become excruciatingly slow, so  if you do have a slow connection, its important to start your download as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Because  these games are free, the  giveaway owners cannot invest in  more bandwidth without compromising the whole project, so we have to be satisfied with what we have at present.

A download manager  can help speed the download up and also protect the download in case of an interrpution.  There's nothing  as frustrating  for those with really slow connections to have the connection break  after an hour or so, then have to start  from the beginning again.  I would ask community members  if you do have   decent bandwidth please avoid using   a manager as it does add to the number of downloads occuring at any one time, for example   some download managers will download your  requested file in up to 32 packets simultaneously, that will take 32 download spots, thus slowing down everyone else's download speeds. For those with   slow  downloads (due to  having   a slow connection e.g. a 2MB Broadband connection or less)  I would advise using a download manager if the file is  larger than around 200MB.  My broadband connection is 100MBs, so I don't need to use a download manager, (I do have one called Internet Download Manager, but don't use it when downloading files from  the giveaway site).  For me a  1GB file usually downloads in about 1.5 minutes or less.  My connection is quite a long way from the provider so it is slowed   a little, but is still  quite  good at a download speed of around 12 to 14 MB's per second.

I hope the above goes some way in expalining why  we sometimes have really slow downloads.

It’s always worth checking out the free games sites because sometimes the games we get here are also available for free from them. MyPlayCity (MPC) has the most with over 1000 games to choose from. Today's game is available from MyPlayCity (MPC) 24/7 <a href="http://www.myplaycity.com/star_defender_3/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> and Gametop <a href="http://www.gametop.com/download-free-games/star-defender-3/download.html" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. I've not checked the other free game sites.

If you do download any games from MyPlayCity, Gametop or the other free game sites please 'do' watch out for toolbars etc. Make sure you un-check the check-boxes during installation, and, in the case of MyPlayCity, every time you boot the game up, (this may have changed now as these free game sites tend to change the format frequently)....... I've posted links to all of the common free game sites below in the games, games games section. If you do download a game from any of these sites you do so at your own risk. We cannot be held responsible for problems arising from an installation recommended here. :)

For now I won't be recommending you download games from Jenkat Games. They have changed the way you get games from their site. Diane has posted information about this over in the game discussion forums. If I have time or remember, I'll link to it. TooMyk Games are now safe to download from. They have removed the games that were suspect and have cleaned up their act. As always, you download from those free game sites at your own risk. The giveaway site is the safest site I know of where you can get free software and games. The only disadvantages with downloading from here is you have to download and install within the day of the giveaway (apart from the instances mentioned above and if and when you upgrade or buy a new computer legally you aren't allowed to transfer games given away previously, unless they are being given away on the day you upgrade, or if you've purchased a licence. :)

You just have to look at the sites track record  since the game giveaway site was created  back in December 2006.  Zero games given away have been infected with malware, there are no toolbars installed, nor  home pages hijacked or browsers  changed. There is  one slght annoyance, but that only occurs if  a community member isn't paying attention when the final window pops up after installing a giveaway. That is the Software Informer  installation.  Some community members have complained that they were given no choice in  its installation.  That is not true;  when the final window pops up, there are two buttons, one asking if you want Software Informer installed and the button to  close the  giveaway window  down.  Some community members have  clicked on the wrong button, probably because they weren't paying attention.  Thankfully Software Informer is a genuine application, that can easily be  uninstalled by the usual means. It's actually  a useful piece of software, especially if you have a lot of applications running on your computer.  Basically  the program  will list   the programs that need updating, or programs that  have available updates.  They wont be automatically installed (thus  cancelling many giveaway registrations); you have to click on individual buttons to update each program/application.  :D

Other Shmup's:

You'll find loads of shmups posted in the free games project. Check the <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/2724" rel="nofollow">Space Shoot 'Em Ups thread</a> for a great list of Shmups such as Forbidden Galaxy, Galaxy strike, Alien Arena, Allegiance, Fraxy, Orbiter, Noxis, Parsec 47, and Universal Combat to name just a few , also you'll find many more in the <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/forum/17" rel="nofollow">Game Discussion forums</a>, just look for threads entitled Week……. . Then there's the <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/4534" rel="nofollow">Free Games Synopsis</a> where you'll find most of the previously named free games mentioned, though I've not updated the synopsis since week 100 (it's in week 145 at the moment). You'll also find over 30 space orientated games over at <a href="http://www.myplaycity.com/free_space_games/" rel="nofollow">MyPlayCity</a>, where you'll find Astro Avenger available 24/7 and <a href="http://www.gametop.com/category/action.html" rel="nofollow">Gametop</a>.

Games, Games, and yet more Games:

There are  356 games on sale over on Steam this week, ranging from 10% to 90% off.   The weekend deals include 50% off the excellent zombie apocalypse game Dying Light and 50% off Space Engineers a sandbox game about engineering, construction, exploration and survival in space and on planets. Players build space ships, space stations, planetary outposts of various sizes and uses, pilot ships and travel through space to explore planets and gather resources to survive.

There are too many other great deals to mention here, just check out the specials section for all 650 plus titles on sale <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/search/?specials=1&os=win" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>.

There's loads more in the weekly sales and the 48 hours sales to choose from; and  almost certainly  something for everyone.  The next  set of  weekly sales starts on Monday with usually a few hundred titles added.   :)

You'll also find some excellent  deals over on the following Game sites.

<a href="http://www.greenmangaming.com/hot-deals/" rel="nofollow">GreenManGaming</a> They usually have coupons to the value of 23% and sometimes more off pre ordered games. I've just pre ordered Just Cause 3 XL and XCOM 2 using a voucher and saved £22 on the price paid in the Steam store
<a href="http://www.gamersgate.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">Gamersgate Summer Sale</a>
<a href="http://www.gog.com/" rel="nofollow">GOG</a> (DRM free games)
<a href="http://www.gamestop.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">Gamestop</a>
<a href="http://digital.gamefly.co.uk/#!/pc" rel="nofollow">GameFly</a> (soon to be sold off)

I've removed the Desura link because the owners are bankrupt and  there has been no activity on the site in months.  The servers are still live (at least until  Bad JoJo's subscription to the servers has ended, Bad JoJo are the owners of Desura and Indie Royale, or were  until  filing for bankruptcy).  If you own any games via Desura I advise  downloading all of the drm free  games  you have on that platform  and on the Indie Royale site before the sites are taken down.

Free Game Sites:

<a href="http://www.myplaycity.com/" rel="nofollow">MyPlayCity</a> (over a 1000 games to choose from)
<a href="http://www.gametop.com/" rel="nofollow">Gametop</a>
<a href="http://freegamepick.net/en/" rel="nofollow">FreeGamePick</a>

To be honest there are too many game deals   around too list them all.  Just visit the sites I recommend above and I'm sure you'll find something that suits you   for a very  decent price. If like me you prefer Steamworks games, many of the above sites also sell steamwork games.

If that's not enough, check out the Game Discussion forums <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/forum/17" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> for details of other games either free or on deals such as the Indie Game bundles (there's over 20 of them - If you purchased all of them you'd be paying around $80 for around a thousand dollars worth of games); or check out the four day sales at <a href="https://indiegamestand.com/" rel="nofollow">IndieGameStand</a>. you'll find the indie bundles thread <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/100253#post-202848" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. The thread is outdated, but all of the links will still take you to the latest bundles.

The latest IndieGameStand game is Uncanny Valley:
<blockquote>Uncanny Valley is a survival horror game, focusing on a bone chilling story, exploration and heart pounding action.

About the game:
Uncanny Valley is a survival horror game that includes a mix of exploration, puzzle solving and a bit of action with a lot of optional story content. We're trying to preserve the old survival horror kind of gameplay instead of following the modern trend of creating a third person shooter with horror elements.

Story:
You play as a security guard named Tom at a remote facility. He's in charge of the night shift, while his lazy partner Buck is in charge of the day shift. Nights are long, so Tom starts exploring the facility and finds things he shouldn't. The story plays a huge part in the game, so saying anything more would be a major spoiler.

Consequence system:
Uncanny Valley's main difference from other games is a thing we like to call the consequence system. Whenever you fail at something, the game goes on, but with harsh consequences for your character that can impact both the story and the gameplay.

For example - you fail at avoiding your attackers, meaning your character will move slower throughout the game, making it harder to escape future pursuers. The player then needs to be careful and more clever, which adds more tension to the game. Of course, there are mistakes you can do that lead to your death, but we're trying to avoid that as much as possible.

Why? Because dying and repeating the same section over and over is tedious and leads to frustration. The game stops being scary if you're angry and just want to rush through it, so we think that adding such a system will still keep the tension while adding a new layer to scariness.

Key Features:
- a huge, explorable facility with multiple floors and buildings
- intense moments of dread
- detailed story with rich characters
- consequence system mechanic </blockquote>

You can get the game for $0.99; pay over the average to get the soundtrack. (The price at the time of writing was £1.30 and rarely goes above $2 unless the bonus content includes a second or third game). 
   The  deal ends Sunday 22nd Oct 2015  5am (GMT)

The latest DIG game is  War in a Box: Paper Tanks:

Finally the war of paper tanks comes into your room!

How long can you hold the defences against paper tanks.

Build your towers of paper before they get out of the box and make a big mess in the room. Manage the turrets, upgrade and be careful where you put them... every decision can be fatal! Watch out for the air units, they have a different route!

Take out your toy box and get ready for some of the most intense battles in a tower defence game that will make you reconsider the entire genre. As peaceful and simple War In A Box may seem for the casual player as fierce and thrilling the action will be once you get your hands on this paper battle madness!

Shred your enemies into pieces with different turret models - from simple guns to Tesla towers   in a battle against both land and airborne units that will do everything to get behind your lines of defence. Featuring real 3D environment and delivering a large number of original levels, War In A Box: Paper Tanks is as addictive as it is simple to play.

Features:

- True 3D environment in each level
- Turret and air view with different zoom options
- Different game modes for different types of players
- Game speed controls for adjusting the intensity of action

Pay £0.99 for the game or you can get two keys if you pay more than the average of $1.07 (at the time of writing ). One Steam key to share with a friend or family member perhaps? You'll find that deal <a href="http://www.dailyindiegame.com/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. They also have five bundles of several games that'll cost you less than $1.50 each <a href="http://www.dailyindiegame.com/bundle_2.html" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> (DIG Bundles 45,46, 47 & 48 and Greenlight 3). You get Steam keys for all of these games except the Greenlight bundle, however, if a game is Greenlit, you will get a Steam key.
The single game deal ends just after Midnight Monday 23rd Nov 2015 and will be replaced with Alter Worlds a 2D platformer with an interesting gameplay mechanics

Most of the    bundles available retail  for around $5 give or take a few dollars (apart from the Daily Indie bundles that only cost $1.49 for six games), but you can pay as little as a dollar for some.   There are some excellent  bundles out at the moment. Check out the following:

<a href="https://groupees.com/" rel="nofollow">Groupees</a> (5 bundles)
<a href="https://www.indiegala.com/" rel="nofollow">Indie Gala</a> (? bundles)
<a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/" rel="nofollow">Humble bundle</a> (2 Bundles)
<a href="http://www.indieroyale.com/" rel="nofollow">Indie Royale</a> (this bundle is no longer live)
<a href="http://www.bundlebandits.com/" rel="nofollow">Bundle Bandits</a> (0 bundles)
<a href="https://www.blinkbundle.com/" rel="nofollow">Blink Bundle</a> (0 bundles)
<a href="http://www.playinjector.com/" rel="nofollow">Play Injector</a> (0 bundle)
<a href="http://getloadedgo.com/" rel="nofollow">Get Loaded</a> (0 bundles)
<a href="http://gamesrage.org/" rel="nofollow">Games Rage</a> (0 bundles)
<a href="http://www.flyingbundle.com/" rel="nofollow">Flying bundle</a> (0 bundles)

The  free game from Origin is one of Command & Conquers later games Red Alert 2 plus you get the expansion Yuri's Revenge.  This is another AAA game, well worth having if you are into strategy war games.

<blockquote>The world erupts in conflict as Soviet forces invade American soil in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2. Time travel has helped to eliminate the German threat, and now the Soviets are expanding into the West unchecked. You are the Supreme Commander. Arm yourself to the teeth with top-secret technologies and lead the Soviet or Allied troops to victory.
Plus, defeat an army of mind-controlled Soviet forces in the expansion Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge.

Game Features:

Many ways to play. Lead Soviet or Allied forces in a gripping single-player game or a Skirmish game, where there's no particular objective other than destroying everything else on-screen. Who will win the war for world domination?
No need to play nice. You'll need to pull out all the stops if you're going to win this war. Thankfully, you've got a well-stocked arsenal of legitimate and illicit technologies from Prism Tanks and Terror Drones, to Psychic Mind Control devices and Soviet Cloning Vats. Use them.
Deliver the fury. Dominate land, air, and sea battles with the help of over 80 units and structures. Plus, you'll benefit from a enhanced veterancy system that turns newbie forces into battle-hardened war machines -- and brings you closer to victory.</blockquote>

Check it out <a href="https://www.origin.com/en-gb/store/free-games/on-the-house" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>.

You do need  a free Origin account and  install the Origin client to get these free games.   Once you've installed the Origin client and signed into your account  select 'On the house'  from the 'Free Games' drop down menu.  Then select download now.  The game will then be registered to your Origin account permanently.

A Request for help:

<blockquote>Developers rely on good feedback to improve their games. If you download this game please take some time once you’ve played it a while to leave some constructive feedback either positive or negative. The more constructive feedback we get, the more likely developers are going to give more games away. The giveaway site already has a very good standing with the search engines. Developers want their products out there on the WWW, this site has the potential to do that. The game giveaway project gives away on average between 9 to 17 thousand downloads for each game depending upon what genre and how obscure the game is. That’s a lot of homes these games are being downloaded into and a lot of 'potential' cash that’s being lost by the developers. If we get better games because of better feedback, the community are likely to continue to benefit from the generosity of the developers. Satisfied community members are then more likely to visit the home sites of those developers and purchase games that they may not have bothered with before they discovered the developer via the game giveaway site, thus giving the developers more incentives to give away even more decent games.

Please leave some feedback once you’ve checked the game out. It can be positive or negative, but please explain what your reasons were for the feedback you post. You could also leave suggestions for improving the game, for example, this game could do with more block types for the levels editor, add more power-ups, describing the ones you think would be suitable, add some mini games (which seem all the rage in some arcade games now) or enable the user to be able to change the in game music easily.

Thank you in advance to all those who take the time to post a constructive comment, and a big thank you to immanitas games for sharing and to the game giveaway team for getting these games.</blockquote>

Regards

Whiterabbit aka Stephen

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