A new Brick Buster game with superb graphics, powerups, controls! FREE game on GOTD!

#1

Please only post comments about today's game giveaway; other comments either inappropriate, or not about today's game will be deleted at the moderator or administrators discretion; however a little light banter among community members and with the moderator to keep this a friendly place to visit is acceptable and welcomed. All comments not specifically about today's game giveaway will be judged by the moderator and if deemed not appropriate, will be deleted with no explanation. Please see the end of this review for a link to more details about posting comments, other game deals and other links. If you need to contact the give away team you can do so HERE and if you're unsure about posting comments the moderation policy is HERE and the FAQ's thread is HERE.

Hyperballoid 2 - Time Rider

In Brief

Hyperballoid 2 - Time Rider is a fantastic breakout; the sequel to Hyperballoid The Next challenge. It was released by Alawar almost a decade ago (I beta tested it for them). It includes a level editor and four different worlds to explore. I give it a score of 9.5 out of 10 for being (IMO) one of the best breakouts available, plus it loads of re-playability.

Suggestions:

Whether you like or dislike Hyperballoid 2 - Time Rider please give some feedback about your opinion of the giveaway, for example, what you liked or disliked about the game, and how it could be improved from your point of view. If you don't like this genre at all, please explain why. What improvements would change your opinion? There are thousands of subscribers to the game giveaway of the day every weekend which makes this an ideal forum for giving developers ideas as to what their consumers (i.e you) would like to see in a game. For example, you could suggest extra content such as better or more original mini games, or a level editor that you would like to see that would make it more appealing to you. Maybe you think the graphics are a little dated and are in need of re skinning, or maybe you've just had enough of the genre and want to see something different or something with more originality? Giving such feedback instead of saying nothing or just saying this game is rubbish or good may bring more developers to the site, which could mean more and better games.

Would you give away thousands of copies of a game (or extra content for a game) away to a community that complains all the time instead of giving useful feedback? It only takes a few moments of your time. This site could be transformed if only the community would be more forthcoming in their opinions of the games they are getting for free instead of complaining about the way this site has changed or that they don't like Steam games. If something isn't for you then move on to the next giveaway, or check out the extra's section at the end of this review; you never know, you may find something that interests you.

If you miss today's game giveaway you can get the game via MyPlayCity 24/7 HERE or via Atarata (and Alawar subsidiary) HERE. If you prefer the commercial version of the game, you can buy it via Big Fish games HERE. It costs £7.70, but you'll find it cheaper elsewhere.

Installation:

Hyperballoid 2 - Time Rider downloads to a 58.6 MB zip file that unzips to three files, (a setup.gcd security wrapper, the set up file and a read me). Those with multiple hard drives are able to save games on any drive they wish. The newly installed game is 66.5 MB in size. The game installs to the following path by default, but can be changed by the user if preferred:

C:\Program Files (x86)\MyPlayCity.com\Hyperballoid 2 - Time Rider

Four shortcuts are installed to the desktop. three of which can be safely deleted (Play Online Games, MyPlayCity Games and shortcuts to a free online game which vary each week). Also, if you don't like icons installed to the quick launch task bar, make sure you uncheck the box when the additional tasks window appears (after the Select Start Menu Folder window)

Introduction:

What are you looking for in a Breakout game? Superb graphics? Thrilling gameplay? The ability to create your own levels? If so, look no further than Hyperballoid 2, the sequel to one of the best old school Breakout games around. The next step in your Hyperballoid journey features four visually stunning game worlds complete with animated levels and realistic physics. As you shatter these elaborate creations, you'll enjoy using outrageous new power-ups and marvel at the game's silky smooth controls.

You can also jump right into building your own levels. Using an editor that's both revolutionary and intuitive, there are no limits to what you can create. You can even modify the properties of the various bricks in the game to create new challenges! After you've exhausted your creative juices, you can hop online to share your creations with other players and download new music. Clear your schedule now because once you start playing Hyperballoid 2, you'll be hooked!

Reference accessed HERE. 11th May 2017

Main Features:

⦁ Beat 200 levels
⦁ Conquer four different worlds
⦁ Capture and use 45 bonus items
⦁ Demolish over 280 kinds of bricks
⦁ Create your own levels
⦁ Realistic physics
⦁ Gorgeous graphics
⦁ Lots of re-playability

If you have a problem installing or activating or getting Hyperballoid 2 - Time Rider to work please visit the problems section, which I've now incorporated into the FAQ's thread, and which you can find HERE

The Game:

I beta tested this game for Alawar almost 10 years ago and loved it. The original Hyperballoid was also a beautifully crafted game, but the second one was leaps and bound ahead of the first one, (the main flaw with the original was the ball speed, even when picking up a fast power up it was too slow for me, so I rarely lost a ball, even multiballs and used to wrack up tens of lives. also you had to remove every brick before you could advance, with a slow ball speed and only a few bricks left, it could become very tedious trying to remove them, whereas Time Rider enables to to end the level when there are only a few bricks left. . The original boasted over a thousand levels once the expansions were incorporated into the main game. (the original ended up costing me almost £80 becasue i used to buy the expansions as soon as they were released, later when Hyperballoid was sold to other distributors Alawar combined all of the expansions and charged just for the original game. Hyperballoid 2 had superior graphics to the first one and the physics were improved on as were the power ups, plus the addition of a level editor meant you could create loads of extra levels by editing the existing ones. The down side to the editor is that there has never been a help document released even though I suggested to the developer that the game would be much improved if they included a tutorial. You may find one on you tube, but i've not checked. The levels are beautifully crafted, much like the original except there are a much larger number of power ups, some of which I've never seen in any other breakout and I've played hundred of this genre over the last twenty years. It's definitely one of my favorite breakouts, though not the best. I'd give this a 9.5 out of 10 and highly recommend you download it. The following edited review was written by Joel Brodie almost 10 years ago.
Next four Images show Editor screen captures:

Hyperballoid 2: Time Rider is a highly engaging and a beautiful take on the ancient art of arcade-style, arkanoid-inspired brick breaking; it’s the sort of value-minded title that successfully lobbies hard to earn a spot in your personal gaming collection. (It's in my top ten list of favorite breakouts)

Officially subtitled “Time Rider,” the outing – and we say this with honest affection – would better have been dubbed “Time Waster.” It’s so good, in fact, that you’ll be compelled to squeeze in additional rounds during coffee breaks at work, just to see if you can bang out a few more levels before turning back to that TPS report. But enough gushing: You’ve got four uniquely-themed (and named… get a load of the pidgin English behind such featured groupings as Original, Ancient, Planets [sic] and Hitech World) realms to conquer. Quirky nomenclature notwithstanding, you’re free to tackle all at your own pace, hopping back and forth between each aesthetically-varied category as the mood strikes. you can also play each world separatley in each of the four difficulty modes and keep scores for each one.

And believe us… Want to experiment you will, as a relatively basic gameplay formula – move your mouse left/right to make a bottom-mounted paddle swat bouncing balls back into the destructible bricks waiting above – is quickly transcended by the adventure’s stunning feature set. Not only will you play on beautiful, individualized backgrounds featuring moving parts, animated blocks that dart in/out and oscillating designs based on Trojan horses, swirling nebulae and the inside of chugging machines. You’ll also get to annihilate over 280 kinds of bricks (steel, stone, glass, etc.) using a whopping 45 special bonuses and detailed physics modeling.

Mind you, it’s plenty satisfying clearing stages while trippy tunes play given a set number of lives and standard-issue weapons like fireballs, lightning strikes and cannons to fiddle with alone. But seriously – how many games of this ilk actually offer you special powers that let you clone your paddle to create handy ball-stopping mirror images or optional flamethrower attachments as well? Not to mention, that is, also serve up plasma-spewing spheres or aiming cursors that, for a limited period of time, effectively enable you to keep balls jiggling in the air towards any desired target? You know you’re in for a treat when a game’s help screen is hilariously devoted entirely just to cataloguing all the negative (life-ending extras, ball-/paddle-shrinking options), positive (magnets, nukes, rockets) and neutral (ball-speeding/-slowing specials, brick-pushing powers) abilities it offers.

Frankly, we’re blown away by the level of detail invested into the product, which boasts an impressive 200 glowing, imaginative and lively levels to begin with. However, loving touches even extend to the point that the motion of all highlighted items is further simulated with some level of real-world accuracy vs. typical fantasy-type disdain. Because of such caveats, it’s actually possible to destroy objects by bumping them into one another or watch chains of bricks shatter into bouncing parts – not just batter them down as in competing products. Pack in automatic software updating options, a level building tool that lets you point and click your way to new challenges and options for instantly downloading user-created add-ons and the sum total’s predictably hard to resist. The page devoted to user created levels and the in game link seem to have been removed. They definitely had a page devoted to downloading custom levels when this game was first released and it was stil available at least a year after release as was the link that you could access the levels in game, but that was 8/9 years ago. I've emailed them twice to find out if the facility is still available.

What minor niggles we could do without? Well, there’s the barebones menu system, general lack of an underlying storyline and the repetitious nature of the action, which tends to grow tiresome over marathon stretches. Level warps also help you jump ahead if you’re taking your sweet time on any given stage, though it’s all-too common to still get stuck attempting to bash down those three or four last remotely-situated pieces standing between you and advancement to boot. Nor, for that matter, is it likely that most will appreciate the powerful, but complex custom stage creation suite’s lack of a tutorial.

Be that as it may, we wholeheartedly recommend the outing, which – while not mind-blowingly innovative – still manages to triumphantly refine on a proven formula by simply giving audiences more of what they love. To be blunt: Hyperballoid 2 offers more power-ups, more eye-opening special effects, more funky musical tracks, more support for causing havoc, and (go figure) more ways to cheerfully while away the hours on a boring, rainy day.

Edited reference accessed HERE. Original review written by Joel Brodie on Jan 3, 2008 Edited and added to by Whiterabbit-uk May 11th 2017

Other Reviews, Videos and a slideshow of Hyperballoid 2 - Time Rider:

You can see community reviews of Hyperballoid 2 - Time Rider HERE.

You can see some videos of game play HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE (Russian) and HERE (German) and a slide show of over a hundred images HERE.

Conclusion:

An excellent breakout/arkanoid brick busting game, with loads of levels (200) plus the potential to create many more via the level editor (which is a little confusing to use unless you persevere becasue there is no help document) and a whole bunch of unusual power ups. The ball and brick physics are excellent and the graphics are gorgeous. The game is almost as good as one of my top favorite arkanoids Ricochet Infinity and I'd place it in my top ten favorite breakouts of all time. (i.e. Hyperballoid 2, Actionball, Acky's XP Breakout, Arcamania 2, Magic Ball 4 (now known as Smash Frenzy 4 due to copyright laws), Ploing 2, Little Gods, Incrediball: The Seven Sapphires., Funkiball and Chicken Attack Deluxe. There are several others such as Ionball 2: Ionstorm, Breakball 2 Gold, Troll, Z Ball Gold, Neoball, Crashball (now free), Paperball, Shatter and Action Ball 2 and a few that I've forgotten the names of that come very close to these, but generally the above all bring something original to the genre. Check out the Arkanoids thread over in the forums HERE, where you'll find details of both commercial and freeware breakouts. I've not updated in in ages, so recent breakouts such as Shatter and the VR breakout HoloBall (both available on Steam) are probably not mentioned. Steam have released a couple of new breakouts recently, but I've forgotten their names.

Overall I'd give Hyperballoid 2 a 9.5 out of 10 for re-playability, the ability to create your own levels, gorgeous graphics and some innovative power-ups never before seen in a breakout. I'd have given it a 10, but it lacks any instructions on how to use the level editor, which is quite complex, but if you persevere, you can create some phenomenal custom levels. Alawar used to allow the community to upload their levels to a dedicated page where you could download them, but I've not been able to find it. I did email Alawar, but they declined to comment on what happened to it, but they did clear up one question that i'd wondered about for several years, i.e. why did they change the name of their Magic Ball series. to which i was told it was because the name had been licensed elsewhere so legally they couldn't use it.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank MyPlayCity (and indirectly Alawar for creating the game back in 2008) for giving away Hyperballoid 2: Time Rider and also to the game giveaway team, as always, for securing other ways to get free games.

Useful Information not related to today's game giveaway:

The problems section that used to be posted here in the Game review is now included in the Game Discussion FAQ's thread; which you can find HERE.

I've updated the games section that used to be posted with the review. The thread is now called 'Weekly round up of game deals', formerly the games section of the weekly reviews. You can find the new thread (which I've posted in the sticky section of the game discussion forums to make it easier to find if you are perusing the game discussion forums) HERE.

The rest of the information that used to be posted here can be found in the forums HERE. Don't forget, if you have an account with DOT.emu, you need to download any games you have before June, when the site closes permanently. Finally, check out Delenns thread over in the forums HERE. There are games available for free, some of which are limited to the number of free keys available.

<blockquote>Please only post comments about today's game giveaway; other comments either inappropriate, or not about today's game will be deleted at the moderator or administrators discretion; however a little light banter among community members and with the moderator to keep this a friendly place to visit is acceptable and welcomed. All comments not specifically about today's game giveaway will be judged by the moderator and if deemed not appropriate, will be deleted with no explanation. Please see the end of this review for a link to more details about posting comments, other game deals and other links. If you need to contact the give away team you can do so <a href="https://www.giveawayoftheday.com/about/contact/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> and if you're unsure about posting comments the moderation policy is <a href="https://www.giveawayoftheday.com/faq/#moderation" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> and the FAQ's thread is <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/11647" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>.</blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2ijg6k6" target="_blank"><img src="http://i67.tinypic.com/2ijg6k6.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>

<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2625xt1" target="_blank"><img src="http://i65.tinypic.com/2625xt1.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>Hyperballoid 2 - Time Rider</blockquote><blockquote>In Brief</blockquote><blockquote>Hyperballoid 2 - Time Rider is a fantastic breakout; the sequel to Hyperballoid The Next challenge. It was released by Alawar almost a decade ago (I beta tested it for them). It includes a level editor and four different worlds to explore. I give it a score of 9.5 out of 10 for being (IMO) one of the best breakouts available, plus it loads of re-playability.</blockquote><blockquote>Suggestions:</blockquote><blockquote>Whether you like or dislike Hyperballoid 2 - Time Rider please give some feedback about your opinion of the giveaway, for example, what you liked or disliked about the game, and how it could be improved from your point of view. If you don't like this genre at all, please explain why. What improvements would change your opinion? There are thousands of subscribers to the game giveaway of the day every weekend which makes this an ideal forum for giving developers ideas as to what their consumers (i.e you) would like to see in a game. For example, you could suggest extra content such as better or more original mini games, or a level editor that you would like to see that would make it more appealing to you. Maybe you think the graphics are a little dated and are in need of re skinning, or maybe you've just had enough of the genre and want to see something different or something with more originality? Giving such feedback instead of saying nothing or just saying this game is rubbish or good may bring more developers to the site, which could mean more and better games. </blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=30jr78m" target="_blank"><img src="http://i65.tinypic.com/30jr78m.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2ivekb4" target="_blank"><img src="http://i66.tinypic.com/2ivekb4.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>Would you give away thousands of copies of a game (or extra content for a game) away to a community that complains all the time instead of giving useful feedback? It only takes a few moments of your time. This site could be transformed if only the community would be more forthcoming in their opinions of the games they are getting for free instead of complaining about the way this site has changed or that they don't like Steam games. If something isn't for you then move on to the next giveaway, or check out the extra's section at the end of this review; you never know, you may find something that interests you.</blockquote><blockquote>If you miss today's game giveaway you can get the game via MyPlayCity 24/7 <a href="https://www.myplaycity.com/hyperballoid_2/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> or via Atarata (and Alawar subsidiary) <a href="http://www.atarata.com/en/personal-computer/d/hyperballoid-2/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. If you prefer the commercial version of the game, you can buy it via Big Fish games <a href="http://www.bigfishgames.com/games/2320/hyperballoid-2/?pc" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. It costs £7.70, but you'll find it cheaper elsewhere.</blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=25he4cg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i66.tinypic.com/25he4cg.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2cscf3d" target="_blank"><img src="http://i64.tinypic.com/2cscf3d.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>Installation:</blockquote><blockquote>Hyperballoid 2 - Time Rider downloads to a 58.6 MB zip file that unzips to three files, (a setup.gcd security wrapper, the set up file and a read me). Those with multiple hard drives are able to save games on any drive they wish. The newly installed game is 66.5 MB in size. The game installs to the following path by default, but can be changed by the user if preferred:</blockquote><blockquote>C:\Program Files (x86)\MyPlayCity.com\Hyperballoid 2 - Time Rider</blockquote><blockquote>Four shortcuts are installed to the desktop. three of which can be safely deleted (Play Online Games, MyPlayCity Games and shortcuts to a free online game which vary each week). Also, if you don't like icons installed to the quick launch task bar, make sure you uncheck the box when the additional tasks window appears (after the Select Start Menu Folder window)</blockquote><blockquote>Introduction:</blockquote><blockquote>What are you looking for in a Breakout game? Superb graphics? Thrilling gameplay? The ability to create your own levels? If so, look no further than Hyperballoid 2, the sequel to one of the best old school Breakout games around. The next step in your Hyperballoid journey features four visually stunning game worlds complete with animated levels and realistic physics. As you shatter these elaborate creations, you'll enjoy using outrageous new power-ups and marvel at the game's silky smooth controls.</blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2lk3968" target="_blank"><img src="http://i63.tinypic.com/2lk3968.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>

<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=99kl51" target="_blank"><img src="http://i67.tinypic.com/99kl51.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>You can also jump right into building your own levels. Using an editor that's both revolutionary and intuitive, there are no limits to what you can create. You can even modify the properties of the various bricks in the game to create new challenges! After you've exhausted your creative juices, you can hop online to share your creations with other players and download new music. Clear your schedule now because once you start playing Hyperballoid 2, you'll be hooked!</blockquote><blockquote>Reference accessed <a href="https://www.alawar.com/game/hyperballoid-2/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. 11th May 2017</blockquote><blockquote>Main Features:</blockquote><blockquote>
⦁	Beat 200 levels
⦁	Conquer four different worlds
⦁	Capture and use 45 bonus items
⦁	Demolish over 280 kinds of bricks
⦁	Create your own levels
⦁	Realistic physics
⦁	Gorgeous graphics
⦁	Lots of re-playability</blockquote>

<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=148f61i" target="_blank"><img src="http://i65.tinypic.com/148f61i.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>If you have a problem installing or activating or getting Hyperballoid 2 - Time Rider to work please visit the problems section, which I've now incorporated into the FAQ's thread, and which you can find <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/11647" rel="nofollow">HERE</a></blockquote><blockquote>The Game:</blockquote><blockquote>I beta tested this game for Alawar almost 10 years ago and loved it. The original Hyperballoid was also a beautifully crafted game, but the second one was leaps and bound ahead of the first one, (the main flaw with the original was the ball speed, even when picking up a fast power up it was too slow for me, so I rarely lost a ball, even multiballs and used to wrack up tens of lives. also you had to remove every brick before you could advance, with a slow ball speed and only a few bricks left, it could become very tedious trying to remove them, whereas Time Rider enables to to end the level when there are only a few bricks left. . The original boasted over a thousand levels once the expansions were incorporated into the main game. (the original ended up costing me almost £80 becasue i used to buy the expansions as soon as they were released, later when Hyperballoid was sold to other distributors Alawar combined all of the expansions and charged just for the original game. Hyperballoid 2 had superior graphics to the first one and the physics were improved on as were the power ups, plus the addition of a level editor meant you could create loads of extra levels by editing the existing ones. The down side to the editor is that there has never been a help document released even though I suggested to the developer that the game would be much improved if they included a tutorial. You may find one on you tube, but i've not checked. The levels are beautifully crafted, much like the original except there are a much larger number of power ups, some of which I've never seen in any other breakout and I've played hundred of this genre over the last twenty years. It's definitely one of my favorite breakouts, though not the best. I'd give this a 9.5 out of 10 and highly recommend you download it. The following edited review was written by Joel Brodie almost 10 years ago.<blockquote>Next four Images show Editor screen captures:</blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2cnk2lu" target="_blank"><img src="http://i68.tinypic.com/2cnk2lu.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=28c21kw" target="_blank"><img src="http://i68.tinypic.com/28c21kw.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>Hyperballoid 2: Time Rider is a highly engaging and a beautiful take on the ancient art of arcade-style, arkanoid-inspired brick breaking; it’s the sort of value-minded title that successfully lobbies hard to earn a spot in your personal gaming collection. (It's in my top ten list of favorite breakouts)</blockquote><blockquote>Officially subtitled “Time Rider,” the outing – and we say this with honest affection – would better have been dubbed “Time Waster.” It’s so good, in fact, that you’ll be compelled to squeeze in additional rounds during coffee breaks at work, just to see if you can bang out a few more levels before turning back to that TPS report. But enough gushing: You’ve got four uniquely-themed (and named… get a load of the pidgin English behind such featured groupings as Original, Ancient, Planets [sic] and Hitech World) realms to conquer. Quirky nomenclature notwithstanding, you’re free to tackle all at your own pace, hopping back and forth between each aesthetically-varied category as the mood strikes. you can also play each world separatley in each of the four difficulty modes and keep scores for each one.</blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=xqc2zp" target="_blank"><img src="http://i67.tinypic.com/xqc2zp.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2mzdv05" target="_blank"><img src="http://i63.tinypic.com/2mzdv05.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>And believe us… Want to experiment you will, as a relatively basic gameplay formula – move your mouse left/right to make a bottom-mounted paddle swat bouncing balls back into the destructible bricks waiting above – is quickly transcended by the adventure’s stunning feature set. Not only will you play on beautiful, individualized backgrounds featuring moving parts, animated blocks that dart in/out and oscillating designs based on Trojan horses, swirling nebulae and the inside of chugging machines. You’ll also get to annihilate over 280 kinds of bricks (steel, stone, glass, etc.) using a whopping 45 special bonuses and detailed physics modeling.</blockquote><blockquote>Mind you, it’s plenty satisfying clearing stages while trippy tunes play given a set number of lives and standard-issue weapons like fireballs, lightning strikes and cannons to fiddle with alone. But seriously – how many games of this ilk actually offer you special powers that let you clone your paddle to create handy ball-stopping mirror images or optional flamethrower attachments as well? Not to mention, that is, also serve up plasma-spewing spheres or aiming cursors that, for a limited period of time, effectively enable you to keep balls jiggling in the air towards any desired target? You know you’re in for a treat when a game’s help screen is hilariously devoted entirely just to cataloguing all the negative (life-ending extras, ball-/paddle-shrinking options), positive (magnets, nukes, rockets) and neutral (ball-speeding/-slowing specials, brick-pushing powers) abilities it offers.</blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=29z6l8x" target="_blank"><img src="http://i66.tinypic.com/29z6l8x.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>

<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2z8vonp" target="_blank"><img src="http://i64.tinypic.com/2z8vonp.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>Frankly, we’re blown away by the level of detail invested into the product, which boasts an impressive 200 glowing, imaginative and lively levels to begin with. However, loving touches even extend to the point that the motion of all highlighted items is further simulated with some level of real-world accuracy vs. typical fantasy-type disdain. Because of such caveats, it’s actually possible to destroy objects by bumping them into one another or watch chains of bricks shatter into bouncing parts – not just batter them down as in competing products. Pack in automatic software updating options, a level building tool that lets you point and click your way to new challenges and options for instantly downloading user-created add-ons and the sum total’s predictably hard to resist. The page devoted to user created levels and the in game link seem to have been removed. They definitely had a page devoted to downloading custom levels when this game was first released and it was stil available at least a year after release as was the link that you could access the levels in game, but that was 8/9 years ago. I've emailed them twice to find out if the facility is still available.</blockquote><blockquote>What minor niggles we could do without? Well, there’s the barebones menu system, general lack of an underlying storyline and the repetitious nature of the action, which tends to grow tiresome over marathon stretches. Level warps also help you jump ahead if you’re taking your sweet time on any given stage, though it’s all-too common to still get stuck attempting to bash down those three or four last remotely-situated pieces standing between you and advancement to boot. Nor, for that matter, is it likely that most will appreciate the powerful, but complex custom stage creation suite’s lack of a tutorial.</blockquote><blockquote>Be that as it may, we wholeheartedly recommend the outing, which – while not mind-blowingly innovative – still manages to triumphantly refine on a proven formula by simply giving audiences more of what they love. To be blunt: Hyperballoid 2 offers more power-ups, more eye-opening special effects, more funky musical tracks, more support for causing havoc, and (go figure) more ways to cheerfully while away the hours on a boring, rainy day.</blockquote><blockquote>Edited reference accessed <a href="http://www.gamezebo.com/2008/01/03/hyperballoid-2-review/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. Original review written by Joel Brodie on Jan 3, 2008 Edited and added to by Whiterabbit-uk May 11th 2017</blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=63uerq" target="_blank"><img src="http://i66.tinypic.com/63uerq.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>

<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=wqrfjm" target="_blank"><img src="http://i65.tinypic.com/wqrfjm.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>Other Reviews, Videos and a slideshow of Hyperballoid 2 - Time Rider:</blockquote><blockquote>You can see community reviews of Hyperballoid 2 - Time Rider <a href="http://www.bigfishgames.com/games/2320/hyperballoid-2/" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>.</blockquote><blockquote>You can see some videos of game play <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT-PMNxCijA" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMTMNPyUcbw" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8Z_t7F7R1E" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4um_9l1Uio&list=PL715DBFB1E1742B37" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> (Russian) and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxL2foPT6uE" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> (German) and a slide show of over a hundred images <a href="http://s853.photobucket.com/user/whiterabbit03/slideshow/Hyperballoid%202%20-%20Time%20Rider?sort=3" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>.</blockquote><blockquote>Conclusion:</blockquote><blockquote>An excellent breakout/arkanoid brick busting game, with loads of levels (200) plus the potential to create many more via the level editor (which is a little confusing to use unless you persevere becasue there is no help document) and a whole bunch of unusual power ups. The ball and brick physics are excellent and the graphics are gorgeous. The game is almost as good as one of my top favorite arkanoids Ricochet Infinity and I'd place it in my top ten favorite breakouts of all time. (i.e. Hyperballoid 2, Actionball, Acky's XP Breakout, Arcamania 2, Magic Ball 4 (now known as Smash Frenzy 4 due to copyright laws), Ploing 2, Little Gods, Incrediball: The Seven Sapphires., Funkiball and Chicken Attack Deluxe. There are several others such as Ionball 2: Ionstorm, Breakball 2 Gold, Troll, Z Ball Gold, Neoball, Crashball (now free), Paperball, Shatter and Action Ball 2 and a few that I've forgotten the names of that come very close to these, but generally the above all bring something original to the genre. Check out the Arkanoids thread over in the forums <a href="https://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/2607" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>, where you'll find details of both commercial and freeware breakouts. I've not updated in in ages, so recent breakouts such as Shatter and the VR breakout HoloBall (both available on Steam) are probably not mentioned. Steam have released a couple of new breakouts recently, but I've forgotten their names.</blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=w1tog4" target="_blank"><img src="http://i63.tinypic.com/w1tog4.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>

<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2ujta8n" target="_blank"><img src="http://i65.tinypic.com/2ujta8n.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>Overall I'd give Hyperballoid 2 a 9.5 out of 10 for re-playability, the ability to create your own levels, gorgeous graphics and some innovative power-ups never before seen in a breakout. I'd have given it a 10, but it lacks any instructions on how to use the level editor, which is quite complex, but if you persevere, you can create some phenomenal custom levels. Alawar used to allow the community to upload their levels to a dedicated page where you could download them, but I've not been able to find it. I did email Alawar, but they declined to comment on what happened to it, but they did clear up one question that i'd wondered about for several years, i.e. why did they change the name of their Magic Ball series. to which i was told it was because the name had been licensed elsewhere so legally they couldn't use it.</blockquote><blockquote>I'd like to take this opportunity to thank MyPlayCity (and indirectly Alawar for creating the game back in 2008) for giving away Hyperballoid 2: Time Rider and also to the game giveaway team, as always, for securing other ways to get free games.</blockquote><blockquote>Useful Information not related to today's game giveaway:</blockquote><blockquote>The problems section that used to be posted here in the Game review is now included in the Game Discussion FAQ's thread; which you can find <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/11647" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>.</blockquote><blockquote> I've updated the games section that used to be posted with the review. The thread is now called 'Weekly round up of game deals', formerly the games section of the weekly reviews. You can find the new thread (which I've posted in the sticky section of the game discussion forums to make it easier to find if you are perusing the game discussion forums) <a href="http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/458939#post-569898" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>.</blockquote><blockquote>The rest of the information that used to be posted here can be found in the forums <a href="https://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/466808" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. Don't forget, if you have an account with DOT.emu, you need to download any games you have before June, when the site closes permanently. Finally, check out Delenns thread over in the forums <a href="https://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/466757/page/2?replies=6" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. There are games available for free, some of which are limited to the number of free keys available.</blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2jbnm08" target="_blank"><img src="http://i63.tinypic.com/2jbnm08.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>

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Reply | Comment by Whiterabbit-uk – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+6)

#32

I played this again recently and found that I could drag bricks around, ditto gems, to break them on the bat without moving?! Also handy to use non-break bricks as "mobile bats" to chuck the ball around. Oh, and the non-break bricks DO break if they hit the bat. ;)

This was on the EASY campaign; maybe that cheat isn't available at higher difficulty levels?

Did anyone ever track down the documentation for the Level Editor BTE?

Reply | Comment by Cad Delworth – 5 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

Cad Delworth,

Hi Cad, I beta tested this while working for Alawar and did question them about a proper help document, but I don't think they ever bothered. I considered creating one as I was really into the game at the time; (unfortunately I'm always starting but rarely finishing projects, so never got around to it).

I thought the game was almost as good as Ricochet and suggested they create an area on their website where the community could upload their level creations, so that others could download them; much like we had with the breakout Ricochet. Before Amazon (who purchased the rights to Reflexive Arcades game collection) closed the site down, you could download tens of thousands of community made custom levels for free. I'm sure if Alawar had done that, the game would have been much more popular.

Reply | Comment by Whiterabbit-uk – 5 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#31

The game ran once. I closed it and reopened it and it freezes. I get this error
Lua Error!
C an't match method to call 'sf.gui,CTabWidget.SelectPanel' candidates are:

Reply | Comment by Bryan – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#30

The first chance of getting on to giveaway, downloaded the game Hyperballoid 2 well within the time allowed. I had 3 minutes left to install and it told me the game had expired, what time are we working on?

Reply | Comment by june – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-1)

#29

I had to use the email link for the first time as the Facebook option never brought up a download link. I don't usually bother with this type of game. They tend to get tedious very quickly, but I am really enjoying this one. I love all of the movement on the screen and that the barriers aren't static. Lots of cool power-ups as well. Glad I gave it a try.

Reply | Comment by Arizona Scout – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#28

OK Stephen, I know how this works. I turned off my antivirus, and activated the program, but it stops there. Something else must be happening.

Reply | Comment by Joe – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

HMMMM, It took a couple of tries, but I finally got it to work. I had to shut down my computer, turn it back on, disable my antivirus, download again, unzip, and then it activated.
I can't explain why it didn't work the first time, but I'm very happy it finally worked!

Reply | Comment by Joe – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-1)

#27

THANK YOU A THOUSAND TIMES OVER!!! Windows 10 HP all in one 64 bit. Downloaded and installed in no time. Loaded fast and the graphics are awesome! The play is right on spot with absolutely no hesitation. Fun challenging and pretty at the same time :)

Reply | Comment by Marshell Wooley – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#26

I bought this game from BF many years ago. I also have the golden pack. They are both terrific and one of my go-to games. I'm sorry to read that so many are having problems downloading as this game is a good one and I'm sure many would really like it. I don't remember it being offered before. I also have had problems in the past with MPC games but have found a way around the problem I run into. Perhaps your suggestions of a different browser and/or disabling security will help.

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

I think the community member who said this had been given away before was mistaken. we have had the original given away, so I assume they meant that one. Time Rider was never given away via Alawar.

Reply | Comment by Barbara – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-1)

#25

Can not install. Get the message that it's activated, but no game installation to be seen.

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

Sounds like your security is blocking the installation.

The games exe file is wrapped in a Themida based code that protects the game from being ripped by hackers. Trouble is, Themida can also be used to hide malware, so some security programs block the installation. To install the game you can either reboot your computer in safe mode then install, white list the wrapper or temporarily turn off your security while you install the game. The giveaway team have been giving games away virtually every weekend for the past 10 years (and for 18 months every day back in 2006 to 2008) and have never given away a game infected with malware. the giveaway team thoroughly check all files for download to ensure they are safe.

Reply | Comment by Kteam – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

Kteam, No..my VPN was blocking it. Now tell them to read my reply for Zombie Shooter 2 please

Reply | Comment by MissDefi – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

Yep, that was true in my case. I never had problems with Giveaway progs before, so it must be new behaviour of my AV program. After installation I ran full AV check + separate malware check without problems.
Thanks.

Reply | Comment by Kteam – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#24

Hyperballoid 2

A breakout/blockbuster game from MPC and Alawar, that as it's name suggests is the 2nd in a series.
Must admit, I was a Huge fan of even the 1st one, and had the 2nd for a short time on an old computer, so was overjoyed at seeing this!
Downloaded and installed well on Win 10 Pro x64, and is even more refined than the version I had before, with extended replayability. Really nice visuals and challenging gameplay, and worlds and levels galore!
Does play very fast and can be hard as you move along, my daughter said it got to hard as she played, but I found it riveting. This one will get extended playing time, and is sure to become a favorite over time, wish I knew they had it on MPC before as I didn't see it, or would have already had it! It's that good ;)

If you like Breakout/Blockbuster or physics games at all, don't miss this fine classic, and even if you don't, you may want to pick this one up. Alawar is a fine game distributor, and their products tend to be of the highest quality. A BIG thank you to GGOTD and MPC for this one and all the games they given us over time. And a thank you to WhiteRabbit too for his fine work breaking them down for us.

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

Thank you for your feedback. :)

Reply | Comment by JBurt – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#23

Hello White Rabbit and My Play City,

Thanks so much for this amazing addictive game. I'm sure when I read the instructions I will enjoy it even more, but I suddenly was playing. It is a game that you can learn all the finer points along the way.
I will admit to being skeptical (HO games and solitaire are my favorites), but once playing I loved it. Alawar has always produced terrific games and although it may be older it is hard to discern that because the graphics and smoothness of game play are current.
Being an "older" gamer I never realized that blowing up bricks, etc. could be so much fun. Is there a secret to keeping your eye on the ball when so many objects are falling?
I appreciate the opportunity Game Giveaway of the day provides to at least try new games.
Again, thanks, and now I must return to some smashing flame-throwing fun. Snow

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

Hi snow

The trick is not to get too distracted by the falling objects. It's so easy to go for a power up and then lose the ball, then you lose the power up as well. The ball is always the most important thing to keep in your vision. I usually go for all the trimmings when balls are on the upward movement, though if there are more than one ball in play and I've captured a magnet, I'll keep one ball locked to the ship/bat and keep the others bouncing. Some power ups are more useful than others, so i will take some risks. It also depends on what level of difficulty you play it on. Playing on expert doesn't leave much room for mistakes as the default ball speed is quite fast, though on medium and easy, the ball speed is easily manageable. I highly recommend Ricochet infinity as it's similar, but also a lot different to Hyperballoid. with even more brick types, it's own cadre of power ups, plus a selection of modes and of course that amazing collection of custom made levels (literally in the tens of thousands). you can even select different ship and ball types, each with it's own foibles. Brilliant game and IMO even better than hyperballoid. Check out the videos of Ricochet Infinity HERE, HERE and HERE. another one I recommend is Reaxxion, see a couple of videos HERE and HERE and Shatter HERE and HERE. I've listed my top 10 breakouts and others that come close. I forgot to include Reaxxion. There are lots lore that come close. some of which I mention in the thread dedicated to breakouts in the forums, which I've linked to in my review.

Hello White Rabbit and My Play City,

Thanks so much for this amazing addictive game.  I'm sure when I read the instructions I will enjoy it even more, but I suddenly was playing. It is a game that you can learn all the finer points along the way.
I will admit to being skeptical (HO games and solitaire are my favorites), but once playing I loved it.  Alawar has always produced terrific games and although it may be older it is hard to discern that because the graphics and smoothness of game play are current.
Being an "older" gamer I never realized that blowing up bricks, etc. could be so much fun.  Is there a secret to keeping your eye on the ball when so many objects are falling?
I appreciate the opportunity Game Giveaway of the day provides to at least try new games. 
Again, thanks, and now I must return to some smashing flame-throwing fun.  Snow

<blockquote>...........................................Moderator comment...................................</blockquote>
<ul><blockquote>Hi snow</blockquote> 
<blockquote>The trick is not to get too distracted by the falling objects. It's so easy to go for a power up and then lose the ball, then you lose the power up as well. The ball is always the most important thing to keep in your vision. I usually go for all the trimmings when balls are on the upward movement, though if there are more than one ball in play and I've captured a magnet, I'll keep one ball locked to the ship/bat and keep the others bouncing. Some power ups are more useful than others, so i will take some risks. It also depends on what level of difficulty you play it on. Playing on expert doesn't leave much room for mistakes as the default ball speed is quite fast, though on medium and easy, the ball speed is easily manageable. I highly recommend Ricochet infinity as it's similar, but also a lot different to Hyperballoid. with even more brick types, it's own cadre of power ups, plus a selection of modes and of course that amazing collection of custom made levels (literally in the tens of thousands). you can even select different ship and ball types, each with it's own foibles. Brilliant game and IMO even better than hyperballoid. Check out the videos of Ricochet Infinity <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8cjXAIYhNw" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rX9eIGBWWw" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EdW24JFebc" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. another one I recommend is Reaxxion, see a couple of videos <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYFiCw9PVe4" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzosljh3QZM" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> and Shatter <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYZcNXpgNV0" rel="nofollow">HERE</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riaZMmmLbJc" rel="nofollow">HERE</a>. I've listed my top 10 breakouts and others that come close. I forgot to include Reaxxion. There are lots lore that come close. some of which I mention in the thread dedicated to breakouts in the forums, which I've linked to in my review.</blockquote></ul>

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Reply | Comment by snow – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

Hi again - White Rabbit
Thanks much for taking the time to reply and letting me know of the other games I might enjoy. I doubt I will ever make it to an "expert" level, but it sure is fun to try. I believe this style of game really can improve hand to eye coordination. Look forward to checking out your other game suggestions. You do a great job here and are very much appreciated. Have a wonderful week. Snow

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

Please excuse the late reply. Thank you for your reply. Have a great week also. :)

Reply | Comment by snow – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#22

I love this game. It reminds me of my mom each time i play it. She use to play this type of game when she was alive, now each time I play this it will make me think of her. :)

I had to disable avast for the very 1st time to get this game downloaded and installed, but other than that it plays fine and i love the editor it has with it. Great game to add to my collection. Thanks GOTD.

Reply | Comment by marty Blankenship – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+4)

#21

I'm having the Facebook issue as well - after sharing, the download link does not come up. Trying the e-mail route.

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

You could also try a different browser.

Reply | Comment by JC – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-1)

#20

I could not get to the download page. so I started reading some of the comments and seen where someone said about the email page that I have never seen before , I clicked on that and it took me to pg that had a pink download link so clicked on it and it started d/l .
This is one of the best bounce games , and I have some of them , but this is a calm game , not at all like the others . There is one problem tho , there is no exit button. In less I am looking in the wrong place . so if someone knows how , please let me know.
But all in all it is the best bounce game I have on my pc . Keep up the great work gotd and my play city . Thank You...

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

Thank you for your feedback Mary

Reply | Comment by Mary – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

Hi Mary. :-)

The exit button is the ESC key on your keyboard. ;-)

Reply | Comment by xilolee – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

Mary, if while in an active game level, hit ESC key on keyboard to bring up options with Main Menu and such. Lot of these games work this way. Don't know if you are on a tablet or such which might need a dif method. g/l

Reply | Comment by beergas – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

Hi Mary,
I discovered quite by accident that pressing the "esc" or escape key will take you to a menu where you can then exit. Hope this helps. Snow

Reply | Comment by snow – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

Mary, go to the 'menu' key (you can get to it by clicking the right mouse button, or ESC) and choose 'menu' there you can find 'quit' and that is how you exit ;) remembered yrs ago someone else said they couldn't find it either..and they loved the game, just didn't want to play it until they died first ;) so needed that help too..so you're not alone.

Reply | Comment by JBurt – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

xilolee, Thanks hon for the feedback.

Reply | Comment by Mary – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

JBurt, Thanks, but my esc doesn't work on this game for some reason. I had to use my windows button and then I close the window.

Reply | Comment by Mary – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

snow, Thanks hon but it didn't work for me.

Reply | Comment by Mary – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#19

Win 7 Pro 64bit, downloaded with Winrar, set up was a breeze. I am thrilled to see this. the original version was my first shooter game years ago. This has gorgeous graphics. It is nice to see an older game come back. Thank you.
Debbie

Reply | Comment by kiteflyingal – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#18

Once again a game from MyPlayCity doesn't work on my system. Unfortunately there must be something wrong with the game's configuration file. Ever since I got a 4K monitor problems with the display occurs with most MPC games. Part of the window is chopped off and I cant find the controls for the game. When it's played in full screen mode I have a window about 1/4 of the screen in the middle surrounded with an all black area. My Play City games seem to be the only pieces of software that fail in this manner.

Reply | Comment by DocSid – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

#17

I have the same problem as Hans Löhle (#6). I am running win 10 64. When I run as such, the screen is pushed to the right and some is cut off. Going to the compatibility troubleshooter, I run as win 7 (which the readme says is fine for this game) and also vista. The game then displays correctly, and if I click on help or other buttons on the bottom those pages display correctly. However, if I click on one of the "worlds" the screen freezes, whether running as vista or win 7. I need to close using task manager. Then I see the same error message as #6 Hans Löhle, Lua Error!
* lua type: nil
Caused by: no one can be used." Compatibility troubleshooter cannot correct this, so the game is unplayable. The download and install seemed fine, no problems. So I am at a loss. BTW, yes, I can open the level editor, but this is no help, as I cannot open the game. If I open the game as win 10, it does seem to run correctly, but as stated above, the screen is skewed to the right, so a fourth of it is cut off.

Reply | Comment by Glenrd – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

Hi Glenrd. :-)

I'm not sure if this could solve your problem, but you can try it: right-click on the game shortcut, click properties, compatibility tab, untick "disable display scaling...".

Reply | Comment by xilolee – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

Glenrd, change ownership and access rights of the subfolder properties\campaigns to grant access to the "world" definition files. HTH

Reply | Comment by Hans – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#16

I tried installing it but only got a screen indicating successful activation but I don't see the actual game listed on my Windows 10 programs.

Reply | Comment by Paul – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+2)

Paul,

I get the same thing.

Reply | Comment by Fred Sanders – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

#15

Ok Windows 10 x64 Pro. Striking graphics. Usual set of sliders. Most excellent for this genre. Thanks for the screen shots in review. Real keeper. Game prompted at end of first level as to what Difficulty I wanted. Said can do so also if start in Campaign mode.
Left it as is but gtk can switch that.
Main gripe might be that the OS cursor remains persistent in the game. As use paddle to go back & forth, often the cursor (regular or custom) will drift up into play screen. Have to pause or drag cursor down below paddle just so can have clear view of the paddle. That time can be tricky when a fast ball is active. Easy to lose track of where ball is/was & lose life. But so far on Normal mode there's ample ways to get lives. Just wish the cursor vanished like in most paddle games. I'll adapt somehow.
Overall pretty wonderful. Super variety to fields. 9.5/10 for sure.

Reply | Comment by beergas – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+2)

#14

It seems there USED TO be a link on BigFishGames to an official Alawar manual for the Level Editor, but that link no longer exists.

Does anyone here have a copy of that manual, or a link to it?

Reply | Comment by Cad Delworth MBCS – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#13

I can't stress enough...GET THIS GAME. I have the entire series. LOVE IT!!!!

Hey Wabbit, Got a birthday party to go to..Leaving in about 10 mins...

For 48 hours, you can buy Alan Wake including DLCs and Alan Wake’s American Nightmare at a 90% discount on Steam.

From what I am seeing..The Alan Wake Sunset Sale will start 10am PST. I THINK!

https://steamcommunity.com/games/alanwake/announcements/detail/2362546845450971279

And check the forum for other game giveaways..I don't have time to post them.

Huggles to you and your family.

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

Have a pleasant time. :)

Reply | Comment by delenn13 – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+2)

#12

404 error only .... 3 tries...

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

Where are you getting this error from? ...... 404 error only .... 3 tries... doesn't say a lot. Make sure you have the correct url, also it may be being blocked by your security. If you can provide more information, that may help. Thank you.

Reply | Comment by nova powell – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#11

I love this brick buster. A person can leave feedback at Idea transformer as well if yu want too. I like this block smasher because it is simple. But if yu think you played this one in the past like I did, it is not the same game, its better. I played the good old game many hours- hour of fun. This one has different worlds to play. It still has the good like powerups and stuff from old- green is the paddle shooter; form older model. I enjoy this brick game even better than the old Hyperballoid. My only suggestion for the Developers/Builders is too keep the computer system requirements low- maybe not quite the great Graphics this one has. So that my old PC doesn't get a spottiness, or flashing off and on. Its like the play is slow then all of a sudden its superfast.
Does Steam have Brick busting games? I enjoy Steam and MyPCity...Keep up the good work all..

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

Hi Thor Green

Thank you for your feedback. Yes, Steam have several decent breakouts, two that come to mind immediately are Shatter and Ionball, both very good breakouts. Shatter is very innovative and has some amazing levels. Ionball 2: Ionstorm is quite hard even for someone who has played quite a few breakouts. Also you'll find the older, but still excellent breakouts Reaxxion. Sadly I've just discovered that one of my all time favorites, Ricochet Infinity has been removed from Steam It's similar to Hyperballoid with a level editor and there are literally tens of thousands of custom made levels available directly from in game. I think you can buy it via Big fish Others that I've not played much such as Space Ark and Wizorb.

Reply | Comment by thor green – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

#10

I tried doing this and i share etc..but no download page..then i tried again and shared again and tried having it sent email..i follow the instructions to the zip and it said oops! this page can't be found http://prntscr.com/f7cwef But this is the second giveaway i entered that didn't work. Plus you send me a used key on the last giveaway when I wrote support..I'm a bit frustrated.

Reply | Comment by MissDefi – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+3)

MissDefi, Please don't give up on everyone here. This and sister sites: are great. I enjoy going to the G Forum as well. You can view without posting if you like. At the Forum G site Whiterabit has a page that describes in detail- how to use you PC to Get or download the Giveaways. Here we use caps like GGof the DayForum etc..... Stay come back daily- learn- hav fun- and everyting else its all at these sites...

Reply | Comment by john – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#9

Again a great game, without any asking for adresses and so on,
THANKS a lot!!!

Reply | Comment by Fisch – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#8

FB issue is still present. shared but didn't get download link.. used the email option wich worked fine.

Reply | Comment by Mavadelo – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+3)

Mavadelo, when I click the Download Now Hyperballoid 2 link, it immediately downloads the ZIPfile. There was no option to 'share on Facebook' for today's game?

Reply | Comment by Cad Delworth MBCS – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

Cad Delworth MBCS, I think it is some sort of randomized system. Sometimes I can download right away, sometimes (most times actually) I have to share or ask link by email. I have seen it happen that on my own system I have to jump the hoops but installing it on a friend's system (another home, another connection) I can download right away.

Reply | Comment by Mavadelo – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-1)

#7

Great game. Thanks!

Reply | Comment by Jay – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#6

I can change options, enter and leave the level editor but I can't play:
"Lua Error!
Can't match method to call 'sf.gui.CTabWidget.SelectPanel', candidates are:
SelectPanel(int)
Parameters are:
* lua type: nil
Caused by: no one can be used."

All system requrements are fulfilled (Window 10, 64bit; Version 1703 (Build 15063.296)) RAM and disk far more than needed. DirectX is installed (other games are running).

Copying lua5.1.dll from another MPC-game into this game's folder did not help. :(

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

Try reinstalling it, then make a backup copy of the game, so that if something goes wrong again, you can copy over the appropriate file. I assume the game worked okay until you entered the level editor? Or do you mean you can't do anything in the level editor? If its the latter, you can't create levels from scratch, you have to open one of the 200 or so levels aready included and edit from their. Once you've opened a level you want to edit, you can basically remove everything them create your own, but make sure you rename the creation. Unfortunately I don't have the time to even boot up the level editor today. My daughter has her first GCSE exams on Monday, then another two on Tuesday, so both myself and my wife are helping her with her revision plus we are helping my son who starts his A level exams in just under 4 weeks. Sorry I can;t be of more help.

Reply | Comment by Hans Löhle – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-3)

Excellent concise reply, Stephen: I'm sure other downloaders of today's GGOTD won't be aware of the requirement to begin from an existing level!

Reply | Comment by Cad Delworth MBCS – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+3)

Cad Delworth MBCS, Hi..Here a quick fix for your problem
right click the game shortcut and run as administrator.
It works I had the same problem.. Good Luck

Reply | Comment by MyPony – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+2)

MyPony, thank you! Changing the ownership and access rights of the subfolder proberties/campaigns (and its content) did it. :)

Reply | Comment by Hans – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

#5

Dear GAOTD,
thanks for dowloadable programs.
This game installation not work on win10_64, in administrator mode. The insatallation files are corrupted. I have got a screenshot.
Sincerely: Ernő

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

Hi Kis Ernő

The game installed and works fine on my win 10 64 bit computer. When you get the message ''installation files are corrupted'', that usually means your security software has blocked the installation.

The games exe file is wrapped in a Themida based code that protects the game from being ripped by hackers. Trouble is, Themida can also be used to hide malware, so some security programs block the installation. To install the game you can either reboot your computer in safe mode then install, white list the wrapper or temporarily turn off your security while you install the game. The giveaway team have been giving games away virtually every weekend for the past 10 years (and for 18 months every day back in 2006 to 2008) and have never given away a game infected with malware. the giveaway team thoroughly check all files for download to ensure they are safe. They are highly regarded by the major search engines; if they allowed malware to be downloaded they would lose this standing.

Reply | Comment by Kis Ernő – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-2)

Kis Ernő, I turned off Kaspersky ("pause protection") and I'm still getting the "Files are Corrupted" message. Any ideas? Windows Home 64 bit

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

If you have any anti adware programs installed, they may also be causing the issue because MPC does contain low level ad code, though it has been disabled in the giveaway version apart from the boot up advert. Also check your event logs and if still no joy read the FAQ's thread over in the Game discussion forums.

Reply | Comment by Don P – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-1)

Hi Don P (and WhiteRabbit-UK)! :-)

Kaspersky users usually need to boot windows in "safe mode with networking", bypassing completely Kaspersky, to download and install the games offered here.

Hope this helps.

Reply | Comment by xilolee – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-1)

#4

WhiteRabbit is absolutely right, this is the Rolls Royce of breakout games! I still have it from last time it was offered here. Get this game!!!

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

:)

Reply | Comment by Naomi – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

#3

Ooo! Looks like a winner, so I'm definitely going to download, but what amused me immediately (for UK viewers) was "Ancient World, Original World, Hitech [sic] World, Planets World." I can't help thinking "the developers are fans of The Crystal Maze and I claim my £5!"
(Ancient=Aztec Zone, Original=Medieval Zone, Hitech=Industrial Zone, Planets=Futuristic Zone. See what I mean, Stephen? :)

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

Hi Cad

:) I used to watch it religiously years ago. i'm sure I hard a rumor that they were going to relaunch it.

Reply | Comment by Cad Delworth MBCS – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

Speaking as an alumnus of the original maze with Richard (s1 e7) and a sometime game designer for later series, yes I believe the plan is(/was?) to shoot a new series using the Crystal Maze Experience. I don't have any recent info about that though.
(with apologies for the off-topic post! ;) )

Reply | Comment by Cad Delworth MBCS – 7 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#2

This looks like a fun game.

I'm a big fan of creating my own stuff - among my favorite games is the entire line of "RPG Maker" stuff.

But ALL of those allow us to share our custom created things with others, some even do not require the people we share with to have the same software we created it with.

I haven't had a chance to experiment with it, and am so busy today I wont have time to play before the giveaway is over, so forgive me if the answers to my questions are easily found and I just missed them.

Can a custom level be shared with others?

Can custom graphics be used in our created levels?

If not, those are my suggestions for improving this game!

Thanks for the giveaway.

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

Hi Noah

Alawar used to have a dedicated page for uploading custom made levels, but that was in 2008. I cannot find it now, so I assume Alawar have removed the page. They no longer have hyperballoid on their main site, having relegated it to one of their subsidiaries. i have emailed them to see if there are backups of those custom levels.

What I propose is that community members upload any custom made levels they would like to share to a file sharing site (not peer to peer, but sites like filefront or your own cloud storage such as Drop box, then post a link in the thread I've created specifically for the purpose HERE

With respect to changing the background images. I cannot remeber whether you can, but I would assume it is possible. If you go to where the background images are stored in the installed game in the out_img_files folder, however they are split into several sections so, if you wanted to create new backgrounds you'd need to get a faily high defenition image and cut it into the correct number of pieces then label it accordingly, for example if you want to replace the ancient level background, you'd have to label the segments as tohugh they were for the ancient backgound etc. There may be other ways. I've just taken a quick glance at the installed games contents and would assum it's possibe that way, however, I never 'fully' explored the level editor when I first tested this game, so can't remeber whether there's any way to add new images. Thye editor is quite complex, so there may be a simpler way than cutting and messing around with the installed files. if you did opt for doing my suggestion, you'd have to back up the originals otherwise the backgrounds in the default levels would also be changed. It would be an extra positive if you can change the background images. I would also expect you can also edit the various brick images and other in game items using a suitable image editor if you wanted to change the look of the game totlly. Of course I'd make a backup of all the original filesjust in case you mess it up, or want to return to the vanilla (unmodded) version.

This looks like a fun game.

I'm a big fan of creating my own stuff - among my favorite games is the entire line of "RPG Maker" stuff.

But ALL of those allow us to share our custom created things with others, some even do not require the people we share with to have the same software we created it with.

I haven't had a chance to experiment with it, and am so busy today I wont have time to play before the giveaway is over, so forgive me if the answers to my questions are easily found and I just missed them.

Can a custom level be shared with others?

Can custom graphics be used in our created levels?

If not, those are my suggestions for improving this game!

Thanks for the giveaway.

<blockquote>...........................................Moderator comment...................................</blockquote>
<ul><blockquote>Hi Noah</blockquote> 
<blockquote>Alawar used to have a dedicated page for uploading custom made levels, but that was in 2008. I cannot find it now, so I assume Alawar have removed the page. They no longer have hyperballoid on their main site, having relegated it to one of their subsidiaries. i have emailed them to see if there are backups of those custom levels. </blockquote>
<blockquote>What I propose is that community members upload any custom made levels they would like to share to a file sharing site (not peer to peer, but sites like filefront or your own cloud storage such as Drop box, then post a link in the thread I've created specifically for the purpose <a href="https://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/466898?replies=1" rel="nofollow">HERE</a></blockquote>
<blockquote>With respect to changing the background images. I cannot remeber whether you can, but I would assume it is possible. If you go to where the background images are stored in the installed game in the out_img_files folder, however they are split into several sections so, if you wanted to create new backgrounds you'd need to get a faily high defenition image and cut it into the correct number of pieces then label it accordingly, for example if you want to replace the ancient level background, you'd have to label the segments as tohugh they were for the ancient backgound etc. There may be other ways. I've just taken a quick glance at the installed games contents and would assum it's possibe that way, however, I never 'fully' explored the level editor when I first tested this game, so can't remeber whether there's any way to add new images. Thye editor is quite complex, so there may be a simpler way than cutting and messing around with the installed files. if you did opt for doing my suggestion, you'd have to back up the originals otherwise the backgrounds in the default levels would also be changed. It would be an extra positive if you can change the background images. I would also expect you can also edit the various brick images and other in game items using a suitable image editor if you wanted to change the look of the game totlly. Of course I'd make a backup of all the original filesjust in case you mess it up, or want to return to the vanilla (unmodded) version.</blockquote></ul>

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