From videogames

Good Review:

G4tv’s review of Punch Out!! hits on all the major features you looks for in a review. It touches on all the new aspects of the game, including all the game modes. It goes through all the control options, as well as talking about the difficulty of the different aspects of the game, complete with details. Of all the reviews, this one best breaks down the game play once you load the disc. Yes, the pink track suit remains the same. The review emphasizes the difficulty of the game, and how it differs from other game options available today. It makes old gamers want to buy it to reminisce about how a game is supposed to be, and makes new gamers want to buy it to prove the new gamer is as skilled as the old.

Bad Review:

1UP’s review of Punch Out!! covers most of the major points, but it goes into detail about specific animation details to make an overall point about nostalgia that is out of place in a review. If you ignore the opening tag line, the first three paragraphs are taken up talking about video game remakes, and how Punch Out!! is one of the best. The reviewer has chosen to compare the new game not to the original, but to the nostalgia-enhanced version in his head. That the game even stood up to that level of scrutiny does say a lot for it. It’s not until near the end of the review that we get some real detail about the new features of the game and how the different modes work. Unfortunately, it’s only two short paragraphs sandwiching an embedded video. Watching the video gave me a better feel for the game than anything else on the page.

Extra:

destructoid.com provides the best, and the most, screen shots of the game, although none of them show me the only new boxer, Disco Kid.

Almost every review agrees that while using the Wii Balance Board to dodge is pretty cool, it’s not fast enough to use when playing the more difficult fighters.

In the middle of creating my second major webgame, SimDerby, I am finding the challenges to be much different than SimYard.  This time around, the balancing act is in creating a schedule of races that has a variation to it that matches as closely as possible the variation of horses.  If there are only three 2-year-olds in the game which can run at a mile and a quarter, then there shouldn’t be any of those races on the schedule, for example.

I’m finding that successfully mastering a task like this all comes down to having the right tools.  It all seems easy looking at it from the other site now that these tools have been built, but it was rough trying to figure out what they needed to look like before they were built.  They tell me which races are being canceled because there aren’t enough horses so I can remove them from the schedule.  They tell me a cross-section breakdown of horses which went a whole day without running in a single race so I know to schedule more races of those types.  They show me the schedule of races for each track and allow me to fill in the missing races with the types that I need.

Currently, there are seven tracks in the SimDerby universe.  Each of these tracks will have a race every five minutes and the schedule will be the same every day.  That’s over 2,000 races a day that need to be hand-crafted to match the balance of horses that can run, and there will probably be more tracks added.  This seems like a daunting task, but ultimately this schedule will be what horse breeders and owners interact with.  More importantly, computer horses running on this schedule will represent the claims pool that owners will choose from to begin breeding.

I expect these numbers to only grow.  It’s a good thing I have these great tools to help, because they sure do save time.  The schedule is one of the most important parts of the game, and it’s deserving of lots of attention.

Sometimes when you strip away graphics and advanced computing, you can still have a blast playing a simple game. We all probably remember what space invaders is: aliens in a grid slowly advancing down screen towards your ship, shooting at you as they do. Your job is to return fire, slaying all the aliens and advancing to the next round. The Atari version features three bunkers that you can hide behind, that slowly decay as they get hit. As you slay more and more of the aliens, they get faster and faster, and you need to use more skill and timing to take them down.

Simple, yet fun. It’s a challenge to work within a game’s parameter, because the Aliens will get faster, but you never do. The game is not complex or long, but it still provided, and can continue to provide, plenty of fun times. It’s fun to get back down to basics where you simply move left and right, and press a button. Rather than worry about secondary triggers, strafing, reloading, and camera angles, it’s nice to play a simple push button, kill alien type of game occasionally.

Bad Review: IGN

Longwinded. Reads like a disgruntled programmer who wishes he was developing for this game. The review is too nitpicky with relatively minor features, or small glitches in animation and display. It spends too much time on features the reviewer personally feels should be fixed and updated, rather than the progress made in development. I don’t need a play-by-play analysis of every thought the reviewer had as he played through the game. The review even ends saying it’s a nice bridge to ‘10 the Show, which at best is in the beginning stages of design. It fails to address the features mentioned in the ads for the game that might have drawn a reader to the site to read a review on it until the third page,when most readers have either already decided what they think of this game.

Good Review: Gamer 2.0

This is medium sized review that specifically compares this year’s game against last year’s, which is a major part of a buyers decision to buy basically the same sports game every year. It can be too easy for developers to focus on one small improvement, and basically release the same product. The review provides a fair comparison, and suggests that the developers did a good job on making a game that is better than the version already collecting dust on your shelf from last year. It does hit on some of the less polished features too, but overall comes out positive. The review doesn’t contain overly flowery writing with silly references to MLB like “MLB ‘09: The Show hits it out of the park!” Readers, even baseball fan readers, are reading this review for it’s gaming aspects, not for another jab about A-Roid.

Synopsis:

The first review had my eyes glazed over before I got halfway through. It felt like I was reading the transcript of the reviewers thoughts as he played the game. The Gamer 2.0 review was much better, hitting the major points of interest of the game and comparing it to past versions so I could make a proper decision on buying it.

This is a new test which is pretty short and fairly easy.  Here are all the answers to the test.  If you want to play it, here it is on AddictingGames.com:

http://www.addictinggames.com/testyourpatience.html

1. 178

2. Click on the numerical “1″ in the upper right.

3. Click, move your mouse outside of the flash area to the other dot, and click again.

4. The one on the left.

5. 5

6. Click the button, then don’t do anything.  Click when it says “Next Question”.

7. 7

8. Not at all

9. Follow the path.  You cannot go outside the flash area – this is all about having a steady hand.

10. 17

How to pass every level with 25 lives remaining at the end of the game.  Some levels are tricky, but all the information you need to know is here.  If you want to play this game, you can play it here on Kongregate:

http://www.kongregate.com/games/ArmorGames/seppukuties

Please take note.  You can beat each level twice.  The first time, get all the acorns, but don’t care about how many times you die.  The second time, forget about the acorns and just finish the level with as few lives as possible.  Both scores are recorded separately.  You need to complete every level losing no lives except for 1-3, 1-4, 2-2, 3-3, and 5-2.  Full instructions are here.

1-1: Easy enough.  There’s no way to die on this level.

1-2: Push the bottom square almost all the way to the right.  If you push it all the way, it will cause the big block to fall and crush you.  There should be no crack of daylight showing between the small block and the earth on the right.  Climb back on top and jump onto the top ledge, which hasn’t fallen yet.  Hold the right button after you jump and keep tapping the up key.  Either you will jump on top, or you will cause it to fall (and thus make it easy to get on top).

1-3: Get the green key, then head back to the bottom.  Grab all six acorns.  Finally, stand to the left of the red key, jump and push left, getting the red key and going as far to the left as possible before dying.  This death is unavoidable, but your corpse should be far enough to the left that you can jump on it with the next animal.  Stand as far to the left on the corpse as possible without falling off.  It will begin sliding to the right.  Keep doing this (for a couple minutes) until the corpse is far enough to the right that you can just jump to the end.

1-4: Get the blue key and die.  This death is unavoidable.  Jump on the swinging ball to get the acorns.  Only then, get the red key and finish the level.

2-1: Jump into the carrier and push it to the right by running up against the right lip.  As soon as the ball falls, and the carrier falls into the lava, jump and land on the right lip of the carrier.  It is high enough that you won’t get burned.  Jump to the right.  As soon as you grab the green key, run to the left (the green platform will extend) and jump onto the right lip of the carrier.  Remember to get the three acorns on the top right before you get the red key!

2-2: Get the red key and sacrifice a life.  This is required.  Get the green key and jump out before it falls.  You have to jump on top of the piece that falls and hit SHIFT to commit suicide to jump on the corpse to get all the acorns.  The second time you do the level, don’t do that because you don’t need to get the acorns to finish the level.  Jump up on the carrier and it will go right, hit the blue key, and it will fall.  Grab it, and finish the level.

2-3: Grab the red key and then jump to the middle platform.  None of the spikey balls land there.  Wait until they all clear out, then head to the end.

2-4: Jump on the ledges up to the top and get the red key.  Fall back down onto the green ledge.  Once the green key gets bumped out, grab it and immediately run left and jump.  You will have a split second to do this as the green ledge is moving.  It’s actually pretty easy.  Climb back up to the top and fall down the right to finish.

3-1: Get the green key.  Climb up to the top and jump over the wooden stairs.  To do this, jump, hold left, and continue trying to hit the jump button.  You will get it eventually.  Get the blue key first, then push the wooden ball to the left into the slot.  The wooden stairs will fall to the bottom.  Climb up on them and get the red key.  Then head to the end.

3-2: Ignore the red key – you don’t need it.  Stand on the edge of the ledge overlooking the lava, jump to the right of the ledge above and push the block enough to the right that you can land next to it on the ledge.  Don’t push it any further.  Jump on this block to the top and push the big block to the right.  The other block will swing down.  You may have to jump down and stand on this block a bit to keep it aligned as it passes through the opening and pushes the other block into the lava.  Then, continue pushing the top block to the right.  When the blocks fall, jump on them one after another to the acorn.

3-3: Get the green key.  Immediately run to the left far enough to be clear of the spikes and jump as high as you can.  Try to land on one of the boulders solidly enough to jump again.  This is very tricky and may take several attempts.  Once you have that, push the block on the right just enough so that it falls to the right and leans against the wall.  Jump on it and grab the red key.  Go to the far left and sacrifice one life falling straight onto the spikes.  Jump down onto that corpse safely, and then to the right.

3-4: Grab the red key and run.  Head to the green key and get it as fast as you can.  Then head to the end.  This is all about speed.

4-1: This is about timing and patience.  Grab the red key, then go back and grab the green key, then head to the end.

4-2: All of the keys must fall into the cart.  Try it a few times.  Grab the green key, then the red key, then the yellow key, then the blue key.  Then go collect the keys in the cart.

4-3: Get the red key and jump out of the pit before the boulder lands on you.  Jump up on the green ledge and push the wood all the way left.  Jump on the wood to get the acorns.  Get the green key and the piece will fall in the lava making a ledge to get the final acorns.  Then go to the end.

4-4: Get the red key and then push the ship to the right by pushing against the ledge on the bow of the ship.  When you get the blue key, jump to the end.

5-1: Get the red key in the upper-right.  Collect all the acorns.  Then get the red key in the upper-left.  Stand on the small platform in front of the green key just to the left of the boulders.  Run to the right, jump at the last second and immediately hold left.  You will get the green key and land on the same platform.  Then, jump across and finish.

5-2: Sacrifice a life in the spikes so that the corpse fills the hole.  There have been reports of people finishing this level without dying.  Maybe it’s just luck, but you don’t need it.  The cart always gets stuck for me if I don’t sacrifice a life in the pit.  Then climb up to the top and get the red key.  Ride the cart to the end and jump up and to the end.

5-3: Jump up and tap the left side of the ledge with all the keys.  Then jump onto the second square platform and stand on the left side of it as far as you can.  The keys should all land on you.  Then go back and get the purple key and head to the end.

5-4: This is about timing.  As soon as the spikey ball hits the tall piece, get the first red key.  This should start the second ball moving.  Wait.  When you see the ball on the upper right start moving, get the second key.  Wait some more.  When the tiny ball at the top falls, get the third key.  Stand next to the opening and wait for the balls to fall.  Climb up and out, to the left and up to the end.

5-5: This is tricky, but you must lose no lives.  Get the blue key.  Then, try to maneuver the big wooden plank so that it is rotating slowly clockwise.  Stand all the way to the left of the pit without hitting the spikes.  When the wooden plank is just past vertical, jump on top of it and jump again, landing to the right more to help stabilize it.  Then jump to the right and down and to the end.

A step-by step guide to spending all 49 of your lives.  Karoshi is death by overwork, and the object of this game is to kill yourself on each level.  It’s a unique twist on platformer games and has jazzy music.  You should try it now if you haven’t played it yet.  You can play it here, on Kongregate:

http://www.kongregate.com/games/Venbrux/karoshi-suicide-salaryman

The “Level Number” is how many lives you have left.

49. Jump up the stairs and fall into the spikes.

48. Jump on the ledge and push the first safe to the right so it falls off.  Jump off the ledge and continue pushing the safe to the right until it hits the wall.  Jump on the safe and onto the next ledge.  Push the second safe to the right, and jump over it and into the spikes.

47. Step on the button.  Push the safe to the left so it rests on the button.  Jump onto the ledge and run into the spikes.

46. Step on one of the buttons.  Jump up onto the big ledge and push the safe so it’s overtop the right button.  Step on the right button and the safe will fall on you.

45. Jump over the button and push the safe on the floor so it’s lined up beneath the other safe.  Push the button and the safes will stack.  Push the bottom safe out from underneath and the top one will fall on you.

44. Get the gun and stand on the wall on the left.  Tap right to aim that direction and hold down the up arrow while you continuously press space.  When the safe falls, jump on it and jump on the wall and jump onto the spikes.

43. Get the gun.  Stand on the ledge with the wastebasket and fire the gun to the right as fast as you can.  Make a continuous stream of bullets bouncing all around the screen and over your head.  Jump onto the ledge and again into the stream of bullets.

42. Get the gun.  Stand underneath the picture frame and walk all the way to the right until you can go no further without jumping.  Tap the left arrow key to aim the gun to the left.  Fire two bullets in quick succession and immediately run and stand over top of the wastebasket.  The bullets will bounce around and hit the safe, causing it to fall on your head.

41. Get the gun.  Stand on the small ledge on the left facing right and fire two bullets in quick succession.  The first will hit the wooden block.  The second will hit the safe, knocking it clear of the pit below it.  Push the safe to the right against the wall.  Jump on it, then onto the ledge, and run into the spikes.

40. Get the gun.  Jump on the spring, facing right, and shoot a continuous stream of bullets.  Eventually one will ricochet back and hit you.

39. Get the gun.  Fire a continuous stream of bullets.  Eventually one will ricochet around the screen and hit you.

38. Get the gun.  Shoot the first danger block and start a chain reaction of explosions.  Stand between where the first and second blocks used to be and wait for the safe to land on your head.

37. Get the gun.  Jump onto the ledge with the danger block and push it off the ledge to the right.  Fall off the ledge and continue pushing the danger block to the right until it is exactly on top of the real ledge barely connecting the two chains of danger blocks on the ground.  Stand underneath the safe on the left, face right, shoot the first danger block and wait for the safe to land on your head.

36. Get the gun.  Push the safe to the right one block width so it’s squarely on top of the right danger block.  Stand to the left of the group of danger blocks and shoot the closest one.  The safe will jump onto the second group of danger blocks.  Push the safe to the right so it’s squarely on top of the right danger block.  Stand on the ledge at the far left beneath the safe and shoot to the right.  The safe will jump to the final group of danger blocks.  Jump in the air and continuously shoot.  You will hit either the safe or the danger block.  Either way, the danger block will be sent onto the button and the safe will fall on your head.

35. Walk to the left and wrap around the screen.  Jump onto the sequence of ledges and jump into the spikes.

34. Push the bottom safe to the left so it’s slightly more than one safe’s width away from the left side of the screen.  Jump on it and up onto the ledge above.  Push the safe that is up there to the right so that it falls on top of the other safe.  Walk all the way to the left, fall off the ledge, and push the safe on the bottom all the way to the right up against the wall beneath the two safes.  Go stand on the switch on the far right side of the screen.  Push the safe on the top far enough to the right to get it past the switch with enough room for you to jump on top of the safe and jump over the wall above the switch.  Jump on the electric boxes to electrocute yourself.

33. Get the gun.  Stand on the electric boxes and shoot the switch to the right to electrocute yourself.

32. Push the safe on the electric boxes to the right until it triggers the box switch.  Push the danger box to the right far enough so that it barely touches the last electric box.  Push the safe to the left to be flush with the danger box, without stepping on the regular switch.  Jump over the ledge, and quickly walk over the switch and stand under the safe as it lands on your head.

31. Grab the gun.  Use the spring to land on the nearby platform.  Face to the right and fire.  When the safe falls, fire again.  When the second safe is out of the way, continuously fire and jump until you fire at least two bullets that are at the right height to hit the pink rebounder.  Then stop jumping and hold the right arrow key and you’ll run underneath the bullet.

30. Run into the spikes.

29. Grab the gun and shoot the two wooden boxes.  Stand on the ledge to the left of the remaining three wooden boxes.  Shoot three bullets and quickly press right to fall off the ledge and stand over top of the right flowerpot.  The safe will fall on your head.

28. This level takes luck.  Jump to the right so that you get the gun, firing continously with space bar even before you have the gun.  Keep restarting and trying this until you get a bullet bouncing between the rebounders.  Then, when the bullet heads to the right side of the middle, step on the switch and quickly go and stand far enough from the middle wall so that exactly two blocks can fit between you and the wall.  The bullet will hit the safe and it will fall on your head.

27. Get the gun.  Stand at the far left side of the map, facing right, and shoot.  Quickly run left to wrap around the map and get hit by the bullet on the other side.

26. Push the bottom safe slightly to the right, but not far enough to hit the switch.  Jump on it and up onto the ledge with the second safe.  Jump on the second safe and use it to get on the ledge with the gun.  Be careful not to push the second safe off the ledge.  Get the gun.  Jump onto the ledge to the left with the third safe, and push it off the ledge to the left.  When it falls, push it left so that it lands on the first switch.  Push the first safe all the way to the right to hit the switch.  Jump onto that safe, then the ledge with the second safe, then onto the second safe, then onto the ledge at the top right.  This next part is pretty tricky.  Run off the ledge to the right, and immediately hold down left and start shooting.  Keep holding left to bring your character to a spot half a box width away from the left wall of the pit.  If you shot the safe, it will fall to the left and hit you.  If you shot the wooden block, the safe will fall on you.

25. Get the gun.  Push the danger block to the left so it’s not on top of the switch blocks with the red circles.  Push the safe on top of these switch blocks instead.  Go and press the button to drop the safe to the bottom.  Also flip the switch to turn the electricity on.  Push the danger block to the right so it rests on top of the wooden block and shoot it.  Fall into the hole, jump to the left, and push the safe on top of the switch.  Electrocute yourself.

24. Grab the gun.  Run to the right and jump, shooting the safe at the apex of your jump.  Continue pressing right until you fall and the safe lands on you.  This one may take a couple resets.  Try to jump as late as you can without jumping on top of the platform that the safe is on.

23. Grab the gun.  Push the safe as far to the right as you can.  Stand on the first ledge and shoot left so that the bullet starts bouncing off the rebounders.  Quickly, jump onto the top ledge and run next to the safe and start pushing it to the right, even though it won’t go any further.  Keep pushing it to the right as the bullet hits the other safe at the end of the rebounding and knocks it onto the button.  When I do this, I seem to drop faster than the safe and by pushing right I get under it and die.  If this doesn’t happen, presumably you can just push the safe onto the switch and run into the spikes.  I’ve never had the opportunity, though.

22.  Grab the gun.  Jump on the spring and onto the platform.  Jump over the switch, and stand to the left of it, but don’t hit the switch.  Fire a stream of bullets to the right, then quickly stop firing and hold down the right arrow key until you get underneath where the safe will fall.  It will land on your head.

21. Grab the gun.  Stand to the left of the switch.  Fire one bullet and run right over the switch.  You should be firing the bullet after you start running, but before you hit the switch.  The wall will come down just long enough for the bullet to pass by, and the safe will be moved to the next platform, safe from falling.  Repeat this process again to move the safe again.  Then, step on the switch and shoot the safe onto the final switch.  Jump over the first pit and into the spikes.

20. Jump into the pit.  Keep falling continuously.  Shoot continuously left and right until you hit both safes twice.  Walk into the spikes.

19. Hold the right arrow through this whole level.  As soon as you pick up the gun, start shooting.  Your first shot will ricochet back and hit you before the safe has a chance to fall in the way.

18. As soon as you land on the ground, run to the right so you can get under the safe.

17. Push the safe just far enough to the right to activate the switch.  Walk to the left off the screen and come out on the right.  Jump down and walk into the spikes.

16. Jump up the ledges, and jump above the ceiling onto the big ledge at the top.  Fall off the right side and land on the spikes.

15. Jump onto the bottom ledge, then jump up and to the left off the screen, landing on the ledge on the right.  Flip the switch on, then jump over it to the left and onto the electric blocks.

14. Hold down the right arrow key until you are electrocuted.

13. Stand on the switch and press “R” to reload.  Do the same thing three more times in each area of the stage.  Then turn on the electricity and electrocute yourself.

12. Only the spikes on the right side of the screen at the very bottom are real.  Impale yourself on them.

11. Every jump goes higher than the last.  Keep jumping until you can get the gun.  Then, continuously shoot left and right as you jump off the ground to catch a bullet in the rebounder.  Then, continuously jump until you hit a bullet.

10. Repeatedly tap the left arrow key as fast as you can until you impale yourself on the spikes.

9. Jump into the first pit and grab the gun.  Jump into the second pit and land next to the danger block.  Push it to the left so it falls on top of the safe.  Shoot the danger block and the safe will fall into the first pit.  Jump into the first pit and run into the safe.  Somehow it will squish you as you wrap around the world.

8. Jump over the switch without stepping on it.  Push the safe to the right so that it barely touches the edge of the closest danger block.  Get the gun and stand on the safe, facing right.  Shoot three times to clear the three wooden blocks on the bottom.  Jump and shoot the other wood blocks, but be careful not to shoot the danger blocks.  When all the wooden blocks are destroyed, the danger blocks should be arranged like steps.  Jump over the middle to the right and push the final danger block all the way to the left next to the wall.  Stand under the safe, face left, and shoot the danger block.  The chain reaction will send the safe over the switch, and the other safe will fall on your head.

7. Move one block width to the right from your starting location and press the “K” key on your keyboard.

6. Hold down the up arrow so you are constantly jumping.  While doing this, move so that you’re landing repeatedly on the switch.  The block should disappear and reappear, but the safe should not fall.  Jump about a dozen times on the switch and you’ll explode.

5. Jump up to the spikes and impale yourself against them.  The trick here is that the left and right arrow controls are reversed.

4. Click on the map to create blocks.  Make stairs climbing to the ceiling and jump up and impale yourself on the spikes on the ceiling.

3. Wherever your mouse is, there will be an invisible block.  So use this to navigate the map to get over to the safe and push it onto the switch.  Then jump down and impale yourself against the spikes.  You can move up by jumping and moving the mouse underneath your guy, and then just moving your mouse up.

2. Click on “Return to Menu” and you will explode instantly.

1. Avoid the hearts and eventually the square will land on you, squishing you.  Each heart you collect will be one more life you get, and one more time you will have to be squished.

There’s also a little after game where you only have to run to the right three screens and die.  Congratulations, you’re dead!

Here is a step-by-step guide to solving all the puzzles in Gateway II.  The puzzles in this game are challenging, and you should try to solve them yourself first.  If you get stuck, though, all of the answers are below.  If you’d like to play Gateway II, you can here, on Kongregate:

http://www.kongregate.com/games/struma/gateway-ii

1. Enter the gateway on the left.  Walk to the end of the hall and press the button to open the door.  Enter the door.

2. Pick up the handheld mirror.  Click on the big mirror on the wall to look at it.  Click the faucet knob on the right to turn on the hot water.  Steam will rise up and fog the mirror, displaying a number. (7997)  Click on the wall to go back to the bathroom view.

3. Click on the keypad on the cabinet below the sink.  Enter the number into the panel to open it.  Pick up the video tape and leave the bathroom.

4. The door will close and an eye will appear above the door.  Stand under the light and use the mirror on the eye.  Continue back into the main room.

5. Click on the television.  Drag the first video tape into the slot and press the transfer button.  Press the eject button to remove the tape.  Watch the two videos for story, and turn off the TV by clicking next to it.  You don’t have to watch the videos to continue.

6. Enter the doorway on the right.  Walk to the second red square, then back to the first.  Then walk ahead to the 4th and back to the third.  Finally, walk ahead to the sixth, and back to the fifth.  Then walk to the door on the right and it will open.  Go through it.

7. Pick up the lighter and newspaper on the table.  Open the drawer in the top left corner and take the screwdriver.  Look at the painting on the wall and there is a sequence of numbers. (786)

8. Use the newspaper on the door, then use the key on the lock.  Step out of the way and pick up the newspaper to get the key.  Then use the key on the lock and go through the door.

9. There is an invisible path on the ground heading straight out from the door.  You can see the footprints under your mouse when you move it over the path.  When you walk on the path, it shows up for a brief time, and you have to make it entirely visible.  Standing on the standing location just inside the door, click on the farthest point along the path where the mouse still shows footprints.  You will walk straight there and display the whole path.  Take the second videotape and head back through the living room.

10. When you get to the red light path again, walk out to the other door using the same pattern as you did walking in, but in reverse.  Walk out two squares from the right, then back to the first square, then out to the fourth square and back to the third, then out to the sixth square and back to the fifth, then to the other door and it will open.

11. Watch the TV.  Put the second videotape in the slot and press the transfer button.  When it’s done transferring both clips, eject the tape.  Watch the video clips for story and turn off the TV.

12. Enter the second door on the right.  Flip the light on and off three times until you see the light in the distance blink three times.  Examine the table.  Pick up the pen and draw all over the ripped off part of the paper at the bottom.  A number will be revealed. (86763454)  Pick up the phone and call this number.  Proceed to the next room.

13. Use the lighter on the sprinkler, and head to the next room.

14. Get the videotape.  When the eyes appear, open the refrigerator and hide in the shadow behind it.  Your avatar should get very dark gray.  The blinking will speed up, and then stop and the door will open.  Leave the room.

15. Stand under the light and use the mirror on the water.  This will create a spectrum.  (Blue, Purple, Yellow, Green, Red, Orange)  Click on the alarm override near the left door and enter in the same color sequence.  Leave the room to the left and head through through that room back to the main room.

16. Watch the TV.  Put the third videotape in the slot and press the transfer button.  When it’s done transferring both clips, eject the tape.  Watch the video clips for story and turn off the TV.

17. Enter the second door on the left.  Note the code above the opposite door.  (24 79 163)  Look through the window.  Enter 12, 12 into the keypad so that the subject responds 24.  If he is wrong, hit the punish button.  Reset and enter 35, 44 into the keypad so that the subject rcesponds 79.  Again, use the punish button if the result is incorrect.  Reset and enter 99, 64 into the keypad so that the subject responds 163.  Again, use the punish button if the result is incorrect.  Proceed to the left into the next room.

18. Use the telescope.  Watch as the girl comes in and blinks the light three times.  Blink your light three times.  When the light comes on in the distance, use the telescope again.  The phone will ring.  Answer it and dial 11223311 to match the tones.  Proceed into the next room.

19. Watch the TV.  Enter the code from the pyramids into the TV channel console.  (786)  The bookcase will open – take the videotape and return back to the main room.

20. After the little sequence, watch the TV.  Put the fourth videotape in the slot and press the transfer button.  When it’s done transferring all three clips, eject the tape.  Watch the video clips for story and turn off the TV.

21. Pick up the wire.  Examine the girl and plug the wire into her neck.  Enter the numbers into her chest in the chronological order of the videos.  All of the videos are dated (DD/MM).  The order is 2, 6, 4, 3, 7, 9, 8, 5, 1.

22. Watch the final conversation and leave the same way the girl did.  Congratulations!

A step-by step guide to spending all 49 of your lives for Karoshi: Suicide Salaryman.  Karoshi is death by overwork, and the object of this game is to kill yourself on each level.  It’s a unique twist on platformer games and has jazzy music.  You should try it now if you haven’t played it yet.  You can play it here, on Kongregate:

http://www.kongregate.com/games/Venbrux/karoshi-suicide-salaryman

The “Level Number” is how many lives you have left.

49. Jump up the stairs and fall into the spikes.

48. Jump on the ledge and push the first safe to the right so it falls off.  Jump off the ledge and continue pushing the safe to the right until it hits the wall.  Jump on the safe and onto the next ledge.  Push the second safe to the right, and jump over it and into the spikes.

47. Step on the button.  Push the safe to the left so it rests on the button.  Jump onto the ledge and run into the spikes.

46. Step on one of the buttons.  Jump up onto the big ledge and push the safe so it’s overtop the right button.  Step on the right button and the safe will fall on you.

45. Jump over the button and push the safe on the floor so it’s lined up beneath the other safe.  Push the button and the safes will stack.  Push the bottom safe out from underneath and the top one will fall on you.

44. Get the gun and stand on the wall on the left.  Tap right to aim that direction and hold down the up arrow while you continuously press space.  When the safe falls, jump on it and jump on the wall and jump onto the spikes.

43. Get the gun.  Stand on the ledge with the wastebasket and fire the gun to the right as fast as you can.  Make a continuous stream of bullets bouncing all around the screen and over your head.  Jump onto the ledge and again into the stream of bullets.

42. Get the gun.  Stand underneath the picture frame and walk all the way to the right until you can go no further without jumping.  Tap the left arrow key to aim the gun to the left.  Fire two bullets in quick succession and immediately run and stand over top of the wastebasket.  The bullets will bounce around and hit the safe, causing it to fall on your head.

41. Get the gun.  Stand on the small ledge on the left facing right and fire two bullets in quick succession.  The first will hit the wooden block.  The second will hit the safe, knocking it clear of the pit below it.  Push the safe to the right against the wall.  Jump on it, then onto the ledge, and run into the spikes.

40. Get the gun.  Jump on the spring, facing right, and shoot a continuous stream of bullets.  Eventually one will ricochet back and hit you.

39. Get the gun.  Fire a continuous stream of bullets.  Eventually one will ricochet around the screen and hit you.

38. Get the gun.  Shoot the first danger block and start a chain reaction of explosions.  Stand between where the first and second blocks used to be and wait for the safe to land on your head.

37. Get the gun.  Jump onto the ledge with the danger block and push it off the ledge to the right.  Fall off the ledge and continue pushing the danger block to the right until it is exactly on top of the real ledge barely connecting the two chains of danger blocks on the ground.  Stand underneath the safe on the left, face right, shoot the first danger block and wait for the safe to land on your head.

36. Get the gun.  Push the safe to the right one block width so it’s squarely on top of the right danger block.  Stand to the left of the group of danger blocks and shoot the closest one.  The safe will jump onto the second group of danger blocks.  Push the safe to the right so it’s squarely on top of the right danger block.  Stand on the ledge at the far left beneath the safe and shoot to the right.  The safe will jump to the final group of danger blocks.  Jump in the air and continuously shoot.  You will hit either the safe or the danger block.  Either way, the danger block will be sent onto the button and the safe will fall on your head.

35. Walk to the left and wrap around the screen.  Jump onto the sequence of ledges and jump into the spikes.

34. Push the bottom safe to the left so it’s slightly more than one safe’s width away from the left side of the screen.  Jump on it and up onto the ledge above.  Push the safe that is up there to the right so that it falls on top of the other safe.  Walk all the way to the left, fall off the ledge, and push the safe on the bottom all the way to the right up against the wall beneath the two safes.  Go stand on the switch on the far right side of the screen.  Push the safe on the top far enough to the right to get it past the switch with enough room for you to jump on top of the safe and jump over the wall above the switch.  Jump on the electric boxes to electrocute yourself.

33. Get the gun.  Stand on the electric boxes and shoot the switch to the right to electrocute yourself.

32. Push the safe on the electric boxes to the right until it triggers the box switch.  Push the danger box to the right far enough so that it barely touches the last electric box.  Push the safe to the left to be flush with the danger box, without stepping on the regular switch.  Jump over the ledge, and quickly walk over the switch and stand under the safe as it lands on your head.

31. Grab the gun.  Use the spring to land on the nearby platform.  Face to the right and fire.  When the safe falls, fire again.  When the second safe is out of the way, continuously fire and jump until you fire at least two bullets that are at the right height to hit the pink rebounder.  Then stop jumping and hold the right arrow key and you’ll run underneath the bullet.

30. Run into the spikes.

29. Grab the gun and shoot the two wooden boxes.  Stand on the ledge to the left of the remaining three wooden boxes.  Shoot three bullets and quickly press right to fall off the ledge and stand over top of the right flowerpot.  The safe will fall on your head.

28. This level takes luck.  Jump to the right so that you get the gun, firing continously with space bar even before you have the gun.  Keep restarting and trying this until you get a bullet bouncing between the rebounders.  Then, when the bullet heads to the right side of the middle, step on the switch and quickly go and stand far enough from the middle wall so that exactly two blocks can fit between you and the wall.  The bullet will hit the safe and it will fall on your head.

27. Get the gun.  Stand at the far left side of the map, facing right, and shoot.  Quickly run left to wrap around the map and get hit by the bullet on the other side.

26. Push the bottom safe slightly to the right, but not far enough to hit the switch.  Jump on it and up onto the ledge with the second safe.  Jump on the second safe and use it to get on the ledge with the gun.  Be careful not to push the second safe off the ledge.  Get the gun.  Jump onto the ledge to the left with the third safe, and push it off the ledge to the left.  When it falls, push it left so that it lands on the first switch.  Push the first safe all the way to the right to hit the switch.  Jump onto that safe, then the ledge with the second safe, then onto the second safe, then onto the ledge at the top right.  This next part is pretty tricky.  Run off the ledge to the right, and immediately hold down left and start shooting.  Keep holding left to bring your character to a spot half a box width away from the left wall of the pit.  If you shot the safe, it will fall to the left and hit you.  If you shot the wooden block, the safe will fall on you.

25. Get the gun.  Push the danger block to the left so it’s not on top of the switch blocks with the red circles.  Push the safe on top of these switch blocks instead.  Go and press the button to drop the safe to the bottom.  Also flip the switch to turn the electricity on.  Push the danger block to the right so it rests on top of the wooden block and shoot it.  Fall into the hole, jump to the left, and push the safe on top of the switch.  Electrocute yourself.

24. Grab the gun.  Run to the right and jump, shooting the safe at the apex of your jump.  Continue pressing right until you fall and the safe lands on you.  This one may take a couple resets.  Try to jump as late as you can without jumping on top of the platform that the safe is on.

23. Grab the gun.  Push the safe as far to the right as you can.  Stand on the first ledge and shoot left so that the bullet starts bouncing off the rebounders.  Quickly, jump onto the top ledge and run next to the safe and start pushing it to the right, even though it won’t go any further.  Keep pushing it to the right as the bullet hits the other safe at the end of the rebounding and knocks it onto the button.  When I do this, I seem to drop faster than the safe and by pushing right I get under it and die.  If this doesn’t happen, presumably you can just push the safe onto the switch and run into the spikes.  I’ve never had the opportunity, though.

22.  Grab the gun.  Jump on the spring and onto the platform.  Jump over the switch, and stand to the left of it, but don’t hit the switch.  Fire a stream of bullets to the right, then quickly stop firing and hold down the right arrow key until you get underneath where the safe will fall.  It will land on your head.

21. Grab the gun.  Stand to the left of the switch.  Fire one bullet and run right over the switch.  You should be firing the bullet after you start running, but before you hit the switch.  The wall will come down just long enough for the bullet to pass by, and the safe will be moved to the next platform, safe from falling.  Repeat this process again to move the safe again.  Then, step on the switch and shoot the safe onto the final switch.  Jump over the first pit and into the spikes.

20. Jump into the pit.  Keep falling continuously.  Shoot continuously left and right until you hit both safes twice.  Walk into the spikes.

19. Hold the right arrow through this whole level.  As soon as you pick up the gun, start shooting.  Your first shot will ricochet back and hit you before the safe has a chance to fall in the way.

18. As soon as you land on the ground, run to the right so you can get under the safe.

17. Push the safe just far enough to the right to activate the switch.  Walk to the left off the screen and come out on the right.  Jump down and walk into the spikes.

16. Jump up the ledges, and jump above the ceiling onto the big ledge at the top.  Fall off the right side and land on the spikes.

15. Jump onto the bottom ledge, then jump up and to the left off the screen, landing on the ledge on the right.  Flip the switch on, then jump over it to the left and onto the electric blocks.

14. Hold down the right arrow key until you are electrocuted.

13. Stand on the switch and press “R” to reload.  Do the same thing three more times in each area of the stage.  Then turn on the electricity and electrocute yourself.

12. Only the spikes on the right side of the screen at the very bottom are real.  Impale yourself on them.

11. Every jump goes higher than the last.  Keep jumping until you can get the gun.  Then, continuously shoot left and right as you jump off the ground to catch a bullet in the rebounder.  Then, continuously jump until you hit a bullet.

10. Repeatedly tap the left arrow key as fast as you can until you impale yourself on the spikes.

9. Jump into the first pit and grab the gun.  Jump into the second pit and land next to the danger block.  Push it to the left so it falls on top of the safe.  Shoot the danger block and the safe will fall into the first pit.  Jump into the first pit and run into the safe.  Somehow it will squish you as you wrap around the world.

8. Jump over the switch without stepping on it.  Push the safe to the right so that it barely touches the edge of the closest danger block.  Get the gun and stand on the safe, facing right.  Shoot three times to clear the three wooden blocks on the bottom.  Jump and shoot the other wood blocks, but be careful not to shoot the danger blocks.  When all the wooden blocks are destroyed, the danger blocks should be arranged like steps.  Jump over the middle to the right and push the final danger block all the way to the left next to the wall.  Stand under the safe, face left, and shoot the danger block.  The chain reaction will send the safe over the switch, and the other safe will fall on your head.

7. Move one block width to the right from your starting location and press the “K” key on your keyboard.

6. Hold down the up arrow so you are constantly jumping.  While doing this, move so that you’re landing repeatedly on the switch.  The block should disappear and reappear, but the safe should not fall.  Jump about a dozen times on the switch and you’ll explode.

5. Jump up to the spikes and impale yourself against them.  The trick here is that the left and right arrow controls are reversed.

4. Click on the map to create blocks.  Make stairs climbing to the ceiling and jump up and impale yourself on the spikes on the ceiling.

3. Wherever your mouse is, there will be an invisible block.  So use this to navigate the map to get over to the safe and push it onto the switch.  Then jump down and impale yourself against the spikes.  You can move up by jumping and moving the mouse underneath your guy, and then just moving your mouse up.

2. Click on “Return to Menu” and you will explode instantly.

1. Avoid the hearts and eventually the square will land on you, squishing you.  Each heart you collect will be one more life you get, and one more time you will have to be squished.

There’s also a little after game where you only have to run to the right three screens and die.  Congratulations, you’re dead!

This was a great web-based RPG that I played a long time ago and was uber addicted to.  I forgot the domain name and had been searching for it for years.  Finally, I just went through every page of MPOGD manually until I recognized the name.  Uh oh, now I’m hooked again.

http://www.carnageblender.com/ (use this link to start with an extra $400)

There’s a tutorial to complete, and challenges for bonus money.  These will get you started.  Be warned, this game is addicting.  Fight against other players and use the XP to train your minions stats and buy skills.  Use the money you get to buy new weapons and equipment.  This is only the start.  As you keep getting stronger, you keep walking up the ladder, but how far does it go?  There are lots and lots of players on this site, which means endless opponents.

Give it a shot.  I highly recommend it.  It’s a great way to spend your 15 minute break because you only have so many battle allowances, and they take time to recharge.  You literally can’t spend all day playing it!  (is that a bonus?)