CONGRATULATIONS on your EFFORT

July 27, 2009 6:02 PM

RUN! is a single-button flash game. Hold A to run, and let it go to slow down. There are three difficulty settings and five levels. The music, design and sfx are off-putting. You will probably either hate it or play it for about 3 hours, and then hate it.

Also by the same author (authors?) is Rescue, a game about saving babies in a cave.

posted by Damn That Television (53 comments total)

Hated it.
posted by Roger Dodger at 6:07 PM on July 27, 2009

You know, for a second I thought this was going to be some kind of adaptation of The Long Walk done 50k Racewalker style. Basically: hold the button and run until you are dead.

Consider me pleasantly surprised.
posted by Askiba at 6:09 PM on July 27, 2009

I am just not good enough at games anywhere for this kind of thing. If I die on the first hazard of the first level 50% of the time, where's the fun?
posted by smackfu at 6:31 PM on July 27, 2009 [1 favorite]

(For contrast, I used to be quite good at Battletoads.)
posted by smackfu at 6:32 PM on July 27, 2009

You will probably either hate it or play itwait for it to load for about 3 hours, and then hate it
posted by DU at 6:32 PM on July 27, 2009

Took longer to load than to come to hate it.
posted by CaseyB at 6:33 PM on July 27, 2009 [3 favorites]

I couldn't get past like the first thing.

What the fuck.
posted by kbanas at 6:39 PM on July 27, 2009

Am I the only one who thinks that loading animation has some phallic stuff going on?
posted by jeffamaphone at 6:41 PM on July 27, 2009

Okay, it sucks.
posted by jeffamaphone at 6:42 PM on July 27, 2009

hate...
posted by HuronBob at 6:43 PM on July 27, 2009

The flash file is 8.3 MB. That's why they invented progress bars.
posted by smackfu at 6:44 PM on July 27, 2009

I like games with achievable goals. You know goals, right? Like, say, getting to the end of the level. Or, getting past the first obstacle even.

Maybe I am too demanding.
posted by Sova at 6:47 PM on July 27, 2009

What exactly were you thinking when you posted this? Do you delight in wasting people's time? Do you take pleasure in ruining moods?

I'm going to look up something of yours I favorited earlier, and then revoke that favorite. There, that will show you. Ha.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:53 PM on July 27, 2009 [3 favorites]

On second thought: maybe you just hate people? You could have simply told us that, would have saved us all a lot of time.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:58 PM on July 27, 2009

hello bad rip of N+. how are you?
posted by ShawnString at 7:03 PM on July 27, 2009

The flash file is 8.3 MB. That's why they invented progress bars.

Good grief. SFCave for the Palm was a 25k download.
posted by Combustible Edison Lighthouse at 7:03 PM on July 27, 2009

Stupid
posted by oddman at 7:04 PM on July 27, 2009

Fine, I'll be the first to say it: This game sucks.
posted by mathlete at 7:05 PM on July 27, 2009

I thought it was cute.
posted by roll truck roll at 7:14 PM on July 27, 2009

That game SUCKS. Yes, in all caps. That's probably the worst game ever posted to MeFi's front page, at least that wasn't deliberately awful.
posted by Malor at 7:16 PM on July 27, 2009

Didn't hate it. Also not gonna play it more than a few minutes. I think what makes it so hard is that the rhythms used to get past obstacles are like the music, sort of off and stuttery. Interesting, but not too engaging.
posted by carsonb at 7:17 PM on July 27, 2009

If you are frustrated because you can't beat the first screen: hold down a for the first 2.5 seconds xD You'll learn quickly when to stop!
posted by rubah at 7:20 PM on July 27, 2009

I've played worse.
posted by box at 7:27 PM on July 27, 2009 [1 favorite]

Like Bomberman 64. It pains me to say this, because I like the N64, and I love Bomberman, but that game is terrible. It's awkward, slow, ugly... I almost wonder if it's worse than Act Zero.
posted by box at 7:30 PM on July 27, 2009

Hated it. I also hated Onekey, another game of the same type, but that one's got much higher production values, and it took me much longer to hate it.
posted by echo target at 7:35 PM on July 27, 2009

This game sucks. Pressing the A button harder doesn't make him go faster at all. Didn't they learn anything from Super Mario Bros?
posted by 0xFCAF at 7:46 PM on July 27, 2009 [2 favorites]

That's the easy difficulty? Fuck that shit.
posted by Khalad at 7:47 PM on July 27, 2009

Yeah, this was sort of annoying.

Does anyone remember the 3D running game where you could walk on the walls and ceiling, and it was trippy as fuck? That was about 10,000 times better.
posted by selfnoise at 7:55 PM on July 27, 2009

Don't really have an opinion on the game except that all the Type Crime makes baby jebus take up crack.
posted by signal at 8:05 PM on July 27, 2009

Worst Game Ever.
posted by Hoosier Prospector at 8:12 PM on July 27, 2009

So what's the verdict on this game, before I go check it out? Is it any good?
posted by sleevener at 8:25 PM on July 27, 2009 [3 favorites]

hate hate hate. sorry.
posted by beandip at 8:45 PM on July 27, 2009

sleevener, critics are unanimous in their praise:

• Askiba: "Consider me pleasantly surprised!"
• Smackfu: "...good...of the first level...fun"
• Sova: "...achievable goals."
• goodnewsfortheinsane: "Do you delight in...pleasure...[a] favorite"
• mathlete: "Fine...game"
• carsonb: "the rhythms used to get past obstacles are like...music."
• echo target: "much higher production values"
• 0xFCAF: "[comparable to] Super Mario Bros"
• Khalad: "That's the...shit"
• selfnoise: "trippy as fuck...10,000 times better"

Discover what the critics are raving about, play it today!
posted by maxwelton at 9:01 PM on July 27, 2009 [51 favorites]

Like Bomberman 64.

Wow, I played that game too. We got it when a local video store went under and was selling everything (it was pretty sweet, actually).

Rather disappointing, I don't think any of the games that we got from that sale were any good. Quest 64 anyone?
posted by hellojed at 9:07 PM on July 27, 2009

I don't think anyone suffering in this thread can get some closure until you explain yourself, Damn That Television.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 9:08 PM on July 27, 2009

This game wins Worst Typography and Creepiest Music.
posted by reishus at 9:09 PM on July 27, 2009

Oh wow, I really liked the treatment of type in this game. Reminded me of some of the wacked out stuff they used to try in Raygun magazine. The design was better than the game.
posted by scrowdid at 9:23 PM on July 27, 2009

Speaking of ridiculously hard games, I just got up past 900 coins in Moneyseize. That is an example of a game where you can die 200 times on a level and still love it.
posted by TypographicalError at 9:25 PM on July 27, 2009 [1 favorite]

Well, seeing as I compared playing this game to dying a horrible, slow death... praise in that context I guess.
posted by Askiba at 9:54 PM on July 27, 2009

Games are supposed to be fun.
posted by rahnefan at 9:54 PM on July 27, 2009

I'd rather be playing Shove a Spike in My Eyeballs.
posted by WalterMitty at 10:30 PM on July 27, 2009

I liked the music.
posted by 517 at 11:39 PM on July 27, 2009

Got to the second level - very easy once you figure it out, but hated doing the figuring. And really hated the second level. I liked some of the elements (the creepy gooby melted men, and the firecrackers, which were scary as hell to begin with) but it wasn't enough to keep me playing.
posted by The Monkey at 11:51 PM on July 27, 2009

You know what, it's a pretty good MyFirstFlashGame project, like from a textbook. You have your sprite, your controls control, your side-scrolling, and your collision detection. Excellent learning project.

After you make this, you're damn near ready to move on and make a real game.

But, like... don't publish your homework to MeFi's front page, MyFirstFlashProgrammer.
posted by rokusan at 12:21 AM on July 28, 2009

I enjoyed dying immensely.
posted by davejay at 12:24 AM on July 28, 2009

I thought it was interesting. Experiences that are designed to be approachable by everyone but not actually accessible to anyone. It's a different approach to the medium. I mean the sheer amount of effort you'd have to put in to beat that, you'd either really love it or hate it at the end. Either way you'd be really engaged with the game.
posted by Peztopiary at 2:34 AM on July 28, 2009

I was able to make it past the first wide obstacle on the second level once before I nearly succumbed to the urge to jump in front of traffic. I would rather choke on a turd than play this game again.
posted by Clamwacker at 4:04 AM on July 28, 2009

Peztopiary, you should check out the series of motorcycle games called "Trials"... they have that level of difficulty vs. accessibility, in that you theoretically can complete each level, but further theoretically, you can complete each level without crashing once. It is a lot more engaging, since you have to control your guy's balance, but on top of that, you're halfway to being Jesus Christ if you can actually complete the later levels without crashing.
posted by Clamwacker at 4:06 AM on July 28, 2009

A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?
posted by jenkinsEar at 4:37 AM on July 28, 2009 [2 favorites]

There is a thing called a "good suck" (stolen from Dan Trachtenberg from The Totally Rad Show) a game like N+ has it. You may die 1000 deaths but it is still really fun and you..just...want...to...finish..this...level.

This game doesnt have that.
posted by ShawnString at 4:48 AM on July 28, 2009

Yeah, I couldn't be bothered to play for more than a minute or so. I do have to say, there's I like in presentation. Maybe because it reminds me a bit of Xiao Xiao.

On an only somewhat related aside, I'd like to take this opportunity to mention my favorite one-button game, Sky Puppy.
posted by Dr-Baa at 5:16 AM on July 28, 2009

You know what game I liked Metroid Prime Pinball for the DS. It is a fun challenge. I don't know why she is in a pinball machine but you get to smash metroids with pinball and drop bombs near an ice boss. I give that game 10 out of 10 stars. I probably had more fun with the phantom hourglass obsessing over it for a week or so but I keep coming back to metroid prime pinball. I think this game is underrated. You never hear people talk about it's excellent pinball action.
posted by I Foody at 7:52 AM on July 28, 2009

nerds are mean, this game was great.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:48 AM on July 28, 2009