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October 23, 2011 8:58 PM Subscribe
A Game About Game Literacy (Flash, some strobe on later levels)
Remember at the end of Half-Life where you got teleported to Xen and immediately got faced with a ridiculous "die a bunch of times to accomplish nothing" jumping puzzle, that, after you fail 90 times in a row, you finally succeed and get to stand on actual ground, which is where you should have teleported to in the first place?
That's the jumping puzzle that, in retrospect, makes you realize where that game went from awesome to lame (yes, the end of Half-Life was lame). There's a reason I bring this up now.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 9:11 PM on October 23, 2011 [4 favorites]
That's the jumping puzzle that, in retrospect, makes you realize where that game went from awesome to lame (yes, the end of Half-Life was lame). There's a reason I bring this up now.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 9:11 PM on October 23, 2011 [4 favorites]
Gordon Freeman is so going to teleport inside your head and beat up your brain crystal with a crowbar for saying that.
posted by Artw at 9:13 PM on October 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 9:13 PM on October 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Nice little game, but I'm not sure I understand how it's about game literacy more than any other game.
posted by cmoj at 9:58 PM on October 23, 2011
posted by cmoj at 9:58 PM on October 23, 2011
I played through a few days ago -- the "last" level with the seemingly impossible jump is actually beatable, so don't give up. I think Grid 16 is a better treatment of the "game literacy" concept, though.
posted by Rhaomi at 10:21 PM on October 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Rhaomi at 10:21 PM on October 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Rhaomi how do you make that jump?
posted by Peztopiary at 10:36 PM on October 23, 2011
posted by Peztopiary at 10:36 PM on October 23, 2011
Never mind I'm dumb.
posted by Peztopiary at 10:45 PM on October 23, 2011
posted by Peztopiary at 10:45 PM on October 23, 2011
I ragequit at crosstrianglecross (or whatever that level was.)
posted by subversiveasset at 11:29 PM on October 23, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by subversiveasset at 11:29 PM on October 23, 2011 [3 favorites]
Never mind I'm dumb.
Actually, the game's physics model is dumb (even for a universe where double jumping is possible).
posted by knave at 12:19 AM on October 24, 2011
Actually, the game's physics model is dumb (even for a universe where double jumping is possible).
posted by knave at 12:19 AM on October 24, 2011
That's a neat mechanic, and the last level was a good challenge. I would have been tempted to spin it out into more levels, but that was probably just about the right length. Also, the little somersault when you jump is great.
Seems like just about every Flash game uses sfxr these days. I do like a bit of blippy blop (and I use it too), but I'd love it if someone came out with a similar tool which made more naturalistic sounds. Actually, just sfxr with the option to import samples would be perfect. Hmm.
posted by lucidium at 3:09 AM on October 24, 2011
Seems like just about every Flash game uses sfxr these days. I do like a bit of blippy blop (and I use it too), but I'd love it if someone came out with a similar tool which made more naturalistic sounds. Actually, just sfxr with the option to import samples would be perfect. Hmm.
posted by lucidium at 3:09 AM on October 24, 2011
Got bored on the level with the eight vertical successive jumps required to reach the goal-beast. Nice enough game, but I don't see literacy as being central to the concept and it doesn't really bring anything new to the table.
Can't say I like time limits on my platform games though, so I'm biased.
posted by YAMWAK at 4:48 AM on October 24, 2011
Can't say I like time limits on my platform games though, so I'm biased.
posted by YAMWAK at 4:48 AM on October 24, 2011
The time limits were annoying, because they made me repeat the same stuff over and over again. Apart from that, I quite enjoyed it for the time it took me to beat it. The last level looked like something had glitched. There is a trick and you can in fact proceed from the little cell where you start, using nothing but the arrow keys.
When you win, it displays this at the end. That's the second end, not counting the first end which is a level you can complete and after which the game continues. (Maybe there is a third ending too? I wouldn't trust this game.)
posted by tykky at 5:04 AM on October 24, 2011
When you win, it displays this at the end. That's the second end, not counting the first end which is a level you can complete and after which the game continues. (Maybe there is a third ending too? I wouldn't trust this game.)
YOU WIN! SUPER FUN(Strobe effect not reproduced here due to technical limitations and commenter not being a complete asshole.)
VICTORY RAVE DANCE
PARTY TIME!
posted by tykky at 5:04 AM on October 24, 2011
CROSSCROSSCROSS is killing me.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 5:18 AM on October 24, 2011
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 5:18 AM on October 24, 2011
Nice illustration of the basic Metroid rules though the time limit works better while it's still on platformer mode. Initially I couldn't do the triple jump at the Metroid stage and tried to wall-jump, heh.
posted by ersatz at 7:04 AM on October 24, 2011
posted by ersatz at 7:04 AM on October 24, 2011
So there's no additional gameplay after that last level that I am never going to bother with, correct? I'd hate to think I was missing out on an opportunity to smash my keyboard with my forehead.
posted by SharkParty at 7:39 AM on October 24, 2011
posted by SharkParty at 7:39 AM on October 24, 2011
Woo! I won! Jpfed: Are you certain you know the correct path for completing CROSSCROSSCROSS? The level designer wasn't sloppy. Once I figured it out, it only took a couple of attempts to complete.
posted by SemiSophos at 8:24 AM on October 24, 2011
posted by SemiSophos at 8:24 AM on October 24, 2011
I need no puzzle to tell me that I am utterly game-illiterate.
posted by everichon at 10:29 AM on October 24, 2011
posted by everichon at 10:29 AM on October 24, 2011
So there's no additional gameplay after that last level that I am never going to bother with, correct? I'd hate to think I was missing out on an opportunity to smash my keyboard with my forehead.
There's a bunch more levels after that, and they get harder.
posted by empath at 10:30 AM on October 24, 2011
There's a bunch more levels after that, and they get harder.
posted by empath at 10:30 AM on October 24, 2011
How do you do the last jump?
You don't have to be on the ground to jump.
posted by empath at 10:30 AM on October 24, 2011
You don't have to be on the ground to jump.
posted by empath at 10:30 AM on October 24, 2011
Fucking twitch games.
I am 45. I have intermittent RSI and/or carpal tunnel in both wrists. My neurons are slowing down and my fingers do not respond as quickly as they used to. I used to be better than this, I used to be faster. But I'm not, and I never will be again.
I do not need games that use the word 'literacy' about a dexterity test to make me feel inadequate.
Fuck only knows why platform games have come to be regarded as the base standard of knowing how to play a computer game while glorious, beautiful new text adventures struggle to get a thousand downloads.
posted by Hogshead at 4:09 PM on October 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
I am 45. I have intermittent RSI and/or carpal tunnel in both wrists. My neurons are slowing down and my fingers do not respond as quickly as they used to. I used to be better than this, I used to be faster. But I'm not, and I never will be again.
I do not need games that use the word 'literacy' about a dexterity test to make me feel inadequate.
Fuck only knows why platform games have come to be regarded as the base standard of knowing how to play a computer game while glorious, beautiful new text adventures struggle to get a thousand downloads.
posted by Hogshead at 4:09 PM on October 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
Heh. The Text Adventure version would go something like...
GO DIRECTION
GET THING THEN GO DIRECTION
GET THINGS THEN GO DIRECTION
GET THING GO DIRECTION DROP THING THEN GO DIRECTION
...
GET AND DROP COMBINATIONS OF THINGS UNTIL YOU CAN GO DIRECTION
...
GET THINGS, COMBINE THINGS THEN GO DIRECTION
...
GET THINGS RANDOMLY COMBINE THEM UNTIL YOU CAN GO DIRECTION
posted by Artw at 4:13 PM on October 24, 2011
GO DIRECTION
GET THING THEN GO DIRECTION
GET THINGS THEN GO DIRECTION
GET THING GO DIRECTION DROP THING THEN GO DIRECTION
...
GET AND DROP COMBINATIONS OF THINGS UNTIL YOU CAN GO DIRECTION
...
GET THINGS, COMBINE THINGS THEN GO DIRECTION
...
GET THINGS RANDOMLY COMBINE THEM UNTIL YOU CAN GO DIRECTION
posted by Artw at 4:13 PM on October 24, 2011
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posted by Artw at 9:03 PM on October 23, 2011