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A List With A Difference Many web sites like to list what they think are the top 5 or 10 games of the year, and all too often their picks are nothing more than the top sellers who are put into genres conveniently picked to match those games. These kinds of lists bore me and so every year I'll pick the five most overlooked games of the previous year. By overlooked I mean games that were given few if any reviews in the magazines and who didn't make a lot of buzz in the gaming web sites. These games will also be considered by me to be worthy of buying and playing by anyone who likes that type of game. Since this is the first installment, all games released in 2000 and earlier were considered so as to not leave any game out. I can't describe everything about the game in the limited space provided and hope to provide enough information so that you'll go to the company's web site and read more about it. I hope you like my choices and if you have a game that you think should have been included, please let me know.
Title: Burning
Monkey Puzzle Lab
Some might look at Burning Monkey Puzzle Lab (BMPL) as merely another Tetris clone and pay no more attention to it. If you download it and give it a try, you'll find that it's more complex (but not confusingly so) and more enjoyable than first thought. Instead of six-sided blocks, you have eight-sided blocks or circles. You earn debris by clearing out lines that you can send at your opponent to make his progress slower. The colors are bright and the music is lively. You also have multiple modes of play with the ability to tweak the game's rules to fit your playing style. Of course you have the legendary burning monkey humor and their sarcastic wit. Add in multiplayer play and Freeverse's own gaming server to find opponents (like GameRanger in concept) and you have an enjoyable game that everyone will enjoy. So Why Is It Overlooked?
Title: Clan
Lord
Playing games lets you enter a new and fascinating world but all too often they remain the same and the only people you interact with is the computer which is often dimwitted at the best of times. What if you could play with other people in a world that you could change through your actions? What if you could explore new lands and meet interesting people? That might have been the inspiration behind Clan Lord, an online role-playing game which takes place in the island chain of Lok'Groton. The town of Puddleby is the only city and dangerous wildlife is all around you. You're exiled into this land and you can make of it what you will. Clan Lord is unique in that you get out of it what you put into it. If you want to just go around and kill animals to earn experience then you won't see all that Clan Lord has to offer. However, if you talk to the other players (some call ourselves Puddlebeans or simply Exiles) and get in-character then you can take part in many stories and really participate in a new world. Pretty soon, you're part of a clan and wondering how you are going to respond to that cute Sylvan who you always happen to run into or wonder just what Tenebrion is doing with Purgatory Pendants. Clan Lord is fascinating and being able to affect a world and other people is immeasurable. So Why Is It Overlooked?
Title: Ferazel's
Wand
This choice might come as no surprise considering that I'm near the end of my Ferazel's Wand strategy guide which is located here at MOSJ. I didn't think that I'd like a platform game but Ferazel's Wand changed my opinion. Even though it has its aggravating times such as when I make a dumb move and fall into a bottomless pit or spend too much time burning my shoes by walking on fire, Ferazel's Wand is fun enough so that I am willing to start from a saved game and work to get past that troublesome spot, instead of just giving up. Ferazel's Wand also has spells that are unique and can each have a use in certain situations. Finding all of the secrets is also a challenge and with a bit of patience, it's possible to get 100%. The levels are designed very well and have enough challenges to keep them interesting but are all doable given enough practice and strategy. The graphics, music, and sound effects are all top notch and combine to make a really fun and enjoyable platform game whether you are experienced or a novice at these types of games. So Why Is It Overlooked?
Title:
Heroes
of Might and Magic III Complete
Heroes of Might and Magic III Complete (HOMM3C) is a difficult game for me to describe. It has exploration and town building just like WarCraft but H3C is turn-based which lets you take as much time to decide each move before implementing them. You have access to a variety of low- and high-level mythical troops to use in battles, but their abilities are affected by the hero that leads them. It acts somewhat like a role-playing game where each hero learns skills and magical spells, gets items, and can even trade them to and from other heroes. You travel on horseback but can also use boats to sail to foreign lands. If you like strategy games but find the pace too frantic and the winner more reliant on who can build faster rather than smarter, you'll love H3C. The graphics are bright and detailed and the music thankfully subdued but enjoyable to listen to. So Why Is It Overlooked?
Title:
King of Dragon
Pass
King of Dragon Pass is another game that's hard to classify. King of Dragon Pass (KoDP) is set in the world of Glorantha and you are the head of a new settlement in Dragon Pass. You have to make sure that you have enough food, your land is well guarded, your gods are listened to, and you pay attention to your neighbors. Its greatest achievement is that it plays much like a choose-your-own-adventure in that you're given a situation and several choices from which you make your decision. There is no right answer but there are better and worse ones depending on your situation. What's also great about KoDP is that the world is so rich with myth and interesting characters that it really feels like a real world that you'd like to visit and even live in. In fact, in order to really succeed at KoDP you have to start thinking like an inhabitant of Dragon Pass. A choice that you or I wouldn't have made might be the perfect one in the eyes of actual Gloranthans, and vice-versa. So Why Is It Overlooked?
Another List Comes to a Close... This is the end of my top five most overlooked games of 2000 and earlier. I hope that you'll take the time to look at some or all of my choices and may all future games be as fun and fascinating as the five I've just listed.
Who is Erica? What is this column? Hello everyone! My name is Erica J. Marceau and I am the resident Game Expert of the Mac OS Journal staff. When I'm not playing or thinking about games, I am looking for a job as an Electrical Engineer after graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering. My other hobbies include watching animÈ and reading manga, reading fantasy and science fiction books, role-playing, learning as much about technology as I can, and traveling in the lands of Puddleby in Clan Lord as Jeanne. Every month I'll cover a different topic, from interviews with important people in the gaming industry to ideas for the perfect game, and everything in between. And if there is a topic of the Mac gaming industry that you'd like me to talk about or you want to be interviewed, please email me at: erica@macosjournal.com or use this feedback form.
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