Michael Walbridge
They Bleed Pixels: Challenge, style, platform combat
PC / Reviews / by Michael Walbridge 1 /
The indie scene abounds with platformers, horror themes and the video game equivalent of album names in music: cryptic and asking for a deeper meaning. The latest, They Bleed Pixels, has an innovative performance-based save system that turns this platformer into an entertaining and effective mix of brawling, platforming and scoring. Most platformers have times and points, but in They Bleed Pixels, you are encouraged to kill everything, and to do so with style and combo points. Sometimes you can just kick a monster off a ledge. Or you could throw it up in the air multiple times in an air juggle, then pummel it, and then make sure that it lands on the spikes instead of the ground. READ MORE
Diablo 3: It's as much about economics as it is combat
I have 35 hours played on my way to level 50 in Diablo 3, and have only 10 more levels until I hit the cap. I need to farm more before I can beat Diablo on Nightmare, the second of four difficulty levels. The only way to get ahead now is to grind for a long time, or to purchase an item I can't afford on the auction house. I have bid on a lot of rare weapons that are not the most optimal for a Witch Doctor, but would give me a much-needed boost in damage. I can't afford to buy any of them outright, but there are so many that it is likely I'll get one of the half-dozen I've bid on. READ MORE
Molydeux Reveux: The lessons of Molyjam
Features / Molydeux Reveux / by Michael Walbridge /
Writer Mike Walbridge's goal: play every Molyjam game and tell you about as many as he can. This is the final installment. Check out the archive for more.
I have done it! I have played every single Molyjam game I could possibly play. Some I couldn't play because of broken links—others, because I lacked the necessary software (a few phone games) or hardware (like a dancepad!). A few I was able to watch, instead of play. READ MORE
Molydeux Reveux: Ever played as a washing machine?
Writer Mike Walbridge's goal: play every Molyjam game and tell you about as many as he can. Want to know more? Click here.
196: These automatic arms.: "Game where your arms are controlled by a psychopath who keeps firing guns at innocent people. You must turn away from them and run."
This is the most creative and best-implemented version of the "uncontrollable arms" tweet, despite its minimalist art style. There was a unique pause mechanic, a theme, a story, and characters that manage to involve you in the game. I also enjoyed the challenge of figuring out the best way to get through the rooms. It is difficult to successfully mix strategy and player's real-time responses in a 2D top-down room-to-room game, but here it is. READ MORE
Molydeux Reveux: Babies, roads and 8-player octopi
Features / Molydeux Reveux / by Michael Walbridge 1 /
246: Friends 'til the end: "You play as a small boy with a remote control helicoptor that is alive and your friend, then you discover a nuclear missle inside it"
The controls and movement abilities in this game need some tweaking, but the Game Over screen alone is a good reason to play this game. It's also one of the most distinctive games. You have to delicately move a helicopter with a nuclear bomb in it? This is so dark and gritty, and you'd never see this one on Xbox Live. The challenge is frustrating, but at least there's that screen. READ MORE