Alt+Escape: Upgrade Complete

[Generator]

I've never played any of your featured games. But lately, I just kind of wait for you guys to tell me what to play anyways.

I wasn't too impressed at first, but it really drew me in about halfway through. Very addicting, but also very enjoyable.

 

[Pebsy]

this was definently an enjoyable game, and a fresh idea i suppose. Good review of it overall though it is a bit old.

On a request, could you please do "Company of Myself" also found on kongregate. I find it is an absolutely amazing game and the kongregate community made it number one in the puzzle section upon its debut.

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

The game is fun (played it a while ago). However, I'm baffled as to why it's one of the most played games on Kongregate. It's not that replayable, is it?

 

[Cpu46]

Oh wow, where did the last 20 minutes go. Damn you Obsessive Compulsive Dissorder.

 

[Eric the Orange]

I found the "good ending" hilarious.

 

[Little Duck]

It was interesting. Reminds me alot of games today where you need to buy extra bits for it. Personally, if I was a developer, I would free patch any new levels or characters into the game, but I'm not.

 

[messy]

Good game, bit too easy though. 6 cannons, 3 homings, 2 coin magnets and a lightning thing does the trick. Also it's really quick to get money. Clever idea though, might've worked better with a more engaging game; a platformer one could be cool

 

[SomeUnregPunk]

I"m just hoping he'll start doing some of vector shmup games like Warning Forever [http://www18.big.or.jp/~hikoza/Prod/] or one from ABA Games [http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~cs8k-cyu/] like Torus Trooper.

or one of the weirder shmups I've played which has you playing practically every generation of shmups in one game...Genetos [http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http://www.tatsuya-koyama.com/index.html&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=ja&tl=en]

But then again he does seem to like surreal type of games so maybe he'll review Continuity [http://www.continuitygame.com/]?

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

Okay we get some more obscure games... I.e not those featured on Kongregate at some point?

Given the massive selection of games on Kongregate, it's hard for him to post a game that ISN'T on there. He may or may not link to the Kongregate page for said game, but most games he posts are available on Kongregate. There are also plenty of "obscure" games on Kongregate. Hell, I'd call Upgrade Complete to be pretty obscure.

I actually find it ironic. Everyone seems fine with his selection of games UNTIL he posts a link to Kongregate. Never mind that the last 5 or so games he posted were also available on Kongregate as well the link he provided. Somehow this one is worse simply because he happened to link to the game via Kongregate, meanwhile the last 5 games were completely acceptable.

You should probably note that Kongregate doesn't design games, it's just a website where people post their games. So bashing on the Alt-Escape choice of the week for being on Kongregate is on the same fanboyish level as bashing on a game just because it was published on the 360. Nevermind that if it was on the PS3 you'd be worshiping the game, since it was published on the system (or in this case, the website) you hate it's time to break out the torches and pitchforks.

I"m just hoping he'll start doing some of vector shmup games like Warning Forever [http://www18.big.or.jp/~hikoza/Prod/] or one from ABA Games [http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~cs8k-cyu/] like Torus Trooper.

He doesn't do games that require a download and install. The closest he gets to that is the occasional Blurst game that requires a specific plug-in that's uncommon for people to have. In any case, Alt-Escape is mostly about quick little flash games. Something where you just click the link and there's the game. So I'm sure those are good games, but they're beyond the scope of what this panel aims for.

 

[lodo_bear]

Famous or not, this is the first I've heard of it. This game looks like a combination of my wildest dream and my worst nightmare. I fear that if I begin paying I won't stop for weeks until I've completely perfected the look I was going for and I get pretty damn picky in games like this.

Well put. That curious combination of fun and annoying that you can't every get away from. Still, I felt that it was fun enough to balance out the annoyance, and you really can't do something like this without it being annoying, so it's all for art.

Welly well.

Author went a little on the high horse there in the end, but I do get his point. Most RPGs are only fun because of the upgrading and the gameplay comes second. Really enjoyed those brief 15 minutes of upgrade madness.

I agree. Boosting yourself up is fun, and riding into battle on your mighty upgrades, while essential to the whole concept, serves more as an encore than a main attraction.
Seeing the concept of upgrading extended to the entire game was pretty clever, and a nice dig on pay-as-you-go games like Evony.

Eh, it tries to be like Achievement Unlocked, but it fails.
*snip*
At any rate, if you want more metagaming fun just play This Is The Only Level [http://armorgames.com/play/4309/this-is-the-only-level], by the same makers of Achievement Unlocked and starring the same blue elephant.

I agree on all counts; thank you for saying all of that so well. Upgrading is more valid than unlocking achievements. After all, upgrades happen in real life all the time (your car, your computer, your armor clothing, even your food), but I truly cannot think of any real-life examples of unlocking achievements. I'm sure someone can, though... *waits nervously*

But then again he does seem to like surreal type of games so maybe he'll review Continuity [http://www.continuitygame.com/]?

Thanks for linking to Continuity. Combining a platformer with a card-matching puzzle is pretty clever. It reminded me of Level Editor [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/alt-escape/6775-Alt-Escape-Level-Editor] and Eversion [http://zarat.us/tra/offline-games/eversion.html], other games where you had to change the world as you walked through it. Also Time Fcuk [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/alt-escape/6546-Alt-Escape-Time-Fcuk] (I seem to really like creepy games). It's fun to poke around, to see what happens to your world as you change it, and then switch from world-altering god and platform-hopping mortal and try to hop through the level.

 

[lodo_bear]

Did it and did it again. My ship had six missile launchers, three magnets and an agility panel, upgraded to the max. I named it 'the hornet's nest'. I never even had to move. Makes me wonder what I was doing with the aglity panel in the first place...

I toyed around a little with the different guns, too. If you have all missile launchers, it's entirely possible to beat level Twenty by just sitting there and holding down the trigger. The missiles seek out your targets, and if you have magnets, the coins seek out you.

If you have all regular guns, you can still win, but you have to move around a little. It's good to have an agility panel for that.

If you have all lightning, you cannot win. I had my ship tricked out with twelve level-five lightning weapons, and I still couldn't destroy them all. My beloved Bug Zapper was overwhelmed.

 

[ima420r]

Great game. I had never heard of it, or the site it is on. Only took some 1500 seconds to beat and get all the awards, but it was great fun. I had to chuckle when I bought the music, only to have to buy the off switch for it.

 

[Adanos]

I played this game before. Freakin' awesome. I really loled when I bought the Copyright text.

 

[Jared]

Quite an addictive little game. Will keep me entertained on my lunch break through the week!

 

[Gaias]

Are not modern games already going down this path with DLC? Buy the core game and then 'upgrade' it with post release content for the full game experience?

 

[joeinthebox]

i love this game
strange how addicting it can be just to find the precise way to make your ship as great as possible
i agree with greg about the upgrades being fun enough to stamp out the point they were making
and the upgraded ending is so amazing, well worth the ridiculous amount of money it costs
this is the enemy, they suck
this is me, i pwn XD