Building a game out of cardboard and clay: The Dream Machine

No one will accuse The Dream Machine of looking generic. Created in part as a response to the seemingly endless stream of similar-looking games on the market, the developers at Cockroach Inc. built The Dream Machine to be something different: a stop-motion, episodic, point-and-click adventure.

Ars spoke with Anders Gustafsson, one half of Cockroach, to learn just how to make a game out of cardboard and clay.

Read the complete article at Ars Technica.

Scott Pilgrim Vol. 6 Toronto Launch Party

Check out the entire gallery at UGO.

Making Games On The Side: Development In The Real World

Gaming might be a multi-billion dollar industry, but that doesn’t mean that everyone can eke out a living by making games — or even that everyone who makes games wants to.

With the rise in popularity and accessibility of smaller, downloadable games, a number of developers are able to make the games they want on the side, in addition to other work. Some do so with the intention of eventually turning development into a career; others simply do it for the love.

Somehow, however, they all manage to make the time to create games on top of other responsibilities, from hobbyist developers like Benjamin Rivers to those trying to turn what they love into a career like Jim McGinley and Andy Moore.

Read the complete article at Gamasutra.

Bear vs Penguins review

Even with the constant threat of global warming threatening to destroy their natural habitat, polar bears have much more pressing concerns. Like penguins, for instance. Namely, heavily militarized penguins that will stop at nothing to destroy your home. That’s the premise of Bear vs Penguins, a tower defense game that tries its hardest to be the next Plants vs Zombies, but fails to match it in terms of both quality and sheer craziness.

Read the complete review at Gamezebo.

Masterpiece: Super Metroid

At its best, the Metroid series is about solitude; you’re left alone on a strange alien planet and its up to you to figure out where to go and what to do. And while the first game introduced the concept, it was with Super Metroid, released nearly a decade later, that the developers at Nintendo perfected it.

Read the complete article at Ars Technica.

Fatale review

Fatale isn’t so much a game as an interactive experience. Though it shares some common traits with games, the real point of Fatale isn’t to overcome a series of obstacles in an attempt to reach a specific goal, but instead to simply explore. You can move through the haunting world at your own pace, absorbing as many or as few details as you want. As such, this isn’t a game for everyone. It’s slow, short, and vague and is hindered by some incredibly sluggish controls. But for those with a little bit of patience, Fatale offers up a wholly unique experience.

Read the complete review at Gamezebo.

Jim and Frank Mysteries: The Blood River Files review

The Professor Layton formula — which involves taking a collection of brainteasers and disguising them as an adventure game — is quickly becoming a genre in its own right. Ever since the Professor made his debut two years ago, a number of games have attempted to mimic the formula, with varying degrees of success. The latest is The Jim & Frank Mysteries: The Blood River Files, which nails the basics, but fails to match the level of charm of its more successful predecessors.

Read the complete review at Gamezebo.

NASA-funded game aims to make science more appealing

Last week a curious, free release popped up on Steam: Moonbase Alpha, a NASA-funded game where up to six players can team up in order to save a near-future Lunar base crippled by a meteor strike. The game is just the first release from NASA’s Learning Technologies program, which aims to help raise interest in the space program through gaming.

Ars spoke with Daniel Laughlin, project manager of Learning Technologies, to learn more about the game and what we can expect to see in the future.

Read the complete article at Ars Technica.

Last King of Africa review

Last King of Africa is actually a port of the PC point-and-click adventure Paradise. It’s not just the name that’s changed though, as the entire game has been cut down in order to fit on the iPhone. Unfortunately the parts that have been removed were what made the original game fun in the first place; namely it’s challenging puzzles and mysterious storyline. What’s left is an experience that feels very disjointed and far too simple.

Read the complete review at Gamezebo.

Brunhilda and the Dark Crystal Review

Hidden object games, by their nature, tend to be very similar. If you play a lot of them it’s easy to get the games confused with one another. Which is what makes Brunhilda and the Dark Crystal so special. The tale it weaves will keep you engaged from start to finish and when combined with some lovely visuals and polished gameplay, the result is simply magical.

Read the complete review at About.com.