User blog:TinyCastleGuy/Christmas Presence

Even though it might be a little late in the day... MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope you guys had as great a December as I did. The icing on the cake was collecting a Nitrome avatar each day of the month, and as of now I have them all except that darn one that's supposed to be hidden in Oodlegobs! However, one thing I did NOT want to deal with was having my new computer's hinge break, so now I have to get a brand new PC! Thanks a lot for your design choice, Lenovo. Thankfully I can still get online access from my dad's computer, which i'm using right now. I know I still haven't been editing frequently, but i'll try to do whatever I can once I get my new laptop. Anyways, for Christmas I got a lot of the video games I wanted, including Cave Story 3D and NES Remix Pack! I'm sure you all have already mentioned this in blog posts I have yet to read, but what did you get this year? Back to the subject of Nitrome, today got me thinking about how great a year this was for them. We got plenty of original games, the Jam happened, and some new account features(?). Since I haven't given my opinions on a lot of the new games, here are...

My Top 5 Nitrome Games of 2014
5. Platform Panic - The best word to describe this game is addicting. I like all the references in the different heroes, and it's nice to hear some music from someone new for a change. This is easily my favorite endless game from Nitrome.

4. Ditto - This was definitely out of the ordinary for Nitrome. It was much more atmospheric and serious than usual, and I loved it! The only thing that keeps it so low on my list is that it's not very expansive. I would have liked to see even more levels and mechanics, but the ones we got were still great.

3. changeType - Alright, this might be a bit of an unpopular opinion here, but for me this was one of the best ideas in years! The concept of switching two blocks' functions is just brilliant, even though it has been done before (Default Dan comes to mind). The fun gameplay certainly helps too, and Lee Nicklen's return made the music sound even better.

2. Submolok - THIS is what I wanted Ditto to be, and I think it's even better. It may not be as beautiful, but it felt just like a Metroidvania, which Nitrome hasn't done in the past. I also like that Nitrome made up their very own language for this game, and it makes it all the more mysterious. The controls were pretty fun too, especially as you get more powerups!

1. 8bit Doves - 8bit Doves was one of my favorite games from the Nitrome Jam, and the mobile version took every advantage it could from it with plenty more gameplay. I like almost everything about this game: the Game Boy-esque graphics, the soothing music, even the frustrating parts are enjoyable! Endless Doves was pretty fun too, but this game was the best in the end. And don't get me started on how cheap Flappy Bird is.

Well, there you have it. Right now i'm trying to finish a Wiki avatar for Christmas, so stay tuned! I might have something special planned for New Year's as well ;)