N (2005)

"Quite posssibly the best free game of all time..."

Yes, I gave the game a 10/10, and I am grading compared to the normal scale in comparison to commercial games. Of course, I've given out too many 10s in my day, mostly because i usually review games after about an hour or two of playing. But if I play enough I'll usually find too many flaws for a 10. I've been playing N for two years...

Graphics 10/10
Very stylized, black and white with some blue and red. There is not even gray except for milimeter long shadows. The graphics work very well and movement is fast and fluid. Very simple, but done very well.

Replay Value 10/10
The new version has 60 chapters of 5 levels each (for those of you who can't do math that's 300 levels). Not too mention the fact that the game has an online scoring system in which you can upload times to the internet and even see replays of the top scorers. It's doubtful that you'll ever finish this monster because of its size and diffuculty.

Gameplay 9/10
The gameplay is awesome, if not frustrating at times. You just need to get to the switch and then to the door to move on. You can only live for about 2.5 minutes because of your matabolism (which also lets you regenerate, cling to walls, run fast, etc.), so you must collect gold to increase it, to not die you must complete an episode of 5 levels before time runs out. The timer never runs out unless you stand in one place for a while, the diffuculty comes from the cool enemies and need for precise timing. This will keep you glued to the screen and cursing Metanet at the same time. You can do lots of cool ninja things which makes the game pretty cool. You'll find yourself kicking through bombs while dodging lasers and little zappy things that will sometimes run when they see you.

Sound 5/10
Nothing jumps out at you, just the essential splattering sounds that accompany the physics. There is no music, but that's fine, all the better to let you concentrate on the action.

Physics 10/10
The best physics since Half-Life 2, once you die your body (or parts of your body) wil bounce around and everything that kills you when you are alive will have the same effect on your body (such as zappy things moving your body parts around). You just have to see it to believe it.

This is a no-brainer, the game is amazing and gigantic, and oh yeah, FREE.

Here is a link:

http://www.harveycartel.org/metanet/downloads.html

Download NOW!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/17/05