Co-operation Competition closes – a look at some of the best games

The deadline for entries to YoYo Games’ third competition has passed with 285 games having been entered.

Obviously I haven’t looked at each and every one of these submissions, but here is my pick of some of the best games and most played games that have been submitted.

Karoshi Factory

Jump, push blocks and press buttons to open up a path through which you can navigate your characters to the end of each level.

This puzzle game, created by 2DCube who was also responsible for producing Frozzd which won the YYG winter competition, requires brain power and co-operation between the characters you control. Suicide certainly isn’t easy.

Wave Shock

This game is described by its creator as a “fast paced abstract shooter” and it certainly is all of the above.

The co-operation element is made up of a co-operative two-player mode either with the computer or for you and a friend.

Despite being one of the most played competition entries I don’t think this game is in with a chance of winning a prize – it just seems to lack depth.

Visit 2

Visit 2 is a challenging puzzle platformer where you must find the mysterious ‘Dark Tower’.

I think the graphics are particularly well made and suit the genre perfectly. Co-op comes through the addition of an extra character you can control, but I didn’t play far enough to see the full benefit of him.

Invasion 3D

A bizarre yet strangely humorous opening animation sequence gives way to a 3D First Person Shooter game.

The graphics are presented in a fun cartoony style (don’t laugh!) and although they aren’t of top quality they suit the game surprisingly well.

The game runs very slowly – I assume on faster machines the movement would be much more smooth – based on the feedback over at YoYo I think this could be a good game if you can get it to run at a decent speed. Oh – and it is not compatible with Vista due to an audio dll the game uses.

Somehow I can’t see a game of this genre winning any prizes from YYG.

Lost Snowman

By bundling game resources externally RedSystem, creator of two previous YoYo Game prize winning games, has ensured that despite the number of graphical resources this game loads very quickly.

The Lost Snowman is another puzzle platformer where you navigate through the worlds by using a team of snowmen each with their own abilities. As we have come to expect from RedSystem the animated graphics are truly amazing and are complemented with appropriate sounds.

I will be surprised if this game does not get awarded a prize due to its all round professional qualities.

Jumper 3

Opinion seems to be split on this retro platformer in which you must aim to complete each level as rapidly as possible, collecting coins as you go. Created by YoMamasMama, Jumper 3 follows the hugely popular Jumper 2. Personally I’m not a big fan and I don’t see it in with a shot of a prize, but for Jumper 2 fans…

Drop in the Bucket

In this puzzle game by Game Maker Community moderator KC LC you need to guide a stream of water into a bucket. At your disposal are three tools – fans, bars and magnets which can be used to deflect or attract water.

One comment on YoYo Games asks “If pipe, magnet and fan count as co-op, why don’t bone, ligament and muscles? Or eyes, hands and feet?” and I have to say I agree. I don’t think there is much relevance to the co-operation theme here at all – it is a very tenuous link.