Kaushik's Web.

My name is Kaushik Narasimhan.
I am studying Biotech engineering.
I am a freelance writer.
I love gaming on my PC.
I like my PSP too.
I try to be social with my gaming.
I like writing about games as well.

Mon Mar 15
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Arty

Where have I seen that kind of dialog?

Ah yes

The pursuit of sadness

A very tiny clone-ish game of Machinarium, Loondon is less of a game and more of an interactive story. It is very simple - with glowing icons that can be clicked to continue the story. The only time it seemed like it was a game was at the most in two places.

The themes, simple though they seem, are complex in their layers of application. Werewolves and wizards make their appearance and you find that though the hunchback Jonah really wants to be happy - he spreads happiness everywhere to those who really need it.

However, the game has glaring issues with spelling and grammar. Considering how important the text is, it does detract from the game. The forced rhyming really irritates sometimes. Some abrupt story plots make this game seem like there are missing “reels”. What I mean is that for this game, mgh » (1/2)mv^2.

Nevertheless the essence of “Loon”don being the city of fools is captured with ease with just a couple of examples. With arty graphics, reminiscent of Machinarium, Sin City (the movie) and the cinema of old, this game moves you if you can play it in peace.

Sun Mar 14
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Iron Man Approval

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“ the problem is that we study to gain something in a higher channel - not to learn what we study Keith D’Souza

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Yes indeedy!

CHECKPOINT!

Kill crabs and stuff

Bring Freedom to outer space! Or something

It’s the darnedest thing, Game Maker is. I re-found out about it yesterday and managed to make the tutorial game within minutes. But, knowing my sudden spurts of dilettantism, I knew I had to look at a couple of great games made with it before I start on my own.
A quick google search made me land on Game Maker Games which was pretty much the next best thing to Gamehippo that I know. (And revival site TheGamehippo has been dead for quite some time now - like this blog was)

Anyway, March’s spotlight was this very very retro game called The Moonkeeper. Think of the awesome movies of the fifties and then think of Duke Nukem 2D. Got it? Now replace the graphical prowess (so to speak) of Duke 2D with a monochromish display. You have arrived at the super-old world of The Moonkeeper.

Throwbacks to the olden times apart, this platformer has few things to distinguish it from another of the same genre. You get powerups (“spells”), grenades and you shoot stuff with your awesome gun. (I love the sprite for the bullet/plasma-bolt/laser-blob)

The Moonkeeper is a tiny download at ~1.4 megs. It’s really worth a try just to see how retro a game can get!

Sat Mar 13
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Of Poignant Walks

And Blobby Shields

There are times when the cheer in your life is passing. You know you do not fit in, but you merely cling to the essence of life that you are endowed with - without knowing anything else?

Maybe it’s a primal form of loyalty the alien in ImmorTall feels towards the human family that “adopts” it. No dialogue, no unsure and hesitant looks. A helping hand, some fruit and milk.

There is the sense of frustration within you when you play this game - you cannot fight back. The army keeps hitting you and all you can do is walk and shield your human family. Controlling an immortal character with just two keys has never been this hard.
As more bullets hit the alien, it realizes what a tragic world Earth is. With dejection and the slowness that accompanies it, the alien tries to stop more bullets, and more and more.

Do not play it if you feel particularly dejected today. The sound and the visuals will not do you any good at all.

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[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

That was one awesome concert.

And this is the solo by Baiju. (Crappy quality, I know). That was when he looked up to the sky and said that it was god doing that, not him.

I am compelled to believe him. Aren’t you?

Thu Mar 11
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Life Maze

It was just apt that I played Passage after a good day -a day full of renewed hope and friendly advice that I cannot quantify. This beautiful yet unusually short (can’t help it, though) “life simulator”, as I’d like to call it is wonderful-yet-depressing and sums up life and all of its intricacies in 8-bit graphics and sounds.

Indie game developer Jason Rohrer (whose upcoming game I immediately pre-ordered, thanks to a tweet) has gone above and beyond the normal storytelling norms by making a simple, yet effective game about life, its treasures and its mysteries.

Passage

If you played it without reading the explanation, it makes little sense, although it does make you curious. It’s like Tale of Tales’ The Path (another depressing and beautiful indie game), but Passage does not restrict itself to the coming-of-age-ness only.

You play this five minute “maze-game” by exploring the game-world. Early on you can meet with a pixelated soul-mate, fall in love and let her guide you through the world (she will always be in front of you). Or, you can ignore the soul-mate and go deeper and deeper into the maze. You get points for exploring, and 100 points for getting a treasure box. If you walk with your spouse, you get double-points for exploring. It’s a tight-situation as treasure you could have easily navigated to alone are nigh-impossible with your spouse three pixels ahead of you. As the game progresses, your character (and your spouse) visibly ages.

At the end of the five minutes, you die. But minutes before that, your spouse dies. Your old character bends his head and dies soon after, ending the game.

It is tragic. With or without the spouse, you die alone. Yet, the time you have spent exploring with her is that much sweeter because the two of you are in this together.

Brilliant and astonishingly light, Passage needs to be played. And it only takes a few minutes off your day.

Mon Jan 11
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:

I liked this picture.

Wed Dec 2
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This is so awesome!

Via Band Logos

Wed Nov 25
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Inspired by a Lifehacker series of posts, here’s a post on what I carry to college. :D

Here’s what I carry.
TOP ROW: R to L
1. The Bag: A freebie from a SAP summit. Dad gave it to me.
2. Umbrella: From Mohendra Lal Dutt’s family shoppe in Gariahat. Suitable against the rain and as a makeshift lightsaber against ancient Jedi wannabes.
3. Generic Book: Currently reading Nemesis by I. Asimov.

SECOND ROW: L to R
4. 5 Subject Notebook: Microbiol, Biochem, Structural Chemistry, Industrial Stoichiometry and Data Structures.
5. Calculator: Standard ISC issue Casio fx-82MS with a Ubuntu sticker behind it.
6. Flexible Folder: Keeps paper inside it without much hassle and is foldable!
7.
From L to R
A number lock which for some unknown reason ends up in my bag.
Below it is a foldable magnifying glass.
Below that is my 128MB USB drive, a bluetooth dongle and a wifi dongle out of unnecessary necessity.
To the right is my pencil bag with a variety of pens and pencils and a LIGHTSABER keychain that lights up. The green one, yes. Also, the white sex-toyish looking thing is actually a Vicks inhaler. The bag contains my library card and bus ID card as well.
To the right of this is a small [blank] notebook that I always carry for the same reason as the number lock. Above it is a mini-CD with DSL in it! <3

THIRD ROW: R to L
8. PSP! Yes, my portable entertainment device. Perfect for the bus ride to college.
9. A Motorola S9 bluetooth headset (my dad’s that I use) and the moste magnificente [sic] Creative EP-630 in-ear headphones!!!!! Best headphones EVAR or until I get Sennheiser headphones (for free). =P
10. A TT Racquet and a spare ball for the common room games.

LAST ROW: L to R [Stuff I carry in my person]
11. Wallet: Contains my college ID card, school ID card, Spencer’s restaurant card, money, toothpicks, some chocolate wrappers and an old SIM card that might need recharging.
12,13. Titan Watch and Palm Centro <3 <3
14. The “secret” wallet which resides in my waist. Contains the keys and my bank and debit cards.