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• Newly released Nat Geo Contraband Mystery reaches 12th spot on GameHouse

  June 29, 2010No comments

  Award-winning show National Geographic Channel’s Explorer released in June a new flash game called National Geographic Explorer: Contraband Mystery. Just six days after its release on www.gamehouse.com, it reached the 12th spot of the Top 100 games.

  GameHouse is a top casual game developer, publisher, distributor, and online portal. It picks the Top 100 from the hundreds of games according to technical standards such as game design and development, as well as entertainment value.

  National Geographic’s newest game stays true to tradition, giving players a taste of how an actual Nat Geo documentary is produced.  The storyline, based on real Nat Geo Explorer documentaries, follows the player as he or she interviews sources to put together three episodes for the show. Players are taken to different locations for each investigative mission: the lush Central African rainforest for the Gorillas episode, to the rich diamond mines of Southern Africa for the Diamonds episode, and the busy urban jungle of the United States for the Drugs episode. All three missions explore different issues but are connected through a mysterious group engaged in contraband smuggling.

  Although it is classified under the Hidden Object game category, Contraband Mystery also features different variations of Spot the Difference, Jumble (a puzzle game), Quiz games, and a bonus game called Catch the Falling Objects. All throughout the game, players are also given several facts and figures that remind them of National Geographic’s advocacy to promote environmental awareness and scientific study. Clearly the game’s main objective is to both entertain and educate its players.

  The game is a product of the collaborative efforts of three companies: National Geographic Channel: Explorer, Action Games, and Philippine Offshore Design and Development Corporation (PODD). It was developed and released to coincide with Nat Geo Explorer’s anniversary last May.

  Both trial and full versions of the game is now available for download at National Geographic’s website and on different game portals like Big Fish and of course, GameHouse.

  Six days after its release on www.gamehouse.com, National Geographic Explorer: Contraband Mystery was at the number 20 spot of the site’s Top 100 games. The very next day, it moved up to number 12.

  

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• Travel Italy the Picturesque Way

  May 26, 2010No comments

  If you wish to wander around Italy and get mesmerized by its breathtaking view but don’t have the time or the money… play a game! Play National Geographic’s Italy and enjoy its perfectly-captured photos, all from the treasure trove of National Geographic’s archives.

  National Geographic: Italy is a single player PC game consisting of two casual games: Spot It (or Spot the Difference) and Jumble, both utilizing different photos captured by Nat Geo photographers.

  In Spot It, the differences become more difficult to spot as the level progresses. The pictures that are gray scaled and/or mirrored also add to the difficulty. The player is also allowed to turn the time clock on or off to increase the challenge or play the game in a more relaxed pace.

  On the other hand, Jumble players may choose puzzle dimensions, ranging from 3×2 to 12x 8 puzzles. Same as in Spot it, the player may also choose to either turn the time clock on or off. Additionally, the player may upload their own images and use them as the game puzzle.

  While playing the games, the player also learns about the Italian people and their culture. On Spot It’s menu, the player may hover the mouse on a certain region on the Italian map and a message box will pop out providing interesting facts about that region. Once a puzzle is completed, pop-outs also appear with more information about the country. Quiz games that ask players trivia questions about Italy can be played at intervals between the other two games.

  The game’s difficulty level ranges from average to difficult. Jumble’s difficulty level could easily be controlled by the player but for Spot It, several puzzles at the end of the game are deliberately difficult (images are mirrored and in grayscale). The trivia questions, on the other hand, should be very easy to an Italian or someone who has visited the country. But they can be very difficult for non-natives, especially those who haven’t read much about the place.

  Despite its relatively difficult puzzles, the game is a winner when it comes to graphics, interface, music, and sound effects. The graphics are crisp and rendered in high resolution, from the background images to the game photos and buttons. The interface is very user-friendly and consistent throughout the whole game. And the music has an authentic Italian sound, with carefully-chosen effects appropriate for each game action.

  Do you think that this review sounds too good to be true? Why not try the game yourself? You can download a trial version of the game here.  And oh! Don’t forget to post a comment here after you’re done, okay? Enjoy Italy!

  

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