Alice is Dead Ep 1, 2, & 3

This game (these three games, rather) are so great you should stop reading this review right now and go play them. http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/511552 Not only because they are so amazing, but also because they are short and sweet; you won’t have to worry about pouring hours into completing these flash games.

As the writer for the insanely popular ‘Obscure Title Tuesday’ articles that appear on this site and have gotten me rich and famous, this is the first review I have ever done of any game that isn’t obscure. Further, it’s rare that any Video Game Review website review flash games created by everyday people and not companies. I break the mold here now to inform you about these three exceptional games. After Alice is Dead Ep 1 four months went by until Alice is Dead Ep 2, and the very limits of my patience and excited anticipation were tested as I had to wait 8 whole months before Alice is Dead Ep 3 was posted on Newgrounds. Both waits were well worth it.

Get outta here, silhouette! It's a giant bloody number two! Heh heh heh heh!

First, the gameplay- it’s a simple point and click. You can click on the left or right hand side of the screen to move to a different location, and you click to pick up useful items that you can logically use later to advance the story and yourself when you get stuck in a particular area.

What...what are you gonna do with that sharp piece of glass, there, character?

I like these games so much for three reasons. First of which is their depth… the story (complemented well with the occasional voice acting) is engaging and interesting, and this depth of story is made more impressive by the fact that the games are each remarkably short. They, however, have high replay value as they are strewn with Easter Eggs and secrets that give you hints and information about your character and what exactly is going on in this world that you become immersed in. In not wanting to give away any spoilers and knowing that simply explaining the plot would not do it justice, I will refrain from discussing it at length. Just take my word for it that it’s awesome. Do it.

Is that a......gun?? Somebody means business.

Second and of impressive noteworthiness is the tone. In the series Alice is Dead, Alice is a reference to the Alice from "Alice is Wonderland" (which is apparent from the first gameplay frame of Ep 1.) The game really sets a dark and isolated feel with its masterful choice of music and the way in which it only gives out small short blips of information on both the story and your character. This slow reveal of plot and character adds to the players sense of loneliness and even, at times, confusion, which parallels with what your character is going through as you both try to piece together the puzzle of what has happened and what is going on. The farther you get in the series, the more rapid the information comes to you.

Oh, how high is this on a 10 point creepy scale? How high does the scale go?

Also here’s something we can appreciate as people who are not dumb -- at no point in the story do they beat you over the head with a large, drawn out, unnecessary explanation, as is the case too often in movies. As a weird example, take ‘Lucky Number Slevin.’ Towards the end of that movie they had dropped enough hints such that a few simple and logical inferences by the viewer could easily lead one to figure out what’s been happening in the movie and with the characters. Yet the end of this movie has, like, a 45 minute explanation montage of everything that has ever happened to every character, even though the movie had given out enough information by then for people to figure it out. It was like the movie was being tailored to the lowest common denominator; as if logical inferences and educated guesses based on evidence were just too much for us hick audiences. I mean Jeesus as soon as you saw that Bruce Willis and Josh Hartnet were working together you didn’t need a 45 minute explanation that explains that the hit-man Bruce Willis was going to kill Josh Hartnet when he was a child but then decided to help him get revenge instead when I already know that Josh Hartnet is getting revenge cause he's killed all these people! Shit. What were we talking about again? Oh right the amazing game -- By the end of this series all the slow reveals of information have told the story and left the player with enough information to infer and understand everything that has happened, especially if the secrets and Easter Eggs were sought out, and there’s no bludgeoning over the head to the lowest common denominator here. You stupid hick.

Fan art. Because the games are so great they inspire you to express yourself creatively.

I can’t say enough good things about this series. If I could use one word to describe it, it would be 'Refreshing'. There are millions of free flash games online, and most of them are mindless timewasters at best. This series shows just what a Video Game can accomplish in terms of evoking emotion and creating an entire world from nothing. I love this game, and you will too, so stop reading these words like a fool and goooo! (play the game)(right now)(if you had time to read this then you have time to play these short amazing games)(do it)(for reals you guys)

4.75/5 Free, Online, Short and Extraordinary! Immersed In A World! Play It Right Freagin’ Now!!

A (Non-Zerg) Alien Swarm

Yet another free game being reviewed here on, newly retitled, Super Dope Gaming. Alien Swarm comes from "a group of talented designers at Valve who were hired from the Mod community," which means this is a game made by Valve gamers, for Valve gamers. Fitting. This downloadable game is a 4 player cooperative, online, top-down action game, and as you can guess, not too many other games fall into that specific set of genres, making Alien Swarm stand out among the few.

You play one of eight characters, from one of four classes: Medic, Engineer, Heavy, or Soldier. Probably not the official names for the classes, but at least people who play Team Fortress 2, one of Valve's other online games, will get the idea. In fact, every gamer will most likely know what those classes are, even if they just guessed. That's the beauty of the class system. Anyway, each character also has three things to hold: two are usually weapons and the third is some tool to aid the mission. Whether that third slot is taken by a health pack, ammo pack, or door welder depends on your class and how you want to arrange your set up. People who have played TF2 will no doubt find familiarity in both the controls and load out screen. But, for those unsure of their shooting prowess, there is a way to practice offline.

There is no story here. While Privates attempted to create a story through dialog during breaks between battles, and Team Fortress 2 has enough of a fan base for Valve to make comics explaining the history behind Red and Blue, Alien Swarm starts with a simple plot. "There are aliens attacking the base. Escape." Which lets the player get right into the action, but denies them any meaningful experience. Of course this game isn't trying to be the next Half Life, just an action-oriented and fast-paced shooter. On this point, the game excels. If you're confident enough to venture to the online play, you'll likely end up in a game of "who can get to the end the fastest." I don't think that was the idea the creators had. The point of playing with a team is using teamwork, isn't it? This isn't the fault of the game or creators, of course, but the online community, where the motto is usually All for one.

That's unfair though, since I routinely play without taking the time to ensure the safety of my teammates. For Alien Swarm, I can imagine the most fun and cohesive gaming experience to come from a group of four friends playing it during a LAN party. Also, the aliens seem to never stop coming, which makes the idea of running past the monsters to the goal much more appealing and, honestly, smarter than staying around to make sure every area is cleared.

This game does not represent Valve's finest work, but it is a lot of fun to play. Once you get to know who your favorite character is and spend more time playing in online bouts, you'll be running through the levels as if you were running through each level. Like anything that's free to play, you might as well give it a try. I was impressed with how much fun it was to play and the game's overall quality. You can tell how much time the people from the "Mod community" put into Alien Swarm and how much they wanted others to enjoy their gaming experience. For that, I can't see any reason to lower the score other than it's lack of story -- seemingly not that important for shooters anyway -- and the simple, Team Fortress-esque gameplay, which can also be seen as a plus. Valve has made another game where the key points are the experience of the audience, the enjoyment while playing, and has given the added bonus of zero cost. Download this game, have fun, thank Valve.

4/5 Near Perfect Score! Super Good!