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(More customer reviews)After all the negative reviews from folks who did not have the hardware to run this game, I thought it would be helpful to have a review from somebody who has actually played it for a while. In a nutshell, this game is awesome--both for adults and kids. The graphics and gameplay are a huge improvement over versions 1.0 and 1.5, which themselves were fantastic games. My 7-year-old son and I are addicts already.
I have collected some observations about the game that I hope will be helpful to prospective purchasers.
NATURE OF THE GAME
Version 2.0 follows the same basic format as the earlier incarnations of Crazy Machines. You are given a challenge (e.g., put this ball in that basket) and provided a set of elements (e.g., gears, belts, motors, explosives, ramps) to complete the task by building Rube Goldberg--or, for the modern generation, Wallace and Gromit--contraptions.
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
Other reviewers were right that this game demands a lot from system hardware. But that is a double-edged sword. On one hand, users with older, slower machines, will not be able to play it. On the other hand, users with newer computers will enjoy dramatically improved graphics and physics modeling (see below).
My computer runs CM2 just fine. I have a year-and-a-half old Dell with a Core2Duo 1.9 GHz. Not a screaming powerhouse of a computer, by any measure. I do, however, have a new graphics card, which uses an Nvidia 8800 GeForce GT chip. This is a good--but by no means top-of-the-line--graphics card. I am running it on Vista Home Basic 32 bit with 4 GB of memory. I also have an older Pentium IV running XP that will not load the game. I do not have the Ageia Physx card that the game recommends.
The bottom line is that you should not expect CM2 to run on your kids' old hand-me-down computers. But if you have purchased a system within the last year or so, it will probably work just fine on it.
IMPROVED ELEMENTS AND PHYSICS.
Like versions 1.0 and 1.5, you solve puzzles by putting elements together. This is done largely by affixing them to a lab wall.
The arsenal of elements has been hugely expanded in version 2.0. I have not counted them, but I think there are around 150, ranging from simple devices like ropes and weights to more complex elements like voltage regulators, televisions, toasters, cannons, gear shafts, transmission boxes, etc.
Some of the elements are broken down into components. For example, you assemble a switch by connecting a switch base--which has the power input and output--to the actual switching device (e.g., a mechanical, motion-sensitive, laser activated switch). Likewise, the CM2 robot can be assembled in various ways. This componentization effectively expands the number of elements well beyond the 150 or so standard ones.
The elements look and behave much, much, more realistically than in earlier versions. They are rendered beautifully in three dimensions. Most of the elements have a weathered abused-in-the-lab-for-years look to them. Many of them consist of multiple moving parts.
Unlike prior versions, the game now works with the scroll wheel on your mouse, so you can zoom in to look at the elements of your project. Once zoomed in, you can easily move over to an adjacent part of the project (by clicking and holding the scroll wheel while moving the mouse). Even better, you can change the perspective (by pressing the Alt key while clicking and holding down the scroll wheel and moving the mouse). This way, you can look at parts of your project from all angles. Doing this really makes the three-dimensionality of the game pop out.
The elements now behave more like their real-world counterparts. Ropes break when put under too much stress. Candles burn down. Batteries die. Bottles shatter realistically. Wooden boxes splinter apart when dropped. The list goes on and on. This addition of realistic physics really enhances the gameplay.
Viewing the improved graphics and physics, I can see why the game is more taxing on computers than earlier versions. This is unfortunate for those who wish to use it on older systems. But for my money, it is well worth it. In any event, Moore's law means that this will become less and less a problem over time.
GAMEPLAY
You proceed through the game by solving puzzles. The main game consists of a set of 150 puzzles that are organized into different "chapters" containing 10 games each. The overall theme is a "world tour," with each chapter containing graphics and music from a particular part of the world. For example, there is a Greece chapter, with ancient columns and statues, an Alaska chapter with log cabins an moose antlers, and Egypt chapter, etc. The puzzles themselves are loosely tied to the theme. There also is an introductory chapter that teaches you how to use the game and many of its elements.
As one would expect, the puzzles go from easier to harder. You have to solve most--but not all--of the puzzles of a given chapter to proceed to the next chapter. Within a chapter, you may solve the puzzles in any order you like. That way, if you get stuck, you can go to another puzzle within the chapter. This is a welcome improvement over 1.0 and 1.5, which only let you proceed one puzzle at a time--causing frustration when you got stuck.
Another improvement over 1.0 and 1.5 is the addition of subsidiary goals. For each puzzle, there is a main goal (e.g., put the ball in the basket), and a subsidiary goal (e.g., also pop the balloon and turn on the light). You are given different medals depending on whether you accomplish the subsidiary goals. The addition of these subsidiary goals means that the game is more accessible to players of various skill levels. You don't have to accomplish all the subsidiary goals to get to the next chapter. So less-skilled players still will be able to advance through the game without getting too frustrated.
Finally, CM2 offers hints--both verbal and visual (you can briefly glimpse a portion of the planned layout). The game limits the number of hints you can get for a given puzzle, and you lose points when you ask for hints.
In short, the game allows you to be as challenged as you want to be. The refinements in gameplay solve a major problem from the earlier version--getting stuck and not being able to move on to a different unsolved puzzle.
MY LAB
In addition to solving the puzzles designed by the game, you can create your own puzzles--or just tinker around with the various elements--in the "My Lab" section. In this section, you devise your own experiments and are given the full range of elements to do so (except for those that need to be "unlocked").
Devising an experiment is straightforward. You put the elements in place, identify which elements are locked (i.e., fixed in place for the solver), and identify the "targets" of the experiment (i.e., what needs to be done in order to solve the puzzle). You can test your experiment at each stage, to see whether it works.
This is a fantastic aspect of the game. It basically enables you to extend the game indefinitely beyond the 150 puzzles included in the game. With the game's new internet capabilities (see below), you can share your new puzzles with users from around the world. And you can attempt to solve puzzles that they create.
INTERNET CAPABILITIES
New to Crazy Machines in version 2.0 is the ability to share problems and solutions with other CM2 users via the Internet. You can create an online CM2 identity, which enables you to (1) look at other players' solutions to the 150 puzzles (after you have solved it), (2) upload your solutions to the problem, (3) post new experiments for others to solve, and (4) solve experiments that others can solve.
The internet interface is relatively easy to navigate. Because the game is new, there currently is not much content on the web. But with time and the development of a CM2 community, I expect that this will become a major addition to the game.
FUN QUOTIENT
In case it is not apparent from the above discussion, the game is great fun. And its appeal transcends age. I am a 38-year-old lawyer and I play it with my 7-year-old son. I don't know who enjoys it more. It also is a game where parents and children can play together, as equals.
Notwithstanding all that fun, it also is educational. It encourages creative problem solving and also introduces the users to fundamental facts about gravity, mechanics, electricity, light--and how to convert one of these forms of energy into another. I really wish that such a thing existed when I was a (younger) child.
CONCLUSION
I have been waiting over a year for CM2 to come out. It was scheduled for release in 2007, but came out only recently. I was not disappointed. In fact, the CM2 exceeds my expectations. In addition to the greatly improved graphics, the expanded arsenal of elements, and the improved physics, the game adds new aspects to the gameplay--like hints and internet collaboration--that greatly improve its playability.
As for those worried about the performance their current system, I would advise them to take a $20 gamble. The worst-case scenario is that CM2 is unplayable now, but will be playable when you next upgrade your system. It will be just as fun a year from now.
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Crazy Machines 2Create the Ultimate Machine. Get ready for superb puzzle action as you build wacky contraptions to solve tricky brainteasers!Kick your brain into high gear with incredible mind bending puzzles. Tinker with wrecking balls, lightening rods, lasers, pulleys, springs, gears and more to create the chain reaction you need! Unlock a new 3D world of addictive fun that the entire family will enjoy!
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