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Crazy Machines 2 Review

 
Manufacturer: Viva Media
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ESRB Rating: Everyone
Platform(s): Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000
Release Date: April 15, 2008

Average Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars


Retail Price: $19.99
Online Price: $17.99
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Features:
  • Hundreds of all new levels to complete; new parts, new pieces, new contraptions
  • Incredible 3d graphics with brand new effects
  • Multiple solutions-play these challenging puzzles again and again
  • Swap ideas with other members of the online community
  • Trick out your own contraptions in free-style mode
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. Go on tour with the crazy professor and put your skills to the test with challenges from around the globe. Travel from the bazaars of Egypt to the white sands of the Caribbean, then blast off into space for an out of this world gaming experience. Check out the crazy machines community online. Post machines you've created and download those made by others. Compete for trophies and high ratings. Create the Ultimate Machine. Get ready for superb puzzle action as you build wacky contraptions to solve tricky brainteasers.

All new Rube Goldberg-style puzzles Over 200 elements to create and destroy World tour, online, and free-style modes All new parts--amazing lightning machines and laser beams Hall of fame - win a trophy for your contraption Fun for the whole family AGEIA PhysX hardware support Windows Vista / XP

User Submitted Crazy Machines 2 Reviews


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Date: 2008-09-01
A bit too complicated for a 6 year old
My son really enjoyed the first Crazy Machines and seemed to figure things out after playing with it for a while. Crazy Machines 2 has more objects to choose from and so things can get pretty complicated in trying to figure out where everything is and how to use it ... at least for a 6-7 year old.
I am sure, though, if I just sit with him for a few hours that he will get going and be able to do things on his own again.
It is teaching him great concepts in electricity and physics. For the price, it is a great learning game and fun to play.

Date: 2008-08-29
I'm crazy for this game
I'm sorry if your computer isn't up to the task of running this program. If your computer is more than 5 years old, than you need not read on. I bought this for my teenage son to introduce him to elementary physics. He played it for a couple of days before I told him that it had to do with physics (that's sad). OK, there is a lot of good stuff here but also some negatives.

Pros: The game does teach you to think. I find that my solutions rarely (if ever) are the same as the game's. For example, I solved a 15 piece problem with one piece. This game uses all kinds of physics to get to be successful -- gravity beeing the easiest to understand. It uses gears, engines, generators, steam, light to solve increasingly complex problems.

Cons: The Ragtime music is in-your-face and I had to turn it off. The "Einstein" narrator is annoying at best. The limited supply of parts forces you to think in a very narrow way. I find that frustrating because I don't think like the game designers. My solutions are so different thans theirs I wonder who's right.

All things considered, this game represents crude physics without those nasty side-effects. By that I mean there is no loss of energy regardless of how many pieces (say gears for example) are involved. Yes, I took Physics in college and have degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. If you think that this is an accurate representation of the real world, then you will be mistaken.

This game does not take into account any aspect of the chaos theory. In fact, it goes out-of-the-way to eliminate it completely. Could you really blow something up with dynamite exactly the same way 100% of the time?

Nevertheless, I like the game and would recommend it over FPS or role-playing games 10 times over.

Date: 2008-08-25
Fun for an 8-year-old (and his dad)
So far, so good. The game promises 150 different experiments/tasks, and the first 15 were lots of fun. My son and I would talk back and forth, sharing ideas about which tools should be put in which locations. More problem solving than most games we play. It's the best family-friendly PC game I've bought in a long time.

And, for the record, I don't think the issue is necessarily that you have a NEW computer...just one that meets the specifications. I have a 3-year-old Dell with its original nVidia GeForce 6800 graphics card supporting DirectX 9.0c. I'm not saying CM2 will work on ANY 3-year-old computer, but it clearly runs on at least one....

Date: 2008-08-22
wonderful thinking game
This is a terrific thinking man's game. Great graphics, and ingenious puzzle designs. All of the components react to a real physics environment so you can test and experiment along your way to solving a given puzzle. Also, you can download free content online. If you like to think and experiment, or know someone who does, BUY THIS GAME!

hint. The game needs to have a small sound driver (OpenAL) loaded before it will run. In most cases, the game will probably install this automatically, but in my case, I had to download it from the Internet and install the driver manually. Also, make sure you have a decent 3D video card as the game enviro is fully 3D and requires some extra horsepower.

FIVE STARS

Date: 2008-08-17
Awesome physics game
The best PC game we have. My daughter (7 years old) even loves to build contraptions and watch how physics take place and interact with different objects and materials.

We have the first version too, but this one adds much more elements into play.

If you ever stacked up dominos and tipped them over when you were a kid, or rolled steel marbles down tracks, you will love this game.


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