The First 100% QuickBasic Game Review Magazine
Updated November 20, 2004

Game Reviews 42 RPGs 55 Arcade 34 Puzzle 18 Platform 10 Strategy
Sections QB News Site Archives Game Guides Our Projects Entertainment Awards QB Links
Interact QB Chatroom Mailing List Submissions Link to Us Job Openings

Anaconda
(Binary Magic)


vvvvvvvvvvvvv
"The Standard Snake Game Twisted to Perfection!"

In the Nibbles phenomenon there are two styles of play that have evolved over time. The first is the Snake style, in which the world is covered in water. The second style is the Nibbles style, in which the universe is unbounded. 

It is in these two worlds where the anaconda must travel to gather resources needed to help it grow. Choose your style of play in up to twenty-one levels of play, and shoot for the highest score possible!

Game Review
Graphics (n.)
The use of animation and visual effects to stimulate the senses
vv
(Average)
Like Microsoft Nibbles, the anaconda moves in tile by tile jumps, mainly for gameplay purposes. Besides this slight takedown the graphics used for the blocks, water, and food items are average at best.
Sound/Music (n.)
The smooth blend of atmospheric sounds and original harmonies
N/A This anaconda seems to lack it's slither; this arcade game lacks sound or music.
Gameplay (n.)
The precision of control and involvement of character within its universe
vvv
(Good)
Anaconda works just like Microsoft Nibbles, a popular QB game that launched with the QuickBasic software. In Anaconda you control a snake that collects food. The more food you collect, the longer you become. Consequently, the goal of the game is to eat as much food as possible without crashing into a dead end, a row of blocks, or yourself.

What makes Anaconda different in the gameplay category are the two play modes, Snake and Nibbles mode. In Snake mode, the snake travels atop the water and can grow to nearly unlimited length. Each piece of food you get will increase your score slightly along with the length of the snake. As you get really large, weaving your way around the waters without hitting your own body becomes increasingly difficult. Crash into yourself or the edge of the screen and the game ends.

In the Nibbles mode, the Anaconda travels a twenty-level course, with limited lives. To pass each level, you have to eat eight pieces of food consecutively without colliding into anything. A few innovations take place here as well; for example, whenever you eat food in this mode your score gradually decreases until you eat more food. This simulates the Anaconda's "hunger" and also adds a skill element to the game that is enhanced by the addition of a High Scores chart.

One difference that is glaring about Anaconda and the original Microsoft game is the lack of one-player support. Microsoft Nibbles allowed two players to work cooperatively or against each other to pass through the different game levels. This mode is absent in Anaconda.

Story (n.)
The creativity and presentation of the game's critical plot
(Very Poor) Anaconda goes for the meat of the matter, and doesn't spend much time developing the storyline.
Replay Value (n.)
The timelessness of the gamer's delight, such that the experience can be repeated again and again
vvv
(Good)
This is the game's strength. Because there are two distinct play modes and a High Score chart, it's pretty easy to spend a lot of time trying to get the best possible score in Snake or Nibbles mode similar to the way gamers try to top their best scores in a Game and Watch gallery. A good multi-player alternative is to take turns trying to top each other's score, especially in Nibbles mode.
Challenge (v.)
To strike the mental nerve in such a way as to stimulate human thought and reflexes
vv
(Average)
Average. Anaconda comes with a speed adjust that also affects the scoring system, so the speed of the game you play will also multiply your score by the speed setting. This, combined with the two gaming modes, allows for a definite skill curve that can only be improved through practice.
Fun Factor (n.)
The overall entertainment value as maintained throughout the adventure
vvv
(Good)
There's a convincing one-player mode, but Anaconda is one of those games that leaves you begging for more. If the two-player simultaneous mode of the original Nibbles was available in this game, then the possibilities of a two-player slugfest with the twisted rules would make Anaconda that much better. Or perhaps there can be a computer AI mode where you try to outmatch a wily computer opponent in a snake raid.

But this is the path not taken. What's relieving is that Anaconda does deliver fun for fans of the Nibbles and Snakes game. Whether you played it on your computer, your Palm, or your calculator, this QB update from Binary Magic is one that's hard to let go.

Anaconda Reviewed by Vance Velez

Players 1 player Genre: Arcade Game
Rating To solve: 1-3 hours Final Rating: 13/35

Download
To download Anaconda (121KB), click here.
wTo play Anaconda, unzip the file, then run "ANACONDA.EXE".

Back to Arcade Games Page

Game Summary
Coding Group
Binary Magic
Genre
Arcade
Homepage URL
http://www.binarymagic.
net
E-mail
jonge@qbrpg.com
Players
1-player
Final Rating
13 out of 35 points

The Highs: New game mechanics add an expert twist to this Snake clone.
The Lows: No multiplayer mode, so fellow Nibbles enthusiasts will have to settle their vendetta elsewhere.

V Planet! Archive
This is an archive of V Planet, circa November 2004, when the site was last active. This is read-only, and preserved here as part of the QB Zines Archive at Pete's QB Site.

Site Highlights
2004 QB Gaming Gold Awards Almost Set To Begin!
Get ready for this year's Gaming Golds! After a long hiatus, this year promises to be one of the biggest galas in the history of the QB world. Who will take home the gold this year?

Site Watch
Pete's QBasic Site
The original king of QB reviews is back with a vengeance! Check out the new and improved version of his website and don't forget to upload your latest QB projects to Pete's new download section!

Affiliates
Antz Entertainment
GBGames QBasic
HyperRealistic Games
InnerMark
NeoBasic
Jocke the Beast
Pete's QBasic Site
Pickers Games Website
Piptol Productions
Programmer's Heaven
QB Colony
QB Chronicles
QB: Cult Magazine
QB45
QBasic/QuickBasic News
QBasic Contest
Central
RPG-Dev.Net
Statto Software

Links



QBasicNews.comGBGames QB Game Review SiteStattoNet (Links/Site Reviews)Antz EntertainmentQB Top 50QBRPG Top 50The Hulla-Balloo NetworkQB45 (Future Software)