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http://www.harveycartel.org/metanet/n.html
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Nifty
Ninjas. We all know that they're elite assassins and masters of moving without being seen. But as this superb game shows us, a rare few develop a terrible (and quite often terminal) addiction to collecting gold...
N is one of these unfortunates. His only purpose is to run, jump and slide through each of the 500 levels in order to open the exit door and escape into the next danger-filled room. Levels are grouped in sets of 5 apiece, and N starts each set with a life timer of just 90 seconds which he can lengthen by picking up any gold he comes across.
Remember though, that N is a ninja. He isn't just your Average Platform Fred - he has style. The physics engine that Metanet have created for the game allows him to realistically leap from wall to wall between lasers, mines and sentient crushing platforms called Thwumps to get exactly where he needs to be in the blink of an eye - and to look cool while he's doing it. It's quite difficult in fact to put into words just how well N's movements flow. Each action is animated perfectly and his interaction with the environment is about as close to flawless as you're likely to see. His lighting reflexes and agility are the only defences that N has, however, so don't expect to have any shurikens to throw at the enemies...
Common threats to your life and sanity include turrets and drones, each having several different flavours. Turrets are stationary and will either try to kill you with a railgun shot or launch a vicious homing missile in an attempt to kill you less directly. Drones on the other hand will move around the level in an easy to predict fashion and come in four types. Plain drones don't do anything except move along their path; homing drones will rush at you if you maneuver yourself directly in front or to the side of them; laser drones move slowly but fire a deadly beam of energy whenever they see you; and chaingun drones that fire a well-aimed volley of bullets in your direction. There are other threats as well, but I won't spoil things by telling you any more.
Graphically the game appears quite plain but everything is well polished and pays close attention to detail, such as hints of smoke as N makes a heavy landing or slides to a halt after a run. The sound is of a similar quality; nothing to write home about, but it covers more than you expect. Because the game is coded using Flash, Mac and Linux users are able to join the fun, though this has the drawback that it needs more processor grunt than it otherwise would. Still, any PC of the last few years will be able to run N quite happily.
Be warned that you will tear your hair out in frustration at the seeming impossibility of some later levels - but at the same time, you'll also find yourself laughing out loud at the variety of new and interesting ways in which N can die. Undoubtably, with the amount of content you get in the game, N is guaranteed to keep you occupied for a very, very long time, and includes various unlockable bonuses open up as you progress. Even after you finish the included levels you can design your own, or download a further 400 under the auspicious title of The Legacy Project - and still more from the fan-created level database known as NUMA. As you might gather by now, N is a huge game with a fantastic and ever-growing community.
What are you waiting for? Play N and get in touch with your inner ninja!
