Gaming, Technology, and Gadget News, Reviews, and Previews.
  • Home
  • About TTB
  • Post Archive
  • Submissions / Contact
  • Gift Shop
  • Games That Time Forgot
  • Retro Computing Corner
  • Video Friday

Review: Crazy Machines Complete (PC)

Author: Vince | Date: May 14, 2009

Crazy Machines CompleteAnybody who played any of The Incredible Machine games back in the days of Windows 3.1 will probably be familiar with the premise of Crazy Machines, build a contraption to do a menial task such as cooking a sausage or hammering a nail into a plank in the most overly elaborate way possible, a la Rube Goldberg.  Once assembled you can flick the switch and watch your contraption do its job, which in itself can be very satisfying in a Mouse Trap kind of way.

The games interface is well laid out and uncluttered.  You’ll see the build area displayed in the center, which will usually have some fixed pieces of the puzzle in place.  On the right side of the screen you have a list of the available parts for the level which you then just drag and drop into place, and if you can’t figure out what something is for then just hovering over it will give you a brief description.  Not all parts will fit straight away though, many will need rotating or flipping which is easily achieved by hovering over a piece and bringing up the easy interaction menu.  In the bottom right of the HUD you have a few buttons which do the obvious things like start and stop the action, reset the screen

With over 200 puzzles included there is plenty to sink your teeth into and the difficulty curve feels spot on, the later levels being truly fiendish, but if that’s not enough for you then the game also includes a lab mode where you can make your own puzzles using any of the bits, adding a whole extra depth to the game.

As you’d expect from this type of game, the graphics and sound aren’t up to the standards of Crysis, but that doesn’t detract from anything as they’re good enough for the task at hand, and the graphical effects like fire and electricity from certain lab pieces are a nice touch.  The sound effects are also pretty good, it’s pretty obvious that the got sound samples from bouncing balls, etc. to get it as realistic as possible.  You do get some old white haired professor pop-up at the start of each level trying to sound clever or funny, and failing miserably, but luckily you can turn him off in the menus so he’ll only irritate you for as long as you can stand it.

In addition to Crazy Machines also bundled in the package is Inventors Training Camp, which is more of the same really, adding another 101 puzzles, but this time aimed at a slightly younger audience.  As you would expect the interface is made more colourful and the difficulty toned down a little, but otherwise is just the same as CM. Inventors Training Camp seems a great way to give kids a bit of a mental workout stealthily masquerading as a video game.

Crazy Machines doesn’t bring anything new to the table as far as physics puzzle games go, but more than makes up for that with the pure volume of content that you get for your £20, and with the almost unlimited replay value of the lab mode you can’t go far wrong.

8/10

Other TTB Posts Like This One

  • Full Tracklisting For Lego Rock Band Revealed, Plus Song Export Confirmed!
  • Complete The Beatles: Rock Band Set List Announced
  • Is This the Complete Guitar Hero 5 Setlist?
  • Complete Guitar Hero: Smash Hits Set List
  • Ever Wanted To Own A PC Submersed In Oil? Well Now You Can!
Add to Google

Comments »

No comments yet.

Click here to cancel "reply".
Name (why not register?)
E-mail (not required, but fill it in if you want an avatar!)
Your Website (not required)
Your Comment
First time commenters:
There is no need to re-submit your comment if it doesn't appear immediately, as all comments on this site are moderated. Basic HTML, emoticons ("smileys") and links are allowed. To get your own avatar, please sign up at Gravatar.com. Thanks!

Trackback responses to this post

Review: Tiger Woods 11 (Xbox 360)Review: Tiger Woods 11 (Xbox 360)

Tiger Woods has returned. Nothing much has happened in the real life of Tiger Woods since the... »

Review: Tournament of Legends (Wii)Review: Tournament of Legends (Wii)

To the best of my knowledge the Nintendo Wii isn't blessed with many fighting games. Off the top... »

R4 Flashcarts Now Officially Illegal In UKR4 Flashcarts Now Officially Illegal In UK

Yep, you heard me right. The R4 flashcart, that seemingly-innocent little bit of plastic and... »

Get Your Virtual Groove (Publicly) On With Japanese Virtual Lady Simulator “Love Plus”Get Your Virtual Groove (Publicly) On With Japanese Virtual Lady Simulator “Love Plus”

Not a lot of people know this, but in Japan you can actually buy a vitual girlfriend simulator... »

Retro Computing Corner: 25 Years Of The Commodore AmigaRetro Computing Corner: 25 Years Of The Commodore Amiga

Today is the 24th of July 2010, and that can only mean one thing - the 25th birthday of the... »

Video Friday: The “Half-Life That Could Have Been” EditionVideo Friday: The “Half-Life That Could Have Been” Edition

Here's some retro gaming gold - a very early trailer for the original Half-Life. This trailer... »

Review: Crackdown 2 (Xbox 360)Review: Crackdown 2 (Xbox 360)

Crackdown provided one of the biggest surprises in this generation of consoles. Going on the... »

Review: Demon’s Souls (PS3)Review: Demon’s Souls (PS3)

This is quite unlike any game I have ever played. I have played many action RPGs. I have also... »

Review: Green Day Rock Band (Xbox 360)Review: Green Day Rock Band (Xbox 360)

During my teenage years Green Day were one of my favourite bands, Dookie was one of my favourite... »

Review: Sherlock Holmes (Blu-ray)Review: Sherlock Holmes (Blu-ray)

I really like the Sherlock Holmes character. Forget Poirot, Columbo, and the chimney sweep who... »

Everything For Your Console

Console Accessories from ConsoleBUZZ! Console Accessories for DS, Wii and Xbox 360. Free shipping in the UK!

Recent Comments

  • Review: Petz Fantasy (DS)
    • Tigervamp: Hi, not sure if this will help but there's an 'Unlockables area' here http://petz.uk.ubi.com/ at the bottom left of the…
    • CousinJarna: This game, while a bit boring for anyone over the age of 12, is perfect for my 4-5yr old lil…
  • Halo 3's Mythic Map Pack Is Here, Download It On LIVE Now!
    • Sims_Doc: Halo 3 on USB , now that would be the day.
  • Review: True Blood - Season One (DVD)
    • Tigervamp: First, Sam didn't grunt and I didn't say he did. Tara grunted in her sleep. You should know this if…
    • DiMi: Your discussion of Sam and Tara is offensive. You don't understand race or racial politics, you don't understand the scene,…
  • A Tribute To The Atari ST
    • Retro Computing Corner: 25 Years Of The Commodore Amiga | Team Teabag! - Home of the Latest Gaming, Technology, and Gadget News, Reviews, and Previews.: [...] even had its own set of fanboys back in its day, constantly at war with owners of the far…
  • Review: My Boyfriend (DS)
    • lynnekemeis: i'm stuck. my "boyfriend" is the athlete and i'm at the point that i'm gonna play a match with him. helping him…
    • anonymous: for the pepople that stuck on getting in the band or the football team u have to wear a purle…
  • Portal: The Flash Version Maps Go 3D
    • me: WHERE DO YOU GET THE DA*N THINGS!!!???!!!!???:(
  • ZOMG Nerdgasm: Chu Chu Rocket Coming to XBLA, VC, PSN?
    • Francis: Oh my god... Years of my youth playing this... The memories live on forever... I sure hope it comes out UNCHANGED in PSN…
  • Review: Dance Party Club Hits + Dance Party Pop Hits (Wii)
    • anonymous: I prefer Just Dance play, I love it, I think is better than this one
  • Review: Wet (Xbox 360)
    • lukadelic19: it met to have old western movie look about it which is ok but it annoying how …
  • Review: Green Day Rock Band (Xbox 360)
    • Review: Green Day Rock Band (Xbox 360) | Team Teabag! – Home of … | Rauls Photos: [...] See the article here: Review: Green Day Rock Band (Xbox 360) | Team Teabag! – Home of … [...]
    • Review: Green Day Rock Band (Xbox 360) | Team Teabag! – Home of … | Game Addictor: [...] View full post on Google Alerts – xbox 360 [...]
  • Star Wars Force Unleashed Deluxe Lightsaber (Hasbro) - Review
    • sean: After finding out it didn't work, I decided to have a look inside to see what really made this lightsaber…
  • The World's Fastest Police Car: The Caparo T1-RRV
    • anonymous: well good it could have been a bagati vayron but it will do :]:]
  • Top 10 Wednesday: Top 10 Achievement Whoring Games
    • Kian: Assassins Creed 2 has very easy achievements. Easy 900+ Gamerscore on this game (also easy for 1000G)
  • Teabagging Accuracy in Halo 3, The Stats
    • Someone: I teabag right in the chest, you get much more accurate teabags like that.
  • E3: Square Enix Drops the Bomb, Final Fantasy XIII for the 360
    • Benjamin: I don't get what the big deal is about changing discs... it shocks me how lazy people can be xD
  • Bungie signs 10 year deal with Activision - How long will the honeymoon last?
    • Halo fan 360.: I know that Halo:3 and Halo;Reach will last forever.

Popular Categories

Announcements Arcade Atari Crazy Japanese Stuff DIY DLC DS e3 Funny Stuff Gadgets Gaming Good Ideas Guitar Hero H4xx0ring Halo Hardware Interweb Linux microsoft Music Nintendo PC pictures PS3 psn Retro Gaming Reviews Rock Band Rock Band 2 Rumors screenshots sega Sony Team Teabag! The Orange Box This week in Rock Band Toys Uncategorized Video Video Friday Wii XBLA XBLM Xbox 360 Xbox Live

Team Teabag Twitter

  • RT @Kotaku: PlayStation 3 Destroyed In A Fire Looks Like This http://kotaku.com/5604621//gallery/
  • RT @Dtoid: Trailer shows off batty Guitar Hero 'Quest Mode' http://tinyurl.com/2f4amch. The hell is this crap!? Acti have lost the plot!
  • Music video created in DSi Flipnote Studio - 'Brain Games' by Arman Bohn. Watch it here! http://bit.ly/alrKHK
  • RT @mtvmultiplayer: Apparently StarCraft 2 has been melting video cards! Has anyone else had this problem?
  • RT @majornelson: Trials HD fans: Design and track and you could win -> http://mjr.mn/cUS2X2
  • 2D Worms is making a comeback to the PC this August! More on @Kotaku: http://bit.ly/ct2goY
  • RT @arstechnica: Internet Explorer 9 beta to arrive in September - by @drpizza - http://arst.ch/lu3
  • RT @ConsoleBUZZ: More on R4 High Court Ruling... Illegal to sell ANY flashcart/circumvention device in the UK now. http://bit.ly/afoGy2
  • R4 cartridges illegal in the UK. Thoughts? http://bit.ly/cMvUi4 #R4 #Nintendo #DS
  • A girlfriend simulator? Only in Japan. A girlfriend simulator you play in public, in an arcade? *Definitely* only... http://fb.me/CywCPJwq

« Save Money, Play Space Invaders, Everyone Wins! New Crackdown Dashboard Theme Arriving Tomorrow »