The Mike Hardy Saga, Part VI: Mostly Mysteries

(note: read parts I, II, III, IV, and V if you haven’t already)

You know, looking for stuff that Michael J. Hardy has released on the Internet is kind of like having your house infested with mice, and you are on a hunting expedition to kill them all. The first time, you think you have exterminated all of them. But over the course of the next several months, they keep popping up in places you never expect. They seem to be multiplying. Every time you find a new one, you feel like you want to kill yourself instead of it. (Simple version: imagine a game of Whack-a-Mole.)

No, sorry, we are not quite done going over Michael J. Hardy’s wonderful world of software releases yet. There are still at least a half-dozen more to cover. I am sure you love it. I will now plunge in yet again. This time: more games. Many are released under the Asylum Software name, but I doubt that really matters any more.

Our first contender is Ghost Marbles. Unfortunately, I cannot find the original, but you can always take a look at Mike Hardy’s version (local mirror). Judging by the screenshots, this is a Jawbreaker clone (example), except with Mr. Hardy and his wife pasted everywhere. Sorry, but I would rather play Jawbreaker on my Palm PDA.

Next up is a Space Invaders clone, X-VADERS ~13 GHOST (CAPS LOCK OFF, local mirror). Now, granted, he is releasing this for completely free, along with a level editor and source code. But did he really make it? I have not been able to find an original for this one either. As usual, any help would be appreciated.

UNOUNO is a great card game. And admittedly, Mr. Hardy’s version UNO Classic (local mirror) does not have his face plastered all over it, so it is actually a little bit visually appealing. The ever-present question, “Did he make it?” must remain unanswered. This is yet another one of his releases that I cannot find the original to match.

UPDATE (February 10, 2006): The source of “UNO Classic” has been found. It is simply called UNO Game, and it was made by Aris Buenaventura. Thanks go to abrasion of this ShackNews post.

All’s well that ends well, though. Witness Michael J. Hardy’s Puzzle Maniax. Then take a look here. See any similarity? I thought so. I doubt NetCent would have liked to see Mr. Hardy selling a modified version of their game.

In the case of Mr. Hardy, there are always more where these came from. Look for it in the near future.

» Continue to Part VII