Thanks to the real estate agent who never showed but wasted half of my Saturday last weekend, my nephew and I didn't get to play as many computer games as we normally do. I had wanted to set him up on the MagNext Virtual web site so that we could play each other in the MagNext Arena after he went back home, assuming that he could get my mother's computer to work long enough to do so. Unfortunately, I never got to do that.
The only game we really got to play was Marine Park Empire. For those of you who are unfamiliar with that game, it's one of those simulation games. You have to basically build your own Sea World or Busch Gardens and then keep all the guests, animals, and employees happy. Apparently, you also have to watch out for homicidal veterinarians. One of Chandler's elephants got sick so he had to add a veterinarian to the park. Well, after the vet treated the elephant, he walked over to the penguin cage and began shooting all the penguins, one by one. Chandler couldn't figure out how to stop him from killing the cast of Happy Feet so he wanted me to build my own park this weekend and see if I could figure out how.
His request reminded me that we never got around to playing MagNext Virtual like I had wanted us to. It also got me wondering, "Has my MagNext avatar withered and died the way my online Neopet probably has?" The good news is it hasn't. I logged onto the game today and found out that my avatar, which in MagNext Virtual is called a sphere, is alive and well. As you can see from the screenshot, her wings haven't even wilted. It's a good thing, too. My fumble fingers need all the advantages that they can get when playing video games, and I wouldn't exactly call wilted wings and a half-dead sphere an advantage.
I still haven't worked up enough nerve to play anyone in the Arena other than my nephew so I headed to the back of the map, where the single player games, the Spheron Speed Challenge and iCoaster Madness, reside. My first go at the Spheron Speed Challenge was shabby at best. I didn't time the gauge just right so my MagNext car, which looks like it is built out of actual MagNext magnet pieces, crawled down the raceway. It was so slow that if a virtual Keanu Reeves had suddenly jumped on the side of the car and told me that there was a bomb on my MagNext car, we would have both blown up. My second attempt was a lot better. I actually made it 47,556 meters, the farthest that I've gone yet. I'm sure that there are a lot of better MagNext racers out there, but I was proud of the score nonetheless.
Next I went to the iCoaster Room, where I had to replace missing track pieces before my spheres fell off the coaster. I managed to get through the game on the first go around with only one man down. I lost one on the second round as well, but I blame that casualty on Jon and Kate Plus Eight. I can only watch so many things at once.
With my newly acquired MagNext currency called Magz burning a hole in my sphere's pocket, I then headed to the MagNext Virtual Store to "pimp" my sphere. I bought a new look--pink with a white butterfly. Check it out:
The game seemed to be a lot easier to me this time around. That's one of the things that I like about it. It's a game that the whole family can play, no matter how skilled you are. Plus, the more people that you get to sign up in your family, the more Magz you will earn, and the more bling you will be able to buy for your sphere. If you're looking for an online game that you can enjoy with your kids, nieces, or nephews, Magnext Virtual is definitely one to try. Who knows. Maybe one of these days, I'll work up enough nerve and skill to challenge you to a duel in the Arena.
