Ah, yet another happy-go-lucky game has been added to the Games Room. We begin
in an abandoned circus-like scene, complete with silhouetted roller coaster,
a few colourful tents, and nothing would be complete without a big pizza-pie moon...
Blam!
There goes one demonic little Chia, staggering drunkenly back and forth, seeing
as it no longer has any legs. Whoops, there goes his head, revealing a rather
interesting dome of titanium steel. No, this is definitely not your ordinary
Lupe chew-toy.
Carnival of Terror
may seem rather... well (to put it lightly) sadistic at first glance. I mean,
c'mon... what normal, innocent Neopian goes around blowing the limbs off innocent
robots-of-death-and-destruction? They seem peaceful enough... look at those
bright eyes, and that big, goofy clown smile. Of course, the little buggers
don't seem nearly so cuddly once you've been hit by about a dozen cream pies.
However, despite its rather gory appearance, COT is an amazingly delightful
game to play. It requires fairly advanced motor skills, hand-to-eye coordination,
and the ability to keep a straight face whilst playing. Not only that, but it's
a surprisingly effective way of reducing stress levels. =D Perhaps a few tips
and pointers would be helpful...
The Basics:
More or less, it's Neopian deer hunting. Ah, but there's more than meets the
eye. Each body part is worth a certain amount of points; the harder it is to
hit, the more points you're likely to rack up. But, spend all your time picking
apart each Chia limb by limb, and you won't get very far. Here's a run-through
of what to maim, and how much you'll get for your efforts.
Cream Pies - 5 points - You have to be quick to get these. Remember;
miss, and you'll get hit instead.
Clown Arm - 4 points - Always go for these when the clowns are close
to you. Don't bother otherwise...
Umbrella - 3 points - Surprisingly hard to hit, but still, rather effective
for getting your Chia down faster.
Clown Head - 2 points - These seem to get hit the most often, even
when you're not aiming. It's like popping heads off dandelions... only a tad
stickier.
Clown Legs - 1 point - Try not to aim for these. Really. If they come
off, the Chia is likely to explode, taking away some more of your health. Though
watching them waddle is kind of fun...
Clown Skeleton - 1 point - Once you hit this, your current victim is
no more. Funny how the insides of both clowns and cream pies seem to be the
same consistency, isn't it?
Also, you'll want to get the extra boxes o' Ammo, health boxes, and clocks...
remember, the more prolonged the game, the more havoc you get to wreck!
Strategies
Well, this part remains pretty much up to you, depending on you style of...
erm, destruction.
Old-fashioned Blow 'Em Up - I find this the most effective, personally.
Something so much as twitches, shoot it. Immediately. I've never once ran out
of ammo, but still, try to keep your aim relatively precise. Unfortunately,
when doing this, things tend to get rather confusing, and you have a chance
of losing more Health/Ammo/Time boxes than you should be.
One By One - Aim at a specific body part, fire, reload. Repeat! This
works pretty well, especially when at close range. However, as you spend a bit
of time aiming, a few pies manage to sneak their ways past your defences. When
doing this, I recommend taking off the arm, the head, and then blowing the rest
of the little bugger to smithereens.
Bit By Rusty Bit - This is for the professionals, no doubt about that.
Pick off every single piece there is, then blow the whole thing up. First, take
out the umbrella (if there is one) then the arm, which means you'll have to
be pretty close-up. Then, pop off their little head cap. Very quickly, try to
take out the legs and body structure; otherwise they'll blow up. No point in
nursing unneeded wounds.
Tips & Tricks
· If you're going for the legs, be quick about it. It's rather annoying to
have them blow up unexpectedly, ruining your chance for a high score if you
get struck one too many times.
· Make sure you can move your mouse quickly and easily; having breakable objects
obstructing your path is a bad idea. Hope mum doesn't notice that missing vase...
· Play a few games before actually sending your score. It takes a few minutes
to get accustomed to the way you play, but after that, it's smooth sailing.
Erm... shooting.
· Keep in mind that anything above 250 should most likely be considered a
high score, and therefore, be sent. Of course, just because that's only as high
as I can go probably says more about the shooter than about the targets.
· Have fun with this! It's a great game, and will undoubtedly fulfil all your
explosive wants and needs. :-)
(Remember, you can always send me Neomails on what you thought of this article.
I take suggestions, thoughts, comments, and the occasional bit of serious criticism.) | 
