Cyclomaniacs

I like wacky games. They make me feel good. Sure, there's a limit to how much wacky I can handle, but having grown up on Looney Tunes and the like, that tolerance is pretty high. Cyclomaniacs certainly falls under the "wacky" category.It's a 2D bicycle racing game. The animation is silly and lighthearted, the gameplay is addictive and the extras, though somewhat trivial, fit the theme well. The object of the game is to collect achievements, unlock new riders and upgrade your bike. There's no real story outside of the individual riders' backstories, which are entertaining enough to make up for it. This sort of game doesn't really need a story so much anyhow. It simply is. There's no need to worry over taking the game seriously enough to think about character motivations.
At the beginning, there is a button that appears at the top of the game screen for the "complete game movie" which I quickly came to realize wouldn't be unlocked until all 70 achievements had been unlocked. Flash forward a few days to me groaning in amused consternation at the fruit of my labor. Many of the riders are inspired by celebrities or fictional characters (laurel and hardy on a tandem bike made me giggle), but discounting some minor changes in performance behavior, there isn't much to set them apart from each other. They're goofy and fun to look at though, so there isn't much to complain about there. I would say this is a game for those wanting mindless, cheerful fun. I wouldn't recommend playing it for more than an hour, as I can feel the carpal tunnel setting in from button mashing. Very satisfying finishing the game. I feel a little ashamed to admit that, seeing as how it's a very silly and very pointless endeavor, but it is a big game, if a little grindy. I became intimately familiar with the level restart button. There are many more important things you could be doing, like cleaning your ears or balancing your checkbook, maybe trimming your toenails, but if you want to waste some time instead, you could make many worse choices than Cyclomaniacs.
If you haven't done so yet, add yourself as a fan on facebook! There's a design contest going on exclusively for facebook fans, in which you give me a logo design, and I give you a free copy of "And Yet It Moves" from Broken Rules (assuming you win)! So go take a look. It'll be fun. It may even change your life. I think dolphins might be in on it. How can you say no to dolphins?
Do the right thing, people. Play indie games. Make dolphins smile.