Contract Killer: review

The other day I jumped onto the top charts on the App Store and I was surprised to see a 3D sniper game in the vain of Overkill. The game looked amazing and from the screenshots you can tell that the developer (Glu Mobile) put a lot of effort into developing the graphics, apart from that the title is somewhat lacking. The game depends on in app purchases just like Overkill to fuel it. You can purchase money or credits that allows you to upgrade your weapon, bullets, health and even purchase other games offered. This title offers a fairly well rounded shooting mechanic and options to restore your health, switch guns and duck for cover. My main issues lied in the fact that there were too many buttons for a sniper game but I mean I can't complain too much it is free. There was a certain amount of satisfaction to killing a target but missions get increasingly harder as you progress. Another issue I had is finding a mission, there is a map that shows you your safe house and missions to chose from but some you have to wait for a specific time to start or purchase the level with money you earn in the game. This is the most frustrating part of Contract Killer. I feel like it's a good tech demo and it's a great free game but I would rather pay a dollar or two and not have pop-up ads and in app purchases. I still had fun with the game and I wish jumping into a mission was a bit more fluent. One last thing, push notifications while you're playing other games is simply annoying so turn them off. For my full review of Overkill: http://ipadgamereviewsandpreviews.blogspot.com/2011/03/freebie-alert-review-overkill.html

Great Little War Game: review

Great Little War Game is a universal app that was just released a day ago. I have been waiting in anticipation for this game for the longest time. It is a turn based war/strategy game that is a blast to play. The game is currently priced at $2.99 and is well worth the price. The game has a very fun feel and design to it, making war look cute instead of dark and scary. Great Little War Game plays similar to a combination of Command & Conquer and Civilization. The game starts off with very easy missions, either attacking enemies, capturing their base or defending your commander. Each turn you take passes a day in time. There are many options for building units, including mechanics, troopers, snipers, tanks etc. The game is played as if it is a big chess board and to progress you must move tactfully and intelligently. The game is slow paced so I do not believe it is for everyone. The animations are fluent and well done but since it's a universal app the graphics could always be improved for the Ipad. The game is a constant challenge and some missions you will end up playing for hours. As the game continues the missions change and the tactics must be adjusted accordingly. I strongly recommend this game to any fan of strategy and turn-based games.

 







 

Sword & Sorcery: review

Opening visual to Sword & Sorcery

Starting point

For the first time ever I feel like a game was made that defines the Ipad as a powerful and significant gaming device. Superbrother: Sword & Sorcery is a visual, audio treat. The game focuses on showing you something you've never seen before, similar to Flower on the PS3. The audio was recorded specifically for every scene which really makes you feel like you're participating in a game that has a purpose. This game is not your typical adventure game and don't expect something similar to Zelda or a dungeon crawler.

There is plenty of action, adventure
and enemies but the focus is more on exploration and admiration than heavy gaming. I started the game a bit confused because you must hold the Ipad on one specific side to start the game and then you're introduced to the Archetype of the game. This man is on the top image in this blog post. He's in charge of directing you through the game with crazy lines of dialogue. For every dialogue line they post you are encouraged to share it through social media (specifically Twitter). The dialogue is meant to be very creative and abstract. So once you've been introduced to the game you finally start as your main character. He is a sword wielding pix-elated knight. There are two basic options for controls, you can either double click on the space you would like you're character to move to or continuously press on the screen for him to move in that direction. So you start off in a forest and quickly you are introduced to a dog that follows you and a man that chops wood and knows the area. He unlocks a gate and you are off to a forbidden area to retrieve something that will help you read minds and control certain elements. The game then shows you what type of adventure you're really in for. 

I was amazed that the game could make me feel a sense of discovery or even an emotion like fear so quickly. Honestly after retrieving the first item in the cave you are pursued by an enemy easily twice your size and the music that accompanies the scene installs that fear in your head. I won't go too far into story details because that is the majority of the fun. you're probably thinking where's the combat in this game, I mean you do have a sword for a reason. That is probably my favorite part of the experience. To enter into combat you must turn the Ipad upright in the portrait mode. This triggers a battle and shows your health and your enemies health. There are two buttons, one sword button and a shield button. You cannot advance so the general trick is to block and attack while your opponent is backing away. Unfortunately I forgot to take a screen shot of a battle so that's up to you to find. I still have about half the game to complete so this is a first look at the title. For the price of $4.99 I highly recommend this title to those who are looking for a new experience on their device.

War Pinball HD: review

This is my first pinball game on the Ipad and for once they are releasing a pinball game that has a really cool theme to it. The game features three classic (could be argued) pinball tables. Missing in Action, Navy Seals and Platoon are the featured tables. Each one is themed according to the film and are extremely well designed. You can play the game either in landscape mode or portrait mode. I recommend portrait because you get a better overall look and feel to the tables. There are plenty of power-ups and interesting bunkers to interact with. Considering they don't make classic pinball tables anymore this game is an instant classic and must have for any pinball fan. The graphics are superb and the physics are perfect. Controls are handled through simply touching on the screen with either thumb to activate the paddles. The game is priced at a reasonable $2.99 (about a buck a table). One last thing I found interesting is that two of the tables feature Charlie Sheen. I highly recommend this title to any pinball fan, it throws you back into the classic days of pinball in a bar or arcade.

New games released tonight at midnight

 

It used to be every Thursday night the newest games for the Ipad would be released, now it's changed to Wednesday night. At midnight tonight (wherever you are in the world) a major title is finally hitting the app store. Superbrothers: Sword & Sorcery is hitting the app store at the price of $4.99. The game is a pixelated, touch interface action/adventure game. The game's look and controls set it apart from anything else on the Ipad currently and previews from he recent GDC conference are all positive. I will most likely stay up late and download it tonight to test drive it and post a review in the next couple of days. 

The other game that has a little buzz around it is: Max and the Magic Marker.
This is a port from the Wii online store, Wii Ware. The game is aimed at a younger audience and features a young boy progressing through side scrolling levels. The trick is to use your marker to interact with the scenery so you can traverse the level and accomplish goals. The game looks intuitive and fun and will be priced at only $4.99. 

There may be other new games coming out tonight and I will keep you updated depending on the quality of the games.

Blighted Earth: review

Blighted Earth is your traditional tower defense game similar to Fieldrunners. The game is more of a budget title priced at .99 cents. Just like Fieldrunners you start with a basic level and decide the path your opponent will be forced to follow by laying various towers wherever you want. The game only has 4 levels and on easy the game is way too easy to beat. You can actually build up your towers, walk away from the game and come back victorious 20 minutes later. I suggest playing it on a more difficult setting. There are only 5 towers to choose from including a basic machine gun, a tower that slows enemies down, a shock-wave tower and then two more that are very expensive and necessary once you pass the first 20 rounds. The game's enemies are aliens looking to invade your world by passing through your line of defense. The game is fun for the first play through and unlocking each level is rewarding but there are not enough tower options or types of enemies to keep this title on your Ipad. The publisher has not updated the game with new levels like Fieldrunners. There are ground forces and air forces but honestly after beating this once you won't play it again and with a million other tower defense options on the App Store why choose this one? I recommend this one solely if you can't get your fill of TD on Fieldrunners or if you can't afford a pricey game.

Etolis Arena: review

Prepare to embrace the suck. Etolis Arena is probably one of the worst games I've ever purchased. This twin stick shooter was released by Chillingo a few months ago. It looked as if it had potential from the initial screen shots but after playing for a couple of minutes I found myself asking how could a publisher release a game with such horrible controls, horrible graphics and weird game play. At the beginning this game sets up some intriguing images as if there is a point to it all. Then you jump into the game and everything sucks. The weapons are horribly designed and the bullets seem ineffective and poorly animated. Etolis: Arena is wave after wave of incredibly fast enemies and controls that don't respond. I mean take a look at these screen shots and ask what is the point of putting out a game that looks this bad? The game is priced at $1.99 but honestly this should be free and there are better dual stick shooters for the exact same price like Minigore HD. I feel like Chillingo has a responsibility to ensure the games they are releasing are worth the price. Avoid this one for sure.  

Ideal graphics for the game

Grim Joggers: review

  Grim Joggers showed me how much fun and potential could lie in a 99 cent game. The premise is simple yet very precise at the same time. This is a non-stop running game similar to Canabalt or Monster Dash. The one changing factor is that there is an entire team of runners that are all apparently on the same jogging team. You start with nearly 20 joggers and the game is slowly paced, for every check-point you go through the speed of the game progresses. The interesting part is that for every check-point you reach with your joggers you will gain ten times the amount of calories burned. So ideally the goal is to get as far as possible without loosing any of your joggers. Believe it or not I actually played this game for over 24 hours. I also ranked #14 in the world for a week or so on the first level. There are four levels in total that progressively get harder. The game has one flaw that will bug you over time, the levels are randomly generated so at some points there are jumps that are completely impossible to accomplish. Also there is an addictive quality to the game, once you reach your highest score you tend to have a desire to beat it until it drives you crazy. When you've reached your last jogger the game's background, music and mood changes to an aggressive beat. I highly recommend this title to anyone that is up for a challenge. The developers promise additional levels in the future and that last one was an interesting military inspired minefield.


 

Dead Space HD: review

Dead Space is one of the most anticipated games to be released on the IOS in ages. The game follows a separate plot-line from the original games. You are not Isaac Clark and you don't view your character until the ending scene. This game is meant to be a bridge between the two plot lines. First off this game is absolutely stunning. It has the graphics of a PS2 game. To understand the graphics you really have to view screen shots of the game. The game uses a touch interface with no alternative control modes. You use two thumbs, one for controlling your player and the other to direct your sights. By clicking on the screen you automatically aim your weapon, click again and you shoot. There are in total 4 weapons to collect. All weapons are upgradable through collecting or purchasing power nodes. You can also purchase improved suits, ammo and med packs. They are all similar to the console version of the game. The game features amazing lighting and incredible sound. In my opinion you must play with headphones to experience it fully. Sounds may scare you late at night but they also warn you of incoming waves of enemies. There is also amazing dialogue in this game, the story is logical and convinces you to follow an interesting path. One thing that is crazy is the nightmares and images you imagine throughout the game. These images add a scary vibe while entering each room. The game has a re-playability factor to it. After beating the story the game restarts with  more enemies that have higher health. In conclusion I highly recommend purchasing this title for the Ipad. Currently the price is on sale for $6.99. 

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit: review

Opening cinematic to Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

So this will probably be my last racing game review for hopefully at least a few weeks. Need for Speed has been released for over a couple of months but due to it's popularity I feel the need to revisit this one and help you as the consumer decide which racing game is best suited for you. Need for Speed tries to replicate the console versions to the best of it's ability. The graphics are superb and almost on par with Real Racing 2 HD. The game has two aspects and multiple was to play the game. You can either be a police officer, trying to take down the racers or you can be a street racer and try to evade the cops and win the race. Whether you are a police officer or a street racer you have multiple weapons and abilities to unleash. As a racer you can boost, shoot a oil slick or disrupt their EMP charge. If you are an officer you can send EMP charges, unleash spike strips and boost as well. Winning the race allows you to unlock new tracks and vehicles. The cars are already upgraded so there is no option to customize your vehicle. To unlock everything you must achieve 3 stars on every course. Believe me this gets hard overtime. There is also an online component to the game. One thing that should be brought up is this game functions solely on tilt controls instead of an option for a virtual joystick. I fell in love with this game from the beginning and I was fortunate to purchase it on sale. EA does an amazing job in recreating the console experience for the hand-held. The game is currently priced at $9.99 but EA often lowers their prices depending on holidays. 

Sim City Deluxe HD: review

Sim City Deluxe is a big improvement from the previous Sim City release on the IOS. The game is a duplication of the Sim City Deluxe released on the computer. The game is a fast running port and very crisp and clean. There are scenario modes and the traditional mode to create new cities.

The game's interface is simple and easy to use. It may take some adjustment to laying roads or residential area. There are seasons in the game and you can adjust time to your liking or pause the game. There are also disasters, landmark buildings and gifts you can unlock. The game is very concerned about it's citizens and keeping them happy ensures your city's success. So if you are into managing and building at the same rate this game will appeal to you. I only had the game crash once or twice but it performs very well.

The game is a challenge even on easy and I found it hard to not take out loans because I prefer the building aspect to the game rather than keeping my citizens in check. The price currently is set at $6.99 and sometimes EA has sales. I recommend this title to any Sim city addict.

Asphalt 6 HD: review

Opening cinematic from Asphalt 6 HD

 As you can tell I am a big fan of racing games on the Ipad. I love the tilt functionality in any racing game, it feels natural after awhile. So onto the game review, Asphalt 6 is the follow-up from Asphalt 5 HD on the Ipad. There are vast improvements from the previous entry in the series. There are more tracks, cars and upgrades. The game has online game modes and a competitive community. The game also has numerous modes to compete in as well. The changes from Asphalt 5 are incredible, especially the lighting and collision detection. The AI is also very competitive and persistent.















 The graphics are on par with Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit on the Ipad. The tracks are original and have alternate routes to take. The goal is to collect power-ups and money on the track. If you collect enough boost power-ups you transfer the entire screen into a tron like mode shown below.

Overdrive mode

In conclusion this game is an awesome attempt at creating a new racing experience but unfortunately once you've upgraded the top tier cars they end up going ridiculously fast. So control becomes a bit of a hassle. I believe this title is priced at $6.99 currently and Gameloft often has sales so you can anticipate price changes.