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Dec

Time To Wreck It!: Wreck-It Ralph Review

Posted by Matt Demers in Apps/Games, Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

As gamers, we've all become familiar with the tie-in title. These are usually released in conjunction with a movie or TV show to widen its exposure, and historically they're usually pretty sub-par.

However, Disney's Wreck-It Ralph subverts this trope because it's in the unique position of being based off of video games. That's kind of hard to mess up.

Wreck-It Ralph is a series of three (soon to be four) arcade games that feature characters and environments from the movie. The first is a direct port of the Fix-It Felix Jr. arcade game that Ralph calls home, the second will remind players of Doodle Jump and other "bounce as high as you can" games, and the third is a very modest twin-joystick shooter.

Dec

Game Review: Shoot Em Up + Rave = Beat Hazard Ultra

Posted by Matt Demers in Apps/Games, Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

I've been enjoying video games for most of my life, and some of them come with a seizure warning before I start playing. This is to make sure that people who are prone to seizures or headaches know that there is a large amount of strobe effects in the game they're about to start.

I've never felt that been susceptible to the problems the warnings are meant to address, but then again, I hadn't played Beat Hazard Ultra, either.

Beast Hazard Ultra is a shoot-em-up game that uses your music to generate levels. Gameplay-wise, it's a mix of Asteroids and the traditional two-joystick shooters that many players are already familiar with.

Dec

Do The Twist: Pixel Twist Review

Posted by Matt Demers in Apps/Games, Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

For all the shooters and racing games that mobile fans see, there's another subset that seems specifically made for the touch environment. "Zen" games are popular because they're relatively simple, can be played in short bursts to cure boredom, and ultimately allow their audience to sit back and relax. Pixel Twist fulfills all three of those criteria.

Pixel Twist starts off quite simple: you're given an exploded view of an image, like a lime, painting or game controller, and by moving the camera around you can line up the pixels so that they form a complete picture.

As you can see from the left screenshot, the game provides a hint to particularly frazzled players on the first few levels, but eventually they disappear.

Nov

Hyperwave Review: There's A Lot To Like About Lasers

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Apps/Games, Games, Reviews

There are only so many permutations of the scrolling arcade shooter, but that didn't stop developer CatfishBlues from taking a swing at it with Hyperwave. This is a top-down game that could pass for the spiritual successor to Space Invaders. You have to pilot your lone craft against all the glowing horrors of space to defend humanity. At least that's what the backstory is supposed to be. It's really just an excuse to shoot stuff, but that's okay.

Controls

Your ship in Hyperwave is restricted to moving left and right at the bottom of the screen. Auto-fire is always on, so you don't have to stress about that.

Nov

A Blast From The Past: A Review of Chrono Trigger for Android

Posted by Matt Demers in Game Reviews, Reviews

If you were a gamer in the 90s, there was a good chance you either owned or had played a Super Nintendo. While the debate still rages on about whether that machine or the Sega Genesis was superior, it can be safely stated that the SNES had some amazing role-playing titles.

Chief among these was Chrono Trigger, a game by a group of developers so storied that they were labeled a "Dream Team." The game was one of many titles (Final Fantasy VI, Earthbound, Super Mario RPG) that helped further the genre and leave a lasting impression on gaming as a whole.

Oct

Zombiewood Review: Please Insert $1.99 To Complete This Title

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Games, Reviews

French developer Gameloft has a complicated and contentious history with Android. Initially the company refused to put its games on Android, then only offered them through its own store before finally getting into the Play Store. Like other devs, Gameloft has started pushing in-app purchases pretty hard, but the games are usually quite high-quality. In this game, you play as a stuntman fighting off the zombie invasion through a number of film sets. The zombie apocalypse trope is nothing new, but can Gameloft at least do it justice? Let's find out.

Controls

Zombiewood is a top down shoot 'em up, so the use of our old friend, the dual analog sticks, should come as no surprise.

Oct

Sumioni Demon Arts Review: Great Ideas And Awesome Style Brought Down By Poor Controls

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Games, Reviews

Despite the fact that tens of thousands of games are available on Android, most of them are easily placed within genres that have been around for decades, or they simply copy the conventions of mobile-friendly games (tower defense, runners, physics games, etc). IT's refreshing to see a game like Sumioni: Demon Arts, which combines traditional platforming with the kind of touch-enabled gameplay mechanics that's only been possible for a few years. It's a shame, then, that it has to come from a PlayStation Vita port... with the high price tag that usually accompanies console games.

The artistry on display in Sumioni, lifted from Japanese sumi-e paintings (with "oni" meaning "demon" in Japanese, creating a crude quasi-pun in the title), is undeniably attractive.

Oct

Razor Salvation Review: The Only Salvation Comes When You Stop Playing

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Games, Reviews

This game seems to have everything going for it. It has an alien invasion, destroyed cityscapes, big guns, and Tegra optimization. By all rights, Razor Salvation should be a killer game. This title isn't free and it's a big download, so you should know what you're getting into. Let's see if it's worth your time.

Gameplay

The premise of Razor Salvation is epic, but poorly explored. The gist of it is that aliens have invaded Earth, and you have to land your dropship in various locations to save as many humans as possible. As you progress, more of the background regarding the Xenos invasion and the infected human population is revealed.

Oct

Review: Glu Mobile's "Indestructible" Is Anything But Bulletproof

Posted by Matt Demers in Game Reviews, Games, Reviews

In the realm of dual-stick shooters, Android’s offerings seem to be plentiful. However, one company’s name stands out due to their past success: Glu Mobile’s Gun Bros is a franchise that many gamers will recognize. Gun Bros seemed to have it all: an addicting premise, no shortage of customization, and perhaps most importantly, controls that didn’t suck. I’ve played my fair share of Gun Bros, so when Glu announced that they would be releasing a similar title (only this time, with cars!) I couldn’t help but be curious.

Rev Up That Engine…

Indestructible isn’t a concept that feels particularly new: you have a heavily modified car with a number of weapon options, and your goal is to kill enemies before they kill you.

Oct

Wild Blood Review: A Good Action Game With Giant Swords And A Little Lag

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Games, Reviews

Gameloft has been releasing high-end games on Android for the last few years, and some of them have been quite good. However, just as many of them have had serious issues that rendered them unplayable for me. Wild Blood will cost you some serious cash up front, but it promises an epic action-adventure story with killer graphics. Does it deliver?

Story And Gameplay

Reading the description for Wild Blood makes a good first impression. The gist of the tale is that King Arthur has gone mad after learning Queen Guinevere has betrayed him with Sir Lancelot (that's you). Along with his sister, Morgana Le Fey, Arthur summons demons to wreak havoc on the kingdom and imprisons Guinevere.