Puzzles and Dragons - iPhone Review

This was a game I had heard mentioned a time or two over the last few months, but after talking to Chris over at Digitally Downloaded - I decided to give it a shot. He was singing its praises, and at a glance it looked like something I could get into pretty easily.

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Shadow Era - iPhone Review

I have been playing quite a few different collectible card games lately, but something about Shadow Era just never really clicked for me. The game itself was well-designed, and I liked it, but it felt... empty somehow.

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Nightfall - iPhone Review

The collectible card game scene is a popular one still, even after all of these years. In the world of video games, they are usually represented by either Pokemon or Magic: The Gathering, but there have been plenty of exceptions to that rule as well. Many of them have found their way to mobile devices, which seem like a sort of natural landing spot since you can touch and drag your way through the interface while also having an online connection for competitive play.

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The Bard's Tale - iPhone Review

I am not one to shy away from an RPG game, and The Bard's Tale has been around for a long time. Despite that, I never got around to playing it until somewhat recently when it was a freebie game for iOS. The humor throughout was probably the primary selling point in this classic but still entertaining title.

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Angry Birds Star Wars - iPhone/iPad Review

Angry Birds is such an interesting title, because it can be so divisive among gamers. The concept is simple and reminds me of older trajectory based games like Scorched Earth - a title I spent a lot of time with back in high school. There is no denying the overall appeal of the game. It is readily available on lots of devices, the premise is simple but varying levels of success yield more stars for personal accomplishment, and as the many iterations since have demonstrated - there is a lot of variety that can be injected into the basic formula.

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Star Wars: Force Collection - iOS Review

Two things most people who know me are aware I enjoy a great deal: Star Wars and CCG's (collectible card games). So when I heard that there would be an iOS game mixing those two elements together, I was more than a little excited. Still, when the recipe for success seems so certain, that usually means you are in for some degree of letdown.

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Infinity Blade II - iOS Review

Infinity Blades I & II have earned a reputation for being two of the best-looking iOS games released to date. It is a well-deserved reputation, but the question always boils down to: what is the game itself like?

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Tekken Card Tournament - iPhone Review

I am a big fan of Collectible Card Games - both the physical and digital variety. They are extremely competitive by nature, and 'cracking packs' has always been rather addictive to me (which also explains the very large sports card collection I used to have).

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Dead Space - iPad Review

I will spread out the posts a bit this week and next while trying to ramp up some new content. In the meantime, the Dead Space theme continues with the iPad version of the game.

The name confused me at first. Was this the original Dead Space remastered for the iPad? Without a sub-name added to the title, I was unsure when it first came out. That being said, I loved the original Dead Space enough to give this a go and see what it was all about.

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Marvel: War of Heroes - iPad/iPhone Review

I think by now it is safe to say I am a fan of collectible card games.  Of course, this spills out into Magic: The Gathering, but also a lot of the video game based ones like Guardian Cross and Rage of Bahamut.  I had heard some time ago on IGN that Mobage was going to be releasing a Transformers game this fall that would be very similar to Rage of Bahamut.  I have not seen or heard anything else about that (it might even be out for all I know?  Searches did not turn anything up yesterday, however).

I did however get a pleasant surprise when I found out that Marvel: War of Heroes had been released last week for mobile devices.  I had completely forgotten about this title, only having heard it briefly mentioned months ago before I even had an iPhone, and therefore any particular interest in it.

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Guardian Cross - iPad/iPhone Review

I have been noticing a lot of collectible card games for the iOS lately, and it makes sense really. Matches are usually quick, there is a competitive online element and they tend to be more strategic than action-based. I first heard about Guardian Cross by Square Enix some time ago, and it finally got its release and I have been playing it daily since.

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Super Penguins - iPhone/iPad Review

With my new iPhone has come a lot of new games to try out.  Most of them have been of the slower-paced variety like RPG or CCG style games.  However, it is nice to try out some other types of titles, especially those that make better use of the iPhone as a whole.  One such game I have been sinking quite a bit of time into lately is Super Penguins.

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Rage of Bahamut - iPhone Review

Recently, I mentioned getting an iPhone - which was sorely needed since my old phone was dropping calls and the touch screen stopped responding to... well... touch.  That seemed problematic.

Of course, one of the things I was most excited about was getting some portable games to lay on my iPhone while out and about too.  I have gotten a chance to play several of late, and I plan to toss out some quick reviews on them here and there.  The first one I want to write about? 

Rage or Bahamut

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Gua-Le-Ni: Paper Beasts - iPad Review & A Contest!

Originally released back in December, Gua-Le-Ni: Paper Beasts is an odd game at first glance.  It is a puzzle game, that much becomes clear rather quickly - but the way it plays out is unlike anything else I have played so far on the iPad.  The premise is simple, but effective.  Animals such as tigers, condors and camels are drawn out in paper sketches and then 'torn apart'.  These different pieces are then put together and marched across your screen from right to left.

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J.U.L.I.A Untold HD - iPad Review

I recently touched on the game J.U.L.I.A for the PC, and found myself liking it quite a bit.  Recently Lace Mamba released J.U.L.I.A. Untold HD for iOS, which is a direct spinoff of the original game.  Like the original J.U.L.I.A, Untold HD tells a self-contained story through a text-heavy adventure augmented with a wide variety of puzzle games.

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Mass Effect Infiltrator - iPad Review

Just as Mass Effect Galaxy tried to tell a non-Shepard story wedged between the primary console releases of Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, Electronic Arts brings us Mass Effect Infiltrator just before the Mass Effect 3 release. 

As I noted in my earlier review, I was not very happy with Mass Effect Galaxy.  It was a major departure from the series both in form and function.  With this in mind, I went into Mass Effect Infiltrator hopeful, but wary.  It turns out that both of those feelings had merit to them.

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Mass Effect Galaxy - iPad Review

I've been a huge fan of the Mass Effect series for some time now.  I do admit that the first title took some time to convince me of its worth, but once I gave it a proper chance I dove right in and enjoyed it thoroughly.  When I saw Mass Effect Galaxy come out for the iPhone/iPad, I was pretty excited.  I had seen some games handle shooter mechanics well on the platform, and since the series was an RPG at its heart, there was room to be creative and make sure that it fit the iOS platform.

However, I was surprised to find a game that was a radical departure from what the series had been to date.  Here are my thoughts on it.

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Scrabble - iPad Review

I read a lot of articles about games - and one that I see pop up pretty frequently is a list of 'best games for the iPad' or 'best tablet' games. Of course, this is a very subjective list and opinions will vary widely, but one of the most common titles I see on these lists is Scrabble.

For those unfamiliar with the board game - well.. come out from under your rock. :)

But seriously, the premise is simple yet the experience changes every time you play, which is a good deal of its charm. Opponents get sets of letters, and they use these letters to spell out words on a board. There are various things that can affect the score, from the values of the letters used (Q is worth a whole lot more than E) to the types of spaces you spell your word across (such as double letter or triple word).

This happens to be one of the first games my wife acquired after buying her iPad, and it's one of our most heavily played.

Graphics - 5:

Okay, there's really not much going on here. You have a static board and some letters on tiles. That's it. So why am I not being harder on the score? There really isn't much more to do with it really. Any superfluous animations and effects would probably just get annoying. However, tiles are easy to read, the board is a good representation of what you see in the boxed game. It's clean, concise and functional. That's really all anyone's looking for in a title like this.

Sound & Music - 5:

See above. Seriously, there's just not much of interest going on, but I can't honestly say I'd expect much either. With as much time as you spend staring at the small screen though, some nice, varied background music would have been a plus.

Gameplay - 9:

Everything works like it should. It's easy to slide tiles, the game checks word validity for you, and you can play against the computer or another human opponent. My wife and I play this when we're laying down just watching a movie. It's easy to hand back and forth and there are some clear advantages to an electronic version versus the board game:

- no cleanup
- built-in word checking

Talk about some valuable time savers. When it comes to touch detection and drag, there's almost never any problems or missed gestures. It just does what it is supposed to and stays out of the way, so to speak.

Intangibles - 9:

If you like word games, then it is really hard to do better than this classic game. There's always a good challenge to be had if you play the AI and it's fun playing against a person as well. Obviously if there's a significant skill difference between people, the challenge is reduced, but the various score tiles and random nature of the letter acquisition helps to balance things out as well. There is even a handy 'best word' feature each player can use 3 times a game. Stumped? The game will find you the highest-scoring possible word you can spell and then ask you if you want to go through with it. Nifty feature when I have a ton of odd letters and can't see anything useful on the board.

Overall - 7:

This score's a bit misleading in that it really depends on the person. If you like word games or enjoy playing board games like this with other people, you're going to get a lot out of this. If we drop out the technical aspects of the score, this game would have been a 9 out of 10 for me. That said? If you don't particularly get much out of these types of games, this is not going to interest you at all. It's exactly what you would expect from a board game of Scrabble - for better or worse depending on your preferences.

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Infinity Blade - iPad Review

Infinity Blade was a title that caught my eye quite some time ago. As soon as trailers for it started to come out, I was smitten with the graphics and the reviews did not do much to discourage me from wanting to try it. They were generally ranging from pretty good to amazing depending on the reviewer. I picked this title up some time ago on sale, and with the recent release of Infinity Blade II, I figured this would be a good time to take a look at the original.

Graphics - 10:

This is a gorgeous game. Easily the prettiest I had seen on the iPad when I first got it. A couple of rivaled it since, but the fluid animations, lens flare effects and detailed environments really stand out and changed how a lot of people viewed iPad games.

Sound & Music - 6:

The sound effects are decent, and the music is pretty good - though it lacks much variety. I did run into a few quirks though, where once in awhile the sound would not play in my session until I closed the game out and restarted it.

Gameplay - 7:

More good than bad to be here. The swiping gestures work well most of the time, and I liked drawing out the magic sigils during combat. I felt like the menu was a bit clunky to get around in at times, and there were definitely times in combat where defensive gestures seemed to go wrong - especially dodging. Also, while the concept was interesting, more variety in the environment would have been greatly appreciated.

Intangibles - 7:

Fights don't take long, giving the game a nice quick-fix pick up and play feel. The progression system is pretty cool - I liked how maxing out gear increases value and gives you levels as it, like you, gains experience. I found myself using every single piece of gear along the way, even if it wasn't the best available, simply to take full advantage of the leveling system. Unfortunately, it does not take long to beat the God King, there is not a lot of variety in the enemies you fight, none of them are particularly difficult and the limited number of environments mean you will see and do it all pretty quickly. Another complaint? The game seems to crash somewhat frequently on my wife's iPad, requiring complete system reboots. Not every time, not even close - maybe 10% of the time, but that still seems too much.

Overall - 7.5:

In some ways, I would like to rank this game higher. I really enjoyed it quite a bit - it's one of my most heavily played iPad titles to date. But, it is not without some flaws - such as the crashing or the limited number of creatures and environs. Considering how cheaply the game can be acquired now, it's hard for me to suggest not acquiring it - though I have not yet played the sequel, which I have read is superior in almost every way and might prove a better investment.

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Angry Birds - iPad Review

Angry Birds is a game that needs little introduction. Just about everyone has heard of it by now. The other day passing through Walmart, my wife and I stopped at a huge rack of plush Angry Birds that came in a variety of sizes and types. I kept waiting for her to hurl them at me as if we were reenacting a level from the game, but thankfully that didn't happen.

For those who have not yet played the game, the formula is both simple and addicting, which no doubt are the main reasons for the game's success. You use your finger to draw back a slingshot and how far back you pull and what angle you aim at propels your feathered artillery toward green pigs (or are they piggy banks?) to shatter them.

There are different kinds of birds, and some have secondary effects while they are air born that you tap the screen to trigger. There are a variety of structure housing/protecting the pigs and you have to figure out the best way to burst through them to destroy your targets.

Graphics - 8:

Cute stuff. I mean, these characters got turned into stuffed animals and they are pretty adorable. The various moving parts all look good as platforms crumble and piggies break. Everything is crisp and easy to make out. There could be some extra stuff going on in the backgrounds from time to time, but overall it looks good.

Sound & Music - 7:

The sound effects do a decent job of illustrating the collisions that take place, but there's really not much that I found particularly memorable either. In fact, as I sit here, I can't recall any music, though I'm sure there was some.

Gameplay - 9:

The mechanics of drawing the sling back and shooting are simple, but perfect for this game and really for the iPad device. Now, there were times I would occasionally misfire if my finger 'stuttered' across the screen and prematurely let up, but it did not happen and each level only takes a couple of minutes to play through (at most) - so experimentation is key and you will trial and frequently error on your way to completion.

Intangibles - 8:

There's a lot of levels. There's quite a bit of challenge to be had here. And you can use different tactics to beat most levels, though some work better than others. My wife seemed to enjoy the game more than I did, but I still got quite a bit of play out of it.

Overall - 8:

It's the perfect type of game for the iPad, and at the time we got it, Angry Birds was like 99 cents. Considering the hours of play both my wife and I got out of it, I would say it was a worthwhile investment. It has a very broad appeal too. All of my kids have played it to some extent, with my youngest in particular being taken with it. There are a lot of other games out there now that have mimicked this basic formula, but there's a certain charm to the Angry Birds that still helps it to stand out from the crowd.

More Angry Birds Videos

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