Author Archive for Shane
Sushi Mayhem in Review – Fresh Concept, Raw Gameplay
It’s hard to argue that the match-3 genre of games isn’t popular in the App-Store, but it’s true that it’s increasingly difficult to create a good match-3 game. There are so many titles available at the moment that, to the casual player, it’s very tough to find something just right to play. As a match-3 maniac gamer, I’ve played quite a few of the big titles (Bejeweled 2, Treasures of Montezuma, The Rise of Atlantis, just to name a few) and it’s easy to see how some people might get lost in the seemingly endless gameplay.
Snood in Review – Not enough Snoot
Bubble popping games are a somewhat lesser played genre of games on the iDevice. Probably well known names are the earlier Bubble Bash by Gameloft and the recently ported classic Bust-A-Move by TAITO. Snood, however is published at the App Store by Electronic Arts, who are quite the powerhouse for popular iDevice games recently.
Nano Rally in Review – Small Cars, Big Race
You know those things in life that you always want to try, but never really get the time to make it work? When I first saw Sauce Digital’s Nano Rally, I knew that I had to try it out. Simply put, I always wanted to race remote-controlled cars around the many layers of obstacles of a house. Sadly, I didn’t have any remote controlled vehicles or much house (let alone layers of obstacles) to bump around in. Needless to say, this game piqued my interest. Nano-sized racecars cruising around everyday household objects – sounds good to anyone else?
Taxi Jam in Review – Think You Have What it Takes?
In the busy streets of large cities such as New York, Paris, and Shanghai, many people rely on the transportation system to get around. When you miss that bus or subway, or if you’re just in a hurry, one of your other options is to take a taxi. Of course, on busy streets a taxi may not be the most efficient method of travel, but at least it comes to you and hopefully, you won’t have to wait too long.
Earth vs Moon in Review – Rockets at the Ready
If you are a retro gamer (unlike me), you may have played something by the name of Missile Command. The old concept of shooting down incoming missiles as a defence genre has grown over the years from the Atari system to the Xbox. Now it’s come to the iPhone and iPod Touch (although not the first of this genre) as Earth vs Moon, by Low Five Games. And this game is actually more retro than meets the eye.
Mahjongg Artifacts 2 in Review – A Mix of Adventure in Puzzle
What makes a good mahjong solitaire game? Most people tend to play mahjong solitaire when they’re relaxed, or just feel like they’re up for some brain-work. There are quite a few titles for these tile-matching games, probably most notable would be Moonlight Mahjong from the earlier days of the App Store. It’s intuitive 3D graphics were of high quality and the interface was easy to use, and I probably think of it as the epitome of mahjong solitaire games for the iPhone.
But alas, I always seem to sit here praising other games, so being back on topic we have a game known as Mahjongg Artifacts 2 by G5 Entertainment. It’s gameplay is essentially the same; match the tiles and clear the board. The real difference between all of the mahjong solitaire games is the graphics and the content. And I can assure you that Mahjongg Artifacts 2 has plenty of graphics and content.
DrawRace in Review – A Straight Line to Victory
What is it that made Firemint’s Flight Control so popular? When it first appeared in the App Store, it had only one map and no online scores, yet it sold like wildfire. It was the fresh concept that drew the attention of the masses, being a new variation of the time management game.
But this review isn’t about Flight Control, as there already is one on the site for that. This review is about a new game; one that’s also spreading rapidly for it’s new concept. From first glance, RedLynx’s DrawRace looks like it has a similar concept with line drawing gameplay, but it’s definitely not a time management game. I myself never became a fan of Flight Control, but DrawRace brought plenty of fun.
My Brute in Review – Violence Has Never Been So Entertaining
So what is My Brute? If you’re familiar with the online flash game, My Brute is a mix of Super Smash Bros and a street gang war – it’s all action packed fighting with items and abilities, except you have no control over it. BulkyPix, the developers behind the the thriller game Hysteria Project, have ported the web version of My Brute to the iDevice. But since that doesn’t explain the whole story, the web version can be found here. It’s a simple yet fun flash title based on automated fights between virtual characters called “brutes”. Typing in a name generates a new brute profile, in which the player can then go to the arena and choose their battles.
WaterWays in Review – Stuck In The Mud?
Meet Patch. He’s a cow, but he’s not just an ordinary cow. Ok maybe he is, but he has a very important job, which is to stop the world from flooding. Our water system, the Caretaker 3000, hadn’t been properly maintained and now it’s sprung a leak. It’s up to you to help Patch stop the leak from flooding the land.
Developed by Rough Cookie and published by TAITO Corporation, WaterWays seems to be a unique puzzler game. After playing a few levels I realized that this game was similar to Conniption Entertainment’s “Pathways”, however TAITO’s WaterWays utilizes the features of the iDevice to create a slightly complex twist…
Buka in Review – ‘Sploding Baddies!
“Buka makes stars go boom!” – The description given by the developers Hexage.net for their award-winning casual action game for the Android platform. As some people may categorize Buka as a shooter game, I categorize it under the castle defence genre like Chillingo’s Knights Onrush, with a much different variation in graphics and a slightly different concept.
