All Entries Tagged With: "Action"
HEAVY – sword in Review – Mario With A Sword, Anyone?
Heavy Sword reminds me of a cross between Super Mario Bros and The Legend Of Zelda. Now some of you might be thinking “isn’t that basically Zelda 2 for the NES?” That’s probably fair enough, but since I never played that title I’m sticking with the correlation. The problem is that this really isn’t as interesting as either of those games separately, let alone what a good combination of them could be. That alone I could live with, since either of those franchises is hard to live up to. What is troubling me, however, is the fact that the game keeps freezing up on me.
Dungelot in Review – Rogue-like At Its Best
Back in the day, by which I mean a time I barely remember and which many of you probably weren’t born yet for, there existed a game called Rogue that quite possibly started one of the first trends of copycats, known as rouge-likes. The games were simple in some ways such as consisting of only ASCII graphics, but complex in others like having a myriad of commands to remember and randomly generated dungeons that were revealed as you moved through them. While I actually enjoyed several games of this type, I’m happy to see that modern variants such as Dungelot have revamped graphics and streamlined control schemes. Unfortunately one challenging feature still remains in many modern rogue-likes: death is death.
Karateka remake kicks and punches its way onto iOS App Store
Remember Karateka? You know, that classic 8-bit side-scroller fighter that made your jaw drop back in the 80′s? Well Jordan Mechner, the man behind the game and who later made Prince of Persia, has brought Karateka back to life with the help of Jeff Matsuda’s artwork (The Batman) and music by Grammy-winning composer Christopher Tin (Civilization IV). The remake first arrived on XBLA in early November and has now arrived on iOS.
Team Awesome in Review – A Diversion With Superheroes
Fans of the game Diversion from Ezone.com are going to feel a sense of déjà vu here, assuming you haven’t already with the several other Diversion-derived projects they’ve released in the last couple of years. Thankfully the formula’s still addictive, and there are enough differences to be found in Team Awesome that it still seems like its own game. Unfortunately (depending on how you look at it) you won’t find any deep game play here, but if you’re looking for a simple diversion that could turn into an addiction, Team Awesome is your game.
Horn – Console Adventure On A Portable Screen
I first tasted of the intrigue that Phosphor Games could produce as I wandered the creepy halls of Dark Meadow. It had its issues, but overall it was a captivating game with wild creatures and a unique control scheme. That was, of course, until I played Infinity Blade and realized that I had suffered Déjà Vu in reverse. Now Phosphor Games has released Horn, and while the fantasy theme is reminiscent of Infinity Blade, it actually has a lot more to it then either of the aforementioned games in terms of things to do besides combat. At first I was a bit skeptical about it just because I was afraid it would be a clone of the Chair Entertainment Group’s franchise, but every time I load up Horn I manage to get lost in its mystery and grandeur.
Dariusburst SP in Review – Everything Old Rocks It New Again
The week that DARIUSBURST SP came out I included it in my weekly “10 App Store Games To Watch” list and hoped that it would be half as good as another Taito “retread” called RayForce (TMA Review) . Well, after spending some time with the game I’d wager to say it’s actually better. At the very least they’ve handled the “too easy” issue amicably, but Dariusburst has a third game play mode, two fighters which need to be unlocked before use and a branching level system – all of which greatly extend the replay value. Sure the initial run through can still be fairly short, but there’s a lot more reason to keep playing this one after you’ve beaten it.
EPOCH in Review – Go save the princess, you tin can!
At times it seems developers just miss that creative spark in terms of writing, leaving us stuck with stories full of cardboard characters and clichés. But every once in a while a streak of genius may turn such a seemingly boring tale into something new and original. And depending on the viewpoint EPOCH falls neatly into the latter category. Or not.
Super Crate Box in Review – Just One More Time, Please…
There’s no question Super Crate Box is a silly game. You basically run around one of three levels collecting crates and killing monsters to stay alive. It’s like a side view FPS with no fancy graphics and no point. The funny thing is that it is also one of the most addictive games I’ve played in quite a while, and that says a lot since I’ve spent almost every day for the past week playing Treasures of Montezuma 3. There’s something about the simplicity of the game combined with the retro pixel graphics that to me makes it a whole lot more interesting than the previously released Muffin Knight, a game clearly inspired by this one. All I know is I’m glad to be part of the crate collecting revolution.
Superman in Review – Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it’s iSuperman!
Superman, while not the first superhero ever, is arguably the most well-known and iconic one. Created back in the 30′s he was instrumental to establishing the superhero genre. On the iOS however, Superman came quite late in the game long after Chillingo’s The Hero (TMA Review) showed its tight-fitting brightly coloured behind on the App Store. It’s time to see how the legendary “man of steel” holds up to the older and more satirical rival.
Drawin’ Growin’ in Review – Farmin’ Fairys Flourish Fauna…
I never thought I’d care much for games about growing plants, but like a lot of other things iOS devices have convinced me that such endeavors aren’t so bad. The latest such game to catch me attention is Drawin’ Growin’ by Taito, and this game is certainly different than the others I’ve played. Your task is “simply” to make sure the plants get the right amount of water or sunlight, depending on the color of their pots. However, your job is not as placid as it seems. Many things will get in the way of your success, and how well and quickly you deal with them will determine your ultimate rewards. There are times where the action can get a little overwhelming, but for the most part so far it’s been a pretty relaxed and interesting adventure.
