All Entries Tagged With: "rating-grab"
Crazy Escape in Review – Penguins and Sheep? Apparently…
I think Crazy Escape is an extremely appropriate name for this latest puzzle game from Bulkypix. Thankfully, crazy isn’t always a bad thing. Your quest to help two penguins rescue a bunch of sheep will take you through some pretty zany shenanigans, and I wouldn’t expect you to get through the game without chuckling a time or two at least. It’s nice to know that the line drawing technique can be used for things besides simple war games and millions of Harbor Master clones.
Amerzone: The Explorer’s Legacy in Review – A charming classic adventure goes iOS
Few people in the adventure gaming community have not heard of Benoit Sokal, the man behind one of the best adventure games of all time – Syberia. While the story of Kate Archer has yet to reach the iOS platform, one of his early and very highly acclaimed games has. And I’m not talking about the disappointing adaptation of Paradise aka Last King of Africa (TMA Review) and Last King of Africa 2 (TMA Review). Rather, it’s his first adventure ever – the legendary Amerzone: The Explorer’s Legacy – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Carrot War in Review – The Pen IS Mighter Than The Laser, At Least
Don’t get me wrong when I say this, because I still love the scrolling shooter genre, but even the good ones are becoming a bit of a routine these days. Thankfully, Carrot War has decided to shake up that routine a bit. Sure you still fight wave after wave of bad guys to get to the big bad boss of each world. But the control mechanics are different than anything I’ve ever played before. That’s good… and sometimes bad. Mostly good, though.
Burn The City in Review – Think Physics Game Meets Rampage
Hey look, another physics game with a cute protagonist. It doesn’t take long before you realize that Burn The City is a far cry from your Angry Birds or Cut The Rope, however (the name should be the first clue). This game is just as amusing as those other offerings, and sometimes a bit more satisfying. Unfortunately it has a couple of quirks that keep it from being top notch: the scoring system is way out of whack, and the second scenario has been “coming soon” ever since I got the game.
Mad Wheels in Review – Aaaand, they’re off!
One of the iconic cartoon shows constantly aired on the Cartoon Network when I was growing up was Hanna Barbera’s Wacky Races, where racers were pitched against each other in various road rallies across North America. Most remarkable of course were the vehicles, armed with dastardly and clever contraptions and used by the participants to gain the lead, often by questionable means. Well, anything new is just old well forgotten and this same basic idea is exploited in Mad Wheels.
Gravity Chain in Review – Stars And Snake Like Charm
If you’re looking for an action / puzzle game that is different than anything you currently have on your iDevice, look no further than Gravity Chain. I was a bit skeptical at first, especially since the screen shots didn’t really draw me in. Once I started playing, however, I realized this was the real deal. Unfortunately, its unique selling point is also its most frustrating, so it’s a bit of a give and take situation. Still, if you can learn to overcome the temperamental controls (or just resolve to deal with them), Gravity Chain will provide you with plenty of challenging and often hair pulling fun.
NyxQuest in Review – Play With Your Environment
Aside from the whole ordeal with building wings and flying too close to the sun, I don’t know a whole lot about the tale of Icarus, so I’m not sure how accurate the intro to NyxQuest is. Regardless, it makes for interesting background in a tale with a twist that has you taking on the deity lover instead of the winged goofball. You must navigate the ruins of ancient Greece to find the missing inventor, but your journey will be no walk in the park. This game does violate one of my prime rules of portable platform games: don’t make the levels too expansive. That said, it’s an interesting affair that should certainly please most discerning platform gamers’ palettes.
Pigs In Trees in Review – Pigs Live In Trees?
The epic war between pork and poultry has finally wormed its way into the line drawing genre of games thanks to the fine folks over at Pan Vision AB / Tactile Entertainment. I never knew that pigs lived in trees, but apparently they do and the woodpeckers don’t like it. The premise is quirky, but the visuals are fun and the game itself is quite challenging. The different types of birds also bring some interesting elements into play. If you thought you were done with the whole pig / bird conflict, here’s a good enough reason to join the fight once again.
Flick Golf Extreme! In Review – Golf! Reinvented! Supercharged!
Reviewing Flick Golf! (TMA Review) a few months ago I was absolutely thrilled by the new and original spin (pardon the pun) on the genre. Distilling the essence of one of the most aristocratic sports to a simple flick of the finger is pure genius. Well, Tiger Woods, it’s time to eat your golf club, as Flick Golf Extreme! takes the same unique gameplay and offers to go dunk the golf balls from helicopters and skyscrapers for the ultimate golf experience.
Avadon: The Black Fortress HD in Review – Definitely not about King Arthur
Considering the main audience of Apple’s iOS devices, it’s no wonder there is a noticeable lack of hardcore old-school RPGs. Some of the few titles coming to mind are, of course, the now Free Undercroft (TMA Review) and the never-ending The Quest with over a dozen expansions out already. But for some reason the iPad has stayed devoid of an optimized hardcore RPG experience ever since its release in Spring 2010. Until recently that is, when Spiderweb Software finally released Avadon: The Black Fortress HD on the iPad, which was previously available only for the Mac..
