Let’s be honest. Mobile gaming is a crapshoot. For every truly great game on the go, there are tens of thousands of games you wouldn’t play on a dare. Trying to find a quality game that isn’t loaded with Smurfberries-Or-Wait or one that isn’t just another “Angry-Fruit-Zombies-Endlessly-Running-While-Cutting-the-Rope” wanna be clone is really difficult; and it is getting harder every day as more iOS developers port their clones to Android – all the while, Android developers are chasing the two or three breakout hits hoping to ride the clone wave to profitability.
Then along comes something like Nimble Quest which begins to restore your faith in the platform. You’ve never played anything like it – and believe me, that is a good thing. (more…)
The Verdict
9.0Amazing
The Good: Unique combination of gameplay | Addictive, twitch play | Well-Implemented IAP doesn’t get in the way | Great on phones AND tablets | Excellent developer support
The Bad: Occasional in-game ad | Some IAP required to unlock absolutely everything | Best part of every game is the last few minutes
House of the Dead: Overkill proved that the Nintendo Wii could be just a bloodthirsty, crass and mature as any other console. Sega brought a “grindhouse zombie” on-rails light gun shooter filled with buckets of blood, over the top profanity and heaps of adult situations to the “kiddie” Nintendo console – with plenty of positive press and gamer appreciation. The game was then taken HD to various other platforms – and now has arrived in a “smaller” version dubbed “The Lost Reels”.
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The Verdict
7.9Good
The Good: Greed Based Combo System Saves the Game | Fairly non-invasive IAP | Decent controls for a light gun game on a tablet
The Bad: Confusing Pricing | Some repetitive enemy models | Game could be short
Historically Speaking
All this .. on your phone
From 1982 to 1985, the Commodore was the ruling class when it came to home computers. Commodore commercials ran non-stop on TV; the classic Bach music symbolizing the world’s most affordable and powerful desktop computer. For only $595, the Commodore 64 (C64 from now on) wasn’t just the ultimate gaming machine but also the ultimate programmable musical synthesizer.
At its peak, it was estimated that one in every four homes had a Commodore 64 computer – and even as late as 1994, Commodore managed to sell 60,000+ units that year. That’s no mean feat for a 12 year old personal computer.
While there were attempts to “legitimize” the C64 as a business and finance machine (they tried really hard; take a look at GEOS) – this venerable computer took two big markets; gaming and telecommunications. (more…)
The Verdict
9.5Amazing
The Good: The definitive C64 emulator on the Android platform -hands down. Fast, compatible and feature packed.
The Bad: Could use a game manager and a drive activity indicator, but I have a feeling it’s coming.
Freshman Android developer Laylio Game brings us a new hybrid RPG game for our beloved Android devices. Promising to mix Rogue/Hack with venerable favorites like Dungeon Master and the original Diablo – Mighty Dungeons has a lot of promise to deliver. I put this game through it’s paces – let’s see if it delivers.
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The Verdict
7.5Good
The Good: Successfully combines a couple of genres into something new | Refreshing style | Well-polished | Entertaining casual dungeon romp
The Bad: Game is scripted, but feels procedural | Quests start to feel repetitive | Character development is nil | Plenty of room to grow
Another day, another iOS port that comes a day late and a dollar short. I truly cannot wait until developers realize that Android as the market share and games start ORIGINATING here instead of getting a port a year later. But, I digress. You’re here to decide if The Simpsons: Tapped Out is worth your time.
By the way – it isn’t a wrestling game (great choice on the title, EA).
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The Verdict
6.2Fair
The Good: It’s the Simpsons! | Clever writing | Everything feels authentic | Gorgeous graphics regardless of device | Silky smooth, even on old devices
The Bad: High Smurfberry Annoyance Factor (4/5) | Internet required to play | No Origin server side storage | No town sharing | Slow to Load / Reload
There are a number of different names for this genre of game; the title depends on what time frame of gaming you relate to. For some, this is a “Dungeon Master” game. For others, it’s an “Eye of the Beholder” game. If you are under 21, you might know this game as a “Legend of Grimrock” game. Regardless of what you CALL it – this genre of near real-time, first person dungeon crawler has an insane following – and I’m one of them. (more…)
The Verdict
8.5Great
The Good: Perfect representation of the genre | Never feels like work | Endless replay with randomization | Very good value | NO Smurfberries
The Bad: Feels a bit generic thanks to the randomization | Won’t dazzle the pixel counters | Old school game; might be hard for modern generation players
If the reason you’re interested in this game is the “and Friends” portion, I’ll save you the trouble of reading the article. I don’t use “Facebook Connect” in any game (Swarm? Yes. Scoreloop? Yes. Facebook? No.) This review will be strictly the game as a “solo” experience.
Basically, I don’t believe in pimping a game in exchange for free stuff or “benefits”. I would expect my friends to leave me out of it – I’ll give them the same courtesy. I don’t want a “wall” (or circle, or timeline or whatever the phrase-of-the-day is) filled with crap like “Bill Smith needs your help with Family Feud”. I find that deplorable. If your game rocks, my friends will find out about it through the normal channels; not through automated posts.
Alright, now that we have THAT explanation out of the way, let’s get on with it. (more…)
The Verdict
7.8Good
The Good: Free | Low Smurfberry Annoyance | Good Byte-sized Gaming | Not too addictive – but a great “daily play”
The Bad: Requires Full Time Internet Connection | Facebook Connect nagging | Fuzzy logic can fail | Questions can start repeating quickly | Original game show magic is sorta lost here
Speedy Mind promises to stress our brain with an entertaining visual game. Is your brain ready for this title? (more…)
The Verdict
3.5Bad
The Good: The main micro-game is fun in small doses
The Bad: Everything Else
If you read my review of Cardinal Quest you’ll know I’m a fan of the simplex, randomly generated old school Rogue and Hack style adventure games. They have come a long way since the days of the mainframe computer – but oddly enough, these newer iterations may LOOK different, but it’s still a world where death isn’t the end of the game – but rather just the beginning. Dungelot actually congratulates you when you die. (more…)
The Verdict
9.1Amazing
The Good: Perfect Balance of Rogue and Casual | Endless Replay | Highly Addictive | No Smurfberries | Low Price | Looks great on my Nexus 10
The Bad: Suffers from Ramp Up Plateau | Could use some dressing up of spell casting | Game is hard | You die a lot
Let me prefix this review by saying that I love puzzle and mixed genre gaming. It all started (for me, anyway) with Puzzle Quest on the Nintendo DS. A mixture of light RPG and the classic “match 3″ game play – complete with leveling, XP and even spells. Since then, the “puzzle mixed genre” market has exploded – with developers creating every sort of mixture between “match 3″ (and various spin-offs) puzzlers and everything from RPGs to word games to dungeon crawlers.
Didn’t surprise me at all to find Puzzles & Dragons (P&D from now on) on the Google Play store – recommended by a friend as a “match three dungeon master pokemon hybrid”. Of course I was intrigued. (more…)
The Verdict
4.9Poor
The Good: Mixes Match 3 With Other Genres | Monster Collectors Might Enjoy | Complex Monsters | Deep Tutorial and Good Help
The Bad: Overly Complex | Poor Match 3 Game | No Actual Adventuring | Confusing, Counterproductive UI | Complicated Game Currency | Drab, Static Monsters WIthout Collectibility
