Again, this game doesn't seem to be available anywhere else, so I have to link to Verizon's own listing.
Any way, Super Gadgets is a spiritual descendant of "The Incredible Machine" on the PC way back when Jeff Tunnell wasn't busy with Dynamix flight sims. Jeff Tunnell productions produced a series of games starting with "TIM", which basically gives you a task, like "get cat into basket" or "pop 3 balloons" by giving you a ton of parts to build Rube Goldberg-esque contraptions. Super Gadgets is basically Starwave's version of the game, with their own twists.
First of all, the game is definitely SIMPLER. There are like four "levels", each with about 10 or so puzzles to solve. For each one, you get a rating. If your solution works on the FIRST attempt, you get a gold. Two to three attempts, silver. More, than that, bronze. Each level gives you far fewer parts, and no fancy-shmancy parts like lasers, laser-controlled switches, and so on. Most parts are activated by touch, and don't need a separate plug. No mouse motor and belts to drive treadmills... just drop something on the treadmill and it starts moving. All in all, the simplication does help a bit.
The objectives are as whimsical as ever. Trap the mouse, put the cat in the nest, entice the thief into the trap, drop the bag of sand on the dog, pop all three balloons... you get the idea. However, it's HOW you do it that makes this game challenging. Often, you have analyze the playing field, and see where you need to move to, then plan your gadget activation that way. The first path you see may NOT always be the right one.
Some other cute gadgets have been added. Water faucet (touch activation) set above a "beanstalk pot" means whatever lands on the plant, when something activates the faucet, and the plant gets water, will be raised up. There's the cop and the thief... Cop always chases thief, and thief runs away from cops, but goes after diamonds. Then there's the fancy stuff like anti-grav plate, vacuum cleaner, giant fan, and so on, to send things FLYING.
None of the puzzles are impossible, though some solutions require more tweaking than others. Also, by artificially adding a "rating system" to each puzzle, this seems to go the opposite of encouraging experimentation. I'd perhaps based the score on number of attempts vs. total time taken, but then I didn't design this game.
While the solution can be replayed, they are not "saved". Thus, there's no "record" of you breaking some records or such. However, at least you can relive your own glory... for the short while it lasts, then it's off to the next round.
Super Gadgets is a pretty fun puzzle game, but it doesn't really reward experimentation and off-the-cuff solutions. As such, it can only earn average marks, but that's not too bad in this market.
Rating: 7 out of 10.
Mobile Game Review of "Fish On!" by Skyzone
This game doesn't seem to get wide circulation... No reference of it can be found on the Internet except on Verizon's own webpage! It's not even on Skyzone's website! But any way, here's a review of it.
Fish On! is a casual game that tries to give you a variety of challenges, but ends up being forced, unnatural and simply... silly.
You are Sven, master fisherman, and you are somehow... descended from the Barracuda (!). You must demonstrate your worth by completing variety of quests regarding fish, and defeat various bosses in order to reclaim your true destiny. :P (No, I did not make that up)
So what do you do? You basically use the 5 key to hit bubbles or fish, without getting in in return, by moving up and down, without running out of air, while hitting enough fish of the proper sizes. Then when you get to the boss fight, you switch into Dance Dance Revolution mode (yep, a series of up/down/left/right arrows you need to hit in proper timing). Each proper do is a "hit", otherwise a miss. You alternate between offense and defense. If you got "hit", you use up a bit of air. If you use up all the air, this fight's over.
As you beat more bosses, you get more "equipment", but the basic gameplay remains the same: hit others, avoid being hit, beat bosses. So it's basically the same game... over and over, and the switching to DDR rhythm game is dumb. All in all, casual game that's not really fishing.
Rating: 5 out of 10
Fish On! is a casual game that tries to give you a variety of challenges, but ends up being forced, unnatural and simply... silly.
You are Sven, master fisherman, and you are somehow... descended from the Barracuda (!). You must demonstrate your worth by completing variety of quests regarding fish, and defeat various bosses in order to reclaim your true destiny. :P (No, I did not make that up)
So what do you do? You basically use the 5 key to hit bubbles or fish, without getting in in return, by moving up and down, without running out of air, while hitting enough fish of the proper sizes. Then when you get to the boss fight, you switch into Dance Dance Revolution mode (yep, a series of up/down/left/right arrows you need to hit in proper timing). Each proper do is a "hit", otherwise a miss. You alternate between offense and defense. If you got "hit", you use up a bit of air. If you use up all the air, this fight's over.
As you beat more bosses, you get more "equipment", but the basic gameplay remains the same: hit others, avoid being hit, beat bosses. So it's basically the same game... over and over, and the switching to DDR rhythm game is dumb. All in all, casual game that's not really fishing.
Rating: 5 out of 10
Mobile Game Review of "Prince of Persia Classic" by Gameloft
Somehow I had previously listed it as "reviewed", but now I can't find it. So here it is reviewed, really, this time.
Progress Report, and a little rant about mobile gaming
I'm trying to catch up on my reviews, and at least I got through some of the backlog, so I only have like six or so games to review. However, I'll have to add another two now:
Yie Ar Kung-Fu -- old arcade classic makes a retro attack onto mobiles, and this is a FULL retro version with all 11 enemies, and every single possible move available.
Brothers in Arms: Art of War -- Gameloft tries again with Brothers in Arms franchise, and went off into the Wild Blue Yonder... again. (I really hate it when a game publisher went lazy make a boss that's impossible given the game context)
Seems like mobile game market will get hotter, but not all publishers actually UNDERSTAND the mobile game market. Publishers, take note:
And here's just a personal pet peeve of mine... It's fine if you make the final boss a really big, bad, and nasty entity, but don't make him absolutely impossible within the context of the game. Gameloft have a tendency to do this with a LOT of their games, as if they're trying to pull from the same design documents.
Enough ranting. Reviews coming soon, stay tuned.
Come to think of it, did I ever review TradeWinds 2? Guess not.
Tradewinds 2 -- updated version of "Taipan" set in Caribean, 3 different starts, randomly generated availability of ports and openings, every play will be different.
P.S. I thought I had previously reviewed Prince of Persia classic. Turns out I haven't, so the review is up on IGN.
Yie Ar Kung-Fu -- old arcade classic makes a retro attack onto mobiles, and this is a FULL retro version with all 11 enemies, and every single possible move available.
Brothers in Arms: Art of War -- Gameloft tries again with Brothers in Arms franchise, and went off into the Wild Blue Yonder... again. (I really hate it when a game publisher went lazy make a boss that's impossible given the game context)
Seems like mobile game market will get hotter, but not all publishers actually UNDERSTAND the mobile game market. Publishers, take note:
- Mobile gamers want ability to save ANYWHERE, so they can come back to it later.
At least make your game "pause friendly", so that a gamer can pick it up minutes, hours, or even days later. A single savegame is fine, but rather... annoying. Two or more savegames would be better. - Mobile gamers want a level or a game that lasts just a few minutes, so they can have some distraction during waiting or such.
Games that go on infinitely, such as Tetris, actually are NOT great mobile games, unless you add pause support and other "resume" abilities, but that'd actually make the game simpler as you get more time to study the level... - Mobile gamers want games that show some innovation, not merely different control scheme or new set of sprites or such.
Thus, adding SOME 3D to a 2D title is really dumb, when the rest of gameplay isn't there. Metal Slug 3 Mobile got a 3D version... The choppers are 3D, and that end "saucer" is 3D, but everything else... is still 2D. What's worse, someone forgot to check the sizes... The saucer was flying THROUGH the train. Now it's MORE than stupid. - Mobile gamers want good responsive controls that works within confines of phone keypad. Thus, having MORE controls than the basics is BAD.
Worst offender? Ridge Racer for mobile phone. They tried to give you 4 different control configs, but none of them work well, as a phone keypad just isn't up to the task of driving AND shifting gears. - Mobile gamers want GOOD graphics, or at least good-looking graphics, or failing that, CLEAR and READABLE graphics.
Sometimes, the developers forgot that they've developing for a cellphone, and designed their art a wee bit TOO SMALL. Saint's Row Mobile is the worst offender here... Take a look at these images. Can you spot "your man" in the first pic? (Hint: he's in the center, wearing light-green)
And here's just a personal pet peeve of mine... It's fine if you make the final boss a really big, bad, and nasty entity, but don't make him absolutely impossible within the context of the game. Gameloft have a tendency to do this with a LOT of their games, as if they're trying to pull from the same design documents.
- Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Mobile -- you end up fighting ALONE against an enemy MECH (yes, I said MECH, 2 legs, jumps (don't let it land on you!), fires heavy machine gun and GUIDED missiles). What do I have? My assault rifle and some grenades. Whoopee. :P Oh, and one fixed heavy machine gun.
- Brothers in Arms : Art of War -- you end up alone, fighting a Nazi General who's flying a Me-262 with machine guns and guided missiles. However, you're on a platform that is moving like 200 MPH, so the jet can kinda "hover" near you to shoot you. However, you at least have a bazooka this time, though the jet can "buzz" you and try to knock you off the platform, but you somehow can hold on and climb back on...
Enough ranting. Reviews coming soon, stay tuned.
Come to think of it, did I ever review TradeWinds 2? Guess not.
Tradewinds 2 -- updated version of "Taipan" set in Caribean, 3 different starts, randomly generated availability of ports and openings, every play will be different.
P.S. I thought I had previously reviewed Prince of Persia classic. Turns out I haven't, so the review is up on IGN.
Mobiel Game Review of "Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus -- Lost Episode" is up on IGN
Yes, that's the longest title ever for a mobile phone game, and the review is up on IGN.
Mobile Game Review of "Turok (Mobile)" is up at IGN
You can read my review for Turok (Mobile) on IGN. It's so retro, it needs geriatric help.
Mobile Game Review of "Imprisoned!" by MinorAxis
MinorAxis has done the impossible... Squash a FULL adventure/RPG down into a cellphone, including a pretty innovative real-time combat system. It is isometric, but so what? It really IS a huge game for you to explore, and a LOT of items to craft and use.
You play a mute, who was framed for a murder he did not commit, and sentenced to die. Except, you did not. You are instead enlisted in this game... where prisoners hunt prisoners... and there can be only one survivor. However... you're surprised to find that the game was organized by the one person who framed you... Are you able to discover mysteries of this island, take your revenge, and escape?
The game basically has two modes: the exploration mode, and the fight mode. The island has a LOT of squares, and every square (about 10 meters to a side) is mapped out, which squares leads where, and so on. As you explore your map will be filled in. And there's even the nearby ocean to explore... if you do manage to find and refuel the boat.
The game features "synthesis", basically crafting, but with a twist. Some synthesis requires certain rating of some of the 5 parts of your body (head, torso, arms, legs, feet). The only way you raise those ratings is by getting enough XP from combat to "gain level", and each level gives you a couple points to distribute. So yes, this is DEFINITELY a RPG.
Synthesis requires you to gather the proper ingredients. The catch is, some of the ingredients may require synthesis themselves. And obviously there's a lot of uses for some items, and the supply of items on the island is NOT unlimited.
As you explore the island, you will come across various items, rusty knife, piece of hardwood, and so on. As you discover synthesis manuals, you'll learn how to combine them into various other items, from the useful (fruit shear, great for cutting fruit from tall trees) to the deadly (guns, knives, and other weapons). Even various food items can be combined for greater effectiveness (baguette plus fruit = fruit sandwich, heals 100 health, instead of just 15 if you eat them separately)
Combat is an interesting real-time / phased combat that doesn't bother with keeping action points and that sort of stuff, but still incorporates a lot of tactical decisions, what weapons to use, and so on. Different weapons have different "range" or "arc" and it is possible to dodge hits by stepping back. There are at least eight types of weapons: bows/arrows, guns, spears, knives, and many more. Combat itself can get pretty involved, esp. when you need arrows or bullets.
Rest / fatigue plays a major part in this game. You can ward off fatigue by drinking water, soda, or even tea, or by resting. If you reach max fatigue, you won't be able to search through a square any more for items. However, the longer you rest, the more likely a roaming enemy will run into you, and that you may not want.
Unlike most mobile games, this can easily take you several dozen hours to finish all the way (escape from the island). And you CAN replay by specializing in some other weapons or such if you choose to.
All in all, Imprisoned! is an Korean import action RPG that has some of the longest gameplay I've ever seen in a game. If this was a PC game, it's be selling for $20, but you can get it for your phone for about $5. That, to me, is a bargain indeed.
You play a mute, who was framed for a murder he did not commit, and sentenced to die. Except, you did not. You are instead enlisted in this game... where prisoners hunt prisoners... and there can be only one survivor. However... you're surprised to find that the game was organized by the one person who framed you... Are you able to discover mysteries of this island, take your revenge, and escape?
The game basically has two modes: the exploration mode, and the fight mode. The island has a LOT of squares, and every square (about 10 meters to a side) is mapped out, which squares leads where, and so on. As you explore your map will be filled in. And there's even the nearby ocean to explore... if you do manage to find and refuel the boat.
The game features "synthesis", basically crafting, but with a twist. Some synthesis requires certain rating of some of the 5 parts of your body (head, torso, arms, legs, feet). The only way you raise those ratings is by getting enough XP from combat to "gain level", and each level gives you a couple points to distribute. So yes, this is DEFINITELY a RPG.
Synthesis requires you to gather the proper ingredients. The catch is, some of the ingredients may require synthesis themselves. And obviously there's a lot of uses for some items, and the supply of items on the island is NOT unlimited.
As you explore the island, you will come across various items, rusty knife, piece of hardwood, and so on. As you discover synthesis manuals, you'll learn how to combine them into various other items, from the useful (fruit shear, great for cutting fruit from tall trees) to the deadly (guns, knives, and other weapons). Even various food items can be combined for greater effectiveness (baguette plus fruit = fruit sandwich, heals 100 health, instead of just 15 if you eat them separately)
Combat is an interesting real-time / phased combat that doesn't bother with keeping action points and that sort of stuff, but still incorporates a lot of tactical decisions, what weapons to use, and so on. Different weapons have different "range" or "arc" and it is possible to dodge hits by stepping back. There are at least eight types of weapons: bows/arrows, guns, spears, knives, and many more. Combat itself can get pretty involved, esp. when you need arrows or bullets.
Rest / fatigue plays a major part in this game. You can ward off fatigue by drinking water, soda, or even tea, or by resting. If you reach max fatigue, you won't be able to search through a square any more for items. However, the longer you rest, the more likely a roaming enemy will run into you, and that you may not want.
Unlike most mobile games, this can easily take you several dozen hours to finish all the way (escape from the island). And you CAN replay by specializing in some other weapons or such if you choose to.
All in all, Imprisoned! is an Korean import action RPG that has some of the longest gameplay I've ever seen in a game. If this was a PC game, it's be selling for $20, but you can get it for your phone for about $5. That, to me, is a bargain indeed.
Mobile Game Review of "3D Metal Slug 3 Mobile" from iPlay
This game comes in 2 versions... the normal version, and the "3D" version. The difference is minimal... some of the flying enemies are rendered in 3D instead of normal 2D. Other than that, there really is no difference between the two versions. In fact, iPlay only lists the regular version. Strange, heh? But there's really a 3D version, and I've played it on Verizon LG VX8300.
Any way, Metal Slug is your normal "run and gun" type of game, similar to Contra. Except you can perform melee attacks. Other than those, the game is pretty much your typical 2D shooter, except the jumps are very difficult to pull off, and you need to jump up in order to rescue some of the prisoners higher up.
The story is hokey enough... you're the commando who must rescue fellow soldiers from an zombie invasion. Quirky enemies indeed. Controls are worse. You really need a twin analog stick to simultaneous point and shoot in different directions... impossible to do so on a cell phone. So the game changes instead of shoot at only 4 directions, but you can't move AND shoot (i.e. no strafing). Instead, you hold down AND fire, and the character will shoot directly below. Up and fire, and he shoots above. Else, he shoots side to side. Makes shooting flying enemies almost impossible unless directly overhead.
And you will DIE A LOT. You have limited grenades, but the enemy doesn't seem to be so limited. So you end up dodging here, there, fighting twitchy controls and dodging shots, while trying to maneuver into a place where you CAN shoot the enemy. This distracts from the fun. Did I mention some of the flying enemies are 3D? They fly "in and out" of the game plain (small and bigger based on perspective), and one of them is end level boss (for one of the later levels).
All in all, quirky controls, hokey enemies, and not that big of an improvement from what's available... Unless you're a Metal Slug series diehard, I'd say give this one a pass.
Rating is 6 out of 10 : nothing special here
Any way, Metal Slug is your normal "run and gun" type of game, similar to Contra. Except you can perform melee attacks. Other than those, the game is pretty much your typical 2D shooter, except the jumps are very difficult to pull off, and you need to jump up in order to rescue some of the prisoners higher up.
The story is hokey enough... you're the commando who must rescue fellow soldiers from an zombie invasion. Quirky enemies indeed. Controls are worse. You really need a twin analog stick to simultaneous point and shoot in different directions... impossible to do so on a cell phone. So the game changes instead of shoot at only 4 directions, but you can't move AND shoot (i.e. no strafing). Instead, you hold down AND fire, and the character will shoot directly below. Up and fire, and he shoots above. Else, he shoots side to side. Makes shooting flying enemies almost impossible unless directly overhead.
And you will DIE A LOT. You have limited grenades, but the enemy doesn't seem to be so limited. So you end up dodging here, there, fighting twitchy controls and dodging shots, while trying to maneuver into a place where you CAN shoot the enemy. This distracts from the fun. Did I mention some of the flying enemies are 3D? They fly "in and out" of the game plain (small and bigger based on perspective), and one of them is end level boss (for one of the later levels).
All in all, quirky controls, hokey enemies, and not that big of an improvement from what's available... Unless you're a Metal Slug series diehard, I'd say give this one a pass.
Rating is 6 out of 10 : nothing special here
Argh! I'm stupid today
I had a review of FF7:Dirge of Cerberus -- Lost Episode all typed up when I accidentally hit BACK, and erased it off my browser. :P Now I have to re-review it. 4000 chars of work lost. :P
Add a few games to the review pipeline...
Transformers 3D -- movie tie-in, really a 2D platform game with a 3D look, pretty boring, as the guns do very little damage, and Prime
Battlestar Galactica -- another tie-in, turns Viper flying into space invaders (and yes, Cylons are swooping in...). You can customize the Viper, by earning credits... Yawn.
Dead or No Deal -- popular game show, but with a twist... this time you can play as the banker! Two ways to play the same game. How well can do you?
Puzzle Quest: Warlords -- Warlords makes it to mobile, with a twist... you fight monsters by playing Bejeweled (well, close enough) and score combos. Score a combo and that "mana color" goes into your mana reserves. Use mana to cast spells, or use the "skulls" on map to do direct damage. Reduce the other guy's HP to 0 and you win (if he does it to you first you lose). Simple, right? Not quite...
Add a few games to the review pipeline...
Transformers 3D -- movie tie-in, really a 2D platform game with a 3D look, pretty boring, as the guns do very little damage, and Prime
Battlestar Galactica -- another tie-in, turns Viper flying into space invaders (and yes, Cylons are swooping in...). You can customize the Viper, by earning credits... Yawn.
Dead or No Deal -- popular game show, but with a twist... this time you can play as the banker! Two ways to play the same game. How well can do you?
Puzzle Quest: Warlords -- Warlords makes it to mobile, with a twist... you fight monsters by playing Bejeweled (well, close enough) and score combos. Score a combo and that "mana color" goes into your mana reserves. Use mana to cast spells, or use the "skulls" on map to do direct damage. Reduce the other guy's HP to 0 and you win (if he does it to you first you lose). Simple, right? Not quite...
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