Mobile Game Review of "Worms 2008: A Space Oddity"

I personally don't quite "dig" the Worms series, mainly because it takes a LOT of practice to use the weapons to optimum effect, by learning the wind and how it affects EACH weapon. There's a LOT of learning curve, and the lack of help on the weapon effects doesn't make the game any easier. Thus, this game is the first to include a NEGATIVE adjustment.

For those of you who have played the Worms series, this game is really MOTS: more of the same. Worms series basically has 2 (or more) teams of worms tossing odd weapons at each other. Weapons range from normal "rockets" with impact fuse to timed grenades to det packs, even blasters. No direct-fire weapons, however, except astro-fist. There's also the teleporter, the UFO (rains a row of bombs), the dropship (a UFO drops out of the sky and smashes anything beneath), and a few others. They are all space-themed, but they aren't that different from previous weapons. At least the total is reduced to just over twenty instead of way too many.

The terrain are as colorful as always... Always a Worms trademark... randomly generated, yet always challenging. And yes, they get space-themed as well. And there are random new weapons falling from the sky too. In Quick games, there are first-aid packs as well.

In single-player, there is the quick-game, the campaign, the mini-games, and the custom games. Quick-Game is basically a randomly generated 4-vs-4 battle with mines and first-aid kits and random boxes. Campaign has you fighting through several planets in order to defeat an alien worm invasion of Earth, with different branches available. Minigames has you playing Lunar Lander (tm), Space Invaders (tm), and Defender (tm), Worms-style. And custom game... lets you set up a game the way YOU like it.

There is multiplayer, but it wasn't tested due to lack of a gaming partner.

I found myself winning after a bit of practice, but mainly by using weapons that are almost independent of the wind, such as UFO, dropship, or astro-punch, and rely only on shots that are nearly impossible to miss. I have no problem beating the campaign now, but it's not something I'd want to play again and again. The minigames are cute, but not THAT cute.

I did mention before, but I'll repeat. There are no explanation on the effects of the weapons. Some are obvious. Others, like "robosheep", are confounding (it bounces like heck). Thus, while the game itself is fun, I'll have to administer a negative modifier for the extreme lack of help.

All in all, Worms 2008 is MOTS: more of the same. They did trim away a lot of the excess, and tightened up the gameplay, and even the AI follows the 60-second turn clock nowadays. It is a competent sequel, but nothing really new.

Final Rating: 6.5 out of 10 (includes -0.5 modifier for lack of documentation)
Pros: same irreverant Worms style gameplay, big explosions and worms going ouch
Cons: severe lack of documentation makes the game very hard to learn, nothing new

More Mobile Game Previews!

Image via WikipediaWorms 2008: A Space Oddity -- 2008 version of of Worms franchise takes the Worms into space... But it is a good thing? I don't know. The weapons are unexplained, the plot... what plot? The campaign with "branches" are okay... And the gameplay... is the same. If they put in a tutorial level that explains all the weapons, it'd gotten a higher score. Prelim score... 6.5 out of 10.

Ice Age Mayhem -- The Ice Age trio must cooperate and save all the elephant younglings stranded out in the wilderness and ice field before the flood reaches the area. Mannie the Mammoth can push some boulders and pull other boulders, and can help Diego jump between wider gaps. Diego can run through swamp and jump between islands, and break crystal walls. Sid the sloth can start fires to melt some walls. Combine their talents and rescue all younglings before the flood arrives. Prelim score... 7 out of 10.

Toy Story Mania -- based on the latest ride at Disney... you play minigames with each of the main characters, score points and tickets, and trade in the tickets for "souvenirs". You have to play A LOT, and I mean a LOT... to unlock everything... The games are mainly single-button reflex-based games, though some require a little more planning. Still, there really isn't much game here. Prelim score... 5.5 out of 10.

Mobile Game Review of "The Mummy 3: TOTDE"

Image via WikipediaYep, the official movie game from Gameloft is out before the movie itself. How does it fare? Okay, but nothing to special.

You can pretty much guess the plot already... Young adventurer, descendant of the famous Mummy-defeating couple, is out to make a name for himself... And he went to China to dig up an ancient tomb... Well, and get into trouble with the Chinese Army and the other nasty traps. In a way, this game feels like an odd mix of Die Hard 4 (the mobile game) and Assassin's Creed (the mobile game), both of which was also by Gameloft. They are based on the same 2D engine, and the sprites are big and nicely animated.

Without spoiling the plot, I'll just say that the game follows the plot fairly closely, but adding its own moments and expanding others when needed to make a game. And the end boss fight is HARD, but that's expected, right?

There really isn't much more about the game that is worth mentioning, but it does include several innovations. The "free-aim" mode gives you free aim instead of can only shoot left or right. You need this on the "counter-sniper" level, and to shoot scorpion nests at your feet while exploring. It can also reveal bonus treasures. However, it is somewhat similar in concept to Kane And Lynch Mobile, so it ain't "new" new. As an Indy wanna-be, the main character will be swinging, running, climbing, jumping, and even doing some Asassin's Creed-style "spread-eagle hover" between two buildings.

Occasionally, the game makes you play "Pipe Dream" (tm) as you need to guide water from source to destination within a time limit.

The driving level seems to be ripped right out of Die Hard 4 mobile except you drive a big truck, not McClane's squad car.

All in all, this game rates a 7. It is competent, but not THAT good, as it doesn't really offer anything seriously memorable.

Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Got all the points covered, some puzzles to solve
Cons: Recycled game elements and game engine, nothing special

Mobile Game Review of "Mercenaries 2"

No subtitle in the mobile version! Apparently this mobile game is set AFTER the console version. Cervera rose to power after you help bring down Solano, but Cervera really hates Mattias... So... You play Mattias "Matty" and play 11 missions for various factions, and in the end, take care of Cervera personally.

The game itself is a 2D shooter that is very reminiscent of MOH:Airborne mobile or COD4 mobile where you play one soldier that fights alone with blazing firepower (i.e. play Rambo [tm]). There are several factors that makes the game user-friendly... Your health regenerates as long as nobody is near you and no crosshair is aiming at you. Also, your gun doesn't run out of ammo. If you finish one magazine, wait a second or two and it'll be reloaded. So the only reason to pick up a weapon is to get a new weapon, or to top-off the existing magazine to make the burst last longer. Also, you aim automatically at the nearest enemy, so you CAN move in one direction and shoot in another.

Otherwise, the game works like a typical 2D shooter... Move around the level, kill enemies, accomplish "objectives", usually by killing everybody, but it can be rescue (find key, grab key, walk to door with key), and more. However, there are a LOT of bonus stuff in this game. For example, you can blow up almost any house in this game... if you have enough grenades and/or rockets. And blowing up houses sometimes, reveal hidden bonuses, such as "laptops" you can collect for bonus. Other destructable items include statues of the dictator, ammo boxes (large and small), and vehicles.

There are four types of guns... the AK, the M-4, and the shotgun. The AK has good accuracy, but doesn't reach very far, reloads slowly, and only 4 bursts before stopping for more mags.

The M-4 was considered a "toy" when it was first released, mainly because it's "too light", and Mattell made a plastic replica of it, so a lot of people thought the actual gun was made of plastic as well. Nothing can be further from the truth. In the game, M-4 firs longer bursts, and allows the shots to spread a little.

Shotgun is excellent weapon when close in, but not good elsewhere.

There are also rocket launchers and grenades and sniper rifles to engage yet more enemies.

Enemy snipers that are in range will move a crosshair in your view. When it locks onto you, you better move quickly or else lose the health and then be forced to start over! Otherwise, nothing too special with the game.

Overall, the game is fun, but not that special to me. Call it a 7 out of 10.

Rating: 7 out of 10.0
Pros: simple interface, easy to pick up, lots of "destruction"
Cons: a bit TOO easy, not that challenging and very short

Mobile Game Review of "Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D"

This new 3D version of Crash Kart Racing is a significant improvement over the previous Crash Kart Racing, with much superior graphics, several alternative game modes, and still the crazy racing, this title may actually deserve your dollars.

There are four ways to play this game: cup mode, quick race, story mode, and time trial.

Cup mode is the "meat and bones" of the game. There are 12 courses in the game, divided into 3 cups of 4 courses each. Initially only first cup is available. Subsequent cups is unlocked by finishing in the top 3 for the current cup.

Quick race random choose one of the courses you've unlocked through Cup mode and lets you play against full set of opponents.

Story mode lets you play some "mission based" racing. For example, in the first mission, you have to make sure that Nitrous Oxide does NOT win. That's much harder than you think, as it basically means getting in between Nitrous Oxide and Nena the Panda and use weapons on Nitrous Oxide to delay him and keep him behind you, while you stay in front of Oxide to absorb HIS weapons. In the next mission you need to collect more whumpas than Nitrous Oxide. Each "mission" provides a different challenge.

Finally, time trial just let you race the course(s) available with NO opponents, no bonus crates, no weapons. However, the road hazards like "holes in the road", "crushers", and more are stil there. The objective is to finish in the least amount of time possible. Top times are recorded in "best times".

The graphics are excellent and full 3D, with plenty of scenary and action items on and off the course. Boost pads are of course all over the place. And plotting your way from one to the next can seriously cut your lap times. Courses contain plenty of hazards without the ones left by the players. If you don't hit the boost pads right on the big jumps, you may not make the jump or you miss the landing zone. If you forgot to "hop" you'll get fried by laser beam or fall into "potholes". Crushers will flatten you into a skateboard, and there are plenty of weapons to go around as well.

There are plenty of things to "collect" on the course during the race. Whumpas are worth bonus points. Plenty of random crates around to give you a random item, from shields to missiles, from voodoo mask to oil slick, some defensive, some offensive. All have multiple uses in multiple situations. You can also collect "letters" that spell "CRASH", which, if completed will unlock additional player characters (initially, only Crash, and Dr. Cortex are available).

Controls are responsive, and different vehicles behave a little differently. You can do regular turn AND drift turns. Keys can even be remapped if you don't like the default stuff. Music gets a bit tiresome, and sound effect ain't the greatest, but at least they are appropriate.

All in all, Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart Racing 3D is one of the better mobile racing games to come along, with multiple modes of play, and should stay on your phone for a long time.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Pros: lots of fun courses, lots of things to do, frantic racing
Cons: course can be a bit TOO tough, story mode missions too much

More Mobile Game Previews!

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D -- yep, this game is available on the phones now. It's got a "story mode" in addition to the race cups and time trials. And its speed is pretty good too... And it really is 3D this time. Prelim rating: 8 out of 10.

Mercenaries 2 -- the console shooter that lets you destroy just about EVERYTHING comes to the mobile phones... ahead of the console version's release! You are playing Mattias, and after defeating Solano, Cervera comes to power, and he wants Mattias DEAD. You will be taking down Cervera once and for all. Plays like "Brothers in Arms Mobile" or "Medal of Honor Airborne". Prelim rating: 7 out of 10.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor -- yep, the official game from Gameloft is here ahead of the movie. And yes, it follows the young adventurer trying to open an ancient Chinese tomb... and fight PLA soldiers in addition to the terracotta warriors and all that... And yes, against Jet Li at the end. Prelim rating: 7 out of 10.

Mobile Game Review of "3D Tower Bloxx"

Image via Wikipedia3D Tower Bloxx is latest iteration of the Tower Bloxx series. Tower Bloxx was mainly two parts... You stack "bloxx" to create a skyscraper, then you plant the skyscraper in accordance to certain restrictions to maximize the building capacity. Is it fun? Hmmm... Not after a while. Taken in small doses, it's okay, but if you play it a lot you get bored of it very quickly.

The 3D version adds 3D graphics but otherwise is pretty much same as previous versions. However, the 3D version is the one being graded here.

There are four types of towers, red, blue, green, and yellow, in order of capacity from low to high. The red ones can go anywhere, a blue must go next to a red, a green must go next to a blue AND a red, and a yellow much be next to red, green, AND blue. Thus, placement is very important.

Stacking the bloxx makes up the buildings. The more precisely you stack the bloxx's, the more residents you can fit. The bloxx just swing, and you have to drop it. The higher the bloxx stack, the more the tower itself swings. So it's all a matter of eye-finger coordination.

3D version added a pure building mode, 'achievements', and some alternate game modes. However, they don't really add much to the game. The game is so simple, there isn't much else left to learn, and if you play it a lot you'll just get more frustrated. This game should be taken in small doses, and small doses only.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10
Pros: simple to pickup, charming in a way
Cons: perhaps TOO simple, action portion is one-button game

Mobile Game Review of "ESPN Bassmaster Elite"

Image via WikipediaESPN covers all sorts of sports, and sportsfishing is one of them. This EA game lets you be one of the master bass fisher and join a single day fishing, or do a full 3-lake (3 days at each lake) tournament. Well... is it fun? Hmmm... Yes, surprisingly.

Basically, this is a full fishing sim shrank into a phone app. You have like a dozen different lures (some are good for shallow, others are good for deeper waters, some are weed-proof, others are not). You have choices of 4 different rods rating for different weights, different speed and catch ratings. You can choose to fish at one of the three lakes available, each of which has several fishing spots. All are annotated so that you know what lure to use for each spot. Each lake has what's known as a "lunker" or a super-large fish, that you can catch at specific times each day. If you can nab that to your catch, it'll be a HUGE boost to your total.

In Bassmaster series, only to top five fish you caught (by weight) are counted and placed in the live tank. The day starts early at 7:30 AM, and lasts until 3PM, in 15 minute turns. Each turn you cast once, or change rods/lures, or change fishing spot. Thus, you can catch a LOT of smaller fish, but that won't help you in your total, as only the top 5 is counted. And the larger fish tend to hide deeper.

The fishing itself is divided into 3 parts: the cast, the fight, and the retrieve.

Cast basically means choosing where to cast your lure. At each fishing spot, you can cast your lure into a number of places. Choose and spot and go. However, you should consult the fishfinder screen to see how much fish are there at shallow vs. deep depths, and perhaps change your lure (though it takes a full 15 minute turn to do so). You can then spot fish shadows in the water. Casting to spot at or near the fish shadow increases the chance of a strike. Once the fish struck, there's tension on the line. Hit OK when tension goes from red to yellow or green to start the "fight". The larger the fish, the harder "jerk" you'll feel. However, if your rod's too strong (i.e. rated for too big of a fish) you won't "feel" the smaller fish (which may be what you want!) and thus wasted a turn.

Fight is basically keep the fish in the catch circle by using the cursor keys, until the "catch meter" fills up. If the fish gets outside the circle, catch meter drops. If catch meter reaches zero, fish has gotten loose. If it fills up, then you go to 'retrieve' phase. You can also 'jerk' the line, which adds a little to the 'catch meter', but also shrinks the circle (which will grow back after a while). The fish can suddenly change directions, and you need fast reactions to keep it fighting. If you let it get near the surface, it can start jumping, you then need to play "match the sequence" with cursor keys to keep the line from breaking. The larger the fish, the harder it fights with sudden changes in direction, rapid movement, diagonal movement, and so on. It can get exciting, esp. on the lunkers (big fish!) as you fight for extended periods, as it jumps several times. And you really feel the loss if the fish breaks the line and swims away.

Retrieve is basically "match the sequence" with cursor keys. The larger the fish, the longer the sequence. You have a time limit, so you have to be quick, or else the fish will be gone. Mistakes cost you time, as expected. Small fish have maybe 3 keys, while super-large fish can have like eight to ten keys.

With a little practice, you should have no problem bringing in the big fish. I've played only a day and I was already beating everybody in the tournament by 10 pounds (more than one fish's weight, as average fish is like 5-6 pounds). Once I even caught a 14 lb giant bass. Too bad there isn't a "trophy room". But there is a record room for each lake, that records both best tournament total and quick game total.

All in all, bass fishing game is surprisingly fun, if a little repetitive, but when you manage to catch that "lunker" that everybody was talking about, you really feel that you've accomplished something. I don't fish, but with this game, I think I can actually feel a bit of what those fishermen out there are feeling, and I guess, that's the best compliment that a game can get...

Rating: 8.5 out of 10 (yes, that high)
Pros: feels like fishing! surprisingly fun!
Cons: a bit too easy? Beats tournament left and right

Mobile Game Review of "Dress to Impress"

AMA's Dress to Impress isn't really a "game", but more of a wardrobe / fashion sim, with a couple minigames thrown in. It is aimed at girls, and it is a bit hard for me to rate as a guy.

The main game: you need to help a girl get dressed for four photo shoots in different locales (mall, party, dinner, school), and two guys will rate your effort. The better you do in each phase, the more "fashion cash" you earn, and the more "cash" you have available for "shopping" for the wardrobe for the next shoot. You also get to play minigames between shoots which will add a few more fashion cash.

Minigames are basically "move the pieces around to assemble a picture" puzzles, a very simple "shooting gallery", and a "fashion sense quiz". Oh, and there's a "try anything" sandbox mode as well.

And really, there's not much more into this game, if you can call it that.

Visuals are quite good, the different outfits and such go together. Too bad there isn't a 'zoom' function for close-ups, and the various outfit pieces aren't labeled. Music... Forget about it.

All in all, Dress to Impress... isn't much of a game, but it is definitely different. For that, it gets a +1 bonus.

Rating: 7.0 / 10 (includes +1 bonus)
Pros: Interesting subject matter, play dress-up
Cons: Aimed at women gamers, and that's about it

Mobile Game Review of "Big City Stickball"

Big City Stickball is basically a baseball sim with just the pitching and batting. There's this backstory about how the gangs have taken over the various turfs and you need to reunite the neighborhoods, but it's mostly an excuse for you to play against the various gang "leaders".

This stickball sim is extensively modeled. There are multiple locations, and different locations have different rules, such as bonus items. Hitting that building is 3 runs, that dumpster is 2 runs, and that billboard up high is 4 runs. Some other location can be something else.

As the visiting team, you bat first, and your goal is to score as many runs as possible before being "struck out". You don't actually run the bases. Your hitting will be judged for runs scored. After you struck out, you then pitch against the pitcher you just batted against. You need to strike him out before he beats your score.

The game is nicely modelled. You can move your batter a bit, swing when ready, and there's even a "power bar" that you charge up by making hits. The power bar can make the difference between fly ball and home run, so don't discount it. For the pitchers, there's the aim meter (right down center for fastball, or a bit out for curves?) and they have a powermeter as well for super-fast balls.

If you make a good hit, you get a replay of the balls trajectory, from the moment it left pitcher's hand, all the way to where it finally came to rest, including every bounce and hop. It's definitely interesting. Too bad the back story isn't quite up there for the twists and turns.

Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Stickball is fresh, and easy enough to play
Cons: Hard to master the advanced moves, gang story not fun