Dark Manor: A Hidden Object Mystery Review

It’s a little stingy on game time, but Dark Manor is a satisfying Free to Play Hidden Object game from Big Fish Games.

Compatibility: Universal
Released: Jun 26, 2013
Price: FREE
Size: 36.6 MB
Language: English
Seller: Big Fish Games, Inc

There’s a gradual and steady trend for Hidden Object games to embrace the Free to Play model in recent times. It makes sense, too, given that they’re the kind of game that’s most likely to be played in short yet highly focused sessions. Dark Manor is the latest in this emerging genre to try its luck, and it comes from a major name in the casual market: Big Fish Games. It’s quite fun, too, although predictably tight with the game time.

With a distinctly ghostly theme that makes perfect sense for regular Big Fish Games players, Dark Manorcombines Hidden Object searching and town building style mechanics. The player, having inherited a ghostly mansion in the 1920s, must rebuild the estate while also uncovering some sinister mysteries.

What this means is that one will be placing new buildings and objects, nearly as frequently as they will be searching out a random list of items. I didn’t find the rebuilding of the mansion overly interesting, but I did appreciate the object hunting.

Dark Manor keeps to what works for the genre with each scene offering a plentiful list of supplies that must be sought, and the threat of a fog descending briefly on those who try to “cheat” the system by tapping randomly. Fortunately, hints are pretty generous so players won’t get stuck for long. There’s no build up play, so to speak, so the item lists are long from the start. In some cluttered landscapes, it can take a little while to seek out such objects, but that’s really to the benefit of the player. Limited energy dictates how many times one can play a scene, before waiting for it to regenerate, putting a stop to any significantly long gaming sessions.

Other familiar moments such as Spot the Difference puzzles, Blitz modes in which players must find as many items as possible, as well as finding a number of similar objects, also play a role and mix things up.

Levelling up and a progression system of new chapters further enhance the experience, although don’t expect to rush through it by any means. At least, not unless spending real money is appealing.

Rarely a genre with exceptional graphics, Dark Manor offers a trump card in the form of “Hi-Depth” scenes, enabling players to see around certain parts of the scenery, adding a kind of 3D effect. It’s a nice touch and boosts the stylistic qualities of the game.

From my time enjoying Hidden Object games and, less so, town building sims, it’s clear to see that such genres are quite divisive. Dark Manor won’t convert naysayers by any means, but it will entertain the audience in which it’s intended for. I wish energy was more quickly replenished, giving players longer gaming sessions, but it’s still quite a fun game to delve into, as well as significantly cheaper than other Hidden Object titles.

App Store Description:

The bayou. The roaring 1920’s. A supernatural secret. Step into Dark Manor, where ghostly hosts will help you find your way! Beautify your manor and explore the spine-chilling hidden object scenes… if you DARE! Brought to you by Big Fish Games, the #1 publisher of Hidden Object games!

“From a wildly effective day and night mechanic, to multilayered and flexible hidden object scenes, there is very little of this game’s presentation that doesn’t downright shine.” –Gamezebo

• HIDDEN OBJECT MEETS SIMULATION!
In this one-of-a-kind Simulation/Hidden Object game, you’ll redecorate your newly inherited mansion and grounds, visit friends’ mansions, and find hidden objects in some of the most beautiful hidden object scenes ever in a Big Fish title! From the cobblestone streets of the town to the mystical illusions of a fortune teller’s tent, unveil new locations and fill up on eerie ectoplasm as fast as you can!

• NO UNLOCK REQUIRED!
Download for free, play for free! Earn Silver, Gold, and Energy to unlock new game elements while you play, or enhance your stockpiles by purchasing extra.

• NEW AND EXCLUSIVE HI-DEPTH™ SCENES!
Searching for hidden objects is more immersive than ever! Peel away at our special Hi-Depth™ scenes with an exclusive parallax scrolling mechanic for a groundbreaking level of immersion. See what supernatural secrets lurk beyond the touch screen! Interact with scenes that move from side to side, up and down, and get immersed in life-like imagery!

• SWITCH BETWEEN DAY AND NIGHT MODES INSTANTLY!
At night the spirits come out to play! Use supernatural powers and flip between light and darkness to see a whole different spirit world that lights up during the night. Collect interactive items from walking zombies, skeletons, and more! Or, stay safe in the light of the living and help your grounds grow with strolling maids and gents. The choice is yours!

• BE THE MAKER OF YOUR OWN HAUNTED MANSION!
Set up attractions, populate the grounds, and more! The more creepily creative you are the more ghostly energy you earn! Plus, get FREE additional content with future updates!

• CONNECT WITH FACEBOOK & VISIT YOUR MANSION FROM ANY iDEVICE!
Start playing on your iPad and continue on your iPhone — Facebook will save your progress so you can play wherever you’d like! Also, invite friends, visit their mansions, and share gifts!

Source: http://www.appslooking.com/apps/dark-manor-a-hidden-object-mystery-review/

Magic 2014: Duels of the Planeswalkers Review

Magic the Gathering and I go back a long way. I remember when I had several, now ridiculously valuable Black Lotuses. Moxes? I traded all sorts of junk cards for them, because in the early days, many players thought they were useless. I still have a bunch of Alpha cards that have different-shaped corners to the subsequent thousands of cards released since that first set. Yeah. I’m one of those old-school Magic bores who’s been playing the game since Beta, and has spent stupid amounts of money on endless boxes of cards so I could make decks competitive enough to win tournaments.

If truth be told, I think Magic the Gathering is the greatest game ever designed. I’m sure others might disagree – chess certainly runs it very close – but I think Magic’s unique combination of strategy, skill, timing, bluffing and sometimes even blind luck makes it a simply phenomenal one-on-one game. If you don’t know much about the game – it’s a combination of poker, numerical combat and trickery that enables you to do things with cards you never thought possible. And it’s simply brilliant.  

I gave up playing the card game regularly about 12 years ago, but still buy cards on and off to keep my classic decks up-to-date, so when I see old friends – or make new ones who play the game – I’m primed and ready to go. I spent a good few years, and indeed a good amount of money, on Magic the Gathering Online, which despite being a frankly miserable and clunky product for almost a decade, at least enabled me to continue to play against humans and keep my skills sharp. The third generation of Wizards of the Coast’s online service is currently in Beta, and I’m happy to say that it’s far faster and more usable than prior versions. It’s certainly re-piqued my interest in the online version of the game, but more for classic play using my existing cards than the rather expensive continual online tournaments. 

The version of Magic that I’ve had a much steadier relationship with of late is Magic: Duels of the Planeswalkers. Now in its fourth generation, these limited, encapsulated renditions of the game have been steadily tweaked and improved over time to provide a really enjoyable, very nicely presented version of the game. While some might disagree with me about its price and unlockables, I think its $9.99 price point is very likely the cheapest way of enjoying the game. 

This year, MTG: DOTP has again been subtly fettled and tweaked to improve its experience, and features ten new decks constructed from cards drawn from this year’s core physical set. It’s clear that a lot of thought has gone into their design, since they represent an interesting and varied selection of deck types. There’s a great sliver horde, a very fun zombie-recursion, a fairly effective control deck, several themed around big critter types, and my current favorite – a really, really annoying deck that lets you mess with your opponent’s cards. I’m also quite impressed with each deck’s array of 30 unlockable rare and mythic cards, which enable you to further customize your favorites to ensure they perfectly suit your playstyle. 

This year’s big headline feature comes in the form of a sealed deck option. For those who don’t know what this is, it’s a tournament format where each player is given several random packs of cards, which they then open and use to construct a deck for versus play. It’s a fun format, combining a bit of luck (perhaps you’ll pull some powerful cards) and deck-building skills (make sure you balance offensive power with defensive capabilities, and choose cards with synergy).

What makes this particular version of Magic a winner is the fact that it’s designed to cater to all levels of play. If you’re an absolute beginner, the newly improved training mode is quite likely the best way to get up to speed on the game, bar none. It takes you through the rules, turn procedures and card types in well presented and easy-to-understand practical lessons that quickly help you learn the gist of the game, so you can jump into easy mode with a simple deck and start playing.

For experts, the game’s adjustable AI continues to present a decent, but not overwhelming challenge. But then again, if you have any complaints, you should really be in the game’s multiplayer mode battling it out with fellow humans – and seeing how you stack up on the game’s global leaderboards.

Magic the Gathering: Duel of the Planeswalkers 2014 is available on PC via steam, PS3 and Xbox 360 as digital downloads, and on iOS and Android. All versions are pretty much identical – although my favored format is iOS, whose touch-screen interface gives the game a slightly more authentic feel in terms of the way you interact with it. Plus, I just love having a mobile set of Magic decks that I can take and play anywhere. 

I’m thoroughly impressed with this latest generation of the DOTP series. It looks terrific, is beautifully presented, and is slick and intuitive to play. It caters to players of all levels, has a rok solid online mode, and ultimately represents a cheap and convenient way to play the greatest game ever made.

Source: http://www.usgamer.net/articles/magic-2014-duels-of-the-planeswalkers-review

G5 Giveaway: Epic Adventures: La Jangada FREE on iOS, Mac & Google Play – Limited Time Offer

G5 Entertainment is giving away Epic Adventures: La Jangada on iOS, Mac and Google Play. Based on a novel by the legendary French novelist Jules Verne, the game takes you back to the 19th century on a trip with Minha and her family through the Amazon River. The game is wrapped into the beautiful romantic story that immerses players into an epic adventure right from the first screen. This week you can get this hidden object adventure at no cost to you and try it on your favorite platform.

After Minha agrees to marry Dr. Manuel Valdez, they decide to hold the wedding in Brazil. You start this riveting adventure in Peru and travel through Amazon on an astonishing ship – the Jangada. Sounds like a great journey, however her father's dark past threatens her happy marriage. Long ago, he was accused of murder and now he is being blackmailed for Minha's hand in marriage. You are plunged into this evolving narration; it's your job to help unravel the mystery of her father's past.

The immersive storyline in Epic Adventures: La Jangada is supplemented with pleasing voice acting, lovely music and cleverly interspersed hidden object scenes. A nice addition to the hidden object scenes is that you have to find and then return the items to their exact places in some scenes. For example, you'll need to help Minha tidy her bedroom and pack a suitcase. Search for answers and clues in 43 thrilling locations, solve a variety of intriguing puzzles, brave the dangers of the Amazon jungles and find evidence to clear the name on Minha's father and save him and Minha's future.

Epic Adventures: La Jangada is developed and published by G5 Entertainment under license from Urchin Games.

Key Features:

• 43 Magnificent locations
• 8 Immersive chapters
• 12 Fancy mini-games
• Intriguing and classic storyline

Game trailers:

Epic Adventures: La Jangada for iPhone and iPad

Epic Adventures: La Jangada for Mac

Epic Adventures: La Jangada for Google Play

When: Starting today, June 24, 2013 through June 30, 2013

Where:

iTunes Store:

Epic Adventures: La Jangada (Full) for iPhone

Epic Adventures: La Jangada HD (Full) for iPad

Mac App Store:

Epic Adventures: La Jangada (Full) for Mac

Google Play:

Epic Adventures: La Jangada Free for Google Play

For additional information please contact: press@g5e.com.

---

About G5 Entertainment AB

G5 Entertainment AB is a developer and publisher of high quality downloadable games for iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Kindle Fire, and Nook tablets. G5 develops and publishes games that are family-friendly, easy to learn, and targeted at the widest audience of experienced and novice players. G5 owns a number of popular game franchises like Virtual City, Special Enquiry Detail, Supermarket Mania, Stand O'Food, and Mahjongg Artifacts, and invests in creating new games and bringing established franchises to new gaming platforms.

More information about the company can be found at: www.g5e.se/corporate  

Gloomy Hollow Review

Gloomy Hollow ($0.99) by Chillingo Ltd is a point-and-click adventure that mixes a bit of the Old West with a bit of the underworld. Grab your six-shooter and some undead armor because you’re in for a wild ride.

Compatibility: Universal
Released: Jun 20, 2013
Price: $0.99
Size: 175 MB
Language: English
Seller: Chillingo Ltd

Players are tasked with cleaning up those pesky undead creatures from the areas around Gloomy Hollow and making it a better town to live in, er … be dead in.Travel to the Murky Marshlands and Red Rock Canyons to find stolen soul crystals and bring balance back to the sleepy town.

The first quest is to find Smithy and Rosie. Once you’ve tracked down your two cohorts, you’ll be able to play as all three characters. Moustache Jim fights with a gun. Smithy pounds enemies with his giant mallet. Rosie slices creatures big and small with her expert knife skills.

Each level includes two tasks that must be completed if you want to earn all three keys. You must kill all of the creatures in the area and find five soul crystals. In addition to the tasks on each level, you will be given quests that increase your experience points and offer big rewards. To find a quest, speak with someone in town that has a yellow question mark above their head. You can also pick up additional tasks from the town’s bulletin board.

On each level, you will earn keys that are used to unlock gates that contain chests of loot. If you run out of keys, you can replay earlier levels to earn more, or unlock the gates using gems. Gems are found on some creatures after you’ve killed them or in some chests. You can also buy them with in-app purchases.

When you grab a quest or task, head over to the transportation orb to go to the next level. On each level, find your items, collect coins, and kill everything in sight. Use any of the three different characters to fight your way across the lands. You can pick up loot that may not be useful to the character you are using, but one of the others would find it very helpful. Each character can upgrade their weapons and armor, and you can unlock talent trees to make them even more powerful.

This game is well designed and looks great. There are plenty of tasks and quests to keep you interested and most levels are worth playing a second time because there are new tasks to play on them. There are even some extra special hidden chests that can only be unlocked using a specific character. The price is reasonable and you won’t feel obligated to spend money on in-app purchases, so you get what you pay for with this point-and-click adventure. Download it in the App Store today.

App Store Description:

Welcome to Gloomy Hollow, a haunted home for lost souls out in the outback of the Underworld. Lead a misfit trio on an epic quest to defeat the Underworld’s beasts and fiends to turn this troubled town back into the lively limbo it once was.

Gloom and Doom
Seek out the stolen Soul Crystals and restore Gloomy Hollow to its former glory. Play as the gunslingin’ sheriff Moustache Jim, Hammer-swinging Smithy, or razor-sharp fan-wielding Rosie.

The Wildest of Westerns
Explore every nook and cranny of Gloomy Hollow’s unique and original Underworld. Take a stroll through the murky Marshlands and wield magic and guns in explosive battles in the canyons of Red Rock.

Suited and Looted
Choose between Casual and Old School difficulty and set out on an epic adventure. Hundreds of quests, keys, weapons, skills upgrades, and more provide hours and hours of gameplay.

Game Features:
• A massive quest to save a town in trouble
• Control and upgrade three unique playable heroes
• A distinct art style and 3D visuals bring the Underworld to life
• Hours of quests and troves of epic loot to discover
• Use tap or dual stick controls in either Casual or Old School difficulty
• Save the Hollow on iPhone and iPad devices

PLEASE NOTE:
This game features non-compulsory In-App Purchases. If you do not wish to use this feature please disable In-App Purchases in your device settings.

Source: 

http://www.appslooking.com/apps/gloomy-hollow-review-a-point-and-click-adventure-game/

Tribal Quest Review

Tribal Quest is a side-scrolling runner, similar to games like Jetpack Joyride. The player takes control of an unnamed character who’s given the ability to run, jump, double jump, and roll. Mastery of these controls is necessary for success. Learning the ins and outs of the jump mechanics is the most crucial part of the game. Similar to old-school platformers, the longer you hold the jump button, the higher the character jumps, up to its limit. There are many instances where maximum or minimum height is required. The controls aren’t perfect, but once players adapt, it’s easier to find success.

While running, there are numerous objects that appear:  hazards, holes, gems, and totems. Hazards are easy enough to avoid in most cases. Some need to be jumped over, others rolled under, and sometimes both in quick succession. Players familiar with the genre won’t have any problem. Holes are the tougher issue. Because of Tribal Quest’s attempted difficult level design, a lot of the gaps require a maximum jump or double-jump at the latest possible time. This won’t be a problem for players who know the genre, but can be frustrating for players who are new to infinite runners, especially in cases where double-jumping isn’t a safe bet.

Gems and totems work as the guides throughout the game. Gems are collectibles that usually dictate how the player should act in certain situations. By attempting to collect every gem, players will follow the path of least resistance and make the most progress. Totems act as a way to keep track of progress. Players will start passing by red totems, then later move onto green and other colors. When the totems change colors, the scenery shifts and the speed increases. The different scenes and speeds create the flavor and difficulty that Tribal Quest relies on, but a lack of precision in the controls and a slow starting pace result in a lot of runs never getting to that point. Fortunately, players can use (or purchase) gems to revive instantly, which is a nice way to continue a good run.

As far as gameplay is concerned, Tribal Quest doesn’t feel like anything special, but is a fundamentally solid game. A lot of the title’s uniqueness comes from its presentation. As the game progresses, the music and visuals become much more vivid, and they feel like a reward for players who manage to make it to that point. And although most of the presentation is great, the main character’s voice and reliance on uttering constant one-liners can quickly grow irksome, and a lot of players may opt to play with the sound off.

Tribal Quest’s difficulty attempts to be the major selling point of the game. However, the game doesn’t feel significantly more difficult than any other infinite runner. Without that selling point, it’s hard to pinpoint anything that makes Tribal Quest stand out. The visuals are solid and the controls are decent (though they lack precision at times). The lack of features leaves a bit to be desired, however. There’s nothing bad about Tribal Quest, but it gets lost in a sea of similar and better endless runners.

Source: http://www.gamezebo.com/games/tribal-quest/review

Cling Thing Review

Cling Thing ($0.99) by Chillingo Ltd is a physics-based puzzler that will have you sticking and flinging your way to victory.

Compatibility: Universal
Released: Jun 13, 2013
Price: $0.99
Size: 48.0 MB
Language: English, Russian
Seller: Chillingo Ltd

When you combine Chillingo with a puzzle game, especially of the physics kind, then count me in! I am a huge fan of both Chillingo and puzzle games, so when I saw that this was available, I was ecstatic. The visuals in Cling Thing are stunningly beautiful, complete with buttery smooth animations. The soundtrack is soothing, and there are quirky sound effects to go along with the entire package.

There are four chapters in the game, with each of them containing 24 levels, so there is plenty of content to go through. However, you won’t have access to the further chapters until you have collected a certain amount of stars, so make sure to get as many as you can! For those who are impatient, there is an option to unlock the other chapters through in-app purchases.

The objective in each level will be to get the cute little orb creature from the starting point to the goal, which is the pipe that appears to be vacuuming in things that approach it. But these are just orbs! How will they move? Surprise, surprise — these are orb creatures with sticky and clingy tentacles, which will help them get to where they need to go.

In order to get these little guys to make use of their tentacles, all you need to do is tap on the place you want them to latch on to. However, there is a catch — they can only latch on to surfaces that are covered in a sticky, colored goop. They will cling on as long as your finger remains on the screen, so there’s definitely a lot of timing involved with this game, especially when you need to swing around. Additionally, in later levels, you will encounter obstacles that involve doing a multitouch tap to drag items around with the tentacles, spinning blocks, and more.

Each level will also have three stars for you to collect before reaching the goal pipe, or a key to remove an obstacle from blocking the end pipe. When you reach the end of a level, you will see the stars you’ve earned, as well as the time it took you to complete the level. There are bronze, silver, and gold medals to earn, so it’s important to keep an eye on the time you take to play a level, that is, if you want to be a perfectionist.

For the competitive types, there is always Game Center integration for five different leaderboards and 29 achievements, so there’s definitely a lot of replay value.

I’m enjoying the game so far, but even though the controls work, they can definitely be annoying on smaller screens like the iPhone. I had trouble seeing most of what I was doing because my fingers were blocking my view (especially when doing multitouch) — this definitely seems like a game that is better suited for the iPad.

Still, if you’re looking for a fun physics-based puzzler to chill out with this weekend, then I recommend giving Cling Thing a look. Get it in the App Store as a universal download for $0.99.

App Store Description:

No one knows where exactly these colorful, squidgy, grinning orbs came from. All we know is this: they’re very clingy! Tap to stretch their gooey tendrils to nearby walls and objects and use multi-touch to navigate them through all manner of sticky situations.

Get stuck in
Use your Cling Thing’s grip ability to swing around all 96 perplexing contraptions. Reach for the stars scattered around each level to race against the clock for medals.

Stretched in all Directions
Use your sticky abilities to solve puzzles and experiment with physics to reach the escape pipe. Stuck? Try using multi-touch to latch on to multiple surfaces at once.

Pipe Dream
From soothing piano tunes to acoustic guitar melodies, Cling Thing’s calming soundtrack is the perfect antidote to its fiendishly tricky puzzles.

Game Features:
• Tap to make your Cling Thing stick to its surroundings
• Over 96 levels of viscous fun with 480 stars to find
• Play with physics to solve these sticky puzzles
• Colorful visuals and a relaxing piano-driven soundtrack
• UNIVERSAL: Clings well on iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad

PLEASE NOTE:
This game features non-compulsory In-App Purchases. If you do not wish to use this feature please disable In-App Purchases in your device settings.

Source: 

http://www.appslooking.com/apps/cling-thing-review-a-physics-based-puzzle-game/

Gangstar Vegas Review

Gangstar Vegas is a great open-ended game, with lots of variety and lots to do, and will keep you playing. The dialog, which is only marred by the acting, is humorous, as are the news reports and the in-vehicle conversations. The races will keep you coming back, and if you’re anything like me, the graphical glitches and inconsistencies won’t keep you from trying to achieve a perfect three-star rating on each and every race, challenge and heist, for the sole purpose of seeing your game completion status jump to 100%.

Following on the heels of West Coast Hustle, Miami Vindication and Rio, Gameloft’s latest Gangstar entry, Gangstar Vegas [$6.99] brings the largest environment in the series by virtually recreating everybody’s favorite city of sin, Las Vegas.

I’ll get this out of the way quick so I don’t need to waste your time later – Gangstar Vegas is, in most ways, identical to Grand Theft Auto, from the way the missions are given to the dialog while driving to the types of missions available. The game also doesn't drastically change the way the other three Gangstar games played, but it does refine some mechanics from the previous ones.

As Jason Malone, a boxer who gets paid to take a dive by mobster Frank Valieno, you agree to throw the match, but during one round, you manage to get a hit in and you knock the other guy out cold. You win the fight, and while you didn't mean to, you’re now on Frank’s hit list. During this interactive prologue, you’re introduced to the hand-to-hand fighting controls.

Vegas’ tutorial introduces you to the main aspects of the game while documenting your escape from Frank. Everything is pretty straightforward. You’re able to steer your vehicle by tilting, but I found I was tilting my iPad like a wild man and still couldn't get around corners that easily. I fiddled with the sensitivity, but eventually just swapped to the virtual button steering option. You're able to change the control type for each different vehicle, should you be so inclined.

Vegas is fully voice acted, and runs the gamut from good acting to that of Resident Evil (1996) quality. Jason himself is very hit and miss. Sometimes he’s into it, sometimes it sounds like he’s bored and wants to get the headset off. Karen, one of the first characters you meet, is believable, as is Vera, who is Karen’s boss. The remaining cast is amateur, but gets the job done; with the exception of E-Man. He’s an annoying character, and if I were Jason, I’d torture him constantly just to get him to shut up.

Controlling Jason is fairly painful, and will require some getting used to. Running is a hassle, and is overly sensitive (even with sensitivity turned down). He tends to walk into walls often, and when you move in the opposite direction, he tends to run into the wall before finally getting his feet. When you add sprinting to the mix it’s even worse. In order to climb obstacles you need to sprint as you run toward whatever it is, however I find Jason likes to jump over everything and anything even when I’m not all that close to the object.

Driving handles much better than walking and running, but manages to feel sloppy and stiff, both at once. It’s not hard to drift around corners or do 180’s, but the way the vehicle manages to magically right itself after completing the turn is slightly jarring. Apparently, vehicles in Vegas don’t come equipped with horns.

Graphically, the game is well done. Characters all have unique faces and bodies, and the attention to detail is pretty nice. Lights reflect, water ripples nicely, and your tires squeal and emit smoke appropriately. There are, however, some minor glitches that pop up. You’ll see car doors that look raised or lowered above the rest of the car body, you’ll fall through the world quickly just to pop right back up, and cars will get “impaled” with curbs, trees and other random objects. Collision detection sure isn't that great here.

The biggest gripe I have graphically is when cars, people and objects pop up right in front of you. This seems to happen the most as you’re driving along nicely, only to crash into something that wasn't there a second ago. Poor programming, or perhaps a limitation of iOS and its memory? You’ll eventually come to anticipate and adjust your car accordingly, but it’s still annoying.

There is a lot to do in Gangstar Vegas, and you will never be at a loss of where to go or what to do. Story missions are easily identifiable, and one of the features I quite liked is the option to start a story mission from the map screen. If you don’t feel like driving to a start point, open the map, select the story mission, and begin the event. You’re taken to the cut scene that introduces the mission, and then it begins. This applies to all secondary game types as well.

You’re able to ask friends for help on a mission. If you have no friends, you’re limited to just asking E-Man, and the price starts at $100,000. By asking an actual friend, not only do you get help in the mission, but your friend will receive a reward for helping as well.

Gun play is very straightforward. There is no free aim mode; instead, you look where you want to aim, and tap on a person or object to target, which paints a big blue crosshair over top. You can then fire. Vegas also utilizes a cover system, that lets you crouch behind objects or shimmy along walls. While this is a nice feature, the majority of missions involving firefights sadly devolve into crouch, fire at enemy until ammo runs out, crouch, reload, fire at enemy, rinse and repeat.

Every criminal act you do is tallied and you’ll eventually receive a badge icon, indicating the police are after you. With one star, you’ll have one or two cops after you, but they get more aggressive as you gain in stars, and by the time you reach the max (five), you’ll have cops, SWAT and the army after you.

But not to worry. If you die, you get resurrected and will be out some cash for hospital bills. Oddly, the cops never seem to want to arrest you. I beat up a guy in front of a cop, which triggered a star. The cop came and starting beating me. For testing purposes, I sat back and let him do his thing… until I was dead. The AI occasionally gets stuck behind or in objects, making targeting impossible. Two missions I had to abandon and restart because I couldn't kill what the game needed to let me advance. The other cars throughout the world have this weird tendency to stop driving, back up, and then drive into barriers, for no reason whatsoever. Or they’ll drive over a bridge. Or just stop in the middle of the road. The AI definitely leaves a lot to be desired.

As you progress your character levels up. With each new level you earn skill points, which can be used to purchase upgrades. And boy, are there a lot of upgrades. There are different weapon categories; hand-to-hand, pistols, shotguns, rifles, etc., and under each category you can improve different ratings. You can increase clip size, cause more damage, or reduce reload time. You can also increase your resistance to bullets, fire or explosions, and how many healthpacks or armor kits you can carry. In addition, you can also increase top speed, acceleration and handling for vehicles, in each category (cars, boats, motorcycles, planes). In this way, Vegas gives you an almost infinite level of customization.

Completing missions and killing people will also randomly drop items, which can be used to customize Jason, or you can purchase new items at the pawn shop. If that innocent old lady drops “Shave Cut #2”, for example, you can use it to change Jason’s hair style.

While the normal store is easily accessible and allows you to buy new weapons, ammo, vehicles and health or armor (even while in the middle of a story mission), the pawn shop is where you can buy unique items. To do so, you’ll need to have collected pieces of what you want to purchase, or you can spend some of your blood money to do so. Going out and finding high value targets, who usually are standing around or driving in limos and are signified with a briefcase above their head, can yield some of the components required. The list of items available in the pawn shop updates every thirty minutes, and you can count on Connection Johnny (yes, that’s his name) to always have top items.

Once you've completed the story, or simply want to take a break, feel free to try one of the many other events going on. Unlocking certain events requires you to advance to a certain point in the story, but eventually you’ll be able to take part in street races, flight checkpoints, boat races, ring challenges, time attack races and stadium motocross tracks. Each side mission rates you on a scale of one to three stars, depending on if you complete the mission within the time or target requirements.

In addition to races, you can compete in fighting tournaments, go on multi-faceted bank heists, attempt to survive a consistent onslaught of enemies and, my favorite, Carnage missions, which basically task you with destroying as much as you can in a set time.

If you don’t feel like racing or killing, you can steal cars and drop them off at garages for money, or play various casino games, like blackjack, slots and video poker. Why not visit the dollar store, check out a nightclub, or see what restaurants are on offer?

Or, you can purchase properties. There are five districts that make up Vegas, each of which has four properties available. By buying one, you generate income that you can collect every so often. Some you can collect in as little as thirty minutes, others might be twelve hours. You’re also able to fast travel to any property you own, without cost.

And while you might think your actions are for naught, don’t fret. Not only is there a leaderboard that shows your progress but the game has a huge amount of stat tracking; cops, enemies and pedestrians you've killed, time traveled on foot, or by car, how many times you've been killed or died. It’s pretty in-depth.

Gangstar Vegas also features tattoos that you can earn, which are awarded at the end of a mission, and  increases your overall score. Kill 25 gang members during a mission, for example. Tattoos exist outside of the mission structure as well, such as jumping off ramps 25 times with a vehicle.

There are also a total of 180 pickups to find; 60 each of clothing, weapons and wheels. Collecting them earns you about $500 each, while collecting all 60 will earn you a special reward.

There are three types of IAP’s which you can choose to utilize in Gangstar Vegas. You can buy cash straight-up, or if you don’t want to earn skill points through playing, or just want to make Jason a badass, you can buy those too. Finally, you can buy keys, which are used to open crates that can contain great items. Keys can very rarely be found while completing missions, and if you gamble enough, you can earn them. Whether you choose to buy something or not, none of the IAP's are essential to enjoying the game.

The bottom line is, Gangstar Vegas is a great open-ended game, with lots of variety and lots to do, and will keep you playing. The dialog, which is only marred by the acting, is humorous, as are the news reports and the in-vehicle conversations. The races will keep you coming back, and if you’re anything like me, the graphical glitches and inconsistencies won’t keep you from trying to achieve a perfect three-star rating on each and every race, challenge and heist, for the sole purpose of seeing your game completion status jump to 100%.

App Store Link: Gangstar Vegas, $6.99

Source: http://toucharcade.com/2013/06/12/gangstar-vegas-review/

Video Games Quiz for Android

We’re pleased to announce that Video Games Quiz, the first entry in the popular Video Games Quiz series by Undercoders for iOS, is now available for Android and has just been published on Google Play for free.

Game Description

How many video games can you name? Find it out in Video Games Quiz, the most comprehensive video games trivia game available on Google Play!

Write the name of the pictured game to clear a level. Do it as fast as you can and earn high scores and Video Game Quiz coins!

Stuck in a game you can't name? Use the coins to get valuable hints or ask your friends to aid you via Twitter or Facebook.

Levels are unlocked progressively, but don't forget to clear them completely in order to get all the achievements and the highest ranking in the Google Play Game Services leaderboard!

Featuring more than 450 games to guess, divided in 11 levels of ascending difficulty: from the most downloaded game in history to the most obscure title only true hardcode gamers will be able to identify!

Happy Video Game guessing!

Game Media

Game Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGTr-ylLtR4

Official Website: www.undercoders.com/Video-Games-Quiz.html

Google Play Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.undercoders.videogamesquiz

About Undercoders

Undercoders is a young run independent game development studio located in Barcelona, Spain, focused on portable game development. To learn more about our company, please visit our corporate website at www.undercoders.com.

Released titles: Battle of the Elements, i·Spot Japan, Angry Ramos, Ubongo, Quiz Game Land, Los Tiki Phantoms, Japan Jigsaw Tour,  Pinocchio's Puzzle, Vuvuzela VS Zombies.

Storm the Gates Review

Storm the Gates (Free) by Brandon Damron is a castle defense game. Like all other games in this genre, both you and your enemy have something to protect. In this case, you’re defending your castle gates. To win the game, you must destroy your enemy’s gates without leaving your own open to attack.

Compatibility: iPad Only
Released: May 24, 2013
Price: FREE
72.6 MB
Language: English
Seller: Brandon Damron

In most games, you begin without any soldiers on the field. You have to build up your army as you play. In Storm The Gates, you already have an army at your disposal. You can even customize this army by adding different types of soldiers and determining the formation.

To change what soldiers you have in your army, deselect the blue disk beneath the soldier that you want to change. Then, tap again on the empty disk. The blue disk will reappear, but the space for a soldier will be empty. Tap on the type of soldier that you want to add from the display below. You can only add new soldier types that have already been introduced in battle. You can also choose to have all your soldiers in the front line, or you can create a specific formation that spans across three lines of defense.

When you’re done changing your army options, you can continue on to the campaign. As you progress through each level, new characters will be introduced. You can create these new characters by combining lower level soldiers. For example, by combining three tier one soldiers, you can create a beserker. You can combine three tier one archers into a hunter. Remember, you can’t create these combinations until the character is introduced by the enemy in normal gameplay. So, once the enemy sends out a beserker onto the field, you can start combining your soldiers to make them as well.

The game is as easy or hard as you want it to be with a wide variety of difficulty levels. You can have fun building the army that suits your needs, and you can change your army formation. You can also choose to play through one small skirmish or invest more time in the game by playing through the campaign.

Storm The Gates is an iPad app, and it’s available in the App Store for FREE!

App Store Description:

In Storm the Gates you control a small army and economy to buy new soldiers, combine existing soldiers and create stronger units. Play through 60+ campaign missions to unlock new units and create your own personalized army! Use swords, magic and tactics to destroy the enemy and Storm the Gates!

Source: 

http://www.appslooking.com/apps/storm-the-gates-review-a-castle-defense-game/

Mad Dragon Review

Standing in the path of a rampaging dragon is never fun. Being a rampaging dragon, on the other hand, is quite entertaining.

Compatibility: Universal
Released: Apr 29, 2013
Price: FREE
Size: 28.3 MB
Language: English
Seller: Chih-Ying Chiu

I love surprises. Specifically, I love nice surprises. It’s always a genuine pleasure to encounter something that’s unexpectedly pleasant, regardless of any possible preconceptions. And despite the somewhat underwhelming presentation seen in both the screen shots and video clip, Mad Dragon is exactly the sort of surprise I’m talking about.

Most treasure-seekers, whether they can breathe fire or not, don’t tend to like having their loot pilfered. So naturally when a goblin sneaks in to this particular dragon’s den for a little burgling, things get a bit messy.Mad Dragon is an endless runner, but it’s also sort of an endless flyer. And an endless physics destruction simulator. It’s weird but it works. Players can make their dragon jump by tapping the screen or fly for a limited time (so long as it has the stamina) by tapping and holding. Squash enough goblins and it can also start spewing fire, which can really mess things up. However, they’ll have to watch out for exploding barrels along the way, lest they have their run cut short.

Mad Dragon is such a simple idea, but it’s also kind of brilliant. Simply running and flying along while roasting goblins and avoiding explosives is decent fun, but plowing through structures and watching all the little bits fly everywhere makes it even more so. But that’s only a part of it. Aside from legitimately being fun to play, there are also quite a few things in the shop to spend those hard earned coins on. These include power-ups, upgrades to flight time, and so on as is the norm, but they also include a number of dragon customization options. I’d seriously be content just smashing goblins in order to unlock more of those head, talon, and tail options. Heck, players can even customize the dragon’s den with decorations and a treasure horde that actually grows along with their in-game earnings.

It can be tough to spy the bigger goblins with explosives strapped to them amidst all the debris when charging through a building, however. That and the flame breath can actually be more of a curse than a blessing since, in my experience anyway, it has a tendency to burn down structures too soon and drop barrels right on top of me. I also have to say that I’m not too crazy about the dragon’s default jump height. It just feels a bit too high and makes those moments when a little hop would suffice impossible to pull off.

Mad Dragon, like most games, has a few minor issues but they never get in the way of the fun. And what an unexpected amount of fun it is! Even now I’m trying to figure out what I want to save up for next, and I can’t wait to get back to it.

App Store Description:

>>>>>A UNIQUE and FUN running game with character<<<<<

Go on a rampage with the Mad Dragon!

The thieving goblins are stealing coins while the dragon is asleep. It drives him so mad when he wakes up! Let’s chase down the goblins and help the Mad Dragon to reclaim his treasure but beware the goblins will put up a fight!

= FEATURES =
• Addictive physics-based gameplay
• Simple 1 tap control
• Compete with friends and others on leaderboard
• Over 70 challenging achievements
• Customize your dragon appearance with unique looks
• Customize your cave with cool items
• Upgrade your dragon abilities
• Share your progress on Facebook and Twitter
• iPad retina support
• iPhone 5 support
• Beautiful hand drawn artworks

Source: http://www.appslooking.com/apps/mad-dragon-review-an-endless-runner-game/