iPhone Reviews 2.0

I could not help but preview this title. I absolutely love the name of this game, but did not expect this to be a dual stick shooter, more like a very odd time management cooking game. Take a look at this title while we wait for it to launch in February 2010.

IUGO’s latest adventure on the iPhone, Daisy Mae’s Alien Buffet, offers over-the-top alien slaying. Check out the description, screens and video below:

Daisy Mae’s peaceful, simple life in her little desert trailer park will never be the same. A full scale alien attack on earth has begun and Daisy becomes the unlikely heroine outta nowhere. Take hold of the steering wheel and help Daisy Mae shoot and blast her way to victory in this fun and quirky dual stick shooter. Aliens: you have been served!

Features:

✓ More aliens than you can shake a stick at!

✓ The baddest selection of weapons known to folks ‘round these here parts

✓ Purty graphics and fancy sounds effects

✓ Sassy costumes to unlock for Daisy Mae’s alien hoedown

✓ Daisy Mae “taunt” moves to stun the aliens silly

✓ Control options to suit every varmint’s needs

✓ VIP points to be earned towards an additional costume

✓ Global leaderboards

✓ Auto save

Avatar is arguably the biggest movie of all time. If not it is certainly the most innovative ever with its revolutionary use of 3D, paving the way for the inevitable future of movies. Just like so many other big movies, Avatar has received its own tie-in game. Something we weren’t expecting though was that it would be brought onto the App Store, but Gameloft has cashed in on the success creating this spectacular game.

James Cameron’s Avatar follows a different storyline to the movie, instead taking us back in time 20 years or so to when the Avatar program was first started. You play as Ryan, the first ever Avatar to travel into Pandora and you must Hack n Slash your way until you meet the Na’vi and become a trusted member of their group. There is a base storyline in the game but mostly it’s about killing anything that gets in your way as you travel through Pandora.

Presentation

No expense was spared when Gameloft were to create Pandora for the iPhone and iPod Touch. They even worked with producers of Avatar the movie to create a world that represented the film and was to a standard that they were happy with. In return we have received a game that to the standard of something we would expect to find in a PSP title.

This game should have the nickname ‘Captain Detail’ as this is exactly what we get in Avatar. The game extends from the actual parts of the level that you can actually visit into creating a highly detailed scene around every corner. If this was just another shoot ‘em up platformer it would be incredibly easy just to have a blue sky and be done with it. In true Pandora style Gameloft has filled the sky with all the things that we get only in Avatar, such as huge floating mounds of land, waterfalls falling into thin air and just amazing landscapes.


There is a lot more around you as well, with 8 unique levels that provide a long enclosed path for you to follow full of luscious greenery and huge cliff faces, as well as lots of little creatures and colours. There is one open world level which features a huge grass clearing in a sort of valley. While this game just features the odd tree and huge cliff face, the main object in this level is the famous tree where the Na’vi live in the movie.

This game looks superb, easily one of the best looking games on the App Store. The only real competitors for a game of this size would be Gameloft’s other two titles NOVA and Modern Combat: Sandstorm. Once again this proves why Gameloft are and continue to be one of the best two developers, in my opinion, on the App Store.

Controls

The controls in Avatar are fairly standard for a Gameloft game, offering an array of on-screen buttons to perform every manoeuvre or skill needed to play this game. There is nothing overly special with the offering in Avatar and certainly isn’t up to the same amount of skills available in Assassin’s Creed Altair’s Chronicles. But then again a Na’vi doesn’t need half the skills an Assassin would use.


The game features a virtual joystick to control your Na’vi or whatever he may be riding at that current time. On the right side of the screen is a jump button, a button to repeatedly mash to attack with one of your weapons and a button that allows you to switch weapons. Fairly simple design, but when you have had it working for over a year and a half why mess with it?

Gameplay

As I said before the story in James Cameron’s Avatar is to follow the progress of Ryan, the first ever Avatar in existence as he discovers Pandora from the view of one of the local Na’vi. The game is a hack n slash/shoot em up platform game basically where you must run your way through levels defeating both nasty creatures in Pandora and humans from your own race who oppose you. The scene for the level is played in out via dialogue before each level (with voice acting from the main Na’vi in the film).


This game is what I would define as a 3rd Generation game because it is very similar to two other games by Gameloft. Previously we have had Hero of Sparta and Assassin’s Creed Altair’s Chronicles with the newest title always adding onto what we got in the previous title. This is the same for NOVA which is again a 3rd Generation title with Brothers in Arms and Modern Combat coming before it.

Avatar has 10 missions in total, with 8 being pre-set levels and 2 being free roam levels where you must complete around 5 or so tasks to finish the level. The other missions are all about advancing through the level by killing everything in sight, climbing cliff faces, jumping on moving platforms etc. The 8 levels will take you about 15-20 minutes to complete and the free roam levels take between 30-60 minutes depending on how many times you fail some of the tasks as it’s tricky to stay alive on harder difficulties.


A majority of the levels are using just your Avatar to run and jump around. The free roam levels allow you to use one of the horse creatures if you wish to so you can get around the map faster and one level let’s you fly on your own bird creature (I’m bad with the terminology). It’s nice to have this little big of variation in the game, making for a very enjoyable experience playing the game. Along with the option to use an array of weapons and upgrade your stats when collecting items this makes for a great time. Also having lots of checkpoints throughout levels lets you play for 5 minutes or an hour and you can regularly progress, something majorly lacking in Modern Combat: Sandstorm.

Conclusion

Avatar is an outstanding game on so many levels, with such exquisite detail and an amazing gaming experience. This game is deserving of all praise it receives and is really pushing the limits on what we can come to expect from both platform games and Gameloft as a company.

$6.99 is an excellent price for this game and a great companion to play before and after you watch Avatar for the 33rd time at the cinemas. Unlike so many movie and naming tie-ins this is something both James Cameron and 20th Century Fox can be proud to have their name against.

Trenches was a game that was released over around the Christmas/New Year slowdown on the App Store, which was perfect timing for this game. With no AAA releases coming during this time Indy developers could really prevail like the early days. If Trenches was contending with EA and Gameloft then this would still be in the Top 100, but I doubt it would reach the Top 5 like it has.

Just like Flight Control, other games similar have been released and in particular 2012 Zombies and Aliens. This game has its pros and cons compared to Trenches, but where this game definitely wins out are the amount of levels compared to Trenches small campaign mode. If there is one area where Trenches let me down it is in the main campaign mode.

Presentation

This is a great looking game that has some great looking characters in the game. Trenches is set in the times when having big, proud mustaches were all the fashion. The troops all look spectacular and to me vaguely look like something that could appear in a violent Paper Mario game. The battle fields look nice and have some detail put in them such as the cracks in the ground and the different backgrounds for different locations. The game looks great and runs smoothly, but where I felt let down especially compared to ZvA was the fighting animation.


In Zombies vs Aliens you have bodies flying everywhere, body parts being lost and heaps of blood and gore all over the place just as a battle should be. In Trenches you have everyone firing shots at each other until they die, which is just the body falling over and fading. I found blood when killing the Zombie Horde but not against the troops and bodies do go flying but only when bombed. Sure the amount of gore wouldn't be the same as what Zombies or Aliens could deliver, but just the little things like blood splatter would make this more realistic.. in a way.

Controls

I really like the controls in Trenches. At first I thought it was unnecessary and pointless having these controls but after playing ZvA I realized that they engage you heaps more in the actual game. Trenches is very similar to Flight Control in that you must drag you finger from one of your troop to a location and they will follow your exact path. While it isn't a precise method like avoiding planes in the sky, where you place your troops can determine how you go in battle as a formation can help you in harder battles.


You troops will auto-advance until they reach their first battle, which is when they will stop. They won't move again until you command them to do so. Unlike in ZvA your troops can retreat if needed and you can stop them on open ground, where as ZvA troops would only stop in trenches. Now that I have played this a bit I love the line drawing method and can really see the advantages of using this process. While it makes the game more complicated, it adds another dimension to the game that similar games don't have.

Gameplay

The length of the actual game is what I felt kept this game from being super good. There are two game modes, Campaign mode and Skirmish. Even though I would have originally guessed that Campaign mode would be the main one, you are forced to spend most of your playing time in Skirmish. This isn't because you need to do this mode to unlock stuff in the game, but mainly because of how short the Campaign mode is.


The Campaign takes you on a trip through the main battles from World War I. Sadly though it seems there were only 6 big battles so we only get six levels in Campaign mode. The levels were quite fun while they lasted, with the aim to get your troops to the end of the battlefield to claim victory. This is done by slowly but surely killing enemies and advancing your troops into Trenches, where you get the upper hand in an equal battle. Once the coast is clear you can move forward and hopefully reach another trench.

The six levels in Campaign mode are fairly similar, except that as you go to harder locations there are more or less trenches and barb wire to slow you in your tracks. The campaign mode can be played in either Easy, Medium or Hard difficulty, with a strategy or game plan needed if you are going to survive the night in Hard mode.


Skirmish mode is really a customizable Campaign, where you get to choose all the features and set up a game for yourself. You can change the battle location, length of the field, difficulty level and once completing Campaign mode what game mode. The game modes are either the normal shoot-out or Zombie Horder which is unlocked after completing the campaign. The aim of this is to set up a stronghold and defend for as long as possible as the rapidly advancing and multiplying Zombies approach you. The don't fire at you but kill with deadly speed if they manage to reach your troops, calling game over within a minute or so.


Take this review lightly, as I could only comment on what I played. The developers are intent on continually updating the game to make this a pleasurable experience for all users. I have received word that a longer and more complete campaign mode will be available in a free update within the week, so this would obviously alter my thoughts on this game.

Conclusion

Just like Pocket God started out, this seems to be a great preview of the game that will continue to grow over many months. As long as the developers keep to their word and continue to improve this game I can see it being just as big as Flight Control or Harbor Master. The game mechanics itself are a spectacular concept and the new style of fighting is a perfect game for the iDevice.

If I had to suggest either this or 2012 ZvsA I would find it hard to pick in their current states, but ZvsA would just edge it out. The amount of levels and upgradeable units probably win out against the more innovative and involving, yet short game. I suggest that you wait until the new update of Trenches is out and make your mind up yourself whether the new Campaign is of a sufficient length.

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- 2012 Zombies vs Aliens

I had never previously picked up Glyder mainly due to the fact that I didn't think it would appeal to me. At the time I had various flying games and didn't think another item collecting game would be fun for me. Lately though I had been considering whether to get Glyder but when I saw Glyder 2 came out I decided to get that first. From there I fell in love with this game and ended up buying the original Glyder after completing the sequel. I then found the original to be an absolute gem but was kicking myself that I didn't play it before Glyder 2, as it was hard to appreciate how good it was when Glyder 2 is so so much better.

Presentation

The main selling point from my view is the excellent graphics. If this game was in another 2D block world then this game would have never taken off in the beginning. Glu Mobile are known for making some great 3D games, Wacky Worlds Mini Golf and Cops n Robbers comes to mind, and the detail in this game is superb.

There are 6 huge environments and 1 smaller environment that all look superb. Each one has a different theme so they all are unique. Half the fun of reaching each new island is the ability to fly around and just look at every corner of these fantasy lands.

One thing that Glu has done well is give a good sense of speed. When you are gliding slowly you can’t really tell that you are even moving, but as you build up speed the air surrounding Eryn gets blurry just like the racing games. This is a great effect and just adds that little bit extra to the game.

Glyder 2 runs well on all devices, even though the ride is just that little bit smoother on the 3rd Gen devices. None of the graphics are spared in the lesser devices, but the ride can sometimes be slightly jerky. All in all the game looks good and feels good.

Controls
When I started this game I expected to have to use a various amount of different on screen buttons to maybe shoot at things or pick up items like the crystals. Somehow the game has managed to stay as simple as possible with the only thing to do is just tilt your iDevice.

For starters this is not a violent game, with no bad guys or obstacles to get in your way. However if you aren’t careful tilting the wrong way or not as all may make you crash into a part of an island, restarting back at the home disc of that island. To pick up crystals you just need to fly towards them and they will get sucked into you by gravity if you get close enough. This also works for boosts and treasure chests.

I love how Glu has kept this game so simple, making it easy enough for a pro to zoom around all the tight corners of the various islands but a beginner can pick this up and still do well. This is really a game for everyone.

Gameplay

The aim of Glyder is to collect all the crystals that are located on the six islands and return Eryn to the portal to get back home. For those who want more there are heaps of challenges and time trials that you can try to defeat, many will be done while completing the game but a few will require you to go out of your way to finish.

You start your journey on Arctasia, a barren Iceland where you must find your way around to find all the crystals located on the island. In the entire game you must find 125 of the Blue, Pink and Gold crystals and finding all of one colour unlocks something. To do this you will have to work your way around all the islands including the desert Oasis, the underground Sporelle and the space wonderland Acension.

The game is physics based as Eryn will lose speed if you try to go up in the air but will gain it when flying downwards. There are boosts around each island that can help you speed up and thermals are your best bet at climbing high into the sky. Especially when you are trying to find Ascension which is located in space!

What kept Glyder 1 a bit dry is the lack or other activities to do and complete in the game. All they had were landing platforms where you had to fly from A to B as fast a possible. In Glyder 2 these have been refined and are required in some situations to complete the game. In most platforms you must fly around the island through checkpoints, often to hard to find places where heaps of crystals are located.

On four islands however there are special platforms that require you to move snowballs or a cog or other items from one place to another to complete a task or save a village. These always give you a reward which inevitably helps you continue on with the game. In the latest update each island has been given another new platform which is a fun minigame where a cannon fires some sort of object into the sky and you have a time limit to collect as much as possible.

The other cool new feature in Glyder 2 is the ability to customize Eryn with different outfits and wings. These are found all over the world in Treasure Chests or Packages. The outfits available do nothing but change what Eryn looks like, but the wings have stats and different wings will suit different situations. For example the Electric wings have a larger area of gravity so it’s easier to pick up crystals and the Osiris wings let you fly upwards without losing speed.

Comparison

Glyder and Glyder 2 have the same basic gameplay. Each is about finding all the crystals in the game to unlock a portal so Eryn can finally get home. Both games have spectacular graphics and huge worlds to explore, but it are the number of additional options in Glyder 2 that make it the better game. Glyder has the starting blocks for the time trials in Glyder 2, as well as the many challenges to unlock. Glyder 2 just has more to in the game, with more crystals, special challenges and the customization of Eryn.

Both are fun games and if you like the key crystal collecting element of the game you will enjoy both games. Just be aware that if you play Glyder 2 before the original Glyder that you may find the game lacking if you were hoping for all the extra features that make Glyder 2 an excellent sequel.

Conclusion
Glyder 2 is an absolutely fantastic game that I couldn’t put down until I had completely finished this game. Having played both this and the original there is no comparison to Glyder 2 (obviously) but if you are planning on getting both then finish Glyder first.

This has officially become one of my favourite games on the App Store. This is an easy to play game that gave me over 5 hours of entertaining fun. It was good to kick back and play such a peaceful game such as Glyder 2. Even though the sale has ended this game is worth $2.99 and you won’t regret purchasing even if you weren’t all that impressed with the original.

I would recommend this game if you enjoyed- Glyder

After the huge success that The Sims 3 had on the App Store it was inevitable that we would be receiving add-on packs. What I didn't expect though were whole new apps that featured another full Sims experience. Check out what EA have in store for us with The Sims 3 World Adventures!


AN ALL-NEW SIMS EXPERIENCE – FROM THE #1 BEST-SELLING GAME OF THE YEAR ON THE APP STORE. Take your Sims on thrilling adventures to world famous destinations.


EXPLORE 3 EXOTIC DESTINATIONS
…“Al Simhara,” Egypt… “Champs Les Sims,” France… “Shang SimLa,” China. Each exciting location is loaded with a world of possibilities for danger, adventure, and romance for your Sim.

MEET GLOBAL CHALLENGES
Enjoy an international twist on the Sims-style gameplay you know and love with 52 new goals, 4 new mini-games -- plus personas, careers, and quests.

ENJOY MORE CUSTOM CONTENT
Let your Sim sport the local looks of the culture and acquire worldly tastes. There are lots of new clothing styles, furniture selections, and even new face types to choose from.

IMPORT/EXPORT BETWEEN THE SIMS GAMES FOR iPHONE & iPOD TOUCH
Yes! You can transfer your Sim back and forth between the iPhone® & iPod touch® versios of The Sims World Adventures and The Sims 3. So bring your favorite Sim on your adventure.

INCLUDES SIMS-STYLE MUSICAL ACCOMPANIMENT FROM WELL-KNOWN ARTISTS
Travel to the tunes of artists like LeAnn Rimes – singing in Simlish, of course!