Year in Review 2012: The Games

While there were quite a few games that I did not get around to in 2012, there were plenty of games that yours truly got to spend some quality time playing.  Some games on this list I played to completion before the end of 2012, some I did not.  Those games on this list that I did not complete, I still got quite a ways through them.  Enough so that they deserve to be mentioned in my top games of 2012.  Due to how busy I was in late 2012, my top games of 2012 will not be organized in a list of ten games in ascending order.  The games will be listed by the order of their release.  Each person is different so my top games of 2012 will most likely differ from your top games so I hope everybody will enjoy my opinion and feel free to share some games that I may have overlooked.

Run Roo Run
There is no other iOS game that I have found released this year that is better than Run Roo Run.  Charming graphics, simplistic yet intuitive controls, satisfying gameplay and a plethora of levels that test both your mind and reflexes, Run Roo Run is the complete package for only one or two dollars depending whether you get it for the iPhone or iPad respectively.  5th Cell's first game for iOS is a game that no iDevice owner should miss.

Journey
Journey is easily one of the most unique experiences I had playing a game this year.  There are no tutorials, no real instructions.  You are just dropped into a seemingly baren desert with this profile of a mountain in the distance.  The controls are simple yet incredibly intuitive, the graphics and art are just jaw dropping, the music is beautiful and the puzzles, while simple, are very charming and engaging.  Journey is a soothing and relaxing experience that can easily be finished in one sitting, which makes the game easy to sit down and play again.  I cannot stress enough how great of an experience Journey is.  If there is one game on this list that I highly recommend every gamer go out of their way to play, it is Journey.

Kid Icarus:  Uprising 
Nintendo may have took 20 years to release a new Kid Icarus game, but Uprising makes the time fans waited well worth it.  Kid Icarus: Uprising is a labour of love from Masahiro Sakurai and Project Sora that brings Pit to the 21st century in style.  While the controls can get in the way from time to time, the fast-paced action, witty fourth wall breaking banter, exciting story and fun multi-player experience sure make up for it.  Kid Icarus: Uprising is easily the best 3DS game of 2012 and one 3DS owners should not miss.

Xenoblade Chronicles
One of the last great games for the Wii, Xenoblade Chronicles is a grand RPG adventure from Nintendo and Monolith Soft.  Xenoblade Chronicles has an incredibly gripping story, fun real-time combat and an enormous world to explore with a huge amount of side quests to keep you occupied.  I have played over 30 hours of Xenoblade and I barely scratched the surface of all the content in this Wii RPG.  For a system that has been starving for RPGs, Xenoblade Chronicles stands tall as the pinnacle of RPGs on the Wii and for Japanese RPGs in this console generation.

The Last Story
The Last Story was the Wii's last story, pun intended.  From the mind of the most recognizable name in Japanese RPGs, Hironobu Sakaguichi, The Last Story looks to take the Japanese RPG in new and innovative directions.  The Last Story's biggest strength is its innovative real-time battle system that has you controlling the protagonist Zael while commanding the rest of your party to set up big combos of magic and physical attacks.  Along with Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story is another great RPG for a system that sure has needs it.

Darksiders II
Originally coming out for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in August, I did not get to try this excellent amalgamation of genres until I bought my Wii U in November.  The combat of great action games like God of War and Devil May Cry, the loot system from classic dungeon crawlers like Diablo, the massive over world of an action adventure game like The Legend of Zelda, the parkour-like platforming of a Prince of Persia and the classic leveling and skill system of a classic RPG can all be found in Darksiders II, but Vigil Games takes all these elements and makes it their own.  Vigil's effort has created a game that you can easily get lost in for hours at a time.  While a few glitches may pop up from time-to-time, Darksiders II is an incredible game that no gamer should pass on.

Transformers:  Fall of Cybertron
Not many licensed games are worth playing; fewer are praised both by critics and fans.  High Moon Studios' Transformers: Fall of Cybertron falls under those select few, no pun intended.  Taking the great framework set by War for Cybertron, Fall of Cybertron takes players through an incredibly focused and diverse campaign that explores the Transformers' final days on their dying homeworld.  Fall of Cybertron does justice to the Transformers like no other piece of media (TV show, comic or movie) has done for the franchise in the last number of years.  Also it has one of the finest final levels I personally played all year.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Another year, another side-scrolling Mario.  Many gamers, myself included, can remember a time when it was rare to see Gaming's Number One Plumber star in a brand new side-scrolling game.  While Mario platformers are some of the finest games around, it is a little hard to get excited when it seems like one comes out every year.  Seriously, we got two Mario platformers in 2012 alone.  While I was not really excited for New Super Mario Bros. U, I still picked it up for my Wii U at launch.  After putting the game in my brand new system, I learned once again to never doubt Nintendo.  New Super Mario Bros. U is easily the best game in the New Super Mario Bros. subseries and can stand among Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros. 3 as one of the best Mario platformers of all-time.  The levels are expertly designed, the difficulty ramps up at the perfect pace (making use of all those lives you accumulate in earlier levels), there are a great number of secrets to find and plenty of modes like Challenges and multi-player that will keep you coming back for more Mario.  The one game that all Wii U owners should pick up when they buy their brand new console and one of my personal favourite games of 2012.

On the Download: August 26-September 1

Well it is the last weekly edition of On the Download for a while.  It has been a lot of fun to put the spotlight on all these unique and incredibly interesting downloadable titles that release weekly and even daily for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS, iDevices and PC.  Downloadable games have made their mark in the video game industry these past few years by standing toe-to-toe with even the biggest of triple A console or PC titles.  Some of the most innovative and inventive experiences in video games today come from these smaller downloadable titles.  I have really enjoyed writing On the Download on a regular basis and giving a spotlight to these games that many gamers overlook.  It has been one of my favourite weekly posts to write here on Silver Bit and I hope you all enjoyed reading it.

Now that I am done with the little farewell for now speech, let us get down to business.  Got a packed week of downloadable games to talk about.  Two games I want to talk about quickly here in the intro and the other two I will get into more detail below.  First, this week Telltale Games released the third episode in their Walking Dead adventure series called The Long Road Ahead.  Decisions from the earlier episodes affect the events of The Long Road Ahead and pave a way for new long-lasting decisions that will affect future episodes in the series.  The third episode of Telltale's The Walking Dead game is available on PSN, XBLA and PC for 5 dollars.  The second game I want to mention here is the iOS port of Bastion.  Coming completely out of right field, Supergiant Games announced the game earlier in the week only to release it for iOS this past Thursday.  Easily one of the best downloadable games of 2011 has been re-imagined to work on the iPad.  Bastion only works on iPad 2 or higher and costs 5 dollars.  If you missed out on this remarkable game last year and own one of the newer iPad models, Bastion is a no-brainer.  Download it right now!  It is that good.

For a while there it looked like Rock Band and much of the rhythm game genre was dead, thanks to an over saturation of Rock Band and Guitar Hero games from EA and Activision.  With games like Audiosurf and Symphony trying to revitalize this genre through the downloadable game space, Harmonix has decided to bring Rock Band to the downloadable space with Rock Band Blitz.  Unlike the core Rock Band games for console, Rock Band Blitz does not use special peripherals to play the game. In Rock Band Blitz, you will use the regular controller to switch between each instrument lane and match notes in one of the game's 25 songs, which is very similar to Harmonix's older rhythm games such as Frequency and Amplitude.  Rock Band Blitz offer the same Rock Band gameplay, now all just for single-player.  Without much of a campaign, the main drive to play Rock Band Blitz is due to the online leaderboards,which tracks your top scores on each song.  In addition to the 25 songs that come with Rock Band Blitz, gamers are able to import any song they have for Rock Band 3.  Rock Band Blitz is now available for PSN and XBLA for 15 dollars or 1200 Microsoft Points.

Mass Effect is a huge series with one of the most expansive universes in video game history.  To extend the life of their RPG epic and provide more insight into the rich mythology of this universe, BioWare has developed the Leviathan DLC for Mass Effect 3.  The Leviathan DLC takes place before the final mission on Earth and dives into the dark history of the Reapers.  Commander Shepard hears reports of something lurking in the dark corners of space.  That something being powerful enough to single-handedly slay a Reaper.  What is this powerful being, this leviathan of sorts and is it friend or foe?  It is up to Shepard and his crew of the Normandy to find that out.  Leviathan expands on the events of Mass Effect 3 and provides new characters to interact with, new pieces of information on the mythology to chew on and new weapons and upgrades to play with.  For those not ignorant enough to abandon Mass Effect 3 because of the polarizing ending and want to dive back into this incredible game, you can pick Leviathan for PC, PSN and XLBA for 10 dollars or 800 Microsoft Points.

On the Download: July 22-28

While there were no games that came out this week, there are a few new downloadable games to dive into.  During the dog days of summer, you can always find something new to play during the seemingly annual gaming drought from one of the many downloadable services.  From demos to DLC to full games, there is always something new for release on PSN, XBLA, iOS, Steam and the Nintendo eShop.

Nintendo's 8-Bit Summer continues to roll along with the release of Wario Land:  Super Mario Land 3 for the 3DS Virtual Console.  Along with Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, Mole Mania has also been released for the 3DS Virtual Console.  Surprisingly for the third Super Mario Land for the original Game Boy, Nintendo had Wario take the spotlight from his good-doing counterpart, Mario.  After being kicked out of his castle by Mario at the end of Super Mario Land 2, Wario hears rumours that a group of pirates have a golden statue of Princess Toadstool hidden somewhere on Kitchen Island.  Wario decides to turn his luck around after facing such a devastating defeat at the hands of Mario and goes to Kitchen Island to steal said statue.   You take control of Wario as he fights his way through platforming level upon platforming level, crushing foes and collecting treasure.  Along the way, you can find different hats (Bull, Jet and Dragon Hats) that give Wario special abilities such as temporary flight.  Much of Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 is about collecting as much treasure as possible because the more treasure you collect, the bigger the castle you receive upon completing the game.  For all those interested, Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 is available to download on the Nintendo eShop for 4 dollars.

This PSN game was released last week, but I sadly forgot to cover it in the last On the Download so I have decided to highlight it today.  Dyad is a very stylistic game that should remind many gamers of games like Rez and Child of Eden.  Dyad is a tunnel racing puzzle shooter.  You control this little ship as it travels down a tube.  By using momentum in beat with the psychedelic visuals and the trance music, you can hook, graze and lance enemies in order to propel yourself further down the tunnel.  Dyad has 27 levels for players to enjoy and master.  Dyad also offers two other modes aside from the main game, Trophy and Remix Mode.  Trophy Mode is a sort of mission-based mode where you have to complete different tasks in certain levels to advance and Remix Mode is more a free play mode where the focus is more on relaxing than getting the highest score.  If you want to dive in an incredible unique and stylish download, Dyad is available exclusively on the PSN for 15 dollars.

Favourite Games of 2012 So Far

During the summer months, there are not a lot of big games that come out.  While there is a steady stream of great downloadable games that come out in the summer, not many big retail games come out in the summer as they stick to the overcrowded winter and spring seasons.  With this evident drought of games, there are some weeks when yours truly has to think of different things to write about when no actual games release said week.  This week I decided to look back on the my favourite games of 2012 so far.  The games will be listed in order of their release not how much I like them and I am only including games that I have either beaten or have played a considerable amount of.  I hope that everybody enjoys this list and maybe finds a game in this list that they may have overlooked.

Run Roo Run
There is no other iOS game that I have found released this year that is better than Run Roo Run.  Charming graphics, simplistic yet intuitive controls, satisfying gameplay and a plethora of levels that test both your mind and reflexes, Run Roo Run is the complete package for only one or two dollars depending whether you get it for the iPhone or iPad respectively.  5th Cell's first game for iOS is a game that no iDevice owner should miss.

Mass Effect 3
If you have been following this blog for a while now, you would know I full how much I love the Mass Effect series and in turn Mass Effect 3.  While some jaded people got hung up over all the supposed controversy with the ending and the Day One DLC, I found Mass Effect 3 to be an incredible game experience that serves as a worthy finale to this grand video game trilogy.  Mass Effect 3 is a game not to be missed this year as it is quite possibly the best game of 2012 and the best RPG from this side of the world.

Journey
Journey is easily one of the most unique experiences I had playing a game this year.  There are no tutorials, no real instructions.  You are just dropped into a seemingly baren desert with this profile of a mountain in the distance.  The controls are simple yet incredibly intuitive, the graphics and art are just jaw dropping, the music is beautiful and the puzzles, while simple, are very charming and engaging.  Journey is a soothing and relaxing experience that can be finished in one sitting.  If you missed out on downloading this gem for the PSN, you can pick up the Journey Collector's Edition that comes out at the end of August.

Kid Icarus: Uprising
Nintendo may have took 20 years to release a new Kid Icarus game, but Uprising makes the time fans waited well worth it.  Kid Icarus: Uprising is a labour of love from Masahiro Sakurai and Project Sora that brings Pit to the 21st century in style.  While the controls can get in the way from time to time, the fast-paced action, witty fourth wall breaking banter, exciting story and fun multi-player experience sure make up for it.  Kid Icarus: Uprising is easily the best 3DS game of 2012 so far that 3DS should not miss.

Xenoblade Chronicles
One of the last great games for the Wii, Xenoblade Chronicles is a grand RPG adventure from Nintendo and Monolith Soft.  Xenoblade Chronicles has an incredibly gripping story, fun real-time combat and an enormous world to explore with a huge amount of side quests to keep you occupied.  I have played at least 25 to 30 hours and I barely scratched the surface of all the content in this Wii RPG.  For a system that has been starving for RPGs, Xenoblade Chronicles stands tall as the pinnacle of RPGs on the Wii and for Japanese RPGs in this console generation.

On the Download: Because We May Sale

While there are quite a few new downloads released this week, nothing I think is bigger than the Because We May sale that spans many downloadable services such as the Apple App Store, Steam and Google Play.  The Because We May sale is being held by over 100 indie game developers.  This sale is to raise awareness for what these developers consider unfair sales terms on used by some online services.  These developers believe that game developers should have the freedom to price their games how they like.  Starting today until June 1st, the games made by these developers will be deeply discounted on the downloadable services like the App Store and Steam that let developers control the price of their games.  There are an amazing amount of games on sale with more joining the sale by the day as other developers that support this message join the sale.  For all the games apart of this massive sale, go to becausewemay.com and if you use any of these downloadable services, support this sale for the future of downloadable games.

On the Download: April 22-28

A little later than usual.  It was a busy Thursday, so got to double up today.  Right now is your weekly dose of On the Download and much later today another edition of Off the Newsstand will be up.  Just been reading a lot of magazines between work, blogging and free time.  While this week's On the Download is not as packed as last week, there are things for console, handheld and smartphone/tablet gaming will enjoy this week.  In a trade-off for no new eShop release, Nintendo 3DS owners got a system update this past Wednesday.  With the update, you can now create folders to organize all the apps and games on your 3DS, download patches and updates for retail games and a nice little re-design of the Nintendo eShop, which makes it a little easier to navigate.  If you have not downloaded it already, make sure you download it after reading On the Download.

Well Capcom did not listen to me when Soul Calibur came to iOS and I said fighting games do not work on iOS as they have just re-released Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for iOS.  Considered one of the best, most popular and intricate fighting games in video game history, it is hard to think of playing Marvel vs. Capcom 2 with a touch screen, but no matter what we say Capcom has done it.  Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has been optimized for iOS tablets and mobile devices featuring everything you will find in any previous release in arcades and on consoles.  Exclusive for the iOS release, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 features local multi-player through Bluetooth and a new control feature called the Flick Button, which makes it easier to pull off complex moves with the touch controls.  If you are a Marvel vs. Capcom superfan or really want an inexpensive fighting game for your tablet or mobile device, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for iOS will be a perfect purchase especially at the current sale price of 3 dollars.  If you like playing fighting games will actual controllers, better stick to Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for XBLA and PSN.

Since resurrecting the Monkey Island series for Tales of Monkey Island, Telltale Games has become known for creating great adventure games for this generation of gamers.  Telltale's newest episodic adventure game project is a game adaptation of popular zombie comic and TV show, The Walking Dead. Unlike typical zombie games such as Left 4 Dead and Resident Evil, The Walking Dead is more focused on character development and emotion than action and extreme tension.  The Walking Dead: The Game puts players in control of a whole new character in The Walking Dead universe by the name of Lee Everett.  Lee is a convicted criminal who is given a second chance at life after the zombie outbreak.  In a world where the undead are walking the Earth and the remaining humans have gone insane trying to keep themselves alive, protecting a orphaned girl by the name of Clementine might be Lee's only chance a t redemption is this hell on Earth.  Telltale has tried out some new features with their Walking Dead adventure game.  These features include having the actions and choice you make in each episode affect how your story plays out throughout the entire series and a time limit for making decisions in order to further immerse the player into story.  Currently you can pick up the first episode, "A New Day" on XBLA, PSN, PC and Mac, but it will be later available for iOS as well.  New episodes will release each month up to the fifth and final episode.  If you enjoy Telltale Games other adventures or love The Walking Dead, Telltales new game will definitely be a great download.  You can find individual episodes on XBLA and PSN for 5 dollars with a Season Pass running you 19 dollars.  For PC and/or Mac users, you will only be able to pick up a Season Pass which will cost you 25 dollars.

On the Download: March 18-24

It has been a busy week as I start working two jobs.  Once everything settles down and I get more used to all of it, there will not be so many delays here on Silver Bit.  It has been an okay week for new downloadable releases as we take a look at two new iOS games and one HD port of an old classic.  There have been quite a lot of sales.  Chaos Rings and Chaos Rings Ω are both on sale.  There is a huge Square Enix sale on Steam this weekend.  Finally there is Sony's Spring Fever Sale on the PlayStation Store which includes a sale on all things Final Fantasy.  Got Final Fantasy VII for 7 dollars last night so not bad.  So if you use either the App Store, Steam or the PlayStation Store check out these amazing sales on great downloadable games.  Without further ado, let us look at the biggest downloadable games for this week.

Actually Chaos Rings II released for the iOS last Thursday, but considering how many games I was already featuring in last week's On the Download, I decided to hold off a week.  Chaos Rings II is the third game in Square Enix's huge iOS only RPG series.  In Chaos Rings II, time is at a standstill and the Destroyer has brought the world to the brink of destruction.  You play as Darwin, the chosen one, who is sent on a quest to bring salvage this desolate world by sacrificing five chosen people and offerring their souls to the Gods.  When one of the five chosen turns out to be a childhood friend of Darwin's, will he save the world or the girl?  It is up to you the player to decide.  Chaos Rings II features all the great RPG strategy and action that the first two games have with a whole new story, improvements on the graphics and the battle system and a whole new emphasis on the player's choices.  At 18 to 19 dollars depending on if you get the iPod/iPhone version or the iPad HD version, Chaos Rings II is a bit pricey.  If you are looking for a RPG optimized to the strengths of the iOS platform, Chaos Rings II is well worth it.

Well the biggest downloadable release of the week has to go to the sequel to the most popular mobile game of all-time, Angry Birds Space.  With the simple premise of catapulting birds at structures housing the menacing pigs, Angry Birds has gone on the capture the minds of hardcore and casual gamers alike.  Rovio now takes this simple yet addictive premise and has put these Angry Birds in a whole new setting, space.  Space adds many new dynamics to the game such as zero-gravity.  With 60 new levels, new birds, new superpowers, amazing amount of trick shots and regular free updates, Angry Birds Space seems like a beefy package for one dollar.

While Rayman 2 gets a lot of love, the third entry in the series gets overlooked by most people.  Looking to give players another chance to pick it up, Ubisoft has released Rayman 3 HD for PSN and XBLA.  Rayman 3 tells the story of how Rayman stops an evil black lum by the name of Andre from taking over the world with his army of sack-like Hoodlum soldiers.  Rayman 3 HD is the definitive version of Rayman 3: Hoodlum's Havoc and is must play for any fan of 3D platformers.  If you are still on the fence, you try the demo.  If you cannot wait to relive this great game, you can download it for 10 dollars or 800 Microsoft Points.

Mass Effect: Infiltrator Review

The biggest game release of the month and possibly the first quarter of 2012 was Mass Effect 3.  To coincide with the release of BioWare’s science fiction epic, EA released Mass Effect:  Infiltrator for the iOS. As a companion game to Mass Effect 3, Mass Effect: Infiltrator serves as a portable Mass Effect fix for fans of the series.

Mass Effect:  Infiltrator is a side-story in the expansive narrative of the Mass Effect universe.  You play as Randall Enzo.  Randall is employed by Cerberus, a pro-human organization in the Mass Effect universe, to hunt down and capture aliens for experiments at a secret Cerberus facility.  When the Director of the facility goes too far and starts performing experiments on other Cerberus employees, Randall vows to bring down Cerberus.  

Developed by IronMonkey Studio, the team behind the critically acclaimed Dead Space iOS game, Infiltrator is unlike the console entries in the Mass Effect series.  Instead of a RPG, Mass Effect:  Infiltrator is a cover-based shooter.  Infiltrator implores a control scheme that works to the strengths of Apple’s iDevices.   You move Randall with your left thumb and control the camera with your right thumb.  You shoot at enemies by pressing on a blue reticle over them and can switch between different weapons and biotic powers on the fly.  These controls are both easy to use and allow players to fluidly chain together kills.  After each battle, you gain credits and can collect intel from fallen enemies.  You can use credits to buy new weapons, abilities, biotic powers and armour or upgrade the weapons, abilities, biotic powers and armour you already have.  You can use the intel to boost your Galactic Readiness Rating, which affects Mass Effect 3’s ending, or trade it in for credits.  Other than the fluid controls and combat, Mass Effect:  Infiltrator’s strength is its incredibly fluid frame rate.  The game only crashed once or twice and that was my fault as I had over a dozen apps running in the background. 

The campaign will take about 6 hours as you complete all 9 levels in the game, which includes two boss fights.  For those looking to get the best rating at each checkpoint or to boost their Galactic Readiness Rating, Infiltrator offers tons of replay value as you find new more efficient ways to dispatch enemies.  If you are not into that stuff, Infiltrator will not hold you long after completing the campaign even with the New Game+ option.  Infiltrator is great to play in short bursts while waiting for the bus or sitting in the back seat of the car, but will get very repetitive if you play for hours at a time.  When the battles get a little too hectic or up-close and personal, the controls can sometimes get in the way of making fast precise decisions, which can get a little frustrating when the controls get in the way of dispatching a lethal shotgun-wielding krogan.  While the stories in iOS games are never that strong, you expect a little more from a game set in the narrative-heavy universe of Mass Effect.  Other than a look into the atrocities that Cerberus commits, Infiltrator’s story does not add much to the Mass Effect universe as a whole.  Also the paragon and renegade decisions in the game are completely pointless as they don’t do anything to affect the game’s story like in the main entries in the series.

For 7 dollars, Mass Effect:  Infiltrator might be a steep price for those not already invested in the Mass Effect universe.  For those that can look past the price point, Mass Effect:  Infiltrator is a good iOS game that offers a great control scheme which perfectly works around the limitations of the iOS’ touch controls, a fluid frame rate and a good amount of replay value.  While not a must-own for iDevice owners, Mass Effect:  Infiltrator is a good time sink for those looking for a solid third-person shooter for their iDevice.

On the Download: Mass Effect: Infiltrator

Need to a little catch-up today.  Will be putting up two posts today.  On the Download right now and a special look at the Mass Effect series much later tonight.  So without further ado, let us get into this week's On the Download.

The biggest game to release this week was BioWare's final entry in their Mass Effect series, Mass Effect 3. Coinciding with the release of BioWare's epic sci-fi RPG, EA released Mass Effect: Infiltrator, a side story in the Mass Effect universe, for the iOS.  Mass Effect: Infiltrator follows Randall Enzo, a veteran Cerberus agent who captures aliens for experiments at a secret Cerberus facility.  When the Director of the facility goes to far, Randall vows to bring down Cerberus.  Mass Effect: Infiltrator is made by IronMonkey Studios, the developers of the critically acclaimed Dead Space game for iOS, so it is much similar to that game than the Mass Effect games for the console.  Mass Effect: Infiltrator is a cover-based shooter.  You move Randall with your left thumb and control the camera with your right thumb.  You shoot at enemies by pressing on a blue reticle over them and can switch between different weapons and biotic powers on the fly.  After each battle, you gain credits and can collect intel.  You can use credits to buy new weapons, abilities, biotic powers or armour and also upgrade everything listed above.  You can use the intel to boost your Galactic Readiness Rating, which plays into Mass Effect 3, or trade it in for credits.

Since Tuesday, I have been bouncing back and forth between Mass Effect 3 and Infiltrator.  It is amazing that by playing Infiltrator I can influence Mass Effect 3 on the Xbox 360.  So far I have been very impressed with Mass Effect: Infiltrator.  It perfectly creates a third-person cover-based shooter around the limitations of the iDevice's touch controls.  Also it runs beautifully.  In the few hours I played it, it only crashed once.  Sometimes the controls get in the way of making fast precise decisions when battles get too hectic and up-close and personal, but it never got to the point of frustration.  Overall, I am enjoying my time with Mass Effect: Infiltrator and hopefully will have a review of it up in the coming weeks.  If your a Mass Effect fan and have an iDevice, make sure to pick this game up it is worth the 7 dollar price tag.

Run Roo Run Review

In the annals of portable gaming, 5th Cell has made a name for themselves for their innovative creations like Drawn to Life and Scribblenauts.  As time has gone on, the team at 5th Cell has looked to expand their horizon to the iOS platform.  Their first game made for just for iOS, Run Roo Run captures the creative, simplistic yet extremely satisfying nature of their previous games for other platforms.

In Run Roo Run, you play as a kangaroo by the name of Roo.  Roo is on a trek across Australia from Perth to Sydney in order to her kidnapped joey.  Each level in Run Roo Run is one screen long.  Before you roll your eyes, each level will put your hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills to the test as you try to get Roo to the checkered flag at the opposite end of the screen without hitting any of the obstacles in your way.  In the entire game, there are 420 levels broken up into 20 destinations between Perth and Sydney.  Each destination includes 15 normal levels and 6 extreme levels.  Also each destination adds a new mechanic to the game that changes how Roo traverses each level.

Run Roo Run is an extremely simple game.  There is only one way to control Roo that is by touching the screen to make Roo jump.  The game’s difficulty comes from timing Roo’s jumps in order to make it to the end of the level unscathed.  Run Roo Run’s simplistic one-touch controls make this iOS game approachable anybody no matter their age or skill.   Among Run Roo Run’s strengths is the amount of content you get for the dollar or two you pay for the game.  You get the 420 main levels and on top of that, every week since the games’ release 5th Cell has been adding 10 new levels for those of us that crave more Run Roo Run.  Run Roo Run also has a very charming 2D art style that complements the simplistic gameplay and plot.  The music is good too, but loops far too often that it more grating than memorable.

The extreme levels in Run Roo Run are extreme in every sense of the word as they will take plenty of tries to find the correct way of completing them.  While most of the extreme levels offer a fair challenge that is satisfying upon completion, there are a few where the difficulty spikes to the point that it is more frustrating than satisfying.  Completing these levels relies more on luck rather than actual skill and timing your jumps.  Other than that big problem, there are a couple little annoyances in the game such as the items in the game being mostly useless and having to watch the opening cutscene every time you start the game, but they do not detract much from this already great game.

With charming graphics, simplistic yet intuitive controls, satisfying gameplay and a plethora of great levels, Run Roo Run is one of the best games you can download from the App Store.  While the difficulty spikes might make some turn off their iDevice in frustration, it is a game that gamers hardcore or casual, young or old can pick up and play.  Sadly Run Roo Run is not a universal app, but one dollar for the iPhone version or two dollars for the iPad version (I have it for my iPad) is a steal considering all the content and great gameplay you get with this amazing app.

On the Download: Infinity Blade II

If you are into downloadable games and own any iOS device (iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad), the biggest iOS game of this year came out today.  That game is Infinity Blade II, the sequel to critically acclaimed and best selling iOS game Infinity Blade.  Infinity Blade was the first iOS game to use the Unreal Engine to power its graphics and that was the main reason people bought the game.  Once they got their figures on Infinity Blade, they like myself fell in love with the excellent touch controls and simple premise to work your way through a castle filled with enemies, level up, buy new armour and weapons and defeat the God King.  In Infinity Blade II, you are on a quest to discover the truth behind the many secrets of the titular Infinity Blade.  Your journey will take you to places far beyond the castle from the first game and have you encountering numerous new enemies and villains on the way.  As a sequel for a big iOS game like Infinity Blade, there are high expectations for Infinity Blade II and it looks to deliver.  The world is less linear this time offering multiple routes to traverse.  Now you are able to dual-wield and use two-handed weapons, which should add much more to the combat.  To top it all off, Chair uped the graphics to push your iDevice to its limits.

Infinity Blade II sounds so amazing that you are probably running to your iDevice to buy it right now, but just hold on a moment.  Having loved the first game, I have been waiting for this game for a long time.  So I made sure I bought it the moment I found it in the App Store.  Once it was done installing, I booted up Infinity Blade II hoping for the best.  To my dismay after the game crashed on start-up.  I tried again and again, but suffered the same results.  So at the moment, the game I waited a few months for and paid 7 dollars for is unplayable.  I am not angry, but I am extremely disappointed in both Chair Entertainment and Epic Games for releasing a game with this many reported bugs (I am not the only one suffering).  There is a fix on the way, but in my opinion it is unacceptable for a publisher and developer to release a game no matter the platform that is this buggy.  Yes, it will eventually be fixed.  The fact of the matter is that people like myself will now have to wait because Chair and Epic skipped out on testing their game on multiple iOS devices.  So if you want to buy Infinity Blade II, just hold off for about a week while all the bugs hopefully get worked out unless you want to risk turning out like me.  You have been warned.