Some things shouldn’t work well together. Putting together a Bejewelled style match three game with a 'Sim Village' system to keep score strikes me as a four o’clock in the morning idea that's just wrong. But much like Run DMC and Aerosmith, 10tons's Heroes of Kalevala makes it work thanks to a smart learning curve and a huge dollop of style.
There are two types of music rhythm game out there – the first uses existing songs and performances and carefully pre-sculpts the musical beats you need to hit (Rock Band is a good example of this), and the second is where your own musical collection is used and the program will analyse the music to create the patterns to match on the fly. Where does Gamelion's Boom Beats fit in?
It's not often that you play a new game and wonder why on earth noone's thought of the idea before. But that's what I was thinking when reviewing Word Jockey. Not because of the horse racing metaphor for winning and losing, but because of the idea of a word game played with extreme time pressure. Word Jockey also manages to present a super-slick and rather pleasant interface, making it a sure fire hit all round.
Remember the old kids game of patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time? And how frustrated you were that you couldn’t do it while your best friend could? I think that’s how Steve felt when he passed me Moto X Mayhem to review and I promptly labelled it as a fun, challenging but fundamentally a great game. “Too hard for me” said Steve, and he went back to taking pin-sharp pictures of shiny hardware while I started reviewing this great game title.
Where to start with Treemaker, the brand new puzzle/platformer from Mikrotie? How about one word: “Difficult". For me, though, that’s a good thing. This is a platform game you’ll need to work at to complete, and thanks to the great UI, wonderful controls and smooth gameplay, I think everyone else will appreciate it as much as I do.
Driving games show off the 3D skills of the developer, push a platform to the limit, and are great fun to play (if everything works). Fish Labs have a strong catalogue of 3D titles, and their latest release – Burning Tires 3D – lets them attack the motor sport genre. Have they passed the test, or are they still in the pits? Let’s find out.
If the idea of being a train driver was too sedate for you when you were a kid, then perhaps today’s game review might be of interest. Tank Hero puts you in control of a metal monster with which your aim is to be the last tank standing. With multi-touch controls and OpenGL graphics, do you have the skill to avoid incoming fire while aiming your shots? Read on to find out more.
This is a cute little strategy game, the object of which is to be the last player to place one of your marbles on the game board. Throw in some whizzy 3D graphics that make perfect sense in regard to the game, a smart computer A.I., along with the ability to make some nifty strategy choices, and you have a mobile game that appears to tick all the boxes.
If you have a need for speed and a penchant for polygons, then SpeedX might be just what you’re looking for. This fast-paced, obstacle avoiding, 3D racing game tests your reactions to the limit, with the object of surviving as long as you can. What’s more, this game also features a stereoscopic 3D mode, requiring anaglyph glasses. Read on to get the low-down on this high-paced speeder, along with my video reactions.
