Subway Surfers : Now in downtown New York!

 

A classic Temple Run variation, Subway Surfers got a refresh since the Christmas edition. I didn’t really like the Christmas edition, it seemed that the graphic renderer was having bugs, all colours are off and the big guy chasing you is now in Santa outfit. I was disgusted for that period but the recent update pulled me back into the game!

            

Everything you see in the game have changed. Objects are more defined, colours and gradients are added, all in New York’s kind of theme. Grey concrete, red buildings and classy carriages. Even the fat guy is now wearing a better looking uniform! The update comes with more surfboards and characters that you can acquire for your collection.

Another thing that I noticed, the game seemed to buff its difficulty, I had a problem hitting my previous scores. The game speed up faster now and the predictable train patterns are now refreshed! No more easy levels again!

Overall the game is good, definitely a must-download for iPhones. Such action games with easy controls are perfect for handheld devices and game play is never too long, just enough to cover your waiting time. I am looking forward to more of such games!

iOS: Fantasy Adventure–Fancy Graphics!

 

While searching through the iTunes Genie, I stumbled upon this game : Fantasy Adventure, which its epic screenshots caught my eye and prompted me to give it a try. Its been some time since I downloaded such RPG kind of fantasy game. I think it worth my time to try out and blog about this, and overall I think this game is not bad after all!

The game launches by beginning with its story, the good and evil, heros and villains fought out and the good won, but now evil is back… Well you know the rest :).. Typical RPG story.

Well, the story ends and followed by basics tutorial. How to move your character, fight and actions. Easy to learn and control. Right at the start of the game you can already activate some of the coolest skills with jaw dropping animations! Reminds me of PSP games, graphic quality is comparable.

You will also get to edit your team, level up skills and equipments and build your team to deal more damage and advance through the story. You will have control over multiple characters, ranged or melee, damage or heal. So it is up to you to build your team and strategize effectively.

Generally such mechanics are not new, but honestly these keep us coming back to play. Leveling up, grinding and beating new levels bring a lot of satisfaction, at least for me. The downside of this game is the transition of different maps. It’s kind of one wave of mobs per map and then you lose control of your team and the screen slides to the next map before you gain control. I was a little bit disappointed about that… But I guess I will still continue to play for a while more!

Fantasy Adventure is available for free in iTunes now!

iOS: Scribblenauts Remix

 

This is a pretty old game in the US itunes, but it is recently launched in Asia and I have been waiting to download this remarkable game. Scribblenauts Remix is one in of my top 10 recommended apps, not just because of the colourful graphics or series of games in other consoles, it is the artificial intelligence behind it.

In this game, you are given missions to complete and you are free to type in any object and that object will be granted to you! I am fascinated with the algorithms behind the game that it can create almost anything.

There are more than a thousand ways to complete the mission, you can even summon Zeuse and Satan to fight against one another, even a burglar and if you summon a policeman, the policeman will be smart enough to chase after the burglar! Wow! This is not just a smart game, it contains smart objects…

Though the game is a tad too kiddy for adults, but the ability to call in anything you wish for is awesome. A good time killer while waiting for your bus or MRT, it is also a good stress reliever, it will never fail to amuse you. I have tried lots of funny things and played for hours…

I seldom pay for the apps, but I know that Scribblenauts worth every cent of it and paid for it when I saw this available in iTunes. Give it a try! I assure you will have a great time to play with your imagination!

PC: Crysis 3

 

A big fan of first person shooter, I had never missed a FPS shooter game ever since the days of the first CounterStrike. Again, graphics had improved since then, long gone the days where you have polygonal arms and weapons, which was the best during that time.

Crysis 3 offers cutting edge graphics, one of the best today, ranked side by side with Battlefield 3 or even better! Known for its techy and futuristic setting and weapons, Crysis is a realistic but yet not too sci-fi kind of game. I prefer such games over other kind of shooters where you are really out of this world like Mass Effect, which didnt give you the realistic feeling. A great game though, I played every release and just another genre to me.

What really makes me excited about Crysis 3 is the use of bows. I am a huge fan of bows and I cant wait to try it out in one of the best shooters! There are different arrows you can choose from and each had a special function to it. Looks like getting the Hunters’ Edition or Digital Deluxe is the way to go!

Crysis will be out earlier than the other top favorite, SimCity on Feb 19th, but available as pre-order online now at Origin.

PC: SimCity 2013 – Are you ready?

 

Are you excited about the upcoming SimCity 2013? I certainly am! I have been a fan of city managing since the launch of the first classic SimCity back in the late 90s and it is hard to imagine how simulation games have grown over the years.

It all started with simple city managing features like power water and zones, with simple high-level management of basic town facilities. Subsequent Simcity games, which are classic during their era, included more features, micro management and even to very small groups of sims.

I wasn’t that enthusiastic in these releases because of its steep learning curve, it is not difficult to get the hang of it, but you will need time to go through the game mechanics, I didnt have much time though, and didnt really fully enjoy the game.

But I am truly into this upcoming Simcity 2013 after casually stumbled upon one of its trailer. It was simply AMAZING. Most of the hassle in the previous versions are being taken care of in this new release. Zoning, roads and piping are now more intelligent. There is no need to worry about doing redundant connections since all connections are running parallel with the roads.

You will get to build specialized cities that designed for a certain industry or function. Like Tourism, Education, Manufacturing or Transport. This is something really interesting and you can link up multiple cities together and complement each other of the services and functions they play!

The graphics wise is a quantum leap from the last version SimCity 4. Using the same graphic engine as Battlefield 3, you are set to see colourful detailed buildings and textures that will make you drool. I watched the trailers again and again, trying to imagine how I will play the game when I got my copy of it.

Beta testing might start very soon, since the developers have released the news in the website a few months ago. Hopefully I can get a first hand experience and share with you guys. Game is set to release on Mar 5 2013. A few more months to go, and seriously I cant wait! Pre-released orders are already available in Origin, so go get a copy for yourself if you are a fan of simulation games.

The Lost Palace: Bejeweled with Pokemon team

A fan of Bejeweled? and also a great Pokemon master? Try The Lost Palace… The game mechanic is one of its kind, where you manage a group of monsters and fight it out with others using Bejeweled styled of attacks. In order to deal damage to your opponents, you will have to form lines of gem of the same colour. The more you form, the higher the damage. There are more than 5 different elements, each represents by its colour, have its advantages and weaknesses against one another. Sounds fun yeah? Even more, its not really just Bejeweled where you can only move one gem to an adjacent tile, you can drag them around the grid, and matching other gems to their right positions! Meaning you can form multiple lines of gem and result in combo bonus that adds more damage to your attacks! This is unique gameplay that I have yet to see similar in other games. Your monsters are also based on the same colour types as the gems and you can upgrade them through “synthesizing” with other monsters, making them more powerful and hard to kill. When they reach max level, you can even evolve them into more devastating members in your group! There are hundreds of monsters to “ catch’em all”, and you can get them through exchanging points for eggs. I have been spending lots of time trying to collect points and exchanging for more monsters. There are tons of campaigns and time limited quests which can earn you unique monters and in-game currency which is required when evolving or synthesizing. Graphics in this game is considered good enough for such games. There will be some great animations when synthesizing or evolving your monsters, just like Pokemon. There are also short clips of excellent animations when you exchange your points for monsters, in the so called “lotteries”. BGM in the game is pretty nice as it changes through out the game in different campaigns. What makes this game great to play is that there are always new time limited quests and events that the admins organized every now and then. New features and new functions are added frequently. Without these new additions, this game will really go stale fast, but I am impressed with the constant updates from the admins. The Lost Palace is a great game to play and very suitable on public transport or whenever there’s waiting, it is not time critical and you can always pause a battle can carry on later. The downside of this game is its stability, but it is improving now, there were constant server timeouts or updates issues but currently such issues are hard to come by now. In short,m great game, great mechanic. Download and try it for free: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-lost-palace/id552263921?mt=8

Glowfish – Immerse yourself in Avatar-like adventure

Glowfish by MumboJumbo is an RPG game where you play as a brave fish that is set to save his girl and friends from the evil Dr. Urchin.

The stunning graphics gave us a pleasant surprise when first started the game, reminds me of the magical land in Avatar. Coupled with matching BGM and easy controls, you are set to immerse yourself in great gameplay that we have not encountered for several months! The controls are pretty simple, an on-screen joystick that steer Glowfish around the mythical world, and  an on-screen action button that allows Glowfish to go into normal or defensive/attack mode. The joystick and button are actually floating buttons, meaning you can shift it in the screen to a position which is comfortable for your fingers or thumb. Glowfish is an action-packed adventure game, but it definitely appeals to female gamers too. Characters in the game looks bubbly cute and colourful, and will never fail to make anyone squeal  with their sweet squeaks as they move around the world. The game also comes with stars rating which you can earn your bragging rights by achieving the stars through sub-quests from each stage. This is a two handed game and comes with big buttons, making it an ideal game while waiting for bus / MRT. Pausing or resuming the game is pretty easy though. We have spent hours playing this exciting game which left us squeezing our thighs and stiffing our necks in boss-fights and close calls. Believe it or not, it is THAT exciting! Making quick turns and gathering your friends, weaving through jellyfish, corals and avoiding angler fish, you are set to give yourself some quick doses of adrenaline! Grow your company of friends and form a long line of them like the old school “snake” game!

In short, Glowfish is an awesome game that everyone will enjoy. If you are into great graphics on your iPhone or iPad, don’t miss this out! We give Glowfish a rating of 4 out of 5, as its controls and learning curve are not as intuitive at first, but you will find out real soon, great for gamers who like to discover new functions and abilities through gameplay. Glowfish is free @ iTunes : https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/glowfish-full/id450809296?mt=8