Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Shadowgun: What I think

Hey guys, here's another app review- today, I will be talking about the android and iOS game, Shadowgun! The game has been remade with super clear HD graphics, and can be bought for $4.99. Let's have a look at how the game plays:

Gameplay

Graphics look stunning, but water could use some work.
Shadowgun's gameplay is quite similar to Gears of War on the Xbox 360. While it feels quite similar, there is a difference in the AI quality and obviously the graphics. For those that haven't played either of these games, you view your character from behind in a 3rd person perspective. You can move up to an obstacle to take cover behind it, which.Otherwise, the game plays out like most shooters: shoot some bad guys, try not to get shot. The enemies are split up into multiple types: Mutants that are basic soldiers, drones that flank your cover, etc. There are several boss fights throughout the game, including a helicopter that's armed to the teeth, and a giant killer robot. You can find collectibles throughout the game that will unlock info about the enemies and weapons that you encounter in the extras section of the main menu. There are four weapons: the SMG, a rapid fire weapon that is effective at medium range, the shotgun, a weapon that kicks butt at short range, the grenade launcher, a good weapon for getting behind an enemy's cover, and the RPG (you already know what it does, admit it).

Social

If you sign into Google+ in-game, you can unlock achievements within Google Play Games. If you were looking for multiplayer, download Shadowgun: Deadzone here: 

Unlocked extra from finding a skull in the campaign.
An expansion pack with 3 new levels was released some time ago as well. 

I hope you enjoyed this review, and I'll catch you next time!







Modern Combat 5: Blackout- First Impressions

What's up people of the internet, this is Josh with another review! Today, we will be discussing the new game Modern Combat 5: Blackout that came out a couple of weeks ago. I'll tell you guys what I thought when I first picked up the game and started playing.




Gameplay

Okay, you guys already know that all of these shooter games are similar, so the gameplay is the same as the other games in the series. One change they have made is breaking up the campaign into multiple chapters with spec ops-style missions. The battlegrounds vary significantly, from a Japanese temple to a sprawling city. Your objectives vary from clearing a room of hostiles, to shooting helicopters and jeeps with a giant gun, to killing all enemies within a certain time limit. 

There are optional objectives that reward you with stars, like getting 3 headshots or scoring a multi-kill. If you manage to obtain the stars, they give you lots of bonus XP, which goes towards unlocking new guns, attachments, and more. Fortunately, you don't also have to earn in-game currency to unlock new content. Every time you level up, you gain skill points, which you can use to upgrade the class of your choice.
There are several playable classes, each specializing in a different type of combat. There is the recon, a class that excels at short to medium range, heavy, which uses shotguns and RPG's at close range, the sniper, which uses sniper rifles and pistols at long range, and the assault, which uses assault rifles at medium range. 

Multiplayer

In multiplayer, as far as I know, there are 5 game modes: VIP, Capture the Flag, Free for All, Team Battle, and one that I can't remember. It's the same as always: kill the enemies, try not to get killed. The larger maps have fewer campers, and it is also much harder to find enemies to kill than in MC4.

The Verdict

Modern Combat 5 is an amazing shooter game with decent looking graphics, awesome gameplay, and a respectable unlocking system. If you haven't got it, you can pick it up here:


I will constantly be uploading my new screenshots to this post, so check again later to find lots of awesome shots!

Thanks guys for reading, and I'll catch you next time!


Monday, July 28, 2014

Anomaly 2- What I think

Eye popping graphics.
What's up gamers, it's Josh coming at you with another android app review! Today I will be analyzing Anomaly 2, what I like to think of as the cornerstone of android strategy games, up there with XCOM: Enemy Unknown. I will discuss gameplay, graphics, price, and more here in a casual style, as I have with previous reviews.



Morphing units adds lots of strategic depth.
Choosing your unit's path is definitely a good idea.


First of all, the gameplay is fantastic. It really shows how strategy games can each be unique, and this game is the most unique one I've seen in a really long time. In Anomaly 2, you direct a squad of vehicles through a city or similar environment and choose their path to minimize danger. You are given various support powers to aid you, and to buy units you must collect carasaurum (resources). You can also morph each unit into a different form that will be useful in certain scenarios. The morphing system adds another solid layer of strategic depth to the formula of the original, and changes up the game considerably. The units are all radically different as well. They range from mobile artillery that can only fire straight ahead, to a tank with a minigun that fires faster and faster the longer it has a target. There are less units than the original Anomaly, but the units here are
much more unique.


The graphics gave me a "am I really seeing this?" sensation when I first played the game. I mean, 11 bit studios really outdid themselves with the visuals, and they totally live up to everything they said in the description. Don't believe me? Check out my screenshots to the right! Unfortunately, in exchange for this, the game takes up 1.25 GB of storage. In light of the game's general lack of other modes and relatively short campaign, this is a lot of used up memory to brave. However, this should definitely not keep you from playing this amazing game.

In terms of price, the game costs $4.99 on Android, and $14.99 on Steam (PC). It comes with Google Play Games achievements, and Steam achievements and trading cards.

Here's where you download:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.elevenbitstudios.anomaly2game

http://store.steampowered.com/app/236730/

One more thing I haven't mentioned yet is the multiplayer. This gamemode is super innovative and a blast to play with friends. One player plays as the machines (towers) that try to defend their reactor against the second player's tanks and other vehicles. Even though you would think a lot of people play, I have never found one person to play with online. While I can't explain why, Anomaly 2 multiplayer is deserted.

Josh's Rating: Gold

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Bloons Tower Defense 5 Is the Amazon Appstore Free App of the Day!

Hey guys! I've got some exciting news for you: Today, BTD5 is the free app of the day on the amazon appstore! In this game, you have control over a wide range of monkey-centered defenses ranging from mortars to boomerang throwers to destroy wave after wave of vicious balloons (bloons)! This game has absolutely no violence and is perfect for all ages, and the developers are constantly creating new maps for you to beat!

The game also features co-op, where you team up with a friend or random partner to take on the bloon menace together!

Here is the link for amazon appstore (if you don't have the amazon appstore, consult my earlier post showing you how to get it).

http://www.amazon.com/Ninja-Kiwi-Bloons-TD-5/dp/B00AKEMHCA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406218416&sr=8-1&keywords=btd5

For Apple:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bloons-td-5/id563718995?mt=8

And for Android:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ninjakiwi.bloonstd5

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Plague Inc. Evolved update adds Simian Flu from new movie "Dawn of the Planet Of the Apes"

Hey guys! Today I have some news for those that play Plague Inc. Evolved. In mutation 9.0, Ndemic has added a new plague type, the Simian flu from the new movie, Dawn of the Planet Of the Apes! Apparently, they partnered with Fox Television to do it, with Fox promoting the game, and Plague Inc. Evolved promoting the movie!



With this new plague type, you must wipe out humanity with the Simian Flu while they deal with rampaging crowds of intelligent apes. You can evolve unique symptoms and abilities, which benefit the apes with the use of tools and weapons, increased understanding of human behavior, and many more.

http://www.ndemiccreations.com/en/news/77-mutation-9-the-simian-flu-update-is-coming-this-week

If you haven't got Plague Inc. Evolved, then you can get it here:

 

Monday, July 7, 2014

Portal 2 PC: What I think

Hey guys, today I'll be discussing the sequel to the critically acclaimed game portal, Portal 2! The game is quite challenging and will be very satisfying to complete.

For newcomers to the series, portal 2 is a puzzle game where you use lots of different elements to open the door and finish the puzzle. You have a portal gun, with which you can shoot portals on white walls. For example, if you shoot a blue portal on the wall and an orange portal on the adjacent wall, if you walk through the blue portal, you will end up at the orange portal.

The puzzles on the campaign are extremely varied and diverse, and require a lot of creative thinking to finish. There is a story with the game, which basically involves you trying to escape the Aperature Laboratories with a robot named Wheatley and one named Glados trying to stop you. There are lots of different elements to master, such as lasers, bounce gel, and reflector cubes. The campaign is long enough (8 hours), and shouldn't pass by too quickly.

There is a mode called challenge mode, in which you can play certain parts of the campaign using as few portals as possible and rush through in the least time possible. I haven't played much of this mode, as it lacks the excitement of the regular campaign.

Portal 2 also includes a Co-Op game mode where you can play with your friends or a random player online to experience the full campaign together. This is one of the main reasons my bro is gonna buy the game, to play with me.

Finally, a huge bonus of getting the game on PC is that you can create your own puzzles with a built-in level creator. The toolset provided feels very polished, and putting down what you want is extremely easy. After completion, you can send your puzzles to your friends for them to play. You can also publish them on the steam workshop, where anyone playing portal 2 on steam can try to solve your puzzle and afterwards they can rate your level. And did I mention that you can play your puzzles OR other ones on the steam workshop Co-Op?

I hope this helped you see what an awesome game Portal 2 really is. It goes for $20, but I got portal and portal 2 for $6 during the steam summer sale. Here is the link if you want to buy it:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/620/

If you don't have steam, go to the link and then click the green "install steam" button in the top right corner.




Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Command And Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath Xbox 360: What I think

This is a very good game, and by far the best RTS on consoles. The CommandStick Interface improves vastly upon the old tiberium wars selection screen, and makes selecting what you want very easy.

First off, the campaign is very good in terms of gameplay. You get to do missions varying from shutting down an ion cannon network to activating a cyborg army. I felt like the missions were quite varied and a joy to play (except for the first one, which is way too hard). As for the story, I didn't really know much of what was going on, as the campaign spans over a 20 year period. The difficulty level was very manageable, and is just the way I like it for games: Easy by default, but you can crank up the difficulty if you want. There are also video sequences with real actors before each mission.

In the skirmish mode, you play against computer controlled AI opponents, who have 4 difficulty levels: easy, medium, hard, and brutal. You can also specify what playstyle the computer will use: you can choose from teching up as soon as possible, using fast units to strike unprotected structures, and so forth. One thing I would have liked for this game is the ability to play against the AI with your friends, like you do in StarCraft 2. The units are very well balanced, and the diversity of maps is incredible. CnC3KW adds 6 subfactions to the traditional 3 in tiberium wars, each with their own units, powers, upgrades, etc. . Although the subfactions add a lot of diversity to the game, they also make it confusing at times to tell, say, GDI apart from Steel Talons (unless you look at their vehicles). Unlike the PC version, which automatically adds veterancy, money, and healing crates by default and gives you 40,000 tiberium to start, on the xbox you can change whether you want crates in the game or not, and how much money you start out with.

For the multiplayer, EA has decided to trash the EA servers and account requirement and just use xbox live instead (thank god). This also means that you will have to buy an xbox live gold membership to play online. There are very few players playing this game, for example when I wanted to play matchmaking, it said at the bottom of the screen that there were 45 players playing online. Yes, you read this right. 45 players in the entire world. I think it's probably just because the game is 6 years old and most people have already gotten tired of it and moved on. Finding matches will be hard on this game. However, if you do manage to find a match, though, the computer picks a random map and faction for every player, and everybody automatically is given 10,000 tiberium. I think it was good that they chose the random factions thing for the game, because this way, it is more diverse and players learn to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of each faction.

There is also an xbox-exclusive game mode called Kane's Challenge, where the enemy has a pre-built base and you have to try to build up and destroy them. There are about 80 challenges that you can play as any faction, but what puts me off about it is the fact that your progress doesn't sync across factions. For example, if you beat the first challenge as GDI, you can't play the second challenge as scrin. So, I constantly find myself replaying missions I've already beaten just because I wanted to play a different faction.

The final game mode is just a tutorial called boot camp, but it is very basic and if you skip it, you get an achievement worth 10 gold.

Overall, I really like this game and it is the best strategy game I've ever played on my xbox. I reccomend it to anyone who likes RTS games.