Although this game was reviewed on Android, other versions of the game will be very similar to what is described below.

Gameloft has finally released Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour, and at a first glance, it looks stunning. The game feels very polished right from the UI and menu navigation all the way to the great multiplayer progression and the singleplayer campaign

Controls

The touchscreen has its restrictions when playing fast action games, and the current overlay used by most first person shooters is usable, but no one has quite yet managed to invent a decent control system that uses the functionality of the touch screen to its advantage instead of just popping overlay control buttons on top of the screen.

There are a variety of buttons on Modern Combat 4 and for the most part they’ve been placed in all of the right places.

Buttons on the right side control most of the things you’ll need to play, such as sprint, zoom, and fire, whilst on the left side you have a radar and a movement stick. This layout has become the standard for most shooting games on the mobile platform, however, if you aren’t happy with it, the overlay can be edited in the menu, You can move and resize all of the overlay buttons to your liking, making it perfect for your own use, especially handy when you have a screen size that doesn’t work with the default set up.

Singleplayer

Although in most cases, the majority of attention towards first person shooters is on the multiplayer aspects of the game, it’s rare that you find an FPS game without some sort of single player campaign. The campaign within Modern Combat 4 features the generic scenarios we’d expect from most modern shooters today. This is not to say it’s bad though, because although the story isn’t exactly new in terms of plotline, and there’s nothing within the campaign that makes it stand out from anything else, there’s still a decent amount of content within it, and it plays out very smoothly.

An interesting aspect of the campaign is the continuous switching back and forth between the different characters. The first mission starts with you playing as the good guys, but the second mission lets you play as the terrorists, and this pattern continues throughout the twelve missions available within the campaign.

At first, the average combat scenario was fun, and it was truly impressive to take in this level of content on a mobile device, and Gameloft  have boldly set a new standard for smartphone gaming, however, when comparing it with console and PC shooters, after a few hours of play most of the average combat scenes become dull and quite repetitive. The AI isn’t great, and you can always stick your head behind cover and take a lengthy breather whenever you feel it’s necessary.

Luckily, there are different scenes within the campaign that mix up the standard firefights, including fast-paced shootouts whilst on the back of a vehicle, interesting operations that involve remote control robots, and other objective-based scenarios.

The story has also been very well narrated, and the voice acting for the characters is superb. Of course the story doesn’t deserve any awards in regards to originality, but it has been portrayed very well, and Gameloft have done a great job to immerse you within the storyline. The switching between both sides of the story opens up opportunities for the campaign as well, and Modern Combat 4 uses this feature well.

Multiplayer

The multiplayer in Modern Combat 4 is outstanding. Never before have we seen such great multiplayer gaming on a mobile device. The gameplay may mimic a lot from console gaming, but what’s important to remember is that this isn’t a console game, and right now, there isn’t any alternative on the market that lives up to Gameloft’s new game.

When you first enter the multiplayer menu after logging into your Gameloft Live account, you’ll be taken to a screen with three different multiplayer lobbies, and a row of options down the bottom. Two of these lobbies are dedicated to custom games. You can view all the current custom games playing, or create your own. This is perfect for those wanting to play with friends, or those who want to have more control over the levels and game modes that they play, but playing in custom won’t reward players with XP or currency to upgrade equipment.

The ranked games will though, and they can be accessed through the ranked lobby. You can then choose the game mode you wish to play and you’ll be joined up with a game already in progress.

There are plenty of game modes in Modern Combat 4, which gives players hours of play before becoming bored. None of them are new concepts, but these game modes definitely help drive the core multiplayer experience. Games like Zone Control and Capture the Flag offer more objective-based gameplay, whilst games like VIP, Battle and Team Battle mimic the classic frag-fest.

There are a few maps to play in, but the choice isn’t that big, and after a few hours play you’ll have mastered most of the maps and mapped out the layout of them in your head. It’d be nice if Gameloft added some more maps in the future, but right now it’s hard to tell if this will happen or not.

It’s also super easy to add friends in Modern Combat 4, and once you have a group of friends, you can quickly invite them to your party to play games together. The grouping system works really well, and you can also compare stats between you, your friends and other players within the social section.

Customization and Progression System

The EXP and currency rewarded for completing the game is very generous, and you’ll get decent bonuses for winning matches, getting headshots and completing challenges found within the menu.

Although EXP only goes to your rank, ranking up will unlock new perks to purchase, and obviously having a high rank is a pretty important status symbol.

With your currency earnt in-game, you can purchase new weapons, perks, loadouts and attachments for your weapons. The menu is super easy to navigate and it’s been displayed really well. When choosing a weapon you can view it in a 3D theatre and rotate it around to have a decent look at it. You can then attach scopes, stocks and muzzles to your guns and your stats will adjust accordingly.

As well as the great weapon customization, a lot of work can be done to your perks, and finding a decent combination of perks and a well-equipped loadout can really help to benefit your own playstyle.

Multiplayer as it is on Modern Combat 4 is the best of the best right now, and it’s definitely got a lot to boast about. Currently there aren’t as many players online as you may like, and it is at times difficult to find a game session on ranked matches, and occasionally there are a few connection issues when logging into the game. However, it’s nothing like the connection problems in Modern Combat 3, and earnt EXP and currency will stay in your account after finishing a game.

Summary

Pros:

• Great multiplayer customization
• Loads of game modes
• Campaign has plenty of levels and difficulty options
• Graphics and sounds are superb

Cons:

• Not many players online
• Great UI
• Would be nice to have more maps

Download Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour:

For iOS

For Android

The post Modern Combat 4 Game Review appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Baseball Superstars 2013 is a sports game with an RPG mentality. It’s become quite the norm for Gamevil to put in extensive character progression within their games, and this is no different with Baseball Superstars 2013. Although the game is perhaps not as action-orientated as other baseball games currently on the market, Baseball Superstars 13’ still has a great mixture of gameplay mechanics to keep things from getting too dull and ordinary.

Main menu and team picker

On the menu you can access standard settings such as sound options and background music, as well as purchase in-game coins to be spent within the game, and view your gameplay stats and progress.

Gamevil have put in a lot of behind-the-scenes information, and a fair amount of this can be seen on the records tab. Things such as achievements, skill titles, and total playtime can be found here. Most of the details are there only for show, but it’s nice to evaluate your game progress from time to time.

You can also edit each team and change the name of each player in each team, as well as change the colors of the clothes they wear. Once again, nothing game changing here, but it’s nice to have the ability to change your team to give it its own personality.

Batter Mode

Superstars Baseball is split into two separate game modes, the first being batter mode, which as the name suggests, lets you play as the batter.

Success with the batter is very much down to the players’ timing, and missing or hitting that ball really does change the outcome of the match.

When playing as the batter, the pitcher will throw the ball towards your character, and you must swing the bat at the right time to land a hit on the ball. The ball usually centers towards a grid of nine squares placed in the batters swing reach. It’s difficult to predict the outcome of the pitcher’s throw, but after a while of playing, you’ll be able to pick up on the pitcher’s animations, which hint at how the ball will reach your character.

For those with little experience with baseball games, Superstars Baseball won’t be great, and there aren’t really any solid tutorials teaching the player on when to swing the bat. However, practice makes perfect, and luckily losing a game isn’t as detrimental as it would be in other sports games.

When batting, you’ll also be able to move left and right slightly which helps in reaching balls that have curled in a direction otherwise unreachable.

Pitcher Mode

Your pitcher will play in a completely separate campaign to that of your batter, meaning you’ll have to start fresh with a new team and no extra character stats or abilities. This can be quite frustrating when you want to play between both modes frequently and would rather have the option to keep stats throughout both modes.

However, pitcher mode does add an extra layer of gameplay to Baseball Superstars, so it’s nice that we have it there at all.

When pitching, you can choose between a few different types of pitch, and then position your aim within the 9-square grid mentioned before. After that, pressing the throw button will then make your pitcher throw the ball. A small circle will start to close in on the aiming reticle, and pressing for a second time will make your batter release the ball. I’ve noticed that releasing the ball as soon as possible makes the ball reach the grid in a place unpredicted by the batter, and for the most part, playing against AI seems a little too easy when using this tactic.

Leveling up, extra goals, and items

Although the main game revolves around the gameplay within each match, a lot of work goes before and after these matches. There are a group of buildings accessible from the main hub before playing a game. Each building has its own use and visiting each place often will help your gameplay greatly.

After completing a match, you’ll get gold coins and stars. These can be spent on items within the store. The items in the store range from extra helmets and bats, to crazy and hilarious costumes. There’s a whole lot to purchase within the store, and there’s enough there to make your character look unique.

All of the items in the store also add buffs to your stats, giving you better performance within the game.

A cheaper alternative to boosting your stats is to visit the upgrade building where you can spend your stars to improve your character’s stats. You’ll also be able to improve the rest of your team, giving you an edge over your opponents. Stat boosts here are usually cheaper than those at the store, but won’t give you any cosmetic changes in your character.

You’ll also be able to play against other players in PVP mode. If you don’t want to spend any money, you’ll only be able to play five games a day, however it’s nice to be able to test your skills against other players, and there are plenty of rewards and challenges to complete within PVP mode.

If you’re getting bored of playing through matches, the challenge area will give you more opportunities to earn stars and gold coins by completing certain criteria set out. They’ll also be surprise challenges to complete within each match which will help to improve your standing within the league.

Summary

Pros:

• Lots of RPG elements to the game
• Plenty of customization options
• Pitcher and Batter game modes to mix things up
• PvP mode available

Cons:

• Gameplay isn’t as action-packed as some baseball games
• Pitcher and Batter modes progression not connected
• Only 5 free PvP matches per day
• Hard to earn stars without spending cash

Download Baseball Superstars 2013 for Android here.

The post Baseball Superstars 2013 Review appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

GPS powered multiplayer games have often failed due to one simple reason: there just isn’t enough interest in the game, and therefore there aren’t enough players in your area to make the game worthwhile. Project Niantic have been working on a project however, which is wholly backed by Google. Google’s huge power across the globe instantly gives them a step up from any other games with similar mechanics, and this along with the fact that Ingress plays on their own operating system, Android, gives them a huge advantage over anyone else who tries to develop a successful multiplayer GPS game.

Start-up and Story

The first thing to note is that Ingress is currently in closed Beta, meaning you will need to receive any invite via the Ingress website, or receive one from a player within the game already. So, although you may not be able to try your hands on it yet yourself, we have been lucky enough to get an invite, and hopefully this review will give you an insight into how the game works.

When Ingress starts, the game asks you for a Google profile to choose so that you can continue your game via different devices, and then asks you to provide an agent code name which will help you to be recognized within the game. It’s already apparent that the developers behind Ingress wanted to create an eerie experience whilst playing, and throughout the game it seems to regularly remind you that this is not just a game, but in fact a real life situation in which you have been pulled into.

When accepting the terms and conditions, Ingress asks you one more time if you want to turn back or not, as this would be your last chance. The constant dark background along with the simple shapes and text on the screen all add to the sense of paranoia, and it makes you wonder what Google are really doing with this application.

Regardless of Google’s own ambitions with the project, Ingress gives players a background story which explains a strange energy which must be controlled by humans, otherwise it could reach a point where it becomes unmanageable, and takes control of humans instead. This Exotic Matter, or XM, has become a battle ground for two opposing forces, whom both have different ambitions for this newly found XM. The first group, the Resistance, work hard to remove the XM and restore safety and normality back to the human race, whilst the Enlightened have other motives. The Enlightened work to embrace the XM, believing the energy is a new step forward for humankind. After the tutorial, you are asked which side you want to join, giving you the choice to make your own ambitions within Ingress.

Gameplay

As explained above, the basis of Ingress involves two opposing forces as they fight for Exotic Matter. Although either side’s gameplay is rather similar, the concept is still original, and fits well with the GPS capabilities of the game. In Ingress you will need to travel in real life to collect XM and visit portals to take control of. This will require a data connection, and without this or a wifi friendly area, this game becomes quite difficult to play.

When collecting XM you will gain experience and be able to use different abilities which will help you to capture and control neutral or hostile portals. As the XM is scattered across the GPS map, you may have to explore places you’d otherwise walk past, and plan routes around your city or town to collect as many resources as possible.

A few things I did notice is that the XM would sometimes be in areas I couldn’t access, such as construction sites or rows of houses, but XM tends to drift towards you, so I haven’t found this as a problem so far.

Walking around collecting XM can become quite an adventure, but after traveling for a while it can become repetitive, so it’s good that Ingress includes game mechanics to keep you off of your feet so you can enjoy the game.

There are certain objectives which require you to collect XM or hack portals, and other social features that allow you to work with other groups within the game, so although you may be playing it on your own, it’s an interesting experience when you come across somebody else’s portal whilst traveling.

Hacking and capturing portals is probably the most interactive procedures, and it requires you to hack or attack nodes and then recharge them with XM so that they can be used on your behalf. It’s not too difficult and often becomes a game of chance when trying to capture portals.

Once you’ve captured a multiple number of portals you can attach them together and create your own territory for the team you have chosen to work with. Three or more portals are needed to create an enclosure of territory, which will then improve your standing in the game and boost your experience points.

What’s interesting is that no two territory borders can intersect, meaning that it may be safe to create lots of small territories, but if you’re lucky enough, you could end up joining portals together which are kilometers apart, creating a huge amount of territory at once.

Graphics and GPS

Ingress has done a superb job to capture the atmosphere of the story by using simple colors and shapes, and although most of the graphics in game are possible to recreate quickly in Microsoft paint, they work tremendously well and give off a feel of paranoia within the digital game.

Google maps has been used as a basis for the maps in-game, and it uses a simple road layout for the map in Ingress. The way XM and portals have been spread out makes it super easy to play the game, no matter where you are in the world.

Sometimes however, the GPS doesn’t work as smooth as you’d expect it to, and when moving distances quickly it seems to skip places or if you are standing still for a while, your player will sometimes slide across the map slowly.

It’s important to remember this is just in Beta though, and it will be interesting to see how the game pans out upon full release.

Another thing to remember is your privacy: playing GPS games constantly gives your location to the developer of the game, and in this case, Google. It’s uncertain what Google could be doing with this information and any other details they can get from playing the game, but if you’re concerned about your privacy, it could only be detrimental.

Summary

Pros:

• Story gives a purpose to gameplay
• Ingress gets you out and about
• Different mechanics to give players freedom of choice
• Plenty of social aspects within the game

Cons:

• GPS tracking needs a valid data connection
• Game is empty in rural and less populated areas
• Concerns about privacy
• Ingress is still in Beta; no public access

Download Ingress here.

Request an invite.

The post Google Ingress Android Game Review appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Monster Pet Shop is a relaxing game that allows the player to care for and raise monsters, and run a pet shop business. Gameplay is slow, but it’s not taxing on the player and it’s a great way to pass the time.

Gameplay

When you first start Monster Pet Shop, you’ll be taken through a tutorial so that you can get a better grip with the game. The tutorial, although a little fast paced, contains all the information you’ll need to play the game, and the developers have also included a huge guide which can be accessed from the menu. Although the guide is not needed, it’s a great tool for when you want to get further into the depths of the game.

In Monster Pet Shop, you’ll be given different monsters to breed and raise. When you first start you’ll have one monster, but as you play through the game you’ll earn more eggs to raise. When raising a monster, there are four stages to work with. Firstly, your monster will start in an egg, and at this stage all you can do is wait for the egg to hatch, which usually takes a hefty 2 hours real-time.

Once hatched, your monster will be a baby and you’ll have to feed it regularly for it to grow. When you enter a monster’s habitat you’ll see its hunger information and its growth bar in the top right. At this point it’s usually a slow process, but hopefully you’ll have other monsters to care for as well.

The third growth stage is at childhood, and this is where the most interaction happens. You’ll have to keep your monster’s habitat clean, feed him, pet him and play with him. It’s quite easy to understand but to make the most out of your equipment you’ll need to experiment to find out what each monster likes best. Childhood lasts a long time and it can become quite tedious to keep going back and caring for it each time it needs attention.

There are special berries that you can buy with real money to speed up most mechanics in the game, but there’s a limit to how much each berry can do, and unless you’re going to be paying a constant stream of cash, you’re going to have to do some waiting at some point in the game.

Monster Maturity and Earning Income

To make sure all your monsters are living in the optimum conditions, you’re going to need a steady source of income, and although the berries mentioned before are an ample choice, the main source of money comes from selling mature monsters to customers. Customers will come in and request a monster, in the same way that they would ask for a cup of coffee, however, they’ll leave the shop and you’ll be given a decent amount of time to raise the monster before calling them back into the shop and making some income.

If you keep selling monsters, you’ll run out, so it’s important to breed your own monsters or invite friends to play and breed with theirs. Breeding can often give out interesting results and if you’re lucky, you can land yourself a rare monster, which offers significantly more cash and exp when sold.

Game progression and Experience

It seems no game these days is complete without a progression system, and in Monster Pet Shop it’s no different. You’ll earn experience from raising and selling mature monsters which will then go towards leveling you up. Each level will unlock new items and allow you to care for more monsters at once. Although the gameplay does become repetitive quite quickly, there are tons of monsters to find and unlock, and the unlocked ones can be seen in your monster guide book.

Summary

Monster Pet Shop is slow-paced and relaxing, but it offers a rewarding gameplay with plenty of progressive traits and unlockables. The game can be tedious without spending in-game currency however, and after a while the game ends up feeling repetitive.

Pros:

• Plenty of different monster variations
• Monsters are cute and playful
• No dangers or risks to take

Cons:

• Timed events make gameplay dull and slow
• Pay-for equipment is limited
• Gameplay stays the same throughout

Download Monster Pet Shop on Google Play.

The post Monster Pet Shop Game Review appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Although this review was done on an Android device, the iOS version is very similar.

A lot has changed on the mobile market since the first Contract Killer was released, and with top notch games like Dead Trigger being available for free download, does the same style gameplay from Contract Killer 1 & 2 have a place on the market? Even with the very restrictive on-rails gameplay, Glu has done a lot of things right to make sure Contract Killer 2 plays more realistically whilst still being able to play on relatively outdated hardware.

Gameplay and Controls

Everyone should be familiar with a first-person shooter by now, and Contract Killer is just that. Controls are not too confusing and there are buttons on the screen for reloading, switching weapons and hiding behind cover. On top of the consistent button overlay, you’ll get different prompts on screen that allow you to run to different cover positions or take out enemies with melee attacks.

Contract Killer 2 has improved from the first game, and Glu have managed to make the player feel a lot more involved via the different gesture commands and controls.

The different contracts in the game vary from having to take out a certain person to defusing bombs, but when it comes down to it, Contract Killer 2 is very much about killing everyone on sight. When you first start a mission, enemies will not notice you, and in some occasions you can sneak from cover to cover and take out unsuspecting enemies using melee surprise attacks. However, most of the time you’ll be on a canopy or rooftop and will take out enemies with your weapons from a distance.

When you take your first shot, enemies will retaliate, and as you progress through the game, you’ll usually come across more waves and tougher enemies to fight against. An interesting feature Glu has added allows you to pinpoint your targets so that you can see them more clearly without having to zoom in on them, but in most missions you will have a timer, which if it reaches zero, you will fail the mission and have to start again, so for the most part the pinpoint feature is merely a gimmick.

Experience and Equipment

What Contract Killer has done well is the experience system. You’ll get rewarded exp for completing contracts and after levelling up new equipment and weapons may become available to you within the shop. The shop consists of a few varieties of weapons, although the snipers are the clear choice here, and with many weapons you can add different attachments and scopes, as well as being to upgrade the weapon stats with cash earnt from completing contracts.

When you level up, you’ll be given Glue coins which can be spent on a few items that would otherwise be unobtainable, and you can also purchase Glu coins with real money. Some items are quite expensive and are practically impossible to earn without buying in-game cash, however no item is particularly game-breaking, so it’s not too much of an issue.

Graphics and Audio

Although the 3D graphics aren’t of the highest standard, they’re acceptable, and like mentioned before, the lower quality graphics will most likely mean better compatibility with older devices which is always a bonus. The 2D artwork and cut scenes in the game are very-well illustrated though, and if you can cope with the not-so appealing 3D gameplay, you’re in for a treat. The audio is at a similar quality to the 2D images, and you’ll hear occasional talk and chatter between you and your contractors throughout the game. The story is not too well-detailed, but added dialogue definitely adds a sense of purpose to the game.

Summary

Pros:

• Varying mission objectives
• Great customization options and leveling system
• Freemium content isn’t too groundbreaking
• Gameplay is not too fast-paced or difficult

Cons:

• 3D graphics aren’t super impressive
• Gameplay is a very “on-rails” experience
• Contracts feel a little repetitive
• Leveling does become slow after a few hours’ worth of play

Download Contract Killer 2:

On iOS

On Google Play

The post Contract Killer 2 Game Review appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Zombiewood is a top-down dual stick zombie shooter. The zombie theme has stretched out so far now that it’s easy to predict what kinds of enemies appeared next in Zombiewood, but even with the clichéd theme, the concept for the game is surprisingly unique.

 Gameplay and Controls

Gun Bros was most likely the first popular dual-stick shooter game on the touch screen platform, and since then there have been plenty more. The main control concept in Zombiewood is nothing new, and follows the same controls as many other games on the market; you have two joysticks on either side of your device, one for moving your character, and the other for aiming your gun. In Zombiewood, your gun will only fire when you’re holding down on the gun aim-stick, and although you have an endless supply of ammo, you will have a limited amount of bullets in each clip, so reloading your weapons is an important aspect of Zombiewood’s gameplay.

Usually whilst playing Zombiewood the controls are nice and smooth, but every now and then they feel choppy, probably due to the overwhelming enemies on the screen. High end devices should have no problem playing this, but older devices, (even my dual-core tablet) will struggle to navigate through the menus and play through the levels smoothly for a considerable length of time.

Zombiewood is split into different levels with a few stages per level. Although most of the time the objective is to stay alive for as long as possible, or to kill a certain amount of zombies, occasionally there will be other main objectives, such as protecting monuments or destroying objects within the stage.

Each stage also has a bunch of secondary objectives such as using a certain weapon upgrade, or destroying a certain number of scenery pieces. Although none of the secondary objectives are needed to unlock the next stage, you will be awarded with a video reel after completing an objective, and each new level requires a set amount of video reels to be playable, meaning you may have to go back and play some older levels to collect more reels from secondary objectives if you missed them the first time round.

Upgrades, Movies, Arena, and the Cash Shop

Although the zombie genre is getting old, what I love about Zombiewood is that it has managed to include a new concept with the zombie theme. According to the story, you are an actor that stars in different films for money, and your director gives you a list of things you need to do for each scene in the movie.

Each scene constitutes to a stage, and each level counts as a scene, and once you complete a scene you’ll be awarded some experience points and a cash bonus. The same goes for completing a movie too, but once you’ve completed a movie, you’ll get a constant stream of cash from that movie; the first movie gives characters 500 coins every hour. I think this is a really neat feature, and allows players to earn royalties when they’re not playing the game.

As you earn money and level up, you’ll unlock new weapons to buy in the cash shop. Each weapon has a set amount of upgrades and you’ll be able to buy a variety of different weapon types such as pistols, sub machine guns and shotguns, once you unlock them and have the cash to buy them. The royalties from the movies make it easier to make cash than other freemium games, but there’s no hiding from the freemium content here either.

Like many other free games, Zombiewood has adopted a bar at the top of the screen that shows players their in-game cash, exp bar, and dollar amount. Dollars can be used to buy over-powered weapons, and although you can earn a few in-game, the majority of dollars will come from in-app purchases.

The last feature to be mentioned is the arena, which puts you against a horde of zombies with no real objective than to achieve the highest score you can within the time limit given. This mode is fun for a few extra minutes play after completing the story mode, but what’s cool about arena is the challenge system. You can place bets with your friends using the in-game dollars, and whoever achieves the highest score will win the bet, and the dollars placed in the bet. This is a good way to earn dollars through your friends, and you can easily challenge any one on your Gameloft Live friends list.

Graphics and Audio

The graphics in Zombiewood are spectacular. The game features cartoon cut scenes and the menus are very stylized. The theme carries on in-game too, and Zombiewood has this very caricature style art design, which is both humorous and original.

The audio is great, and Gameloft have once again managed to capture fitting sound effects to go with the game, and it’s clear that their development teams are really striving for a professional finish.

Like mentioned before, the game isn’t well optimized for older devices, and the controls seem a little unresponsive at times. The 3D graphics are pretty, but in my knowledge they don’t seem too graphically demanding, so it seems the optimization issues are down to Gameloft, and not the individual devices.

Summary:

Pros:

• Unique ‘movie’ concept
• Impressive, original art style
• Lots of enemies
• Huge re-playability level

Cons:

• Poorly optimized for older devices
• Freemium content still apparent
• Controls a little choppy at times

Download Zombiewood:

• For iOS
• For Android

The post Zombiewood Game Review appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Gameloft have got to be one of the biggest and most well-known developers for mobile gaming right now, as they’re constantly bringing out a variety of games spread throughout many different genres. For all you sports fans out there, Gameloft have now released the new Real Football 2013, which follows on from the 2012 version.

Team Management and Game Preparation

Team management is one of the most important feats in a decent football game, so important in fact, that Football Manager – a game just about managing a football team – has become an extremely successful series, proving that managing your team can be a whole game on its own.

Real Football 2013 isn’t top end when it comes to managing your team, but for a mobile game it’s acceptable. After you pick your team at the start of the game, your players will level up as you play more matches.

Before matches you’ll have a city screen which displays all the utilities available. You’ll be able to heal up and rest your players here, as well as train them for more skill on the field, and increase their income by upgrading buildings and searching for sponsors. This side of Real Football 2013 seems to rely heavily on in-app purchasable currency, with which you can speed up actions within the city utilities. Without the in-game currency you’ll have to wait a preset amount of time for the selected action to be completed, and the time won’t go down if the app is running in the background, which is painful for both you and your device’s battery.

The city utilities do give us a huge sense of progression though, and it’s from here that we can upgrade, buy and manage our player. This allows us to create a team that is personal to our own experiences. You may pick favorites and concentrate on maxing out their skills, or slowly build up the team together; it’s all up to you.

The Match

To be honest, I’ve never played many football games, but as soon as I picked Real Football up, I was reminded about how enjoyable football games can be. Real Football starts without much of an introduction, other than the voice of the commentator with an over exaggerated British accent, you haven’t got much information to go by.

Luckily the game is extremely easy to pick up. When in possession of the ball, you have a joystick for movement, and three helpfully labeled buttons; sprint, pass, and shoot. It’s pretty easy to control the character, and there are a few touch gestures to perform interesting moves, and these aren’t explained to you so you’ll have to experiment to find a good tactic for your time on the field.

When the other team is in possession of the ball the controls stay in the same position, but the three buttons are changed to sprint, tackle, and press. The controls are equally easy to use, although use tackle sparingly as it usually ends up with your selected player slide tackling another player and leaving the match with a red card. It took me till four players had been called off the match to realize that most of the tackling was done automatically when your player was close enough.

Overall, playing a match or two of Real Football 2013 is an enjoyable experience, and it’s something that would never have been possible on mobile devices a few years back, so a few bugs and limits due to the low spec hardware is understandable. That being said, I really hope that Gameloft finds a better method of player switching for Real Football 2014 because right now it becomes a very irritating aspect of the game.

You can either have the player switch mechanic set on automatic or manual, but both have their issues. On manual it becomes frustrating because it’ll often swap your players before you have enough time to react, causing you to swerve the newly selected player in the wrong direction. On automatic, it’s difficult to quickly switch players because you need to lift one of your hands off of the controls and double tap another player.

Gameloft could improve upon this by adding a control-lock for a second or two if you’re using automatic, which would let the CPU control the player for a second after switching so that you have enough time to react to the new change. Another possible method would be to add a player switch button that switches to the nearest player, which would be handy for manual mode.

RF 2013 vs RF 2012

What’s new, what’s old, and what’s missing?

The only real improvement to Real Football 2013 is the graphics, which will only be apparent if you have a higher-end handset or tablet. Other than that, there are a few additions to game mechanics, but Gameloft has disappointingly dropped a lot of features from 2012. There isn’t any way to play with a decent club team unlike RF 2012, and instead requires either a lot of time or a lot of money to upgrade your team within career mode. The current cool down time really needs to be fixed as well. On top of that, Real Football 2013 really needs to address the countdown timer issue which currently only depletes when the application is running on the screen. Previous Real Football player? You may be better sticking with 2012, but if you’ve got a decent device, then you may want to get it for the improved graphics.

Summary

Pros:

• Great graphics
• Decent team progression and management
• Easy to pick up and play
• Game is free

Cons:

• Game is missing features from previous year
• 2013 has become more ‘freemium heavy’ than the previous year
• Bad player switching controls
• No mode other than the main career

Download Real Football 2013 on Google Play

Download Real Football 2013 on iOS

The post Real Football 2013 – Android Review appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

There’s only a certain amount of times an arcade game can be reproduced, reinvented or emulated by others before the game concept becomes old and boring, but Magma Mobile have managed to squeeze in a title that gamers are still happy to play, and with over 500,000 downloads from Google Play since it’s relatively recent launch, Flying Squirrel has managed to gain a large appeal.

Gameplay and Controls

If you take any typical side-scrolling runner game from the market and mush it together with a game like Temple Run, you’ll probably end up with something a little like Flying Squirrel. The concept is simple; your squirrel runs through the level whilst you time jumps to gain coins and dodge obstacles. It doesn’t sound frightfully challenging, but as you progress through the 20 levels, things will start picking up pace and you’ll come across many more obstacles and moving enemies.

So where does Temple Run come in? Well, apart from the squirrel’s extreme obsession for only ever wanting to run in one direction, the powerups you find in game are almost the exact same that you’d find in Temple Run. You have magnets that suck nearby coins into you, temporary invincibility, flying powers, and score multipliers among other things. You’ll be able to spend the coins you pick up in-game on upgrading your powerups and buying new costumes for your squirrel. Also similarly to Temple Run, there are two types of powerups: utilities which can be used when the user chooses to, and pickups which are used as soon as a player walks into one in the level.

Flying Squirrel is a side-scroller, so there won’t be any path changes or different junctions to run down, but instead different floating platforms and levels which all contain varied rewards and punishments. It’s not so easy to change to another platform, because it requires good timing and usually a skillful use of a double jump so you can line yourself up correctly for the next oncoming jump.

A couple of concerns I have about the game is that some areas seem to be filled with too many jumps, and it’s almost impossible to get across without falling in. I’ve managed to get to level four after a few minutes of play, but I have a feeling it would take a lot of patience to get all the way to level 20 because each time you die you will have to start from the beginning of level one again.

Something else that I’m really pleased to note is that there is practically no freemium content or in-app purchases in the game. I couldn’t find any, and if there are, they’ve been politely tucked away which is a very respectful move for Magma Mobile to take.

Graphics and Audio

Despite the slightly frustrating misplaced jumps and the seemingly tense atmosphere of the game, Flying Squirrel is surprisingly calm and relaxing, and this is probably down to the cutesy graphics and slow, playful background music. I’ve heard the music around before, so I have a feeling Magma have used royalty free tracks to accompany the soft sound effects. Still, Magma Mobile has managed to capture the music well, and without the colorful characters and backgrounds, the music would most likely give off a different effect.

Summary

Pros:

• Relaxing, calm gameplay
• No Freemium content and unbalanced mechanics
• Easy to pick up and play
• Plenty of levels to keep you playing

Cons:

• Gameplay can become a little frustrating and repetitive
• It takes a long time to unlock all the items and costumes
• Jumps start to become irritatingly difficult

Download Flying Squirrel on Google Play.

The post Flying Squirrel Android Game Review appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The National Football League is one of the largest sports franchises across the globe, and to top that off, the Madden console series is one of the largest video game franchises in America.

With the growing mobile market, we’ve been in need for a decent mobile football franchise, and Gameloft may have just what we’re looking for.

Gameplay and Controls

If you’ve played any of Madden’s games before, you’ll quickly notice the similarities between the console games and NFL Pro, and I was surprised at how similar the game felt to the first Madden game I had played in 2005. The great thing that Madden captured was the simple pick-up-and play gameplay that managed to incorporate useful tools to create your own strategies whilst keeping all the action focused on the player, and Gameloft have managed to emulate this impressively well.

You’ll be able to choose different formations for your team before the start of each play, which can then be adjusted to your liking within 30 seconds before play. It’s easy to choose any formation, and there are even options to auto-pick formations for you, but there are plenty of possible strategies and formations to choose from manually, allowing those with a bit more knowledge on managing football games to play at their best potential.

Depending on whether you’re defending or attacking, you’ll have different formations available to use. For those unsure about football tactics, defending may end up being a lot down to luck, as unless you manage to sack the opposing quarterback yourself, there’s little you can do to help your team whilst defending.

When your team has control of the ball, it’s a complete different story. There are plenty of run and throw formations to choose and it’s really easy for new players to find formations best appropriate for their situation.  If you throw the ball, you’ll be taken into a first person view and will then be able to tap numbers on the screen corresponding to different team members on the team. It’s an interesting idea, but it’s often hard to see your other team members past all the others in front of your vision there isn’t any way to change your viewing angle, making it easy to be caught off guard by the opposing team.

When running with the ball, you’ll have a joystick to control movement of your character, and a sprint, dodge, and block button, which are all extremely useful for getting past opposing players, and timing them correctly will greatly improve your chances of scoring a touchdown.

Stats and Experience

Downloading NFL Pro 2013 is free, and it’s a mobile game, so we’ve got to accept that some features in the game are going to be hard to get without paying for. NFL Pro 2013 has an interesting leveling system that earns you experience for doing different actions within a match. Your experience will level you up and you’ll be able to unlock more formations. When you first start playing at level 1, the formations available are very basic, and you’ll either have to unlock them all by leveling up, or by paying for them with real cash. There are also separate stats for each one of your team members, and they also follow a similar rule to the overall leveling system.

You’ll also be able to access interesting stats within the game menu such as longest distant rushed and total touchdowns. The menus from the title screen also give you other management tools such as an option to change the difficulty level.

There are many more great games from Ladbrokes to play on your phone. Whether it’s Android, Apple or any of the other popular phones, they are all available to either download as an app or to play in the browser. Play here and receive some great promotions.

Graphics and Audio

Aside from the commentators that often monotonously repeat the same phrases after each play, the sounds in NFL Pro are extremely immersive. All the sounds relating to player movement and other background noises you’d expect in a stadium are very realistic and life-like. The title screen music is also very catchy and is one of those small changes that add to the overall gameplay experience.

The graphics in NFL Pro 2013 aren’t stunning, but for an Android game they’re very pleasing and in terms of appearance, you could say they out surpass games from the original xbox or PlayStation 2. Some animations in the game are a little clunky, and you’ll sometimes see jumpy transitions between player animations, but other than that, NFL Pro 2013 certainly has a very professional feel to it.

Summary

Pros:

• Easy to Learn
• Lots of strategies and formations
• Exhibition and Playoff modes
• Intuitive leveling system for both your team and each character

Cons:

• Few animation bugs
• Formations are hard to unlock without spending money
• First-person view is difficult to use efficiently
• Replayability is limited after completing your first season

Download NFL Pro 2013 for Android on Google Play or iOS on iTunes

Editor’s Note: Although this review was done on the Android version, the iOS version is very similar.

The post NFL Pro 2013 Game Review appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Death Dome is an Android action game developed by Griptonite Games, which is now wholly owned by Glu Mobile. Griptonite’s new game has a similar gameplay style to Blood and Glory or the Infinity Blade series, and features Glu’s in-app Glu coin currency.

Just a quick note, if you’re not too fond of gory content then be warned, this game contains a lot of it.

Gameplay and Controls

If you’ve played Blood and Glory, you’ll recognize the format of Death Dome instantly. You’ll be put through different battle instances where you’ll need to block, dodge, and parry your enemy until you find a decent window to attack it. All actions in-game are done with touch controls and gestures, for instance, swiping your screen will make your character perform an attack in the direction you’re swiping in, and holding the block button will make your character put his shield up to block an enemy’s attack.

There is also a dodge button on either side of the screen, allowing you to dodge left and right, and parrying can be done by taking a well-timed swipe in the opposite direction of your attacker. We’ve already seen the popular Infinity Blade series by Chair Entertainment with this kind of gameplay, as well as the two Blood and Glory titles, so I’m a little disappointed with Glu’s attempts to cash in on a another clone of their own games.

There are a few differences in gameplay though, and if you’re one for interesting graphic styles and regular changes of scene, you may prefer Death Dome over any other titles that it has been inspired by.

Story and Environment

So, here’s the basis of the story. A virus has run rampant through the city causing many to die within days, but there are some the lucky ones. Others have fallen victim to the ‘M’ virus, causing mutations to spread through their body. The infected were quarantined off in a bio-dome force field to keep the rest of the plague spreading further than the city. Ironically the no-named protagonist finds herself immune to the disease and trapped within the bio-dome along with the violent abominations.

You can tell straight away that Death Dome has been heavily influenced by many other games and has incorporated them into its own rather sparse story. There are cut scenes after each stage giving a little insight into the main character’s motives and the world she lives in, but for the most part, her identity remains a mystery. It’s hard to determine whether the developers left the story mysterious for a real purpose or if they had just ran out of imagination. Either way, the slightly empty story allows us to use our imagination, and there are certainly a lot of concepts in Death Dome to give us a solid feel for the game.

Although Death Dome is heavily-instanced, Griptonite have done a great job to make the game feel a lot less restricted than it truly is. There are plenty of different scenarios to encounter, as well as different background environments and a huge variety of enemies with a nice mix of attack styles.

The level select screen is also displayed on a city map, giving us the idea that our character is travelling to her next location whilst our device loads up the next battle. Most areas also have a small mini-game before an enemy appears, which usually involves tapping areas on the screen for loot and in-game currency.

Equipment and Glu Coins

Don’t get me wrong, Glu mobile has made some brilliant titles, but what always puts me off is their hugely freemium based play schemes, which usually require you to make a purchase of some kind, or download a load of promotional apps. Death Dome is no different here, and just like Blood and Glory, spending in-game cash doesn’t just improve your gameplay, it’s pretty much going to determine whether you win or lose at the game. Without it, gameplay becomes slow and boring, and even if you did manage to keep at 100% health throughout a battle, as the game progresses, enemies become too powerful for our weaker weapons. Buy a weapon from the marketplace, and you’ll suddenly be extremely over-powered and killing enemies becomes much too easy.

I totally understand Glu’s need to create a steady income, but I’d appreciate it a lot more if they balanced out their current system. I definitely have to applaud Glu for the cross-game currency though; if you buy Glu coins on one game, you’ll be able to spend it on any games within the Glu games list.

Aside from the in-app purchases, the items and equipment in Glu are very appealing, and there’s a good variety of weapons and gear to pick from, so you’re bound to find something you like in-game. Death Dome has some serious looking badass gear, as well as some comical items like over-powered bubble blowers and unearthed stop signs.

Graphics and Audio

Glu have always tried to aim for a professional finish to their games, and it’s no different with Death Dome. The sounds are on par and there is voice acting to accompany the cut scenes too. The character models have been produced to a high standard and the background scenes are beautifully grim and portray the apocalyptic feel of the game to a great extent. The user interface is intuitive and many options are easy to navigate to without going through an unnecessary amount of menus and splash screens.

Summary

Pros:

• Backgrounds and characters are nicely detailed
• Gameplay is easy to pick up
• Lots of equipment and varied enemies
• Different scenes and bosses
• Animated cut scenes

Cons:

• Freemium content is poorly balanced
• Concept has been done before
• The story is a little vague
• Gameplay remains very similar through start to finish

Download Death Dome on Google Play here.

The post Death Dome Game Review appeared first on Mobile Magazine.