Ten years ago, the games industry was lamenting the lost art of the Graphic Adventure. But now, thanks to platforms like Steam and crowd-finding via Kickstarter, small-scale adventure games are a dime a dozen. Whereas gamers once had no options, now there is the problem of picking out the titles worthy of your attention. Dead Synchronicity immediately stands out as one that you shouldn’t miss.

First-time developers Fictiorama have eschewed the common route of cartoony, humourous adventure games, focusing on a much more serious, adult storyline. Shades of classic science fiction such as the work of George Orwell and Philip K Dick abound in this dystopian future. Players take on the role of Michael – an amnesiac who has awoken in a world ravaged by disaster and struggling to maintain a semblance of modern society. This isn’t just a cheap use of that old memory loss premise however, as the cataclysmic events happening around the world have not only caused some residents to lose their memories, but others to lose their minds completely.

The Great Wave hit, and sent the world back into the technological dark ages. Society tried to hold itself together, but a shortage of food, water and shelter has caused the situation to degenerate into a fight for survival – with the sadistic army declaring martial law and taking over. Those who have money can remain in the city, while the general populace – the Rats – are forced to live in refugee camps, which are more like prison camps. This allows for some grisly and unsettling scenes, where similarities to Auschwitz and other terrible places spring to mind.

Not only did the Great Wave knock out all technology and open a mysterious purple rift in the sky, but it also brought with it a terrible plague – with those who become infected known as “the dissolved”. Their mind begins to fall apart, leading to hallucinations, mental trips and visions of speaking with the dead. Not only does the populace live in fear of contracting the disease, but also of the over-zealous military who will kill anyone exhibiting signs of, or harbouring those with, the infection. These men must be avoided or appeased if you want to successfully live to fight another day.

It is in this atmosphere of distrust and tension that you must guide Michael. Himself saved by a Good Samaritan, he is now tasked with somehow tracking down a rumoured cure for the affliction, with the added promise of discovering more about his own past. The gameplay is classic point and click – with context-sensitive interaction icons that will switch depending on the most logical interactions with a person or object. This isn’t a complex or innovative system, nor does it need to be, and this serves the minimalistic, run-down aesthetic pretty well.

What makes Dead Synchronicity stand out against its peers, is that once you have played through the extended first act, the gameplay opens up and becomes more liberated than many modern adventures. Several puzzles and plot lines can be hanging open at one time, allowing you some freedom to tackle each in the order you choose. Thankfully, this means that whenever you find yourself stuck on one task, there is always the option to go back and investigate another lead, rather than becoming too frustrated. There is no in-game hint system, but the spacebar highlights all hotspots – eliminating the dreaded pixel-hunt. A journal system also keeps track of recent events and useful information, which is handy for moments when you have to back-track.

Not only is Dead Synchronicity stylish from a science fiction story point of view, but the visuals are also quite unique. Hand-drawn backgrounds really set the scene and portray the dirty, dank hopelessness of life after the Great Wave, being highly detailed and atmospheric, although maintaining a painterly expressionistic style. The character design is also very unique, with the characters appearing very angular and somewhat stretched – a reflection of the taught, painful reality of the situation they are in. Despite the 2D presentation, the camera is not passive and pans around backdrops, zooming in and out on important actions and conversations – providing a certain energy that many adventure games lack when using a static camera.

The action is punctuated by an eerie mix of electronic and guitar-driven music, which is a good extension of the atmosphere created visually. There were no voices in the preview build, but let us just hope that they can lend the sort of seriousness and weight that the tone of the story requires. One feels that Fictiorama will most likely nail the voiceovers, as the rest of Dead Synchronicity comes across as such a confident first outing. You would think the company had been developing adventure games for some time, such is the self-assured hand that has created this disturbing and immersive dystopia. It will certainly be exciting to join Michael on his quest in the full game, but we should be prepared for a sombre and disconcerting ride along the way.

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When iOS game controllers first launched I was skeptical to say the least. The majority of iOS games have great touch controls and personally I don’t find virtual buttons all that bad. However, using the SteelSeries Stratus has changed my opinion and improved the experience of many iOS games.

Once in your hand, the Stratus has a strange feel. The device is quite small; meaning those with big hands may struggle to use it effectively, but at the same time feels incredibly well built and solid. The supplied cover that can snap onto the front to protect the buttons during travel also snaps onto the back to boost the size of the device, which made it much easier to manage.

On the Stratus are 4 face buttons, two analog sticks, a D-pad and 4 shoulder buttons, along with a pause button and a sync button. The D-pad is very reminiscent of the one found on the first 360 controller; it doesn’t feel great to use and is perhaps the least satisfying of all the buttons to press. The shoulder buttons have an interesting design: two are long and thin while the remaining two are short but wide. They aren’t necessarily hard to press or reach, but those of us with sausage fingers will probably end up pressing two at the same time quite often.

The face buttons are nicely spaced and feel responsive to press while the analog sticks are fairly small but still manage to feel satisfactory. They do have quite a high resistance and are very close together which may not suit some. It is worth noting that on our review unit the right analog stick had a slightly out-of-place grip, which made it have a raised edge on the right of the stick.

Connecting the controller to your iOS device is as simple as connecting any other Bluetooth device. Simply open up the Bluetooth options on your iPhone/iPad, hit the sync button on the Stratus and select the controller. Fortunately the connection is remembered so when you turn the Stratus on after initially connecting it should auto connect. I did have a few issues connecting to my iPhone 6 Plus but I think that was more down to user incompetence than an issue with the hardware.

Four LED’s appear on the front of the Stratus and show a number of things, from which player you are (apparently 4 controllers can be connected at once) to the charge level of the controller. According to SteelSeries the Stratus has a 10-hour battery life and although I didn’t time it meticulously that seems like a reasonable figure. The controller wont be disconnecting mid play session providing you charge it (via the supplied micro USB cable) every few days.

As with all iOS game controllers, not all apps support them. SteelSeries does have a list over on their site but its not exactly over run with top tier titles. Bastion, Limbo and GTA San Andreas all felt great whilst using the Stratus, almost turning my iPhone into a portable console, while The Impossible Road became an entirely new challenge that is just as difficult as it is using touch.

The biggest elephant in the room regarding the Stratus is the price. Amazon is currently the cheapest option with the white version retailing at £48.44, which lets face it isn’t exactly cheap. The tech behind the device and the build quality don’t really feel like it should cost £50, which will certainly leave some disappointed.

At the end of the day the SteelSeries Stratus is a perfectly competent device that will suit anyone who wants a portable iOS controller, providing you don’t have large hands. The list of supported games and slight issues with the device itself such as the D-pad and shoulder buttons stop it from being the perfect controller. If you are desperate for an iOS controller you will probably stomach the cost, but anyone sitting on the fence may simply decide that touch controls work fine, and don’t cost £50.

The post SteelSeries Stratus Wireless iOS Gaming Controller Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Every year, the Skylanders team somehow surprise me. Even in the year 2014, I expect games aimed at children to be average, or worse, yet every single year, Activision has released a Skylanders game that is entertaining for all ages – and to hell with my street cred, those toys are still cool, I’d have loved them growing up.

Where they once relied on the Spyro name to sell a new franchise, Skylanders has taken on a life of its own, and with the new consoles now on the market, they’ve taken a visual leap, as Trap Team looks gorgeous. The colourful imagery is everywhere, and it’s the antithesis of so many modern games. It’s vibrant, and the action pops off the screen for all to see like an explosion of sugar and sweets.

But the basics of Skylanders are now set in stone. Since Swap Force introduced a jump button, there’s not a huge amount that feels missing – though I’d still like to see camera control and online multiplayer at some point in the future. You’ll still go to levels, move objects about, go up lifts, and attack everything that isn’t nailed down.

So really, it falls to whoever comes up with the toy ideas to create something new and interesting that will make us want to collect them all over again. Initially it seemed an odd idea, too. The ability to trap your enemies and have them fight for you? Requires a new portal? Uh-oh, this doesn’t sound good, right? Luckily, the joy these simple touches bring to a child are better in action than they sound on paper, and create a whole new way to play and explore.

The basic concept is that you have traps you insert into the portal, and you can capture enemies instead of killing them, and there are around forty to trap. Once captured, you hit the L2 button and your Skylander will be swapped out for the baddie. This is amusing, but it’s when you start taking down the big bosses that it gets really interesting.

Of course, the characters are all daft and are there mostly for comedic value, but the first boss you fight (a weird little man who controls the Chompys) is enough of a challenge that it doesn’t resort to simple button mashing, and it’s rewarding because you’ll get to trap him and then use him against other enemies. Speaking of difficulty, while it’s not overly taxing (there are hard battles, though), it’s not too easy either – it’s well balanced, as you’d hope.

Thankfully, traps are reuseable, and you can go to a larger trap and swap out villains at your leisure, though obviously only one character can be in a trap at any given time. The portal talks to you, as well, and the bad guys will comment on things as you play along. Having a Sheep Creep “baa” at you randomly doesn’t get old, and Chompy Mage never stops being annoyed that he is incarcerated.

You can’t play as them forever, though, and each time you swap one out, you can only use them for a limited time, with damage taken reducing that time. What’s especially interesting is that the variation in attacks means you can have a Skylander on the portal that shoots (thus has ranged attacks), then swap to a trapped villain that is more melee based.

There’s a raft of new toys to collect, then. New Skylanders (series four), and now traps as well. Each trap is specific to an element, so you can’t use a life trap to capture an earth enemy. It might seem cynical, but as with previous games locking off areas to certain elemental Skylanders, it’s merely an extension of that idea. And there’s no shortage of content, with wave based modes like Doom Challenge, and Arena battle giving additional things to do outside the main campaign. The hard truth is that you’re going to want to collect them anyway, I’m sorry you had to hear that, but you knew it deep inside. As always, your previous Skylanders work on the new portal, and they keep their levels and skills from the other games. It’s a small thing to note, really, but one that is continually worth mentioning.

Kaos returns, as you expect, and this time there’s a band of evil-doers possibly more villainous than him. His plan is to undermine them secretly, so they fail and turn to him as the one-true king of evil. Being a bumbling fool, I’ll let you guess how that goes. It’s full of charm, and the voice acting is excellent, with returning characters everywhere.

Like The Simpsons (well, older Simpsons, anyway) there is plenty for all ages to laugh at, and even some more cheeky nods to the older audience. Some of the toys themselves will make you laugh – for example, Chopper is a small dinosaur with a helicopter on his back, and Food Fight is a small green chap that has a gun which shoots tomatoes. It makes no sense, but it also makes complete sense. There are minis to collect, too, and the giant called Eye Brawl is now available as Eye Small. Such a silly name change, yet for some reason it really tickles me.

It’s weird to think that with the fourth game, Skylanders has fully earned my trust. Games aimed at children don’t have to be rubbish, and they can engage with them on multiple levels. As well as the game itself, the toys are highly collectible (still) and there are even trading cards that come with each toy. I harp on about this because it’s true, but as a kid, the Skylanders would have been the coolest thing I could have imagined in game form, and the quality every year stays high.

The toys still aren’t cheap, and jumping in here (the new starter pack only has two Skylanders, as it also has two traps) means you’re probably going to want to get a few extra toys right out of the gate. But Toys for Bob continue to hold fun in the highest regard, and that’s worth championing. But Lord only knows where they go next.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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Review code provided by publisher.

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If you were to give out awards for putting your best foot forward, Disney Infinity 2.0 wouldn’t be anywhere near even qualifying. A horribly long load time into the Marvel Super Heroes play set (included with the starter pack), and clunky, heavy-to-control characters dominate the opening mission which introduces us to Disney Infinity again.

The general idea is that our heroes have just unfrozen themselves and need to save Avenger/Stark Tower before it’s overrun by Loki’s Frost Giant minions. The combat begins and it’s pure button mashing repetition; everything is linear and you just go from corridor to corridor before ending the level, and choosing whether to continue the Marvel story, or be introduced to the Toy Box mode.

Thank God, then, that immediately after the dreary opening mission, the larger, more open area of the city is yours to play in. Suddenly you’re allowed to take to the skies as Iron Man or Thor and can explore the world with freedom, gathering all manner of collectibles, some of which add to the Toy Box mode, while others just unlock concept art. Interestingly, among the multitude of collectibles, there are crossover tokens, which, once ten are collected, allow characters to appear in each other’s playset.

Immediately, Infinity 2.0 feels a better game. Initial fears subside, and you start to enjoy the mechanics far more. Button-mashing combos are still prevalent, but as you progress through the skill trees and level up your individual heroes (the cap is twenty for all heroes, including ones from the previous game), more options become available. Super moves and changes to standard combos change things up, and you can improve core skills as well. One problem that rears its head early on is that the environments seem tailored towards characters who can fly. You can climb via jump pads and lifts, but overall, you’ll initially play more as Thor and Iron Man, just because they are more fun to navigate the world with – you’ll end up playing Black Widow mainly when you transition to the indoor missions, then later when you unlock a certain vehicle that lets everyone take to the skies. It’s an interesting way to add movement speed to the non-flying characters, because the motorbike you unlock first handles very heavily, and is best avoided.

There’s not a huge amount of variety to missions, either. There’s certainly an attempt to change things up, adding things like motorbike races or horde-style combat challenges – but they’re not enjoyable enough to make you want to come back and improve your time, let alone try and top the leaderboards. Indeed, most missions will involve going from place to place, beating up on some guys, then doing it all again in the next mission. The enemies do get progressively harder, but the techniques to beat them don’t really change.

Things are improved when playing with a friend (or one of your children), as you can both explore the world at your leisure, before joining up for a story mission. If you find it too easy, simply adjust the difficulty. There are also numerous mission nodes around the playsets that allow you to play competitively, and these are a surprising amount of fun. As Iron Man, facing off against your son as Thor is silly, especially when you both take to the skies in your enclosed battle arena, seeing who will blink and go to ground first, which is where the combat is really intended to be.

Thankfully, the technical issues that plagued the previous game appear to have been ironed out. The open-world sandbox area of the Marvel play set is hitch-free, and the frame rate is mostly solid, but prone to major drops in missions that take place inside. It’s not the most visually taxing game for the hardware, but it looks pretty when cutscenes play, and though the city itself is a little on the bland side, the colour comes from the characters. There are elements of humour, and occasionally the gags work really well, but there’s no mistaking this is a game aimed at children. That said, the voice acting is fun, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury is a lovely bonus. Generally speaking, the atmosphere and character is there for all to see on screen.

Interestingly, both of my children jumped immediately into the Toy Box mode. This is a clean slate where you can add environments of your choosing, as well as characters, enemies and, well, basically everything that’s in the game. While the truly creative will go for the absolutely empty sandbox, you can choose from numerous presets to get you started. This time around, you can save and share your boxes with other people, and if you don’t feel like spending hours making missions and worlds for others, you can just download community created content. Some are better than others, and the devs have created a few to give everyone ideas. One platforming based level I tried was okay, but the controls aren’t precise enough to really make overly taxing jumping much fun.

Without question, the Toy Box is where Infinity still shines. A sandbox that truly lets your imagination run wild, only now you can share or download creations via the internet. But the play sets are a vast improvement over the first game and a lot of fun in their own right, while the technical performance is far better, too. Being able to bring your existing Infinity toys into 2.0 is a nice touch, but something you’d expect.

It’s going to cost you a fortune, though, because once you start to enjoy dashing through the air as Iron Man, you’ll want more of those pricey heroes to throw into your game, because they’re wonderful little toys that look and feel good. On that note, this seems an ideal time to remind you that we don’t accept any responsibility for any overdraft charges you may incur after playing Disney Infinity 2.0.

GOOD. A game that scores 7/10 is worthy of note, but unworthy of fanfare. It does many things well, but only a few of them incredibly well and, despite a handful of good qualities, fresh ideas and solid mechanics, it fails to overwhelm.

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Review code provided by publisher.

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Until now, the only moral dilemma in relation to pinball took place in California’s Bay Area, where the popular arcade staple was inexplicably banned by Oakland authorities, who believed it to be a youth-corrupting force of gambling evil. But that eighty-year old ban was recently lifted, and now we have this mind-blowing new virtual table based on the first season of Telltale’s Walking Dead, that gem of branching moral choices and harrowing zombie heartbreak.

Whether you have played the source material or not, the claustrophobia and cloying sense of fear and desperation are obvious in The Walking Dead. You undertake missions based on key moments from the original game, each of them involving a crushing decision to make – involving such doozies as choosing whether or not to reveal that infected bite, or deciding which person to leave behind. In pinball terms, these “missions” of course translate to the table by setting targets to hit, combos to rack up, or locking down balls – but there are also some other cool touches like an excellent sniper section that employs use of the flippers, face buttons and touch screen to pick off “walkers” in the distance.

The table is beautifully designed, too. There are some wonderful, wonderful moments – like the crushingly poignant minigame that sees the ball transformed into a football (of the soccer variety) and a task that involves Lee breaking up the continuous undead horror by having a kickabout with the kids. Sound effects and music are ripped straight out of the original game, with some new voice acting thrown into the mix to boot. The music is eerie, atmospheric and perfectly measured, and sounds particularly ace when played on your Vita through a set of half decent headphones. Yet again the physics, the wealth of options, the cross-platform play, everything is just sickeningly spot-on.

Never the most obvious inspiration for some flipper-on-ball action, the dark and sombre world of Clementine and Lee is nonetheless transferred effortlessly into the realms of Zen Pinball. Fans of the game Godisageek nominated as our GOTY will love this clever companion piece and be hoping for a similar treatment for Season 2. Everyone else will love this fine table for what it is, and probably get a craving for sampling the inspiration, the same way our zombie buddies crave braaaaaains.

VERDICT: We are starting to sound like a broken record here, but Zen’s mastery and understanding of both table design and expert use of a license put them right up there with the best that gaming 2014 has to offer. There are so many more gaming worlds for Zen to conquer, and we look forward to pinging a shiny silver ball through as many of them as possible.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Review code provided by publisher.

The post Zen Pinball 2: The Walking Dead Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Epic Eric ticks all the mobile game design boxes: simple controls, bite-sized gameplay, basic puzzle elements, collectables and simplistic art all feature, the only thing missing is micro-transactions and no one is mourning those! With all the predicable it is quite refreshing to see that Epic Eric does have a few interesting ideas.

It’s a puzzle platformer where you must guide Eric to the top of the tower at the opposite side of the screen. You do this by tapping on the screen to make Eric jump onto two types of cog; one that spins constantly and will spin Eric with it and another that requires momentum from Eric’s landing. To reach the tower you must tap at the right moment so Eric will fly onto the next cog. Missing the cog and hitting the floor will result in having to restart the level. It sounds complex, but in reality is incredibly simple.

It takes a while to get the timing right, especially when jumping on or off the momentum-controlled cogs. At times it feels like the physics are slightly off, when jumping at what looks like the perfect time is often rewarded with a straight drop to the ground. This can be hugely frustrating when you mess up the final jump in what feels like an unfair way.

Later levels introduce other mechanics such as bounce pads, pinball-style flippers and platforms to roll across. They all offer a small change of pace and when combined together in the bigger levels they create some brilliantly challenging puzzles. These more complex levels probably make up around half of the 45 on offer, while the other half are generally quite easy and require little thought.

Throughout each level are three stars. You don’t have to get them all to complete the level but aiming for them makes things a lot more interesting. You can ignore all the stars if you lole, but then the game is far too easy. After the first few introductory levels, stars start appear in hard to reach areas that are away from the simplest route to the tower, meaning you have to risk failing the level to get those extra stars. Overall, the 45 levels shouldn’t take too long to finish but getting all the stars may take a while.

At first it appears that Epic Eric plays up to the “male knight saving the female princess” fairlytale story but you can flip this on its head by playing as the princess, called Erica, who has to save the knight. The change makes no difference to the gameplay (it just swaps the sprites of the two characters), but it’s still a great option to have.

The basic graphics work quite well, with each of the three different areas offering some small visual variations. The Cup Cake Castle stages are by far the most pleasing; add in the simple yet quite cute character animations and the comedy of seeing Eric face plant the floor and you have a very entertaining visual style.

VERDICT: Epic Eric is the perfect game to play on the tube. It will keep you entertained, but doesn’t require massive amounts of concentration. The gameplay is fun and some of the puzzles are brilliantly designed. However, too many stages are too simple and offer little challenge. All in all, Epic Eric is a decent game, but somehow feels like it’s missing a final stage.

GOOD. A game that scores 7/10 is worthy of note, but unworthy of fanfare. It does many things well, but only a few of them incredibly well and, despite a handful of good qualities, fresh ideas and solid mechanics, it fails to overwhelm.

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Review code provided by publisher.

The post Epic Eric Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Picking up immediately where episode four left off, No Going Back starts at a rate of knots, and never really lets up for the two hours it takes to get through. It’s full of emotion, showing humanity at its worst and, surprisingly, its most fragile, too. For all the talk that season two has been weaker, Telltale Games have saved the best for last, and created a triumphant finale.

The following review assumes you have played the previous episodes, though spoilers are (as always) kept to a minimum. Due to the cliffhanger ending of episode four, we’ve used screenshots from previous episodes so as not to risk spoilers.

Something that The Walking Dead universe revolves around (be it the book, TV show, or the game) is humanity. After a while, you realise the walkers themselves aren’t the real threat, but the ego, needs and wants of the people are the most dangerous. We’ve all struggled, transitioning from Lee to Clem – but finally, exhaustingly, episode five gets it right. Now, more than ever, this is your Clementine.

There is so much sadness here, such tremendous bleakness, that it’s painful to endure for the most part, but there are moments in No Going Back that, shockingly, made me smile. The gruesome action of previous episodes (though not gone completely) takes a back seat to the true brilliance: the characters. One particular scene early on is so out of character for the series, that it stands out – and that reminder of human vulnerability comes through; it’s the centre of it all. We’re all different; we’re all the same. A better writer might compare it allegorically to something else going on in the world right now. So much pain, so much trauma. But what if we just took a break and all got along, just for a moment?

Sentimentality be damned, there’s a little girl at my control, and her choices, my choices have the most real impact on the series that we’ve ever seen. Playing through this finale multiple times, it’s apparent that although some decisions don’t change the real outcome, they do change how Clementine is perceived.

One such choice dictates a stark shift in how a character feels toward our girl, and the larger decisions are incredibly bold on Telltale’s part, and will prove to be either a complete masterstroke, or something that’s almost impossible to please people with. Mark my words: by the time you finish with season two, you’ll feel more attached to Clem than ever. Her world has been shaped by you, forever.

Of course, there’s a moment where it all goes to shit, because there always is. Sure, Zombies will pop up here and there to permeate the world with the dreaded reminder that everything is dangerous and nobody is safe. Yeah, there are fight scenes, but the way it all comes together is like a delivery on a promise.

But let’s not pretend otherwise, often the choice in The Walking Dead has been illusionary. For the first time I can recall, this time, they’ve nailed it. The closing moments are drastically altered by how you play, by who you are. There are five different ways to end the season, three of which behold outcomes completely different to one another. What this means is that season three might just be the most ambitious project Telltale have ever set themselves up for.

VERDICT: Looking back over season two, there’s something odd about how we as players have endured a rollercoaster ride, just as our Clementine has. The swinging emotions have beaten us around the head, like we’re a boxer just waiting for the knockout blow to come, to release us. But we can’t close our eyes, because there’s work to be done.

It started nervously, almost scared of what it was, but at the end of season two, you’ll go to whomever you hold dear, and you’ll squeeze them just that little bit harder than usual. They’ll ask you why, and you won’t answer. There’s a little girl to be saved.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

Our Scoring Policy

Review code provided by publisher.

The post The Walking Dead: Season Two Episode Five – No Going Back Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

It’s the Championship playoff final. My Leeds United team is 1-0 down with 25 minutes to go. With few other options I switch from our traditional 4-4-2 counter-attacking style of play to a 3-4-3 attacking style. With 15 minutes remaining there is still no change in score so off comes the ever-reliable McDonald, the Championship’s top scorer, and on comes Marcos Jnr, the wildcard January signing who has been out injured for the majority of his short time with the club. 78 minutes on the clock and Marcos Jnr fires home. Exactly 10 minutes later he scores again. The final whistle blows; Leeds are heading to the Premiership, all thanks to my genius substitutions… You can call me José.

My Leeds United management was unplanned. When I loaded up Champ Man 15 I expected to restore Manchester United to their rightful place at the top of the Premier League, but alas only those with a coaching badge can manage a team rated over 70. One can only acquire a coaching badge by paying £0.99 in real money or by reaching level 10 in game (which ended up taking around 3 seasons).

So Leeds United was the next choice. Upon taking the job, I was greeted by a relatively small transfer budget and an expectation of promotion within three seasons. The squad wasn’t too bad, easily capable of a mid table finish, but it still needed work.

Bringing in new players to the squad wasn’t particularly challenging. No other clubs seem to let there players go at their estimated value, but offer slightly more and it will generally be accepted. If they say no, you can just re-offer a higher amount, with seemingly no limit on the amount of times you can submit offers for a single player. It’s a similar deal when offering out contracts to players, with your budget being the only limiting factor.

Once your team is assembled, generating game winning tactics and formations is key. My first few months at Leeds saw me try and force a 4-5-1 attacking system on the team. By the end of December we were stuck in 20th place. A change in formation to a 4-4-2 counter-attacking style, with lots of long shots (and a few new signings) started a run of form that saw us end the season in a respectable 11th – and would be the tactic that won us promotion two years later.

The on-pitch action comes by way of text describing the big moments of the game. It’s a classic way of doing things and works quite well. That slight pause after a shot has been hit can feel like an age, waiting to see if it flies into the net. My only criticism is that some lines are repeated too often.

Managing the squad can usually be ignored. Players rarely need to be rested, unless you are playing it a high level in multiple competitions and most of the time whoever has the bigger number will be the better choice. A auto pick option will also chose your best starting 11 and subs to make life even easier.

Obviously, injuries are present in the game, but at Leeds, promising young star Sam Byram was always injured. I don’t think he ever played more than 4 games in a row during the three years he was at the club. It seems that every club will have one player who is so injury prone they aren’t worth keeping in the squad. Out of interest I resigned Byram at Man U and the injury situation continued. This makes these players useless and effectively a waste of money; they don’t play many games and can never have any consistency. It’s also highly unrealistic: sure there have been injury prone players, but these are a joke.

Speaking of Man U, that was my next destination after Leeds. However, the transition wasn’t as I had expected. When you join a new club the game restarts in June 2014. My four years with Leeds had been wiped off the face of the earth, players that had retired were back in their prime and some of the youth talents were nowhere to be seen. The only things you keep are you career history/level and any coaching funds or CM$ you may have.

Being a free to play game,Champ Man 15 features three types of currency. You have the standard Transfer/Wage budget to spend on players. There are Coaching Funds to hire extra coaching staff and offer extra training for the squad and there are CM$ to improve club facilities such as the stadium or youth academy or even boost your transfer budget. You can purchase CM$ for real money, but you also earn some after every game, removing any real need to buy them. Coaching Funds are also acquired after matches, or can be unlocked by watching ads.

The interface is in places simple and easy to use, but in others it’s horrible. Managing formations and substitutions is a pleasure; selecting an amount of money to offer for a transfer is not. You can’t select a specific amount, only predefined increases. If you want to sign a player for £48million you have to offer £50mil or £45mil. There also doesn’t appear to be a way to skip to a date, it just auto-advances to whenever it feels you should do something.

VERDICT: While there are a lot of questionable design choices in Champ Man 15 there is still a lot of fun to be had. Winning that playoff final in the way I did was a great feeling that actually made me feel like the greatest football tactician in the world. Building a great squad is fun, if a little too easy, and having to restart in 2014 every time you join a new club is just ridiculous. But Champ Man 15 is still a good mobile management sim. Perfect for when you are on the go, or travelling across the country for an away game!

DECENT. A 6/10 indicates that, while this game could be much better, it still has a fair amount to offer the player. It might be an interesting title sabotaged by its own ambition, or a game denied greater praise by some questionable design choices. Don’t avoid it outright, but approach it with caution.

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To the uninitiated, Games Workshop board games can be a baffling affair. With rule books as thick as school textbooks and more different dice than you even knew existed, there are definitely a few mental barriers that prevent certain people from ever trying out Warhammer or Blood Bowl. But for those who are willing to invest the time and learn the ins and outs of these titles, they are deep, tactical games where players can engage in epic back and forth encounters.

Video game adaptations of Games Workshop properties seem to go one of two ways: they either simplify the game to make it more appealing to the masses (such as was the case with third-person shooter Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine), or stay loyal and accurate to the tabletop games like the Dawn of War series. Blood Bowl falls firmly into the second category and, although it is the Games Workshop equivalent of American Football, Blood Bowl isn’t an action-packed sports game, but a tactical, turn-based strategy.

You have to arrange your team formation and line-ups, and purchase any special power-ups before you get down to business. The sport takes place in turns, with each player allowed to move as many of their players as they wish. Each character has their own movement range, strength and speed based on their speciality position. Therefore you will want to pass with throwers, tackle with Blitzers and so on. The only problem is that if you fail a pass, or a catch, or a tackle – for instance – your turn is over. And when each of these encounters is decided by a dice roll anything can, and will, go wrong, meaning your whole turn could be over and lost in the blink of an eye.

Strangely, the developers decided not to show some virtual dice on-screen, so all these calculations are performed out of view. This results in each movement coming across as a bit confusing. If I saw that I had rolled a 2 and my opponent a 6, I would be far less surprised when my burly Blitzer is knocked out by a weakling Goblin, but by keeping the dice off-screen the whole process is a bit unclear. You can switch on a log to see the dice results, but it’s still a far cry from actually seeing the action unfold before you. This takes any suspense and feeling of excitement out of the game, as every event happens so secretively.

There is a tutorial that tries to help you get to grips with how the game works, but more often than not it refers to these invisible dice rolls (which only frustrates you further) or just tells you to go and read the full rule book, which is a pretty weighty tome. If you know how the tabletop game works, you will have a clear advantage in picking things up, but the tutorials aren’t deep enough to teach you all that you need to know, nor are they accessible enough to encourage novices.

Players get to take control of teams made up of either Humans or Orcs – six species exist within the game, including Dwarves, Skaven, Chaos and Wood Elves, but these are only AI controlled unless you want to splash out on some in-app purchases. This will disappoint some gamers, especially as Blood Bowl is a paid App and not a freemium one. There are exhibition and tournament modes, which are both pretty self-explanatory, as well as both online and hot-seat multiplayer modes to take part in – which is at least one welcome feature, as Games Workshop tabletop titles are always better played with mates.

If you aren’t happy with the selection of teams in the basic modes, you can choose to create your own team in campaign mode and you can name them, pick squad members and level up as you progress – trying to work your way up from small-time competitions all the way to the biggest prize of all. This mode adds longevity to proceedings, as watching your team slowly improve as you move from game to game can feel quite rewarding. However the whole package isn’t helped by commentary that quickly becomes repetitive and irritating, and some pretty average visuals.

VERDICT: Sadly, while Blood Bowl tries to stay loyal to its strategic roots rather than turn the game into just another sports title, the gameplay isn’t implemented in a clear and logical way. The basic elements are here, but being unable to see the mechanics of why a pass fails or a catch succeeds makes each game too mystifying. It is hard to see why the decision was made to make the dice invisible, as this could have helped massively. Without it, newcomers are left floundering and even long-time Games Workshop fans may question the design choice.

DECENT. A 6/10 indicates that, while this game could be much better, it still has a fair amount to offer the player. It might be an interesting title sabotaged by its own ambition, or a game denied greater praise by some questionable design choices. Don’t avoid it outright, but approach it with caution.

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Over the last few weeks there has been something of a swarm of miniature racing games released on the world. We’ve had Super Toy Cars, Table Top Racing, and now we have Touch Racing 2 giving mobile gamers a chance to join the tiny racing fun.

Touch Racing 2 gives players the chance to race with RC cars, off-road buggies and boats. You are given one vehicle for each discipline and are free to race it in standard races, against bosses and in multiplayer (which requires a Facebook account to play). The three different types of vehicle aren’t just cosmetic changes; each feels significantly different in the way they handle and move.

Although you can’t purchase new vehicles you can purchase upgrades. I say you can but it’s effectively mandatory. If you don’t upgrade your vehicles you wont be able to enter and compete in future races, as you wont be quick enough. The upgrades offer some cosmetic changes as well as stat boosts to make you competitive. Some races won’t become unlocked until you have upgraded certain parts of a vehicle, which can result in the need to grind for upgrades in order to advance.

You can purchase these upgrades with either of the game’s two currencies. Gold can be earned from completing races and performing certain actions in these races such as drifting or hitting speed boosters. Diamonds on the other hand can be earned by beating bosses. As you would expect in a F2P title, you can buy them both with real money. That said, prices for the in-game currency aren’t too unreasonable and playing for free doesn’t give any real disadvantage.

The only questionable micro transactions are those that ask you to speed up the time it takes to install an upgrade to a vehicle or to buy more energy so you can race again without having to wait, which limits gameplay to one race every 10 minutes.

On the track itself the races are disappointingly easy. All races consist of two laps around a track, which is more than enough time for you to take first place, crash into last then regain a sizeable lead before crossing the line. A few of the boss races are slightly more challenging, but it’s all still too easy.

The controls are what make the game fun to play. You tap and hold where you want your vehicle to go, but the ever-changing camera angle means that you will have to constantly be moving your thumb and changing which thumb you are using. It takes an awfully long time to master but once you get the hang of it, hitting a perfect apex by switching thumbs at the right second feels incredibly satisfying.

Graphically, Touch Racing 2 isn’t great; the vehicle models are sub-par, but with all the different variations it can be forgiven. There is also a fair amount of clipping, where a vehicle will merge into what should be a solid bit of scenery – again, not a massive issue but annoying. The sound is perhaps the most irritating element, as when you’re racing around a track it sounds as if there is a bee hovering right next to your ear. The engine sounds don’t vary much and as a result become incredibly agitating.

VERDICT: The on-track action in Touch Racing 2 would legitimately be some of the best on mobile devices if it were a bit more challenging. The controls are great, the track design is interesting and the different disciplines offer variety, but it’s just too easy. Add in the graphical issues, annoying sound and questionable F2P implementation and it becomes difficult to recommend Touch Racing 2. There is fun to be had here; you just have to put up with a lot to get to it.

AVERAGE. The epitome of a 50/50 game, this title will be unspectacular but inoffensive, charmless but amiable. We aren’t condemning a game by scoring it a 5, but we certainly aren’t championing it, either.

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Gameloft make no attempt to disguise the fact that their Modern Combat series for mobile devices is inspired by the Call of Duty franchise. The Call of Duty series has never managed to make a mark on mobile devices, but Gameloft have tried to adapt the fast-paced, action-packed gameplay of Activision’s flagship title and condense it down for mobile phones and tablets, and perhaps piggy-back off the success of the Modern Warfare series a little at the same time.

You are thrown straight into the action, with a tutorial flashback mission set in Venice. Characters aren’t properly introduced and the game constantly references past events in the series – which isn’t great for players looking to pick up a Modern Combat title for the first time, although story is rarely the most important feature of an FPS. We see straightaway that Modern Combat 5 is going to be a linear affair, but this seems intentional to reduce the difficulty of touchscreen controls, and to enable the scripting of dramatic action set-pieces. That is what the title does well: it takes the over-the-top explosions and collapsing buildings that punctuate the Call of Duty series, and squeezes them successfully onto the smaller screen.

Each single-player mission is fairly brief – mostly delivered in five minute chunks – making it perfect for jumping in and out of and playing in short bursts. Gameloft have obviously attempted to tailor the missions to suit the platform – most gamers on mobile devices are looking for a short, quick fix, and that is what Blackout delivers. You won’t be stuck doing the same thing over and over for too long, either: there are a selection of vehicle-based missions, sniper sections and more that add some variety to proceedings.

There is little freedom in the missions, though, with most guiding you along a set path almost automatically – although this makes sense when there are obvious limitations in the virtual joystick controls. Moving around feels slow and unresponsive, and swiping to turn and look around is also tricky. Just facing yourself in the right direction can be tough at times, and you will often find yourself firing your gun when you just wanted to turn your head.

There are a variety of control set-ups to try – but these only change minor details, such as moving the location of the second virtual analog stick, or removing the fire button, making the whole screen the active area for tapping to fire your gun. These all end up feeling more or less the same, and don’t really help matters. A gyro option for looking around might have been useful, to allow for quicker re-positioning of your aim. Thankfully there are aim, sprint and crouch assists to help take the pain out of navigating, while letting you concentrate on the action. This makes the gameplay seem even more automated, but Blackout is at its best when it’s closer to an on-rails shooter, holding your hand as it shows you exactly what the developer wants you to see. And what you see is fairly impressive, looking and sounding very polished for a mobile title.

Aside from the short campaign missions, there are also Spec Ops missions and Breach mode. Breach mode is a mix of Terrorist Hunt from Rainbow Six: Vegas, and Virtual Cop. You and an AI partner travel through a series of rooms, clearing them of bad guys. Each has a different colour above their head, signifying that you can only kill them with a specific tactic – i.e. a headshot. Spec Ops is a series of micro-missions, tasking you with completing certain challenges within an allotted timeframe. These are even more bite size, taking no more than a minute each.

The final option is online multiplayer – which can be played individually or as part of a squad of friends. The fast-paced action found in single-player doesn’t work quite as well in multiplayer, as the levels lack any of the set-pieces or tight focus that make it work. The multiplayer feels like it was developed quite separately from the main game, and is a far slower and relatively basic affair. Lag didn’t present itself as much of an issue however, and gameplay was always fairly smooth for the short amount of time that I actually managed to stay alive.

VERDICT: Modern Combat 5: Blackout works best when it is allowed to be an on-rails shooter – providing a highly polished, action-packed campaign that’s easy to dip in and out of. The multiplayer mode does feel tacked-on, though, and slightly disconnected from the rest of the game. A few more stages of the main campaign would have been preferable over a multiplayer mode that doesn’t fully deliver. Blackout is as linear as first-person shooters get, and the control method is poor to say the least, but as a casual title it provides surprisingly epic shooting action.

GOOD. A game that scores 7/10 is worthy of note, but unworthy of fanfare. It does many things well, but only a few of them incredibly well and, despite a handful of good qualities, fresh ideas and solid mechanics, it fails to overwhelm.

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Many gamers of a certain age will remember top-down racing classic Micro Machines, an ingenious little speed demon that saw you racing bite-sized cars around tracks built on bedroom floors, DIY workshops and kitchen counters. It was a novel take on an idea which, at the time, sorely needed it.

It was a similar ethos of fun rather than finicky simulation that led Playrise Digital – a company assembled from a good few genre veterans – to create Table Top Racing, a game that seems to share many of Micro Machines’ original elements, at least on paper. In it you control a vehicle selected from a roster of apparently randomly-chosen automobiles and race around, well, table tops, dodging cartons of juice, tins of woodstain and giant kitchen utensils.

For a game originally developed on mobile decices, TTR handles fairly well. Starting you off with a Winnebago and an ice cream truck, Playrise soon give you Jeeps and muscle cars to go nuts with, ramping up the speed and manoeuvrability. To begin with it can be quite difficult to maximise drift, but before long you’ll be cornering like you were born behind the wheel.

There is a decent variety of gameplay modes, from the standard career mode through to the challenges, which see you tackling the various race types to earn stars and more money. These include elimination events, drift contests, battles and straight races, and are an ideal place to grind for cash.

A major addition to the Vita version is the battle race, in which you pick up Mario Kart-style weapons with which to slow down your opponents. They aren’t the most imaginative of tools – a homing rocket, an area-of-effect EMP, a speed boost and a mine – but they help mix up the action nicely. Table Top Racing isn’t the fastest paced racer around, so the added danger of weapons makes it a little more exciting. The pick-ups themselves are handy, but only really offer an advantage if used tactically as they don’t slow your target for very long.

In-app purchases are still a thing, sadly, but as TTR isn’t free on Vita Playrise have halved the cost of purchasable bundles and made it easier to grind for them. Although it will take a while to earn enough money to unlock all the cars and all the upgrades, it is possible, and the pay-to-win factor is greatly muted.

Obviously, Table Top Racing on the Vita is a graphical improvement over the mobile original, but it’s not particularly stunning. That said, the environments are well detailed and there’s a certain charm to be found in racing around the over-sized household landmarks.

Yet despite the amount of content and the addition of tactical pick-ups, there’s something not quite there about Table Top Racing. It might be the lack of music during races, or the way the game rights you instantly if you crash or get momentarily stuck on a wall – it might even be that we’ve kind of seen it all before from a different angle in Micro Machines – but something is missing from TTR that can leave you feeling hollow after prolonged periods. It’s alleviated somewhat by the ad-hoc multiplayer, which enables a little local co-op with friends or strangers.

VERDICT: Table Top Racing is a charming little racer with a good selection of modes and race types. Sadly the better vehicles and upgrades will require either a monetary contribution or some serious grinding to unlock, but as it stands you have a solid, full game without having to pay an extra penny. Not the most thrilling racing sim available on the Vita, but certainly the best for its price.

GOOD. A game that scores 7/10 is worthy of note, but unworthy of fanfare. It does many things well, but only a few of them incredibly well and, despite a handful of good qualities, fresh ideas and solid mechanics, it fails to overwhelm.

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Being a relative newcomer to the Magic series – having only briefly dabbled in the last two iterations of the Online version – the prospect of diving into Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2015 was a daunting one. Even with the comprehensive, hand-holding tutorial, it’s a lot to get your head around purely to cultivate a basic understanding of what’s required to win a match. The instinctual knowledge and mental conditioning needed to truly read the decks and stay a step ahead of an opponent can only really come from extensive experience.

That being said, the tutorial does a good job of guiding a newcomer through the initial stages of Stainless Games’ much-beloved tactical card game, explaining the different gameplay dynamics such as the mana tap (whereby you use up mana sourced by playing “Land” cards to summon creatures and cast spells), instants (instant-use effect cards) and the stack (where you queue any cards that will trigger due to certain conditions). The tutorial can only teach you so much, and before long you have to bite the bullet and jump into a match, either in the solo campaign, online multiplayer or practice mode.

The first few matches are a baptism of fire. It took me six attempts to defeat the first enemy mage, a charming little “corpsecaller” who seemed to have a psychic ability to kick my newbie ass. I started to wonder if it was my deck that was the problem. In Magic 2015, you can assemble your own deck from the ground up from five colour-coded archetypes – but your initial selection following the tutorial is permanent, so if it doesn’t work very well you’re going to struggle like crazy in the early stages.

The narrative behind this iteration is the Planeswalker Garruk Wildspeaker, now a headhunter bewitched by an ancient artefact and forced to hunt and kill his peers – including you. You spend the campaign trying to avoid him by killing everyone else you come across and growing steadily stronger until you’re ready to face him. Unfortunately, the character development is weak and there’s very little sense of you growing and evolving into a badass Planeswalker – something previous games in the series did quite well.

The campaign feels somewhat shallow in Magic 2015, and the uneven difficulty artificially extends the lifespan. At times it can feel as though you’re plodding through the motions, when all of a sudden you’re up against an opponent who seems to be unbeatable – and even seems able to draw cards you will never have access to.

The card collection aspect is horribly hit and miss, in fact. On the one hand you can earn cards and booster packs through playing, but in an apparent hangover from this iteration’s iPad and Android “Free to Play” model, the really good cards are locked behind a premium paywall. Essentially this means that unless you’ve got god-like Magic skills, you’re never going to have an even chance against someone who is prepared to pay premium price to unlock the best creatures and spells. If the premium cards were purely for the sake of collection or completion, perhaps merely containing rare designs, it might not seem so unfair, yet they’re not. On console you will have to pay to buy the vanilla game, and then pay again if you want to stand a fair chance of winning. It’s indicative of the industry’s direction, and a blatant slap in the face of seasoned fans whose loyalty will be exploited for the sake of making a few extra dollars.

It might be more excusable if the boxed content (so to speak) were more robust, but it seems Wizards of the Coast have opted to go the other way, removing far more than they have added. The biggest bone of contention upon which the community will no doubt gnaw for weeks is the removal of all the multiplayer modes other than Free for All. You can play it with 2 or 4 players, so there is still scope for some decent online competition, but the omission of the hugely popular Two-Headed Giant mode is a genuine head-scratcher. Being able to play together as a unified team added a whole new dimension and level of tactical nous to the multiplayer, and its removal in Magic 2015 is as bizarre as it is infuriating.

If you can put those gripes aside, however, Magic 2015 presents a shiny – if slightly bare-bones – package. The UI is simple and elegant to look at (though for some reason is ponderous and not as smooth as you’d expect), and the cards themselves are uniformly excellent, designed by members of the community as well as professional artists. The sound direction is decent, too, mixing spartan voice-work with a rousing score to evoke as much atmosphere as you can reasonably expect from a game that – essentially – is about laying cards on a table.

VERDICT: Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2015 is a solid enough game if you’re new to the series. The daunting difficulty is always going to be a problem to a newcomer taking their first steps into such a popular, community-driven landscape, but Magic 2015 offers an in-depth tutorial that doesn’t skimp on the information. Sadly, though, the main game will disappoint established fans. The campaign feels stripped back and shallow, and the undulating difficulty is not off-set enough by the fully customisable deck – itself hamstrung by an intrusive, cynical paywall. It’s a shame Stainless Games have seen fit to tinker with a format that didn’t really need to be tinkered with, because as a result, Magic 2015 squanders a little of the good feeling built up by the series so far.

GOOD. A game that scores 7/10 is worthy of note, but unworthy of fanfare. It does many things well, but only a few of them incredibly well and, despite a handful of good qualities, fresh ideas and solid mechanics, it fails to overwhelm.

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Companion apps and games are becoming more commonplace. These days they are not only to be used for raising awareness of a title and cross-promotion, but also to help flesh out the game worlds. Hellraid is an action hack and slash game currently in development by Techland for release on Xbox One, PS4 and PC in 2015. The game was intended to be an add-on for dead Island, but has become its own standalone title, complete with a prequel iOS game: Hellraid: The Escape.

Whereas Hellraid will be a thoroughly action-based affair, The Escape adapts itself a little more wisely to touch-screen devices by becoming a sort of horror-puzzle hybrid. The title is quite literal in that the story sees you take on the role of an unnamed protagonist, who finds himself trapped in a kind of Hell, looking for a way to escape. Suffering from amnesia, all you have at your disposal are your wits and the helpful notes left behind by a fellow survivor, who wants your help do that you can both escape.

The Escape consists of seven separate levels, each of which contain a selection of puzzles and physical traps to navigate, whilst also avoiding the demonic inhabitants of the realm. None of the puzzles are too taxing, and you can turn on a (not especially helpful, actually) hint system for cryptic clues. There are some enemies to encounter, but all must be defeated by clever use of the environment and traps, rather than fighting. The action is controlled with a virtual joystick for movement, and dragging the screen with another finger to look around. This all works fairly well, except on the odd occasion where the virtual joystick decides to move location on-screen, which is a little puzzling.

You will find obstacles where you must move mirrors to redirect a beam of light around a room, playing chess in order to unlock a secret compartment, and throwing rocks to flick switches and push levers. Most work pretty well on the touchscreen, and have intuitive controls that anyone could work out straight away. There are a few sections where you can possess other creatures to help your escape, and these can be a little disorientating thanks to the rather twitchy controls. On top of that, throwing rocks can be difficult to get right, and you will end up having to back-track a lot. So there are a few frustrating elements at play.

What does let the game down a little is that despite the pretty decent graphics (making use of the Unreal 3 engine), creepy and atmospheric sound effects, The Escape doesn’t do a great job of creating a scary atmosphere. Instead it creates one where you are afraid that one slight wrong move will see you fail a puzzle and die – having to try again. Admittedly, dying doesn’t reset your progress, it only forces you to return to the nearest crypt in each dungeon, but more or less everything in the game can result in instant death if you aren’t careful, so you’ll have to restart and retry many times.

There is some creativity in the puzzles, and some levels make use of more subtle approaches, whereas the final Dungeon is almost like one long chase boss battle. But with only seven stages the title is woefully short. There are free updates promised, but who could say how much content that they will add to the title.

VERDICT: Hellraid: The Escape provides some fairly satisfying puzzling, and the idea that you shouldn’t have to kill enemies, but rather outsmart them, is a welcome change of pace. The atmosphere is a little predictable and the dingy dungeons don’t offer anything unique in the way of design, but the skulls, spiders and bone-crushing traps do fit the genre pretty well.

The Escape asks you to keep trying different things until you stumble across the correct solution, so can become a little repetitive and frustrating, though the short run-time means you won’t find yourself stuck for too long. It is a shame that, whilst The Escape may represent the style of the final game, there are unlikely to be any of the puzzling gameplay elements present in the full Hellraid game.

DECENT. A 6/10 indicates that, while this game could be much better, it still has a fair amount to offer the player. It might be an interesting title sabotaged by its own ambition, or a game denied greater praise by some questionable design choices. Don’t avoid it outright, but approach it with caution.

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Season Two of The Walking Dead hasn’t been quite the runaway success that the first season was. It has come under some criticism for not deviating enough from the pattern laid down in the first series, for suffering from uneven pacing, and not delivering the same sort of really gut-wrenching decisions that really set the game apart for other titles. Amid the Ruins attempts to address as many of these issues as possible, but it doesn’t convincingly deliver in every way.

The following review assumes you have played the previous episodes, though spoilers are (as always) kept to a minimum.

Being the penultimate episode in the season, you’d expect that the seeds sewn in early episodes would be showing by now. And to some extent that is true, but the main issue that episode four seems to suffer from is the feeling that your decisions don’t seem to make much of a difference in where the story is going. Most of the decisions in this episode are skin-deep, and often proven to be only superficial within minutes of making your choice.

Amid the Ruins follows directly from where we left Clementine, when we were faced with a terrible decision to make regarding a bite. The consequences of that decision bear fruit immediately, which is pleasing to see, but it also seems to negate your decision-making somewhat, and feels as though whatever you chose doesn’t really matter. Whilst it does successfully show how Clementine has developed as a survivor, perhaps something slightly more unique would have been a more interesting development.

Throughout the episode, the pregnancy of Rebecca is at the forefront, and the group have to try and pull together to help bring a small ray of light into their very bleak world. As such, you might expect the pace of the episode to suffer, and this to become a more conversational episode. Episode four does manage to fit in some much-needed character development for some of the newer members of the survivors, but it also ticks along at a pretty good pace. In fact, I felt that a little too much happens in this episode.

There are a lot of difficult moments packed into this instalment (be prepared for a lot of grisly moments) but you might also need to be ready for the fact that you might not care all that much. You quickly realise that if a character seems useless and like dead weight, that will probably be the case, thus you might have written them off in your head to some extent. So if anything happens to them, its a minor development as you were already prepared for it.

Also, with such a large group of survivors there are inevitably some who you become more attached to, and others who you don’t. Deaths are always a big thing, but if it is an under-developed character, it comes as no real surprise and seems like an easy option. It is the surprise tragedies that hit home and carry the real weight. The Walking Dead season one was very difficult to predict and Telltale proved that they weren’t scared to take a risk – but season two feels far closer to a traditional Zombie story where the obvious expendable characters tend to bite the bullet, and some of the emotional impact is lost.

That isn’t to say that Amid the Ruins is bad, it’s just that Telltale have simply set high standards for themselves, narratively. The fact they flesh out the new character’s personalities more will allow for a stronger finish to the series, and perhaps the aim of episode four was to set up the grand finale, rather than be a strong entry in its own right. It should also be said that the game has never performed better, with the slow-down and stuttering problems that have plagued them for years seemingly a thing of the past.

One major issue, however, is the way in which Clementine is treated by the other characters. Of course she will be the focal point for the series as players have developed such a strong bond with her, but it begins to put a strain on believability when in every little decision, and every difficult situation, all of the adults turn to Clem for guidance. Yes, we know that she is stronger and more competent than the majority or adults in the series, but it becomes a little silly when each time a hard choice has to be made, Clem seems to be responsible.

VERDICT: Amid the Ruins has its fair share of shortcomings, but it also ticks most of the boxes of what we have been asking for in the past. It maintains a good pace throughout, and avoids getting bogged down with trivialities. It also manages to provide a mix of action sections, emotional scenes, and conversational passages – yet we also get some much-appreciated character development.

In the first season of The Walking Dead, you really had to worry about each and every choice, whereas here there seems to be a tragic inevitability about everything. It’s hard to say whether that is actually an issue, or a reflection of the harsh world Clementine finds herself in. Maybe by making it seem like everything will go wrong, despite your best efforts, Telltale are trying to show just how hopeless the situation has become. This might be a stretch of the imagination, but if it is intended to make us feel numb to the horrors of the world, then they have played a master stroke. Time will tell on that front.

GOOD. A game that scores 7/10 is worthy of note, but unworthy of fanfare. It does many things well, but only a few of them incredibly well and, despite a handful of good qualities, fresh ideas and solid mechanics, it fails to overwhelm.

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Review code provided by publisher.

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Bright, cartoon-style platform games seem like the ideal fodder for handheld gaming, and yet the control system of touch-screen mobile devices has always created something of an issue in these titles. So it comes as no surprise that more and more developers are eschewing the idea of virtual control pads or joysticks, and instead following the successful footsteps laid out by Ubisoft in Rayman Jungle Run – with forward momentum being a fully automated process. By taking basic movement forwards out of the hands of the gamer, it allows us to focus much more on gameplay than getting bogged down in control issues.

Romanian development studio Pixel Trap have taken hold of this freedom and introduced a choice of playable characters, with multiple paths through the forty stages on offer in Mighty Adventure. Players quickly meet the three strange creatures, and shown in brief tutorials how each has a different unique skill that will help them traverse the levels in their own way. One can double jump to reach higher areas, one can perform a slam move to smash through week floors or bounce off the heads of enemies, and the last can perform a fast dash straight forward, destroying objects in its path.

There is very little story to speak of: you are shown through a series of still images that an old character (presumably a town elder or relative of the heroes) has been kidnapped by an ugly monster, and the trio of friends set out to rescue him. This is as loose a premise as possible, but is standard fare for a platform game really, and in true Mario Bros. style. After this, the levels are all just standalone stages, tasking players with reaching the end goal with as many star collectables as possible and with four lives to account for mistakes. Most of the levels are very similar to each other and there is a distinct lack of variety or excitement in the gameplay.

As mentioned previously, the different skills of the three creatures open up different pathways through each stage. You can easily switch from one to the next with a quick button tap (with the handy option of switching the button to the opposite side of the screen for left-handed players). If you spot a deep descent, you could simply follow the path downwards for one route, but perhaps the dash skill would help you cross the chasm in one swift move and reach a higher platform. This makes the levels more interesting, and you won’t find the best route through at your first attempt; in order to grab all the stars on that stage you will have to re-play it a few times.

Depending on how many stars you collected in the stage, your performance is rated as one, two or three stars. The stars you collect don’t have any bearing on your progress in the game however; they are not required in order to unlock later levels and they don’t form a sort of in-game currency – it seems that this star rating system has simply been employed as a mechanic to get you to re-play levels and score as highly as possible. This is most likely down to the fact that you could easily breeze through ten levels in a matter of minutes, and without the star ratings this would be a very short game with nothing to offer any longevity.

The graphics are bold and bright, and the music suitably bouncy for a fairly inoffensive platformer, but it isn’t likely that you will remember either for very long. The characters – be they enemies or friends – are all fairly derivative blobs, and there is nothing really done to add personality or atmosphere to proceedings. One short-coming is definitely the camera movement: as the protagonists are constantly moving, the camera should be too. Sadly though, all too often the screen cannot keep up with the action, meaning you can’t actually see far enough in front of you to know which obstacle is coming next. This issue sometimes reduces the game to a trial and error affair, as you simply cannot judge what to expect on your first play through.

VERDICT: Despite Pixel Trap making the wise decision not to spoil their title with virtual controls, Mighty Adventure just doesn’t do enough to set it aside from a plethora of other cartoon-style platformers. Whereas other games develop and change as you progress through them, Mighty Adventure is a pretty one-note affair. You have really seen everything it has to offer after the first few levels and the only impetus to carry on playing is to collect stars, which have no actual use within the game. This isn’t the sort of title where players will want to compare high scores and leaderboards either, so it is likely that most won’t stick with the lacklustre gameplay.

AVERAGE. The epitome of a 50/50 game, this title will be unspectacular but inoffensive, charmless but amiable. We aren’t condemning a game by scoring it a 5, but we certainly aren’t championing it, either.

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Forget your Pocket Monsters, the beasts that roam the world of Monster Hunter are the real deal, and now you can hunt them all to your heart’s content on your mobile phone or tablet (provided it has a half-eaten apple on the back). Yes, the series that has been a constant fixture of Japanese sales charts over the past decade is making the jump to mobile devices.

First off, this is a port of a 2009 PlayStation Portable title, but unlike most attempts to bridge the gap between dedicated gaming systems and jack-of-all-trades mobile devices, this is a lovingly-crafted and well-executed effort at bringing the console experience to a touch-enabled device.

Starting out as a stranger in town, the entirety of your game is about rising in the ranks of monster hunters – as in hunting them down, killing them and making use of their remains for better hunting equipment, while selling the unwanted bits. Kill stuff, make stuff, kill bigger stuff is the order of the day here, and fans will know what to expect.

I personally have never really played a Monster Hunter game before, so I’m happy to say that this is a damn fine introduction to the series. There are tutorials and explanations aplenty, and while they’re a little too wordy and in depth at times, at least you aren’t expected to know every nuance of this incredibly deep game. From the very start, you always feel like an explanation is never far away, while you’re still given enough to discover and explore for yourself, should you wish to shed the training wheels.

Everything is set out in quests that are perfect for public transport commutes, and the nature of iOS devices means you can suspend play at any time and come back to it later. It truly feels portable, even more so than previous PSP/3DS versions. There’s a lot of grinding for sure, but the improved portability is what this sort of game is perfect for. There’s always enough time to kill a few more monsters for some improved gear, and if you can accept the grinding nature of Monster Hunter, then there is a huge and challenging game here, especially as the quests start to ramp up their difficulty. But don’t feel that you need to tackle the tougher quests on your own, as this game features full WiFi-enabled co-operative play for up to four players, which not even newer portable Monster Hunter games can boast.

This is honestly one of the better ports I’ve seen for mobile devices and the touchscreen controls work surprisingly well, even if the screen looks a little cluttered with icons; every function is easy to access, even on an iPhone 5 screen. There’s also support for MFI control pads, so it’s possible to get a more console-quality interface experience if you own one of these controllers. The visuals are also improved over its PSP counterpart, and although the poly-count is still low by today’s standards, the resolution has increased and everything runs smoothly. I never noticed any drops in framerate, and that’s really good to see.

VERDICT: At a price of around a tenner, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite may be one of the more expensive apps out there, but you’re looking at over a hundred hours of gameplay, with one of the best ports I’ve ever played on an iOS device. It’s a great introduction to a series that’s slowly growing in popularity over here, while hardcore fans will love the opportunity to take their questing with them wherever they go. Even with the higher price, it’s still cheaper than the Wii/Wii U/3DS versions, so it’s definitely worth a try if you’re interested in finding out what hunting monsters is all about.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Civilization Revolution was just that: a revolution. It brought the venerable strategy series to consoles and mobiles with a slim-line, stripped down iteration that still carried the series’ signature gameplay. But is it a trick that can be pulled off twice?

Things don’t start off well for this mobile-only sequel. There isn’t a story to follow, instead you pick from a selection of leaders – each of which provide a unique bonus – and you’re off. Winston Churchill, Napoleon and Cleopatra are all present, and their respective nation determines the name choices for your cities – London is your starting city if you pick the British Bulldog – but not much else. No matter who you pick, the technology tree is exactly the same, including the building of wonders – pyramids in New York anyone? – and the look of your units and cities depends on what age you’ve reached, not any cultural differences. It’s a shame because it means from the off that two matches are likely to look and feel the same at the start.

Surely, though, the series signature gameplay will mean that matches evolve in different ways as you progress; sometimes chasing scientific goals, other times military domination? Well, yes and no. The former because you can pursue avenues other than military, the latter because you won’t want to. You can pursue the building of wonders, or the foundation of the United Nations, and win a bloodless victory. But you won’t because it takes so long compared to a military conquest. No matter which goal you strive for, you will always need a military to protect yourself, and if it needs to be large enough to fend off the opposition, chances are it’s big enough to steamroll them.

In a fully sized Civ title this is normally balanced by the intricate diplomacy available; treaties to placate a more powerful nation, or tithes to prevent them. Revolution 2, on the other hand, is hamstrung by their exclusion. Sure, there are the occasional pop-up messages from other nations demanding gold and technology or they’ll declare war, but there is no negotiation, only four responses – conceding, offering another piece of tech, consulting your advisors or going to war. Even when you open the dialogue you only get a handful of choices. It undermines the whole system, and I found every game came down to rocketing to the second age, unlocking a slightly more powerful unit than my neighbours and then pinning them in place by spamming it as I researched the next level to finish them off.

At least it all works well on the screen. The controls are intuitive: holding on to a unit for a few seconds to select it, then double tapping where you want it to go. That double tap is a godsend, as you will forget what unit you’re currently controlling and almost send it halfway across the map. An icon on the bottom left of the screen shows how many units are left to move, and tapping it takes you to the next idle one, while production and resource rates span the top. On a small screen it may be a little fiddly, but on an iPad it’s perfect.

But all of these are things I remember the original Revolution getting right first time around. Firaxis haven’t built upon the systems of the original, and have instead just transplanted them directly into this sequel. The same accusation can be levelled at the graphics. It looks exactly like the first game – which came out in 2008 – to the extent that I’m certain some of the assets are identical. It isn’t that they don’t look good – Rev 2 looks great – but six years on you would be forgiven for expecting more.

VERDICT: And here we come to the main problem of Civilization Revolution 2: it’s a sequel. If the original didn’t exist, then I’d be praising Rev 2 for bringing the Civilization series to mobile. Instead, this is a game that doesn’t need to exist. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great in its own right, but Firaxis wants you to pay for almost exactly the same game as last time, half a decade on – and that just isn’t good enough.

DECENT. A 6/10 indicates that, while this game could be much better, it still has a fair amount to offer the player. It might be an interesting title sabotaged by its own ambition, or a game denied greater praise by some questionable design choices. Don’t avoid it outright, but approach it with caution.

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When it comes to narrative driven games, you always expect a big pay off for your time invested. Telltale haven’t been in the limelight for that long really, but after proving they know how to end a season with The Walking Dead, hopes are high for The Wolf Among Us after a stellar penultimate episode – but nothing will prepare you for the choices you will face in this finale.

The following review assumes you have played the previous episodes, though spoilers are (as always) kept to a minimum.

Let’s be honest: what you want from a finale is closure, and Cry Wolf provides that – without shutting the door on the series as a whole. The sheer depth of the Fables universe ensures that, if Telltale choose to do so (and here’s hoping they do), this series could run and run.

But what we have here is a fitting close to a sublime opening season. Faced with some of the strongest choices yet, your nerves will be tested as Bigby Wolf – and there are moments that stand out, including the mother of all decisions. There are revelations, and thankfully there isn’t much left unexplained, although there’s a slight question over the very final scene, and you’ll be rewarded if you have a keen eye. There’s a strong argument to be made, also, for the choices on offer here being more important and having more impact than in The Walking Dead.

Illusion of choice was something The Walking Dead did well, but often upon close consideration, the seams would come apart and you’d realise you weren’t much more than a passenger, whereas The Wolf Among Us appears to actually change drastically depending on your actikons. In fact, the finale presents itself as a slight dilemma: as with most story driven games, you don’t often want to replay them, but Cry Wolf suggests there to be drastic differences depending on key decisions made.

To that end, it bares a few playthroughs, and despite being satisfied with the conclusion, there were major sections that had me wondering what the alternative path would lead to. It’s down to personal preference, really, but I felt like I wanted to play it again to fully understand everything, but that might be down to the breakneck pace Cry Wolf plays out at, rather than the way the story is told.

And there are moments in the series that have bugged me. As someone who has read Fables in its entirety, episode five is where the most fan-service lies, some of it subtle; some not so much. There are moments that speak directly to long-term readers, including one specific moment that is just so utterly rewarding, because it genuinely felt like it would never happen.

Cry Wolf wastes little time in getting down to business, either. Telltale dispense with the usual late-credits sequence and put you right back where you ended Episode Four. There are plenty of action sequences, and while In Sheep’s Clothing felt the most like an interactive story of all the recent episodes in Telltale’s library (it was the most gameplay-light to date), the finale puts you firmly back in control of the sheriff.

As with previous season endings, it’s a little shorter than the regular episodes. Clocking in at around an hour, it’s rewarding and satisfying, and there are options for revenge, justice, and humility. What I will say, however, is that the story is dealt with in an incredibly interesting way. It probably won’t be what you’re expecting, but due to the nature of The Wolf Among Us, I can’t really say much without spoiling things. It’s a very cleverly told story, overall.

That said, there were a few technical hitches I didn’t notice in previous episodes on the PC version, including the dreaded slowdown – so much so that I was concerned it had crashed on a few occasions. Obviously your mileage may vary, but it’s likely these issues are due to the volume of previous choices connecting together to the pre-ordained narrative paths, but it’s a shame nonetheless, and takes you out of the universe for a moment.

VERDICT: Telltale’s greatest accomplishment is delivering a worthwhile entry into the Fables cannon, keeping true to the ideals without taking any liberties whatsoever. Even though many fans will already know how the characters end up, The Wolf Among Us manages to be gripping from start to finish – there’s just no real weak point, and Cry Wolf is a fittingly great ending to a fantastic series.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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You have to hand it to Wales Interactive for their genius in coming up with a game featuring badgers in space, then giving it a radical theme tune for its title screen that wouldn’t feel out of place in an 80s Saturday morning cartoon.

You can imagine my disappointment and horror to find that once I got past this impressive opening, I then had to play a disappointing physics-based puzzler that looks and plays like an unpolished ripoff of Angry Birds Space, mixed with a very similar game I reviewed earlier this year for iOS, Interplanetary Drift.

Before I stick the boot in, here’s the simple premise. Playing as the eponymous Badgers of Gravity, or rather the leader, Captain T. Bayback, you are in charge of rescuing your squad and the universe itself from the dreaded Evil Honey Badgers (who may, or may not, give a toss). Each chapter in the game is preceded by a beautifully painted piece of artwork, which is static and unfortunately doesn’t really explain what’s going on, not that it really matters. Every now and then, there’ll be some non-animated in-game cutscenes with poor dialogue between the various members of the team, including some awful puns, but that’s your lot as far as narrative goes.

In any case, this sets up over 100 single-screen puzzles where you need to catapult your badger through space and into a wormhole, using the gravitational pull of planets to guide you where you need to go. In true Angry Birds style, you drag your badger back before letting go and seeing if the aim and power are correct to get to the end of the level. Repetitive trial and error is the key here, as well as luck, it seems, as it often feels like you’re pulling your badger the exact same way only to catapult him/her in different directions. All too often, your badger decides to fly off while you’re trying to drag, which is also an annoyance, as is the camera automatically zooming out when you’re trying to line up a shot. As a result, each time you start a level, it’s best to manually zoom out with the right analog stick, just to make sure the view doesn’t zoom out when you least expect it (usually a millisecond before you let go).

Each level has three glowing orbs to collect in order to unlock achievement-style rankings that don’t really do anything. There are also a few environmental hazards and helpers such as a static enemy that occasionally floats around to get in your way, portals, laser grids that open the wormhole when tripped, and blocks of ice that stop you and allow you to change direction.

A boss “fight” also occurs at the end of each chapter, which basically involves you continually moving to dodge their laser attacks until they get bored and blow up. It’s as dull as you can imagine, especially when, like the rest of the game, there’s barely any challenge whatsoever. While a game like Angry Birds relies on the nuance of its physics to create challenge and keep you playing, here each level just seems like more of the same. I rarely spent more than a couple of minutes on a level, and most of the time I was just finishing them all in one turn.

The presentation is just dreadful, and it feels like the entire budget of money and effort was spent on the title screen and the painted cutscenes. The irritating in-game music constantly loops, along with the dull sound effects, while the visuals are worth, with absolutely no animation and the same art assets used throughout.

VERDICT: Lifeless, unpolished and uninspired. These are all words used to describe such a dull ripoff. This game gives badgers a bad name and, quite frankly, unlike the real creature, these badgers should be culled.

BAD. Ugly, lazy, and unpleasant, if we’ve scored a game so low then it has serious issues. A 3/10 game will suffer from a combination of uninspired, lacklustre design, unfixed bugs and poor presentation.

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The following review assumes you have played the previous episodes, though spoilers are (as always) kept to a minimum.

The Wolf Among Us has gone from strength to strength with each passing episode. Gritty stories based upon fairytale characters have been doing the rounds for quite some time now – including Telltale’s source material, Fables – but the studio famed for a buddy cop duo and a (sort of) parental relationship have taken Bill Willingham’s comic series and brought it to life, beautifully. Episode four: In Sheep’s Clothing doesn’t just match past efforts in the season – it surpasses them.

While episode three was all about establishing the supporting cast members and the relationship between Bigby and Snow – and it did both in a wonderful fashion – episode four is Bigby’s time to shine. Getting more and more aggravated with his investigation slip-ups, The Big Bad Wolf is now relentless in his approach to the investigation. There have been glimpses of this throughout the series such as the torture scene in episode two and the closing scene in episode three, but this time ‘round, Adam Harrington’s Bigby Wolf is not letting The Crooked Man slip away again.

Of course, the allure of the studio’s games is that they are choice based. However, even with some more gentle options on offer, the natural narrative progression is that the Sheriff is coming to the end of his tether – this is evident in the cutscenes where you don’t have any dialogue options. For example, there was one moment where I walked into a building and I had the choice to light a cigarette, or not smoke. The option to not stress your lungs is there, but it just feels right that the gruff cop would buck the system and satiate his nicotine desires. As Bigby Wolf, Harrington is nothing short of outstanding and it’s difficult to come up with new ways to praise his performance. Sublime.

One thing that has been handled with a great deal of care in every episode of The Wolf Among Us is the introduction of new characters. As this is episode four, In Sheep’s Clothing would be foolish to throw a host of new allies and villains in your face, and thankfully it doesn’t do that. It does, however, allow us to meet a few new faces that are subtle departures from what we’ve seen already this season. One particular personality makes a very lasting impression as he takes Bigby Wolf to his limit in the best action scene offered up thus far. Sure, death isn’t that punishing in a Telltale Games joint, but there are definitely moments in the aforementioned battle where your suspension of disbelief kicks in and you begin to feel every punch given and taken by the protagonist.

The dip actually comes from two very early arrivals in The Wolf Among Us’ setting, 1980’s New York – Beauty and Beast. Beast may eclipse Bigby in terms of size, but in terms of believability, The Wolf wins, hands down. Gavin Hammon’s vocal performance feels forced and when he’s playing the meathead, it’s out of place. The quality of those surrounding him make this even more evident.

As we’ve made note of previously, technically, our problems with Telltale titles are getting fewer and fewer. Reviewed on PC, In Sheep’s Clothing was virtually free of any hitches. Once or twice, I was left on loading screens for longer than I would have hoped, but these issues are thankfully becoming a thing of the past. Add to that the fact that less than two months have passed since Episode Three: A Crooked Mile and it appears the developer is making a concerted effort to make their scheduling problems a thing of the past.

VERDICT: Questions have been asked and we can now take solace that satisfying solutions are being given. Snow and Bigby’s exchanges are very brief as The Sheriff focuses on getting answers that have eluded him since the beginning of The Wolf Among Us. Bigby excels in what is the most action-packed offering yet and will leave you wanting more. In Sheep’s Clothing ends on one of the best cliffhangers you could imagine.

 SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Endless running games and 80s style action heroes – two things that have most certainly gone out of style, but are still loved regardless. With a name like Bill Killem, you wouldn’t expect Everplay Interactive’s game to tax the grey matter, and you would be correct.

Here is a game that takes the endless runner and makes a few minor and major changes to elements of the formula. For a start, Bill doesn’t run automatically, with every footstep and jump under your direct control, and he can even walk left and right – now there’s progress! The motivation for constantly moving right is the alien UFO that gradually approaches, threatening to abduct you if you fail to collect clocks to increase your time.

Secondly, Mr Killem likes to shoot aliens with a variety of weapons, from the basic starting pistol to the superior weaponry found in handy (and potentially unsafe to the general public) boxes littered throughout your linear, infinite path. It is Bill Killem’s (and therefore your) goal to travel as far as you can, shooting enemies, collecting clocks and basically not dying. Your score is calculated from the distance you travel and the number of enemies you dispatch, with the usual leaderboards available to compare your best scores with the rest of the world.

Which is basically your only motivation for playing the game, to be honest. Being an endless runner, there is little to do but, well….run, with no variation to the environment you’re jogging through, and little variation to the enemies themselves. All there is to do is to better yourself, and while that isn’t always an issue in any game, here there isn’t enough of a hook to the gameplay to justify any sort of dedication.

Sure, there are coins to collect, which can unlock power-ups to activate at the beginning of each playthrough, that can make you run faster, give you a jetpack, let you start further along the level, or give you a magnet to make coin collection a little easier. Coins can also be used to upgrade these power-ups too, as well as unlock various useless costumes for Bill.

As per many other mobile games, there’s also a mission system in place, giving you coins and increasing your level when certain tasks are completed, such as killing so many enemies, using a particular costume, or activating a certain number of power-ups, etc. Going up in levels doesn’t really serve a purpose, so I’m not entirely sure why it’s even there.

Other mainstays of mobile gaming also rear their head, from the usual pointless in-app purchases, to the always popular pixel art/chiptune presentation. With so little variety going on in the game, the pixel sprites are rather basic and lacking character, while there is only one piece of chiptune music running throughout the game. Now, as a fan of all things retro, I never have a problem with pixel art and chiptune – however, we’re now seeing this style so often, it’s beginning to feel incredibly stale. If you’re going to go retro, do it well and above all, do it unlike everyone else. Sadly, Bill Killem is pretty generic in this regard.

VERDICT: Which, in truth, is the word I’d best use to describe this game as a whole. There’s nothing here you haven’t seen before, and while it’s a decent take on the runner game, you’ve no doubt seen it done so much better elsewhere. There’s very little payoff or reason for repeated plays, and that’s a big problem with a mobile game.

AVERAGE. The epitome of a 50/50 game, this title will be unspectacular but inoffensive, charmless but amiable. We aren’t condemning a game by scoring it a 5, but we certainly aren’t championing it, either.

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Originally released back in 2012 on PC, then on PlayStation platforms a year ago, Mike Bithell’s puzzle-platformer, Thomas Was Alone, has now arrived on iPad. This collection of squares and rectangles probably feels a bit more loved by now as Thomas’ reach has grown quite a lot in two years. But now, there’s a chance to get a whole new audience on board.

Last April, we reviewed Thomas Was Alone on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, so to drone on about the mechanics, puzzles, or story again, would be pointless. In that department, naturally, nothing has changed. This is a straight-up port, but one that subtly utilises the iPad’s advantages.

As with most ports to mobile/tablet, Thomas Was Alone’s default control method is on-screen buttons. Arrows denoting left and right sit in the bottom left-hand corner, with a single button on the right of the screen, which is used to make Thomas and his merry band of polygons leap. As with all mobile titles, you lose the tactile feel of pressing “X”, or “A”, for example, so the fact that you don’t have to be precise here, is a Godsend. Pressing within approximately an inch of any of the buttons will give you the desired outcome. Thomas doesn’t ask you to be pin-point, or alert with your jumps, on most occasions, so giving a bit of leeway is the right move.

Alternatively, there is another option when it comes to controlling these multi-faceted shapes. Imagine your iPad is split into four quarters (top-left, top-right, bottom-left and bottom-right) and there are no virtual buttons on-screen. If you place your thumb anywhere within the imaginary bottom right quadrant, you’ll make your character jump. Similarly, if you place your left thumb in the bottom left quadrant, you can move your character left and right with directional controls that weren’t present before you put your digit on the iPad’s screen. This may be more appealing to people who aren’t well versed with controllers, but it’s far more awkward moving Claire, James, or any of Thomas’ buddies around any one of the 100 stages. There’s a fine line between the forgiving nature of the default control scheme, and this practice, which is far too loose.

Switching characters couldn’t be simpler, though. On the edges of the screen there will be coloured bars, relating to their respective blocks. By tapping on the yellow bar, for instance, you’ll be in control of John. It’s fluid, easy, and most certainly the best implementation of character switching in any of the Thomas Was Alone incarnations.

VERDICT: Not much has changed, but that’s a good thing. To tamper with the formula would be doing a disservice to the great work that first came to people’s attention, two years ago. If this gets the lonely quadrilateral in the hands of more folk, then that’s a good thing.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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Last time we saw Clementine and the gang, all manner of messed up things were happening. And let’s face it, that could be the description of any episode of The Walking Dead to date. What episode two was missing, though, was character, and more importantly, the ability to make the player feel any strong emotions towards the cast. Episode three fixes that with a bullet.

During the 90 minutes of In Harm’s Way, Telltale managed to get me entirely back on board with the series by doing what Season One did so spectacularly well. It made me care again.

If there was anything ambiguous about Bill Carver and his intentions, there are no questions left about him after the credits roll. In fact, I felt a murderous, brutal rage toward him that I don’t think I’ve ever felt towards a video game character before. He’s crazy, sure, but we’re talking The Walking Dead comic-book crazy – and as a fan of the books, Carver sickened even me. Michael Madsen’s performance is pitch perfect. In fact, the voice cast perform wonderfully throughout Episode Three.

Set in an enclosed area, In Harm’s Way features a horrifically oppressive atmosphere, and like the best parts of The Walking Dead, it proves yet again that human beings are far more scary than the potential walker attack that is ever-present.

But Episode Three is also about other characters, and honing in on them makes the entire thing feel more successful. Returning characters are fleshed out, of course, but for the first time in Season Two, some of the more peripheral characters – whom we previously may have even forgotten the name of – seem to have a place and purpose. New characters are introduced as well, and they seem immediately interesting and useful to the group.

Thanks to a new character, there’s even a slight bit of comic relief, and unless I am misreading things, there are even nods toward the stigma attached to mental illness, which is a new, welcome additional layer to the story that proves Telltale are always looking for new ways to engage the audience.

Interestingly, In Harm’s Way actually hosts a contained story all of its own that wraps up by the credits. As you are supposed to be reintegrating with the community that Carver lords over, there is an oncoming horde (and it’s massive) that is a secondary concern. Your gang is exhausted and circumstances mean they are basically prisoners here, and want to get out. While plotting to escape, you’re forced to do chores, and with every minute that passes, you learn more about your host.

There are some truly exceptional set pieces, and despite fears after Episode One that there would be excuses to gross us out, every time there is any violence it is in service of the plot and justified, even when it’s hard to watch.

The only real negative isn’t a new one: sometimes it can be slightly off-putting when you realise that you’re playing yourself, and not a young girl. During some of the key plot points my own instincts took over and I was playing as myself, not Clementine. That’s a disconnect I’m not sure there’s any way to solve, but it’s also the mark of a very emotional experience that drills into your primal instincts to survive.

By the end, I felt utterly drained, yet ready for more, because it’s all coming together nicely. Though you’d traditionally expect a slightly duller, more filler-padded middle episode, this is anything but. One thing to note is that the version I played was entirely bug-free, with barely any noticeable slowdown whatsoever. It could have been the press build I was playing, or it could be that Telltale have been working on their engine.

VERDICT: The Walking Dead is back on track, after a slightly dull Episode Two, this is exactly what the series needed. It will make you care again, it will make you angry and sad in equal measures, it will remind you that nobody is safe in this universe, but best of all it recaptures The Walking Dead’s brilliance. I cannot wait for the next episode.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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The post The Walking Dead: Season Two Episode 3 – In Harm’s Way Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

“Smack upside the head.”

This was the point at which The Amazing Spider-Man 2 lost me. It happened fairly early on – and I wasn’t holding on particularly tight even then – but it lost me. It’s Spider-Man who delivers the line, and he isn’t being sarcastic, it isn’t a joke. No, he says it, straight faced, to a random goon in a cut-scene. We’re through the looking glass people.

With writing like that you won’t be surprised to hear that the plot is a shambles. It begins with a Russian gang – comprised of one dude copy and pasted X amount of times – starting a gang war in New York. A private military corporation is brought in, leading to tanks on the streets and drones in the sky. It’s exactly the plot of Saints Row the Third, except where that was satire, this is meant to be serious. Even then, the city officials in Saints Row realise it’s a terrible idea in the end, while here a post credit sequence shows a telephone conversation with the mayor on how good an idea it is to keep this “task force” around. If a deliberate piss-take can’t keep a straight face with this plot, how the hell can The Amazing Spider-Man 2?

Of course, there’s more to it than that. Villains from the Spider-Man mythos are drafted in; every character that gets any detail at all you will eventually have to fight. Black Cat, Green Goblin (the one from the movie), they’re all here, with terribly written lines and hammy acting.

Oh God (whom art a geek), the cut-scenes. I don’t even know where to begin. Spider-Man fidgets and lunges like a junkie in need of a fix, with dialogue that barely makes sense at times. Same goes for the handful of random lines he’ll say during gameplay. I get that Spider-Man is meant to be an arrogant, cocky teenager – that’s his personality – but he even manages to be a patronising dick to the player – try and web swing without any buildings nearby and he’ll smirk: “Oops! I need something to swing off!” Silly player!

Ah, the swinging, the best part of being Spider-Man. Get that right and nothing else really matters. Well, they got it wrong. The triggers control the left and right arms respectively, which, while giving a bit more agency to you, makes getting into the rhythm of swinging a little difficult, particularly turning. One button was enough for Spider-Man 2, and that was a decade ago.

That’s when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 lets you swing of course. There’s a mandatory reputation system in the game, to get you to do the random tasks scattered around the city; rescue people form a fire, catch a stolen car, etc… But neglect these things and your level drops, with the police and task force harassing you when all you want to do is explore a bit. It doesn’t help that the tasks are mind-numbingly dull, but after each main mission the game seems to set your reputation at a predetermined level – aka low – so you exit a mission and immediately have to do some tasks or you can’t just do what you want. The missions are no better: linear slogs through confined areas, beating up everyone you can see.

And all of this is a shame because there is potential here. The devs have clearly been inspired by Rocksteady’s Batman games, and that is only a positive thing. Spider-Man has an attack, a counterattack and a web-shoot button, although most fights, including boss-battles, devolve into hammering square until everybody’s dead. But the way Spiderman flits between targets – basically at random due to atrocious aiming – is almost seamless, bouncing off one, sliding behind another. It’s almost good. It could have been.

Also borrowed from the Dark Knight are cavernous rooms full of baddies to pick off. In theory, Spider-Man 2 is almost more suited to this that the Bat: he can stick to walls rather than relying on gargoyles being the must have decor feature of the season. Sadly, these bits are let down by poor controls on anything other than the ground, a lack of aiming and a stealth button that only works within a few feet of the enemy, even if you’re perched directly above him.

Despite this glimmer though, there’s worse to come. Bugs are everywhere, Spider-Man clipping through himself, enemies that can see through walls, and enemies that – if you perform a finishing move on them – can go through walls. Texture pop in levels are dreadful, too, and at times you could mistake it for a PS2 game, and overall there’s a lack of polish. For a game setting you back £50 on a next-gen console, you’d expect more.

VERDICT: There is potential here. I don’t know if it was time, money or the will, but it could have been special. The combat isn’t far off decent, it’s just a shame that it’s tied to the rest of the package.

Let me put it to you this way. I actually stopped playing The Amazing Spider-Man 2 to do some other work. I’d play a mission, decide I couldn’t take any more and go do something else instead, just to get away from it. Quite frankly, that’s the opposite of what a game should be.

BAD. Ugly, lazy, and unpleasant, if we’ve scored a game so low then it has serious issues. A 3/10 game will suffer from a combination of uninspired, lacklustre design, unfixed bugs and poor presentation.

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Review code provided by publisher.

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I don’t know what Leo actually is. I mean, he’s clearly some kind of furball, but he has a moustache, which throws everything into question, quite frankly. Regardless, Leo is of Russian origin and is a rich furball who has suddenly lost all of his gold. As he sets out on a mission to recover it, the story tries to tell the tale of what is truly important in life, but not before he accuses his nearest and dearest of thievery.

Told through black and white cut-scenes that appear every few levels, Leopold’s story is a pleasant one that threatens to go dark a few times, but ultimately culminates in a very palatable, feel-good manner. It’s the voiceover that sells it so well, though, and even on the odd occasion that Leo mutters something during the gameplay, it helps add to the overall character of Leo’s Fortune.

It’s a side-scrolling platformer on iOS, by the way. But before you go running, know that it works for the entirety of the twenty levels (plus four bonus levels), especially when selecting the on-screen touch controls option. I found the initial control method rather awkward, as it involved swiping up or down to jump/deflate, and sliding left/right to move. This is thanks to the simplicity of the controls: Leo can move forward and backwards (left and right arrow), and can inflate or push himself downward, and that’s it.

Puffing Leo up doubles as a jump button, but when held down he also hover across larger gaps. Likewise, squishing into a ball can force Leo downwards at high velocity, or it can help him squeeze through a gap that would be otherwise blocked. The levels are highly linear, but offer unique puzzles contextual to the environment. One later chapter sees our impressively mustachioed hero traverse a land full of high winds, which is made trickier by plenty of spiky objects in his way, whereas another will see him go through a machine that is littered with awkward jumps that you can only make if you force a plank to lean, giving a higher point to leap from.

But Leo isn’t invincible, and one hit will see you restart at a checkpoint. These are regular and loading is minimal, which is important. What’s great about Leo’s Fortune is that you feel as though you learn a slightly different idea as you progress. At the beginning it’s all about making the jumps and avoiding a few spikes, but by the end you are using every trick in your arsenal to stay alive.

The best thing about it is that the controls work. It’s just twitchy enough to make if feel like a proper platform game, but not overly sensitive to the point that the moments where you have to glide through a litter of spikes is frustrating. Solving puzzles feels great, even if they are fairly rudimentary crate box or traditional physics-based ones that move the environment. Its difficulty won’t tax many gamers, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a fun ride throughout, and you won’t get through it without dying, either.

Each level has three stars available to achieve. As you progress through a level you will collect part of Leo’s Fortune back in the form of coins, if you get them all, you’ll unlock one star. The second star is for completion time (beating par), and the final one is for zero deaths. Each chapter hosts around four levels, and if you get five stars you unlock a bonus level. These are a break from the story, and feature ideas such as racing around a map as quickly as you can before a time limit runs out.

Finish the game and you’ll unlock hard mode, which turns Leo’s Fortune into more of a score attack game. Basically, hard mode means that one death and it’s all over, so you are tasked with completing as many levels as you can before that happens. It’s a nice reward for completing a game that takes around 90 minutes to two hours to complete, but it’s for the hardcore only.

VERDICT: Leo’s Fortune proves that on-screen controls can work well when the gameplay is designed around them. A visually stunning iOS game that runs smoothly and justifies the premium price, with no in-app purchases to speak of, means the game feels high budget despite it coming from a small team. Another good game, then, and one iOS users should be checking out as soon as possible.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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Review code provided by publisher.

The post Leo’s Fortune Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

In the same week that JJ Abrams gave the sci-fi fan-iverse a list of acting talent for his forthcoming Star Wars sequel, we here at Godisageek are transported back to a galaxy far, far away thanks to Zen Studios and their latest clutch of generally excellent themed tables, completing their promised ten-strong lineup. With added PS4 crossover action on offer, there has never been a better reason to chuck the very reasonable eight quid asking price into your PSN wallet, and pretend you are stood bow legged in front of a real table, looking cool as I-don’t-know-what.

Just as the last time I investigated a Zen Star Wars collection, the arsenal of tables in Heroes Within kicks off with a beloved denizen of the movie mythology, concentrating on everybody’s favourite badass: wise-cracking smuggler, Han Solo. Wisely basing the table around the Mos Eisley Cantina and the iconic Millennium Falcon, the Han Solo effort is terrific fun, from the Cantina Band theme that backs up the action, to the rotating cutouts of various ne’er-do-wells straight out of Tattooine’s most salubrious nightspot. Everything is present and correct: the freezing carbonite chamber, copious blaster fire, glorious banter between Anthony Edwards’ C-3PO and the space pirate himself (“Never tell me the odds!”), and of course his sidekick Chewbacca. With fun side games based around Solo’s legendary craft, including negotiating an asteroid field, and a well-designed table with multiple flippers situated around the field, this is a fine way to open up.

A second table based upon the Star Wars Droids is another corker, set inside a representation of a sandcrawler, complete with a smelter, molten lava, and naturally a bunch of everyone’s fave diminutive scrap metal merchants, the Jawas. Revolving around salvaging and repairing various robot buddies, and shenanigans involving the hooded little scavengers, the table is a well balanced mixture of ramps and mini-games.

Although symmetrical in its layout, not always the best choice for a pinball table, the New Hope set-up works surprisingly well, despite what is (on the surface, at least) a basic design. The longer you spend in the company of Luke Skywalker, the more subtle additions become apparent, like a cool upside-down area hidden below the main playing field. The missions in this most traditional entry in the quartet are great fun, including a crack at destroying the Death Star, shootouts with Storm Troopers, the ominous worm-infested trash compactor and an excellent trench-run showdown with TIE Fighters. Ripped straight from scenes in the movie, the seven missions are challenging and diverse, and will keep your interest for a good while, even if you consider yourself a bit of a wizard.

The final table rivals the magnificent Infinity Gauntlet as being perhaps Zen’s finest virtual pinball moment. Masters of the Force is a wonderful-looking piece of work, the table split in half to represent the Light and Dark side of the force, emblazoned with the likes of Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn and Emperor Palpatine. The top of the table features two diorama-like areas that can be opened up by hitting the required Holocron targets. Once this is achieved, you can enter flipper minigames set either in Yoda’s swampy homeland of Dagobah, or deep inside the belly of the Death Star.

Gameplay in the last table revolves around the constant struggle between the two sides of the Force, which is also true of the whole package – once you have downloaded it you can select which side of the fence you are on, and earn a Force Score based upon your efforts in the game both on or offline.

VERDICT: Heroes Within is a great way to round off Zen Studios’ work with the Star Wars franchise, which has given fans of both pinball and the long-running space opera a superb flipper-based treat, at a sensible and generous price point (especially given that most of the tables offer up hours of gameplay even as standalone one-shot deals). Whether you are a fan of the source material or not, the production values are excellent, there are plenty of options as to how you view and take part in the action, and the power of the modern game console allows Zen to do things that no traditional pinball cabinet could ever do. Excellent then, and well worth a look. May the force be with you.

 SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Review code provided by publisher.

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Although Kickstarter projects promise to give power back to the fans, and attest to be working solely to please their audience, several high-profile problems and failures have rocked the boat over the last year. What once was the next big hope for independent video games now has a certain scepticism associated with it. So when Revolution announced that Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse would be split into two parts, fans were understandably worried that something more serious may be wrong.

Four months on from the release of Part 1 however, Part 2 has surfaced with no apparent issues in its development. Rather than something necessitating the split of the game into two parts, Revolution founder Charles Cecil cites excitement and their wish to get at least part of the game into the hands of their fans as soon as possible. Ultimately it may have hurt the game, because as stated in our review of Part 1, it seems like the pacing suffered due to the fifty/fifty split. It was all exposition and set-up in the first part, with little pay-off – so does Part 2 offer a bit more to get your teeth into?

Although the plot may never become quite as gripping or historically exciting as the original Broken Sword, Part 2 certainly benefits from a faster pace and more action-packed scenarios. We re-join George and Nico in Catalonia on the trail of the mystical artefact, the Tabula Veritatis. Following clues gathered in Part 1, the adventuring duo find themselves being shot at, trapped and dangling from perilous heights – all of which give the game a much greater feel of urgency and excitement than in the first half.

The only real negative is that everything seems to come to a halt rather suddenly, with a somewhat disappointing finale – but sadly this has been a bit of a trend for Broken Sword games, where the story is never wrapped up quite as neatly as the build-up deserves. There is still an over-reliance on long conversations at times, but this is definitely reduced in the concluding half – and it must be said that conversations about historical and/or mythical tales are a big part of the identity of the Broken Sword series.

That isn’t the only element returning to the series however, as there are even more nods to previous games in Part 2 of The Serpent’s Curse than there were in the first. A whole host of familiar characters are wheeled out, which might feel like a little too much fan service were this not a game born out of the generosity of said fans. Not only does the story seem to move on at a much more brisk pace, but the gameplay feels far meatier. Whereas Part 1was largely concerned with sleuthing and examining clues, players are treated to some real puzzles to wrap their heads around here.

There are a couple of code-breaking puzzles, along with some involving directing different beams of light and plotting points on a map based on clues you’ve uncovered. These all feel like much more challenging puzzles than anything the first part threw at you and therefore the whole chapter is a lot more satisfying. The hint system is once again robust enough that anyone who finds these a little too challenging can get subtle hints, all the way up to complete solutions, depending on how stumped you are.

VERDICT: The Serpent’s Curse certainly won’t set the gaming world alight, and it is somewhat doubtful that it can do enough to bring many new fans to the franchise. But it is a solid entry in the series that builds on the strengths of past titles. The game does a good job of replicating the atmosphere of the first two two-dimensional Broken Sword games, successfully integrating new 3D modelling with traditional hand-drawn backgrounds and old-school point and click techniques.

The Serpent’s Curse harks back to the end of the golden era of adventure gaming, but it manages to weave an interesting new tale that thoroughly fits in with Broken Sword lore. It may have begun somewhat cautiously in Part 1, but Part 2 really finds its stride and manages to build up to an exciting conclusion. Splitting the game did it no favours, however, and only makes the two parts look very uneven as a result. But played as a whole, The Serpent’s Curse manages to be more than just a nostalgia trip, but it is uncertain whether it will be the game to re-kindle the flame for future iterations.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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Review code provided by publisher.

The post Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse – Part 2 Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Imagine the perfect storm of video game dislikes. Pretend you have never played World of Warcraft (and thus know nothing about the characters), and that you vehemently dislike free-to-play, but that you’re also not even particularly interested in card games. Because that’s me, you see. So how exactly is it that a game combining all of those things exists and is one of the best games released so far this year?

Respect plays a large part in it, of course. Blizzard never seeks to nickel and dime you throughout your experience with Hearthstone, so if you’re not an inquisitive type, you’d never even know there were micro-transactions in the game. On the PC version, it even reminds you (before purchasing) that you are spending “real money” if you choose to go ahead. This is how you do F2P, you respect the player and their time.

Because in fact, you never actually need to buy a thing. I haven’t, and I don’t see any point going forward where I will. Cards are unlocked initially as you level up each character (there are nine and they are all equally playable thanks to their unique skills and decks), with expert cards rewarded through the arena, card packs, or crafting. Note that I mentioned card packs there, which are the things you can buy with real money if you so choose, but you can also unlock them by completing challenges which reward you with currency.

Fundamentally, Hearthstone is a card game that uses World of Warcraft as its lore-base. The titular heroes all have different classes (though initially you can only select Jaina the Mage, but you unlock the others by beating them in the practice mode), which means they also have different cards specific to them and even a different base skill that can be used for two gems each turn – one heals, one attacks, another summons a 1/1 minion. That means that, sure, you’ll end up with a favourite, but you’ll rarely just stick to one. This is also (in part) thanks to Hearthstone being so utterly playable, that you’ll enjoy levelling up as much as simply just playing the game.

Starting with three cards means you’ll go first (four cards means you go second), and initially you can only play a card worth one gem. Every turn will see each player get an additional gem, up to a maximum of ten, and they (of course) are replenished, each turn. If you want to win against skilled players, you’ll need to be tactically on point at all times. One mistake can lead to an absolute rout, and a defeat in the blink of an eye.

Every card will have an attack and defence stat, but many will also have an additional ability. Taunt is one of the most basic, but also most useful, as it forces your opponent to focus their attacks on them, meaning they cannot attack your hero. Others will buff your attack or defence, or can deal direct damage to the hero. Some can turn your minion into a sheep, another still can force your minion back into your deck, meaning you have to play them again (next turn) to get them back onto the board.

One particular match, I just hadn’t noticed that an enemy minion (or card, if you like) was collecting +2 damage for every hit they took (and that card has high health), so rather than sacrifice one of my better minions, I concentrated on thinning my opposition’s ranks. Huge mistake. Before I knew it, that buffed minion destroyed me, and taught me a valuable lesson: do the mathematics, and make sure you know you can survive the next turn before rushing to attack the opposition.

Hearthstone is littered with tales like these, and every time you play you’ll experience immense pleasure, as well as frustration – but it’s always because you rushed, or made a mistake. Don’t expect real people to be as forgiving as the practice arena – hell, don’t expect your friends to give you a chance, either. But the elation is unparalleled – I honestly can’t think of many games that are as consistently rewarding in victory as Hearthstone.

The depth is almost bewildering, and if you want to get seriously into Hearthstone, you can build your own decks, so that you never see particular cards in your hand. But if you just want to drop in and out, at the beginning of each match you can veto any of your starting cards, so if you get stuck with three cards all requiring five gems to cast, that’s your fault for not switching them out. Very occasionally things can backfire from the very start, and after a decent amount of experience, you’ll know a few turns before a match ends who is going to win.

One of the absolute best things about Hearthstone, however, is that thanks to it using your Battle.net account, you can play on PC or iPad and nothing changes. In fact, you can even play on the iPad against a friend on their PC, and it feels incredibly smooth, even down to the integrated chat that can be brought up at the tap of an on-screen option. It doesn’t need to, but it looks and sounds good, too. The visuals are crisp and full of character, and the audio snippets add colour to what is, let’s face it, a card game.

VERDICT: Not only is Hearthstone one of the best F2P games I’ve ever played, it’s unbelievably deep, rewarding, and satisfying. Whatever you may think about World of Warcraft, Blizzard have crafted an incredible experience with Hearthstone, and regardless of platform, all you need is a free Battle.net account to play it. One of the purest forms of digital crack I’ve ever experienced. Whatever your gaming habits, this is one you need to try as soon as possible.

INCREDIBLE. This is the pinnacle of our scoring spectrum, reserved for games that truly affect us, that capture our imagination so completely that they affect the standard by which we measure future games. 10/10 is not a declaration of perfection, but an assurance that the game in question is of amazingly high quality and has exceeded our expectations.

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Review based on PC beta and final iPad code.

The post Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Hitman Go isn’t a traditional Hitman game in many ways, but it still manages to capture the spirit of the franchise more successfully than the most recent sequel in the main series. Hitman: Absolution may have been all about adding more drama and action to the long-running stealth series, but that isn’t what Hitman games are usually all about. They have traditionally been more cerebral and patient affairs, and those terms could certainly be used to describe Go, which is a turn-based puzzle game.

Perhaps it is not the most logical step from assassin-simulator to puzzler, but Hitman Go takes a new concept and imbues it with many features that allow it to successfully recreate a similar atmosphere or mood as previous Hitman games. Developed by Square Enix Montreal, rather than the usual IO Hitman team, Go started life at the studio as a card-based table-top game – even then the team saw potential in the simple fun of applying Agent 47 and his questionable career choice to the world of board games.

Go consists of five different boxes – more is coming soon – and each one is styled as an individual board game, which are unlocked as you successfully complete earlier levels. These are then made up of around fifteen smaller stages, which start off as simple tutorial levels, and slowly ramp up into quite intricate puzzles that will require a lot of planning to tackle successfully. You play as Agent 47 and can move about pre-determined routes on each board. The aim is to avoid guards, collect packages and exit each stage, with assassinations thrown in for good measure.

This is all achieved with turn-based play, where moving your playing piece one space also moves your enemies immediately after. This, of course, depends on the level, as some guards are stationary; some simply rotate from looking one way to the other, and others actively move about the level along set routes. This is where the trial and error enters the equation, as you will need to watch the the movements of the enemies in order to work out how to best avoid them. You can assassinate regular guards, but only by moving your piece onto the same spot as theirs. If they move onto your spot, it is curtains for 47.

There is a very slow and steady learning curve to the levels easing players into the game, as well as reserving extra features until later stages. Unfortunately, this does lead to the game feeling a little simplistic for much of the first levels. You won’t gain access to weapons or environmental kills until the third set at the earliest, and there are new variations of enemies and techniques still being introduced until quite late on. Whilst it does mean you may feel a little under-challenged to begin with (or that the game is too shallow), this allows for good variety in stages and for later levels to feel markedly different from early ones.

While not seeming similar to the previous games. the gameplay does stick to the idea of avoiding guards whilst carefully planning your route of attack. There are even bonuses awarded for completing levels with either no kills, or killing all enemies – as well as completing boards in the fewest moves possible. This is also reminiscent of the challenges within the core Hitman titles, such as trying to pull off a silent Assassin rating, or to neutralise all threats. There is even one set of stages based on the “Curtains Down” theatre level from Hitman: Blood Money, to keep long-time fans happy.

This kind of gameplay, although repetitive, does encourage you to keep coming back to the title. You can play and re-play each stage, trying to complete all objectives on offer, and it becomes quite addictive. Knowing that there is some kind of perfect route through each stage is all the motivation you need. If you struggle to achieve this, you can use hints to show you the routes through a level to achieve particular goals, but you only start with five of these, and they can only be replaced through in-app purchases. A little annoying, but the whole game can certainly be unlocked and played through without using these anyway.

Square Enix Montreal have managed to capture the style and mood of previous titles. It is almost cute – strange for a game about killing – but each level looks like a tabletop miniature and all of the characters playing pieces in those worlds. It is a clean and simplistic style, that achieves impressive results with minimal effort. You begin to imagine each level in full 3D in your head, and the stages are quite evocative, without needing to include a great level of detail. Add certain Hitman flourishes like the double Silverballer execution animations and the use of series theme “Ave Maria” during assassination stages, and Go still feels like a Hitman game.

VERDICT: Hitman Go is a rare breed in mobile games because it doesn’t try to copy another popular title, or provide a lazy spin-off from its source material. In fact, it manages to take an existing license and apply it to an entirely new genre, whilst still managing to maintain the spirit of the original. It may not provide the bloody killing that you might want from an assassination game, but it captures the same sneaking atmosphere and re-packages it into a more mental challenge.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

Our Scoring Policy

Review code provided by publisher.

The post Hitman GO Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

For an independent developer, putting a game together is a very long and labour-intensive exercise. If that game is your first full game as a studio, then that is an even more daunting process. That is the situation the Glasgow-based studio Mental Universe find themselves in as they try to finish off debut title Lucid Runner and unleash it on the world. So desperate were the team to have a finished game under their belts, however, that they challenged themselves to take a break from Lucid Runner to complete and release another game in just three weeks. This was how M0B1US was born.

M0B1US is an endless runner title – a quality that it shares with its future sibling Lucid Runner. Rather than be story based and feature a series of fantastical Sci-Fi levels, as their main project will do, M0B1US sets up its stall as a much simpler offering. Indeed there aren’t multiple levels in the game – there aren’t even multiple screens. This is a game that takes place entirely on one screen. Instead of running forever along a horizon, your character runs along the base of your screen, up the right hand side and across the top (now upside-down of course), before descending down the left side and completing a circuit of the screen. This is certainly a unique take on the endless runner, and places more emphasis on concentration than variety.

The object of the game is simple: control your runner to travel as far a distance as possible without hitting a single obstacle. This includes jumping when you reach a corner of the screen, in order to reach the next side, sliding to duck under low ceilings and jumping over boxes. One hit and your game is over, with your score measured simply by how many “Metres” that you traversed. This is also tracked via Game Center, so you can try to beat scores set by your friends. Sounds simple, right? Things are made more tricky by the fact that you can only see the obstacles that surround the character sprite, as there is a spotlight of sorts that follows him and illuminates only nearby objects.

This means that your reflexes for pulling off jumps and slides needs to be pretty quick, as there is no room for error and hardly any time to react. As such, M0B1US is a twitch game that becomes easily frustrating, but also strangely addictive. There is little on offer here to really draw in a gamer – the graphics are very simple, the soundtrack consists of a few tracks of typical retro sci-fi video game music repeating ad infinitum, and the gameplay is as shallow as you can get. This is the flappy bird of endless-runner games, being pretty unimpressive and irritating – as well as incredibly repetitive – but making you want to go back and beat your top score, for some unexplained reason.

VERDICT: M0B1US feels like it was thrown together in a short space of time, and its gameplay is twitch-based and unforgiving – this isn’t the sort of game that will keep you occupied for hours, but rather it thrives on the old-school idea of high scores and besting your previous total. You will get irritated by the precise timing needed to avoid obstacles, as well as the repetitive music and gameplay, but there remains a strange satisfaction when you do. This isn’t a game crafted with love and attention, that will engage gamers, but M0B1US at least attempts to take the genre somewhere slightly different, even if it doesn’t always excel at doing it.

DECENT. A 6/10 indicates that, while this game could be much better, it still has a fair amount to offer the player. It might be an interesting title sabotaged by its own ambition, or a game denied greater praise by some questionable design choices. Don’t avoid it outright, but approach it with caution.

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Review code provided by publisher. Note: Alex Wozniak (employee of Mental Universe) previously worked for God is a Geek. We don’t believe that influences our review, but we wanted to disclose it anyway.

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The press releases speak of Here Be Monsters HD in the same light as Pokemon and World of Warcraft, but knowing that the title started off life as a Facebook game doesn’t exactly fill us with confidence that it will manage to fulfill those lofty marketing promises. In fact, this mis-selling probably does the game a disservice, as those who might actually enjoy its simple (albeit repetitive) pleasures might be put off by WoW comparisons.

Playing as an apprentice Trapper, your goal is to scour global locations for monsters and fantasy creatures inspired by actual folk tales and myths, which is a nice connection to the real-world, but something that never really reaches its potential. This involves setting up your own camp and workshop, wherein you can build specific traps to capture different monsters, grow the various bait necessary to attract your prey, and produce all of the consumable items you will need to travel the globe hunting monsters.

Rather than Pokemon, Here Be Monsters HD feels more similar to Harvest Moon or Animal Crossing: the theme of the title may be finding monsters, but the game is more often pre-occupied with performing basic fetch quests for NPC characters and farming or producing goods. The pace is very laid-back, and you are eased in slowly with an extended tutorial that actually takes a good few hours to work through. Even after this is complete, the game is largely driven by NPC quests, which means that there is always something to be doing, but not much sense of freedom.

The world is filled with other Trappers, but they are all stationary and one-dimensional, giving the game nonsense of life or activity. The writing is pretty uninspiring as well, and even when the game tries to liven up its cast with a touch of humour, it falls flat on the whole and it is more likely that you will quickly skip the conversations just to get onto the next quest. Nothing about the premise or action actually engages you to an extent where you really care what’s happening; you simply complete one task in order to get to the next one.

Despite having many quests and objectives to carry out, there is little on offer to actually challenge the gamer. All missions are fairly simple, requiring you to head back to your base and grow a plant, or search the active screen to scavenge resources. They are all relatively short, which does allow you to drop in and out in quite a casual manner – which probably stems from its web-based roots. Despite all the options and the busy HUD, Here Be Monsters is pretty shallow and can all be picked up very quickly.

By completing quests and the like, you earn coins, notes and energy. Your energy is finite, so you cannot constantly globe-trot at leisure. Thankfully though, this isn’t a case of needing to buy more energy or wait for two real time hours for your energy to re-fill. Instead, you simply harvest some of your crops, or pick some fruit from nearby trees, all of which fill your energy. There is also little emphasis on money, so despite there being options to upgrade your home or buy more powerful options using real-world currency, most of what you actually need to progress can be earned through natural gameplay progression. In a title that you would expect to be focused on in-app purchases, this makes a refreshing change.

What is sad though is that the touted MMO features are very shallow indeed. You can travel the world with another player from your friend list, meet up and trade items, but this makes no gameplay difference to the game. No other features are available with a friend and it seems very much like an afterthought. When you imagine an MMO, you think of hundreds or more player-controlled characters, playing in the same space at the same time, but this is certainly not the case here and the multiplayer aspects are very basic. Strangely though, whilst multiplayer is far from essential, the game as a whole can only be played when connected to the internet. This is baffling as Here Be Monsters is closer to a single-player game than anything else.

VERDICT: If you enjoy the simple pleasures found in more laconic titles such as Animal Crossing, or the life of farming and trading popularised in Harvest Moon, then Here Be Monsters HD may well hold some sort of hypnotic charm for you. The gameplay is thoroughly repetitive and uninspired, but this undemanding approach does allow you to enter a sort of Zen-like state of relaxation, while still feeling like you are completing quests and achieving something. For most however, there is very little in the way of an actual game on offer here. Its Facebook roots are still firmly exposed and despite its ambitious claims it is a thoroughly casual game, which sadly lacks enough character or charm to let it stand out against a swathe of similar titles.

AVERAGE. The epitome of a 50/50 game, this title will be unspectacular but inoffensive, charmless but amiable. We aren’t condemning a game by scoring it a 5, but we certainly aren’t championing it, either.

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The post Here Be Monsters Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Free-to-play is something that publishers are still trying to get their head around. It’s a method that very few have been able to crack and the secret sauce eludes the majority of those that try to get in on this relatively new phenomena. Ubisoft has adapted their widely successful dirtbike franchise for iOS with Trials Frontier, and admission is free. This will please the many that need a time-killer for various scenarios, but for fans of the sport, there’s a bit to sink your teeth into to. However, like so many before it, and no doubt a large number after, Trials Frontier suffers from the many problems that are associated with F2P.

Firstly, this is a Trials game with a bit of a twist as there’s a story playing out all the way through. As the nameless, faceless “Rider”, you inhabit a wild west town that is being plagued by a fellow motorbike aficionado in Butch. You must help the townsfolk get to the bottom of what the caricature baddie is plotting by upgrading your bike, doing a bit of busy work, and beating him in many different races. Rubbish is an apt adjective for this narrative and it appears to be in place in order to give the casual audience something to grasp onto. Not once did I ever that feel a previous game in the series warranted some sort of ham-fisted plot with forgettable characters, and Trials Frontier proves this in spades.

Now, if one was to put that to the back of their head and revel in the wonderful twitch-based gameplay that Trials is associated with, you’ll have a cracking time – until it becomes a bit repetitive. Unlike practically all console games that make the jump to mobile gaming, RedLynx has virtual buttons that are neither intrusive, nor unresponsive. On the bottom left-hand corner, there are two arrows indicating where you want to shift your weight and also two arrows on the bottom right-hand corner for acceleration and reversing. Not once do your thumbs ever get in the way of the screen when playing on iPad, and it’s just as fluid as using a controller, albeit without the tactile feel of actual buttons.

However, you’ll be experiencing that solid gameplay across a limited number of tracks, over and over again. A map of the area displays the stages available to you and within a short space of time, one of the NPCs will give you a certain task to complete – get a Silver medal, perform two backflips, etc. – on a previously completed level. While it is perfecting your skill, one would prefer to do so against some new, challenging backdrops. It becomes a grind, in every sense of the word.

When you race past the finish line, you’re presented with a wheel that contains bike upgrades, among other things. After spinning the wheel and landing on one of the many parts that will improve your bike, you’re given the option to head straight to the garage and pimp your ride. Early on, these upgrades won’t put too much stress on your accumulated coins, but in time, it’s evident that they’re eager for you to drop some real cash in order to bypass the waiting game. It usually takes somewhere between thirty to forty-five minutes for a bike to be upgraded, but thankfully, this doesn’t render that particular ride void. You can still use it, but it won’t have the increased acceleration stat, for example.

Of course, you can speed up this process through the use of gems. Another item of interest that is obtainable by spinning the wheel is a collection of said sparklies – nothing that will last a long time, but something that will most definitely help your cause. This is the game’s premium currency and the one thing that those in the fast lane will want. You only get one spin of the wheel after a race, but if you want to go again, you need to use gems. You don’t want to wait a bit for your mechanic to finish working on your bike: gems. At the beginning, this isn’t an issue as the levelling system will keep you stocked up, and those much sought after shiny diamonds will be flowing, but as the levelling slows down, it’s either grind to your heart’s content, or fork over some actual dough.

Your fuel is another resource that will halt your progress — and in a game like Trials that keeps you wanting more, this is obviously an annoyance — each race requires you to use 5 fuel points (which later increases). Upon gaining enough XP to level up, your tank is refilled and you can hop back on the bike for more weight shifting action. Alternatively, every three minutes, your bike will gain one fuel point, which once again, in something as addictive as Trials, doesn’t bode well. Although, if you aren’t happy with waiting you can…y’know…just fill your tank with real money. See a pattern here?

VERDICT: In many ways, Trials Frontier is another example of what can be done with tablet gaming. It’s an impressive-looking effort from RedLynx and plays nearly as well as it would with a controller, but the lack of available tracks and, most importantly, the progress-halting ideals are enough to hinder what could’ve been a title worthy of the much-respected Trials name. The true mark of a great F2P game is when you don’t feel like you’re being punished for not handing over some of the coin in your back pocket. A great F2P game Trials Frontier certainly is not.

AVERAGE. The epitome of a 50/50 game, this title will be unspectacular but inoffensive, charmless but amiable. We aren’t condemning a game by scoring it a 5, but we certainly aren’t championing it, either.

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Held on a pedestal for their storytelling, Telltale Games have become a main-event player in the past two years, according to most of the gaming public. However, one great game does not a five-star developer make. Looking at the much less interesting Season Two of The Walking Dead, a lot of people – including myself -were beginning to think that the studio was spreading itself a bit thin over their many upcoming/ongoing projects.

But, where The Walking Dead seems to be waning a tad, the turmoil of 1980s New York City is going from strength to strength. Currently on episode three of its first season – I can only assume there will be more if sales get anywhere close to the story of Lee and Clementine – The Wolf Among Us continues to use the lore of Bill Willingham’s Fables in interesting ways. It should also be noted that A Crooked Mile has had a very quick turn around in comparison to much of Telltale’s episodic history. With this type of model, it’s imperative to see a form of scheduled releases and two months is certainly an acceptable gap between installments.

A Crooked Mile’s strengths lie in developing the personalities of those that you’ve met previously. For instance, seeing a more compassionate side to the Trip Trap’s clientele like Gren and landlady Holly is a welcome change of pace and adds depth to their characters. Obviously, the tumultuous relationship between Snow and Bigby is still a centrepiece of the action and remains wonderful to watch unfold. Due to the player choice, Bigby can be cold to Ms. White’s suggestions, but retains a clear fondness for the beautiful secretary of Ichabod Crane. While acknowledging that their partnership is one of a strictly professional manner, Prince Charming’s divorcee (voiced by Erin Yvette) is evidently a warm-hearted soul and cares for The Big Bad Wolf.

Speaking of the Sheriff himself, Bigby Wolf is relentless in his gruff approach toward the scum of Fabletown. Adam Harrington’s performance is more and more believable as the series goes on. The Big Bad Wolf isn’t a terrible guy, but he doesn’t mind getting rough in order to obtain the truth, and Harrington’s delivery is pitch perfect in almost every way.

On the whole, more questions are asked than answered by the time the credits roll in A Crooked Mile. There are some little resolutions to grasp onto in this murder mystery and there is some busy work that doesn’t prove too fruitful at the end of the day, but at the very least, The Wolf Among Us still puts forth an intriguing story that is prepared to keep its cards close to its chest in order to keep you guessing. Intrigue is definitely an apt word too, as the final moments introduce a menacing adversary to the mix who will surely ruffle a few feathers in Episode Four.

Like other recent Telltale efforts, choice is seen as having a pivotal role and, whilst that is sometimes debatable, the developer has at least altered the way in which some of the more important player decisions occur. Yeah, there are those A or B moments which will have you questioning where your own moral compass lies, but the majority of those strategically sit in longer conversations with the Fables. There won’t be a big flag informing you that “this is important”, but come the end of your play through, you’ll see it appear as one of the “big five”.

One aspect that always lets Telltale down, however, is in the technical side of things. Up until the second half of my time with A Crooked Mile, I had experienced no glitches or bugs to speak of, but then loading times became a burden. On at least three occasions, they became almost unbearable and upon entering one area, The Wolf Among Us came to a screeching halt and stalled for a solid minute before regaining life. The studio appears to be getting better with these annoyances, but their presence is still noticeable and irritating.

If you’ve reached this point in the series, then you don’t need me to tell you that the twilight of an 80s NYC, with a pinch of neon, is just as pleasing and pretty as anything on the market. They’ve captured this moment in time superbly and the echoes of synth heard during a crime scene investigation compliment the aesthetic to the nth degree.

VERDICT: Bigby Wolf is a dangerous man who will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of what’s tearing his community apart. A Crooked Mile brings out the best in his supporting cast, though. Having a strong lead is half the battle, but ensuring that the people around him can hold their own with their dialogue is just as important. Telltale are crafting an engrossing world with a plethora of deplorable and affable misfits, and Episode Three excels in showing this.

There’s still plenty to uncover, with two episodes to go, and things are setting up quite nicely for an explosive finale, but don’t enter A Crooked Mile expecting to get much in the way of answers. The conclusion will come soon enough but until then, enjoy the bloody, twisted ride.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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Review code provided by publisher.

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It’s a bold claim, but I’m going to make it here: Monument Valley is the iPad’s Journey. It doesn’t share similar mechanics, nor does it really share the same look, but it left with me the same level of fulfilment and contentment that Journey did, on a smaller screen, for a smaller price, by a smaller team.

What it does share is the length. Over within a few hours and offering little reason to play it again, it is affecting, strangely moving, has a beautiful aesthetic design and a glorious soundtrack that makes you want to rush out and buy it.

But what is it? Well, the closest comparison to make would be to a game nobody really remembers on PSP and PlayStation 3 called echochrome, but that’s mostly thanks to the level design and how it makes you sit back and actually think. The world itself is moveable in Monument Valley, and the only difficulty comes from solving the puzzles created by this nuanced view-changing mechanic.

From the very beginning it impresses, the opening level just begins without you having to do anything, and the mechanics are introduced in a natural way: you’ll see a tap-like object which, when turned, moves part of the geometry, allowing you to progress past a previously blocked path. Then you tap the screen and your character (Princess Ida) will move to the spot you touch. The objective is always clear: get to the end, progress the story.

At points, Ida will be upside down, or climbing a wall, and you’ll have to manipulate the camera by moving the environment itself to get a better view. It’s fascinating to explore and is enjoyable throughout. On the way you’ll meet the Crow People, who are the closest you come to an enemy. Essentially they are an obstacle in your path, as they won’t allow you to go by. Some later levels require you to make use of their set paths to step on switches, allowing Ida to pass elsewhere. In fact, a particular level that requires you to manipulate the Crow People (that reminded me of The Room) is a major highlight and a masterclass in level design, as well as a genuine “wow” moment.

As the levels progress (there are ten – it’s not a long game at all), new ways to interact with the architecture are introduced, and the difficulty slowly ramps up, though it never becomes horribly hard, and the only level that took a significant amount of time was the final one. The story also becomes more and more intriguing, sucking you in with gorgeous visuals that feel as though every inch has had oodles of love poured into it.

Matching the looks is a simple yet effective soundtrack, but the real excellence is in the moving geometry. Certain moveable parts have corresponding sounds. Perhaps as you turn that tap, a guitar will play in sync – it’s a game that rewards you for wearing headphones, but even more so for giving it your full attention.

There are smaller, additional hooks added to the package. You can take a picture of a level as you finish it (though some will be spoilery, so don’t be that guy), and you can tweet or post to Facebook from within the game. Nothing major, but a nice addition overall.

VERDICT: Monument Valley is the kind of game that reminds us why diversity is so important: colourful and magical in its presentation, and just exactly as long as it needs to be without outstaying its welcome. For less than the price of your lunch, you could spend an hour or two in the outstanding world that ustwo have created. If you own an iPad then there’s absolutely no reason not to be playing this. Buy it today.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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The post Monument Valley Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Have you ever solved a puzzle without particularly paying attention, or even realising that you’ve done so? There’s that split second where you feel pretty damn clever, then the realisation that your success was a pure fluke. Despite looking like it could be a simple strategic game, most of my time with Globlins was spent stabbing the screen and hoping for the best – and mostly succeeding.

Being a game published by Cartoon Network, the premise is suitably charming and childlike: the tiny, titular creatures are aliens from outer space, who are brainwashing the world. With the help of your friends and some mad science skills, you must clear grids of the little creatures by dropping minute doses of water on them, increasing them in size until they can’t take any more, and pop. Every time a Globlin explodes, it releases further drops that will inflate other Globlins, causing chain reactions of popping aliens. With a finite number of water drops available on each board, it is suggested that each drop must be planned in order to clear the board in as few turns as possible. Larger chain reactions give you more drops to use and more points, so being efficient is the aim here.

However, as mentioned previously, it is far easier to just tap a Globlin and see what happens, letting trial and error take care of everything for you. Boards do get more and more complicated, with different species of Globlin appearing that behave in different ways when popped, while there are also a series of boss levels that increase in difficulty. Permanent and consumable power-ups are purchasable with both in-game currency and via overly expensive in-app purchases (which are far too pricy for a game that isn’t free in the first place), which only serve in making for a puzzle game that isn’t particularly challenging or puzzling.

This is a real shame, because I really can’t fault the presentation here. The visuals are colourful, stylistic and full of character, the music is upbeat without being irritating, and even the sound effects have a bit of charm to them. It’s the kind of game that would be absolutely great for children, if only there was just a little more depth to hold their attention.

VERDICT: Unfortunately, the presentation isn’t enough to redeem a game that should have and could have been a decent arcade puzzler. There doesn’t seem much point in playing when most of the puzzles can be solved by randomly tapping the screen and letting the game play out by itself. Even a younger gamer may crave a little more depth than what’s available here, especially with so many other free games out there.

AVERAGE. The epitome of a 50/50 game, this title will be unspectacular but inoffensive, charmless but amiable. We aren’t condemning a game by scoring it a 5, but we certainly aren’t championing it, either.

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Review code provided by publisher.

The post Globlins Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

If Batman, Professor Layton and Sherlock can tell us one thing, it’s that the world loves a good detective. Of course, becoming a good detective “for reals” isn’t quite the same as these fictional sleuths. Still, at least there are games like Another Case Solved available, even if this one is more of a light puzzle game than a fully-fledged brain teaser.

Set in a prohibition-era locale where sugar is the illicit substance of choice, it is your duty as a newly established private detective start-up, to work your way up the ladder and become the greatest detective you can be. While your initial days are spent finding missing cats for a measly amount of cash, the cases become a little juicier. However, the story and contents of each case are more of a framing device for a hybrid of several smaller mini-games that gradually get more difficult as clients come with more important cases.

The first mini-game involves gathering clues and evidence, and is entirely based on chaining together three or more objects on a grid, with the required number of objects (clues) determined by icons at the top of the screen. If five or more of these clues are chained in one move, a piece of evidence appears which is sometimes requested, and are used in the other mini-games. However, you only have a set number of moves to find all the evidence you need.

Some cases require that you identify a suspect from a series of mug shots, via a set number of Guess Who?-like questions (are they male/female? Do they have freckles? Etc…). If you picked enough pieces of photographic evidence in the previous mini-game, then you are able to ask more questions to pick out your suspect.

Another mini-game involves finding a location in the city. You are shown grid of the city and given hints such as “2 squares from the Cafe” – however, some of these location markers are hidden and require pieces of evident from the chaining mini-game before you can fully see the map. It is down to you to use these hints to find the grid square you are looking for.

Finally, there’s a Crime Scene investigation game, giving you a blueprint of the building you are in, and a gauge that shows you how close you are to finding the item or clue you are looking for. An in-game clock gives you a time limit in which to find what you need, but this is depleted every time you enter a new room or examine an object. Once again, clues earned in the chaining mini-game will make your job a whole lot easier.

All of these mini-games get much tougher, and are almost impossible if not for several perks and tools that can be purchased with both in-game money and in-app purchases for Candy, which is required to purchase some items. While I never felt the need to purchase anything with real money (mainly because a number of Candy is found in your office every 12 real-time hours, or by watching some adverts), the chaining mini-game in particular can get really frustrating as you clearly don’t have enough moves to get everything you need, especially as some of the required clues can take ages to appear. From then on your only choice is to save your in-game cash for useful items, or reach for your wallet.

VERDICT: By the time you get to Chapter 2, where the difficulty starts to ramp up, the whole premise begins to wear thin, and it’s very easy to completely lose interest when it’s constantly clear that the game is pushing you to buy items by becoming frustratingly difficult. It’s a shame, because the whole thing starts off as a relatively fun diversion. It’s just another example of a decent game shackled by the need for in-app purchasing.

DECENT. A 6/10 indicates that, while this game could be much better, it still has a fair amount to offer the player. It might be an interesting title sabotaged by its own ambition, or a game denied greater praise by some questionable design choices. Don’t avoid it outright, but approach it with caution.

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Review code provided by publisher.

The post Another Case Solved Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

A large number of Nintendo 3DS owners will be too young to have watched The Mysterious Cities Of Gold in its original incarnation. A French-Japanese joint production, the series ran in the early 1980s and came to an end in 1983. Of course, repeat showings kept it relevant for much of that decade, but since then it has been largely forgotten. That was until a new version of the television series was launched last year, and has actually remained pretty true to the heart of the original. As could be expected, there is a tie-in video game.

The game follows the plot of Season Two of the re-launched cartoon pretty closely. Esteban, Zia and Tao (who all featured in the first run of the show) are searching the globe for the lost Cities of Gold, using the sun Medallion Esteban possesses as one of the Children of the Sun. We follow the group as they begin their search in China, and the game includes six worlds each made up of several smaller stages. The levels are punctuated by short cutscenes that make use of actual animated scenes from the series.

Whilst these are nice to look at and tie the game into the series well, they are all very short and their excerpt nature makes the plot quite hard to follow – not that it’s particularly thrilling anyway. Strangely, although these cutscenes are great quality, and the general in-game art and animation are also strong, Secret Paths makes no use of 3D at all. This is probably more down to the multi-format nature of the game, but it seems strange that no attempt was made to integrate the technology.

The gameplay is puzzle-based, and makes use of the three main protagonists to present players with a series of co-operative brain-teasers. You can hot-switch between the three at will, and need to pick the right character and skills for each situation. For example, Zia can fit through smaller gaps as she is slim, Tao can translate ancient tablets for clues or use his pet Parrot Kokapetl to fetch objects, and Esteban can use his Sun Medallion to activate certain switches that the others cannot.

Unfortunately, even though there are quite a few levels to play through, the conundrums are derivative and all amount to two or three basic puzzles dressed up slightly differently. Once you get the hang of it, they are all pretty repetitive and won’t cause you much trouble. Each stage has a selection of optional objectives in an attempt to add more of a challenge. These include a time goal, a number of scrolls to collect (some of which are colour-coded and can only be collected by a specific hero), and a capture count.

As part of the puzzling, there are also stealth sections where our protagonists must sneak past dangerous pirates. This is pretty easy as they move in defined patterns and can only see directly in front of themselves, and because if you get spotted for a moment you’re allowed a few seconds to hide quickly, after which the pirates luckily seem to forget you were ever there. The only penalty for getting caught is a strike against your counter – which only effects your end-of-level score – so this takes away from the challenge a little. That said, if you repeatedly get caught, then completing the level in the target time and collecting all scrolls becomes increasingly harder.

You can choose how to take control of things, using either stylus controls, which offer a more tactile experience for pushing buttons and moving boulders, but can be slightly imprecise when moving characters (particularly in stealth sections), or using the circle pad. Each player will likely have their own preference, but both work well. Perhaps touch controls will appeal to younger players more – who can also choose to have hint dialogue boxes pop-up to provide help – and older ones may like the precise button control. Either way, the controls certainly support all kinds of players.

VERDICT: The Mysterious Cities of Gold: Secret Paths doesn’t fall into the usual trap of film and television adaptations, where it bears little or no relation to the source material. In fact, the storyline and adventuring themes of the cartoon are borne out through the gameplay pretty well. Whilst the title does sadly feel a bit too simple, Secret Paths possesses a lot of charm and tries to offer a range of challenges for all levels of skill. In the end it skews a little young overall, but that age group will also probably be more forgiving of the repetitive nature of the puzzles throughout the game.

DECENT. A 6/10 indicates that, while this game could be much better, it still has a fair amount to offer the player. It might be an interesting title sabotaged by its own ambition, or a game denied greater praise by some questionable design choices. Don’t avoid it outright, but approach it with caution.

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Review code provided by publisher.

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Collectable Card Games (CCGs) are nerdy and extremely popular. The Adventure Time cartoon series is also nerdy and extremely popular. Pairing the two together is an extremely shrewd move on Cartoon Networks’ part, and releasing it as both a physical card game and mobile game is sure to rake in a ton of cash.

Directly based on an episode of the series, Card Wars is part Lane Defence, part RPG, part CCG. Players engage in 1v1 combat, first laying down four environmental cards that are the paths you must defend, then laying down unit cards that are compatible with the various lanes that have been placed. Once both players have done this, the battle begins.

Players take turns to play unit or spell cards, or even activate each unit’s special ability by “Flooping” them, before attacking or defending. During this combat phase, a dial appears with a red portion for misses, a dark green area for successful attacks, and a light green area for those incredibly powerful critical hits. By tapping the screen, players stop the dial on the desired area, namely the critical area. Defending against the AI’s attacks works in a similar fashion, with players able to block (dark green), take damage (red) or counter attack (light green) – but watch out: if a lane is undefended by one of your units, your Hero will take damage. Should your main hero card run out of hit points, you lose.

As you can tell, Card Wars’ mechanics are simple, making this a great entry-level CCG for newcomers, although admittedly there isn’t too much depth. As you can imagine, in-app purchases are available for those who want to buy better cards, but the worst kind of IAP is present, where each card battle requires a certain number of “Heart Points” to play. If you run out of heart points, you must wait for them to be replenished or purchase them with real money. For an app you have to pay for in the first place, this is pretty unacceptable.

Thankfully, I managed to play for a very long time before I even needed to worry about Heart Points. Each battle can be replayed, and doing so will unlock different challenges that unlock better cards and items. These run along the lines of only using certain cards, or not using spells. It’s worth doing these challenges to unlock more powerful cards to make future battles a little easier.

Naturally, the main draw here is the license itself, and Card Wars does a fine job of bringing Finn & Jake’s world to life, even if it is only within the confines of their treehouse. Peppered with soundbites from Adventure Time and aesthetics that are as close to the show as polygonal models can be, fans will be more than happy with Card Wars’ faithfulness. A physical version of the game is also available, with the real cards also unlocking better cards in this app as well.

VERDICT: Possibly a little repetitive if played for too long, Card Wars is a decent card battler that is best if you are a fan of the Adventure Time series. It’s pretty damn cheeky to feature IAPs in a game that already costs £2.49, but at least these additional purchases are in no way essential to enjoying the game.

GOOD. A game that scores 7/10 is worthy of note, but unworthy of fanfare. It does many things well, but only a few of them incredibly well and, despite a handful of good qualities, fresh ideas and solid mechanics, it fails to overwhelm.

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The Walking Dead: The Game is notoriously difficult to watch at times. When it returned late last year with the first episode of season two, the world we found Clementine in seemed even more bleak and unforgiving than ever before. If you thought that was just a one-off, think again – Season Two isn’t going to give you much time to relax, nor offer many warm and fuzzy moments to give relief from the horrors of its Zombie-filled world. In fact, every time you think that something nice might be on the horizon, Telltale snatches it back.

We carry on immediately where episode one left off, and that means you will start very differently depending on which choice you made at the end of that instalment. Ultimately, that decision doesn’t seem like it was one of the most important that will face you in the series, but it gave an early indication that Telltale weren’t going to go easy on gamers second time around. Clementine begins to find out more about her new group of “friends” in episode two, including learning about some of their more shady secrets. There are a few lulls in the action, but these don’t last for long.

The episode as a whole is full of difficult decisions to make – as usual – but rather than being clear-cuts, the majority of the choices in A House Divided feel tough and will make you second guess yourself. It feels perhaps more stressful than Episode One, even though that was difficult enough – but just as you begin to like some of the new characters, they are put in peril by the choices you make. It’s not all about the new characters though, and we also see the 400 Days DLC link in with the main series for the first time – and these developments introduce a whole new dynamic to the group.

The character of Clementine herself continues to develop throughout A House Divided, and it definitely seems like a natural progression. She has certainly grown up a lot since we first met her in Season One, but it doesn’t feel like she has changed unnaturally. What is really good about her character development is that she has grown along with you, the player – you have seen everything that has shaped her new cynical, harder persona.

She is world-weary now, but has become a survivor, and despite the fact that she is only an eleven year old girl, she is convincing as the only person you can really rely on in the game. Players who have followed the whole story so far will now have a strong connection with Clementine and that is what gives The Walking Dead its emotional power. You want to protect Clem more than ever now that Lee isn’t there to do so, you have become her guardian – and that is a big responsibility in gaming terms.

In technical terms, the game definitely seems stronger than last season, and doesn’t suffer from some of the stuttering loading issues that persisted even into episode one of Season Two. The gameplay seems smooth and fluid in A House Divided, which is probably the first episode where this has been the case. This is a good thing obviously, but it is surprising that it took so long for Telltale to iron out the kinks.

The graphics are looking even more visually impressive than ever, and the cel-shaded style has been refined for Season Two, allowing for greater detail and perhaps even more subtle, convincing facial expressions – as those in Season One sometimes strayed into comic-book territory. Strangely, the soundtrack – which is usually one of the strongest elements in the series – seems a little off this episode. On a couple of occasions, somewhat light-hearted themes can be heard in the background during tense or dramatic moments, and whilst it doesn’t come close to ruining the scenes it is a slightly odd choice.

VERDICT: The Walking Dead Season Two may not have moved into top gear yet, but Telltale have already shown that they are more than capable of producing more gut-wrenching moments and difficult choices. Whereas the heart of the first season was the relationship between Lee and Clementine, it is now between Clementine and the player, as we have developed a strong bond with her, which only heightens as she matures and comes out of her shell. Already she feels far closer to a hero than she ever did last season, and after many of the revelations in this episode you feel that she really needs to become one.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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Since the dawn of video games, shooting things in space has been a gigantic part of our chosen pastime. From the simple gameplay of Space Invaders to the bullet hell of Ikaruga, Do Don Pachi and it’s ilk; these games are built to test and challenge the reflexes of players everywhere. With this in mind, it’s not surprising that mobile devices are becoming a suitable home for shmup gamers to get their fix, and Arc War is Hunted Cow Studios’ take on mixing the age-old scrolling shmup with the trend in “endless” games.

As is customary in intergalactic space battles, Earth is under attack from a vicious fleet of alien nasties, and for some reason the planet’s governments are really short on resources, so it’s down to just one pilot to take down an entire army in a tiny little ship.

Unlike a typical scrolling shooter, Arc Wars isn’t split into levels. Instead, you tackle an uninterrupted flow of infinite waves until you either lose all your lives, or get bored. Unfortunately, boredom is probably the most likely reason for putting your device down, as things get very repetitive, very quickly. You quickly realise that you’ll be fighting in the exact same scrolling environment, occasionally picking up the same power-ups and using them against the same enemies and bosses. In fact, most of the enemy ships and bosses are mere palette-swaps of each other, that occasionally shoot different types of bullets at you.

Arc War’s biggest problem is that for an endless game to work, it really needs to consistently offer something new. In this case, you’ve seen everything in the first ten minutes and there is no real reason to keep playing. Getting further before dying will earn XP and increase your pilot level, but you don’t appear to actually unlock anything for reaching higher levels, so what’s the point?

But what it lacks in variety and thrills, it at least delivers somewhat in terms of mechanics. Thankfully, a variety of controls are available, from GamePad support to dragging your ship across the screen, complete with the option to change the sensitivity. Unfortunately, there’s no option for your ship to auto-fire, so you only seem to fire while your moving, which is a little irritating as there is no reason to not be firing constantly.

It just feels a bit like a proof of concept for a basic shmup game. Ship and enemy designs are pretty uninspired, and it’s dull to keep facing the same palette-swapped enemies over and over again, against the exact same background. It’s also very puzzling that in a vertically scrolling shooter, landscape screen orientation has been used. The few music tracks in the game sound like decently authentic early 90’s shmup fare, but could have done with a few more of them to keep things interesting.

VERDICT: With this particular genre being so old and established, just delivering the basic mechanics isn’t enough. Classic shooters need variety, excitement, excellent presentation, and more than a couple of power-ups. Arc War brings none of these things to the table. Fans of the genre are better off downloading the (admittedly) pricier iOS ports of Cave’s excellent shooters like DeathSmiles and DoDonPachi Resurrection, or Dotemu’s R-Type ports, for a look at how this type of game should be done.

AVERAGE. The epitome of a 50/50 game, this title will be unspectacular but inoffensive, charmless but amiable. We aren’t condemning a game by scoring it a 5, but we certainly aren’t championing it, either.

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It may be the best premise of a game ever: Squirrels who live in the tree of life against beavers who want to, presumably, eat it. The result being a real-time ‘squirrel’ strategy game (honest to God, the press release actually calls it that, brilliantly).

The basics are simple enough to grasp. Your squirrels spawn in a castle on the left and move along a path to destroy the beaver’s castle on the right, while the beavers attempt to do the opposite. When the two armies meet in the middle they duel it out; the winner inching along the route until they encounter another unit.

Things are spiced up by the variety of rodents available to the sides. Starting off with sword wielders, you soon get access to archers and flying kamikaze units. Spawning one of these is a matter of hitting the various icons as they load up on the bottom of the screen.
Alongside these there are several spells that can swing a game for (or against) you. Fireball does some area of effect damage; ice freezes opponents for a few vital seconds, and the heart heals your squirrels. All of these are used by dragging the icons from the tray to where you want them on the map. Everything has a use, and while you will pound the unit icons as soon as they load, the spells require some thought, and it’s easy to see if you’re winning or not from the where the front-line is on the screen.

Tree Wars doesn’t give you everything at once though, with various aspects delivered as you progress through the campaign. It keeps things fresh, and you know whatever new toy you get will be useful on the following level.

In the levels themselves you’re still limited though. Starting with one or two different powers, normally a swordsman and a spell, you can unlock the rest by spending the golden acorns dropped by downed enemies – the first extra slot costing five, then ten, then fifteen and so on. The acorns can also be spent upgrading each power at the same increments. It’s an elegant system, requiring thought as to what you’ll need in the future, archers who can hit harder or an ice blast to manage an encroaching enemy.

And managing you will have to do. As you progress through the ten campaign levels, they become multiple path affairs, with different routes and numerous beaver castles to conquer. Dams also pop up, blocking certain routes until they are destroyed. The strategy just keeps layering on, balancing paths, resources, spawn times, and power choices. It speaks volumes about Tree Wars that a game that boils down to tapping icons as they load could be considered too hectic, yet it never does. Minutes will fly by and you’ll hardly notice.

The campaign steadily gets harder as you progress, but with only ten levels you might worry about it being a little short, but each level has three difficulty settings, with each awarding a gem. These gems can be spent on permanent upgrades to your castle or troops, such as a stronger attack or faster spawns. It becomes almost impossible to progress without going back over earlier levels on a harder setting to get these upgrades, but the challenge is significant enough to keep it fresh.

The gameplay itself is a joy to behold, with cute armoured squirrels facing off against pretty dark looking beavers, all on hand-drawn backgrounds. The animations are really smooth too, and the interlocking logo that caps each loading screen looks great. All in all it feels more polished than some AAA games.

VERDICT: Tree Wars is a great looking strategy game with enough depth to keep you playing for hours. While the difficulty does rise considerably, it never feels unfair and actually gives a cause for replayability. If you’re a strategy fan and want a fix on the move, you can’t do much better.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Dutch indie developer Orangepixel has had some success on other formats with his old-school-inspired fare. Gunslugs may have unashamedly retro stylings, but this peppy run and gun jaunt has plenty of latter-day bells and whistles to satisfy modern gamers out of touch with the past.

Taking its graphical and aural cues from the 8-bit era, the gameplay is pitched somewhere between the nails-tough Contra series and SNK’s Metal Slug. Abstraction have delivered the best version of this game that one could expect, thanks in no small part to the brilliant Vita controls, which suit the style of gameplay perfectly. The devs put it best themselves: “Almost everything you ever wanted – and buttons!” We wouldn’t go as far as to say this gives you everything you ever wished for, but it does give you a solid few hours of highly entertaining vintage-style platform shooting, all set to a chirrupy chiptune soundtrack.

You take control of a loveable yet psychotically trigger-happy super-deformed soldier of your choosing, and set about taking on a series of randomly generated levels, which feature a boss after every two portions of action. Initially there are only two selectable mini-badasses to choose from, and you begin with a pretty weedy basic gun. It doesn’t take long however before you are unlocking hilarious new characters (I loved the John Rambo pastiche) and all manner of crazy weapons and vehicles you get to ride in start popping up on the battlefield.

It soon becomes apparent that this is one tough little game. Most of the enemies you encounter can be dispatched fairly easily – yet things soon become extremely hectic with the number of explosions and ordnance flying around the screen. You have a life bar, which means you can sustain a certain amount of smaller attacks, and first aid kits are regularly dropped by slain foes. This is all fine and dandy, however your most likely cause of death is always the reams of explosions that can be triggered by landmines, exploding barrels, grenades and downed vehicles. It is up to you to make sure that you are mindful of your environment and don’t charge in gung-ho without paying attention to that errant landmine, or the potential multiple-barrel fireworks display. It’s easier said than done when things are different on each playthrough, and death takes you back to the title screen!

The challenging difficulty can be alleviated by purchasing new gear in the randomly generated shop buildings that you find from time to time. You earn coins by downing enemies or just generally blowing things up, and can buy protective armour or even a precious extra life. When you do discover another character along the way, not only do you get to employ them in battle, but they also serve as a sort of checkpoint – the little Rambo dude is discovered in the jungle stage, therefore if you begin the game with him, you will start on the stage where you found him.

VERDICT: The pricepoint may not be as generous as the iOS and Android original, yet Gunslugs still feels like a generous package. It may sound short on paper, yet in practice it can be murderously difficult, and isn’t something you will beat with ease. The rogeulike nature of the levels keeps things fresh, unpredictable and chaotic – but in a good way. There are some fun in-game achievements to unlock, and of course Trophies. Most importantly of all, it looks, sounds and handles brilliantly on the Vita.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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Episode One of The Wolf Among Us may have ended on a real cliff-hanger, but the wait to find out what happened has been much longer than anyone envisioned. Fans have been voicing their displeasure regarding the four month wait, but at least they can finally get their teeth into Smoke & Mirrors.

And there really is a lot of action to get stuck into. You may not get the absolute resolution for episode one that you wanted, instead it seems a little contrived. The resolution will possibly leave you feeling like it was soap opera created simply to cause a buzz for the next episode, before being quickly glossed over. Even so, it opens up many new lines of investigation for Bigby and provides many opportunities for the game to test just how far it can push you.

Although most of these action scenes can be avoided thorough some quick-thinking and smart-talking, Telltale certainly make it seem like it would be a lot easier to just indulge your violent side. These different moments will shape how your version of Bigby develops, and whether or not both the character and yourself can keep cool under extreme pressure.

But don’t let this put you off if you are looking to enjoy the story rather than just getting yourself into fights – as none of them will require lightning reflexes or precision-timing to complete. Even though it doesn’t always choose to feature as much bloodshed and graphic violence as other titles, it feels a lot more adult, both in its content and execution. Perhaps it is because the choices that you take and actions that you carry out make the story so personal and allow you to connect quite closely to the characters. As such, you feel more disturbed by its violence and any mistreatment of its characters than many other games. And to say that the episode leans heavily on the themes of torture, prostitution, and ritual murder, gives you an idea of just how serious the issues being faced in-game become.

Coming from a company that has made a name for itself with interactive stories that you shape through your own actions, Telltale try to make every choice count. Aside from the “previously on” compilation videos at the start of the episode, choices that you made in episode one will already have relevance in this instalment, as you once again meet characters such as Mr. Toad and Beauty who will definitely remember how you acted towards them previously. Indeed, one action sequence in particular hinges quite heavily on what you said in the past. It isn’t all about meeting previous acquaintances though, and there are a lot of new Fables to encounter in Smoke & Mirrors – some helpful, others a little less savoury.

Aside from the intense story, the other thing that really grabs you about The Wolf Among Us is just how stylish it is. Even though the title is set in a grimy 1980’s New York, the choice of colour palette and cel-shaded style make the game look incredible. There is an unmistakable Noir atmosphere hanging over everything, but the choice to use yellows, blues, and purples for highlights and shadows gives The Wolf Among Us a fantastical other-worldly style. The feeling of mysticism is helped along by the strange characters that you meet, and these are all smoothly animated and full brought to life in a very believable way. This sense of real, living characters is helped no end by solid performances from the entire voice cast, and if you listen carefully, you’ll be able to hear both Clementine and Lee from The Walking Dead in some of the Fables characters.

VERDICT: Where episode one faltered with pacing, episode two is an almost relentless barrage of action, barely giving you time to breathe. The only real problem with this is that Smoke & Mirrors flies by and is over before you know it, making you desperate for episode three.

But don’t let that take away from the really affecting and sometimes shocking writing and action featured within Smoke & Mirrors. You will already worry about the main characters and be annoyed about making the wrong choices – and this is where Telltale have already succeeded. They have managed to create another adaptation of an established comic-book series which makes you second guess your actions and re-evaluate your decision-making at every step. There are few games that are as personally involving as this one – and we aren’t even halfway through yet.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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All great puzzle games have a simple core mechanic. Sure that mechanic can be used in mind-bending ways, but at heart it must be simple. Blek only really has one mechanic and boy, is it simple. Draw a line on the screen and the line will repeat. Your job is to make the line hit all the colored circles on the level.

On paper that sounds confusing but the first few levels do a great job of teaching you how to play. Many of Blek’s levels will have multiple solutions, purely because of how the game works, but most of the levels have an intended way of completing them. Sure you could make a line that constantly goes from the top to the bottom of the screen slowly moving to the right, or you could draw the perfect line that will hit every circle in the intended order. Its up to you to chose which way to play but its certainly more satisfying knowing you figured out the intended way.

Trying random lines is not in the sprit of Belk; sure it may work, but where’s the fun in that? Looking at a level, analyzing it and finding the perfect place to draw your line is what makes Blek great – if you aren’t going to play it properly you probably wont enjoy it, which is a real shame. Perhaps if there was some way to stop people drawing random lines Blek would be more enjoyable for many players.

The levels themselves are brilliantly created. Each level will be significantly different from the last, but never too different that you have no idea where to start. Few games manage to have such balance so Blek deserves a lot of praise for its superb level design and progression.

Another of Blek’s highlights is its minimalistic art and sound. Circles and lines on a pure white background may be seen as “programmer art” to many but it’s all that’s required. The sound is equally simple, just a few sounds that play at certain times. If Blek had bright colors, flashing lights and irritating characters, like countless other mobile puzzle games do, it would ruin the experience completely.

VERDICT: Blek is sure to divide opinion. Those who take the time to play it properly, plan out their strategy for each level and truly think about what they are doing will find it impossible not to like, while those who try random lines or try to find ways of completing a level that is not the intended way won’t have such a great time.

The minimalistic style and simple controls make Blek easily accessible and the level progression will ease you into the game at a perfect pace. The levels are designed brilliantly and are very challenging at times, but to truly get the most out of Blek you have to play it with the right attitude.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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It’s been a hell of a long time since 1997: the world has changed around us in ways we couldn’t have dreamed possible, some of them good, others bad. One thing that’s happened in that time is that BioWare have managed to make a name for themselves as one of the premier creators of RPGs in the world of video games. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic set a benchmark that games such as Dragon Age: Origins and the Mass Effect series attempted (with varying success) to meet. However, it all had to start somewhere, and for BioWare that beginning was in the humble surroundings of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise, with a series of games set in and around the well known area of Baldur’s Gate.

Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition is, as you’ve probably guessed, the second of the iPad remakes of the Baldur’s Gate games. It includes the original Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn, its expansion Baldur’s Gate II: Throne of Baal, and an added extra in the form of The Black Pits 2: Gladiators of Thay. So, as you can see, before I even get into detail about what the game contains, how many hours it’ll run you and all of the other details, it should be obvious that Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition is well worth the price of admission if you’re in the market for an RPG you can play either in front of the TV, or on your morning commute to work.

When the game starts you’ll be asked to choose from one of four characters who will be able to join your own character on their quest through the game. The iPad version of the game only has one of these characters unlocked – Rasaad yn Bashir, the Monk – with all of the other characters locked behind an in-app purchase pay wall. This notion might put some people off straight away, but you’re getting a hell of a lot of content for your money, and even having those characters wouldn’t add too much more than a visual change and a slight stat modification.

The bulk of your time will be spent in the main campaign, Shadows of Amn, which starts off with your character escaping from a prison in the mysterious dungeon of a madman. The first task you’re presented with is freeing the people that are locked in the cages around you, giving you a party with which to do some real damage. This is the when you’ll truly realise that this is a BioWare game. The dialogue trees are absolutely massive. Each one of five options bringing up another set of five potential dialogue options and sometimes even more. You’ll never find yourself stuck for something to say, and sometimes it even feels like too much, especially when you’re reading most of it instead of having it read to you like you would in Mass Effect, etc.

The controls are something that most modern gamers will have to get used to. They consist of tapping the character you want to move (or the entire party if you wish), and then moving the character(s) to the spot in the map. Combat takes place in real time, with the entire team smashing away on whichever enemy you’ve deemed worthy of your blade/staff. This feels quite cathartic, a pleasant balance between the intricacies of being able to choose your specific enemy, and the simplicity of a point-and-click combat system. There are obviously some “mod-cons” missing from the game (entirely spoken dialogue, active combat and more) but once you get into the inner workings of the mechanics it starts to feel right, especially considering the pen and paper origins of Dungeons and Dragons.

VERDICT: There’s no doubt that Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition is a product of its time, but there’s also no doubt that it’s an absolute classic of the RPG genre. If you’re a fan of classic games, pen and paper Dungeons & Dragons or even just of BioWare in general and want to take a look at some of their first forays into the RPG genre, then you really should be picking up Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition. It can be a little difficult to get used to (I play quite a lot of RPGs and it took me a good chunk of time to get the basic mechanics down) but the story you’re treated to, as well as the element of nostalgia, makes the effort utterly worth it.

VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.

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If you were to glance at a screenshot of Rymdkapsel, you may be forgiven for ignoring it because of how it looks. Simple Tetris shapes assembled on a generic black space setting, with tiny rectangles dotted round – it doesn’t sound incredible. But if you sit down and spend an hour with the game (and you will lose hours without blinking), you’ll be happy to discover one of the most easily accessible, addictive strategy titles in ages.

Starting out life on iOS devices, there was nothing wrong with that version whatsoever, but the PC edition gives us a larger space to play with and is all the better for it. But I digress – what are those rectangles, and what exactly are they doing?

First of all, there is no story to speak of. If you’ve come for a narrative about Commander William and his team of space explorers, you’re in the wrong place. Presented as you see it, you are tasked with creating a space station to explore the dark corners of space, but you’re not alone and Rymdkapsel quickly becomes a war between your space rectangles, and the more hexagonal shaped enemy that will rush you, wave after wave.

You see, along the bottom of the screen there is a red bar, ever encroaching across the screen. When it is filled, the enemy will come – slowly at first, and just a few ships, but just as you think you are on top of your resource management, the waves will grow in speed and number. Thankfully, there are helpful monoliths that can be researched. These four grey statues are located in the opposing corners of the map, meaning it’ll take some work and planning to get them, but the reward ranges from slowing the oncoming enemy attack wave, to simply making your little rectangles move quicker.

When you aren’t fending off your foes, you’ll be using your time wisely to gather resources to further build your space station. The Tetris shaped pieces can be any type of building you choose, but you will need to think carefully (and trial and error is important here) about placing. If you have your kitchen too far away from your gardens or barracks, this will create a waste of travel time and really destroy you in the later waves – you are the protector and commander.

Objectives are offered to give you an idea of what to go for, but more often than not, the focus is on survival. Zen-like music accompanies your journey, and creates an almost trance-like state. Honestly, there are very few games that I’ve lost hours too without realising. Get too involved and it’ll be dark outside your window, and you’ll wonder what happened to you. Rymdkapsel is involving, but it also allows for moments of calm. You might spend a wave planning out the next five or six buildings, but the following wave will just be built on research, or construction. There are frustrating moments, though, and it’s annoying when your rectangles don’t seem to take the ideal route, or decide to prioritise tasks in a way you wish they hadn’t, but these are minor annoyances in an otherwise lovely experience.

If you already own the game on iOS or PS Vita, the PC version includes two addition game modes: Zen and New Game Plus. Zen Mode removes all traces of enemies, allowing you to just build your space station at any pace you so desire, but it also removes the ability to get achievements. New Game Plus throws you in at the deep end by removing the tutorial section of the normal game, meaning you only have a first wave of scouts before the real enemy appears. Perhaps more interestingly, in this mode the monoliths are new and exciting: some will allow you to instantly create your next six rooms, whereas others will give your rectangular adventurers the chance to travel great distances faster.

While Zen Mode is a fascinating chance to just relax and build, New Game Plus is ideal for people who have played the game before, not least because they’ll want to research and explore these new monoliths. Essentially, even if you’ve thrashed the previous versions on a daily basis, the PC edition feels more definitive, with more reasons to play, more often.

VERDICT: Ultimately, Rymdkapsel succeeds by making so many other games feel weighed down with unnecessary baggage. The minimalist approach may not work for every game, but here we have a truly successful, consuming experience that you just can’t put down. The PC version will have you staring into your monitor, darkness surrounding you as you try to beat your previous wave, and you’ll never want it to end.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

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Review code provided by publisher.

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Room escape games aren’t hard to come by on mobile devices, but few aim to be as scary as In Fear I Trust does. Blood spatters the walls, flashbacks and audio recordings hint at brutality, and the fact that it isn’t shown makes it all the worse, your imagination taking over more vividly than graphics could ever manage.

But that isn’t the most disturbing aspect of In Fear I Trust. No, that goes to the ambient noises. Doors slamming, banging on walls, perhaps the odd scream. I had to take off my headphones after ten minutes and play it through my phone’s speaker, the noises too close in my head otherwise.

In Fear I Trust opens with a cutscene, the protagonist signing up to participate in an experiment, for reasons he doesn’t want to talk about, before you wake up in a cell. It provides a little context for what drives the rest of the game; working out what the experiment was, and why you’re all alone in the facility.

From here, the staple find X to interact with Y of the room escape genre takes over. The Puzzles are varied enough, with no repetition, and mildly challenging, though at no point did I get stuck for more than a few minutes unless I hadn’t found a certain item.

It’s bolstered by the mystery aspect, with journals, audio recordings and letters to find that flesh out the story. There are plenty of them, though they do little to aid the narrative and instead hint at a dangerous experiment of dubious morality, which is kind of obvious from the setting anyway. There’re two episodes here as well, the second opening in a school. It’s a strange disconnect from the prison of the first, and there’s no explanation on how they are connected. More episodes are planned, where I’m sure we’ll get answers, but some thread of narrative continuity here would have been nice.

The clues themselves aren’t hard to find, thanks to a “retrospective vision” mode that highlights them against the environment. On the one hand it means you don’t have to scrabble around clicking everything on the screen, the downside is that it removes any further level of challenge. It also shows images of the past (a fellow prisoner sobbing at one point, for example), but no reason is given for the ability except for one vague reference to “enhancing human perception”.

The controls use the touchscreen joystick approach, controlling like an FPS. They work well enough, but are never a decent replacement for real joysticks and my fingers kept sliding off them. You never have to move quickly, however, so it’s not an issue. Tapping will pick up an item or move a switch for a puzzle, while swiping brings up your journal or activates retrospective vision depending on the direction.

For a mobile game it’s quite the looker, lighting and textures create a dark, abandoned atmosphere that complements the tone of the game. Cutscenes are quite the highlight too, with detailed character models I didn’t know were possible on a mobile; it runs on the Unreal Engine and it shows. As I’ve said before, the audio is excellent as well, really setting the mood and genuinely freaking me out (admittedly not hard, I only played 15 minutes of Dead Space 2 before chickening out).

There is a “but” though, and sadly it’s quite a big one. A mobile game, in fact any game, should be designed for its format, and In Fear I Trust just hasn’t been designed for an iPhone. It makes great use of the touch screen, but most of the writing is far too small, and some of the puzzles require incredible precision, hitting one icon a few millimetres wide that was surrounded by dozens of equally small buttons. It got so bad at one point that I gave up on the puzzle altogether. Perhaps on an iPad screen it would be okay, but maybe it shouldn’t have been released on a phone at all.

It also crashed after I finished each episode, though no progress was lost, and at one point a cutscene was skipped as I triggered it while listening to an audio recording.

VERDICT: In Fear I Trust is a decent room escape game. The puzzles are varied and take a bit of thought, but don’t go in expecting a challenge. Solving the mystery is fun, but at the moment there are no real answers to questions thrown up by the narrative. While the design is excellent, with a creepiness that’ll make you hear noises in the night, only buy this to play on an iPad unless you have tiny fingers.

DECENT. A 6/10 indicates that, while this game could be much better, it still has a fair amount to offer the player. It might be an interesting title sabotaged by its own ambition, or a game denied greater praise by some questionable design choices. Don’t avoid it outright, but approach it with caution.

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Review code provided by the publisher.

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If you ask me, there are few things more satisfying on a morning commute to work than a simple yet challenging iOS game. Many a morning I have spent playing the likes of Super Hexagon and Pivot, and there’s a lot to be said for a touchscreen game with uncomplicated controls, decent chiptunes and a taxing, but not frustrating, challenge. This morning, it was Simian.Interface’s turn to prepare my mind for another day, and while it lasted only half the length of my journey, it’s certainly a damn fine way to pass the time.

Originally devised as a browser game and later ported to iOS, it’s a little tough to describe the aim of this rather abstract puzzle game. From the very start, you are given little explanation ofwhat is required of you, but the basic premise is simple and intuitive after just a few seconds of thought on your part. In the first level, you are given a solid white square and a white square outline. Tilting the device (or swiping, if you change the settings) will move both objects around, and you soon realise that the aim is to move the white square into the outline, to get to the next challenge. Later levels play with this mechanic, with some using overlapping coloured objects to make white ones, or others that make patterns – but the idea remains the same.

At first, it appears that there is only one solution to each level, and this solution is made easier by the fact that if you move objects too far in one direction, you are greeted with a “FOCUS LOST” message, which means you need to move in another direction. Because of this, it can be incredibly easy to just blindly move around in the hope that you do what the puzzle requires you to do. However, if you play each puzzle normally, it’s quite a calming type of brain teaser.

What helps to calm the senses is a blend of abstract shapes and fantastic chiptunes. While I am beginning to feel a bit weary of both pixel art and chiptunes in iOS games, I don’t mind if they’re done well and help to give a game some needed character, and that’s exactly what is being done here. There is a very subtle narrative thread that ties the puzzling together, but it’s just a little window-dressing (not that there’s anything wrong with that). A handful of levels have a second pattern, hidden in the background. Finding and putting these pattern together correctly will eventually unlock some extra levels.

But even a few extra levels don’t remedy Simian.Interface’s biggest issue, and that is its length. Once the puzzles start to get a little challenging, the game is over. I had finished every level and found every secret after about 25 minutes.

VERDICT: While it lasts, this set of clever puzzles is a pleasant little time-waster. Sometimes it is better for a game to be over too early rather than too late, but that is only partly the case here. If there was a way of making the puzzles harder to solve by accident, as well as making more of them, then this would be great. Sadly, there’s not enough content or replay value to satisfy most players.

GOOD. A game that scores 7/10 is worthy of note, but unworthy of fanfare. It does many things well, but only a few of them incredibly well and, despite a handful of good qualities, fresh ideas and solid mechanics, it fails to overwhelm.

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If you’ve indulged in Halfbrick’s rather excellent endless runner, Jetpack Joyride, you’ll be familiar with the mildly sociopathic “hero” Barry Steakfries. Modelled on Duke Nukem and Serious Sam, and with a voice like a tweenage Sylvester Stallone, Steakfries seems to exist purely to shoot stuff in the face and spread destruction wherever he goes. In Jetpack Joyride, his misappropriation of an experimental personal jetpack leads to the deaths of several hundred random scientists, a faux pas he appears to be atoning for by saving the world in Age of Zombies.

This isometric twin-stick shooter begins with an evil scientist using a time machine to unleash a zombie plague throughout history. His reasoning, however, remains a mystery, when Steakfries cuts short his villainous expository monologue by unloading a shotgun into his face and leaping headlong into the time portal.

Barry Steakfries is a badass; this fact is never up for dispute, but he’s that special kind of dumb badass, like Ash in Army of Darkness or Matt Hazard, who equates said badassery with how many things he can explode in a given day. As a result, he translates perfectly into a twin-stick shooter where your only objective is to re-kill masses and masses of zombie scum while shouting one-liners.

Unfortunately, what should be a recipe for hilarity often leaves a bad taste as the writing is simply atrocious. The one-liners don’t work, the supposed jokes fall flat and most attempts at humour are thwarted by iffy context and occasional moments of borderline racist ignorance. As with Duke Nukem, Steakfries is over-written as a schmuck rather than a loose cannon, and his misfiring attempts at comedy serve no other purpose than to pull your eyes away from the action to read them – which usually gets you killed. There are a few moments here and there that will make you smile, usually when he slurs the odd exclamation in his Sly Stallone voice, but the “dialogue” would have been better left out.

Unlike Jetpack Joyride or even Halfbrick’s other recent successful venture, Fruit Ninja, Age of Zombies doesn’t offer much incentive to keep playing it. There are no collectibles, no costumes or upgrades for Barry and no store to purchase anything with either in-game credits or real-life wonga. Sadly, this fact severely hamstrings the lifespan, and gives you no reason to go back through levels other than to improve on your high score. If this were still a five-minutes-a-time mobile game, that would be fine, but porting it to the Vita should have encouraged Halfbrick to add some extra content and make it worthy of the platform.

While you’ll predominantly use a pistol, various weapon and equipment drops in each level mix up the action. You’ll find all sorts of goodies from hoverboards and flamethrowers to bazookas and heavy duty buzz-saws, all of which burn out pretty fast in the frantic, manic action. The minute-to-minute gameplay is exhilarating enough, as you’re constantly on the move to avoid being totally overwhelmed by the horde. The zombies themselves adapt to the time period you’re in (of which there are six), but there’s not much variety in their attacks or behaviour.

Graphically speaking, Age of Zombies is quite pretty. The compact environments follow their own rules, and each area is colourful and distinct. It’s never hard to follow the on-screen action, and the score multipliers and special kill announcements gel perfectly with the overall feel. The music is a tad irritating, but without it Age of Zombies seems eerily devoid of atmosphere.

VERDICT: With 18 levels to blast your way through, all set in different periods of history (the 1930s, ancient Egypt and the Old West, to name a few), there’s enough variety to keep the aesthetics feeling fresh, but not enough content to encourage replays. Barry Steakfries treads the fine line between professional badass and total knobhead, and veers too often into the latter territory, but he’s a perfect fit for the kind of bombastic, throwaway entertainment that Age of Zombies offers. Ultimately, Halfbrick’s latest isn’t bad for a few quid, but it’s hardly a triumph for the ages.

DECENT. A 6/10 indicates that, while this game could be much better, it still has a fair amount to offer the player. It might be an interesting title sabotaged by its own ambition, or a game denied greater praise by some questionable design choices. Don’t avoid it outright, but approach it with caution.

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Review code provided by publisher.

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