Category Archives: Mobile

5 Android Games for Real Gamers

modern_combat_3_for_android

So, you like games, and you want to play them on your phone, but you want to do more than sling irritated birds at sickly looking pork. You want to play a real game, one with a story and bullets and cars and voice acting and maybe even multiplayer. The problem with this is you’ve let the list of top games fool you, let it trick you into believing that you wish for something that isn’t there, but actually, it’s been there all along. The following list is composed of games available for Android OS, though they may be available for iOS as well. Please remember that not all Android phones are created equal, and many of these games require or recommend a phone with a lot of RAM and a good processor.

1. Grand Theft Auto III (10 year anniversary edition): $4.99

I wasn’t surprised when I learned that Grand Theft Auto was available for Android. However, my bottom lip hit the floor when I scrolled down and read the big “III” underneath. Grand Theft Auto III was released on the PS2 and Xbox. This means that a game that was incredibly huge for last generation consoles can now be played on a phone that only weighs a few ounces.

This isn’t some watered-down GTA, this is the real thing. Everything is here. The voice acting, guns, radio stations, cars, pedestrians, missions, everything. And honestly, what better game can there be to entertain yourself while on the move than Grand Theft Auto. If you don’t have time to dive into the missions, you certainly can spare a moment to gun down civilians as well as the paramedics who arrive on scene to treat your victims.

2. Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation: $6.99

When I saw the Modern Combat series on the list of top Android games, I assumed that it simply capitalized on the name because it is very similar to the Modern Warfare trilogy as well as Battlefield 2: Modern Combat. My assumption was right, as it seems Gameloft happened to release the newest addition to the IP around the same time as Modern Warfare 3 was released. However, despite this less than classy marketing scheme, Fallen Nation really impressed me. It’s fully voice acted, includes several set pieces reminiscent of current-gen Call of Duty games, and has the best graphics I’ve witnessed on an Android game.

Along with these great graphics, Gameloft has managed to include surprisingly balanced and swift gameplay. Expect to go from manning a mounted gun on a helicopter to fighting indoors, and finally on street level in a short period of time. Enemies aren’t smart, but seem more realistic than I expected.

One thing hard to accomplish on a mobile FPS is good controls, and while you won’t feel like your holding an AK in your hands, you’ll at least be able to shoot it where you want (usually). Modern Combat 3′s controls are far from perfect, but if I wasn’t spoiled from constant use of a dual analog controller, I’d say the game controls well.

Now, if all of that wasn’t quite enough, Modern Combat 3 includes online multiplayer with up to a dozen players. So, if for some reason you feel the need to shoot people from around the world while riding the bus, by all means do it. Overall, this is a great game. Modern Combat 3 feels like a current-gen console game more than once, and it’s certainly worth the purchase for any FPS fan.

3. Real Racing 2: $4.99

EA is no stranger to mobile games. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit was used to show the capabilities of gaming phones for quite a while, and games such as Mass Effect: Infiltrator, SimCity Deluxe, and NBA Jam show that Electronic Arts know what they’re doing when crafting a game for the mobile market (as long as you don’t count compatibility issues and customer support, but what else could you expect from EA). At some point someone at EA said, “Hey, we should make a racing game where cars actually feel like cars!”.So they got some sponsors and licensed some vehicles, spent a lot of money (not on a creative name, though) and made Real Racing.

Real Racing is a good game, but of course, as is the way with mobile games, the sequel is much better. The game features a handful of licensed cars that are all rendered beautifully, including fully rendered interiors that can be seen from the cockpit view (one of the many views available). The best part of the game is that it actually feels like I’m racing. It’s no Gran Turismo or Forza, but Real Racing 2 at least does it’s job, and is a relatively pain-free racer that can easily entertain racing fans when they’re not in front of a television.

4. FIFA 12

I hate to put EA on a list twice, but this time I had no choice. FIFA 12 is a great example of what can be done on an Android device. It has features that rival those of last-gen sports games, fluid animations, and a very natural feeling control system. Even though in most ways it is, FIFA 12 never really feels like a watered-down game. It feels like a sports game that has figured out how things should be done.

Features included in FIFA 12 include all the stats you could want, a season mode, shootout mode, decent commentary (not too repetitive surprisingly), and replay saves among others. Usually handheld versions of sports games feel like a game that came out a long time ago, but FIFA just doesn’t. When the goalie stops a shot, his hand actually hits the ball (as opposed to being in the same area of the ball as seen in the past).

Basically, if you need a sports fix while on the go, look no further. FIFA 12 is the best you’ll find.

XPLANE 9: $2.99

You might have heard of XPLANE before. It’s a flight simulator usually used on computers, at NASA, etc., and somehow, it made it’s way to phones. Who would’ve thought of taking a professional flight simulator and putting it on their phone? No idea, but whoever it was, thank you.

XPLANE 9 on Android isn’t quite the same simulator you’ll find at NASA, but you’ll be surprised at just how realistic it can be. This game features several different locations, weather types, planes (though you’ll have to pay more for the bigger jets); There is wind, and even simulated system failures.

It’d be nice to have a more realistic cockpit view, and you can’t see most of the plane’s instruments while looking at where you’re going.  Gyroscope control is a nice touch, and works pretty well.

Hope you enjoyed this top 5! If you believe something else should have been included, or if something shouldn’t have been on the list in the first place, comment below!

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The Microsoft Surface Finally Surfaces


On Monday, June 19th at a press conference in Los Angeles, California, Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, finally unveiled Microsoft’s first ever tablet PC. Entitled the Microsoft Surface, this is Microsoft’s leap into the tablet industry in what they claim to be greater than Apple’s iPad. Standard competitor trash-talking aside, the specs of the Surface speak for itself (full list of both model’s spec as well as a comparison with the iPad 3 can be found here).

The Surface will be launching alongside  Windows 8 (currently expected to be released fall 2012) and will also be powered by the Windows 8 OS. In an industry filled with Apple and Android powered tablets, it will be interesting to see how this newbie does. This announcement also coincides with the previous announcement during Microsoft’s E3 press conference for SmartGlass. A new, innovative way of increasing connectivity across tablets, phone, Xbox, and more, expect the Surface to take full advantage of enhancing your entertainment experience.

But ultimately as a gamer, you’re most likely wondering what does this mean for you? Well, personally as a fan of both Microsoft and mobile gaming, I see this as a perfect marriage of the two. With the processing power the Surface boasts, you’ll be able to play any normal PC game without sacrificing anything all the while being able to do it on the go. However Microsoft would be foolish not to extend their own line of software to the tablet from first party exclusives to the Xbox Live Marketplace. The Surface is Microsoft’s best effort at establishing a foothold in the mobile gaming market, while innovating at the same time.

For more information on the Microsoft Surface, stay tuned with us here and we will keep you up to date as always!

Destinia Review


Destinia is an action RPG from the fantastic mobile game developer, Gamevil, known for their renowned Zenonia series. Destinia is currently available for the iPhone, iPod, and iPad through the App Store and all Android devices through Google Play (formerly known as the Android Market). First, I would like to disclose that this review was done with the Android version of the game but the iPhone version was tested some and there was no noticeable differences found.

Now, Destinia follows the story of a young man named Duke, a former member of the Imperial Guard, who is imprisoned after refusing to follow an order from his superior. The story begins with a rebel group led by their princess Crystal breaking into the prison to bust out her mentor, in the process setting Duke free. Duke helps the group free her mentor and then leaves the group after repaying his debt, going back to his hometown he hasn’t been to in years in search of his childhood friend. Thus begins a cliché RPG fantasy story filled with love, tragedy, rebellion, loss, and victory. As an RPG fan, I very much enjoyed the story somewhat reminiscent of a classic Final Fantasy story. But enough about the dramatic stuff. Let’s talk about the heart of the game, the gameplay. Like I said earlier, it is an action RPG with an emphasis on action. At the beginning of the game, you are given the choice of which class you want to play as. The choices are: the warrior, gunner, and thief. The warrior class is all about heavy-hitting and powerful melee attacks. The gunner is all about ranged attacks through obviously the use of guns. And last but not least, the thief who doesn’t actually steal anything (at least that I know of) is all about speed and dual-wielding swords. Now, personally I was a little disappointed that there was no magic class (as that’s what I always choose in fantasy games) but quickly found a sufficient substitution in the thief class. Fueled by fast paced movements and coupled with dual-wielding attacks, this class gave me quite frankly the most fun I’ve had in playing a mobile action game. Not only that, but surprisingly, each button press felt truly powerful.

Other than the basic attacks, each class has their own unique skill tree with which you can customize your hero to be what you want it to be, giving that RPG feel. You can then “hotkey” the skills to specific slots on the actual screen for use during combat, with each skill using up mana. When leveling up, you get to also increase your mana, health, and other basic attributes just like you would expect from an RPG. Once you have leveled up to a certain point, you are even given the choice of picking from 6 sub-classes to specialize in. Leveling is actually frequent, especially at the beginning of the game, making you feel like not only are you having fun fighting monsters but being rewarded by it as well with experience points. And not only do you get XP from monsters but also a lot of loot. Almost every monster you kill will drop something, whether it be gold, a potion, or a new piece of equipment. The customization extends to your equipment as well with many different armors and weapons to wear, each with their own set of benefits. Not only that but on top of all this, you can even forge two pieces together to make something entirely new! And if that’s not enough, occasionally a monster will drop a recipe with which you can use to create your own equipment with the right materials that can be bought at a store or found from looting corpses. This adds to the extra things there is to do other than blast your way through the main quest.

Speaking of quests, other than the main one there are plenty of side quests to keep you busy for hours. Considering this is a mobile game, there are limitations of course so don’t expect a lot of differentiability between quests. The only variances are your usual fetch quests, where someone wants you to go kill a specific monster and pick up an item it drops or deliver something to another person (which usually leads to another side quest). The other variant is simply going and killing a certain amount of a specific monster with very little justification as to why. But again, the exciting combat, loot, and XP is more than enough reason.

Finally, when you get bored with the main story, you have the option to jump into the mulitplayer or Multi Mode, as it is called in Destinia. With a stable Internet connection (be it 3G, 4G, or Wifi), you can battle against other people in an arena. You are connected to someone of about the same level as your character from the main game but possibly different classes than you and sent to the arena. Here you are not only fighting against that person but a few monsters as well and the winner is given an honor point which can be used to buy items from the store and be ranked in the global leaderboard. There is also an auction house where you can sell or buy items from other players. There is even a small pet system that Gamevil included that every once in a while in the main game, a monster will drop an egg which you can hatch to have a little pet follow you around and help you out in battle (not to mention they are very cute!) and even in the multiplayer, but expect other players to have their pets helping them out as well.

The Good: Cute anime-style graphics reminiscent of Gamevil’s acclaimed Zenonia series, matched with fun hack-and-slash gameplay, customization, and not to mention a cute pet system all make Destinia a worthwhile lengthy mobile game. And when you’re done with the main game, you can continue your adventures in the multiplayer.

The Bad: Musical score is unfortunately very limited, mostly to the moments you are in town but even then it is only one song that is catchy but will get boring after hours and hours of only hearing that song. Also very limited in the types of side quests to offer. Finally, a strange way of making the menu system work where you can’t simply press on something you see, you must move on the D-pad to the specific thing you want to click on and then press the main action button, this weird way could have been avoided.

Should you get it? Of course! If you’re an RPG/fantasy action fan or a mobile gamer looking for something a little less casual, this is the game for you! You can download the entire game right now for free or pay a little bit of money and get an ad-free version of the game.

Overall Score: 9.0/10

As always, if you have any comments, suggestions, feedback, or need any actual gameplay tips and/or walkthrough of specific boss fights or anything else (I will also do video walkthroughs) just let me know in the comments below!

$1 Gaming: Blosics [iOS]


iOS games are becoming more and more popular as time goes on, and with Apple’s growth we are bound to continue seeing them. If you’ve been wondering what games are worth your money then look no further than Blosics. What starts off looking like a bit of an Angry Birds spin-off ends up turning into a unique enough experience for this title to be given some well-deserved love of its own.

The premise is similar to that of Angry Birds as your goal is to fire balls at a formation of blocks as you complete each of the 120 levels scattered over the 4 worlds; plains, underwater, underground and space. The main focus of this game is on points which act like a currency as well as your score. You start with 1 ball known as the Standard Ball and as you gain stars for moving on you begin to unlock the other 12. Of course, each ball has a different ability than the last and as they become more powerful the price begins to get steeper. In the latter half of your journey it becomes more crucial to keep an eye on your points and the prices of the balls you’re using since it won’t be so easy to advance unless you strategize and plan out your every move. This isn’t to say that there is a large spike in difficulty although some of the levels may frustrate you enough to take a break.

Most iOS titles don’t have very good replay value, but I found myself going to back to the earlier areas in Blosics with my newly unlocked balls to boost my scores and unlock newer balls faster. Once you have a brand new arsenal of weapons to wreak havoc upon the pleasantly designed world of Blosics you have already overcome it makes it feel like a brand new experience. One of the best parts about this title is that it is a great game for any type of gamer. The casual gamer will have fun messing around completing stages at their own pace, enjoying the atmosphere and music that draw the player in, making them a part of the adventure while the hardcore gamer like myself will have a blast trying to ace every level by achieving 3 stars and completing all of the 48 challenges to go along with them. However, the one disappointment I had was not being rewarded for 100% completion; the game doesn’t even acknowledge you for conquering each of the 4 worlds to the fullest extent. Even though it says in-game that more “episodes” will be added in the future I don’t expect to be rewarded for beating those either. I suppose it’s more of a feel-good accomplishment as you climb the leaderboards rather than earning something useful.

Some of the challenges are extremely easy while others are painstakingly difficult. With 12 per world they vary anywhere from completing a stage by only using a certain amount of shots to having to dominate and muster up a score worthy of 3 stars in a matter of seconds. It becomes evident that some of the harder challenges have to be completed using a more powerful ball once you have it at your disposal. Another challenge focuses on not destroying baby balls, which are white balls trapped in cages held prisoner to the blocks. They are already a common obstacle that is encountered throughout the game but they are hardest to avoid when a challenge surrounds them; as they should be. They are placed in such a way that you can not help but fire at them to make yourself an opening to strike the blocks, if not for your own pleasure of hearing them scream.

With an expansion update to be released in the future, there’s no reason why Blosics should be ignored. For only $0.99 you get a great game with 120+ levels and 48+ challenges and loads of fun to be had.