Age of Heroes II: Underground horror- Mobile Game Review

Age of Heroes II: Underground horror- Mobile Game Review

One of the branded mobile games of “Age of Heroes series”. Deeper of the deepest mines of gnomes, in the forgotten shafts going to the heart of the earth, the gates were erected, to never be opened, separating the world above from the darkness below, and even the oldest of gnomes didn’t remember who and why had built this gates until the day, when its stone wings were cracked under the mighty blows from the darkness?


From the oblivion rose the ancient evil and dead men rose against living ones. Gnome warriors dressed in the strongest armor were fearless, but their courage could do nothing with ancient magic and their steel was weak against the flesh of living dead.

They had only one thing to do retreat, leaving their underground smithies and homes, and look for help above in the sunny mountain valleys.
His name was Ortega, and he wasn’t surprised when he saw messengers of the gnomes at his hut his modest dwelling was visited by much more unusual guests. He was listening them, and he saw the visions of past battles, feasts and betrayals as he was court necromant, he had a lot to remember.

In the second part of epic strategy from Qplaze you will:
Lead the army of gnomes and use mighty necromancy against the hordes of risen dead;
Perform plot tasks, speak with new allies and fight together with new troops against new enemies;

Use powerful artifacts and improve skills of your hero necromancer Ortega;
Chase your enemies on the ground and in the caves of gnomes, plan your strategy, collect troops and win!

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Robot Alliance

Robot Alliance

Simulator robot games for mobile are rare. Very few java games, are capable of putting gamers into a realistic feel of a cockpit, commanding a robot and firing at other mechs. PC games such Mechwarrior and Heavy Gear, have proved that futuristic robotic warfare can be extremely successful. But those are computer games, equipped with high end graphic cards, processor speed and memory. How on earth will such a game ever debut on mobile? It was every gamer’s dream. And it’s now a reality! Come in Robot Alliance, another game developed by Fishlabs and powered by the Abyss engine. Robot Alliance brings cockpit command from the console direct to your mobile!

Basically, it would seem there’s two rival robot factions fighting over control of the planet. The game features two types of gameplay, single player, and multiplayer. Missions in single player puts you in command of a robot, first person view, and your objectives include destroying certain targets, protecting targets, and even the simple ‘destroy anything that moves’ mission. You’re also given a variety of weapons to wield, though these weapons will have to be acquired from the field of battle itself. The multiplayer feature puts you on a planet that is being contested for control. You can choose to join either factions. What was disappointing here, was this reviewer expected to be battling other players, which would be really really cool. Instead, it’s the single player missions all over again! The only difference, is that winning or losing the same missions will have an impact of the sectors that are being fought for. For example, fighting for a certain sector, is a mission of ‘destroy all enemy units’. Winning the mission, will help your faction gain more control of that sector, while losing will give the enemy faction bigger influence there. Hence, players never really come into contact with other players. Each player is simply trying to help the faction gain influence.

For graphics and sound effects, Robot Alliance stands out by a mile, compared to all the futuristic first robot shooters out there. With great laser effects, animation and detail, one can’t help but say, “wow, I never knew java games could do this”. Especially interesting is the way robots fall when they are destroyed, as well as the way they move. It’s obvious that much detail has been put into it to make it seem realistic. As for sound effects and music, Robot Alliance does well here too. With qualities that rival even the best console games, Robot Alliance certainly impresses.

However, the replayability of Robot Alliance suffers badly. There isn’t any clear storyline during the missions, and the multiplayer is mode is simply playing the single player missions again and again. It gets old, and boring very, very fast. Robot Alliance could have been so much better, if players could duel with each other over Bluetooth, or there should be an area mode for instant action. Controls are complicated and gets some getting used to, so the game wouldn’t be simply a game of attrition if there was a duel, but a game of piloting skills as well, as players struggle to strafe and at the same time keep a bead on the opponent. Unfortunately, Robot Alliance lacks all this, and hence, keeping it from totally stealing the throne for ‘best robotic futuristic first person shooter’

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Gangstar: Crime City

Gangstar: Crime City

Street, guns, cars, babes... you' ve got it! This mobile game review will give you an idea that would bring you to another level of excitement. The first thing you get when loading is a nice little message saying how the game is fictional and you shouldn't try any of it at home. And I guess the things that you shouldn't try are drive bys, messing with rival gangs and generally causing a nuisance of yourself. Yes folks, you guessed it, this is Gameloft's answer to Saints Row which is a GTA style game.

And being a typical Gameloft game it doesn't disappoint. The graphics are nice and colourful and have a very street look about them. There are several districts which have their own distinctive buildings and even though you have a top down view, the main character and people walking around (I need to go to a place where women walk around with bikini tops!) look nice if a little small. The cars are not bad either although they definitely have a 2D SNES look about them. However, this is great as my car is in there! A red looking car with two white stripes (no, not a mini!) so I defintely enjoyed going out for a cruise. Another thing is the little effects like the tyre marks when you're skidding around and the jumping and sliding around the cars, Dukes of Hazzard style or the switches from day to night.

Sound is good too with a very "street" sounding tune when you load the game up, and some funky beats during the game. This isn't always on, but you do hear it during missions and you get a few different tunes when you complete them. There are sound effects too for when you fire your gun and when people die (with a grunt, not a scream) so the sound has not been left out.

Controls are simple, use the D or key pad to walk around. The main button will autotarget and fire your selected weapon and you use the * and # keys to cycle through them. Press 0 to get into cars, shops etc although you have to wait a little bit for the car jacking. In the car there are lots of control methods, I preferred the one where up and down is accelerate and decelerate and left and right rotate your directions. Press 5 while in the car to do a driveby.

The game is fun to play as the missions are not too long and there are plenty of things to do. It's a nice plot as you help out different bosses and your loyalty gets divided sometimes. The missions vary between killing people (normal and sniper), escorting people / picking things up, and getting to a certain place in time. To be honest, when doing the missions where you have to take out rival gangs I preferred to just run them over in my car :) You can carjack like GTA and there are plenty of cars in there from police ones (no use of the sirens though) to sports cars. There are also drag races in the city which are fun but not too hard to win. The money can be spent on a number of things like weapons (even a bodyguard) or in the candy shops where you seem to be able to buy or trade sweets. The blurb does talk about running your own businesses like a restaurant and music label but I played this game for quite a while and didn't get that far, so the lastability is good. One thing though, it may be commonplace in the US, and even though I listen to rap and hip hop music, reading some of the gangster language during the plot made me laugh or cringe. However, you do meet a variety of characters and even have the notoriety bar which looks suspiciously like GTA. I haven't been up to more than two stars (you get one for just driving into a police car!) but at least when you get busted you start again at the mission you just left minus your weapons.

The game is pretty large and there are loads of missions to do. The map shows quite a big area to explore and you'll encounter more than one boss as you work your way up to get to the guy who's trying to take over the gangs. The game will suspend and resume and autosaves at the end of each mission whether you succeeded or not. The races are fun so there may be some replay value there and it's also amusing to go around and just kill people. Which sounds horrific when I write it and we don't condone any violence or reenactment in real life but you know what I mean. One thing which would have made it really good would have been if you could jack and store cars, and upgrade them, but there's always one around so you never encounter any problems. And worst comes to worst you could just run there!!

One for the GTA enthusiasts out there, fun to play with plenty of missions.

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Bikini Volleyball

Bikini Volleyball

Summer is heating up and people are hitting the beach so what better time than to participate in some Bikini Volleyball, Gameloft’s latest sports title that takes a few pages from Tecmo’s Extreme Beach Volleyball.

As a member of the Beach Volleyball World Tour, you along with a chosen teammate are set take on other bikini-clad opponents for money, glory, and shiny new bathing suits. Visiting some of the hottest destinations around the globe, you can hit the courts for matches, visit the beach and play mini-games to improve your skills, go shopping with monies won, and even make the covers of some of the trendiest magazines.

It begins by customizing all aspects of your player including hairstyle, wear and strength of skills, and then selecting your partner. As you hit the court, simple one-thumb instructions are given, though you can also play using the keypad. The game takes a little practice as far as timing and placement of the volleys and spikes, but it nonetheless plays exceptionally well as you can also conjure up super spikes and blocks. The computer AI is quite good so expect a good match. Beat your opponent and you can then spend your winnings on more wear, hairstyles and special moves.

Between matches you can participate in one of the mini-games to improve four basic playing skills which are Strength, Speed, Reach and Technique. Each has a point value that can be increased and the more you participate, the better the chances are of being the best. The mini-games include the likes of a relay race, dancing and Frisbee and do add to the enjoyment of the game but are notall available immediately. Some must be unlocked as more games are played. There’s actually quite a bit to unlock in the game, including more players, so there is a good amount to go through.

Some of you mongers are probably thinking “sure, whatever but what about the physics?”…well, remember, this is a MOBILE game so don’t expect the same level of detail as in EBV. The illustrations are done nicely and movement during game play is good, but this game at it’s core is still a volleyball game and that’s were it decides to concentrate on, making Bikini Volleyball a solid choice for anyone who enjoys the sport.

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3D Pool 2: Urban Hustle

3D Pool 2: Urban Hustle

Around this time last year, dbi games, now called i-play, released a revolutionary new sports game that was a hit with virtually everyone who had a J2ME phone. Yes, you’ve guessed it, 3d pool. It blew us all way with its surprising playability, and lusciously good looks. We didn’t even notice that it was nearly devoid of any adequate sound, or story, but we still loved it. Of course now, a game just being 3d isn’t enough anymore, which has obviously been taken into account here, as 3d Pool: Urban Hustle is a superb game in every way.

The most noticeable improvement, when you first launch the game, is the sound. The game, apart from its hip-hop beat theme, is packed with various sound effects, from the cue hitting the ball, to people cheering in the background. You’ll also find that the 3d graphics have been upgraded, with players now being able to see the environment around the pool table, which also now looks great. A fresh, need for speed: underground style theme has also been added, enabling you to bet on you matches, and talk to your opponents. And no, that doesn’t mean you can add hydraulics to your cue. Your ball-potting antics will take you to London, New York and finally L.A. through 30 levels and a fistful of “gangster” opponents.

The levels consist of you attempting to pull off various trick shots on the pool table in order to win enough money to face your next opponent. Every 3 or 4 levels, you’ll be playing a full match of pool, with the rules changing according to which city you’re playing in. These matches are especially important, as big money can be won based on your victory. All this is apart from the “quick play” and multiplayer modes, which could have been perfect had Bluetooth multiplayer been added. For the less experienced player, a practice mode has been added, which slowly nurtures you into the ultimate cue master you’ve always wanted to be. If that isn’t enough, various other helpful (but optional) aspects have been included, such as sight lines, hints and in-game help, as well as definitions of all the rule types. As a result, the game is very beginner-friendly. Perhaps even more so than the previous installment.

All this being added to an excellent user-friendly interface, 3d Pool Urban Hustle is an amazing game. This will certainly be an example to every other developer trying to make a game like this. I-play and distinctive developments have certainly worked hard to make the game as good as it is, and I applaud them for it. I definitely take my hat off to them for this amazing piece of work.

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Real Football 2008

Real Football 2008

After having 2006 and 2007 real football on my phones and being highly addicted, I did not believe it could get much better. But it has, now many more leagues have been added, so I can play as my beloved bolton wanderers among many others like any german or french team. There is also a brilliant challenge mode, giving you situations like the brilliant world cup final where you have just a few minutes to grab a goal for france and change the outcome.

The graphics have improved but only slightly, the teams are very up to date and tricks and amazing goals are even more easy to do however corners have been made harder but brilliant to watch on replay if a goal is the result of one.

The best upgrade is a new level of difficulty called hell, it really is hell but a great challenge as on the past two real football games, I found myself, after some time, winning every single game on the most difficult setting but not any more. The new setting will truly keep challenging me for a long long time if not forever.

Overall I am very impressed with this game, I find myself playing all the time and not getting bored and really would recommend it to anyone.

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Age of Empire 3

Age of Empire 3

It's not often you get a mobile game and a history lesson all in one, but Age of Empires III manages to deliver just that. If the years 1500 to 1850 are a little hazy, you'll soon have played through several of the period's most important battles. And hopefully emerge from it feeling like you understand it a little better.

Of course, it's more likely you'll just want to build up armies and go off to pillage from other poor villages. And if you do, the game can certainly accommodate plenty of that, too.

For those not in the know, the Age of Empire games are massive on PC. They're the ultimate in resource management – enabling players to travel through countries, build settlements, live off the land, then trade and fight opposing armies and villages. On mobile, it's obviously a scaled down affair, but the core elements are identical.

Each mission starts you off on some barren land and with limited resources. By instructing your settlers to gather wood, food and gold, you build each of these resources and can use them in turn to construct buildings and train up soldiers.

A town centre makes it possible to create more settlers, while barracks deliver more infantry, from pikemen to buckaneers and mounted guardsmen. You also need to ensure there's enough housing for your settlement, then consider building optional constructions such as a market – where you can trade the plentiful resources you have for scarcer items, or more immediately useful things such as an armed outpost which will automatically rain fire down on invading armies.

While you build and expand, there's always a constant threat of invasion, not to mention pressing objectives to fulfill. You begin occupying a small area which opens out as you explore, although you can never be sure of what's lurking in the darkness as you advance.

The resource management side of the game is very well implemented and extremely well balanced. It's also very easy to control, considering the quite complex array of choices at your disposal. A thumbstick will enable you easy diagonal control, and selecting anything on the map is as simple as clicking on it to bring up a sub-menu, or highlighting the square you want a character to move to.

Unlike Age of Empires II, character AI isn't a problem here. But the combat is still a minor sticking point and can descend into a messy affair. Once enemy soldiers enter the screen, the best tactic is generally to select a division from your army – by clicking on a soldier twice – then choosing an enemy for them to attack. Continuing to select enemies seems to keep your soldiers on them, otherwise they seem to just stop fighting. Which is somewhat disconcerting.

One nifty feature is being able to pause the game and strategise your fight from there. So you can order your soldiers, and they'll carry out the order once you un-pause the game. It's the best way of stopping three-quarters of your troops being slain before you've registered what's happening.

Another new element is the Home City screen, which simply gives the game another layer of strategy. As you progress, your Home City becomes more powerful and able to support you with item drop-offs. At the start, you can mostly select from essentials such as food, but advancing through the ages upgrades these bonuses to cannons and musketeers.

As well as its lengthy Campaign, playable as either a veteran or recruit, there are 31 Skirmish missions to play through, which place you in various situations with timed objectives to carry out. You can also choose to side with an AI team, or play against one or two AI opponents. In terms of longevity, then, Age of Empires III certainly isn't lacking.

It's only the combat that's a bit of a letdown but it's hardly a deal breaker. When looked at as a whole, this is one impressive strategy game for your mobile, and infinitely more fun than any history lesson you'll have had.

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