Review: ‘AG Drive’ for iOS game review

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BY Unknown 01:42 0

Review: ‘AG Drive’ for iOS game review

AG Drive is a racing game featuring anti-gravity space ships that you race around a futuristic race track set in the year 2260. The game is a combination of Wipeout and F-Zero, and pretty much what you’d expect that to be like if you’ve played those games.

AG Drive is now available on the App Store for the iPhone and iPad and has been given the Apple’s Editor’s Choice, which, to be honest, doesn’t really mean much if you see the history of some of the previous games that got this honor. Let’s see if this one’s any good.

Gameplay

In AG Drive you pilot an anti-gravity ship, which is like a small aircraft hovering just above the ground. The tracks you fly these things on go up, down, and sideways, which is not an issue for these gravity defying machines.

The rest of it is simple arcade racing. You have couple of main race modes comprising of quick races, with are short, and the slightly more elaborate campaign mode. Both modes have a multitude of race types, including single races against multiple opponents, duels against a single opponent, elimination, time trial mode, speed record, where you have to reach a certain speed, distance record, score chase, etc. In quick race mode you can choose your difficulty and in campaign mode the difficulty increases as you play.

You have three ships available to you, two of them being locked and have to be purchased using the money you earn by winning races. You can also customize the ships by increasing their performance, handling, and special ability. Each ship has a special ability: the default Epsilon has turbo boost, the Minstar has an auto-beam feature that locks it to the track even around corners, and the the Sokudo can jump. The special abilities of the ships can be used during the race when the meter fills up and after using you have to wait for it to refill.

But enough of all that. Is the game fun to play? Nope. For all the fuss the developers make on the game’s description page you’d think it’s the next big thing in racing games but it’s honestly quite dull overall. The game takes heavy “inspiration” from both Wipeout and F-Zero in particular, with its ship designs, looping topsy turvy tracks and the whole anti-gravity racing thing in general and doesn’t manage to be half as fun as either of them. Wipeout, in particular, has a cool weapon system that you can use to blow other ships, that this game lacks.

In all honesty, this game isn’t always that dull, and the first few races you are reasonably entertained by it, particularly because of the visuals but you soon realize there is not much depth and variety to the gameplay and it gets repetitive quickly. There aren’t a lot of tracks right now and only three ships, which feel similar and their special attacks are so comically short (unless you upgrade them) you wonder why they are even there to begin with. The whole racing experience in general is just not all that exciting.

Graphics and Sounds

Admittedly, AG Drive does look cool when you are playing it. There is a very real roller coaster like feel when going down vertically towards the ground on these tracks and getting a bird’s eye view of the city below. That is until you realize this is exactly how F-Zero GX looks like, which is when it seems less impressive. Also, there are a lot of ugly low resolution textures in the game, often on the ship right in the middle of the screen that you are flying. Still, the visuals remain the highlight of the game, which is not saying much.

The sound, on the other hand, isn’t. The game boasts of this fancy soundtrack by Ari Pulkkinen (he made the Angry Birds theme, among other game soundtracks) along with a few other composers. It’s just a bunch of dubstep and EDM tracks and normally I don’t mind the genre but the music here is really grating to the point where I muted the music completely, which is something I rarely do in a game, especially since a lot of games have really good music these days. When you mute the music, you realize the sound effects are quite terrible, and oddly confused. Like the same interaction (moving through your ships in the gallery or choosing different difficulty level in quick race mode) will produce one of the couple of different sounds every time you press the same button. Why? Just because it can. The ships are practically silent and sound about as powerful as a sewing machine. Even the announcer sounds bad.

Verdict

AG Drive is an unoriginal, uninteresting, and unremarkable racing game. Other than the cool visuals there is not much here that’s worth commending. Even the visuals are lifted from other games, so I wonder even if that’s worth commending. The gameplay is quite repetitive and eventually, boring. There is also a certain tackiness to the game, from the menus to the language used in the game (your agent calls you ‘babe’, for some reason). Overall, AG Drive is not worth your time and money, and Apple needs to hire better editors cause the current ones have no idea what they are doing.

Pros: Cool visuals
Cons: Boring, repetitive gameplay, not much variety in vehicles or tracks, grating soundtrack, tacky writing and general menu design
Worth buying?: Hell no

Price: $3.99
Download: App Store

Note: This game was reviewed on an iPad Air.

‘Alto’s Adventure’ for iOS game review

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BY Unknown 01:30 0

‘Alto’s Adventure’ for iOS game review

Alto’s Adventure is procedurally generated endless snowboarding game. You play as Alto and his friends, going down snow covered slopes on snowboards, catching llamas, grinding on rooftops, and pulling off stunts in mid-air.

The game is now available on the App Store and promises beautiful visuals and an exhilarating gameplay experience. Let’s see if it delivers.

Gameplay

In Alto’s Adventure, you play as one of the six characters in the game, with the first character (Alto) available at the beginning and more unlocking as you reach the next level.

The character automatically goes down the slope and you have only one control at your disposal, which allows the character to jump. If you press and hold on the screen, the character attempts to perform a backflip mid-air. If you manage to straighten the character before landing back you successfully perform a flip, otherwise you crash in the snow and the game ends.

The way jumps are performed reminds me a bit of Tiny Wings. As you are going down the slope, you are looking for those small mounds that will allow you to jump in the air and hopefully perform a flip.

But flips aren’t all that you can do in this game. You can also jump up and grind on top of rooftops or cables between poles. Again, you don’t have to do anything; simply landing on the surface initiates the grind and as an added bonus you can jump off the end and pull off a flip usually.

As you perform more flips or grinds successfully, your muffler grows longer and you start going faster and jump higher. This helps you pull off flips better, even two at a time.

As you go down the slope, you have to catch the llamas that have escaped. You also collect stars during the game. Both of these, along with the total duration of your run contribute towards your final score for that game. There are also power ups that you can collect, such as the magnet power up that attracts nearby stars towards you.

Along with collectibles, there are also things to avoid. There are rocks in your path that come out of nowhere that you have to jump over. If you are quick, you can actually bounce off them to reach higher areas that you normally can’t with a simple jump. You will also occasionally have to jump over chasms but those aren’t all that hard and usually come with a warning sign beforehand.

There are also these elders who will chase after you on a horse if you go past their tent. You have to stay ahead the entire time or else the game is over if they catch up with you. Once you go over a chasm, they can’t chase you anymore causing you to successfully evade them.

But is all of this fun? The answer is yes. Alto’s Adventure has that natural hook of an endless runner that keeps you mashing that replay button for a higher score and it combines it with a simple but challenging gameplay mechanic. I also liked the idea of goals that each level has and you can’t move on to the next level until you complete all three goals. The six characters also have differing abilities, with some having increased strength while others being more agile. There’s also a wingsuit that you can purchase using collected stars (there is no in-app purchases here, thankfully) that lets you perform more elaborate tricks in air. And you can always compare your scores with your friends’ over Game Center.

Graphics and Sound

A lot of the charm of Alto’s Adventure comes from the visuals. The game looks absolutely sublime, with wonderfully minimalist yet striking art design. I also loved the way the time of the day and the weather keeps changing as you play, going from dawn to dusk and from bright sunshine to thunderstorm within minutes. It also runs at a silky smooth framerate, at least on the iPad Air I tried it on.

The sound is lovely, too. The background music played on a piano is really nice but what I loved in particular were the sound effects. Just wait for the thunderstorm to arrive and then hear the majestic rumble of the clouds as you perform yet another flip against a lightning-streaked sky. It’s all very delightful and adds a lot to the game’s appeal.

Verdict

Alto’s Adventure is a memorable experience, with its addictive gameplay and beautiful visuals and sounds. It’s simple and minimalist, but therein lies its charm. There is something quite affable about this game, and you need to play it to experience that.

Pros: Simple but addictive gameplay, wonderful visuals and sounds
Cons: None, in particular
Worth buying? Yes

Price: $1.99
Download: App Store

Note: This game was reviewed on an iPad Air.

‘Game of Thrones – A Telltale Games Series – Episode 2′ for iOS and Android game review

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BY Unknown 02:01 0

‘Game of Thrones – A Telltale Games Series – Episode 2′ for iOS and Android game review

Telltale has released the next episode in its Game of Thrones series of games. Called The Lost Lords, it is the second episode in the six part series based on the hit HBO show, Game of Thrones, which itself is based on the A Song of Ice and Fire series of books by George R. R. Martin.

 The episode 2 continues from where the first episode left off, which we reviewed here. Episode 1 started off on a strong mark, so let’s see if episode 2 can keep the momentum going.

Gameplay

Note: Spoilers for episode 1 ahead. If you haven’t played episode 1, I strongly suggest you do before reading the review.

Episode 2 starts soon after the ending of the first episode, which ended in a typical Game of Thronesfashion, with the gruesome death of Ethan Forrester. The season introduces Asher Forrester, who is returning to Ironwrath with Malcolm Branfield. Meanwhile, Mira Forrester continues to form an alliance with Tyrion Lannister over at King’s Landing. On the other side, Gared Tuttle goes to The Wall, where we also get our first glimpse of Jon Snow in the game. There are other important events that take place in this episode, but they are best left to be discovered by the player.

Gameplay-wise, the game is more or less the same, featuring the typical point and click adventure style of Telltale games. You tap on marked objects to interact with them, and you interact with characters with through set options, which you have to select. As you make choices, you alter the game’s progress and how the next series of events take place.

The game also has several quick time events, where you have to tap or swipe at the right time in the right direction during the fight sequences. The second episode adds a new timed button, where a button appears on the screen but you can’t press it until the right moment. If you press it early or late, then you basically fail the event.

This is where my main problem with the game comes in. For a game that requires so heavily on quick time events, there is an annoying delay between pressing or swiping on the screen and the game actually accepting the input. I also often found the game ignoring a perfectly well timed input, causing the event to fail. This wasn’t a problem with episode 1, which works fine.

Another problem nonexistent in episode 1 is the long pauses between sequences. Basically, the game reacts to your inputs, and changes the sequences based on the choices you made. In other Telltale games, this happens seamlessly, where you don’t even realize the game is going through multiple sequences to choose the right one for your input. But in this episode, the game would just pause for a second or so before starting the sequence, which killed the immersion.

Admittedly, both issues can be fixed in future updates, but as of now, they do make the game less enjoyable. which is unfortunate, because the episode itself is quite good. The writing is good and you are kept entertained throughout the roughly two hour duration of the episode. I also like how the little decisions you made in episode 1, including choosing to pick up certain objects, affect your progress in this episode to quite an extent, and as an extent, future episodes, so you can’t take any decision lightly. This is one of the best part of these Telltale games and why they are so enjoyable despite their offbeat nature.

Graphics and Sound

I complained heavily about the graphics in the review of episode 1. The game looked awful on mobile and on top of that, ran at a terrible framerate on the iPad. Thankfully, the game got updated later, which not only improved the visual quality but also the framerate.

Episode 2 benefits from these changes and does actually look quite good. The graphics have the same oil painting look to them, which is quite fetching, and the game also has very impressive facial expressions on characters. There are some ugly textures here and there but nothing too much to complain about. The framerate isn’t exactly butter smooth even after the update, hovering just under 30fps most of the time, but it’s still alright, except the few times it dips dangerously low, especially when there are flames on screen.

The sound is great too. The game features some of the sublime music from the TV show by Ramin Djawadi but the rest of it seems original. There is also some really good voice acting, with many of the actors from the TV show reprising their roles in the game, most notably Peter Dinklage who plays Tyrion Lannister.

Verdict

The Lost Lords is definitely a good followup to the original, with new characters and interesting story development, and sets a good tone for the rest of the season. If you enjoyed the original episode, or you are just a fan of Telltale games, then it is worth getting the second episode. I just hope they fix the issues with the quick time events and lag and stuttering between sequences soon.

Pros: Good story and gameplay, attractive visual style, good music

Cons: Lag in accepting input for quick time events, lag and stuttering between gameplay sequences

Asus Memo Pad 7 ME176C hands-on

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BY Unknown 00:25 0

Asus Memo Pad 7 ME176C hands-on

The Asus Memo Pad 7 is a top-tier compact tablet with a 7″ 1200 x 1920px IPS display, 64-bit Intel Atom Z3560 chipset, 2GB of RAM, a 5MP camera and 16GB or 32GB of built in storage that can be expanded with a microSD card.

The Memo Pad 7 also features an attractive design with a textured back, a clean glass front and stereo speakers on the top and bottom (or the sides in landscape mode).

Asus relies on its own design, capable hardware and a blend of Android that’s close to stock but with an Asus paint job for the Memo Pad 7. The result is a customizable slate that’s also easy to get started with, thanks to it being as close to Google basics as possible.

You can get the Asus Memo Pad 7 in a variety of colors, including Burgundy Red, Champagne Gold, or Gentle Black – ours is the latter. The build is completely forged from plastic but there are no glossy parts to be seen making the Memo Pad 7 feel great and solid in the hand.

The back has an interesting design aesthetic with a textured curve that runs all the way to the edge where it meets a thin line of matte plastic surface. The Asus Memo Pad 7 is also very light at 269 g which is lighter than the Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact (albeit an 8″ slate) and the 7″ Nexus 7 (2013).

     

                         

Asus Memo Pad 7

The display is of very high quality. The panel is bright with vivid colors and great viewing angles. At 323ppi the 1200 x 1920px panel is tack-sharp too – it’s especially evident when browsing on the slate as text is rendered perfectly. We can safely say it’s among the best panels we’ve seen on a tablet.

Thanks to the potent Intel Atom chipset the Asus Memo Pad 7 runs very fast and smooth and we didn’t notice any stutters while using it regardless of the number of opened apps.

Currently, you can get the Asus Memo Pad 7 for less than €200, which is not half bad for the quality of the hardware you’re getting. 

Review: Tech21 Evo Mesh case for iPhone 6

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BY Unknown 12:36 0

Review: Tech21 Evo Mesh case for iPhone 6

Tech21 Evo Mesh case is part of the company’s extensive iPhone 6 lineup. The protective cover is made for users who like to keep their smartphone intact without breaking the bank for an all-out rugged solution.

Based in London, Tech21 creates mobile accessories with a science-first approach. The company has been in the business since 2005 and is the first to use shock-absorbing polymers in its products.

The Evo Mesh case for iPhone 6 features a frame made of FlexShock. The latter is hybrid impact protection material, which absorbs and repels shock from the smartphone when dropped. Advanced TPU shell with check patter on the back completes the setup.

     

    

Tech21 Evo Mesh for iPhone 6 in the flesh

The Evo Mesh case looks casually handsome in the flesh thanks to the contrasting FlexShock frame and TPU shell. The latter is available in a variety of colors, which range from dark gray like the unit I tested, though clear shell that showcases the color of your iPhone, all the way to more eye-grabbing shades like blue and purple.

The visual downside of the Evo Mesh case is that, despite all the clever tech inside it, it doesn’t look too different from the cheap TPU covers out there. The build material won’t wow you with tactility either.

As far as keeping your iPhone 6 intact goes, the Tech21 Evo Mesh is surely up to the task. The cover handles casual drops without breaking a sweat – it truly allows you to act sloppy with your device without worrying much about the consequences.

Ergonomics of the Evo Mesh case are overall good – all ports of the iPhone are left uncovered and easy to access. The device’s power/lock key and volume buttons are covered, but offer good feedback.

At 30 grams of weight, the case is not heavy considering the protection it offers. However, at 75mm of width, it makes the iPhone 6 (67mm wide) considerably wider and more difficult to handle with one hand.

Wrap up

The Tech21 Evo Mesh case is a solid offering for users who are looking for a tough case which doesn’t go over board with rugged looks. You will likely find more elegant offerings for your money, though they surely won’t keep your iPhone 6 in one piece the way the Evo Mesh case will.

The Evo Mesh cover is priced at $34.99. You can find it in Tech21’s official online store or at an Apple Store near you.

Review: ‘The LEGO Movie Video Game’ for iOS

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BY Unknown 21:19 0

Review: ‘The LEGO Movie Video Game’ for iOS

The LEGO Movie Video Game is a video game based on the LEGO Movie (shocking, I know). It’s essentially a top-down isometric action-adventure game based on the story and characters of last year’s successful LEGO Movie.

A version of this game was released on the PC and consoles but is different from the iOS version, which has been made from the ground up for the mobile platform. The gameplay is somewhat similar but it is mostly just cutscenes from the movie interspaced with several short levels featuring the movie’s characters.

Gameplay

As mentioned, The LEGO Movie Video Game is a third person action adventure game. The game’s story is told through sequences lifted straight from the movie, so it’s best if you have watched the movie first if you A. Don’t want it to be spoiled and B. Want to enjoy the game properly.

Between the cutscenes, are 45 levels, which sounds like a lot but most of them are very short. You play as one of the many characters in the game, each having some special abilities other than the basic movement and attack functionality. The characters get unlocked as the game progresses but you can also purchase them using in-game currency or using real money.

Most of the gameplay is going around fixing things and building objects and paths and then moving on to the next area. Occasionally you will find some enemies but they can be dispatched easily by hitting them a couple of times. The game also has achievements, which are given depending upon how well or how quickly you perform certain tasks.

The tasks in the game are character specific and you have to switch to the particular character to complete the task. You can only play as one character at a time, so you have to switch from the button on the top left. Some tasks require a character that you may not have at the moment, so you can either purchase the character or skip the task and come back later to complete it when you have the character (usually these are non-essential tasks that don’t hamper gameplay progress).

There are some other gameplay elements as well. In some levels you are falling down a shaft and have to swipe on the screen to avoid hitting something. In some levels you are going down a path and have to play sort of a Temple Run like gameplay to avoid obstacles.

These are the kind of gameplay elements that exposes the game’s biggest weakness, and that is the control mechanism. By default, the game asks you to swipe on the screen to move the character on screen but this is woefully imprecise and you always overshoot the location where you intent to move the character. This is especially frustrating because many of the tasks require the character standing in a very precise location to be able to complete it. The Temple Run style levels also require swiping but again the game is incredibly poor at understanding the swipes causing you to crash and die.

Alternatively, you can use the on-screen control method, which buttons a joystick and buttons on screen. The joystick improves the movement aspect considerably but the buttons don’t feel as good as tapping on objects directly, and you can’t tap once you enable on-screen buttons. Also, some thing things are pretty much impossible with the on-screen controls, causing you to temporarily switch back to virtual controls from the menu. This is a very terribly executed aspect of the gameplay, which ruins an otherwise fun game.

Graphics and Sound

The LEGO Movie Video Game looks good. The game has the same basic art style as the movie, which is not bad. Unfortunately, it runs at sub 30fps all the time, at least on the iPad Air. The game doesn’t look particularly demanding, so this seems more like a design decision rather than an issue.

The music in the game is great too. Of course THAT song is there but the other tunes are good as well. There is not much voice acting in the game, and the only voices you will hear are in the cutscenes from the movie, which are great obviously.

Verdict

The LEGO Movie Video Game is a good game overall. The gameplay is a bit simple at times, and something kids would enjoy a lot more than adults, but it’s fun nonetheless. Unfortunately, everything is NOT awesome, with the controls being quite bad, almost making it a deal beaker. Hopefully, they will improve them in an update but otherwise it is quite a decent game to play, but mostly if you are a fan of the movie.

Pros: Simple but fun gameplay, wide range of characters, attractive art style
Cons: Controls are a mess

Worth buying?: At sale price

Price: $4.99
Download: App Store