Temple Run iOS Review

Introduction

Developed by Imangi Studios, Temple Run is a third person, 3D endless running game first released for iOS in April 2011. It is compatible with all iOS devices. I will be reviewing the iPhone 3GS version. It is similar to games like Gravity Guy and Canabalt.

Story

There isn’t really much of a story to Temple Run. There are a group of characters that the player can choose from. Whoever is chosen takes the idol from the temple. They are then chased by monkeys. This then initiates the game. The story is really there just to set up the game. There’s no narrative at all. There’s only a little description of each character. Overall, what little narrative there is, is only there to set the game up.

Gameplay

In Temple Run, the goal is to run, jump, duck and turn left and right to avoid randomly placed obstacles to get a high score. There is no victory condition as such; you just keep playing until you die. You can’t win in the game. The only goal is to get a high score. Running is done automatically, jumping is done by swiping up, ducking is done by swiping down, to turn left and right, you just swipe in the respective directions. The player can also tilt the iPhone to move left or right to collect coins. All of these actions work great on the iPhone 3GS most of the time, though there is some slowdown at times. This is made worse if more apps are open in the background. The slowdown at times has caused me to die because the phone wasn’t responsive enough, especially when the speed of the runner increases later in the game.

There are also power-ups to unlock which can aid the player, such as, invisibility, which means the player can just run through obstacles, speed boost, which boosts the player through ahead and coin magnet, which lets players automatically collect coins for a certain period. These power-ups can also be upgraded to further aid the player. There are also utilities which can be bought to help the player. These include resurrection wings, which allow the player to respawn after death and boost which can be used at the start of the game to boost the player ahead 1000 metres. These abilities add progression to the game as they can be upgraded. They also make it a little easier to get a higher score, though the game is still challenging.

There are also objectives to complete, such as “play X amount of games” or “collect X amount of coins”. While these objectives also add more to strive for, they also increase the score multiplier, thus allowing the player to get a higher score in a shorter amount of time. I felt the objectives were great. Some of them are challenging and time-consuming, but they’re worth the reward.

Overall the gameplay is great. Despite the lag, the game is still addictive. I still keep coming back to beat my high score.

Graphics

The graphics in Temple Run are good. Characters models are good, though they lack any proper definition, much like the environments. Textures on objects like trees and walkways don’t look that great. There are a lot of jagged edges. A lot of the obstacles are also clearly used over throughout the game. Overall, though, the graphics are good for an iPhone game.

Sound

The sound in Temple Run is good. The music is good. I think it goes well with the game. It helps to immerse the player in the game. The sound effects are also good. There’s a nasty thud when you walk into a tree, the water splashes when you fall in. There are really any bad sound effects, so overall, I think the sound is good but it’s not incredible.

Conclusion

Temple Run is a great game. It’s got addicting gameplay. It’ll keep you coming back. The sound and graphics are ok. They’re not great but they won’t hinder the experience at all. So if you have an iOS device, I recommend you download Temple Run, though if you have an older device it might be slow, so I would close all other apps first.

Summary

Good points: addicting gameplay, lots to unlock

Bad points: slowdown

South Park Let’s Go Tower Defense Play! Xbox Live Arcade review

Introduction

Released in 2009 as a downloadable title on Xbox Live, ‘South Park Let’s Go Tower Defense Play!’ is a tower defence strategy game based on the popular TV show. It is similar to games such as Plants vs. Zombies. Previous South Park games, ranging from a First Person Shooter to a racing game, have been received with mostly negative reviews. Is there finally a great South Park game or is this just as bad as previous instalments?

Story

Cartman, Kyle, Kenny and Stan return to defend South Park from a mysterious evil that is commanding enemies (6^th graders, zombies, jackovasaurs, etc.) to attack the town. The boys move around town trying the figure out who is behind the attacks. The story in South Park is about as absurd as the show, though, it isn’t all that great. It’s told in comic strips instead of cut-scenes. It feels more like an excuse to just bring in different characters from the show. There are some funny moments, but overall, the story isn’t all that special. I didn’t actually care about the characters. It might have been better if they had used cut scenes in the style of the show instead.

Gameplay

Gameplay in South Park consists of constructing different types of towers and placing them strategically with the goal of stopping the various enemies from getting from one side of the screen to the other. Players can also throw snowballs to slow down enemies. In addition, the different characters have different special abilities that can be activated once they have defeated enough enemies. Cartman can carpet bomb the area to damage all enemies currently on screen. Kyle allows all players to move faster and deal more damage for 7 seconds. Stan heals the town’s health, while Kenny makes enemies drop coins without having to be defeated, which can be used to buy and upgrade towers. I liked the gameplay. It was great fun frantically attempting strategically place towers and walls to slow down the oncoming swarm of enemies. However, at times the game felt like it was made for multiple players as it is so challenging on single player, due to the fact that in single player, you have to switch between all four characters, whereas in multiplayer each player has one character. The difference in difficulty is quite apparent once more players are in the game.

 There is also a challenge mode, with different levels separate from the campaign. They are nearly as challenging as the story, though other characters, such as Butters and Craig, can be used in this mode once they have been unlocked in story. This makes it a little bit easier, whereas campaign mode needs to be completed first to use other characters.

The controls in South Park feel great. Throwing snowballs is done by pressing the A button, placing towers is done by pressing the X button to open the inventory and using the D-PAD to select the tower required and pressing A to confirm the selection. A is then pressed to place the tower. This probably sounds a bit complicated but once you get used to it, it works. 

Graphics

The graphics in South Park are ok. They’re in 2D and retain the show’s style, so the characters look like cardboard cut-outs and move like they do in the show. The environments look good too. Anyone a fan of the show could easily recognise some of the locales from the show, such as Stark’s pond and Hell’s pass hospital as they look just like the show. The textures look fine as well. Overall the graphics are good for a downloadable title.

Sound

The sound in the game is good overall. The voice acting is stellar as the original voice actors from the show were used. Some of the dialogs between the characters sound hilarious. Other sound effects such as towers and snowballs hitting enemies sound great. There weren’t really many problems with the sound.

Conclusion

‘South Park Let’s Go Tower Defense Play!’ is a great game. The gameplay is fun though really unforgiving, although the game is still addicting as I still want to try and complete it. This game might only be worth it for fans of South Park as the rewards for completing certain challenges are classics clips from South Park. Fans of only tower defence games might enjoy this, though it’s mainly only for fans of the show.

Summary

Good points: addicting gameplay, classic clips

Bad points: story, unforgiving difficulty

Far Cry 3 Xbox 360 review

Introduction

Far Cry 3 is a First Person shooter for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, developed by Ubisoft. I will be reviewing the Xbox 360 version. Far Cry 3 is similar to games like Halo and Call of Duty as they are all from the first person perspective.

Story

How far would you go to save the ones you love? This is a question Far Cry 3 tackles throughout the campaign. Far Cry 3 tells the tale of Jason Brody. Jason is captured by insane pirate, Vaas, on a skydiving trip with his friends above Rook Island. Vaas is right-hand man to Hoyt Volker. Hoyt runs a human trafficking operation on Rook Island. Vaas plans to ransom Jason and his friends and sell them into slavery regardless of whether their parents pay the ransom. Jason manages to slip through Vaas’ fingers with the help of his brother. With the aid of Citra and Rakyat warriors who are at war with Vaas, Jason has to save his friends from captivity.

As Jason is someone that hates violence, to see him evolve from a normal person to a cold blood murderer is great as it something that isn’t in many games. It makes him seem more human. The story in Far Cry 3 is really immersive. I got really into it. I really cared about the fate of Jason and his friends; this might have been because the story is told in-game, instead of using cut-scenes, so there’s no interruption to the immersion. At all times the game is in the first person perspective, so it felt like the characters were talking to me instead. It felt like I was Jason Brody. 

Gameplay

Far Cry 3 is mainly an open world first person shooter; however, there are other elements such as platforming and driving as well. As per the rules, the game allows the player to explore the island at will. The player can take part in side missions, go hunting, liberate outposts from Vaas’ pirates or play campaign missions. The game has a lot of content which can help increase the game’s longevity.

Shooting in Far Cry 3 feels solid. There are different weights to the different guns. For example, an LMG feels heavier than a handgun, so it is harder to sprint with it than with a handgun, but it adds an element of realism. Overall I enjoyed the shooting; it felt satisfying shooting Vaas’ pirates. As pirates are killed and outposts are liberated, the player gains experience, which they can then use to unlock new skills such as shooting a handgun while zip lining and takedowns. 

Driving is quite good. There’s a range of different vehicles, from trucks, 4x4s to sedans and ATVs, which are quite useful for getting around. All the vehicles have different handling, making some of them, such as ATVs, quite challenging to drive at high speeds. Overall driving is quite a useful and fun element.

The platforming can sometimes be awkward. It’s needed to climb radio towers to disable jammers so that more of the map is shown. It felt like a chore. I liked the idea of climbing radio towers. It just wasn’t implemented all that well.  I would sometimes miss a jump that I should have been able to make.

Hunting is an integral part of Far Cry 3. Although hunting is considered optional, it is still required to upgrade and craft new equipment such as ammo pouches and rucksacks. I enjoyed hunting in Far Cry 3 as it adds a sense of progression rather than having everything unlocked from the start. It adds a goal for the player to complete. For example, to unlock the first upgradeable weapon holster, two deer hide are required, after I got them and upgraded the weapon holster, I found I needed shark skin to upgrade to the next one. It provides that feeling of accomplishment and progression.

The Artificial Intelligence in Far Cry 3 is good too. The game remains somewhat challenging throughout as enemies take cover, call in reinforcements and make use of mounted guns. Most missions might only take a few retries to complete, but every time I died it didn’t feel cheap. It was the enemy outsmarting me.

There are a good variety of side missions from supply drops to wanted dead quests. They can be completed at the player’s leisure. They provide an alternate way for the player to gain experience and level up and as an alternative way of gaining money.

There weren’t many glitches within Far Cry 3. There were a couple of times a character’s feet would go into the floor, but nothing game-breaking. The controls are well suited to the game, with some exceptions. They’re responsive to input and easy to get the hang of as they are similar to Call of Duty.

Graphics

Graphically Far Cry 3 is amazing. From the draw distance to lighting, you could look over the other side of the island and see radio towers and then go there. The graphics up close are great as well. Character models look great. When some characters cry, you can see the tears rolling down their cheeks. You can really see the expressions on their faces. This greatly compliments the story as you believe that these characters are upset or horrified. However, there are some Non-Player Characters that look that don’t show expressions as well as some of the other main NPCs, though this is only a minor complaint. The lighting in Far Cry 3 is great; as the sun shines it creates realistic shadows of buildings and characters.

On the other hand not all of the graphics look great. There are some textures which could look better. The rocks for example, look flat. They lack definition. There is also some texture pop-in.

Overall, the graphics are incredible. I could spend hours engrossed in the game, wondering the sunny island and admiring the scenery.

Sound    

The sound is good. From gunshots, explosions to the voice acting; it’s amazing. Guns sound incredibly powerful, as do explosions. When firing a rocket into a building and hearing explode is amazing. 

The voice acting for Jason and the main NPCs is top-notch. There’s so much emotion in their voices they sound really convincing. When Jason’s girlfriend Liza is upset, it is really believable. Likewise when Jason kills a man for the first time, you really hear the terror in his voice.  Though some of the other non-player characters voices don’t sound as good, they sound kind of forced.

Overall, the sound is mostly great, with only a few issues, which only detract from the experience slightly. The sound mostly helped keep me gripped to the game.

Conclusion

Far Cry 3 is a great game with an engaging story, wonderful graphics and lots to do. I’ve played for over 16 hours and not long finished the story and I’ve still got relics, letters of the lost and trials of Rakyat to complete. There are only some small glitches, which hardly mar the experience at all. The only thing really brings it down is the platforming.

Summary

Good Points: engrossing story, great gameplay, lots of content.

Bad points: some bad voice acting, some minor glitches, platforming. 

Super Meat boy Game Review

Introduction

Super Meat Boy is a game designed by Edmund McMillan and Tommy Refenes. Super Meat Boy was released on Xbox 360 in October 201o and on Windows in November 2010 and then finally on MAC OS in November 2011. Super Meat boy is a successful game as it is valid on any operating platform. The game is very similar to the Super Mario Bros as the aim of the game is to rescue his girlfriend by avoiding obstacles by running and jumping. Super Meat Boy is very similar to Mario Bros and they share the game initials S.M.B. there are many games with the same scenario as Super meat boy.

Story

The story of Super Meat Boy is that a cube shaped character named Meat Boy must rescue his girlfriend from Dr Fetus by running and jumping from obstacles. There are over 300 levels and the game is divided into chapters. The user will play the character Meat Boy and must try to reach the end of the level. The game contains blocks, saw blades and fire. If Meat Boy fails to reach his girlfriend and dies, he will start the level again. The story of the game is set out clearly as users do not need to read the story line to understand the aim of the game.

Gameplay

The controls of the game is easy, the user must press the arrow keys to move left and right, space bar to jump and shift to run faster. There are no glitches with the game and it responds immediately. The user must use these controls to reach Meat Boys girlfriend. However if he dies, the user will have to start the whole level again as there are no checkpoints.

Graphics

The graphics of the game is very simple as the character stands out more than the background. The texture of the background is smooth; however the different level of floors will have some effect. Close up the game looks clear close up however from long distance the objects are not that clear. There are different graphics used which differentiates the character from the background. As there are different levels, the environment changes, therefore the graphics will also change. The good point about the graphics in this game is that they are not used again, which makes user interaction easy.

Sound

 The soundtrack of the game was created by Danny Baranowsky who also created a soundtrack for Canabalt. The soundtrack was created to go along with the actions of Meat Boy by adding effects. The soundtrack was created to “get your heart rate up, complements every aspect of its gameplay, and stay with you for days” says Edmund McMillan. Stating this quote it is safe to say that the soundtrack is meant to help users reach the next level. The soundtrack can also motivate users to reach on further to the next level. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Meat_Boy)

Conclusion

In conclusion, Super Meat Boy is a game which has been designed well and has been very fortunate to be able to run on many platforms such as Windows, MAC OS X, Linux etc. The graphics of the game is very contemporary as users are able to interact better. The game also allows users to play a CO-OP multiplayer game which enhances user interaction.

Summary

The good points about the game are that the graphics are clear and easy for the user to see, the soundtrack goes along with the story and the characters movements. The bad points about the game is that objects can be a bit larger, for example the rabbit and the squirrel. 

Temple Run Game Review

Introduction

Temple run is an action video game which is boundless. It was developed by ImangiStudios. The user who will play the game is an explorer who must steal an icon from monkeys. Temple run is available on operating systems such as iOS and Android.  There are other games which are similar to Temple Run such as Temple Run: Brave which is also created by ImangiStudios. Temple run was influenced by the game Canabalt.

Story  

The story of Temple run is that Professor Jones is the character that the user will play and he is trying to escape with the secret icon which was found in the ancient ruin. In temple run there is no escape however there are several ways to die. The aim of the game is to run as further as you can away from the monkeys. The story of the game is not laid out clear enough, however the aims of the game is set out clear.

Gameplay 

The aim of the game is to keep running and avoiding any objects that are in the way. The controls of the game is easy, the user must jump by sliding their finger up, duck down by sliding their finger down and moving the device left to right to collect coins and to move the character. There are three types of coins, the yellow coins are worth one point, the red coins are worth two points and the blue coins are worth 3 points. The user will also be able to collect power ups during their play to help them get further. If the user loses and the monkeys catch the character, the user will be able to spend the coins they earned in the game to purchase power ups and even upgrade to a new player.

Graphics

The graphics of the game is clear. The user can see objects and the surroundings clearly. The game has background music to it. Close up the game looks more realistic however it only allows the user to view the game form one angle. Temple run is a modern game and therefore will use the latest technology to give the user a realistic experience, this also suggests that there are different types of graphics used and they are not repeated. For example there are trees, a dark sky, and a rocky path. 

Sound

Temple run has music in the background and it can sometimes help the user to get further in the game, however it can also be distracting. The soundtrack has a fast beat to it which can increase the users game experience. The game also has sounds effects, for example when the monkeys capture the character, they will make a noise, and if the user trips over a tree the character will also make a sound effect.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Temple run is a good game with good graphics and sound effects. The game is also addictive and challenges users to beat their previous score. The disadvantage of the game is that it is a single player game. It does not allow other users to join in. if multiplayer was available for Temple run it would increase the reputation and more users will be able to join in.

Summary

The good points of the game are the graphics, the sound effect and gameplay. The bad points about this game are that it does not allow multiplayer so users around the world can come together. 

Quake Flash Game Review

Introduction

Quake is a video game which consists of the player shooting. IT was developed and released by ID software in 1996 and it was the most popular game to be released. Quake is a single player game however users can play multiplayer. The genre of this game is horror as users will need to face monsters and other challenges. Quake was one of the first person shooter game to be developed and was unique.

Story

The game story is for the user to play a character which has been sent into a portal to stop the enemy called Quake. The government have been experimenting with teleportation technology called Slipgates. Quake has their own teleportation system and uses it to send squads to the ‘real world’. A commander which is involved in the project contacts the character of Quake to find and stop Quake with weapons etc.  The character is the n left to survive on his own and he goes out and seeks Quake on his own.

Gameplay

Users can play as a single player or a multiplayer. In the single play, the user can navigate around and explore. The user must pass each level by defeating monsters on the way. They can also find secret areas. To pass the closed doors users must collect keys or press buttons in order to open the doors. Once the user has done this they have access on to the next level. At the start of the game there are three pathways which are easy medium and hard. The controls of the game are simple as spacebar is to jump, the arrow keys to move in the right direction and Ctrl to shoot. The play styles are the same for each pathway. There are no glitches however there are sometimes unresponsiveness. For example the user may hold the Ctrl button to shoot and once they let go the game may still carry on shooting and the user must again press the Ctrl button to stop shooting.

Graphics

The graphics of Quake show that it is one of the first games to be developed in its kind. The user interface is easy to understand however there are no labels. The texture of the game shows that the walls and the ground look the game, so the user can be confused of where to go. The game has not been designed well visually. The sound of the game has a theme to it and other sound effects. For example when the character jumps or is being attacked. The game does not look well designed close up and from a distance due to the fact that the colours seem to be the same. Some of the graphics have been used repeatedly, such as rocks and walls.

Sound

The sound of the game has fast pace music and with the sound effects; however some users may find it difficult to win as they are distracted. However the theme music can help users to reach the next level as it brings out different experiences. Depending on the user, sounds can either help motivate them or cause them to lose.

Multiplayer

Quake allows users to play multiplayer online against other users. This allows users who are able to take on other users online. The community is active however they are more likely to be experienced and can cause new players to be defeated easily. New users may feel bored after a while as the process is repetitive. Users can play multiplayer for a while depending on how addictive they are to it.

Trophies

As there are three pathways for users to follow once they start the game, they can choose their difficulty settings. Quake does not allow users to win trophies and this can demotivate users to play the game as they are not receiving anything for their success.

Conclusion

In conclusion the story of the game is well written and allows users to put themselves in the situation. The game design is not that clear however users will get used to it once they start to play it a few times. The game is very interactive as the controls are easy. The advantage of the game is that it allows users to edit the controls to their preference. The disadvantage of the game is that the background lighting is too dark and the instructions do not help users.

Summary

The good point of this game is that it allows users to play online against other players. The bad point of this game is that the graphics are not that clear and the walls are the same colour as the floor.