We are about 11 days from the 1 year anniversary of Propaganda Lander! We know that several thousand people have played the game and hopefully most of them have enjoyed it! We’ve read every review on the App Store and scoured the web for commentary on the game so if you’re talking about us, we’ve tried to learn from it.

While we don’t have anything planned for this 1 year anniversary, we do have some pretty significant updates on the horizon. We won’t be able to have it in time for April 30th–if only we were keeping an eye on this anniversary thing at the beginning of the year!–but, we’re working as fast as we can do get it done. We refer to it as Propaganda Lander 1.5. The story hasn’t changed but, it’ll be an entirely new experience for those who have already beat the game and hopefully more enjoyable for those who’ve gotten stuck on one of the levels.

Propaganda Landers takes some patience and dedication to get through. It’s a great experience if  you’re willing to make that investment and we love all of you who have but, we’d like to share the experience with more folks. This upcoming update will significantly change the game as you see it on the App Store. You’ll still fly a space ship, land it, pick up guys, and deliver them so we aren’t changing the core mechanic. We still feel that Propaganda Lander has one of–if not the–best flying mechanics on the App Store.

We’re adding more polish, refining the levels, and generally doing the things that we would have done if we had more time a year ago. There’s more new things brewing here at SMASHWORX that we can’t share yet so stay tuned!

1. Well-written and acted characters (if story has a narrative arc)
2. Fluid controls
3. Well-stated and achievable goals
4. Challenge without frustration (or at least that positive frustration that makes you jump that impossible gap over and over and over once more)
5. Attractive art style
6. Fun! Exciting! Entertaining!

I don’t think that my list is too demanding. I’m not exactly sure how IGN or the VGAs come to their decision but I can’t imagine that their list does not include most of these considerations. How has Uncharted 2 measured up so far? Read on, intrepid gamer, for my super important, all encompassing opinion.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves definitely wins in the character development / narrative development category. The story is exciting. The characters are funny and somewhat complex. I didn’t feel the urge to poke myself in the eye every time a female character was on-screen. This is a good thing. What games like Uncharted and Dead Space have over games like Alan Wake is that the narrative is tucked into every nuance of the game and is a surface conceit. Also, neither game pretends to be “scholarly” or a game for “readers and writers.” Alan Wake‘s main conceit was that an active force was scripting the experience. And that active force is supposedly a comparable writer to Stephen King. What a dangerous comparision! This means that Alan Wake should be as well-written as The Dark Tower or  Carrie. Yeash. What a way to set the bar impossibly high.  Of course, Uncharted and Dead Space are both scripted but they don’t throw it in your face that you as a player are helpless to change events.

Games are little worlds where players can pretend to be gods. Acknowledging the script is for actors not for viewers or players. Otherwise, one feels distracted and torn between God-like and a fool. I can only think of a few examples where acknowledging scripts is effective and one is Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, a Tom Stoppard play, and the other is Adaption, a Spike Jonze movie. Notice both of these works are theatre-based and not game-based. Uncharted 2 sweeps the player into the action and moves them along at the pace of an action film. As does Dead Space and a horror film. This is not to say that I believe that a video game can be a theatre experience anymore than a theatre experience can be a video game. The two mediums can borrow from each other but I think the attempt to make every game interaction film quality is near-sighted. Game narrative pacing should definitely utilize dramatic tropes. Films should attempt to engage viewers in a more varied internal stimulation. Books, theatre, film, and games are all related in that they tell stories but they are vastly different. (Oh and Nathan Fillion would be freakin’ awesome as Drake.)

The film narrative to game narrative relationship is an area that Naughty Dog both succeeds and fails in. There are certain cinematic choices that are a determent to completely fluid controls. How so, you ask? Take, for example, when Drake has to jump a suspiciously large gap. Normally, I would run as fast as I can towards the edge of the gap and launch my character as far as possible to guarantee a safe landing. Not so in Uncharted 2. In Uncharted 2 each jump is cinematic. Drake as to have a mid-air flail and struggle to pull himself onto the ledge. This means that no matter the gap size, if Drake has to travel in a direction, he will always make the jump. Therefore, I cannot judge correctly if I can make a jump or not. I have to willingly fling my character over gaps of various size and assume that Drake will make it because it’s in the script. If it is the correct direction, Drake will make it 100% of the time. I have found that this cinematic jump mechanic has seriously cut down on the challenge and exploratory anxiety normally associated with taking such a risk. It seems that the only time I fail and fall is by complete random mistake and not due to challenge.

Oh, you Naughty Dog!

Another control issue arises when the player attempts to sneak up on a bad guy and use the sleeper kill tactic. For some odd reason, the button that I always push for the sleeper attack no longer functions in the same manner if I am hiding behind something. Now, instead of just tapping the square button, I have to move forward and tap the square button and hope that the guard does not become aware of my awkward fumbling.  Of course, most of the times I try and sneak behind a railing to grab a guy, Drake completely spazzes out and jumps right into the open.  I’m sure there are smoother operators than I out there, but after playing a game like Splinter Cell: Conviction, I know that there are better duck, cover and eliminate options available. Instead I am as stealthy as if Sam Fisher was a stroke victim trying to get the lid off the apple sauce. In fact, Tommy and I were discussing the fact that Naughty Dog seems to frequently employ sub-par control mechanics. Even Crash Bandicoot was off in some manner that made jumping an especially confusing experience. Which is lame because Naughty Dog does excellently in almost every other facet of game-play.

Another aspect of Uncharted 2 that feels a little lackluster is the navigability of the world. Although I am generally a map fan, I can deal with games that don’t include them as long as I can still figure out where to go. I get it. It is highly unlikely that Nathan Drake has a pre-rendered map of the exotic locations he finds himself in. I guess Naughty Dog wanted to help out the player through an ever present hint system But the addition of a hint system is not a solution for lost players. Either the levels must be streamlined in a way that moves the player towards the goal.or the Player needs some sort of messaging that they’ve already explored this damn rocky corner 17 times. Oh and it looks suspiciously like plenty of other rocky corners, so good luck telling the difference. Games like God of War 1 & 2 don’t employ a map and, even with occasional path confusion, I never feel like the world is impossible to keep track of, rather, it’s because I’ve messed up somewhere along the way or I am not looking in the right manner. In Uncharted 2, I find myself wandering around more often than I would like. Or I find myself keeping an eye on the NPC to see where they are hanging out and figure that the path must be close by. This is just another hint system mechanic. It’s almost as if Naughty Dog knows that it’s difficult to find one’s way and didn’t spend enough time creating level designs.

Uncharted 2 does set up the puzzle elements and unique action skills rather well. I feel like I always know the next step to take when it comes to puzzle rooms. The challenges are well thought out and suit the narration well. New mechanics are easy to employ, which is awesome because you usually have to use the new skill in the midst of a swarm of bullets. These portions are the most enjoyable parts of the game. There is a great train scene (no not the opening train scene that you play through twice) that has Drake ducking low signs and sneaking into windows that really shines.

I am currently playing it on hard mode but have been jogging through. When exactly does this game get difficult? Or is the difficulty just dealing with the lame control mechanic? Anywho…

The last two items on my list are completely met by Uncharted 2. The art and set pieces are immense and very Indiana Jones-like. The characters look and move well. Furthermore, even with my complaints, I have found Uncharted 2 to be a blast. It really is very fun and entertaining. I care about the characters and want to see how events resolve. It’s like Crash Bandicoot all over again. There’s something wonky there but I don’t care. I’m having a great time.

Do I consider Uncharted 2: Among Thieves to have met all my Game of the Year criteria? Not really. Do I actually know what that means? Not really. Would I buy another “Game of the Year”? Probably. Will I still gripe about it like a petulant four year old? You betcha.

 

 

 

Attendees of the Festival can enjoy over 30+ hours of keynotes, presentations, panels and more. In addition to various live play sessions, this year’s event will feature a “Game Arcade”, highlighting the nominees for this year’s Games for Change Awards. And while the focus is on games, our Festival is the perfect place to network with decision-makers from the government and NGOs, innovative game designers and publishers, visionary thought leaders in education and global development and members of the media.

Register before April 15th and save 30% at:

http://www.gamesforchange.org/festival-2011/

I have to admit that I haven’t returned to Dragon Age: Origins or Castlevania. I have been completely obsessed with DKCR. I am not disappointed that I didn’t finish Dragon Age. I still think I’ll go back to Castlevania one day but the game on my brain was DKCR. Why was I so enthralled? It has the great schema of nerve-wracking challenges that seem impossible and tight mechanics that ramp to a “flying by the seat of your pants” abandonment. Flat out, it was fun. I missed fun. Yes, I have fun when I play most video games but usually the world that these games operate in are less than happy. I’m fairly hesitant to hang out with Dante, Lara, Kratos or Sam Fisher. (Although, I would get a drink with Ezio or Nathan Drake any time.) DKCR gave me the chance to be child-like, very different than childish, while operating on an adult skill level.

I recently tried out Little Big Planet and Stacked!. Both games are whimsical and beautifully rendered. Both are humorous. LBP seemed to require more skill than Stacked! but I have not been inspired to continue either game. Why? Well, the LBP mechanics are kinda wishy-washy. I’m not exactly sure what type of gravity they have on their planet but it makes leaping an imprecise chore. The humor and energy is there but the game just isn’t as good as it’s concept. LBP possibly has a more interesting concept than DKCR but that doesn’t mean I want to play it.  Stacked! was plain boring. Again, great art and humor but lackluster game mechanic and puzzles. Maybe I should’ve played longer but it did not feel challenging. On the other end of the spectrum, DKCR had me at first chest thump and all I wanted to do was help my simian and ape friends reclaim their bananas. DKCR made me feel awesome for conquering an especially tricky run. I did not feel that way at all after the other two games. All three games made me giggle but I felt the Kong made me want to play.

What LBP or Stacked! does that DKCR does not do is reward the player with “stuff.” All three games have a certain amount of collecting involved. In LBP, you collect a certain amount of items to be used in the creation of levels and stickers. In Stacked! you collect different sets of dolls. In DKCR you collect letters and puzzle pieces that result in personal satisfaction and/or unlockable art. I am more interested in the self-satisfaction model of “I went the extra mile and conquered some crazy craziness” as opposed to “I need these things to fully enjoy the game” (LBP) or  “I have to search endless nooks and crannies for very little payoff” (Stacked!). I, a notorious 100% completer, am satisfied by the notion that I can have as much fun as the next person by choosing to jump the hair-raising lava pit to get the extra hidden puzzle piece or not. It was a freeing concept for me and it only added to my enjoyment.

I know that there are some secret levels left, because of the new area and some unexplored map nodes. I like achievable goals. I like that there are some things that I haven’t found yet but I like knowing that they exist and that I should be looking for special level elements. In fact, I am excited to revisit levels immediately. I would have to say that is a sign of greatness.

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles definitely comes to mind. Rail-shooters seem like a fairly safe bet for a date game. They don’t take too much skill and they’re somewhat cinematic in that there are surprises and thrills for your sweetheart to jump at and seek comfort from. Wii games are especially user friendly and the Wiimote feels natural to shoot with. It is much easier for a novice player to point and shoot rather than use two joysticks and two triggers (think Resident Evil 4).

I feel The Umbrella Chronicles is a better game than it’s successor The Darkside Chronicles, mainly because the camera gets rather shaky and nobody wants to feel pukey on a date.

Mario Tennis

The next game speaks volumes to me about sitting close to someone special in a dark basement by the soft glow of a TV. Mario Tennis for the N64 does require a bit of skill but it is so damned fun and cute, that you don’t mind losing (that much). Sports, in general have a certain amount of teasing and silly dramatics attached. If you can find a good partner and a non-threatening presentation, good times will roll.

Backgammon

Backgammon. I know it’s not a video game (although I guess it could be) but sometimes you want your hands free. Think about Backgammon as a way to drink a glass of wine and nibble on some cheese or pate to show how cultured you are. Backgammon is one of those easy to learn hard to master games that accommodate a variety of skill level. Also, if you have a loving partner that isn’t so into video games, this is a great way to prove that you don’t like games more than them. That you’re willing to share your game experience and perhaps warm them up to your side of the force. Think of it as a gateway drug to play. Some tabletop games to avoid include Chess and Scrabble. Those games will teach your partner to hate games and possibly you.

The Simpsons Arcade

Ahh, The Simpsons arcade game, how I adore thee? One, your humor and character inspire smiles. Two, you represent a familiar universe seamlessly. Three, your two button mechanic is simple but your gameplay is not. The Simpsons was one of the first brawlers that enabled players to team up and attack the same enemy. So you and your deary can alternately vacuum, jump rope, skateboard or Homerize bad guys in unison. If that ain’t romantic, I don’t know what is!

Bust A Move 4

Bust A Move 4 is my favorite of the series. I wanted to include a puzzle-type game and at first I thought that Tetris would be perfect. Then I started thinking about the amount of ladies I know that liked Tetris and the ladies I know that loved BAM 4 and, if I was being honest, I’d have to say that most of my lady friends prefer BAM 4 hands-down.

Like Tetris, anybody can play BAM 4 but unlike Tetris, BAM 4 is lushly colored and features really cute dinosaurs. Also, it does not have a “math game” or “nerd king” stigma attached to it like Tetris. As a lady, I have a certain nervousness of displaying poor math skills after years of being told that woman are poor at math and logic. Yes, this is a blanket statement and many women are great at math but it makes me work so much harder to be a better Tetris player than my date. And that can make things less than fun for all.

I have to confess that it was really difficult to not think of Nintendo games. Those guys have the date experience down. Serious. I hope all you prospective love birds make it out of Valentine’s Day alive. I know I will be hunkered down in my apartment avoiding plasticine chocolates and amorous chubby dudes with arrows with my lovey dovey and some co-op romance. Which is what we do everyday  anyway.

For now, just know that Donkey Kong Country Returns was there for me. And it can be there for you, too.  I received DKCR as a xmas gift and, besides a few 2-player games with my boyfriend, hadn’t really gotten into it.  I had seen all the positive reviews and I like Super Mario Brothers Wii just fine but, with all my super hardcore adventure death dealing gameplay, it really didn’t register on my radar.

That, folks, has changed dramatically over the last few days. DKCR is awesome. It is difficult and beautiful and charming (just like me!). It beats the snot out of SMBW through sheer charm and joy. That’s right. Donkey Kong’s joy beats Mario. Call your shrink if this upsets you.

Why am I so enamored with our simian friend? First, the platforming is superb. It has a great mix of nail-biting maneuvers and eureka puzzle solves. I am further impressed by how much humor can be expressed without words. We’ve been making a game that has really complex ideas, a young audience (5-10) base and a total lack of voice over.  Let me tell you that this particular game has tons and tons of reading but I would love for it to work akin to DKCR. I bet it could if we had 100x the budget. (any takers?) Also, DKCR is actually funny. Sorry plumber pals, but your butt as the crack of jokes does not appeal to me. Kidding. Mario and Luigi are definitely gentler humorists when it comes to the Nintendo World but Donkey Kong has more humor in his raised eyebrow than the straight-laced Peach or gender-confused Birdie. A small confession- when I restart in DKCR and our monkey heroes celebrate excitedly, I feel warm and good inside. It’s like when I figured out how to place the tape back on wrapped presents so no one would know I peeked. (sorry ma)

The 2-player mode is fun and great for a date but if you really want to get a feel for the game, 1-player is the way to go. Not only is there a chance for more health hearts, you can team up with Diddy Kong and his jet pack to help navigate especially tricky passes. Diddy rides Donkey (watch out for that monkey on your back, eh?) in such a way that it’s almost like Donkey is naked without his buddy. I should not be this attached to virtual monkeys. Oh, well.

This does not mean that I am kaput with CLoS but rather, I now am switching between the two games for variety and peace of mind.

Jess Grade-O-Rama: A

In the span of a couple of weeks, Nintendo revealed more information about their groundbreaking glasses-free 3D portable–the Nintendo 3DS–and Sony unveiled their next generation PlayStation Portable–tentatively titled the Next Generation Portable. We won’t see the NGP until the end of 2011 while the 3DS will be in consumer’s hands in March. Nintendo gets a bit of a head start but, one would have to say that Nintendo isn’t really ready to launch in March–their launch titles span a launch window of about 3 months with Kid Icarus Uprising and Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D not available on day one. The 3DS “launch” is effectively a launch in name only.

Assuming Sony will have their ducks in a row for the NGP launch, the real showing is going to come at the end of the year when both the 3DS and the NGP will be in full force.

Let the Battles Begin

Sony has not announced a price for the NGP although GameStop decided $999.99 was a good guess. The actual price will probably fall around $300 and $350 taking into account past Sony practices and the technological beast that the NGP is. This will make the Nintendo 3DS look like a much more affordable purchase even though the $250 price tag isn’t sitting well with many.

While the price is important, we all know that both portables will fall to much more acceptable price levels within a few years and then it’s going to come down to the games. The question then is: will 3D portable gaming enough of a revolution to best a modernized super PlayStation Portable?

The Nintendo DS offered features that were more than just a visual gimmick: dual screen, microphone, touch screen, and wireless connectivity. The 3DS is really just a more powerful DS with the ability to display 3D without glasses. Yes, it has two cameras and better wireless connectivity but, the NGP has all of those things minus the 3D capabilities.

I am still excited by the 3DS and first hand accounts does make it sound pretty awesome to play games in eye-popping 3D. However, if there’s one thing that I learned in the last five years, it is that Nintendo has generally left the more serious gamers in the cold. I enjoyed Twilight Princess, Metroid Other M, Super Mario Galaxy, New Super Mario Bros. DS, etc. but, my Wii collected more dust than it logged play time. I own more PS3 and XBOX 360 games each than I do Wii games.

Granted, I am not much for portable games anyway. I don’t own a PSP and probably wouldn’t play it any more than my DS. I play games on my iPhone about as much as do on my DS. For me, portable gaming is more or less a crap shoot. I don’t game on the go. However, the NGP looks like it can occupy a space much like the iPad. That intriques me.

I don’t own an iPad but, if I did, it would never leave my house. The NGP is bigger than the PSP which I thought was already pretty big. It looks like it is capable of current generation console gameplay experiences and then some with the dual analog sticks, front touch screen, and back touch pad. It just needs some amazing games and I think it can occupy the unchallenged third space of a portable home console.

Bottom Line

I love how the gaming industry continues to revolutionize technology and interactive experiences. No matter how we want to slice this, the 3DS is an impressive consumer innovation. Retailers have been pushing 3D TV’s that require you to wear glasses–who is going to watch a movie at home with silly glasses? 3D viewing should be glasses-free and the Nintendo 3DS will deliver just that.

The NGP is little short of a super computer in the palm of your hands. In proper Sony fashion, all their products have more raw power than whatever their competition has. (You have dual screens? We have quad cores! Eat it.) The games are going to look and perform even more incredibly than they did on the PSP.

I believe technology isn’t going to be the deciding factor. It is going to come down to how developers can best utilize each platform’s traits to create engaging and memorable experiences. If the 3DS allows for a Mario experience that I’ve never had before and will never forget–like Super Mario 64–then the 3DS will be golden. If the NGP does something similar then it will be golden.

It all comes down to the games. Speaking of which, wouldn’t it be nice to play Propaganda Lander on the NGP?

Nintendo is being fairly coy on what games will be out on launch day. We know there is a 30 game launch window spanning roughly 3 months. So the 3DS doesn’t have as much of a launch date as it does a launch window. Gaming hardware–no matter how technologically groundbreaking it is–is of little use if there’s no games for it to play.

I’d feel pretty safe betting the house that Nintendo isn’t going to drop the price shortly after launch so we’re stuck with this price until the holidays at earliest. And even then I doubt a price drop will happen. Maybe holiday 2012. So deciding if the 3DS is worth it based on a reduced price is a moot discussion. And without knowing the launch titles, it is a moot point discussing whether it’ll be worth it on launch day.

So, I’m going to judge it’s worthiness through the launch window and assume that Nintendo will live up to their word and release all the games they plan to in those 3 months. Based on past history, we can be pretty sure that some games will fall through the cracks–especially first party Nintendo ones. A good deal are just remakes of older games so there is a lesser chance of delays.

3DS 125% Better Than the Wii?

The most obvious oddity–for a Nintendo product–is that a handheld gaming device is going to cost more than the home console. Is there a logical reason to why this is strange? Not really. There’s just been no historical precedent–that I know of–by Nintendo. Granted, there’s also no precedent for glasses-free 3D games so, precedence doesn’t account for much here.

The worth of a $250 3DS is in the eye of the beholder–and that beholder will need both eyes working. The most die hard Nintendo fan will be in line for the 3DS on launch day’s eve. There’s no stopping them. They are going to get their hands on it come hell or high water. These are sales Nintendo can confidently expect.

The real question is whether everyone else will pay $250 for a portable gaming device. The launch window titles suggest that Nintendo is aiming broadly. This isn’t the Wii launch where they clearly aimed for the less serious consumer. There are some serious games in this launch window like the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D–or what I’d call the Greatest Game Ever Made 3D–and Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D plus games like Animal Crossing and Nintendogs + Cats.

This is a broad spectrum, bait for everyone kind of launch.

For the more serious mobile gaming consumer, there are no other products coming soon to compete with their game buying dollars. The holidays have passed and no one else is launching new hardware. This price tag will be easier to swallow for them. There’s also enough games for this audience to justify the purchase: Resident Evil, Madden NFL, Street Fighter, and Splinter Cell to name a few and all in eye popping 3D! This audience isn’t just drawn to franchises they know but, also the magical new technologies that these games pioneer.

The real test of this price point’s success is going to lie with the less serious mobile gamer. Nintendo knows that they are competing with Apple. The iPod Touch is $229. Not very different price wise but, there’s enough apps in the Games category alone to drown Nintendo several times over. Nintendo isn’t a game factory and the App Store model is going to win in sheer magnitude every time.

Can the adorableness of Nintendogs + Cats, the coziness of Animal Crossing, and the often irresistible charm of Mario be enough to entice the less serious gaming consumer to shell out close to $300–3DS and a game–compared to $250–iPod Touch, Propaganda Lander, and a handful of other games and apps?

It is honestly too close to call.

Bottom Line

It is entirely unlike me to avoid making a stand but, I am torn myself! I am not a serious mobile gamer. I may not even be a casual mobile gamer. I do not mobile game. I have a DS. I have an iPhone. I don’t play games on either with any regularity. I am a Nintendo fan and the glasses-free 3D is exciting. I haven’t seen it in action so I can’t judge if the product is as mind blowing as I want to think it is. And I can’t make a stand based solely on my imagination.

I am sure that Nintendo will sell a lot of 3DS units. There is little doubt that there will be impressive numbers during the launch window. If there aren’t, Nintendo’s PR team will spin some up. However, I cannot confidently forecast the success of the device 6 months after launch and into the holidays. The launch itself is going to play a large role in building anticipation for the product during the holidays.

It might seem like the holidays are far away in March but, a poor launch will be anything but helpful if Nintendo wants to share stories of 3DS inventory shortages 8 months later.

I was sure of the success of the DS and the Wii. I don’t have that same sense of certainty now which may be telling but, I can’t bring myself to damn the product and the price. I will forecast a successful launch. Everything else I leave to the gods.

For purposes of full disclosure–if it was’t already obvious–we are the game studio behind one of the games on this list: Propaganda Lander. There aren’t any conflicts of interest here as there really is no other game quite like Propaganda Lander available for the iPhone. After having played virtually every lander-style game on the App Store–certainly the most popular ones–I can confidently say that Propaganda Lander stands alone. That isn’t to say there aren’t other good lander games available as well. There are and that’s why we were able to make this list.

Every game on this list is worth their price tag and most are free or have a free version for you to try. I’ve forked over the money to try all these games so you don’t have to! Each best lander game belongs to a different category: adventure, puzzle, simulation, Lunar Lander remade, and Lunar Lander reimagined. These 5 were whittled down from an original list of 15 candidates so the competition was fairly tough.

Let’s kick this off with the Best Adventure Lander:

Best Adventure Lander

Propaganda Lander is a lander game unlike any other on this list or any other on the App Store. Propaganda Lander features five different worlds with different obstacles on each planet plus one of the most epic boss battles of any App Store game. Along with all the gameplay and action is a heartwarming story of David versus Goliath told through a series of animatics featuring a hilarious and professionally-voiced script. Once you’ve heard the things that the key villan, known as The Rickster, says, you’ll never forget them. You might even find yourself repeating some of them!

I realize that all this praise for Propaganda Lander coming from the people who developed it is going to have a little bias so I’ll quote from a review by AppSpy:

“Propaganda Lander isn’t the only Lander style game available for the App Store, but almost none can claim as much charm and style as ‘The Rickster’ on his universal campaign of glory.” -Andrew Nesvadba, AppSpy (4 out of 5)

By all means, read some of the reviews on the App Store itself and check out this thread from Touch Arcade. We’re proud of our game and we’re not afraid to show it! It is the most expensive game on this list at $4.99 but, this is an experience you cannot supplement with any other app on the store. Get it here.

Best Puzzle Lander

Gravity Lander is another lander game unlike any other. It is really a puzzle game that borrows lightly from the idea of landing a spaceship. The game comes with 52 missions and has a pleasing aesthetic look. Personally, I got stuck at level 45 and had a fun time getting there–I am still unsure of how anyone can pass level 45. The objective of each level is to get your lander from one part of the level to the landing zone by removing various obstacles, tilting the phone, and using a limited supply of thrusts.

If you like puzzle games, this is probably a much overlooked one. It is also free so there’s little commitment. It won’t hurt you to try it. I had a great time playing it. Get it here.

Best Simulation Lander

Lunar Module 3D is less a game and more a simulation of landing an actual lander. This game is done in 3D so you have free range of motion in 3D space. The object is to simply land your lander on the landing zones. I’m personally not a fan of realistic simulations but, for those who are this may be the best one available.

The controls felt good to me and is probably a good fit for fans of the original Lunar Lander who want to play it in a 3D world. The ability to swing not just left and right but in, out, and every other direction adds a new level of challenge to steering a lander. The game is $.99 and I’d only recommend it to people who are interested in more realism and less game. Get it here.

Best Lunar Lander Remake

Touch Lander is basically an exact remake of Lunar Lander. It is difficult like the original and uses vector style graphics like the original. The changes would be the use of the accelerometer to steer the lander and touching the screen for thrust. This is not a game for the light or heart much like the original.

Much like how the original arcade Lunar Lander was a coin robber and did little to comfort those without soft hands, this one is pretty much the same. The game costs $.99 and is as accurate a version of the original as you’ll find on the App Store. Get it here.

Best Lunar Lander Reimagining

Retro-X is like Touch Lander with a little modernization. While the art style could use improvements, it does employ 3D rendered environments so the game is possibly done in 3D but you can only move in 2D like class lander games. Retro-X is much more forgiving than the original Lunar Lander and uses scrolling levels. It employs the same accelerometer and touch screen system as Touch Lander.

Retro-X shares some gameplay similarities with Propaganda Lander in that you pick up little guys where you land and bring them back up to the mothership. Retro-X is available for free so there’s no harm in giving it a try. Get it here.

Perhaps the reason I reacted to Belmont so “loinsingly” is that I am a long time Castlevania fan and Lords of Shadow is doing a great job of transferring what I imagined everything in Castlevania to look like to a new format. I have always had a crush on those from the Belmont clan. Back in the pixel art days I had a mental image of Simon Belmont that was vaguely pulled from his on-screen image. Lords of Shadow is just extending my deep-seated love of all things Belmont. This new Gabriel Belmont, somehow, fits the mental image I already had of an typical Castlevania protagonist. This is a good thing. This makes Castlevania: Lords of Shadow feel like a Castlevania game.

Apart from the mythology, Lords of Shadow plays very similar to a God of War game. Combos, mini-games, special battle power gauge that is filled by executing enemies, and a robust upgrade system are just a few of the Kratos inspired features. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as combat is truly awesome in God of War but it isn’t exactly innovative. It did make it quite easy for me to get into. The “metroidvania” mechanic of revisiting levels and areas as Belmont earns new skills is intact but without a map, things get a little confusing at times. I have always liked the chance to revisit areas, as in Metroid. This is because I am obsessive and need to get 100% complete on everything. That issue needs a whole other blog post but offering the chance to revisit areas seriously cuts down on my anxiety that I missed something important. The levels have been fun so far and I dig the enemies, so going back hasn’t felt overly grindish. Oh and the game looks great. The camera can be a little jittery. It, again, reminds me of the camera work in God of War I. The camera stays out of the rocks but occasionally there is such dramatic switch in perspective it seems that the whole world shimmied and moved a little to the left.

Overall, I have been enjoying Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. It’s a fun entry into the Castlevania world, much better than the other attempt at a 3D Castlevania, Lament of Innocence. Jeez. What a stinker that was.

Jess’s Grade-O-Rama: B+

I now own all three of the newest generation consoles: Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3. On the train ride home from my parent’s house, I explained to my boyfriend all the awesome things the PS3 can do. His wise response was that he no longer saw the purpose of owning a Wii and, possibly, the Xbox. As I had just received games for all three consoles, I nervously scoffed at his assessment. If he was correct, then the dollars spent on the other two consoles would be lost in uselessness. This was not good news for my tiny tight wad heart.

I knew that when I got home that I wanted to play some game. Would I continue on with Splinter Cell? Or would I jump right into GOW 3? I was nervous about breaking the PS3 seal. Would I ever go back? Well, it was my boyfriend who gave me the PS3. When he saw me attempt to turn on the Xbox to get some quality time with Sam Fisher his face fell as if I had just punted his disabled puppy. So there you go. Time to turn on the PS3 and see what she can do.

Wowza. Eddie was right. I may no longer have any use for the Xbox and Wii. Especially if Mass Effect 3 is going to be simultaneously released on the 360 and PS3. The Wii might still entice me with the new Zelda but after the poor showing known as Metroid: Other M, I feel no pressure to jump on the re-visioned Zelda train. As it is, I barely use the Wii. The most attention it receives is when I want to watch Netflix but now the PS3 even does that better. Oh well.

From the moment I switched the PS3 on, I was in love. I dig the simple interface. I find the Wii and the Xbox’s interface too busy for my tastes. I hate clutter. I hate in at my workspace or in my apartment or in my interface. This is not to say that, left alone to my own devices, my personal spaces are spic and spam but I will say that my desktop has a minimum of icons and files.

I also have to say that the PS3 is super quick. It downloads files fairly speedily. I didn’t download anything too huge, like I have on the Xbox, as of yet but, call it a hunch, I bet it’s quicker. Internet connection is where the PS3 and Wii beat the Xbox. Both consoles come wired with Wi-Fi while the Xbox asks you to buy a peripheral or plug into the wall. Really? Come on Microsoft, don’t be so lame. Name me another internet capable device being sold today that does not come equipped with Wi-Fi and I will show you a shoddy product. From what I know, Wi-Fi shouldn’t really be that difficult (or expensive) for Microsoft to implement and yet, they chose not to. Why? To squeeze another $100 from the consumer. Maybe they wanted to keep the price down to compete with the PS3 but when the cheapest console (Wii) can manage it, so can Microsoft.

While we are on the topic of boldly lame moves, how about the lack of a rechargeable controllers in both the Wii and Xbox? The PS3 comes with a rechargeable controller that is charged by connecting it to the console. In both the Wii and Xbox, the consumer must purchase a recharging peripheral. By the way, I bought the recharging dock for the Xbox and it broke immediately. Just like the first Xbox I bought home. Awesome. Oh and pay for Netflix? When I already have a subscription?!? Crazy.

Obviously the PS3′s graphic quality is going to outperform the Wii. Even Nintendo will admit that, so I don’t feel the need to drag them into the HD battle. I think they are planning to address the HD issue soon anyway. As for the PS3 to Xbox debate I would have to say that the PS3 does seem a bit more glossy when I compare games like Dragon Age to God of War. But I have to admit that Splinter Cell: Conviction is as nice looking as God of War. I know that developers have just begun to explore the PS3′s capabilities while the Xbox has already been heavily mined. This leads me to believe that the PS3 will triumph sooner rather than later. I get the feeling that the Xbox and the Wii will release at least one more generation before Sony has to revisit the Playstation.

I am so happy that my bordering on irrational love for the Playstation is not misguided. If any other of you cheap bastards are on the fence about whether to buy a PS3 or not, do it. From one cheapo to another: It’s worth it.

I admit it, I couldn’t resist the 99 cents deal from EA for Mass Effect Galaxy on iOS. Anyway, having just finished Miles Edgeworth, Ace Attorney Investigations on my trusty DS, I decided to play this title before starting God of War: Ghost of Sparta on my brand spanking new PSP.

Overcoming my initial frustration with the lack of tutorial and a relatively unique combat system,  I eventually figured out how I was supposed to fight in this  game.  I was delighted to find that the combat system is actually pretty clever, with a nice balance of strategy and action in real time.  I generally don’t like games that rely on 2 dimensional accelerometer input.  However, I must admit the input in Galaxy is actually pretty good (or at the very least, forgiving).  Being an iOS game developer/designer I recognize how hard it is to craft good input design on a platform that is better suited towards more casual fare.

Sadly, this is where the kudos end.  The game fails on quite a few levels.  For one thing, the enemy design is boring.  There is no real difference between one enemy and another:  they more or less moved and acted the same way. Even though the combat system allowed for development of tactics to battle great variety of enemies, the actual bad guys weren’t there.

Second, this game is really really short with maybe 2 hours of gameplay.  This is not a major complaint, as I tend to think most games are too long, especially if that time is spent endlessly grinding to buff your character(s) so you can face a final boss (you know who you are – Final Fantasy Tactics). I digress. I know that the game was only 99 cents but at some point the price point was higher and, not to sound like Jess, but 2 hours is too short.

Last, but certainly not least, is the story telling.  The player picks responses in dialogue sequences by using a weird wheel that I guess is supposed to resemble the dialogue wheel in Mass Effect, but, in actuality, doesn’t.  Only the first line of dialogue had voice-over, which was especially strange when it was followed by total silence.  The characters were more or less expressionless, bearing no resemblance to the very rich experience of parley in Mass Effect.

Having just finished Ace Attorney Investigations, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons between the two games.  I think the designers of Mass Effect: Galaxy could have learned alot by looking at any of the Ace Attorney games.  Here’s a list of things I think they could have learned…

1. Make the text easy to read.  The text is so small and thin, I shouldn’t have to play on an iPad at 2X resolution to enjoy this game.  Compare to Ace Attorney‘s nice big monospace lettering.
2. Exaggerate the reactions of the player’s avatar as well as the NPCs.  Ace Attorney uses a wide variety of simple techniques in addition to highly expressive drawings to convey the emotion of the character on screen.
3. Only show one character at a time.  While you’re at it, only show one character’s text on the screen.
4. Use sound!  In addition to the highly expressive visual design during conversations, Ace Attorney also uses a wide variety of sound effects to convey the emotion of the conversation and to identify one character from another.  Mass Effect had a very lovely voice over, but only for the first line of each conversation.  I would have gladly exchanged that one line for the barrage of whip lashes, beeps, whistles etc.  used in Ace Attorney.

Mass Effect Galaxy
Beautifully rendered expressionless robots
Ace Attorney Investigations
Quirky, oddball characters brimming over with personality and emotion

In conclusion, Galaxy is clearly an effort to extend the Mass Effect universe in a scheme that marketing people call “Worldbuilding“.  There’s nothing wrong with this impulse. If you’re going to make a mobile game based on a popular console game, however, take care to ensure a great experience for the player. Otherwise you are not expanding your world, just cheapening it.

I am a huge God of War fan. You might recall that it was God of War that got me this job. So, why haven’t I played it up until this point? Well, I’m cheap and the PS3 is expensive. Also, I have a 360 and Wii at home and foolishly figured I had enough gaming potential. Boy, was I completely wrong. (More about my PS3 reactions will come later. In short, the PS3 is freakin’ awesome!)

It’s not that I didn’t have a gnawing, insatiable need to play GOW 3. It’s just my old school NY Italian self couldn’t break away from the miserly genes handed down through the generations. Thankfully, my loved ones look after me. Or they just didn’t want any more great “deal” exchanges that would result with me owning a PS3 and them a slightly used cat. Anywho..

GOW 3 is everything I expected it to be. It is on a huge scale. It is obscene. It is beautiful and gory at once. The boss battles are luscious, challenging affairs. The kills are shockingly wicked. Kratos feels brutal and unstoppable. I only wish it exceeded my expectations. I know that’s an unfair sentence but it is true. GOW 1 was completely innovative with it’s combo system that pleased those with controller finesse and button mashers alike. Kratos was an outrageous character as savage as he was driven. The set pieces, the mini-games, weapons, yadda, yadda, yadda. We all know the score. GOW 2 had beautiful art presented on a grand scale. The lack of load points led to a fluid, cinematic feel.  The bosses and flight scenes were some of the best I’ve ever played. I feel that games like Batman Arkham Asylum and Star Wars: Force Unleashed are inspired by the GOW series.

GOW 3 has everything GOW 2 had but I think it suffered in its position as the PS3 showpiece. It’s as if the designers were in a meeting and said, “make it EPIC” every chance they got. Perhaps even a little “X-TREME” was peppered in as well. Almost every fight in GOW 3 is a boss battle. I felt it lacked some of the enemy clusters in dangerous hallways that I so loved. Sometimes, the player wants to just let loose and kill a bunch of dudes without worrying about the hit sequence or cover points. This is not to say that the EPIC battles weren’t enjoyable but even hard games need to give you a moment to let off some steam. I did play it on Hard Mode but I felt every interaction was a struggle and I am most X-TREME. Of course, I am going to replay it on Titan Mode because I like punishment (another Italian-Catholic gene handed down from my forebears.)

The new implementation of the magic has me on the fence. In GOW 1-2, magic is independent of the weapon you use. GOW 3 introduces the magic tied to the weapon mechanic. While this mechanic offers a chance to try out different weapons more easily/readily, it did wind up affecting the weapons I utilized which, in turn, affected the magic I used. This is a mild bummer as I favor the Blades of Athena and Nemean Cestus for combat and use them almost exclusively. That means that I couldn’t quickly activate the magic tied with the Claws of Hades and Nemesis Whip, ie they never get used. I did feel that perhaps a player with a penchant for using all weapons would find the system just fine but I am a player that uses what works over what has the most style. Perhaps in my replay, I will try and master all the weapons.

What works super well are the special items and the combat overall. Kratos is feeling spry in his old age. He is responsive and graceful. The old favorite combos are there plus some new baddassery. Items are both useful for traversing puzzles and for beating the snot out of enemies. And those beatings are immense. At some point, Kratos takes out Helios and well, uses his decapitated noggin as a lantern. It’s pretty fantastic. There is the requisite sexy scene, which is pretty sexy but loses out a little bit in the fact that players have been waiting for it to all along. The surprise is gone but I felt that the designers were damned if they did and damned if they didn’t. The sexy scene has been a hallmark of GOW since the beginning but how to make the oldest act new? There is a subtle nod to this dilemna with a half-naked priestess that I appreciated.

GOW 3 is totally worth it. Even without the bloodshedding awesomeness, it is satisfying to complete Kratos’s story. I wished the game was longer, though not because there was a lack of game time but rather so I could have just a little more fun.

Jess-O-Meter: A

Originally, I popped in Mass Effect 2 but honestly, it was too Bioware, too familiar from the Dragon Age model. I wanted something entirely new. Luckily for me, it’s Christmas and that means a office nerd gifts! Nobody gets me nerd gifts like my co-workers. I was not disappointed. I unwrapped Tommy’s gift and there was Sam Fisher giving me the eyeball. I’ve never played a Splinter Cell game before. I usually don’t go for realistic war time games and assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that anything with Tom Clancy’s name on it wasn’t worth my time. Yes. I am a game and book snob. And don’t get me started on music.

Once Splinter Cell was up on screen, I was singing a different tune. First off, it is a beautiful game. The voice acting is superb and although it seems a little Jack Bauer at times, the story piques my interest. Like Jack Bauer, Sam Fisher is a complete badass in both deed and word. He employs violence as a major interrogation tool, can clear an entire hanger of thugs and stalks his prey from the shadows. What’s not to like?!?

Fisher comes across as very agile and very deadly. The cover system, while not completely flawless, is really strong. By holding the trigger and aiming at highlighted cover points, Fisher can silently move from cover to cover without getting stuck on unwanted surfaces. Sometimes, the cover area you want does not highlight but there is usually a way to find another path. I find the the aiming/sniping behaviour is very forgiving and usually fair. This did not stop me from a couple of, “Come on! I shot that guy!” moments.
I also have to give the pace a big thumbs up. This is one of those games where you look up after a particulary intense session and realize two hours have passed. The tension vs action ratio is great. Also, there aren’t any in-game loads. Splinter Cell: Conviction does most of its loading during sweet cut-scenes. This makes for a fairly seamless experience. I find that the missions are clear yet challenging. I haven’t gotten “lost” yet. This is not to say I’m just breezing through. My Sam Fisher has definitely gotten shots to the face but this just makes me replay to mess up that dude that messed up my dude. dude.

There are plenty of gadgets and weapons that can be upgraded. Weapon upgrade points are earned by executing certain challenges like pulling 5 guys out of windows or sniping a certain amount of guys from the shadows. I like this type of reward system. I feel it encourages me to try actions that I might ordinarily wouldn’t. For example, if I know this one action will work, I will do that action as much as I can. But if I can get a bigger, better gun by executing a less tested move, I will definitely try it out.

Bottom line: Get Tommy to buy you Splinter Cell: Conviction. You won’t be disappointed!

From all of us to all of you: Hope this holiday season is all glitter and sleigh bells!