Rise of Lost Empires is a different take on RTS and RPG games because it integrates both genres into a single engine on Apple’s gaming devices. You start out as a hero and must guide him and other heroes that will be playable on the way through a series of stages. The level design is varied which makes the game not a chore to play. Some levels are timed, while others require you to hunt down and destroy enemies, buildings, catapults, and so forth. There are also rescue missions and objectives where you must protect the castle. The game is fun to play, but there are some control issues that need to be brought to attention.
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If there is one area that iPhone games are lacking, it is the sports genre. Every single game that comes out is some iteration of a tap defense, puzzle, card, etc. I needs me some sports. Real Tennis 2009 attempts to break into this overlooked arena, and falls a little short in doing so. The game has an impressive selection of players. They are obvious knock-offs from the real players, but that is expected as there is no way they could afford to pay Roger Federer for his likeness. There is also a variety of surfaces to play on, game modes, and online play. This game sounds like an ace, so why is it a double fault?
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New York Nights is a cross between the Sims, a RPG, and a Tamagotchi. The premise of the game is to take your character on a series of adventures which start with you interacting with a famous actress. The goal of the game, well, is to experience the nightlife of NYC via a little cartoon man. The graphics of the game are pretty good for the iPhone and the controls are tight. If you want to walk to a specific spot, you will go right there. This function allows you to explore your apartment, the streets, the club, etc. anyway you want.
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I’m too afraid of heights to ever jump out of plane or off a bridge. It’s not that I haven’t had the opportunity, I’m just too scared. Hell, I can’t even look over a 3rd floor balcony without getting butterflies in my stomach. Enter video games, which let me live out opportunities the real world can’t for one reason for another. ParaJumping attempts to fill that void in my life, but doesn’t fit the bill.
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The iPhone has proven that physics-based puzzle games work great on the go. One of the more recent entries into that venture is Magnificent Gizmos & Gadgets. For whatever reason, the title always makes me the think of Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. Anyway, I went in with low expectations and came out liking the game a great deal.
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Skateboarding games have come a long way from Skate or Die (which still holds a special place in my heart). Vans Sk8: Pool Service looks to take advantage of the sport and gaming genre’s popularity by bringing skateboarding to the iPhone. While the game stumbled a bit out of the game, the recent v1.1 patch proved to be advantageous and solidified Vans Sk8 a spot on my iPhone.
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Siberian Strike for the iPhone is a WWII vertical shooter which is very, very similar to 1941, 1942, 194x, etc. The game allows you to choose from one of three fighters which vary in speed and strength, although you will not notice any difference besides the color and the shape. The game’s controls are very good for a flying shooter. You move the airplane back and forth by simply touching the screen and dragging and, while you are moving, the plane will shoot. Very easy and effective. You can charge you weapon by touching the screen with another finger, although while charging you cannot shoot and will be hit many times and eventually crash.
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Mafia Wars took up a lot of my time, but I’ve gotten to the point where the game can’t offer me anything else. I’m level 315 with 2500 mafia members, making almost $4 million an hour. Since there’s nothing left to accomplish, I’ve moved on. The new obsession is Flight Control. This will be the best $0.99 you spend.
You take the helm as the air traffic controller and draw landing flight paths for medium and large planes to the red runway, small planes to the yellow runway, and helicopters to the blue landing pad. The goal is to land as many aircraft as possible without causing a mid-air collision. It’s simple, yet addictive. My current best score is 85, but I know some people have well over 400 as their records. I have some work to do.
Being $0.99, there’s absolutely no reason for you not to buy this. Pick it up, play it, and upload your scores so I have someone to beat.
Crayon Physics Deluxe is an iPhone game that allows the gamer to solve puzzles by simply drawing, in crayon. The purpose of the game is to get the little red ball to the yellow star. You are tasked with drawing horizontal lines on which the ball can roll as well as drawing squares to drop on the ball to give it a push in the right direction. The beginning levels are very easy and you will move through at ease, then the learning curve gets much much steeper. Quickly. There are rotating wheels where you can draw “hammers” to knock the ball forward, but the game does not allow very specific drawing at some points, so this is a task. You will often find yourself stuck with no idea what to do, with no help and no real reason to push forward for it only gets harder. You may say screw it.
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Bouncer is a rolling game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. This is another drawing game where you much make a ball go to a designated finish. Here, it is moving a creepy yellow ball with a face to a bigger green face that eats it. Right. The controls here are actually decent. The ball drops when you say so and you must quickly draw lines to make it roll and not fall into oblivion. There are many obstacles along the way and if the ball hits the bottom, you can tilt the iPhone and make it bounce back up to where you can guide it. This works well for most levels, but can be a pain because the ball seems to bounce as high as it wants sometimes.
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