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Monster Mayhem is out now on the App Store ”“ $1.99
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Due to the lack of releases last week I decided to hold off and give all our readers an extra large edition of The Week That Was, now with a contest coming next week because I kept you waiting! The last two weeks have given us a bit of everything with an EA release, a Gameloft release, a few sequels and two games that we have been eagerly waiting for since early last year. Some of the games have surprised us for being better than expected which isn’t a bad thing at all. There is a little bit of something for everyone so check out our thoughts on the games and get buying if you haven’t already!
FIFA World Cup – $6.99
FIFA World Cup is our small tune up game between FIFA 10 and FIFA 11. This game is an obvious money making opportunity by EA making a smaller game with only a few modes based around the World Cup, even though FIFA 10 is cheaper and offers more. Very surprisingly the iPhone version of FIFA World Cup is much more enjoyable than FIFA 10 with the added improvements which have been made most notably to the controls. While FIFA 10 was easy to play, the slight adjustments make this game simpler to play and easier to control for pros and newbies alike.
You can play as one of 105 international teams and try to take them through the qualification and world cup stages to ultimately become the World Champions. You can play as a team or captain your country to victory as you only control a single player on the field. Both modes are incredibly fun and will have you playing just ‘one more game’ every time. As much as I loved FIFA 10 I feel like the slightly improved graphics and simpler controls make this the all round better game. If you are looking for a large season then FIFA 10 is the best choice, but the casual gamer will love World Cup.
1112 episode 02 – $4.99
Over a year in the waiting and we have finally received the sequel to one of my favourite games. 1112 is a very different type of adventure game, most like Return to Mysterious Island if you want a comparison. You follow the life of Louis as he tries to figure out what has happened to him and what Goodman is doing to make all these weird experiences happen to him. This is achieved by interacting with your scenery in over 25 hand drawn locations. This game will keep you thinking right until the end as you figure out how to complete whatever task is in front of you.
To interact with some objects you must use an item from your inventory like a crowbar or bank card. Sometimes you will be stuck at a single point for hours with no idea what to do because no clues are given. This makes the feeling of when you figure it out so rewarding. Those who want to finish the game can use walkthroughs to help them. For the purpose of the review I used one yet it still took me over 2 hours to complete. This game looks excellent, will keep you sucked in for not only this episode but the next one to find out what happens to our mysterious friend Louis.
Alive 4-Ever RETURNS – $1.99
Alive 4-Ever RETURNS is the sequel to one of my favourite dual stick shooters Alive 4-Ever. The A4E series is similar to games like Minigore and iDracula yet brings a unique RPG design to the game which keeps me interested far longer than the other dual stick shooters. As you complete one of the 40 stages you earn XP which lets you level up and buy new stats, weapons and skills. This unique set-up along with the obvious large number of challenges is enough to keep you playing on for much longer than Minigore has ever made me stay entertained for.
A4ER is a game that is played in short challenging bursts yet the RPG elements would make this more appealing to a more hardcore gamer. The top down graphics look superb as you walk around blowing the blood and guts out of every zombie you see coming your way. Customization plays a big part in making Alive 4-Ever RETURNS an excellent game that stands out from the ranks. This game is actually cheaper than the original at the moment so if you are considering buying one of the A4E games, this sequel is definitely the way to go.
Linkin Park 8-Bit Rebellion! – $4.99
Linkin Park 8-Bit Rebellion does something I literally haven’t experienced in a long long time. A brand or single person has put their name onto a game that is actually pretty damn fun to play. Linkin Park 8-Bit Rebellion is a game that is played online but primarily is a single player game. The story goes that Pixxel Corp have taken over the world and turned everyone into real characters, yet you have to help the few rebels to fight against Pixxel Corp and return the world back to 8-Bit like it truly should be.
The game is primarily a genuine button smasher as you run around the world completing missions and fighting any bad guys that happen to get in your way. The social aspect of the game is all about getting people to join your rebellion, but this is far from a true MMO game. Linkin Park game is playing in the background with 8-Bit and Real versions of the game. After finishing the game you get an exclusive Linkin Park track which is pretty cool. This game will appeal to both LP and retro gaming fans alike.
Iron Man 2 – $6.99
Gameloft are probably one of the only mobile developers I would trust to deliver me a decent game that is based off a movie. This time around we have received Iron Man 2 in a game based on the Avatar engine used earlier in the year. The game involves you flying and running around as the Iron Man trying to save people from ordinary bad guys and huge bosses that pop up in different parts of the game. Two things let’s this game down however, the controls and camera.
The D-Pad in particular isn’t the smoothest to use, particularly when flying around. The camera is average at best, moving unexpectedly and reminding me of the horrid view we got in Rayman 2. Putting these aside there is a lot of content in this game and if quite a bit of fun for your movie-game. In the current state of Iron Man 2 the game I can only suggest it if you are a made fan of the game or are looking for a decent adventure game. The controls need to be fixed but apart from that it’s honestly not too shabby.
Flick Baseball Pro – $2.99
Another title that was announced early last year was Flick Baseball by Freeverse. This has taken a slow journey to finally grace our screens but by the look of the end result it’s worth it. Looking and playing very similar to the successful Homerun Battle 3D, Flick Baseball is a sim baseball games that emphasizes on having fun, unlike the more serious MLB and Derek Jeter titles. You can play through a season with a variety of imaginary teams as you pitch, bat and field for your team.
Flick Baseball Pro is extremely simple to pick up and play with the great use of tilt controls. The game has some excellent graphics and is challenging enough to have you needing to improve the whole time your playing. Flick Baseball Pro is a fun and cheap way to play a 3D version of baseball on your iPhone. The game is definitely one of the best on the App Store, probably sitting level with Derek Jeter Real Baseball.
Other Notable Releases this week Include:
Ninjatown: Trees of Doom! by Venan Entertainment
Chop Chop Tennis by Gamerizon
Monster Mayhem by Chillingo Ltd.
International Track & Field by Konami
MLB Power Pros Touch 2010 by Konami
Stay tuned next week for the 29th installment of ‘The Week That Was’. If you have any suggestions to improve the segment please either email me at damon@razorianfly.com or submit a comment below. Thanks! 😀
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