by vfitzjarrald | Feb 13, 2015 | App Reviews, Game On!, On the iPad
Eclipse is an epic board game. I have not had the pleasure of trying the physical game, but I have seen it played in videos. What an intense game!
Eclipse for the iPad is also a significant undertaking. If you have never seen the game before, think of it as a mixture of Carcassonne and Risk. Each player uses a turn to expand (placing tiles), build armies and fleets, or grow their economic might. As the game evolves, it becomes more and more difficult. Players change the physical board in each round, making more opportunities and removing play options each turn. I have seen strategies range from Isolationist to Scientific to Conquest. In my world, Eclipse fills a critical gaming niche: Hardcore SciFi Strategy.
by vfitzjarrald | Feb 6, 2015 | App Reviews, EduGame, Game On!, On the iPad
This game is old, for the app store, but is a fantastic game that I have not had a chance to review yet.
When I was in college, say 10 years ago, my friends and I would play board games. I very clearly remember the first time we played Axis and Allies. It is a game about managing resources, waging war, and making strategic alliances. The only games that have ever come close to that on the iPad are the European War Series.
A few months ago, I wrote about the more recent game in the European War Series, the Napoleon Wars. In that game, you can control the forces of the American and French revolutions. In European War 2, you explore a different, more recent, and more publicized war, World War 2.
by vfitzjarrald | Jan 30, 2015 | App Reviews, Game On!, On the iPad
Tap to kill your enemies! World of Warriors is a hybrid Deck Building and Fighting game. As you engage in combat, you have to tap dropped items and resources to add them to your characters. As you progress through the game you are give access to more and more characters, but I won’t spoil the video, take a look.
by vfitzjarrald | Jan 23, 2015 | App Reviews, Game On!, On the iPad
Wolfenstein 3D for iPad. Do I really need to say anything else?…
… I guess I do. This is a classic game, and that is about the only reason to get it. If you want the nostalgia of playing Wolf 3D on your iPad, more power to you. I played the game a lot when I was a kid, and after a few minutes of playing on the iPad, I was ready to move on. I suspect that the shelf life will be short for this game, and this kind of port in general.
by vfitzjarrald | Jan 16, 2015 | App Reviews, Game On!, On the iPad
If Rovio had done Angry Birds Transformers correctly, this would be it! Monsu is a great side scrolling platformer/endless runner.
You control Monsu, a green ogre who is chasing some gnomes who carry a chest full of gold. Along the way, you will pass a large number of defenses and try to not fall to your death. As you progress, you find that this is actually a Deck Building game! You collect cards to earn companions and special powers on the battlefield. This game is immediately playable and has a great tutorial to familiarize you with the controls. Even though it is easy to get started, the challenges and leveling becomes increasingly difficult, keeping you engaged and working to progress.
This is a great game, and it will certainly last a long time on my iPad before I move on to other games in a similar vein.
by vfitzjarrald | Jan 9, 2015 | App Reviews, Game On!, On the iPad
This app, despite all of the hype, transformed into a flop.
I have been a big fan of the Rovio games, and enjoyed the starwars subset tremendously. The most recent venture into the side scrolling Transformers, makes me a bit confused and annoyed. The game is entirely different, and is now a “Click to win” game rather than involving any skill or strategy.
Transformers has you run across the field (from left to right) and fire on the Decepti-pigs. You get points for killing them and having blocks fall and kill them. When you win you progress through the standard “Angry Birds” 3 star campaign system unlocking more perks along the way.
In my book, Angry Birds Transformers is a disappointment, and a game that I will promptly remove from my iPad.
by vfitzjarrald | Jan 2, 2015 | App Reviews, Game On!, On the iPad
The Survivor is a fun, but somewhat limited Crafting Survival Game.
You start off with your hand and a rock. Like a crazy person, you bang that rock against other rocks and against tress to collect resources so that you can survive. As a word of caution, like most Survival Games, the worst mobs come out at night, so make sure that you have some light, a weapon, and some shelter to protect you when the sun goes down (basically just chop down a bunch of trees with you rock at the beginning of the game).
by vfitzjarrald | Jan 2, 2015 | App Reviews, Game On!, On the iPad
Rebuild is a fantastic app! The premise is to develop a post-apocalyptic town and make it safe for all of the inhabitants. You do this by recruiting additional helpers, finding weapons, searching for food, and completing quests. As you build your town, you will discover quests that ask you to find several locations on the map ore recruit certain numbers of followers.
I played the Rebuild game on a 6 hour flight. I started it, and I thought “This will keep me entertained for a few hours.” After six hours of solid play, I had the game figured out, and completed the majority of the quests. It is a great game, and has a great amount of gameplay packed into a small price tag. This would be a fantastic purchase for anyone who is a fan of zombies and strategy games.
by vfitzjarrald | Dec 26, 2014 | App Reviews, Game On!, On the iPad
Platform: iOS Cost: $1.99 My current game of the week is Cthulhu Saves the World by TinkerHouse Games. If you can imagine crossing witty humor with our favorite squid god in an edgy 8-bit RPG, you would understand why Cthulhu Saves the World is a great addition to...
by vfitzjarrald | Dec 23, 2014 | App Reviews, On the iPad, Productivity Apps
Werdsmith is an interesting app. It is just a text editor. There are no bells, no whistles, it is just a place for you to create and write and work on those long writing projects that you have a hard time focusing on. Not much to review, but take a look at the video for why I am choosing to highlight this video.
