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    • iOS
    Agent P DoofenDASH Review

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    3D endless runner-type games are a dime a dozen on the App Store, so it takes something extra and/or special—perhaps even "extra special," if you will—to stand out from the rest. With the Phineas and Ferb license to use the exploits of Agent P (aka Perry the Platypus) versus Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz and all of the hijinks that entails, that might have been enough to do the job, at least for fans of the show (such as ourselves).Unfortunately, Agent P DoofenDASH just comes up short overall by missing a few key fundamentals, and of course, exploiting the free-to-play model. The graphics are great, despite being 3D (translating characters from the 2D hand-drawn Phineas and Ferb cartoons into full 3D models always tends to be a hit-or-miss proposition, but this does it well), and the voices and tunes almost make it feel like you're involved in another episode of the show. They even switch things up a bit by occasionally allowing you to switch over to a hang glider segment which operates much the same way as the running portions.In our experience, the controls are simply a bit lacking. Swiping left and right moves Perry in the corresponding direction, while swiping up has him jump, and swiping down makes him roll. At least, that's how it works in theory—too often, we found that we would swipe in a given direction, only to have Perry do something else, with the worst instance being swiping down to have him roll and instead seeing him jump right into the obstacle we were trying to avoid. As is often the case with these games, it only takes one small slip-up before you have to start all over, so there is no forgiveness here.Incidentally, the tutorial is a little lacking as well. Granted, there's not a whole lot to take in here, and fortunately, as noted, the glider portions operate much in the same way as the running. What the tutorial doesn't cover, however, is cornering and whether or not turning is automatic. Turns out that it isn't—back to the start, and rather quickly after just beginning the game, too. Not a great first impression.
  • Reviews
    • iOS
    Don’t Shoot Yourself! Review

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    A longtime classic gaming genre is that of the bullet hell shooter: games which typically put the player in a massive crossfire of tons upon tons of flying onscreen ordnance which appears to be impossibly overwhelming, yet allows players to really strut their stuff as they take down the foes responsible. But what if the one responsible for putting all those bullets on screen… was you?That is basically the premise behind Don't Shoot Yourself!, a bullet hell game in which you must always keep moving, and as you're moving, you're always firing. Eventually, the screen is filled with a bullet hell of your own making, where your own firepower is your greatest enemy as you attempt to simply survive until the time runs out.And, in truth, there really isn't much more to the game than that. The rest comes through in the 50 different levels provided, which each have their own shapes and quirks to add and change up the challenge each time you go in. Narrow walls, odd shapes, and even portals through which your bullets pass in order to come back to haunt you keep things interesting.Graphically, the game doesn't do much—no roving soldiers on a battlefield, no starships blasting through alien armadas or asteroid fields. It's all very simple and basic, yet pleasant. The only problem we really had is that it seemed that some of our bullets weren't hurting us upon contact while others were, and determining which is which proves to be a bit tricky with so many all around you. On the other hand, it could just be a hitbox-detection thing, which is common enough—and exploitable, in the right hands—in these types of games.
  • Reviews
    • Android
    • iOS
    Garfield Kart Review

    By

    Ever since Super Mario Kart came on the scene back in 1992, there have been dozens of imitators. Some have come from established properties, such as Crash Bandicoot or Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, while others have been crudely-made, cheap cash-ins which often feature licensed properties (such as M&M's Kart Racing).You'd be forgiven for thinking that Garfield Kart would be among the latter; we certainly did. Much to our pleasant surprise, however, this title is actually an extremely competent entry into the kart-racing sub-genre. Don't get us wrong, it's not likely to light the world on fire, and Nintendo has nothing to fear as they prepare for the upcoming eighth entry in the series that started it all, but Garfield Kart is a surprisingly solid and sturdy racing game."Based more specifically on The Garfield Show than the fat cat's newspaper or other incarnations, Garfield Kart features a cast of eight characters, including Garfield, Odie, Jon, Nermal, Arlene, Liz, Squeak, and the toon-original Harry. Each looks just like their cartoon self, but at the outset, you can only use Garfield or Jon, while Liz, Odie, and so on get unlocked as you continue playing.Locations seem to come from the cartoon (Full disclosure: While we've seen some episodes of the toon, we've not seen them all), and while they provide a nice degree of variety—more than seen in some racing games—it's admittedly not as diverse as what you're likely to find in Nintendo or SEGA's offerings.
  • Reviews
    • iOS
    Strike Wing: Raptor Rising Review

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    Strike Wing: Raptor Rising is the odd case of a pretty good game which just doesn't quite have all it needs to sink its hooks into you. It does have quite a bit going for it, as you are greeted with a choice of control style, ranging between touchscreen joystick and gyroscopic tilt steering; and what's more surprising than it should be in this business, the touchscreen controls are actually quite good. Accompanying the slick controls, which also include buttons for firing, boosting, and slowing down, are some very nice graphics and suitable (if not particularly catchy) music and sound effects for your space dogfight.And a dogfight is just what it is, as you engage the enemy in a full 360-degree field of battle, shooting at the enemy fighters with the help of your wingmen. There is also the boast of adaptable enemy AI, changing as you play, but it can be a bit difficult to notice, at least earlier on. Fortunately, locking on to enemies is pretty simple, as you don't need a precise lock on your targets to score hits: just getting them inside the wider targeting reticule is often enough to engage a small degree of auto-targeting from your guns, alleviating what could have been a rather frustrating experience."The game is broken up into missions, and this is where things begin to falter. Each mission contains a different scenario or end objective, but there isn't really anything to tie them together. It's essentially a high-score game, and while that's not bad—we're certainly not ones to say games must have a story—something about it just feels kind of lacking without one. 
  • Reviews
    • Android
    • iOS
    Headless Review

    By

    Don't lose your head, but there's a new endless runner available in the App Store! What's that? You've already lost it, and now you're losing blood everywhere you go? Oh well, let's just - pardon the expression - run with it.Headless is a tribute to "Miracle Mike," who purportedly bled for 18 months following his decapitation. At least, that's how the game's title screen tells it. We're assuming that Mike was a chicken, as that's what you play as throughout this game. Well, most of Mike, anyway - as the name and tribute indicate, you're basically running for what's left of your life, minus your cranium, with blood splashing out all the while.Truth be told, the cartoonish blood loss is perhaps the most interesting thing about this game. As the chicken runs along, it's losing blood from a gauge measuring how much it has left. Along the way, there are items which look like filled bags from a blood bank (or messy ketchup packets - take your pick), that serve to replenish a portion of your constantly-depleting vital fluid.
  • Reviews
    • Android
    • iOS
    LEVEL 22 Review

    By

    Gary is a bit of a lout. In this economy, a lot of people do whatever they can to keep their jobs, and that's not exactly untrue of Gary. See, Gary likes to party, and party he did last night, out on the town and drunk all the while. This has led Gary to oversleep, and now he's late for work.This might be forgivable, except this does not seem to be the first time Gary has let temptation get in the way of doing an honest day's work. As a result, he now stands to be fired if he is caught coming in late (his boss even has a wanted poster of Gary on his desk). So now in LEVEL 22, Gary is doing whatever he can to keep his job: In this case, engaging in covert stealth operations to reach his desk on the 22nd floor of his office building."Given that he's traversing the entire 22 levels by stairs and sneaking around to avoid being caught all the while, one would suspect he wouldn't reach his destination until it's time to punch out anyway, but we digress. This is the task at hand, and fortunately, you're not alone.Gary's friend, Marty, is an expert at this sort of thing. Incidentally, he also no longer works at this place of employ, though he says he got out of there. Whether he was really helped out remains a mystery, but in any case, he offers helpful tips to Gary along the way, which leads to incorporating a number of your surroundings: Hiding your face behind newspapers, crawling into closets, trunks, and vents, and using donuts to bait security guards.
  • Reviews
    • iOS
    Amigo Pancho Review

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    Amigo Pancho is the tale of a man of adventure, a man who overcomes trials and adversity to rise to the loftiest of heights, all in the pursuit of living life the way it was meant to be lived. And he does it all with nothing more than a pair of balloons.Oh, and your help, of course.If you're familiar with Disney's Where's My…? series, you should find yourself in good shape to help Pancho rise to the top of the world. But make no mistake: this is hardly a clone of those popular titles. Rather than clearing a path for water to reach our hero, your task is to clear his way of any obstacles so that he can safely (and with both balloons intact, preferably) make his way to the top of the screen. As it turns out, there are indeed quite a number of challenges to overcome. Needle-spitting cacti, spikes, cannons, jet intakes that will suck you right in, sword-wielding matadors, and burly luchadores are just some of what lies in Pancho's way. Using the touch screen, you'll manipulate the environment in many ways, from dropping rocks to block the needles, to using fans to avoid the spikes; from using missiles to disable the cannons and jets, to using other hazards to deal with your pursuers. It's quite involved, and very engaging every step of the way.
  • Reviews
    • iOS
    Joust Legend Review

    By

    First things first: If you're older than two decades' worth of gaming, then you should be informed right off the bat that this has nothing to do with riding ostriches over lava pools as you (attempt to) skewer pterodactyls and collect fallen eggs.No, Joust Legends is about the actual sport of jousting from the middle ages. 1472, in fact, as the King of France has laid down the challenge before England's King Edward IV. The goal is to exhibit the finest warriors these two nations have to offer, and defend their honor in the process. But before that, there is the matter of the King's Trials: A series of jousting tournaments devoted to finding the finest warrior in the land to represent Edward and England effectively. That brings us to you. Your father was apparently a big-shot warrior at one time or another, so you get entered into the tournament, meaning you're now representing king, country, and your family's honor. No pressure, right? On top of that, if you fail to measure up, they'll foreclose on the orphanage!...just kidding. About the orphanage, that is; everything else is for real.