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P.A.C.O. is why you should never help bandits escape prison
P.A.C.O., an acronym meaning "prison action climbing obstacles," is yet another game that falls into the genre of ridiculously simple to play yet ridiculously challenging and addictive. The one-armed bandits are trying to escape from prison switching from ladder to ladder and you're helping them out. When the timing is right, you have to tap the screen so the bandit makes the jump from one ladder to the other. Tap too soon and he misses and falls, but tap too late and the security guard catches him. Timing is key. P.A.C.O. is free with in-app purchases for iPhone and iPad and requires no earlier than iOS 7.1. The app description boasts that the title is "the hardest game you've ever played." I'm not sure if that's objectively true, but I don't doubt that many players agree it's pretty difficult. A quick scroll through the ratings and reviews in the App Store support that theory. P.A.C.O.'s controls don't expand any further than a single tap on the display. The bandits move on their own up the ladders pretty quickly, but your tap is what switches them between the two ladders, or more like pieces of ladders. There are four different characters: Paco, Peco, Chico and Rico. You're randomly assigned one as your own player every time you play or replay. Right below the currently active bandit is the security guard chasing him, whom you have no control over. The tutorial does a pretty poor job of explaining anything about the game other than to tap at the perfect time to avoid losing. For the first few rounds I thought I was controlling both the bandit and the guard. The ladders also have green lines toward the top of them and I had no idea what those meant. It turns out they're guides for when to switch ladders. It's best to tap when the bandit's entire body is above the green line, but this doesn't always guarantee success. P.A.C.O.'s design is very retro and it's clear the game overall got some of its inspiration from the notorious Flappy Bird. P.A.C.O. is the more challenging of the two. Timing matters in Flappy Bird too, but this makes Flappy Bird look amateurish in terms of difficulty. Somewhere in the world someone must hold that sweet formula for making a successful game that's easy to play, hard to win, yet captures everyone's love and affection. If it's just a little too hard or even a little too easy, it loses its magic. Unfortunately, P.A.C.O. seems to err a tad too much on the side of being difficult. It's fun to keep trying, but after making so little progress, it becomes downright frustrating. P.A.C.O. also integrates with Game Center for achievements and leaderboards, plus includes one in-app purchase for US$0.99 that gets rid of the admirably modest ads. The game needs to get a tad easier so it reaches that sweet spot of euphoric gameplay and desperately needs to improve upon the tutorial for beginners. It's rough around the edges, but I look forward to that update, if or when it ever arrives. At any rate, P.A.C.O. is free in the App Store for iOS.
Pix the Cat to loop Steam users into its combo fever this month
Pix the Cat, a frantic score-chaser that plays as a blend of Pac-Man and Snake in its central Arcade mode, will weave its way onto Steam later this month, developer Pastagames announced earlier this week. A starting price has yet to be offered, but to lend a sense of what to expect, Pix the Cat is currently a $16.49 cross-buy purchase for PS4 and Vita on the PlayStation Store. Beyond its timed, combo-driven Arcade mode, Pix the Cat offers Nostalgia, Laboratory and Arena gameplay types. Nostalgia is a black-and-white challenge of collecting ducklings, but unlike Arcade mode, a round ends when players run headfirst into walls or trip over their trail of ducklings. Laboratory is a slower burn, shifting its focus from blazing-fast clear times in favor of puzzling challenges. Lastly, Arena is a four-player coliseum-style battle affair, equipping contestants with tricks like missiles and mines to help them blast opponents out of the competition. Pastagames' announcement also notes that Pix the Cat has made its way into "more than a million houses" since it was offered to PlayStation Plus subscribers in October. [Image: Pastagames]
3D After Burner 2: M2's quest for port perfection
"Arcade-perfect" is a term that was bandied about in the '80s and '90s as developers struggled to port state-of-the-art arcade games to significantly less powerful console hardware. Compromises were made, features were removed, and many ports that were billed as "arcade-perfect" still needed to be scaled back quite a bit compared to their cabinet counterparts. These days, consoles boast enough horsepower to emulate classic games at a software level - virtually recreating arcade hardware in order to run original programming code, rather than porting graphics, sound, and gameplay components from scratch. Purists argue, however, that straightforward emulation lacks a certain appeal specific to original hardware. Playing the classic racer Daytona USA using an Xbox 360 controller, for instance, is a vastly different experience compared to sitting in the cockpit of the original arcade cabinet and gripping a force feedback-equipped steering wheel that fights you at every turn. Arcade-perfect ports still elude many publishers. Japanese porting studio M2, however, sets its sights higher than mere perfection. M2's 3D After Burner 2, released in the Nintendo 3DS eShop in North America this week, is more than an arcade-perfect port. Not only does it make great strides toward simulating the look and feel of a classic arcade game, but it also improves on the game's original design in ways that its creators planned but never fully achieved. The result is perhaps the first "complete" look at After Burner 2 as it was originally envisioned, and it's a rare treat for classic gaming enthusiasts.
Flappy Bird arcade cabinet will empty your wallet in record time
Think that Flappy Bird is already supremely aggravating to play? Try flying between those pipes when there's money on the line. Bay Tek Games has unveiled an arcade version of the game that promises to be the most masochistic cabinet ever... and we've seen quite a few. It's largely the same tough-to-control title you've come to know and love/hate, just blown up to the size of a 42-inch display. In other words, you'll likely spend more time feeding cash into this machine than you will mashing its one and only game button. We could see it being fun if you're an expert (or just need to get rid of a lot of money in a hurry), but you're probably better off playing this stand-up Flappy Bird system in very, very short bursts.
Recall where the fox buried the eggs with Chicken Recall
Chicken Recall is a free game that requires good memory and concentration. In an typically peaceful green pasture, a fox comes along and steals the chicken's eggs. As part of the game, it buries them in various piles, which expand into larger rows and columns as the game progresses. As the chicken, you must retrieve your eggs by focusing on where the fox buries them and remembering which pile the egg is in by the time you catch up. The title is available for iPhone and iPad. Chicken Recall reminds me of a classic arcade game that could in theory use a joystick as a controller, or a fun mini-game as part of a full video game. It comes with three playing modes: Classic, Timer and Guess It. Classic is the default mode and the only one that's unlocked from the start. The game plays a quick introduction video explaining that the fox has stolen the chicken's eggs, then instructions on how to play to get the eggs back. At the start, there are four rows of dirt piles and two per row, but the grid slowly expands The fox hops around between the columns and it's up to you to remember where it goes burying the egg. Bear in mind that the fox is at the top of the screen before you even get to start, so it's not as simple as just following in the fox's footsteps. It's time to put that cerebral cortex to work. In Timer mode, Chicken Recall gets a bit more complicated as you have to dig through the piles at a faster rate to keep up with the fox before it escapes, otherwise the game ends. Luckily, the only mechanism necessary in any of the modes is just tapping, so it's quick to speed through. In Guess It mode, the fox isn't even visible so you're forced to just guess which pile holds the egg until you're wrong. This mode is truthfully pointless. Timer and Guess It modes are unlocked via an in-app purchase for US$0.99 that also removes ads or by sharing the game with your friends on Facebook, the latter of which I suspect to be the more popular option. The upgrade price is still inexpensive enough though. Chicken Recall is also flexible in that it allows you to customize the game by tapping "Customize" on the menu screen. Set the starting number of holes per row, the maximum number of holes in a row and how many correct answers it takes to progressively increase the number of holes. It's great for fine-tuning and challenging yourself if it becomes too easy or if you have supernatural memorization capabilities. The graphics are a bit amateur, but it's easily overlooked. I also wish the introduction video and instructions didn't display every time you play the game. It's an entertaining and distinctive memory game with plenty of customization options. The in-app purchase is a worthy upgrade for the price, but even otherwise the free portion of Chicken Recall is perfectly fine on its own. Find the app for iOS in the App Store.
Tekken 7 may allow two characters to fight from the same side
In a recent tweet, Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada revealed a new feature being tested for Bandai Namco's upcoming 3D fighter Tekken 7. "BETA TESTING NOW> New Rendering Camera System "Both players can play on LEFT SIDE (or RIGHT SIDE) for TEKKEN7," Harada tweeted. Initially this idea seems confusing, but the image Harada included - which can be seen, in part, above - makes the new feature clear. Harada's team has linked two Tekken 7 arcade cabinets and programmed the game to rendered mirrored images centering on the two fighters for each display. The effect is that both players are fighting from the same side in the same, real-time match with data being shared between the two cabinets, hopefully with very little lag. However, the utility of this feature is questionable, especially for anyone outside of Japan. Players who prefer to fight from one side or the other may embrace the option (assuming it makes its way successfully through beta testing), but as the system requires an elaborate grafting of two undoubtedly pricey Tekken 7 arcade machines it will only appear in larger, well-funded arcades. Given the collapse of the arcade market in the West, this effectively renders the mirrored system exclusive to Japan and a few locations scattered throughout North America that might buy the system purely for its novelty. [Image: @Harada_Tekken]
Space shooters Ultratron, Titan Attacks flying to new platforms
Curve Digital will publish two of Puppy Games' arcade-style space shooters on new platforms: Ultratron and Titan Attacks. Ultratron will reach PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Wii U and Vita early next year, and features twin-stick "arena shooter action." As for the Space Invaders-like Titan Attacks, Curve will distribute the game on 3DS in early 2015 as well. Titan Attacks launched on PlayStation systems earlier this year. Ultratron arrived on Steam in March 2013 and is considered a "throwback" to Vid Kidz' 1982 arcade shooter, Robotron. The game features a "full upgrade system" and adaptive difficulty settings. Ultratron will be Cross-Buy-enabled on PlayStation systems, and is expected to launch in the same week on Wii U and Xbox One. Head past the break to check out a trailer of the game's PC version. [Image: Puppy Games]
Mr. Particle-Man is a refreshing, retro blast
I don't consider myself a gamer in the sense that I avidly play games on a regular basis. I just play them for sheer enjoyment or to pass time, especially when something is trendy and addictive. Every so often a game comes along that reminds you why you play them in the first place. One of those games is Mr. Particle-Man, a basic retro-style game for iPhone and iPad in which you must maneuver Mr. Particle-Man to the round's "exit" while avoiding potential danger and collecting up those particles. It's utterly charming for a host of reasons and for US$1.99, you too are able to get in on the charm. Right off the bat, I'll tell you what makes Mr. Particle-Man so intriguing: it's never the same. Every level is uniquely designed and no two feel too similar to one another. Additionally, there's constantly new obstacles being thrown at you. Just when you think you've figured out all there is to know about the game, something new comes along. For a small little dot, Mr. Particle-Man keeps you on your feet. A clearly designated "Exit" offers relief for Mr. Particle-Man. You drag your finger around the screen and Mr. Particle-Man follows, almost as if at his own will. The motion is so fluid and flexible that it might take you a few rounds to really get the hang of it. Each level has four particles you should try to nab on the way to the exit since they boost your score a bit. As you progress in the game, you have to continue strategizing. At first it might seem like flashing walls and platforms are your only enemy, but soon you find yourself trying to outrun a flashing demon particle (my own nickname for it,) sliding across conveyor belts or blasting through barriers. What's brilliant about Mr. Particle-Man is that the game manages to keep adding on layers without overcomplicating it or overwhelming the user with visual cues to remember. While the game includes over 100 levels, a few boss rounds are thrown in as well. In these, a boss replaces the exit. You have to find a way to deplete the boss's power and ultimately destroy it to move forward in the game. It's an entertaining twist from the standard levels, which are already distinctive on their own. If I had to put a single piece of paper in the request box for Mr. Particle-Man, it would be for individual access to levels. I want to be able to jump to any level at will after I've already "unlocked" it along the way, rather than just having to either continue where I left off or start over. The game already offers iCloud integration so your progress stays in sync across all devices, which I appreciate. Mr. Particle-Man is like an instant classic. It's engaging, memorable and for two bucks it brings plenty to the table. In fact, it's actually somewhat of a sequel to Ms. Particle-Man by the same developer with the same price tag. If you're looking for a creative arcade-style title to try out, look no further than Mr. Particle-Man for iOS.
Space Beats Saga is a universally stellar time killer
Space Beats Saga is an arcade-style iOS game, and no it doesn't follow the story of an intergalactic DJ. It's deceptively straightforward: you're in a rocket traveling through the universe and you have to dodge cosmic rays that come in your path before you free yourself from the clutches of solar system and escape to outer space. All that's required of you is a single tap to change direction and dodge the obstacles. The game is free and universal with in-app purchases. The graphics are stellar in Space Beats Saga. Perhaps I'm accustomed to games that don't have controls consisting of more than a single tap taking on an 8-bit theme, but Space Beats sets a good example that a game can have basic controls and still be beautiful. It comes with four difficulties: easy, medium, hard and impossible. You start out on easy, but your first few plays feel far from it. The rocket starts out going straight ahead but the moment you tap anywhere on the screen, it shifts left. Tap again and it shifts right, then the process repeats with each tap. I'm not a huge fan of the maneuvering in Space Beats. Given the speed at which new cosmic rays appear on screen, it feels like the rocket takes too long to shift directions and get out of the way. Plus, the left and right borders of the game are your enemies, too. Of course, I did get better over time as with any game, but my record is still only 31 (the score calculates based on how many rays you dodge) and to unlock the medium difficulty requires 50. If the game was just even slightly more responsive to the touch, it would be a tad easier to play and feel a lot more natural. Eventually after passing a certain number of cosmic rays, you run into foreign objects. It turns out they're comets! In the real world where mortality exists, avoid these. In Space Beats, however, comets are your friends. Head straight toward them because collecting them gains you a few extra points. That'd be helpful in finally unlocking that medium difficulty. The hard and impossible difficulties require high scores of 300 and 700 to unlock, respectably. Additionally, within the difficulty are levels. With each level-up, you're taken into new territory, beyond another planet on the solar system. After 30 cosmic rays, the game informed me I blazed past Jupiter into level three. The cosmic rays seem to show up in different patterns with every level change. There's an option to ditch the ads in the game for a single in-app purchase of US$0.99. I found that the ads were few and far between and always had a visible exit strategy, but if you're the type that absolutely can't stand ads, by all means take advantage of the opportunity to get rid of them. Don't get me wrong, my complaint about the control responsiveness is just a small gripe and potentially just a personal preference. I love the graphics, the theme and of course the gameplay. It's an intriguing time killer. For free, give Space Beats Saga a download from the App Store.
The Internet Arcade has 900+ games, no quarters needed
The Internet Archive, a non-profit collection of movies, music, books, websites and (most relevant to the following information) games, has unleashed The Internet Arcade: a collection of more than 900 classic arcade games which can be played for free inside your browser. On The Internet Arcade, you'll find classics like Out Run, Millipede, Tapper and Paperboy, alongside some not-so-classics like Turkey Shoot, The Three Stooges and Kangaroo. But hey, since there's no coins to gamble, why not give them all a try? Jason Scott, a developer of the project, described the process converting arcade games as surprisingly easy on a blog post (despite the fact that he also acknowledges scaling issues, control mechanisms that don't translate to keyboard or gamepad and several other minor problems). "My hope is that a handful, a probably tiny percentage [of people], will begin plotting out ways to use this stuff in research, in writing, and remixing these old games into understanding their contexts," Scott writes. "Time will tell." If you're having trouble getting started with a game, press the 5 key to insert a coin, and Tab to change the controls to something comfortable. [Image: The Internet Archive]
Bloxland Story: an engaging game about blocks
Bloxland Story is an arcade-style game for iOS with a classic look and feel. The object of the game is to complete as many puzzles eliminating similar blocks to eventually rescue Blox, whatever that is. There's a standard Story mode with 40 stages - 8 levels in 5 worlds - to complete and a Survival mode where you have to push yourself to the limit. The game is universal and sells for US$2.99. I was immediately shocked and disappointed to find that Bloxland Story still doesn't the iPhone 5's resolution. No that's not a typo, I'm talking about 2012's iPhone 5. It was the first iPhone to increase the display size to 4 inches from 3.5 inches and required developers to do a bit of resizing to optimize their apps. Bloxland Story still has letterboxing on both sides even on the new iPhone 6. For most people, I don't think this devalues the app too much, but the developers really need to catch up by now. Moving on, the game provides a simple but very effective tutorial to get you started. It plays a tad similarly to Tetris, but still vitally different and you don't have to worry about fitting in those pesky shapes. In Bloxland, you deal with blocks and nothing more. Your goal is to tap blocks of the same color and match at least three to eliminate them. They don't have to be next to each other, just in the same row, except one block can be diagonally connected to another. The graphics are colorful and pleasantly old-school without dipping too far into 8-bit land. For some reason it reminds me of a game I'd play with a stylus on my original Nintendo DS back in 2004. The small tap targets and mediocre typography are somewhat bothersome though. As you advance further in the game, you encounter other blocks that detach from the theme of color. Dark gray ones require you to tap quickly so that it eliminates an entire row, while multicolored ones eliminate all of one color on the grid. Rounds finish when you collect a certain amount of blocks as new ones slowly continue to pile on. For instance, round two was complete when I successfully gathered up 100 blocks. If following along in the story isn't your thing, it's going to take a while to get to Survival mode, which unlocks only when you've collected 50 ribbons. These don't come quickly or easily, and they're awarded at a maximum of three after each round based on how well you did. Time Attack mode is another option but unfortunately isn't implemented in the game just yet; the developer promises it's coming soon. I didn't find the game too addictive contrary to what the app description states, but it's just entertaining enough to keep fans of this genre of gameplay to stick around. Another plus is the lack of in-app purchases, which means when you spend the $2.99 to buy this game you're getting the entire package. Bloxland Story is a delightful puzzle game that's engaging and provides enough gameplay (40 levels in Story mode) to warrant its price tag. However, seriously, support for iPhone 5 and 6 are needed. It's available for iPhone and iPad universally in the App Store.
Pokken Tournament's arcade debut meant to gauge whether it's captivating
Pokken Tournament is choosing Japanese arcades first to more quickly gauge the reaction from intensive fighting game fans, according to Siliconera's translation of 4Gamer's interview with developer Bandai Namco's Katsuhiro Harada. Since Pokken Tournament is meant to be a complex, competitive game, Harada said it's important to watch the game's reception in a harsh community, where a round of play is typically 100 yen (~93 cents). Harada added that boring or unengaging games are quickly abandoned in the arcade scene, and that having Pokken Tournament survive in the environment would be something the team could be proud of. Harada is co-leading Pokken Tournament's development with SoulCalibur series producer Masaaki Hoshino, with the left-field fighter due to try capturing an arcade audience in 2015. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Wonder Boy creator Westone filing for bankruptcy
Veteran Japanese developer Westone Bit Entertainment is facing bankruptcy after nearly 30 years of operation, Game Watch Impress reports (via Sega Nerds). After debuting in 1986 with its landmark arcade side-scroller Wonder Boy (later adapted for the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System as Hudson's Adventure Island), Westone went on to create the Monster World series, which saw several sequels across the Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, and TurboGrafx-16. The series was later compiled in the Japan-exclusive Monster World Complete Collection for the PlayStation 2, and eventually made its way to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with the 2012 launch of Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World. Westone has entered liquidation process and its website has since shuttered. Sega has issued no word regarding whether the closure will affect the continued sale of Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World. [Image: Sega / Westone]
Strider 2, original arcade Strider team up on PSN next week
Capcom's over-the-top arcade side-scroller Strider 2 will launch for the PlayStation Network next week as a PSone Classic, the publisher confirmed yesterday. Released in arcades in 1999, Strider 2 chronicles the unlikely acrobatic adventures of its ninja star Strider Hiryu, who scales gigantic structures and battles robotic creatures within a futuristic cityscape. The latest series entry, Strider, premiered earlier this year as a downloadable console and PC release. Hiryu also appears in the Marvel vs. Capcom series, most recently returning in 2011's Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. The PSone version of Strider 2 includes a port of 1989's Strider arcade game, which will be bundled with next week's downloadable PSN release. Strider 2 will be available for the PlayStation 3, PSP, and PS Vita on October 7. [Image: Capcom]
On like Donkey Kong; new champion crowned with record score
In 2011, surgeon Hank Chien broke the then-record score for Donkey Kong, and became - for the second time - the world champion of the classic game. But all kings of Kong eventually fall from the Empire State Building their throne, and so it was with Chien, whose title has now passed to a man named Robbie Lakeman. The Donkey Kong Blog, a website dedicated to following the Donkey Kong competitive scene, reports Lakeman's score as 1,141,800 - a relatively narrow victory over Chien's score of 1,138,600. Interestingly, while Lakeman typically streamed his attempts at beating the record, the run that resulted in his new title was instead uploaded after the fact. However, you can watch the whole four-hour ordeal by checking out the video after the break.
Pentumble really sticks with you
Pentumble is an exciting platformer where you face many dangerous obstacles in your race against time to get the most stars in each level. Players must avoid hitting spiky wheels of death, fire, and other such ominous elements in a quest to reach the star at the end of each level. This is a perilous journey most of the time as you must be very careful and strategic about your movement; overshooting a jump most assuredly mean death unless you are lucky. The game costs $1.99 and runs on all iOS devices with iOS version 7.0 or later. The pacing in Pentumble's 36 levels is interesting. There are some easy levels at the beginning which do a nice job of introducing players to the controls and obstacles fairly early on. By about level five, things start to get tense but then you are given a little breather with some easier levels. This pattern continues for some time until about the final 10 levels. Here the levels are much harder than before and you find yourself feeling stumped more often. The pacing makes Pentumble rewarding to play for long stretches of time because you feel very victorious when you complete a tough level. You become excited about the challenges awaiting you in every level that follows. If that is not enough motivation for you to keep playing, Pentumble also features a star rating system that rewards players for completing a level in a certain amount of time and this adds to the games replay value. Pentumble features a character that can latch onto platforms upside down, right side up, and even on the side. You can even walk on or around this platform and some levels require you to move your character on the platform to avoid obstacles. The controls are really fluid and you feel more in control of your actions because of this. Fluid controls also means that you have to think about your actions more. One wrong move could send your character jumping into a spiky wheel. This was an unexpected challenge, but a welcome addition as it makes the game feel more responsive and fun. The platforms themselves were creative as some could be simple panels that move in two directions. Others were bubbles that pop if you stand on them wrong. These platforms test players' skills and adaptability to the changing environments as they can show up in any combination and order. In a couple of the later levels there were some collision problems when trying to move over certain objects, such as a pipe. The character would get stuck in the object and sometimes the ground. You can get the character unstuck, but this takes some time and you are better off restarting the level. This was the only real problem I ran across while playing and it didn't deter me from playing again, it was just an annoyance. The art style in Pentumble is clean and not extravagant which works very well for this game. Even the typeface and user interface elements echoes this same clean appearance. It is visually very attractive. The music also fits very well with the overall theme. It is fun and quirky, which makes the game more enjoyable to play. Pentumble is a great platformer that features interesting platform challenges as well as a fluid control scheme and it is recommended for those who would like to test their skills with new challenges in platforming.
Astra: no one can hear you refuel in space
Astra is an endless runner in space that uses just two buttons. The art style is reminiscent of Galaga and similar retro arcade games. Your mission is to fly the Astra spaceship as far as you can into deep space while picking up fuel points and avoiding fuel voids. An interesting mechanic in Astra is that the more you move your ship left and right, the faster you deplete your fuel. When you have no more fuel left, the game is over. Astra is compatible with iOS devices running iOS 7.1 or later and costs US$0.99. Controlling your spaceship is very easy and feels appropriately responsive. Players tap the right side of the screen to use the ship's right jets and propel themselves to the left. Likewise, they tap the left side of the screen to activate the left jets and push the ship to the right. You have a limited fuel supply and you are tasked with trying to get as far as you can before running out. It is also possible to run out of fuel on one side's jets before the other, which will send your ship hurtling in one direction. This also makes it harder for you to get the fuel points that help you continue on your journey. When out of control, it is easier to for you to run into fuel voids that drain your fuel. This increases the difficulty of Astra in an interesting way. Still, you can regain full control of your ship if you manage to hit enough fuel points, though this can be difficult to pull off. Astra also increases in speed as you venture further into space. This made it more challenging and felt like the player was naturally progressing in the game. Astra does not feature any music of its own in the game nor any sound effects. This means that you can play your own music, which accents the gameplay and the arcade look. The lack of sound also meant that when played without adding your own music, controlling the ship feels more relaxing. It was really nice to see two different ways of playing the same game just by turning on and off your own sound. The neon light color pallet is exciting and looks really great against the dark space background. The colors pop out and it adds a touch of fun to the simple mechanics. Astra is also integrated with Game Center, which is a great feature for friendly competitions for the highest score. With a really nice art style and an intriguing use of no sound, Astra is a beautiful game that offers players a way to relax while retaining some excitement. Astra is available on the App Store for US$0.99 and definitely worth trying out.
Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions twin-sticks with you
Late last week, Activision teased the return of longtime developer and publisher Sierra Entertainment, which birthed series like King's Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest and Gabriel Knight. The resurrection of the Sierra brand was not only confirmed earlier this week, but brought with it the announcement of two new games: new entries in the King's Quest adventure series and Geometry Wars twin-stick shooter series. The latter is Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions, and will be the first game to launch under the "new Sierra indie label," the game's description reads. It follows the fast-paced trend set by series creator Bizarre Creations, picking up the spacey, shape-shooting action where it left off in 2008's Geometry Wars 2: Retro Evolved. It will include "full 3D action" with competitive online multiplayer, a revamped cooperative multiplayer mode and "dynamic and persistent progression." The game's single-player campaign features 50 challenges and over 10 battle modes, five of which are new to the series. The publisher also introduced screens of Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions, which does not have a determined release date or platforms just yet. [Image: Sierra]
BubbleSum is a game too hard to pop
BubbleSum for iOS is a quick and simple numbers game. The goal of is to test hand-eye coordination. The game requires iOS 7.0 and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. In BubbleSum, bubbles with numbers drift upwards from the bottom of the screen with the goal of equaling a hundred. The player has to tap on positive number bubbles with white text and avoid negative number bubbles with red text. But there is another catch, you only have twenty seconds per round. When I first started playing BubbleSum, I thought this would be a fun challenge. Unfortunately, the bubbles go by too quickly for me to do well. They also rapidly change from positive to negative. I found myself with negative bubbles even though I tapped them when they were positive. My best score was a forty-five and I feel that it was all from luck, as I franticly tapped as many bubbles in the time limit. There is also a giant ad at the top of the screen, which never goes away. This takes up too much space and makes BubbleSum look more like a billboard than a game. The game does feature interesting music and it has a cool floating bubble on the title screen. However, these perks do not redeem the game's intense difficulty. Even though BubbleSum is free, I cannot recommend it.
Toki Tori devs ar-rive with new platforming shooter
Two Tribes announced its latest game today, a "metal wrecking, robot hacking shooter" called Rive. The game is a 2D shooter-meets-platformer with "old school gaming values," in which players blast robotic enemies and alter their enemies' behavior by gathering and installing hacks. Rive's announcement trailer shows the players' tank-like hero of sorts leaping across levels and firing in 360 degrees, emphasizing the game's blend of arcade-style shooting and platforming action. Rive is the first game from the Toki Tori developer following its reboot in January. At that time, Two Tribes cut its team down to just two (now three for the development of Rive), switching its focus to publishing as opposed to development. The developer did create a hi-res Wii U port of Awesomenauts developer Ronimo Games' first game, Swords and Soldiers, which launched in May. Rive will launch in early 2015 for PC and unspecified consoles. [Image: Two Tribes]
