Power Hover
by Oddrok

Power Hover is a sick endless-runner boarding game with lush low polygon graphics and a banging minimalist ambient techno soundtrack to match.

The premise of the game is that some guy has stolen your town’s electricity and you have to chase down the b*stard on your hover board. Your pursuit takes you through lots of different and challenging terrains which is all good as the game has super tight and responsive controls. As such you effortlessly glide through each course, grinding rails, dodging killer whales in water stages and smoothly zipping from power up to power up – believe me its a lot fun!

I can't give the game full marks because it's a wee bit too short- I managed to complete the game in just under a week. However despite its length I can highly recommend Power Hover If you’re looking for a slick boarding game that’s simple to pick up and has super addictive gameplay. It’s been a wonderful or ‘knarly’ ride and I sincerely hope for either a sequel or an update.

4/5

Super Mario Run

By Nintendo

The best thing about Super Mario Run is the fact that it’s a Mario game on Android! At first glance it appears that this isn’t some half-assed, watered down Mario game for the mobile market – this is an actual Mario game! The levels –graphically and design - are almost identical to the New Super Mario Bros series on the DS/3DS. The basic objectives of the game are the same as any standard Super Mario game of the last 30 years – collect coins, jump on Gumbas etc. Even the theme tune and noises are there! Super Mario baby!

I, like so many children of the 80’s, am lifelong Super Mario fan but I still have to ask myself the question– do I want to pay £10 for the full Super Mario Run game? Um… No. I do genuinely love the fact I’m playing Mario on my phone and I love the classic Nintendo graphics– however its only my love of Mario that has kept me playing for so long.

The main game is meant to be a platformer meets endless runner but for me I don’t think it works that well. I don’t know if I have played too much regular Mario over the years but it’s so frustrating not being able to go back on yourself when you have missed a block or a coin etc.

The extra stuff they have included ain't all that either. The competitive mode is alright I guess but it still relies on the same endless runner mechanic of the main game. And of course the only reason you play in the competitive mode is to earn coins to help rebuild the kingdom that King Bowser has destroyed… ‘Use your coins to build a castle’. ‘Build Blue Yoshi a blue house’. ‘Share with friends on your Nintendo Mii account' … I really don’t care about this nonsense!  But I guess no one over the age of 10 is meant to!

If this was any other game would I put up with, a) not particularly enjoying the actual main game and, b) not giving a tiny rats ass about the extra stuff they’ve included to lure you into playing the game? Probably not. After a while I will admit I was getting a better hang of the controls however I don’t think I’ll ever be that good- especially considering the fact that presumably the levels will get harder the further you get into it.

It breaks my heart to say it but I’m really not that impressed by Super Mario Run. It’s just not enjoyable enough for me to want to continue playing – especially paying to continue play. Maybe its my own fault  - in my head I guess I wanted either a standard platformer or a proper endless runner and instead I got a bastardised mix of the two doesn’t quite work.

I’m so sorry Mario.

2/5 

Pro Feel Golf

By Behaviour Interactive

Pro Feel Golf is one of the better golf games I’ve played. The graphics are pretty slick and the course designs are really good.
Additionally the level progression is pretty decent in that you ‘buy in’ to a new course once you’ve earn enough points on previous courses – done though both getting low scores and passing objectives (objective  being along the lines of ‘hitting 300 yards in one stroke’ etc.).
The special balls you can ‘buy’ are also worth highlighting – for example using the ‘dead ball’ your ball doesn’t bounce, whilst the ‘lucky’ ball allows you to smack a ball without hitting any obstacles – pretty handy if your trying to pull that par down to an eagle on a windy, woody fairway!

An aspect of the game I'm not too keen on is the controls. To ‘swing’ you pull back on the controls to bring up the trajectory graphics. You carefully position where you want to place the ball to land and then let go (which then starts the hit the ball graphics). This sounds pretty easy but in reality it’s actually really fiddly – one false twitch sends the trajectory line all over the place and it can be surprisingly difficult to realign. As such it’s not a game you can play flat on your back with one eye on the TV!

On the whole there’s more good than bad about Pro Feel Golf - despite the occasionally tricky controls I have definitely found myself enjoying the game. If I was going to compare it to anything it would be like a pretty girl with short hair and an eyebrow piercing – basically Pro Feel Golf has some obvious flaws but ultimately has it where it counts.

3/5
    

Horizon Chase – World Tour
By Aquiris Game Studio S.A

 

Wow! I have to say it! Just wow! I really must listen the Google Play Editor more often because this is just such a brilliant game!

The look of the game – and I guess the look the creators are going for – is one of a late 80s/early 90s arcade racer – think Out Run. Obviously the graphics have been updated for the modern age but they are still rendered in a way that it pays homage to the classic racers of yesteryear and truly are a pleasure to look at.

The tracks are well designed and the choice of cars is top notch. As with most racing games the better you do the more extras – such as better engines, breaks etc- you unlock. As you drive round the track you pick up additional fuel and occasionally nitro boosters for that extra pep for when you want to burn that mother whos been hogging first place!

I think for me what makes the game so entertaining to play is the excellent controls. In the past I have slagged racing games that don’t use tilt control but Horizon Chase simple but effective onscreen buttons are  awesome. They're super responsive whilst not being over the top – skidding round corners is super fun as there's no real risk of overspinning off the track leaving you to play catchup.

I love this game so much that the only complaint that I have is that I have been suckered into paying for it (only the first stage is free). You are awarded blue coins after completing each race which you save up to buy into the next stage – so I was hoping to build up enough in free mode . However once you’ve placed first in all three races of stage one you’re left well short of coinage needed for stage two, which is a shame.
Anyway im totally being a skinflint! Its only three quid and is totally worth every penny. With its cool graphics and amazing addictive gameplay, Horizon Chase is easily the best racing game available on Android.

5/5

Star Wars: Puzzle Droids
By Disney

For an officially licensed Disney/Lucas Arts game, Star Wars Puzzle Droids has come out to very little pomp and fanfare. At the time of writing there’s less than 100,000 downloads off Google Play compared to over 10 million for Galaxy of Heroes. I guess not all Star Wars games are created equal!

Everyone’s favourite spherical droid, B-B8, is having technical difficulties and you have to assist rewiring his circuitry. For every circuit that’s rewired you unlock part of the droids holographic memory banks and in turn you are treated to some cool cutaway scenes that link into The Force Awakens.

C3PO himself tutors you with the basics and along the way you pick up some cool special features such blasters and BB8’s fire tool, as well as the ability to tame the indigenous desert creatures to help clear some circuits for you.

My biggest complaint with this game is that once you complete a bunch of stages you are offered to unlock a new character – which sounds great. However in order to unlock said character you have to go back and redo the stages you’ve just spent hours/days completing in ‘expert’ mode! Where's the fun in that!!

There’s no getting away from the fact that Star Wars: Puzzle Droids is another match-3 game in an endless sea of match-3 games. I have on the whole been enjoying the game because im a big Star Wars fan and appreciate all the themed stuff and references. However for non-fans of the epic space saga looking for a match-3 fix,  I would probably recommend sticking to matching candy as this game would totally be wasted on you.

2/5

Bubble Witch Saga 3
By King

 

The gameplay of Bubble Witch Saga 3 is essentially the same as the previous games in the series which in turn of course are a rehash of classic puzzle game Puzzle Bobble. Stages vary from standard clear all the balls, to freeing caged owls or punching a hole to the top of the screen to release a ghost. In typical King game style, levels range from super fun and easy to frustratingly ‘I’ve been stuck on this level for like three days now’ hard!  

 

One of the ways BWS3 attempts to stand out from its predecessors is that you can convert points earned into ‘cash’ to create your own cutezy scary witches house. You can choose everything from its front door to whether the house has a tower and what kind of plants grow in its front garden. The idea being that every new addition you make to your house you share with your friends on Facebook.

Whilst I’ve been enjoying playing the actual game I’m not entirely sure I’m the right age and gender for it. Even though I’m in my thirties I would  still expect to receive an atomic wedgie from my friends if I posted my new pumpkin themed mail box on my Facebook page!

3/5

I Love Hue
by Zut!
                                        

Definitively not a game for people with colour blindness, I love Hue is a colour matching puzzler where you attempt to rearrange coloured squares back into order according to its shade. In it you test your depth/colour perception – you’ll be amazed how the colours just sort of click in your mind – I know I was!

I Love Hue is not a bad game, however I tend to judge a game on how fun it is and how much I want to progress onwards. Whilst I do get a level of satisfaction upon completing a stage, I do find myself inwardly groaning that I have to do it again.

Although it’s not a game I can get particularly excited about, I would totally recommend I love Hue for more the more methodical casual gamers out there. I do appreciate the fact that when you complete a stage in better than average attempts you get rewarded by being called ‘a beautiful ray of light’ – who doesn’t get a big mental hug with compliment like that!

2.5/5

Tomb of the Mask
by Happymagenta UAB

                                      

You’ll get the odd douchebag who will compare Tomb of the Mask to Pac-Man – however they are wrong to do so. Apart from the odd passing similarity such as the old school graphics and the fact it takes place in a maze, Tomb of the Mask is a completely different, standalone and ultimately very entertaining game.

The aim of the game is to transverse Mayan themed labyrinth stages avoiding various booby traps whilst collecting dots (but not like Pac-Man!), as well as coins, stars and power ups (but not fruit - proper power ups!) as you go. The key to success is definitely pin point precision turning, as the game mechanics are super quick – you dash from wall to wall lightning fast.

My biggest problem- and in all fairness my only problem - is the ‘5 lives wait 25’ policy. It’s not the policy itself (as pretty much every free-to-play game uses this method I’m soooo used to it now) it’s the amount of lives. Because the game is so quick you can blow through all 5 lives in a matter of minutes - which is very frustrating.  You can play in the stage-less, energy-less arcade mode but without the objectives pf the main game its not the same.

With its retro Commodore 64 style graphics, addictive, enjoyable (and un-Pac-Man like) gameplay, Tomb of the Mask is an awesome game. However because of the fact you only get to play for a couple of minutes every few hours I am forced to give it lower score that this brilliant game actually deserves.

3/5

 

Lara Croft: Relic Run
By Square Enix Ltd

The basic dynamic of this game is one of an infinite runner, however theres enough additional Tomb Raider/platformer action such as parkor, base jumping, quad biking into ravines and shoot outs with jungle dwelling lizard men to make Lara Croft: Relic Run stand out from its competitors.

Quick reaction time is essential for this game. Barriers and caverns seem to appear out of nowhere and are further exacerbated by the fact – in the jungle levels anyway – that when Lara pushes branches out the way they swing back towards you obscuring your view.

The controls are tight and graphically the game is stunning – easily one of the most visually impressive games out on Android (watch out for the amount of space it takes up in your memory and stay on top of the updates!).

I’ve reviewed a few infinite runner games for my blog and I have to say Lara Croft: Relic Run is the best. The reason? Its just that good- Square Enix have very successfully created a scaled down Tomb Raider game for the hand-held market and kept the freemium crap to a minimum.

Plus Lara is looking as hot as ever!

4.5/5