Batman & The Flash:  Hero Run
Gree,Inc

Batman Returns on the Sega Master System is an awesome movie tie-in game that… oh wait I’m not reviewing that I’m reviewing Batman & The Flash:  Hero Run on Android. I was mistaken because the graphics are PRETTY MUCH THE SAME! Seriously for a game released in 2014 the graphics are pretty piss-poor- plus is it me or is Batman running like he’s taken a huge shit in his pants but he’s in too much of a hurry to do anything about it?

The game is not saved by its gameplay either. Whether you shoot the bad guy or just run into them they go down - what's the frigging point? The streets and obstacles are pretty uninspired and when you throw in all the freemium crap in order to upgrade to a better version of Batman (whether the upgraded Batman runs like a man who’s just sharted at a dinner party I don’t know) you come to realise that Batman/Flash game is a just another unimaginative endless runner game.

The Flash levels are slightly better but who cares.

1/5

Smash Hit
by Mediocre

 

If you look up the expression ‘time waster’ in the dictionary you’ll find a photo of me sat on the toilet playing Smash Hit.

 

Gameplay is incredibly simple in that you auto-move around a futuristic world full of targets attempting to shot/smash said targets. The more targets you destroy the more ammo you get. The more ammo you have the longer the game lasts. Easy!

Its not the kind of game you have conversations with your mates about. Nor is it the type of game where you day dream about tactics whilst when you should be working. No it’s the type of game that’s perfect for when you have time to kill but you want to use as little brain power as possible.

 

It not an amazing game but its certainly not a bad game - I definitely cant see myself deleting it off my phone anytime soon.

3/5

God of Light
by Playmous

Every aspect of God of Light is quite simply AMAZING.

The gameplay is curiously entertaining. You control a beam of light shining out from a happy looking star. You then in turn reflect and deflect the beam around the world using strategically placed mirrors until you reach a solar power generator which, once fully charged, can illuminate the world (and thus you complete the stage). Some mirrors can be tilted, some can be moved in straight line, and some can be teleported to another part of the screen. The games challenge comes from precisely positioning the mirrors in such a way that the beam is bounced around each stage’s light blocking obstacles. Trust me it’s a lot of fun. 

Another major factor that contributes to my absolute love of this game is the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. Composed by one of my heroes of trip-hop/down tempo electronica- U.N.K.L.E- the ambient background music helps to create a fantastic out-of-worldly experience that perfectly encapsulates the eerie but wonderous nature of the game.

Also noteworthy is visually stunning and intrinsically detailed graphics. I notice on Play Store there is an option to buy the game in HD- I can only imagine how amazing that must look because the regular version is already so pleasantly lush.

The level progression is also something I’d like to highlight and ask any game companies who happen to be reading this blog to take note of. To get to level two you have to collect 50 fireflies. There are 26 stages in a level with 26 fireflies. The remainder can either be bought (for a reasonable 59p) or you can sit through a sponsor video for a firefly a time. I realise games companies have to make their money somehow and to me this way seems the fairest way for all parties. I watch a TV program; I sit through the commercials that paid for that program. Makes sense that this system would work for video games too. Listen up other game companies!!

God of Light is an incredible all-rounder of a game -visuals, gameplay and soundtrack. As with all good puzzle games the challenges start off easy but then turn into real head scratchers as you progress through the levels- though not to a point where you get bored or disheartened. God of Light is without a doubt my favourite game of the year so far and frankly if I didn’t have to go to work every day I wouldn’t put it down!

5/5

 

Papa Pear Saga
By King

I love this game! its so happy and colourful! It’s essentially a video game of the traditional Japanese arcade game pachinko –however in this version you drop balls (well pears – Papa Pear to be exact) down into a bouncy world of fruit themed pegs, watch them ricochet around a bit and hopefully takeout any obstacle and/or land in the place you need them to pass the level.  Simple, fun and addictive. Looks like the makers of Candy Crush have done it again.

 

Forty odd levels later…

I hate this game! its so stupid and annoying! It’s essentially a video game of the traditional Japanese arcade game pachinko –however in this version you drop balls (well a stupid faced pear named Papa Pear with a stupid mocking grin) down into a stupid world of stupid fruit themed pegs, watch them ricochet around a bit and THEN MISS ALL the obstacles and/or FAIL TO land in the place you need them to pass the level.  Irritating, not fun anymore and yet I still find myself playing it… Looks like the makers of Candy Crush have done it again. God dammit.

3.5/5

Let’s Golf! 3
By Gameloft

I used to be pretty dubious of golf games where you’re not playing a pro-golfer (based on a real person or fictional) but seriously, Let’s Golf! 3- what an awesome game!

To start off with there’s a whole variety of beautifully created courses to pick from. Ranging from grey and cloudy Ireland to super dry and windless Dubai, every hole on every course is digitally landscaped to absolute perfection. Whilst none of the courses are real (i.e. based on real places), my God, I wish they were. The Egyptian course especially, with all its obelisks, pyramids and even a byblos boat, is an absolute visual sensation.     

In terms of gameplay, again I have absolutely no complaints. The swing-meter is very precise. The maps are detailed and the ball-to-land estimate graphs are quite accurate. For when you’re putting it has one of those grids that displays all the greens gradients and contours. It even does the slow-mo super shot thing when you get a perfect stroke (like in the Tiger Woods PGA Tour games but without the deafening heart beat).      

If the game has a negative it’s that this game really, really tries to lure you into paying. When you play in free mode you only get five goes a time… and I ain’t talking about lives. Whether you get a hole in one or a double bogey you only have the ‘energy’ for five holes. After which you either have to wait a whooping hour to regain just one bar of energy (i.e. you have to wait five hours to get a ‘full’ round in) or you have to pay. I appreciate some games are worth paying for but you’re not given that option either. You either pay a monthly subscription fee or you pay for an energy package (top package costing £69.99!!- F&@K that!).

That said Let’s Golf! 3 is an awesomely, addictive fun game to play and frankly just simply lush to look at.  If it wasn’t for the greedy freemium business policy I would have given it 5/5.  

4.5/5

Reaper: Tale of a Pale Swordsman
By Hexage

 

Reaper is a very neat RPG slash platformer, centered in a mystical universe of magic and beasties, and set in a land where its residents are struggling to shake of the yoke of the evil ‘Imperials’. You wander round the land and have conversations with other characters and agreeing to undertake quests on their behalf– normally in the form of fighting enemy soldiers and/or monsters.

The visuals are lush. Every level is beautifully rendered and crafted with an artist’s attention to detail. The controls too are very well designed. It takes a little practice to fully get the hang of all the different swish down, swish up sword swipes, but once you’ve got the hang of them the gameplay becomes very fluid.

Reaper: Tale of a Pale Swordsman is a very enjoyable game, though I will admit that once I completed the free portion (you have to pay after a while) I’d gotten a bit bored of undertaking the same sword fighting quests again and again.

The game is fun, but only for about a fortnight.

3.5/5

Angry Birds Go!
by Rovio Entertainment

Is it me? Am I doing something wrong! Or am I the only who notices that I'm racing the same f&@king track over and over again? I've read a few reviews and no one else seems to be mentioning it. Yeah I'm doing different things in each race (against the clock, smashing fruit etc) but seriously its the same f&@king track every time! Ball to that!

When I heard that the Angry Birds were coming to a racing format I was well excited. The characters of Angry Birds, in terms of recognisability at least, are the mobile gaming generation’s answer to Super Mario, and as such deserve a Mario Kart-esque game of their own.

When the game was released, I, like so many people, downloaded the game and was initially blown away with the awesome graphics and the fluid controls. I played and I played and I played some more … and then I got bored.

The most common complaint it seems about the game is all the in-app purchasing nonsense – which I also agree with (trust me Rovio no on is going to pay 35 quid for a supped car to be used mobile racing game) – but for me the real, REAL, disappointment is the repetitiveness.  I appreciate that if you put the time in and go up a level there are extra tracks etc but the fact I have to come top two in the five different race types (FIVE TIMES PER RACE!!) just doesn’t seem worth it.

If Rovio provide an update for the game with some extra courses from the start, I’ll change my review, but for now I label this game dull.

1/5