Games


Resident Evil 4 for iPhone Review

Back in early 2005 Capcom released the latest iteration of the Resident Evil series. The franchise had lost much of its luster as ports of the beloved original PlayStation games seemed to be just milking the franchise for cash. Fortunately,Capcom not only remembered what the series great, they also kept up with the trend of making large changes in each new release. Subsequently, Resident Evil 4 is the highest rated game and the best selling since the original title. It was successfully ported to the PS2 and Wii consoles, and also got an atrociously lazy port to the PC. Now…



Chess Elite for iPhone Review

Chess is one of those classic games I tend to always grab for whatever new device I get, so it was surprising to me that I hadn’t added anything since grabbing the original Chess game released soon after the App Store launched. That game served the basic needs of offering me a chess game on the go, but not much more. Since then there have been a load of new chess games added to the iTunes App Store, and the latest is Chess Elite. Let’s take a look at what the game has to offer and whether it is worth…


Marble Blast for iPhone Review

Marble Blast was one of those cool ideas that turns into a really great game. Initially created as more or less a demo to show that the Torque 3D engine could be used for more than the first-person shooters it had been associated with to date, but grew into a fully-formed physics-based puzzle action game. Many Mac users found it pre-installed on their Mac, and others were able to grab it from the software offers on iTools (remember that?!?). This classic game has become the latest to make the jump to the iPhone. Let’s take a look!


AblePlanet PSM500 Gaming Headset Review

As someone who is a gamer but also has a busy family and work schedule, I often find my video game time late at night when the house is quiet and most everyone else is asleep. This gives me two options – mute the sound or use headphones. Sometimes it is a hybrid of these, as I leave my headphones sitting my desk as low-volume speakers. For the past several years I have used fairly cheap headphones, starting with a pair from an older Sony portable CD player, moving on to a pair of cheap headphones I bought for my…


Palm Pre App Catalog. 30 Apps in 30 Days. Day 10: Sudoku!

I think it is no secret around here that I am a pretty big fan of Sudoku.  I have explored many Sudoku options for various mobile platforms, and even a number of alternate variations on the theme.  For those of you who are new here, Sudoku is a classic Japanese puzzle game, in which you are faced with a grid of 81 squares arranged in nine rows of nine blocks each.  Scattered across the grid are numbers from 1-9.  Your job is to fill in the remainder of the grid by placing each number, 1-9, into each row, column, and…


My Squares! Here & Now! for iPhone Review

Puzzle games are perfect for handhelds – I have already gushed enough about Peggle on the iPhone! My Squares! Here & Now! is – as the iTunes App Store listing says – a strategy board game with puzzles. The premise is simple – you want to change as many squares on the board to your color while preventing other players from doing the same.


Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars Director’s Cut (DS) Review

My wife thinks I am insane when I buy something more than once – she considers it extraneous. Generally she is right, and I seldom do it – but there are also times I go overboard. For example, there are several games I own for both Mac & PC so I can play whatever platform is available. Also, I recently bought ‘Puzzle Quest’ for the iPhone, which is now my 8th copy – I bought it for the PSP, two copies for the DS to play multiplayer with my kids, the PC, Mac, Wii, and normal cell phone version. All…


GearGames Review: Braid (Mac / PC / XBLA)

The hallmark of a great ‘casual’ game is that it takes elements from existing game types, wraps them around a new or innovative gameplay twist, and turns it all into something that feels fresh. It is how games like Plants vs. Zombies or Puzzle Quest take the existing gameplay from the Tower Defense and Match 3 genres respectively and turn them into engaging and addictive games that feel completely original. Today I look at another game that looks to join ranks with those by taking a fresh approach to another well-worn genre: platform games as re-imagined by developer Jonathon Blow…


Mass Effect Galaxy for iPhone Review

There is a fine somewhere between cynicism and being an actively suspicious consumer … and when I heard about the release of a game called Mass Effect Galaxy on the iTunes App Store that would somehow tie into the upcoming Mass Effect 2 for the PC & XBOX360, I had a hard time deciding which of the two feelings was foremost in my mind. Because I felt that this was on the surface little different than Burger King having all of those cheap X360 games a few years ago as a big promo. Sure, they were games … but it…


Gear Games Review: Tradewinds 2 for iPhone

Striking the right balance in porting a PC franchise to a handheld gaming system is always tricky, as some games do it well (Anno 1701 and Sim City for the DS) while others struggle with the limitations of the platform (Dungeon Siege for the PSP and The Settlers for the DS). So while reading the press release for Tradewinds 2 got me intrigued about how it might play out, that excitement was tempered by the long history of mixed results bringing PC games to handheld gaming systems – not to mention the memory of playing the terribly mediocre Mass Effect…


Wild West Pinball for iPhone Review

How many of you miss those days of pumping quarter after quarter into a pinball machine chasing the high score?  Granted, I did come from the era of crazy new style pinball games, but many of my quarters skipped the video games and found a home in the pinball machines.  Wild West Pinball just became free to celebrate a new pinball game from OOO Gameprom. Once the game is loaded a nice 3D video provides a tour of the scoring and special areas.  Before playing you might check this out so you know where to aim or shots.  The graphics…


Myst (iPhone / iPod Touch) Review

As noted in my original article when the game was released, Myst is a classic adventure game released for the Mac in 1993 that was the best-selling PC game for a very long time until the arrival of the Sims franchise. Aside from being the ‘killer app’ that was largely responsible for the CD-ROM drive gaining traction in the marketplace. Since the initial Mac release and follow-up PC release, the game was re-released on the PC as a fully 3D game, got a series of sequels and even a (failed) online game, and more recently been released for the DS…


Squibs Arcade for iPhone/iPod Touch Review

Remember those fun little “keychain” LCD games  that you probably played as a kid?  Maybe one was even your first taste of the “gaming” experience. Squibs Arcade, from Chillingo, for the iPhone and iPod Touch lets you relive the games you remember all over again. The application features seven games that each takes you back to a time when games were simple, addictive and most of all fun.


Wuggle for iPhone and iPod Touch Review

4J Studios wants to know, do you Wuggle? Wuggle is a new tactile word game from 4J Studios.  The goal of the game is to make words by piecing together floating tiles. When you’ve got a word you want you smash the tiles together to submit then for score. You earn points based on the word’s length and each individual tile’s value. The game features two different game modes, colorful screens and funky background tunes.


Hexistentialism Review

It is not every day that you come across a truly creative and unique game.  Especially one that can be found deep within the recesses of the iTunes App Store.  Let’s be honest, a lot of the games here, regardless of how good or bad they may be, are derivative or even direct ports and copies of previously developed games.  So. I was pretty excited when I got an email from the folks behind the new game Hexistentialism.


Real Racing for iPhone and iPod Touch Review

Firemint’s first offering, Flight Control, quickly became one of the hottest applications in the iTunes App Store.  Now the developer has released their second game for the iPhone and iPod Touch and it’s sure to rise to the top just as fast. Real Racing puts you behind the wheel, literally, of a race car and pits you against other drivers in a track style race that’s both realistic and downright fun.


Phaze for iPhone/iPod Touch Review

The developers at Astraware are at it again.  Their newest release for the iPhone or iPod Touch, Phaze, places you in the pilot’s seat of a futuristic speedster spacecraft and allows you to race against opponents along an intergalactic race track. Along the way you steer your ship for the boost pads to achieve warp speed, pick up weapons to blast your opponents and collect power boosts and defensive shields. Phaze game is a fun break from traditional racing games.


The Sims3 for iPhone/iPod Touch Review

As we reported last night, the iTunes App Store was set to release one of its most anticipated titles since its launch.  EA has just released the iPhone/iPod Touch version of the most popular PC game of all time, The Sims3. If you’re not familiar with the game, The Sims focuses entirely on the lives of virtual people called Sims, placing the player in control of their virtual “world” and their daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, reading, and bathingPriced at $9.99 the game is on the pricer end of titles in the App Store. I’ve had some time with the game…


DreamGear Rumble Blaster Review

One of the best technology purchases I made was the Nintendo Wii, which was a family present two Chanukahs ago.  It is a fantastic gaming platform, especially for younger children, and the motion sensitive controls are nothing short of amazing. The only problem I found, though, was that the Wii remote can get in the way of the illusion of some games.  I initially found this when I was playing Star Wars on the Wii.  The Wii remote just did not approximate a sword or light saber very well.  Fortunately, at that time, DreamGear contacted me with a Wii lightsaber,…