Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing

 

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Almost every publisher has lost its way with its biggest franchise at some point during its life.

The best games in the biggest franchise of them all - Star Wars - have come not from within the LucasArts stable, but from third parties.

By the same token, Sega's ability to make a hash of Sonic games over the years is well-documented. No surprise, then, that it should take Sumo Digital to master the one element that's proved to be the bane of Sonic's life: his speed.

Racing ahead

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The one advantage Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing has over Sega's own calamities, however, is that this is not a platformer. As a consequence, Sumo Digtial's inspiration is inescapable, and runs coherently behind almost every element of Sonic's stab at racing: Mario Kart.

The game is unashamed of the association. Instead of trying to banish each and every reference to Mario Kart – or, even worse, copying it pixel for pixel – the developer has taken the elements that work and adjusted them to fit around the Sonic mould.

First up, let's look at the similarities. For starters, the very structure of play – competing in three cups made up of four tracks each – is a familiar one. On track are five rivals, and your task is to bump and slide your way to the front of the pack.

Aiding you in your mission is Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing's supremely balanced controls.

Acceleration is handled for you, but you steer by gently turning your iPhone like a steering wheel. In this regard, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is without equal: Sumo Digital has nailed the often delicate nature of accelerometer controls, and the rest of play flourishes as a result.

Destination Sega
Skill rather than luck determines your fate, and the courses – which reach out across the high points of Sega's library, from House of the Dead to Samba Di Amigo – do their best to stretch your talents.

It's this very range of settings that helps set Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing apart from the competition. Though arguably not as tight a package as Mario Kart as a result, Sumo has ensured the game has a nice sweep of circuits.

Short and sharp tracks, for instance, are hectic affairs that can be won or lost on the last corner, with pickups often deciding the outcome.

As you might expect, the game's question marked boxes contain a variety of treats, including those that boost your own speed as well as those that hamper the pace of your rivals, rockets being the most prominent example.

Long courses, in contrast, require a far smoother approach, calling for a knowledge of the racing line and an ability to drift.

It's this need to drift – and pick up the speed boost that results – that defines much of Sonic & Sega All Star Racing's play. It's a simple enough trick to pick up, assigned to a yellow button in the bottom right of the screen, and it works best in the deeper tracks, where it's possible to build both a healthy lead and gain much satisfaction when you pull it off perfectly.

Star billing
The biggest draw for many players, however, will not be the sublime range of courses, or even Sumo Digital's deft grip on the game's controls, but rather the cast of characters both the Sonic and Sega licenses bring to the starting line.

The inclusion of Shenmue's Ryo Hazuki and Crazy Taxi's B.D. Joe in a title otherwise dominated by Sonic and co. is as offbeat as it is shrewd.

Courses and characters combined, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is no shrinking violet, and the ability to take on both the game's brilliantly balanced AI controlled rivals as well as those in the real world (both local and wi-fi enabled multiplayer on offer) means there's reason enough to immerse yourself in it fully.

A nice addition is the game's mission mode, which hands out supplementary tasks like collecting coins or passing through gates on an open plan course.

Turn back the clock a generation and Sonic's latest wouldn't have looked out of place on PS2 or Xbox in terms of content, style, and gameplay. In fact, on almost every level imaginable Sumo Digital has surpassed all competition on iPhone, and placed Sega's much maligned mascot firmly back on the right track as a result.

tower defence: lost earth

There is no way to beat around the bush, so let's just get this out of the way from the start: Com2uS trademarking "tower defense," for Tower Defense: Lost Earth [$2.99 / HD] is a little bonkers, like if Call of Duty was granted a trademark and changed its name to First Person Shooter. Not only does it peeve off a bunch of developers caught in the legal crossfire, it also gives players incredibly lofty expectations for the final product when it's branded as the "officially trademarked" game of tower defense.
Thankfully, it delivers, albeit through a kitchen sink approach more than an innovative one. This is in fact a tower defense game and you'll get every single tower defense trope you've ever run into. The core campaign takes the preset route approach, where you'll set up your units on a grid and the enemies will take a predestined path. There are, however, seven different challenge stages that offer more variety, including several that utilize freeform defense where you create the enemy paths by obstructing the enemy's movements, like in Fieldrunners [$2.99 / HD].


You'll have nine different units to choose from, each of which act as you'd expect in a tower defense game and counter the ten different enemy types in different ways. Enemy diversity is limited to slow, fast, and slow then exploding-into-fast-creatures. Killing enemies and shooting at certain environmental structures yield crystals that can be turned into more units. Some of the stages have actual resource-gathering units associated with them, but don't expect it to be a major part of the experience. The limited units and enemy types means each stage has a relatively restricted number of ways to complete it, which is altered slightly based on the difficulty setting you choose.
There are three difficulty settings, each changing the number of enemies, your starting resources or the score awarded. There are also four different game modes, the standard defense mode, a survival mode, a resource gathering mode and an attack mode. The first three are pretty self-explanatory, but the attack mode changes the dynamic of the game in an unusual way. You'll have to defend by setting up towers as you usually would, but you'll also have to expand through the level to get your units close enough to a boss to attack it. At times it's more annoying than it is innovative, as the core game doesn't change and it ends up just adding a layer of grinding.
But for the most part, the game is well balanced and well paced and you probably won't find yourself getting stuck too often. There were a few levels that stumped me where I was wishing there was a help or skip function, but for the most part, if you follow the "rock, paper, scissors" approach to defending against enemies, you'll get through the campaign on the easiest setting with little trouble. As far as strategy is concerned, there are two different ways you can approach a match, either by upgrading your units (you get two upgrades to each unit) or by scattering a ton of units across the map. Upgrading seems to work better in the long term, but your mileage may vary. If you find yourself in a pinch, each level offers you one additional attack with a one-time use. These include gas that slowly drains enemy life, a ship that drops bombs and others.
Perhaps because Com2uS is already in deep water with a lot of players because of the trademarking, it should come as no surprise the game is well executed. Visually, it has the same look as a lot their RPGs, with well-animated sprites, diversity in the environments and a reasonably long campaign. The menus and interface are well laid out and work well on both the iPhone and iPad. Although the game is refined, it's still generic sci-fi nonsense, clearly inspired by the menus of nearly every single PC science fiction game in existence. The sound doesn't live up to the visuals, with comparatively underwhelming enemy and weapon sound effects.


The campaign does feature a story mode, but it reads like pretty much every RTS storyline ever written. You need to expand to save the human race and to do so, you've decided to exploit the resources of an alien planet. The inhabitants aren't too keen on this idea and start attacking your settlements by running at your guns in waves. It's commendable Tower Defense: Lost Earth tries to add a narrative layer, but the fact you're the invading party, not the defending one makes the story come across as more ridiculous than it already is.
There is leaderboard integration with Game Center as well, but the options are relatively limited. With as much development effort that was clearly dumped into the game, you'd expect to see a bit more stat tracking, trophies or more complex leaderboards. That's only going to matter to some people, but for statistics nerds, the streamlined leaderboards might be a bit of a disappointment.
There is no way around the fact that naming your game after a genre is really not that wise of a decision, but Tower Defense: Lost Earth does a good job of providing exactly what you'd expect from it. Still, it's hard to shake the feeling the game is missing something — it's a well-executed genre game, but it lacks character. It's not going to fundamentally change what we expect from the genre, it's not going to shift mountains or alter the collective consciousness, but it will give tower defense nuts a deep and nicely packaged experience– And really, what more can you ask for?

flight control

Last week, gaming developer Firemint released their newest iPhone game into the App Store called Flight Control [App Store]. Yes, the same Firemint that has been hard at work on the impressive Real Racing iPhone game due later this year. For their first self-published release, however, they focused on a simpler time management game which involves routing incoming airplanes to their proper landing strips.

While the game seems incredibly simple on the surface, the company has managed to hit upon the winning balance of easy pick-up gameplay, ramping difficulty and tickling the need to try "just one more time".
Flight Control presents you with a single map with two runways and one helipad. Airplanes and helicopters fly onto the screen and your job is to simply direct each plane to their respective landing pads (designated by color) while avoiding mid-air collisions.
Airspeeds vary by aircraft type. The large red airplanes travel the fastest which can cause some timing issues when coordinating landings with the small red airplanes.
The intuitive controls of the game, however, are what tie everything together into an addictive package. By simply swiping a path from the plane, you can quickly redirect a plane. You may choose a longer or shorter path depending on the desired timing, and planes can be redirected at a moments notice.
The developer provided gameplay video shows how it works:

[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]

While we're big fans of the game, we should be clear that this is a rather simple package with a single map, 4 types of aircraft and a single goal. Still, as always, gameplay is king and we feel it's easily worth its $0.99 introductory price.
Those looking for a more in-depth Air Traffic Control experience could consider the other two options in the App Store: iATC [$1.99] and ATC 4.0 [$2.99] — as they try to offer more depth but with arguably less of a "fun" experience

flick kick football

As Henry Ford understood, breaking down any job to its component parts makes performing that task as quick and efficient as possible.

Great for business, but it wasn't so good for the personal happiness of his workers. How the focus of employment has changed over the past ninety years.

Thankfully, when it comes to iPhone games the focus is to maximise the juice and minimise the pips - something Mew Zealand developer PikPok has been regularly doing with its Flick Kick series, which to-date has covered rugby and Australian football.

So with the World Cup in full flow, it's time for non-American football to take to the Flick stage; hence the release of Flick Kick Football.

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Kick-off

The gameplay is simplicity itself: a ball is placed at various distances and angles from the goal, with various configurations of static defenders and a static or dynamic goalkeeper blocking the shot.

You flick the ball to kick. The longer the flick up the screen, the higher the ball travels, providing you with the opportunity to lop defenders. Alternately, flick a curve to bend it like Beckham.

Sounds too basic, perhaps, but the mechanic of gaining bonuses when you hit for the corners of the goal ensures there's a risk and reward balance within your control.

In terms of the main one-miss-and-it's-over Arcade mode, these bonuses enables you to build up up to three additional lives. In terms of the two-minute countdown Time Attack mode, each gives you a three-second bonus for each goal corner gained.

There's also the burning ball bonus. Generated by gaining three goals in a row in Time Attack and a set points during Arcade, this enables your ball to travel through any defender. If you don't use it, it rolls over to your next attempt.

Combined with a Practice mode that lets you play without ceasing for as long as you want, FlickKick Football is a well defined, if limited experience.

Flicking good

The real reason it works well is the flick control.

It's very simple to pick up, but the curved shots, which are the skill focus, take time to get use to. It's unclear if this level of sensitivity was planned or not, but it makes the game more interesting in the Arcade mode, as does the seeming over propensity of your shots to hit the post.

Probably such perceptions are more in the eye of the beholden kicker than from the developer, and really that's what Flick Kick Football is all about.

It's a cheap, vaguely World Cup tie-in that you'll find yourself playing in bursts usually measured in minutes, but sometimes unexpectedly in hours. Flicking throwaway fun in other words.



As Henry Ford understood, breaking down any job to its component parts makes performing that task as quick and efficient as possible.

Great for business, but it wasn't so good for the personal happiness of his workers. How the focus of employment has changed over the past ninety years.

Thankfully, when it comes to iPhone games the focus is to maximise the juice and minimise the pips - something Mew Zealand developer PikPok has been regularly doing with its Flick Kick series, which to-date has covered rugby and Australian football.

So with the World Cup in full flow, it's time for non-American football to take to the Flick stage; hence the release of Flick Kick Football.

Kick-off

The gameplay is simplicity itself: a ball is placed at various distances and angles from the goal, with various configurations of static defenders and a static or dynamic goalkeeper blocking the shot.

You flick the ball to kick. The longer the flick up the screen, the higher the ball travels, providing you with the opportunity to lop defenders. Alternately, flick a curve to bend it like Beckham.

Sounds too basic, perhaps, but the mechanic of gaining bonuses when you hit for the corners of the goal ensures there's a risk and reward balance within your control.

In terms of the main one-miss-and-it's-over Arcade mode, these bonuses enables you to build up up to three additional lives. In terms of the two-minute countdown Time Attack mode, each gives you a three-second bonus for each goal corner gained.

There's also the burning ball bonus. Generated by gaining three goals in a row in Time Attack and a set points during Arcade, this enables your ball to travel through any defender. If you don't use it, it rolls over to your next attempt.

Combined with a Practice mode that lets you play without ceasing for as long as you want, FlickKick Football is a well defined, if limited experience.

Flicking good

The real reason it works well is the flick control.

It's very simple to pick up, but the curved shots, which are the skill focus, take time to get use to. It's unclear if this level of sensitivity was planned or not, but it makes the game more interesting in the Arcade mode, as does the seeming over propensity of your shots to hit the post.

Probably such perceptions are more in the eye of the beholden kicker than from the developer, and really that's what Flick Kick Football is all about.

It's a cheap, vaguely World Cup tie-in that you'll find yourself playing in bursts usually measured in minutes, but sometimes unexpectedly in hours. Flicking throwaway fun in other words.

doodle jump

You know that feeling the first time you played theYetigame where you whack the penguin with a bat and send it flying across the screen? When I first played theYetionline game years ago, I kept trying to beat my high score (sending the poor penguin further and further) and before I knew it, an hour had gone by. That's what happened to me the first time I played Doodle Jump by Lima Sky. This simple, yet ridiculously addictive little game will suck you in . . . you'll find yourself playing over and over until you have to tear yourself away or risk spending your entire day on a quest to become the Doodle Jump master.
Then, of course, you'll be proud of your accomplishments, so you'll want to post your score on your Facebook page "wall" for all of your friends to see. At least, that's what I did. Facebook is quickly becoming a place where I share my gaming accomplishments (I am so proud of my Farmville farm!) as well as keep in touch with friends and family. It's getting to the point where I find out new information from my friends through Facebook now instead of in person or through email, so it is only natural that I would want to share my high score on Doodle Jump with the world (even though it appears it was not really a very high score).
Aside from the addictive gameplay, simple, yet adorable little doodle graphics, and tie-in with Facebook, Doodle Jump really doesn't have much depth as a game. The objective is similar to that of Papijump, a game that I played a lot when I first got my iPhone a year ago. Your goal is to try and get your "doodle man" as high as you can, while avoiding obstacles and enemies and staying off tiles that fall away (and send you crashing to your demise). Along the way, you encounter some inventive helpers like springs and propeller hats that make it really fun. If only that propeller hat could take my doodle further! Similarly to Papijump, the higher you get, the more points you score.
Even though the games share a common game mechanic, I would say that Doodle Jump is more interesting than Papijump because there is more variety. For example, you've got broken, moving, disappearing, and exploding platforms that keep you on your toes as you strive to get your doodle higher and higher. You've also got some cool monsters, abducting UFO's, and black holes to impede your progress. And you've got jet packs, propeller hats, and spinning bones to help you fly. Lots to keep you interested for a while.
I will admit though, that since the objective never changes (get as high as you can), the game can get repetitive and tiresome after awhile. But I could say that about a lot of games. They are good for short sessions of play - like in-between meetings or sitting at the doctor's office or waiting in line or trying to look like you're checking your email in the middle of a boring meeting. You know what I mean. Some games are great for short sessions of mindless play, but if you try to play for too long, you can get weary.
Despite the potential weariness that can set in after repeated plays, the sounds and graphics are fun and light and even motivating. I found myself looking forward to hearing the whirring sound of the propeller hat because I knew that was something that could help me get higher. The iPhone speakers are so terrific you can clearly hear the sound effects and you learn to fear certain sounds and rejoice at others. That's good sound design in my book.
User generated content seems to be the rage these days. And Doodle Jump does not disappoint on this front. When you put in "doodle" as your name it will take you to another screen that lets you make your own character. I liked this feature a lot. Who doesn't like doodling? And doodling on your iPhone? Very cool indeed. For what it is, and at the rock bottom price of $0.99, I would definitely recommend Doodle Jump as an enjoyable way to pass the time if you're stuck in a meeting or someplace you'd rather not be. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just whip your own propeller hat out of your purse, flip a switch and fly away?! A round of Doodle Jump is about as close as you can get to that!

Angry birds

Destructive physics help make this a very charming puzzle game, and the great level variety seals the deal.

The Good

• Extremely fun physics  
• Easy to pick up and play  
• 200-plus levels.

The Bad

• Limited strategy  
• Winning often requires luck.

Most casual news watchers are familiar with explosives that have names like "bunker busters" and "daisy cutters." However, in Rovio Mobile's popular game, Angry Birds, multicolored chickens can take on the properties of these same bombs when pushed to the limits by egg-stealing green pigs.

In Angry Birds, you have to use birds as missiles.

Explosive chickens, adorable as they are, would be pointless without big buildings to topple, and Angry Birds provides more than 200 of them, with more added all the time. You can thoroughly demolish anything from stone castles to glass houses as you punish those evil, egg-stealing pigs.
To play, you simply load up a chicken in your slingshot, pull back while setting your angle, and let go to start the destruction. Angry Birds' gameplay is incredibly easy to understand, and the visual payoff for blowing stuff up is consistently impressive. Blue chickens split up in midair for a spread effect; heavy bomb chickens explode and send structures flying; and egg-laying hens let you deliver a yolky payload directly below.
You always receive the chickens in a particular order, which diminishes some of the strategy. Even though some chickens can be used to set up chain reactions, like using a burrowing hen to soften up a building's stone exterior and then following up with a ticking explosive chicken to blast out the walls--you don't get to do this if you don't get the chickens in this order.

Angry Birds has more than 200 levels, with more added all the time.

Although you might fling your chickens in the same spot each time, the game's sensitive physics system usually gives different results. It's generally impossible to re-create specific trajectories and reactions, so there's some luck involved where obtaining a high score (and a full three-star rating) is concerned. There aren't really any tangible benefits to completing every mission with a three-star score, besides boasting about your score on the online leaderboards, anyway. Angry Birds has some minor issues, but most of the time, you won't notice because you'll be too busy trying to squish pigs and make full use of your chicken arsenal. The game's weapons, physics, and varied levels are really quite excellent, and they make this military-farm-complex a whole lot of fun.