Android – Iphone – Applications

Dual-stick shooters are numerous on the App Store, so if you want to stand out, you have to get the basics right and then build your own ideas on top of it to make it perfect. Infinity Field features a standard setup – kill enemies of various colors and geometric shapes before they kill you. There are a variety of modes to do this in, standard ‘shoot everything that moves and survive as long as possible’ modes with several variations on enemy formations, a couple of modes where you can only kill enemies by detonating bombs, and a Snake mode puts you in control of a snake that has a laser between its head and tail, so you have to maneuver in a way to that will kill the enemies with that laser.

Infinity Field’s variety is its greatest strength. The 6 game modes give you plenty of different ways to play the game, each different in their own way. The game’s campaign mode is also a great way to practice the game’s mechanics, as it takes you through the game’s various modes and challenges you to hone your survival skills, and gives you a reason to return to the game besides achievements and high scores. But, if you do love to collect those things, Game Center and Crystal are implemented in the game, along with a list of the top 4 scores in each mode, to give you something to shoot towards. The engine is impressive, cranking out tons of bullets and enemies in an engine with some 3D playing field effects (that can be disabled in the game’s comprehensive options menu) without ever slowing down in anyway. In what is likely a first for dual-stick shooters on iOS, the game also supports 2-player play on a single device, as you and another player compete for a high score, with each player’s controls on each side of the device. The game will also support remote control of the game with an iPhone/iPod touch in a future update, as well.

Now, here’s the thing – Infinity Field borrows so liberally from games like Geometry Wars that it probably ought to cut them a check – the setup is practically identical. This isn’t the most original game in the world, but it feels like it borrows more liberally than other games in the genre. The dual stick controls are a bit less accurate than in other games – I felt like I was often accidentally running into enemies because of the controls. Also, iPhone and iPod touch owners are currently out of the loop with the game, as it is iPad-only for the moment.

Infinity Field may lack in the originality department, but it does not lack in the fun department. It outclasses even the iOS version of Geometry Wars in many ways, coming feature-packed and getting a lot right. This is one of the best dual-stick shooters for the iPad, and is definitely worth a look if you need a good action game on your iPad.

[ Infinity Field Review is a post from 148Apps ]

written by assurance \\ tags: dual-stick shooter, field, Game, Games, geometry, geometry wars, infinity-field, ipad, ipad games, Iphone, overall-rating

It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a solid dual stick shooter come along. Maybe the industry needed some time off from the dual stick shooter craze of 2009. It seemed like every other game in the App Store was some variation of iDracula, and that dual stick survivors would be what the iOS would be known for. Fortunately for society, time passed and the genre moved past plain survival and on to full games with levels that actually end.

Revolt stands firmly in the new age of dual stick shooting that uses real level structures, detailed maps, and actual stories. The feeling you get playing Revolt is that of which you would get playing an early “turn of the century” game on a PC. Like many in that era of gaming, the guns are all huge, the stories are all post-apocalyptic, and the developers got extremely lighting happy in the level design.

Past anything else in the game; past the guns, the story, the bad guys, you’ll notice the lighting effects. It’s pretty obvious that the vast majority of the time spent making Revolt was on the level design and lighting, and it turned out rather well. Levels are all carefully designed, and at times the lighting will really wow you. Beautiful spotlights will shine from the ground, and many rooms have that eerie but oh so satisfying glow coming from the nooks and crannies.

Once you get over the lighting and the slick graphics though, the rest of the game is pretty generic. The story is your basic Matrix type story, where you were shown the evil ways of the robots and are now trying to destroy them. As far as your character knows though, he is the last living human… so I don’t really know who he’s fighting for. I guess he just wants to cause some pain. With destruction in mind, you work your way through all the games levels blowing up the robots with your guns, grenades, and anything else you can get your grubby little fingers on. Like any other dual-stick shooter, you shoot what moves and hope that the things that don’t move will blow up.

As far as dual-stick shooters go, Revolt will provide more thrills and tough moments than many others in the genre, but most of the enjoyment will subside once you get past the lovely graphics. If you’re a fan of the genre you’ll have a ton of fun with Revolt, but there really aren’t any “wow” moments in the gameplay to warrant a universal buy.

[ Revolt Review is a post from 148Apps ]

written by hezong \\ tags: action, Application, dual-stick shooter, from-the-ground, gameplay, Games, level, lovely-graphics, price, review, shooter

In my time reviewing apps I haven’t seen many successful (or many at all) fixed path dual stick shooters. The control setup clearly works best when you are given a top down view of some sort, but after the fantastic Zombie Shock, I was pretty willing to give the sub-genre a shot.

Comando: Warmachine is a fixed path dual stick shooter set in WWII. You play as a super soldier of sorts on a mission to defeat the Nazis, seemingly by yourself. Each mission is pretty much like the one before it, with you walking around the screen killing as many Nazis as possible. The levels vary on the goals, (some have you killing X number of enemies, some have you collecting intel that dead people drop, etc.) but most are just a spin-off of killing people in droves.

As far as intangibles go, the graphics are fairly solid but the UI could really use some tweaking. The biggest problem with the setup is that for one thing, it is too hard to change guns on the fly, and for another, the balance is all messed up, making the levels a cinch once you get an automatic weapon. A single bullet kills each enemy, and enemies drop enough ammo to make spray fire a viable option in winning just about every level. Your accuracy percentage will always be low, but who cares? Winning is winning.

To make a game like this work, the challenge needs to not only be about skill, but also about weapon resource management. I shouldn’t be able to walk through a level recklessly shooting my machine gun and get away with it. I should have to cautiously aim my weapons to hit enemy weak spots, I should have to manage ammo and be forced to use splash damage weapons in hairy moments, and I shouldn’t be able to rely on health packs dropping to finish a level.

Fans of the genre, as well as people who just like shooting games, should have a bit of fun with Commando. It’s not a bad game, but it definitely doesn’t stack up to the current sub-genre king, Zombie Shock.

[ Commando: Warmachine Review is a post from 148Apps ]

written by simonivan \\ tags: Application, commando: warmachine, dual-stick shooter, Games, goals, iphone apps and games, nazis, overall-rating, pocket-monkey, price, weapons, well-as-people, work, zombie, zombie-shock