Gangstar Review

Before last week, there were only two Grand Theft Auto clones in the App Store. Car Jack Streets is 2D, and Payback is 2.5D. Still, neither provided the experience console gamers with the latest few Grand Theft Autos wanted. Then, Gameloft came along, and released a game that gives a revolutionary experience on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Maybe not revolutionary for consoles, but an amazing display showing just how much the iPhone can do. That game, is Gangstar.

Gangstar, $6.99, is an amazingly good and content-rich clone of GTA III. You control a Mexican gangstar, who was just released from prison, in a fully 3D virtual version of Los Angeles, trying to scale up the mob rankings by completing missions, racing, jacking cars, and just plain doing anything you want. There are a whopping 50 missions, most taking about five minutes, which is perfect for gaming on the go. If you hit or kill too many people, the cops come after you, and you have to pick up different badges to reduce your wanted level. However, the cops are easy to kill, even when you have a 5 badge wanted level.

When on foot, you use a virtual analog stick on the left to control your gangstar, and a range of buttons on the right. There is always an attack button, and buttons to get into a car and enter a shop appear when necessary. To target a person or car to attack, tap on them. Tap on your weapon in the upper right corner to cycle through your weapon inventory. There are a range of weapons in the game, including fists, handguns, Uzis, and RPGs (rocket launchers). Swipe around the screen to rotate your view, though the game does a pretty good job of rotating your view on its own. When you are in a car, there are three controlling options; a slider, a virtual wheel, and tilting the device. Different people have preferences, but I like the device tilt option the best. To move forward, press (and hold) a pedal button in the lower right corner. To back up, press the button in the bottom left. To pause the game, tap the mini-map in the upper left corner.

The graphics in the game are amazing for a handheld console like the iPhone, which wasn't even meant to be used for gaming in the first place. Everything is rendered in great 3D, even on my 1st Generation iPod Touch, and the only drawback is that it shows cars and people within a very small range, if you're driving down a road, a car can appear out of nowhere and hit you. Also, there are about 20 different cars to use, with different paint jobs, but sadly, no bikes, motorcycles, or planes.

The virtual version of Los Angeles is a perfect size in Gangstar. It's just big enough that you don't feel crowded and like the city is tiny, and just small enough that you can eventually guide yourself around the city, to different areas and shops, without very much help from the mini-map. It has a version of Beverly Hills, Chinatown, and even a port/storehouse area. The different neighborhoods are shown by different colors on the map.

There is one major glitch in the game, which is almost impossible to stumble upon, unless you are purposely executing it. (Which I do often.) Some might think of it as a bad mistake, but I think that it makes the game experience more fun. I've probably spent more time playing around with this glitch than doing real free-roaming. Some areas near or behind houses and other structures are blocked off by gates, or thin walls, or invisible barriers. This glitch allows almost instant access to these areas, and requires only a little work. Check the comments section for instructions on how to execute the glitch.

Pros:

Amazing Graphics

Fully 3D World

Lasts a Long Time

Cons:

Short Draw Distance

Long Load Time in the Beginning (No Other Load Times)

Bottom Line:

Get Gangstar!!! Support Gameloft, encourage them to keep making these console quality games. I recommend Gangstar with all of my heart, it is truly my absolute favorite game on my entire iDevice, and it will be for some time.

Scores:

Graphics: 4.75/5

Gameplay: 4.5/5

Controls: 5/5

Replay Value: 5/5

Overall: 9.75/10 (not an average)

Link: Gangstar, $6.99

Remember to check the comments to see how to use the glitch to access secret areas!!

Worms Review

A few weeks ago, Worms, the famous turn-based artillery game, was released for the App Store. And I'll admit, it was a complete flop. The entire game was laggy, the controls were horrible, and there wasn't online multiplayer. While the 1.1 update didn't add multiplayer, what it did add was a setting for less powerful devices, and now the game is actually possible to play, and incredibly fun.

Worms, $4.99, by Team 17 Software Ltd, is a game where you control a team of worms through randomly generated maps, in any of 6 different types of environments, and must kill enemy worms, using many different weapons and either knocking them into the water, or depleting their health to below zero. There is a multiplayer mode, where you can play against your friends by passing the device, and a single player mode, which has challenges and quick play. There are 50 challenges, and there are item unlockables, which allow you to change the language your team of worms speak in, what their tombstone looks like when they die, and other tweaks. 

To control a worm, you can tap and hold on either side of the screen to move in that direction. You can tap on the worm to jump, and double tap to backflip. 

Once you are where you want to be, you tap the button in the bottom left corner, then choose a weapon. You then drag a crosshair in a circle around you, and press and hold fire, for the amount of power you want. You cannot switch between the worms, it switches every turn.

The graphics do not look amazing, but they look good. There is a high graphic quality setting, and a low quality setting, but the difference isn't noticeable. You can zoom in and out relatively close and far, respectively, but if you zoom in all the way, the land gets slightly grainy.

I don't know what it is about shooting tiny, helpless wiggly creatures from underground, but it's extremely entertaining! Whether you're playing for a few minutes, or an hour, it doesn't get boring. Also, with the random map generator, the game has almost infinite replayability.

Even though the game is so fun, a few things could be done to make the game completely perfect. First, add online multiplayer. Multiplayer and Worms is like bread and butter. They mix. The console versions of Worms would be nothing without online multiplayer, why shouldn't the iPhone users be in on the fun? Second, make jumping a bit more accurate. Sometimes jumping doesn't work how you would want, you do a double tap to backflip, but instead, it jumps you forward, hurtling off a cliff. You're a worm, not a lemming! Maybe just add buttons for forward jump and backwards jump.

Pros:

Randomized Levels

Extremely Fun

50 Challenges

Cons:

Controls Are a Bit Iffy

No Online Multiplayer

Bottom Line:

Even if you think you wouldn't be entertained by worms shooting weapons at eachother, you probably still will. And if you think you would like it, what are you waiting for?! Go and buy Worms, and watch as you get mesmerized and can't get yourself off a screen.

Scores:

Graphics: 4.5/5

Gameplay: 4.5/5

Controls: 3.5/5

Replay Value: 4.75/5

Overall: 9/10 (not an average)

Link: Worms, $4.99

Moonlights Review

The tower building physics puzzle genre was one filled by only one game of any significance for a while, Tiki Towers. I bought it,  and I beat it somewhat quickly, within days. Ever since then, there has been a gap in my gaming library. Once I bought Moonlights for this review, I have been entertained for weeks, and still have not beaten the game.

In Moonlights, by bonuslevel.org,  you build towers out of small circles, and try to make any part of the tower reach and remain in the moon for three seconds. There are various objects that affect the structure, for example, pink circles destroy the tower, and ice circles freeze the entire structure. There are 42 levels, and a level editor is soon being added in an update.

Once you open the app, you can choose to select a level. You scroll down a list of the 42 levels, and tap one to start it. To start building your structure, simply tap near two of your other circles, and a new one pops up, attached to them. Keep building, and scroll around or zoom with two fingers. To delete some of the circles, make a box around those pieces by dragging with your finger. You can influence how a tower is balanced by tilting your device back and forth. There is an arrow in the lower left corner of the screen showing how much the gravity is affected. To pause the game, shake the device, and you can restart the level or quit to the main menu.

This game is better in some ways then World of Goo, a game in the same genre on WiiWare, and vice versa. In World of Goo, there are different types of Goo-balls, which in Moonlights, are just plain circles. However, Moonlights has more special additions, like accelerometer control, and the different colored circles that affect your structure. However, if you look at the games, overall, they are about as good as each other. Sure, Moonlights has simplistic graphics, but that is just a decision that the developer made which works well with the game. It comes down to the price. Are you going to get a $15.00 WiiWare game, which you can only play at home, or a $0.99 game that is just as good that you can take everywhere? The latter of the two is the most logical choice. That is why I highly recommend Moonlights, more than any other tower building game I have ever played, on the Wii, iPhone/iPod Touch, or any other platform which this applies to.

Pros:

42 Levels and a Level Editor Coming Soon

Intuitive Controls

Perfect Difficulty

Cons:

A Bit Hard to Delete Circles Accurately

Bottom Line: 

If you liked World of Goo or Tiki Towers, get Moonlights. If you're interested in an engaging game that's cheap, you should also put this on your buy list.

Scores:

Graphics: 4/5

Gameplay: 5/5

Controls: 4.5/5

Replay Value: 4.5/5

Overall: 9.5/10 (not an average)

Link: Moonlights, $.99

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Follow the directions on the Moonlights Promo Code Giveaway linked below:

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