July 11, 2008

BurgerTime Delight

My gaming life began in the late 80’s with the NES, and I have very fond memories of playing Burger Time. Thankfully, the mobile re-make of the game holds up to the classic title. For those unfamiliar with this 8-bit wonder of a game, you play as Chef Peter Pepper who, for some reason, is trapped in a world of ladders and platforms. The main goal is to assemble complete burgers. This is done by walking over the separate ingredients of the burger to get them to fall all the way down onto the waiting plate below.

Standing between you and your pursuit of culinary perfection are the food baddies: eggs, carrots, and pickles. Obviously jealous that they are not being included in the burger, they are the only “enemies” in the game. You must maneuver around them by cleverly traversing the ladders and platforms. But, if all else fails, you can hit them with a dash of salt to incapacitate them for a few seconds allowing you to walk right through the baddies. One key strategic element to the game: when you drop a piece of the burger down a level, if there is another piece waiting on the platform directly below, the lower will get bumped down as well. This can create chain reactions that can cut trips up and down ladders down.

The game looks great, and the graphics have been updated to be on par with modern mobile games. The mobile version even has an enhanced mode. The controls were kept basic, which is good for a game like BurgerTime. Initially, I found that on the phone that I played with, the directional keys were a little too close together, triggering ill-timed blasts of salt, but I got the hang of it. Anybody looking for a slice of classic gaming nostalgia on the go will love Burger Time.

Get cooking with BurgerTime!

April 4, 2008

Guitar Hero III: Mobile

Guitar Hero quickly moved from a niche game nobody ever heard of to an international phenomena. Guitar Hero III for mobile devices is the logical next step in the series, and offers a scaled down version of the game that you can take with you anywhere. Sadly, there is no tiny plastic guitar for your fingers…

The game plays exactly as you’d expect, if you’ve played the console version, giving you three difficulty levels to choose from. Being a seasoned Guitar Hero veteran, I started on expert. The game is certainly not as punishing as it’s big screen counterpart, but you will definitely find yourself challenged. Star power is activated by pressing the middle navigation button. This can be somewhat daunting, as you’ll need both of your fingers active to hit the notes and you may want to wait for a break in the song to use it.

The song list is comprised of a lot of my personal favorite songs from Guitar Hero III, including “Woman,” “You Really Got Me” and “Cherub Rock.” The visuals are impressive, sporting a 3D rendering of the finger board (if your phone can handle it), and a rocking avatar of your choosing.

Start rockin out with Guitar Hero III!

March 3, 2008

Shock Blocks

When I first download Shock Blocks, I kind of thought this was going to be another of the many combine-three-of-a-kind-try-to-clear-the-level games. And it is SO not at all.

Shock Blocks is WAY more challenging and original. Yeah, you are trying to combine colored blocks, but the game is more like a labyrinth type puzzle. Imagine you are holding a box in your hands, you can jiggle it, you can turn it one way or the other, and you can flip it. But in Shock Blocks, you get a specific number of turns to move the box in order to get the blocks to combine and disappear.

The first few levels are tutorials and you will definitely need them to get a sense of the controls. A few helpful hints: Pressing 0 at any point will restart the level for you, and pressing * will remind you of all the controls. If you’re anything like me, you’ll need the help!

Get rockin with Shock Blocks!

February 12, 2008

Call of Duty 4:Modern Warfare

Call of Duty 4 takes on the daunting task of being the mobile translation of one of the most universally praised games to be released in the last five years – never an easy task. That said, the mobile version of this smash-hit console game has been at the top of the charts since it’s release, so I had give it a try.

Like it’s big brother console version you are part of a small squad of soldiers that work as a team. The middle eastern urban environments are a refreshing turn away from the bleak and grim battlefields of World War II that the previous three games employed. The game mechanics are simple but effective. You can use either the navigation keys or the number pad to move and shoot, while the star button gives you access to grenades and C4 explosive.

My favorite element of the game play has to be the cover system. Similar to games like Gears of War, CoD4 utilizes a system of run and cover. Make sure you press your soldier up against a barricade to be shielded from fire, and then pop out while enemies are reloading to minimize the damage you take in fights.

Bring the action of Call of Duty 4:Modern Warfare to your phone!

December 3, 2007

Hexic

Go hexicrazy! The first time I played this game I totally got sucked into the world of hexagons and lost all track of time. Hexic is definitely an awesome way to spend all your excess time while you are waiting in line for an appointment, stuck on the subway or in the backseat in traffic. Who knew you could get so into a game like this that it would make even the most boring time fly by. Too bad everything can’t be this fun. (A tip, although it will be tempting to play Hexic in class to make the time pass a bit faster… it probably wouldn’t go over too well.)

The game is centered around shapes and colors in a similar way to the old favorite Tetris. In Hexic the object is to match up clusters of colored hexagons to other hexagon clusters. There are three types of the game you can play: marathon, survival, and time mode. Each one has a slightly different goal but they are all relatively easy to get the hang of making the game even more fun since it’s quick to pick up.

Play Hexic now: highly recommended for hours of uninterrupted brain teasing!