Tuesday, January 17, 2012
I've joined the SOPA Blackout
I have just added my website to the SOPA Blackout. Stop SOPA at http://sopablackout.org/!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Flower Warfare - iOS Review
The hit YouTube video gets a video game adaptation. Does the psychedelic awesomeness carry over?
Gameplay: Flower Warfare is an "Endless Runner" type game. You’re constantly running to the right trying to go as far as possible, while having to avoid hazards such as enemies and bottomless pits. The gameplay is simple, but addictive, much like many good iOS games. It’s nothing amazing, and nothing that hasn’t been done before, but that doesn’t stop it from being a fun time waster. Going back to try and increase your score or distance is fun, and the Game Center leaderboards and achievements make it even more worthwhile.
Controls: Tap the left side of the screen to shoot, tap the right side to jump. Tapping the top of the screen, where the HUD is located, will pause the game. This system works fine, but I would prefer to have the jump and shoot controls switched. The game should have an option to switch them.
Graphics: From a purely technical perspective, the graphics in this game look decent, but are unimpressive. The models are low poly, the textures get blocky at times, the environments are small, and many of the objects are 2D billboards rather than true 3D models. It does run at a fairly fluid framerate on a 4th generation iPod touch, but has some stuttering and aliasing issues on a 3rd generation model. However, from a stylistic perspective, the graphics are excellent. The game goes with an ultra stylized, cartoony take, spoofing hippies frequently, much like the video. It switches environments every so often, and each looks completely different. Overall, good graphics.
Sounds: Both the in game and menu music are decent, but forgettable. However, the game will disable them if you play your own music instead, which is what I recommend. The sound effects are nothing special, but are good nonetheless. They fit with the game’s cartoony visual style quite well. The game also features voice clips from the video, and they fit in well with the action as well.
Conclusion: Turing an over the top, action-comedy YouTube video into an iPhone game can’t possibly be easy, so the developer opted to keep only the characters and basic scenario from the video. The gameplay and settings barely resemble anything seen in the video. This seems to be the best option, and the result is a game that wouldn’t stand out from the crowd without the YouTube video’s name on it, but it’s a fun and addictive time waster nevertheless. Overall, a pretty good game, but nothing special.
Final Rating: 7.5/10
Gameplay: Flower Warfare is an "Endless Runner" type game. You’re constantly running to the right trying to go as far as possible, while having to avoid hazards such as enemies and bottomless pits. The gameplay is simple, but addictive, much like many good iOS games. It’s nothing amazing, and nothing that hasn’t been done before, but that doesn’t stop it from being a fun time waster. Going back to try and increase your score or distance is fun, and the Game Center leaderboards and achievements make it even more worthwhile.
Controls: Tap the left side of the screen to shoot, tap the right side to jump. Tapping the top of the screen, where the HUD is located, will pause the game. This system works fine, but I would prefer to have the jump and shoot controls switched. The game should have an option to switch them.
Graphics: From a purely technical perspective, the graphics in this game look decent, but are unimpressive. The models are low poly, the textures get blocky at times, the environments are small, and many of the objects are 2D billboards rather than true 3D models. It does run at a fairly fluid framerate on a 4th generation iPod touch, but has some stuttering and aliasing issues on a 3rd generation model. However, from a stylistic perspective, the graphics are excellent. The game goes with an ultra stylized, cartoony take, spoofing hippies frequently, much like the video. It switches environments every so often, and each looks completely different. Overall, good graphics.
Sounds: Both the in game and menu music are decent, but forgettable. However, the game will disable them if you play your own music instead, which is what I recommend. The sound effects are nothing special, but are good nonetheless. They fit with the game’s cartoony visual style quite well. The game also features voice clips from the video, and they fit in well with the action as well.
Conclusion: Turing an over the top, action-comedy YouTube video into an iPhone game can’t possibly be easy, so the developer opted to keep only the characters and basic scenario from the video. The gameplay and settings barely resemble anything seen in the video. This seems to be the best option, and the result is a game that wouldn’t stand out from the crowd without the YouTube video’s name on it, but it’s a fun and addictive time waster nevertheless. Overall, a pretty good game, but nothing special.
Final Rating: 7.5/10
Info
Publisher: Thruster
Developer: Thruster
Release Date: December 21, 2011
Platform: iOS
Price (as of 1/3/2012): $0.99
Publisher: Thruster
Developer: Thruster
Release Date: December 21, 2011
Platform: iOS
Price (as of 1/3/2012): $0.99
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