Mobile Game Review: Gunman Clive isn't Just Another Side-scroller

Introduction: 

I'm snacking on prunes as I write this review. That's how old I am. Oh, I also remember playing Super Mario Brothers on the SNES. Yah, my mom (God bless her) wouldn't let me play video games so I had to sneak to a friend's house to play. When she eventually found out she gave up and said my brother and I could play but we had to play with the sound off because the music was bad for us. Boy was I a little rebel at 9. The music was great. Alas, that didn't last. My brother had to tattle. You may be wondering why you're reading the nostalgia of an old fart (okay, I'm nto THAT old, but still). Well, when I played Gunman Clive it felt like I was back in my childhood AND in the 21st century. This game is just that awesome.

At no point did I think to myself, "This game is lame." In fact, putting it down was just a little hard. It is a mix of all the things that makes a mobile game like this perfect. It was interesting. The environments are diverse. The villains and bosses were imaginative. It kept me guessing. By no means is this an easy game either. Sure you can put it on an easier setting, but that would ruin the fun!

The best part is you get hours of fun for just $1.99. Oh, and it is very much worth it. You also have a choice of which Android app store you to buy it from. If you just want to go classic, the Google Play store is a good option. If you have the Amazon Appstore you can go that route. Either way, the price is the same. The iOS version of the game is available through iTunes for the same price of $1.99.

Controls

The touch screen interface is well done. I wouldn't say I love it, but it works. It is responsive and does what it was intended to do. The best part for me though was the fact that the game interfaces with other input options. Since I was playing the game on the Transformer Prime with the Keyboard dock it auto recognized it and allowed for game play via that method. Add to that the option to use my PS3 remote either over Bluetooth or via the Transformer's USB port and I had too many options on how I wanted to play the game. I stuck with the touch screen but I did try out the other options mentioned and the game is very responsive in all cases. 

The Story

It's classic rugged cowboy saves damsel in distress story. But there is a twist.

                                 ******************SPOILER ALERT******************

There are aliens. This actually explains the bosses and a few other things as the story progresses. It is also one of the reasons the environments are so much fun and diverse. 

                                ***************************************************

Assuming you have rushed past the spoiler alert, I just gave a reason for why the environments are so diverse. If you didn't rush past you are either cursing my name or you are wondering what the big deal is. Lol. Either way, your welcome. Once you get to the end you get rewarded with a kiss. Just remember my young friends. It isn't real! (I know, I'm playing this old fart thing to the hilt!)

Graphics

As you can see from the screen shots, the animation is faux-hand drawn (Faux, pronounced foe, is French for false). What you don't see is the shifting lines that happen very quickly adding to the had drawn feel. The characters in the game respond in ways that add to this feel as well. This makes the feel of the game very retro and up to date at the same time.

Game Play 

It is great! It is a perfect mix of small puzzles, obstacles and bad guys that shoot at you. I'm not sure why ducks, dogs, rabbits, and pelicans have it in for you as well, but that just adds to the fun. Speaking of bad guys. The Bosses! I love these bosses. Posted here are a couple of the early bosses. I will post more pictures at the end of the review. They are odd, quarky and just awesome!

The Music

I know this isn't usually a reason people get a game, but this music is just fun. Repetitive if you get stuck on a level like I did a couple times, but still attention getting. My head was nodding along to it while I was playing. I can hear the music in my head as the keys click clack and I'm typing to the rhythm. It is just that awesome.

Maturity Rating

This game is rated PG (parental guidance) because there is some cartoon like gun use. There is no graphic violence or sexual content. It would be rated as E (Everyone) except for the use of guns.

The Test of Time: Final Assessment

I've beat the game in both regular and hard mode and I still come back to it. That is the test of a good game in my mind. It's fun. I think I'll keep it on my tablet for a while just because I enjoy it so much. This means I have to give this game 3 out of 3 Triforce.  It was enjoyable to the max and I highly recommend it for both casual gamers and those who are in for a challenge. The difficulty setting will make the difference. Please feel free to share your thoughts or ask questions. Until next time. This is Justice signing out!

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Mobile Game Review: Mass Effect Infiltrator for Android

Mass Effect Infiltrator for Android reviewed on the Transformer Prime.

Introduction

Mass Effect Infiltrator is a third person shooter which was released for Android and iOS. Despite the less than stellar ending of Mass Effect 3, this mobile game Prequel is well worth the $6.99 it cost to buy it, either for it's own sake, or as an addition to the aforementioned game. You have to hand it to the developers, they did a good job in the game play and a decent job on the story. I was a little disappointed to find the game did not have an option for me to use my PS3 controller, but the way they programmed the game to work with the touch screen interface assuaged me of my disappointment very quickly.

Background & Cross Platform Integration

In this prequel, you play the part of Randall Ezno, a Cerberus agent. You start by being dropped on a planet to retrieve intel. Intel is an important thing in this game because the intel you collect can be used for one of two things. You can either cash that intel in for credits that you can redeem for weapons and equipment upgrades or you can apply them towards your Galactic Readiness Rating in Mass Effect 3. The thing I liked about the game is it wasn't just one or the other. Each time you go to the store to redeem your intel you have a choice. What is more, once you have completed the main game for Infiltrator, you'll improve a War Asset in Mass Effect 3. How you connect the two games is through Origin Mobile, which EA games has recently created to replace the EA Master accounts. I got a registration email saying that EA is working to integrate Origin into more of their titles, so this means more fun for cross platform gaming!

Game Play

But on to the game play. Unlike with other mobile games I have played with the touch screen interface, Infiltrator was impressive. At no point did my fingers get tired from being pressed into an unyielding touchscreen surface. To the contrary, I had a hard time putting the game down once I got use to the control methods. Oh, and the best bit! You can play the game according to your own style. It isn't just a duck and fire from cover game. Granted, there were points where I had to do that to get to the next level, but the game was designed to allow you to choose your own style and feel. The upgrade options go nicely with that feel.

To control the game, the left hand side of the screen is for movement and the right is for view. The feel of the game is very zippy when I played it with the Transformer Prime. If you want the game to be more or less sensitive to your touch, you can customize that in the settings as well as add Inverted Y control and a few other goodies. I turned on the subtitles to I could play with low sound so as not to disturb my wife.

Sniper Rifle

The blue brackets tell you your target options.

The aiming and firing is automatic. At first I had misgivings about that. You tap the enemy and the aim tracks onto them. But they don't make it completely auto. You still have fine aiming control which you manage with your right hand. As the game play progressed, I couldn't help but appreciate that added feature since it meant I spent more time focusing on the game and less on trying to hit the stupid enemy like in other mobile games like Shadow Gun or Modern Combat 3. The auto fire is obnoxious when you get your weapons more upgraded because cancelling a shot before the clip is out involves having to switch weapons. Still, over all I would give the game play at least 4 stars because I didn't have to fumble (much) when I was learning the interface and during game play.


Switching weapons and using biotics was a breeze. The cloak function is in the lower right hand corner of the screen in easy reach. The other biotic controls are in the upper left hand corner accessible with an easy swipe down and to the right. The weapons selector was in the opposite right hand corner and accessible with a down and leftward swipe. You get bonuses called Style if you kill multiple enemies with one clip in combo like fashion. The other way to earn style points is to kill each opponent with a different weapon (aside of course for those killed in combos). If you repeatedly kill with the same weapon you loose style points which is a subliminal way of making you switch weapons often and makes the game play more dynamic. You start with a battle rifle and a shotgun. As you earn credits you can upgrade the weapons and add a sniper rifle and beam weapon as well as different biotics, abilities and armors.

Each combat sequence is rated in 3 parts with a potential for 3 stars each. The first is style, which was covered above. The second is Time. The quicker done, the better. The final is Health. A little self explanatory. If you get 3 stars in all 3 areas you are rated Veteran. Get 1 stars in any of the areas and you are rated Soldier. Get 1 star in any of those areas and you are rated Novice. Aside from credit bonuses, you get additional rewards for in Mass Effect 3 if you get the Veteran rating in all levels. You can go back an replay levels at any time and your upgrades are retroactive so you can use those sweet upgrades to kick some serious butt.

Like with Mass Effect 3, you have the option at key points to choose whether to be a Paragon (good) or a Renegade (bad). This influences the game play somewhat.

Bonus Game Play

Once the main game is over, you have the option to play bonus games as an escaped prisoner within the  Cerberus facility in which part of the game is based. Game play is the same as with the other except you don't have the biotics and you start with just a battle rifle and shotgun like the beginning of the main game. The absence of the biotics makes the game all the more interesting and fun.

Maturity Rating

This game is rated PG-13 (Parental Guidance for ages under 13) for gun violence and some mature language. There is not sexual content.

Final Judgement

I have to hand it to EA, they made a winner here. Over all, I give this game 2 2/3 out of 3 Triforce. As mentioned previously, there were some things that were clunky and I feel the story was a bit thrown together, but all in all I would highly recommend this game to anyone with a dual or quad core tablet or phone. I would not suggest trying to play this on anything less since it will not be as smooth. Purchase the game at the Google Play Store for $6.99. Until next time, this is Justice signing out.

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