There are many great games for the iPhone/iPad (iOS) devices, and selecting my top 10 favorites was not easy. Let me know if your favorite game isn't listed by dropping a comment. Here is my top 10 list, with #1 being "the best". #1 - Walking Dead: The Game Telltale Inc Summary: Dynamic story with engaging puzzles and unforgettable and diverse characters. #2 - Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery Capybara Games Inc. Summary: Simple yet complex puzzles and the most amazing retro sounding soundtrack. #3 - Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars Rockstar Games Summary: The joy of GTA constructed perfectly for touch screen devices. #4 - Kingdom Rush Armor Games Inc. Summary: Incredible tower defense game with lots of bonus levels and customization. #5 - Year Walk Simogo Summary: Immersive experience that transcends the typical gaming boundaries. #6 - Shining Force SEGA Summary: Classic tactical strategy game with a huge collection of characters. #7 - Plants vs. Zombies PopCap Summary: A relaxing strategy game infused with silly humor. #8 - Zombie Highway Auxbrain, Inc. Summary: The best of the "infinite runner" games -- highly addictive. #9 - geoDefense Critical Thought Games Summary: Thought provoking tower defense game with visual effects that excite the mind. #10 - Orbital bitforge Ltd Summary: A simple puzzle game with endless replay value.
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Choice of Zombies, for iOS, is a choose your own adventure game (think interactive story if you aren't familiar with the old CYOA books) brought to you by Choice of Game LLC, a group that produces a variety of CYOA style apps. Warning: spoilers below. The game begins with the player defining who they are (male/female, job, etc.) which factors into some of the statistics that evolve as you progress through your adventure. And yes, the stats do seem to matter when making choices in the game. For example, during one of my three adventures I selected to be a guy that exercises, so my choices tended to lean towards physical activities. Whereas in another adventure I was a software engineer that was out of shape, and I elected to be sneaky and slow to save a survivor, which proved to be successful. Overall there isn't much of an overarching story here, and I was really hoping I would discover more about the characters, the settings, and the outbreak. Most of the writing is instead geared towards campy humor, of which is sometimes funny but more often just too cheesy for my taste. Instead I would have enjoyed seeing more written about background stories, details, and character motivation. Unfortunately there aren't any images (unless you count the main menu screen), and because of the simplistic style of the story telling I think some artwork would have been a great addition here. I remember as a child reading CYOA books and my favorites had amazing drawings to enjoy. I understand the argument that images in books can deter from the imagination of the reader, but again the writing focuses mainly on humor and simple facts, and is rather sparse on descriptions outside of the key details (e.g. there is a weapon on the left or the boy is sitting down) so I only see artwork elevating the experience. During my 3 sessions I tried to take myself down different paths, for the sake of variety, though most of my paths intersected leaving me to believe there isn't a whole lot of content here. I did manage to collect a variety of different characters, many that overlapped between the adventures as well, and I noticed the game was a lot more interesting the more characters I brought along with me. At times a character would make a critical suggestion for how to resolve a problem, a small character would fit through a tight space, and other times characters argued about each other. There was one annoying bug I experienced during one of my adventures that I'm hoping the developers can clean up, as it was definitely an immersion breaker. While at the church we parked our car inside the gate, and when Brian left our party in a rush he also left the car behind. However, when I fled the church later I was told the car was gone since Brian had taken it.
9 out of 10
Before I get into my review of Year Walk, as a disclaimer, there are no specific spoilers in my review. I think it’s important that everyone experiences this game with fresh eyes so that they can truly appreciate it. However, the only guaranteed way that I can promise nothing below spoils anything is to advise that you play the game first, and then read my review. Year Walk, both mysterious and enlightening, allowed me to encounter a wide array of emotions that many games fail to do: excitement, fear, intrigue, sadness, hope, satisfaction, and understanding. And all packed into a short, yet complex and thought-provoking, iPhone game. In many ways I have trouble classifying this as just a video game, but rather think of it as a combination of game, exploration, and mystery. The interactive experience transcends the usual boundaries of typical games, with the true ending only coming to light once the player has fully dissected all of the rich layers that encompass this poetic story of self-discovery, love, and sacrifice. As with any stellar game, book, or movie, Year Walk left a lingering impression in my mind, like a stamp composed of the cocktail of sensations I had felt. My thoughts remain curiously fixated on the characters, creatures, and settings, with a desire to know more, but a satisfaction with what I had learned and revealed. Originally released in 1992 for the Sega Genesis, Shining Force has been re-released many times, and as of fairly recently it has been ported to the iPhone. I loved this game as a kid, and playing it again on the iPhone brought back a lot of memories, not to mention the game still holds up as a great experience. Below I am listing out 5 good reasons to play Shining Force and though there are many more reasons, these are just some that stand out for me. #1 - Character Diversity & Discovery There are numerous characters to collect during your adventure, and they range in terms of races, attack types, magic, movement range, etc. Additionally, players are rewarded for exploring and discovering new characters, which otherwise may be passed by. #2 - Army Customization The layout and various terrain types of each battle ground encourage the player to reconfigure which characters they will take into each battle. For example, some characters strive in the thick woods, while flying characters can soar over rivers and mountains. #3 - Battle System At its core, Shining Force is a turn-based tactical strategy adventure. It’s an older 2D game, so you won’t find any features such as attacking from the high ground. However, you will find enough strategic elements in the 2D format, such as how some characters do well as front-line tanks, while others are best at attacking from the rear (e.g. archers and mages). As with chess, your leader cannot fall in battle or the battle is lost. #4 - Visuals For its time, the artist qualities of this game are top-notch, and what stands out as the prime visual element of Shining Force is the character design. Each character can be promoted during the adventure, and there are unique looks for the different stages of their development. #5 - Portable You can now play it on your iPhone! |
AuthorBrian Riggsbee lives in San Francisco CA. He enjoys gaming, writing, creating art, practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, chasing adorable dogs, and spending time with his wife and boy. Categories
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