Clash of Clans Review

Clash of Clans

Publisher: Supercell Developer: Supercell Platform: iOS Players: MMO Release: 2012 Genre: Action / Real-Time Strategy Rating: 7.9 / 10.0: Satisfactory

Above is an image of an beginning player's village

 

From new developer Supercell comes a fantasy action-strategy app that has since become a mega-hit. The game has you assume the roll of a chief who is tasked with building and managing a village. As soon as you begin the game, you'll engage in a boring tutorial in which you are attacked by goblins and must set up a cannon to defend your village. Then you must engage in an incredibly easy ambush on a goblin outpost. From there, you must build the necessary structures for your village. There are several types of currency: gold, rare dark elixir, and gems. Gold and elixir are the main money, while dark elixir takes awhile to unlock, and gems are the things people use to (sort of) cheat with and then -buy in bulk for just a few bucks. I however, am not a "gemmer", and earn gems fairly. Right away, you're tasked with creating a gold storage, a gold mine, an elixir storage, an elixir collector,  a barrack, and an army camp. The latter two are used for training and housing various troops, which can be used to raid villages all around the world or engage in the optional campaign that has you raid goblin bases. In order to gain a good reputation, you must obtain trophies. To do this, you must attack other players from around the world. There are several leagues. The more trophies you have, the higher your league rank. The higher your rank, the bigger the bonus from an attack. One of the game's best features is the ability to create and join clans-- for a (in-game) price. A clan is a guild of players who can help each other by sharing troops and participating in Clan Wars, two-day turn-based wars between two clans. The clans have one day to prepare, and one day to do as much damage as possible. The clan that receives the most stars (obtained by doing damage), reigns victory, and earns a solid loot bonus. One of the game's nice touches are its impressive cartoony visuals, which bear a unique style. Despite the good features, there are flaws. Some items are overly expensive, and structure building / upgrading yields annoyingly long waits in which you are unable to interact with the structure. This game intentionally tests your patience, which is how Supercell has made millions in gem purchases. If youve spent a fair share of time on the App Store, you're probably very familiar with the free-to-play format, and if you hate it as much as all hardcore gamers, just know that Clash of Clans popularized it. As a result, those who choose not to buy gems will encounter gemmer after gemmer when searching for players to attack in higher leagues. Additionally, it's not uncommon to get raided, and you can lose lots of gold and elixir. Even so, Clash of Clans is an exceptional app, which could be better had It not decided to trick people into spending money.

Ups
Good concept
You can create and join clans
Unique and impressive visuals

Downs
Boring tutorial
Some items are overly expensive
Annoyingly long upgrade waits
Raids can devastate you

ESRB: ??? Content: ??? Price: $0.00 (Download)

League of Evil Review

League of Evil

Publisher: Noodlecake Studios Developer: Ravenous Games / Woblyware Platform: Kindle Fire Players: 1 Release: 2012 Genre: Action / 2D Platformer Rating: 7.6 / 10.0: Satisfactory

Above is the agent delivering a punch

From the creators of other apps including Random Heroes (see my review!) comes a critically acclaimed action-platformer app. The game has you assume the roll of a cyborg agent who is sent out to take out evil scheming scientists collectively known as the League of Evil. You are equipped with supernatural agility and strength, as well as two of the most powerful weapons known to man-- a fist and a foot! You'll get face spike pits, electrified drones, turrets, spiked blocks, soldiers, ninjas, spies, sumos, and more across over 160 stages to give those scientists that well-deserved punch in the face! This is a speed-running-oriented platformer in the vein of Super Meat Boy-- the stages are short, and you're only given a short amount of time to complete a stage if you wish to achieve a three-star score. Longer levels will grant you 35 seconds, but sometimes you might be limited to eight! If completing this game 100% didn't already sound tough enough, there's a briefcase hidden in every stage. I strongly advise getting three stars on a level before attempting to snatch a briefcase so you'll be free to take your time. Like other Ravenous Games titles, League of Evil has a quirky sense of humor. The best examples  of this are the opening cut-scenes at the beginning of each world. In the first world, you get assigned; in the second world, there's a newspaper which includes an add for League of Evil 2; in the third world, it's a TV news announcement; and in the fourth world, it's a scene in which you must break free from a chair you're chained to and dispatch two spies. Plus, the game has an infectiously catchy chiptine soundtrack. However, the game is hard-- EXTREMELY hard. This game is best enjoyed in short bursts-- you're gonna end up wanting to scream if you get stuck on a stage, and trust me, activating the "ghost" option will only get in your way. Having the ghosts of your failed attempts bloodbath screen is obviously influenced by Super Meat Boy, but that game saves it for when you've completed a level. I've checked my stats, and I've died several thousand times. I also envountered a handful of frustrating technical issues including being locked in a certain direction, completion screens taking awhike to load, and unresponsive menus. Despite the extreme difficulty, League of Evil is a great app that any fan of Ravenous Games shouldn't miss out on.

Ups
What do you expect after playing Random Heroes?
Quirky humor

Downs
HARD!!!
Ghosts are intrusive
Minor technical iaauss

ESRB: ??? Content: ??? (PARENTAL WARNING: This game contains large amounts of animated blood) Price: $0.99 (Download)

Warmongers Review

Warmongers

Publisher: Category 5 Games Developer: Category 5 Games Platform: Kindle Fire Release: 2012 Genre: Action / Real-Time Strategy Rating: 7.9 / 10.0: Great

Above is a scene from one of the game's early battles.

If you enjoy fantasy-filled strategy action, than Warmongers is for you. Like many apps, it doesn't need a story to be fun. The general idea is that you use mana to deploy various units into a battlefield to combat goblins. There is a green on the top of the screen. You must fill it up by getting units across the screen. When goblins cross, it empties. When it's full, you win! In the center of the bar is an orb-- your BloodLust orb. This orb can be filled by defeating foes, waiting, our using potions that you can unlock by playing every day. When filled, you can activate a unit's supernatural BloodLust attack. Every unit has a different attack. For example, the spearman charges towards the nearest enemy with tremendous speed and dispatches it with a flurry of spear strikes; the knight charges towards the nearest enemy and releases a shockwave that temporarily stuns all the foes in that row; the archer releases an arrow that knocks back and mildly damages all the enemies in a row; the wizard transforms the nearest opponent into a sheep, which then explodes. These are half of the eight unit's attacks. The game features 16 territories, each consisting of several sets of three battles. You can unlock new units and BloodLust tokens by conquering territories. BloodLust tokens are used to purchase a unit's BloodLust attack. Additionally, there are various powers you can unlock. These powers can be used in battle. They include summoning a rain of arrows, calling forth a row of massive wooden stakes that burst from the ground, and tossing a poisonous gas bomb to weaken foes. Also, there are different army colors. Each color has a different ability. The default color, red, increases BloodLust regeneration from kills. Blue increases mana regeneration, and so on. The most expensive color, black, combines the effects of all purchased colors. However, the game can be very difficult. Managing your mana well is crucial, and one wrong move can ruin the whole battle and cease your winning streak bonuses. Plus, the action can get repetitive at times. The game will satisfy anyone seeking a stiff challenge. Despite its flaws, Warmongers is great by mobile game standards-- and it's FREE!

Ups
Great strategy action
Awesome BloodLust attacks
Cool powers
It's FREE!!!

Downs
Very hard
Mana-managing is crucial

One wrong move can ruin you
Sometimes repetitive action

Also availabe on iOS

ESRB: ??? Content: ??? Price: $0.00 (Download)

Terraria Review

Terraria

Publisher: 505 Games / Re-Logic Developers: Re-Logic / Codeglue Platform: PC Players: 1-8 (LAN) Release: 2013 Genre: Sandbox / Adventure Rating: 8.6 \ 10.0: Great

Above are three players residing in their large house

If you're a Minecraft fan who thinks like me, when you first see Terraria, you may think, "Minecraft rip-off!!!" just because there's (admittedly charming) retro-style graphics, mining, crafting, and resource-gathering. But that's a lie. Sure, Terraria and countless other games, some of which are actual rip-offs (I'm looking at you, Survivalcraft!), may have borrowed those few ideas, but Terraria does it better then the rest by adding a large twist on Minecraft: The game is played from a 2D perspective. That one change makes a big difference. This can make the game feel a bit limited, but that's a minor issue. Also, you'll find that the gameplay is much different. When you first play the game, you must create a character. You can customize this character's appearance to your likeness, from hair to clothing color, and name it whatever you please. You can create multiple characters, each of which can travel to any of your up worlds without losing any gear, allowing you to gather items from one world to bring to another. It's a unique system that really helps. When you create a new character, you start off with a copper pickaxe, a copper shovel, and a copper sword. Anyone who's played  Minecraft will be comfortable with having to gather supplies, and any strategy you may have developed when you create a Survival world in Minecraft still might work. However, the same level of comfort may not apply to the 2D control scheme. I didn't have a problem with it, but others may. When you create a world, there will be an NPC guide. You can chat with this guide to get advice. Among this advice is how to get NPCs to move in. There are various NPCs, all of which serve a different purpose. Here are the requirements for an NPC to live with you: You must have a large enough house with a door, a wall in the background, a light source, a table, and a chair. A nice touch is the fact that when you die, you respawn with all your items to alleviate frustration. Those seeking a greater challenge can play Hard mode to change this. Minecraft has quite a few items, but Terraria has far more. There is a huge variety of tools, weapons, armors, ores, and miscellaneous junk. If you don't like the appearance of your armor, you can use something better looking, such as a jungle rose for your hair, as a vanity item. Where Minecraft only has swords and bows, Terraria has spears, shuriken, blowguns, grenades (one of which I accidentally killed myself with), and far more. Even potions have far more variety. There are potions to make you luminous, allow you to reverse gravity or breathe underwater, and some that improve random stats like ranged attack accuracy. In every world, there is a dungeon. These dungeons can hold untold riches, and all hold the near-unbeatable Dungeon Guardian, a massive disembodied skull that can kill you instantly. When you speak to the old man in front of the dungeon at night, you can summon the Skeletron, a massive disembodied skull with massive disembodied arms! Defeat it, and you gain access. The game features other odd and amusing bosses including a massive flying eye and a literal wall of flesh, the oddest of all being the Easter-themed Lepis. Part of the Easter update, this monster is a massive, pink, grinning bunny that lays eggs that hatch small man-eating bunnies (meant to be ironic because bunnies are usually just sliced in two from fun by players), and occasionally, large eggs will be lain that hatch another Lepis! These can be destroyed before they hatch. This specific boss claimed the life of my NPC guide and roommate, Jeff, who was soon replaced by Ben. In short, the bosses are crazy hard! Even so, they add to the game's quirky humor. Also, it takes awhile to get all the survival necessities. As with Minecraft, the mobile version of this game omits a lot of content, the console version has most of it (but for a higher price), and the PC version is almost undeniably the best. Even low-end modern computers can run this game at a stable framerate, so it's best not to buy it on one if portability isn't a concern to you. However, newbies can play the tutorial. But, like the tutorial Minecraft: Console Edition, there are far too many valuable items to give you a clear idea of what the game is like. Regardless, I recommend this to any Minecraft or survival game fan seeking a slightly different experience.

Ups
Charming retro graphics
Not a Minecraft rip-off
NPC system
Toms of items
Creative bosses
Quirky humor

Downs
Crazy hard bosses
Overly easy tutorial
Small world limit
Missing content

Also available on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, 3DS, Wii U, and mobile devices.

ESRB: T Content: Alcohol Reference, Blood & Gore, Cartoon Violence, and Mild Suggestive Themes (PARENTAL WARNING: This game contains large amounts of animated blood) Price: $14.99 (Download)

Rayman Legends Review

Rayman Legends

Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier Platform: Wii U Players: 1-4 Release: 2013 Genre: 2D Platformer / Action Rating: 9.6 \ 10.0: Masterful

Above is four people playing a stage from the world Toad Story

IMPORTANT NOTE: On October 12, 2018 I revised this review to more closely match my current review style and change the review score, which was once a 9.1. The changes were primarily additions, and any segments written from the perspective of my former self when I played this game soon after its release have not been modified except for those which had complaints about the game that I no longer consider to be fair, which is why I assigned a new score.

In 2011, Rayman Origins was considered by many to be one of the year's best platformers, if not the best, and its sequel has finally arrived. I went in expecting Rayman Legends to, like the last game, be just shy of being a masterpiece. My expectations were blown away, as this game is beyond great -- it is the best 2D platformer I've ever played, and is one of my new favorite games of all time.

The plot of Origins was already ridiculous, and this game's setup manages to be even funnier: Following the events of the last game, Rayman and crew are once again snoozing in the Glade of Dreams. However, they lose track of time and end up sleeping for an entire century, during which evil monsters invade the Glade. To add to this, the Teensies are in trouble-- 700 of them, to be exact. It was not the Livid Dead that did this, but the five villainous Dark Teensies! No that you've awoken from your deep slumber, it's up to you to rescue the the adorable blue creatures and get revenge on the Dark Teensies by punching them into the far reaches of space, where they will land in craters on a small moon and the demonic inhabitants will create an amusing song out of their yelps by prodding them with pitchforks.

Rayman Legends introduces a new hub world. You no longer traverse a Mario-style map, but instead enter paintings to access stages-- Super Mario 64 style. The game has a new amusing twist-- by collecting enough Lums in any given stage, you will receive a scratch ticket. By scratching one of these tickets, you can win more Lums, a Teensy, a creature, or a Back to Origins stage. There are 60 creatures to collect, and each one produces Lums daily. Back to Origins stages are levels recycled  from Rayman Origins that include some of this game's new features. The level designs may be the same, but the levels have been recreated from the ground up to use Legend's updated art style.

There is a fun new multiplayer minigame called Kung Foot, which is essentially mini-arena soccer with no penalties for unnecessary roughness, if you catch my drift. There is also a new level type that was known during the game's development period as "Platform Hero", a title that parodies  Guitar Hero. There is one of these great stages in each world. Each one features a lyrics-free version of a licensed song, and you must complete the stage in perfect sync with the music. For example, you may have to jump over an exploding object at a loud beat, slide down a zipline collecting Lums to the melody  of a rapid stream of notes, and may have to repeat the process-- it's difficult to explain, but feels wonderful in action. My favorite stage of this variety is Mariachi Madness, which features a kazoo and mariachi rendition of "Eye of the Tiger". I disappointed by the brevity of these stages but greatly enjoyed them. Additionally, Murphy, a grinning frog introduced in Rayman 2, now serves a much greater purpose then simply asking if you want to quit the stage as he did in this game's predecessor. In multiplayer mode, whoever is using the GamePad can play as Murphy and assist the other players by lifting obstacles and stalling enemies by tickling them (that's Rayman humor for ya). Some segments require Murphy to help. When you're alone at these parts, the AI will take over for your character. Your character will perform near flawlessly when controlled by the AI, so if a computer-controlled character dies, you can only blame yourself, eliminating frustration. There are a handful of surprisingly enjoyable stages in which Murphy is in the spotlight, and these are especially fun in coop in which having to communicate your actions to friends when playing as Murphy can lead to some hilariously chaotic moments.

For those seeking competition, there are daily and weekly online platforming challenges to engage in against players worldwide, ranging from scaling an infinite tower to collecting a given amount of Lums as fast as possible. A Nintendo Network ID is required for this, but you can register for free. Also, there are new Invasion Paintings stages in which you have one minute to dash through a difficult gauntlet to save Teensies strapped to fireworks. Similarly to the variety of playable Teensies in Origins, there are many versions of the new character, Barbara the female barbarian. The Wii U edition of this game features two exclusive characters: Ray Plumber (Rayman dressed like Mario) and Glob Plumber (Globox dressed like Luigi). One last great feature: the visuals, a beautiful blend of hand-drawn art and 3D models that don't look at all out of place. No one expected a game to top Rayman Origins' graphics, but Legends somehow manages to pull this off. All of this is accompanied by a spectacular soundtrack that's as zany as before, but also has some epic orchestrated pieces including rearrangements of music from the previous game in the franchise.

Don't be surprised when you get stuck at a single segment of a stage for what seems like forever, then have to restart the stage the next time you play. Anyone who hasn't played a game like Rayman Origins may have a tough time adapting to the difficulty level and the inability to save your progress in the middle of a level. My biggest issue is that adding lots more literal magic, the game loses metaphorical magic. This may seem difficult to understand, but anyone who's played both games will probably feel how I do-- I just don't like the medieval / fantasy theme as much. There are some people that would rather battle a dragon than ride a sentient flying flute through the clouds, but I prefer originality over fantasy. Rayman Legends is an amazing platformer, but it's not nearly as good as the game that came before it.

Ups
Quirky humor
Brilliant level designs
40 levels from Origins can be unlocked
Great use of Murphy
Even better visuals (hard to believe, isn't it?)
Amazing visuals and music

Downs
Getting gold trophies can be tedious
Unlocking all Origins is highly time consuming

Also available on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4,  Nintendo Switch, and PC

ESRB: E 10+ Content: Cartoon Violence and Comic Mischief Price: $39.99 (Retail)