Category Archives: space shooter

Flare Elite Review

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Flare Elite Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Firi Games
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.88 out of 5 stars

Flare Elite is a top-down space shooter featuring a unique, innovative control scheme, lengthy missions with upgradeable ship components and an original soundtrack. While Flare Elite is not a “bullet hell” shooter, it’s a challenging entry in the genre and offers aggressive enemies who can be tough to take down.

The premise behind Flare Elite is this: You play as a space pilot who is tasked with destroying a battle station called Omega, in a far-reaching outpost somewhere in the galaxy. Each campaign is titled, e.g. the first is called “Humble Beginnings,” and contains instructions for what you, as a pilot, must do to complete each mission.

The game screen consists of a pause button and Power level in the upper, left-hand corner and player score and multiplier in the upper, right corner. As you kill enemies/enemy craft, they leave behind colored dots which players pick up to increase their power level. Once this level reaches zero, it’s game over.

In addition to the above, two green circles reside at the bottom of the screen: One serves as a horizontal axis and the other a vertical axis for player controls/movement. Players control their ship by placing a thumb on each circle and sliding upwards to advance the ship forward and sliding left to right to move their ship left/right.

Firi Games lauds their control scheme as unique and innovative, designed so that players can control their ship without obscuring the game screen, but I have to disagree. While this particular control scheme is unique and ultimately does work, I found it to be slightly cumbersome and superfluous. What happened to controlling with only one finger? How can using two fingers be more beneficial than only one (unless you’re scooping chocolate icing from a bowl)? While I appreciate its uniqueness, there’s no need to try and reinvent the wheel. That said, this control scheme works, but feels more gimmicky than innovative.

Prior to beginning each mission, players have the opportunity to select their weapon type (there are 5 in all, unlocked as the game progresses). Each weapon possesses a special Overdrive feature, activated by tapping in the center of the screen. Once you select your weapon, you slide a red button (very similar to when you power down your iPhone) and begin your mission. Players also have the opportunity to upgrade their ship, e.g. shield, power, etc.

Flare Elite’s graphics are clean and simple. In lieu of the traditional menu interface, it features a 3D-style Star Map, which players navigate using touch swipes. The Star Map also shows player progress throughout the 13 available missions. I found this approach to be refreshing and enjoyed swiping my way across the galaxy. The game’s sound track has a retro-80’s feel to it and the sound effects could have been crisper/cleaner. Players have the option of listening to their own music, in lieu of the game’s built-in sound track.

Despite its flaws, Flare Elite is a solid entry into the vertical shooter genre. It’s fun and challenging with a unique Star Map navigation system and a nice arsenal of upgradable weaponry that will keep you occupied for hours.

[ Flare Elite Review is a post from 148Apps ]


ESPGALUDA II In-Depth Review

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ESPGALUDA II In-Depth Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: CAVE Co., Ltd.
Price: $8.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0

Graphics / Sound Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.88 out of 5 stars

photo3The creators of Espgaluda II, a Japanese game software development company called Cave, created some of the most successful arcade scrolling shooters to ever grace the genre. Cave is responsible for bringing a new, frenetic genre of shooters, known as “manic shooters,” or “bullet hell” shooters, to the gaming masses, incorporating intense game play with massive amounts of enemy fire-filled screens, requiring players to dodge and weave their way through oncoming onslaughts of enemy fire using meticulous handling and control. While games like Espgaluda II have seen much success in Japan, we in the US have yet to fully embrace this take on the genre: until now.

Cave’s mission statement, “The Spirit of Cave,” is simple: “Entertaining people and make them happy.” Well, if Espgaluda II is any indication of Cave’s success, their employees must all travel by private, tricked-out helicopters and sleep on mounds of cash money.

photo47While Espgaluda II was a hit on the Xbox 360, it is Cave’s first port foray into the iDevice market and they’ve essentially cannon-balled their way into the app store’s pool, splashing us with an indelible, new game play experience while leaving little water for the rest of the genre. Espgaluda II is an extremely well-designed graphical masterpiece that shatters the bounds of its genre predecessors, setting a new standard for 2D vertical scrolling shooters for the iDevice. In creating their ported version of Espgaluda II, Cave has preserved the gorgeous graphics and game play of its arcade version while offering an additional mode, made specifically for the iPhone.

As previously mentioned, Espgaluda II is a 2D, vertical-scrolling arcade space shooter sequel ported from the Xbox 360 to the iPhone. Right from the jump, be forewarned: Unfortunately, due to its heavy/dense graphics and animations, it sucks battery life at a rapid pace and is currently only available for the iPhone 3GS. Fret not, however, as Cave has announced it plans to offer support for the iPod touch (32GB and 64GB) as soon as possible.

Espgaluda II features:

  • Beautiful graphics
  • 3 Levels of Difficulty, Control Settings and Display Options
  • 2 Game Modes: iPhone Mode, which features a scoring system optimized for the iPhone and Arcade Mode, an adaption of the arcade hit
  • Several customization options available
  • Bullet Storms just as Intense as the Arcade and Xbox 360 Versions
  • Controls specially adapted to/for the iPhone
  • Slide controls for comfortable play on your iPhone/iPod Touch. Quick dodges that were difficult even using joysticks can now be performed with just your thumb, allowing you to dash and weave your way through Bullet Hell
  • Open Feint integration and Achievements
    •

    As stated earlier, Espgaluda’s graphics are visually stunning, immersing players in rich, crisp, colorful, detailed environments. That said, game play animations are surprisingly smooth for such a graphics-heavy powerhouse. During my time playing the game, I experienced no lag, slowing or stuttering of any kind.
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    The game’s soundtrack features quality, upbeat techno-electronica that perfectly complements and blends with the game play and sharp, crisp sound effects, immersing players in a pristine environment of manic game play which will make them forget they’re playing on a smart phone.

    photo48Espgaluda II is a pick-up-and-play powerhouse, short on story and big on action. I wish I could explain it’s storyline, but it’s rather ambiguous and non-committal, which is fine by me, as I’m only here to unleash hell. Judging from the intro and epilogue screens (which appears after you beat the game), there’s a scuffle which causes your winged-weaponed character to take to the air and embark on a quest to destroy the Big Boss and his/her minions. Once finished, your character mumbles something about having the death of many children on his/her hands, blah blah blah and the other characters tell him to get his/her expletive together, as they need to build a new, peaceful world and that’s about it.

    As mentioned earlier, Espgaluda II features two modes of play: iPhone and Arcade. Basic game play within each is pretty much the same, but iPhone mode has an embellished touch-control scheme and character “Awakenings” are different between the two (explained further below). Each mode has three different difficulty settings: Novice, Normal and Hard.

    photo49Each difficulty setting has three control types players can choose from: Simplified, Normal and Expert. Simplified contains one control button (Awakening button, explained further below), Normal has two: Awakening and Guard Barrier and Expert has four: Awakening, Shot On/Off, Guard Barrier and Shot Change. Auto-fire is standard throughout the game, so players can concentrate on movement and strategy. Players can then choose which side of the iPhone screen they want their controls displayed on, left or right.

    Espgaluda II contains all the standard game play options found in most games, such as controlling sound effects, music volume, etc., but it also features the ability to have players select between one of three screen sizes: Small, Middle and Large, with Middle being the default.

    photo50The game features three different characters: Ageha, Asagi and Tateha, each with different skill attributes and six separate stages of play. Players can progress through the levels or choose whichever one they wish to start from. After selecting a stage, players are introduced to an eight-screen tutorial, explaining game play mechanics. After the tutorial screens, the carnage begins.

    The game’s control-scheme is simple and precise: Players use a finger (or thumb) to control their character’s movement and to press the appropriate button(s), depending on player control selection. Auto-fire is standard in all control types, eliminating the need for superfluous gestures while adding to the control scheme’s simplicity. The controls are very responsive, allowing players to accurately weave in and out of intense, dense onslaughts of enemy fire and incorporate perfectly into both modes of play. Be forewarned, however: Playing Espgaluda II is not unlike drinking several 40-ounce bottles of your favorite malt liquor on a random, weekday night: Sure, it’s smooth and satisfying and should garner the attention of any babes/dudes within close proximity, but inevitably you’ll disappear for hours, only to reemerge alone and hungry, with no recollection of what’s happened around you, sporting sore eyeballs and a severe headache.

    Prior to playing Espgaluda II for the first time, my expectations were conservative, to put it nicely. In my experience, iPhone 2D scrolling shooters provide relatively repetitive, mundane game play. When starting the game, I was instantly amazed by the colorful, pixelated graphics and smooth, fast frame-rate/animations flying about on the screen before me. Technically, Espgaluda II is, by far, the most impressive 2D scrolling shooter I’ve ever played; on a console or on an iPhone.

    As stated earlier, players use touch controls to traverse over the playing field, dispatching enemies, dodging enemy fire and collecting power-ups, Spirit Gems and coins. The function buttons along the left or right side of the iPhone (depending on the player’s preference) are used to activate their Guard Barrier, Awakening, Shot On/Off and/or Shot Change, depending on the user’s preference.

    Game play, in both Arcade and iPhone mode, centers around destroying enemies and dodging bullets, while collecting Spirit Gems, released by killed enemies. In turn, Spirit Gems power your Awakened Perception mode, which players initiate by pressing the “Awaken” button. Once activated, your character “awakens,” causing all movement onscreen to slow down to a crawl. In iPhone mode, while in Awakened Perception, characters are unable to move, but players can touch the screen to use the “Awakening Pulse” to damage enemies and remove bullets from their path or wherever they touch. Bullets fired by destroyed enemies will dissipate and transform into Spirit Gems. The more bullets a player cancels at once, the higher their score multiplier goes. If a player kills an enemy in Awakened Perception, it creates a small explosion, turning any enemy bullets caught in the explosion into gold. Conversely, if a player is struck by an enemy bullet while in Awakened Perception, their Guard Barrier will automatically engage, but it will deplete half of their meter. While in Awakened Perception, your Spirit Gems counter will continuously decline. Once depleted, the player returns to normal status. When switching out of Awakened Perception, enemy bullets transform into gold. A gold multiplier takes effect according to how long your character stays Awakened. If you do not disable Awakened Perception by the time your Spirit Gem counter reaches zero, you will automatically default back to normal state.

    In Arcade Mode, however, players can move while in Awakened Perception mode, but bullets do not change to gold when returning to normal. In addition, players can further enter Awakening Over mode. This mode occurs when you run out of gems in Awakened Perception, but you still have gold remaining. Bullets will turn red and enemies drop a higher amount of gold. The longer you stay in this mode, the faster bullets will begin to travel and the more your Awakening Over Level begins to rise. The higher your Awakening Over Level, the more gold enemies will drop in and the more gems enemies will drop in normal mode.

    Holding the Guard button will form a barrier around your character, making him/her invincible to enemy attacks. Guard Barrier can be used as long as your Guard Barrier Gauge is filled. Holding the Guard button for a couple of seconds then releasing it unleashes a Guard Barrier attack, causing massive damage to your enemy. The longer it’s held, the stronger the attack.

    Each level concludes with a boss battle (some levels have mid-boss battles). During these battles, boss characters unleash large amounts of bullets that players must dodge (or cancel using Awakened Perception). Strategically using Awakened Perception and Guard Barrier during these battles is crucial.

    In all, Espgaluda II is a beautiful, well-developed port for the iPhone and the best 2D vertical shooter I’ve ever played. It’s breathed new life into a stale, complacent genre and raised the bar for other 2D scrolling shooter developers (here’s hoping they follow suit). Beautiful, fantastic game play, varied game/scoring modes and OpenFeint integration/achievements result in virtually endless re-playability that should appeal to all game lovers. If you’re a fan of this genre, this game is a must-have. If you’re not, you’ll still enjoy playing this gorgeous game, regardless of its price.

    [ ESPGALUDA II In-Depth Review is a post from 148Apps ]


    Radio Flare Redux

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    Radio Flare Redux is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

    Developer: Chillingo, Ltd.
    Price: 2.99
    Version Reviewed: 1.0.1

    Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    Game Controls Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
    Gameplay Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
    iPhone Integration Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    User Interface Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

    Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

    I must admit, when I first read about Radio Flare Redux, I was not impressed. While I appreciate its artistry, I’m not a fan of techno, club or house music (which I’ve never heard in any house I’ve been in). Neither am I a fan of any activity which could cause my retinas to pop (out or otherwise). That said, my expectations going into this game were admittedly low. The game, however, would prove me wrong (and keep my retinas intact).

    Radio Flare Redux is the anticipated successor to the hit debut from Studio Radiolaris, Radio Flare, which was a finalist in the 2009 IGF Mobile and IndieCade competitions.

    Radio Flare Redux is described as a “highly stylized, side-scrolling, multi-touch shooter” which claims to “redefine the shoot-‘em-up and rhythm action genres,” utilizing the iPhone/iPod Touch’s multi-touch capabilities:

    Radio Flare Redux’ premise is pretty straightforward: Pilot your ship through various levels, pulsating to techno beats while blasting waves of on-coming enemies. Players maneuver their ship through an intense, sensory onslaught, while obliterating swarm after swarm of enemies.

    Some of Radio Flare Redux’ features include musical, rhythm-infused game play based on licensed techno, club and house tracks by internationally renowned DJs., 33 diverse planet levels, the option to play with either multi-touch or a virtual joystick, un-lockable rewards, such as new planets and a musical toy sequencer that lets you arrange sound effects in rhythm and a “Visualizer” mode which allows you to “cruise” through a level without enemies to enjoy the stimulating graphics and music, Crystal online leader boards and mission-based achievements and the ability to “Tweet” your screenshots using a built-in screen capture feature.

    Radio Flare Redux’ graphics are vibrant and dazzling. When combined with the pulsating music and intense game play, they provide the player with a colorful, immersive environment which immediately invokes “sensory overload.” Background levels are infused with the game’s soundtrack and the bright, animated colors and patterns interact with the beat. As you progress in the game, new visual enhancements, such as themes, ship color, etc. become available.

    The game’s soundtrack, as mentioned earlier, is comprised of licensed techno, club and house tracks written by internationally renowned DJs, including, among others, DJ Glow, Revolution, Kevin Gorman, Motor, Void and Binaerpilot. The tracks alone sound awesome, but integrating them with the game’s handsome graphics and fast-paced game play provide a very satisfying, cosmic experience driven by rhythm and beat that will quickly throw your senses into “virtual overload.” Even if you don’t appreciate/care for this style of music, you’ll appreciate the way it’s integrated with the game’s graphics and controls.

    Radio Flare Redux’ game play is unique. You move your ship with your left thumb, while using your right thumb to target and obliterate enemies. Simply sweep the screen with your right thumb to target enemies, while steering the ship with your left. Or, visa-versa if you like to play games upside down. To do this, you slide your thumb over oncoming enemies, targeting as many as you can before raising it again. By holding down on as many enemies as possible, you raise your score multiplier, and thus, your score (game play is centralized around pulling off combos and multipliers [targeting as many enemies as possible]). When you lift your thumb, all selected enemies will burst to the beat, leaving behind little, gold blocks containing points. Players do have the option of using a “virtual joystick,” but this control scheme is very restrictive and makes game play awkward and difficult. Overall, I found the controls responsive and had no problems “serving” the on-coming onslaught of cosmic enemies.

    Gameplay consists of two screens: The Planetary Map/Main Menu and the game level play screen. Game levels are represented as planets. Groups of planets comprise a Sector. There are 7 sectors and 33 planets:

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    At the beginning of each level, the game screen lists the “Track Title” and “Artist.” The upper-left screen contains the pause feature, the score/score multiplier and the length of the song track. Level play time is defined by the length of the song.

    The upper-right corner contains the player’s star-status indicator: Each level begins with 5 “empty” stars. As you gain points, you gain life and your stars slowly fill until they’re all completely full. Each time you die, however, a star (whether full or empty) is taken away and that’s one less life available to you. If you run out of stars, the level ends.

    There are six “pick-ups” or upgrades available during play. When a player “picks up” one of these items, it is used immediately/ automatically, i.e. the player does not have the option of using the item when he/she wants:

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    In order to advance in the game, players need to earn at least three stars for each level. At the conclusion of each level, players are shown two screens, displaying their play statistics for that level:

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    You can’t go to the next level (planet) unless you’ve reached a certain point level. On this point, I can say that as a player goes from one level to the next, it does get harder, even requiring players to switch/alternate thumbs.

    As stated earlier, game play is fluid and frenetic. The action’s pace is dictated by enemy movement and the pulsing rhythm/beat of the song track. Scores of enemies will target you in waves, requiring dexterity and fine-tuned “thumb oppositionality.” The game play, visuals, and soundtrack, independently, are quality components, but the game’s integration of all three is what makes it so unique.

    The game is not without flaws, however. While I had no problems with the game’s controls, some may find they take some getting used to. For example, lifting your left finger from the screen by accident can default your ship’s location to your right finger’s position. This can become annoying, but actually helped me in many instances. As the game and enemy movement progress, you will find your fingers fumbling over and around each other in an effort to quickly dispatch the oncoming horde while remaining untouched. While awkward at first, I quickly learned how to switch fingers to adapt to enemy movement and game play.

    Parts of the game became a little mundane, also: While each level’s background, music, etc. are different, the basic template remains the same throughout all levels and the different types of enemies, most of which are little more than cell-shaded, embellished shapes, eventually become repetitive. Also, ironically, one of the game’s “main ingredients,” the sound track, somewhat restricts the game play experience, in that players need to wear headphones (or hook the iPhone up to a good external speaker system) in order to experience all this game has to offer. Moreover, if you use the iPhone’s ear buds/ear phones accessory, the wire (at the jack site) frustratingly impedes your play, i.e. it gets all up “in your business,” so I would strongly suggest using headphones having a 90-degree jack.

    Radio Flare Redux is a visually pleasing, charming, addictive, quality side-scrolling space shooter experience whose game play (enemy movement/actions, background animation, etc.) is driven by the rhythm and beat of its quality sound tracks. Its bright, pulsating immersive environments and game play will completely engage you audibly and visually (I was drinking punch and cooking a quiche, so all my senses were engaged), have your head and heart pumping and your thumbs wiggling throughout every level of play. I thoroughly enjoyed playing through its 33 levels over and again.

    Moreover, the star unlock feature, combined with Crystal online high score and achievements, give the game high replay value. At $2.99, Radio Flare Redux is well-worth its price and I recommend the game to anyone who enjoys or is looking for a quality, 2-D, cosmic side-scrolling sensory adventure.


    SpaceDuel!

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    SpaceDuel! is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

    Take part in exciting spaceship vs spaceship combat in the far reaches of space! Enjoy fast, fluid gameplay involving laser beams, particle cannons, crazy teleport abilities and more. The game has 5 unique classes of ships with very different abilities and weapons. Unlock them all and fight with your opponents over local-wifi to see who comes out first!

    Features:

    - Duke it out with your friends over local wifi.

    - 5 unique ship classes and 10 different weapon abilities.

    - Play a variety of single player missions to unlock the 5 different ships.

    - Post your high scores onto a global high score board for both single and multiplayer.

    - Supports customized left and right-handed interface controls.

    How to play

    Piloting your ship is easy. Tap ANYWHERE on the screen and drag. This will cause your ship to move in the direction of where you dragged.
    Your ship has 2 weapons that are activated by tapping(or holding, depending on the weapon) on the 2 buttons situated at the lower corners of the screen.