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Updraft Jack Review
Bit-1 Review
Street Wrestler Review
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4S
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Street Wrestler is certainly an apt name for this game. Players take control of one of four masked wrestlers and take to the streets handing out smack-downs in the form of punches, kicks, and body slams. Each wrestler has his or her own unique moves, though they are all activated by the same button combinations. The wrestlers also handle in different ways. Some are large, strong, and slow while others are more lithe and quick on their feet. Players can take each wrestler through all the game's levels, beating up everything in their path.
This game controls like many of its kind. On the left-hand side of the screen there is a virtual joystick used to move the character around the environment. On the right-hand side there are three buttons, for jumping, punching, and contextual actions. The contextual button is where this game really sets itself apart from other side scrolling beat 'em ups. The actions that this button executes change depending on where the player is or what is next to them. Sometimes it might grab and throw an enemy, other times it will grab and throw a barrel, and other times it might send the wrestler arcing in a aerial attack. This clever little button allowed the developers to include lots of unique actions in the game without cluttering the screen with tons of buttons.The environments in Street Wrestler are simply gorgeous. The cell shaded art style, the detailed design, and the dynamically animated backgrounds all make this game one serious piece of stylish eye candy. The controls aren't flawless, but they work well enough that the player can focus on fighting bad guys instead the controls. Street Wrestler does a great job at capturing the essence of what makes a side scrolling beat 'em up game so fun, and it delivers it in a bright, insanely decked out, and easy to enjoy package.
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TheColossusAge Review
Price: $0.99
Version: 1.2
App Reviewed on: iPhone 3GS
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TheColossusAge is what most iOS gamers would refer to as a "Jumper" or possibly platformer. As with other games in the genre the point is to tilt the device from side to side in order to land on platforms so that the character can bounce up to the next level of footholds and so on. Unlike other games in the genre, it's not endless. Each stage is actually a massive boss fight of sorts, with the Orc Queen facing off against a number of colossi. Navigating from platform to platform is still essential, but players also have to contend with falling spiky things, changes in wind direction and the colossus itself. They can swipe with a finger a handful of times between each jump in order to directly damage these giants, as well as destroy those pesky pointy obstacles. It sounds tough, and it is, but thankfully any cash earned through victory can be spent to upgrade the Orc Queen with various special passive abilities (i.e. earn more gold, do more damage, etc...).
The very concept behind TheColossusAge is what makes it so interesting. The need to constantly chip away at the colossus' health while maintaining control and planning that next touch-down is unlike anything I've experienced in another iOS jumper. Being able to upgrade also keeps things from getting stale as the improved abilities can make quite a difference.On the flip-side, there isn't a whole heck of a lot of variety to it. Granted that's the nature of the genre, but each colossus amounts to more of a scenery change than anything significantly different. They get tougher, but that's about it. The complete and total lack of any sort of music also makes the game feel more devoid of life than it really should. Sound effect are there, but everything seems so empty without any background tunes to accompany them.
Still for a one-dollar jumping game that isn't already well known by 95% of all iOS users, TheColossusAge can be pretty fun. It's certainly not as robust as other more popular games in the genre but it offers a more unique experience. One that I'd gladly recommend to people who enjoy this kind of stuff.