Prince of Persia Warrior Within Review

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within for the PlayStation 2 was a great game at the time.  It was long, had great controls, good graphics, amazing level design, extensive fighting mechanics, and overall delivered a testosterone raging action game with sections of puzzle platforming thrown in.  This game was definitely a great addition the series…then six years later Gameloft makes a deal and decides to port the game to the iPod touch and iPhone.

Gameloft took a game that was great six years ago and…kept it the same…

This had great potential.  With a little bit of work we could have a renew in the popularity of the prince of Persia series that once was.  Instead we get a complete re-hash of the game with very little changes apart from the menu and controls.  Now this action has good aspects as well as bad.  The game is great and the full game is here, however, the graphics, loading, and controls were not perfected to the extent they could be.

And now for the breakdown…

Graphics

I do not have much to say here.  The graphics are down right awful.  They try to fool you by having an opening cutscene that is quite pretty but most of the cutscenes are made of in game graphics and are not in any way easy to watch.  The textures are bad and repetitive and the characters appear to be made of polygons.  The worst aspect of the graphics, however, is that the ledges and poles that you will swing and jump to all seem the same.  Since you will be spending a lot of time on these ledges you cannot help but feel that you are getting a cookie cutter type game here.  Again in 2004 these were forgivable, but Gameloft could have at least re-rendered much of the game to create graphics that were not quite as dated.

Gameplay

In my opinion this is the reason why you would by the game.  It is the same game that was great when I was a kid, and its appealing factors have not aged with the graphics.  This is high class action platformer.  You will be going back and forth from doing summersaults over enemies as you come down to slice them in half (all in slow motion of course) to entering a room that you must maneuver around by running on walls, leaping from ledges, swinging on poles like an Olympian, and hanging from cracks in the wall.  As soon as you are done you will be thrust back into action where you can perform your desired acrobatics to stylishly take down the foe that has just appeared before you.  There are some pretty satisfying ways to finish off your opponents.  Flipping over one opponent to decapitate them from behind is pretty cool.  There is some repetition where you will see the same rooms and will have to repeat the same platform routine but I did not think it was excessive.  Additionally there is a massive daemon that attacks you, and you must flee using the same techniques of running on walls, leaping across gaps, and swinging on poles to escape and reach safety.  These sections are intense and add exciting gameplay.  However these can also be frustrating if you make a mistake and die.  Fortunately there is a button to rewind time when you die and retry that jump that you missed by an inch.

Controls

The controls are a mixed bag for this one.  The console game used every button to make the character move effectively.  They did the best they could at taking all of that functionality that had to be there and fitting it on one screen in a few buttons.  Because of this however, we get many actions that are executed with the same button depending on the circumstance and movement of your character.  For the most part this works, but since this game highly relies on its platform mechanic I found many situations where I would be trying to run up a wall to activate a button and instead would run across the wall off of the ledge to fall to my doom.  This didn’t happen all the time, but it was enough times for me to make sure I was perfectly lined up before jumping (it is a good thing you are allowed to rewind time).  The virtual pad was also not as responsive as it should be and I found myself running into a wall on occasion and getting stuck for a few seconds…because of this there were several places I would have to reactivate a switch that opened a time sensitive door because I was stuck on the other side of the column surrounding the door.

Presentation/Sound
The art style is good with the sepia-tone setting with sharp contrasts of red.  This is nice but there is really nothing special about the menus or overall presentation.  There is voice acting but there is not a lot of dialog in the story.


Performance
This is another sore subject for this game.  The load times are lengthy and there are frequent load times during the gameplay where the game will freeze while a red spiral spins in the center to load the next section.  The problem with this is that it sometimes falls in a strange area (ex. while you are leaping across a gap or running through blades).  This can cause some undue damage or deaths.  I did experience times of slowdown on my 2G iPod touch.  I also had some crashing during loading screens which frustrated me.  This game just did not seem optimized in any way for the iPhone or iPod touch.  It also takes up quite a bit of space if you are concerned about that (i would advise downloading from appstore on your computer, but I didn't).  The game will take up a whole 698.7 MB of space so make room before attempting to download if you do it directly to your device.  I can't help but think that if gameloft spent a little more time with this then they could have reduced these errors  and lowing as well as decreasing the memory it consumed.


Value
This is a hard one because though it will take you a long time to complete and the gameplay is quite entertaining, you are receiving an unpolished product.  At $4.99 you defiantly need to think twice before you buy.  I honestly have played this app quite a bit and have enjoyed it more than I have enjoyed any other app in a while.  I am also one of those gamers who don't mind dealing with some graphical and performance issues to get to some great gameplay.  It also must be said that Gameloft should get some kudos for porting an entire console game onto the iPhone.  With that in mind I can forgive some of the games shortcomings.


Conclusion
Prince of Persia Warrior Within is a great game... it is amazing that Gameloft has now proven that a full sized console game can be put on the iPhone.  There are many shortcomings in the performance and graphics of the game.  But, if you can get past the long loading screens and forget about the pixelated Prince then you will find some engaging gameplay to this action platformer.  I recommend this game... but only to a select audience.  If you are like me and can forgive a games graphical and performance issues as long as the gameplay is great, then get this game.  If you are someone who throws the controller at the TV every time your game lags online (yes I'm talking to YOU!) then probably don't want to waste the money.  Also if you have the game already and loved, then consider revisiting the console version instead.  However if you want a portable version, this works well and it is only $4.99 compared to buying the PS2 version for $20 at the video game store.

Soosiz Review

When playing Soosiz for the first time you can’t help but get that feeling that you are back on your beanbag sitting at home playing Super Mario Bros. for the first time.  Soosiz is a simple platformer in theory but when executed creates a masterpiece.

It all starts with a simple story…  Small round creatures are living peacefully in a magical wood when…a large “evil” disrupts their happy living and scatters the creatures ruining the entire world.  Only one of these creatures survives (YOU) and must venture out to save his friends.

Graphics

The graphics are great in their own simplistic way.  Everything is bubbly and rounded with vivid colors to brighten the environments.  Reminds me of another game…Yoshi’s Story anyone?  The art style adds to the overall feeling of cuteness that you should get anytime you are saving little creatures from an “evil” one.

Gameplay

The gameplay consists, like most platformers, of playing through the levels to reach the end.  Along the way you will find other small creatures that you must save.  You can beat the level without gathering these friends as this more so serves to rate your success similar to stars that you achieve in other games.  For the most part you leap from platform to platform many of which are circular.  Each platform has its own gravity to draw the player to itself.  Therefore, you find yourself in some cases jumping up in hopes to gravitate toward another circle.  This is similar to what Mario Galaxy would be like if it was in 2D.  You will find certain creatures that can add to your ability in the level as well.  For instance there is one creature that has a Rambo style headband on which when found will allow your character to jump higher…obviously used to reach places that would otherwise be just out of your reach.  This creates some challenging gameplay that will take a little time and thought to conquer.

Controls

There is not much to talk about here.  You have a left and right arrow on the left side of the screen and a jump button on the right side.  You also have an hourglass that when taped pans out so that you can view more of the level (you will need this occasionally to know when to take a leap of faith to reach that last little creature that you have been missing).  That is it.  Four buttons…but in this case fewer is definitely better.  I did not feel like the controls were taking up screen space as I do in many other games and I also never found myself wanting anything else.

Presentation/Sound

The opening menu is a little disappointing but only because the level menu was wonderfully made.  The rest of the menu system is quite appealing and only adds the warm and fuzzys that the music will give you.  The music fits the game perfectly, giving a light, excited feel to the presentation.

Performance

No performance issues were noticed.  No lag or crashes ever.

Value

The price currently is $1.99 in the app store, and for getting 66 total levels across 7 different worlds each with its own unique boss you are getting quite a bit.  I would definitely encourage any of the classic 2D platformer fans to pick this one up because you will definitely feel at home here.

Conclusion

Soosiz is a cute, simplistic, and highly enjoyable classic platformer.  If you liked any of the Super Mario, Yoshi’s Story, or Mario Galaxy games then you will love this.  It is not action packed and will not bring you to the edge of any seat, but succeeds at what it is…a challenging yet simple platformer.

Revolt Review

Revolt is a DS shooter that follows "Guy" through a series of robot infested levels as he tries to restore order to the corrupt system.

If you have never played a duel stick (DS) shooter, such as minigore or iDracula, then let me take a second to explain what it is.  A DS shooter is an iphone/pod game that uses two virtual analog sticks to control your character from an overhead view.  The stick on the left moves your character around, and the stick on the right fires hot lead in the direction it is pulled.  It is that simple.  I think DS shooters are great...they are fun for casual play and very easy to control, not to mention the excitement that you get when you are running BACKWARDS away from a swarm of enemies showering them with ammo from your weapon.

The two shooters I mentioned before are titles that made this style of game popular and they did it very well.  However after playing a game like minigore for 15 min or so I began to question..."Where is the Depth?  Where is the strategy, unlockables, and drive to continue playing?"  Well when I saw Revolt for the iPad and iPhone, and after I reading some of the details; I only hoped that this would be the game that filled the gap that missing in games of the genre...and I was not disappointed.


Revolt took this simple style of play and revamped it in several ways...

Weapons
Most noticeable to me were the upgradable weapons.  Instead of seeing the same mundane flashes coming out of John Gore's machine gun, you could find yourself behind weapons ranging from the pistol that you start from, to a machine gun, and even a rocket launcher.  Each one of these five weapons (the developer promises more in the near future) is different in its appearance, damage, rate of fire, clip size, reload time, and even spread.  And when you upgrade a weapon it doesn't only increase the damage done (which would have been easy for the developers) it changes these specific attributes.  For instance when upgrading to the final pistol you find yourself looking at a laser gun (not too unlike the pistol in the first Halo CE), the fire rate is increased significantly, and the clip size is now unlimited.  This makes a pistol that was not very strong quite effective against enemies.  The weapons were also appropriate in strength.  Example, the pistol I just explained is still not quite as effective against the stronger opponents as the lowest level machine gun.  This causes you to desire to use and upgrade your larger weapons as you will need them when the battle gets heavy.

Ammo
With the weapons you are required to use ammo that you find wisely, because ammo for the larger weapons is more limited.  You can find enough as you play but you will still need to switch weapons frequently to vanquish your foe.  They have also added grenades...and three types at that.  I am not sure if the type of grenade really effects the outcome much here but it is neat to see.  In order to throw a grenade you have to drag from the icon in the upper right corner of the screen and release in the desired location to throw.  At first I was skeptical of the grenades thinking that they did not have a place in DS shooters but the developers have implemented it nicely and after a few tosses I was able to effectively throw a grenade at a couple of robots feet to destroy them...or at least weaken their defenses.

Unlockables
Apart from buying weapons and weapon upgrades you can also purchase more ammo to feed into the chamber, upgrades to your armor (look and damage resistance), and grenades.  You purchase all of this with cash that you find from fallen enemies.

Campaign
I know there are probably DS shooters with a campaign out there but I have not played any.  I think Revolt did it well though without adding too much to complicate things but still providing enough to encourage you to continue on.  They still have a survival mode where you fight off waves of enemies upgrading in between waves.  In the next update there will also be a lights out mode where guy holds a flashlight and can see only in the beam that is in front of him.

Levels
The level design for most DS shooters consists of an open area where you are expected to run around in circles.  Revolt has made levels that are much more tactical in nature providing columns and boxes to hide behind as you take cover to reload.  This also allows you to jump out from around a corner to fire at an oncoming enemy.  The levels also have many objects that explode when shot.  This makes the environment much more pliable and allows them to be used to you (or your adversary's) advantage.  The levels are relatively large and vary in layout so you do not feel as though you have entered an entirely new room every time.  The textures vary as well so the levels have some differences.

Now down to the review...

Graphics
The graphics are good and I was very impressed by the detail.  They are not the greatest in the app store but the levels look superb and have excellent lighting.

Gameplay
Revolt again takes the simple concept of a DS shooter and perfects it.  Added grenades, upgrade system, tactical level layout, and the added difficulty of conserving and using ammo.  The difficulty for this game was just right.  It had my health down enough to make me sweat but not enough to die every level and become frustrated.

Controls
DS shooters have some of the best controls on iDevices.  Revolt added new abilities such as grenades which takes a few throws to get used to.  They also added a roll action which I honestly never used in action and the camera view is rotatable so that if you wanted to change orientation you can (this action was a little awkward and would not be advised during battle; that being said I really never saw a great need to rotate my view as most of the enemies do not spawn behind you.

Presentation/Sound
The visual style of Revolt is consistent throughout and is also quite an appealing "grunge/mechanist" feel to it if I had to put a name to it.  The menus are fine and I like that you can see Guy from the upgrade menu as well as a small robot prance back in forth in the background every once in a while reminding me of something from a sci-fi flick.  The sound effects are great. Each weapon sounds different and explosions are well played out as well.  The sound of bullets ricocheting off of the walls is a little to loud but not enough to turn you away.

Performance
When I played on my iPod 2G (unjailbroken) I did not experience much lag.  There were a few parts here and there when several enemies were on the screen but it only lasted a second and I did not find that it messed with me controlling the character.  I did not experience any crashes.  Overall I think it ran very nicely for a first version (1.0) of a game by independent developers.

Value
In my opinion Revolt is not only one of the best DS shooters but also one of the best games in the app store.  This has much more depth than other DS shooters and will take you a few hours to complete the campaign once.  Also for 1.99 you get a game that is both iPhone, iPod, and iPad compatible. Do yourself a favor and go get this before the price increases.

Conclusion

Revolt is a great game.  If you have ever played a DS shooter like minigore and wished that it had a little more depth then get this game.  If you have never played a DS shooter then grab this because the gameplay is very engaging and I don't think you will be disappointed.