The E3 Expo is always a great chance for gamers to get an idea of what game companies have in mind for the near future, and this year’s event was no different. Games such as Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Final Fantasy Tatics: The War of Lions and Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem were all hyped, among many, many others.
Possibly as a result of the event, there definitely seemed to be fewer games actually released this week. But worry not, Games of the Week loyalists; as the list makes its regular appearance, so will all the action, zombies and movie spin-offs you can stand.
1. PrincessFury
PrincessFury ($1.99), a collaboration between UltiZen and MoStar, was actually released at the beginning on June, but I’ve been saving it for a slow week just like this one. The game is most easily described as an action RPG game, though it’s heavy on action and relatively light on strategy. You control a purple-haired princess with a gigantic sword and a group of soldiers. As you level up throughout the game, you get to add soldiers, such as archers and swordsmen, who you can choose to stay close by your side and protect you, or to lead the way and attack. There are 20 levels and five different ways to win, so you need not worry about the game being deep enough. PrincessFury is a nice mix, and whether you’re an action gamer looking for a little bit of strategy or an RPG gamer looking for a little more action, you can’t go wrong with this one.
2. Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter
Most of what you need to know about Tatem Games’ Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter ($4.99) is in the title: Yes, this is a hunting game and yes, dinosaurs are your prey. Now that we got the obvious out of the way, this is a well done hunting game in just about every regard. The environments are visually nice and the controls, which consist of a d-pad and on-screen tapping, work well and are simple to grasp. There are two game modes included, a hunting mode where you are able to walk around at your own pace and a survival mode that puts the dinosaurs in attack mode. You will also notice the dinosaurs have their own personalities, so the herbivores are much more docile while the carnivores are much more of a challenge. Carnivores is a solid app that hunting game fans (or maybe dinosaur fans) should definitely pick up.
3. Puppet War:FPS
Apparently the “FPS” in Puppet War: FPS ($1.99) stands for “first puppet shooter” instead of “first person shooter,” and that should give you a good idea of what you’re in for with this game. It takes place on the set of the fictional television show “The Friendly Puppet Show,” and you’re an unfortunate janitor who happens to be around when the puppets decide to turn on humanity. You have help though, as you battle your foes with 15 weapons, including a machine gun, sword, crossbow and chainsaw. Before you get too excited about this twisted game, there are some issues. While the set really comes alive on your iPhone, it’s the only environment in the game. Furthermore, the enemies are all essentially the same, though they vary in color and size. Fortunately, both of these issues are apparently going to be dealt with in a future update that will also include additional weapons. Puppet War may be the perfect example of style over substance, but we’re talking about video games here, not classic literature.
4. Pro Zombie Soccer
I’m torn on Chillingo and Super Awesome Hyper-Dimensional Mega Team’s Pro Zombie Soccer (99 cents). While I’ve been incredibly impressed by the soccer genre on the iPhone, I’ve also never hid my disdain for the number of zombie games that continue to be released. First things first; this is not really a soccer game, as your character’s only weapon is his foot and a soccer ball, and the control setup requires you to aim and release a button to kick a ball at oncoming zombies. The app does have a pretty nice comic book presentation to guide you through its humorous storyline, and the graphics during gameplay are also well done. The biggest fault with this game is there isn’t much variety, as you don’t move your character and the soccer ball is your only weapon. That unfortunately means that Pro Zombie Soccer doesn’t offer too much replay value, but at its current price tag, it’s a perfectly acceptable addition to what’s an already crowded genre.
5. The A-Team
Anyone with even a passing familiarity with iPhone gaming shouldn’t be at all surprised about the release of The A-Team ($1.99) game in anticipation of the film’s release. The app from GameHouse has the things you would expect; tons of action, unique abilities for all four of the main characters and … tons of action. The game’s graphics are decent, but definitely nothing special. The characters look enough like their real-life counterparts, even with an overhead camera showing you all the action, but the environments and visuals as a whole will not blow you away. The controls can also be described as good enough, but not great. So what we have here is an average game with a flashy title, and while that may be enough for some gamers, this one clearly falls below the upper echelon of action games.
