Does Not Commute: A Delightful Find For Mobile Gamers

I'm utterly delighted by this game both by its core game play concept and its presentation. If you play games on your mobile phone or tablet at all, I highly recommend giving Does Not Commute a try on iOS or Android.

Quick Thoughts on Monument Valley

I have been charmed. Utterly charmed by iOS game Monument Valley from ustwo. Something about the nature of this game makes me think that a full review just doesn't fit. it's not that kind of product. Monument Valley straddles the line between game and art piece. It's like a delightful and surprising little toy you just want to touch and explore. It eschews so much of what we take for granted from games. It's not long, it's not all that challenging and its approach to storytelling certainly leans more toward the minimalist and experiential than the epic and heroic. I fully recommend Monument Valley to anyone looking for a little surprise and delight in their life. If only for an hour or so. This Escher-esque journey is to games what poetry is to literature.

Available on iOS App Store
and on Android via Google Play

You Should, Probably, Play Robot Wants Kitty

Ok, so this isn't a review so much as a ringing endorsement. If you own an iOS device and are not opposed to the idea of playing a platforming game on said device, then download Robot Wants Kitty, cuz it's awesome! Oh, and FREE!

Pro's and Con's Review: Monospace

Format: iOS
Developer: Nonverbal
Publisher: Nonverbal

Monospace is an oldie but a goodie, a game close to my heart as it was one of the first iOS games to really suck me in with it's cleaver use of 3D, stark visual style and brain burning puzzles.

I love this game so much that I figured, in spite of its age, I would give it the ol' Pro's and Con's treatment, having a look at its flaws and merits as a professional and as a consumer. Read on for the review.

Pro's and Con's review: Jetpack Joyride

Format: iOS
Developer: Halfbrick
Publisher: Halfbrick


If you haven't picked up Jetpack Joyride for your iDevice yet, pick it up because it's a ton of fun! If you are looking for a little more info than that, read on! As usual, in this Pro's and Con's review I'm going to go through my thoughts on  Jetpack Joyride, an endless running (flying?) game for iOS devices, from a professional's point of view and as a consumer. So on with it!

Pro's and Con's mini review: Edge

Format: iOS (also available on other mobile platforms, MacOS, Windows, Playstation Network)
Developer: Mobigames
Publisher: Mobigames

Pro's Take:
Edge went the "cheaper to produce" route of using abstract visuals set in isometric levels made up of grey block in order to deliver a game that's full of rich content rather than content rich. The levels are, for the most part, very cleverly designed and require some fun block balancing acrobatics and split second timing to complete. The whole game has a slick and simplistic visual and audio style that mary to produce a tight appealing package.

Con's Take:
Hard core gamers will appreciate the fact a level can be completed by simply reaching the exit or, for maximum score, by first collecting all the prisms and doing it in record time. A cool feature that helps this is the inclusion of a "ghost" of your previous best play through when attempting subsequent plays of a level allowing you to literally race against your previous best time. very cool. It looks cool and sounds great too.

On the down side the controls are a bit of an issue playing on my iPod Touch. I've opted to play with the virtual buttons (swipe and tilt options also available) and I find myself hitting unintended buttons once in a while. I've been playing the game more casually and not trying to get crazy good scores so it hasn't been a problem but I could imagine this frustrating me quite a bit if I was trying to get onto the leaderboards.

So, the verdict!? Get Edge, it's cheap and, well, kinda rad! If you want to get around the touch screen control issues, you might want to steer toward one of the desktop versions though.

Edge on Apple App Store
Image from Mobigames