Chronicle of Games

Archive for January, 2012

 Temple Run – is the game running through my mind all day long for past few days. This game run on apple iOS and it comes up free of cost from the app store. This game uses touch screen and motion sensor. The challenge of the game is to collect as many coins as possible and those coins can be used to unlock new characters and special power.

The demons prepare to devour you and so you start to run. In your run, you will travel across the remnant ancient temple. And you have to jump over the flaming statue and slide under the roots of massive trees. A slip will boost the chance of demons to devour you. So you have to flick the player left and right at perfect timing to take a quick turn round corners and have to slide to escape from fire and have to dodge the upcoming ditches.

Special Powers:

Increase Mega Coin to 125 coins

Make Coin magnet last longer

Make invisibility last longer

Boastfully updated

Triple value coin after 2500m

And

Some new characters and one time use power-ups

Best strategy to set a high score is try to unlock powers in the following order Make Coin magnet last longer -> Triple value coin after 2500m -> Make invisibility last longer. Don’t waste your coins in unlocking new characters at the beginning of the game.

As the speed of the character increases, Score increases rapidly. As score increases, Difficulty also increases – That makes the game interesting Overall gaming experience is good. But I feel that there aren’t any changes related to the obstacles and chasing demons. Though this is not the downside of the game – the game would have been much more interesting.

Check Latest Version Here

Demolition Racer is not just another car racing game. It is much more when it has demolition as a prefix. The game is simple with descent graphics to provide a descent racing experience. But what makes it interesting is the fact that you got to watch your back for damages caused by your wild enemies in the game around. Yes! It is fun that way.

There are more than one mode in the game like a campaign, race and missions. I loved the campaign wherein I started with a car amidst 20 other cards in an open ground like a baseball field. They all go crashing over and over again until they all burn out. It is with your talent you stay away from wild drivers and manage to save your car while scoring points in regular intervals. Besides the campaign, the race mode is just like a normal race, but with a flavor of demolition. Racers care more about saving their cars in addition to racing first.

The game features multiple cars in different categories, customization options to car and other usual settings. The best part of this game is its simplicity unlike other games with high graphics, but at the end of the day is not being played a lot! Try Demolition racers today and do let us know your thoughts. Go Demolishing! Go Racing!

PC gamers would have never faced such a period of frustration anytime before when they were made to wait for about an year to release this master piece for PC. GTA4 is undoubtedly the best game in the world. Except for its performance degradation which happens with every game when ripped for PC, this game still satisfies the over expectations of  every GTA addict.

LibertyCity-a city based onNew Yorkis as lively as you could ever imagine. The roads and tall buildings would represent a virtualNew Yorkenvironment. The industries, shopping centres of the city that never sleeps are depicted with quality visuals.

Niko Bellic is the new hero and yeah , he is a cool protagonist as other GTA heroes. The notable feature here is the story mode is not fixed. You have a choice of actions and its YOU who decide what to do here. The story is character-driven and it is the best a game like GTA 4 can offer.

Additionally Rockstar have come up with multiplayer options that allow a maximum of 32 players to go explore and rock the city simultaneously. The radio and tv shows are no more dumb and need not be edited. The developers have taken much pain to make them very lively and as funny as it could be. The characters, the dialogues are at their best. The radio stations are customizable and the user can play their own tracks.

The gameplay time ranges from 25 to 32 hours and it is not just a cake walk. Stealing a car is not easy anymore. You need to master the skills of a city convict to have a lifestyle Niko Bellic would desire.

On the other side there are some performance issues with the PC version and some visual errors. The keyboard and mouse controls are no match for the PS3 or Xbox controllers. The system requirements are way too high above the sky!.It requires atleast 256 MB latest video card and 20GB hard disk space to have a glimpse at this game. On the whole the game is as good as it is expected to be and these minor limitations are easily forgotten once the game starts!.

Grid released by CodeMasters is a stylish version of the racing game and has got enough to be admired by the gamers. Besides PC, PS3 and Xbox Grid was also released for Nintendo DS controls. The game faced a stiff competition with ‘Need For Speed:Pro Street’ but has outmatched it in every possible aspect of racing.

The best feature of this racing game is the ability to rewind the time as in Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. However there is a limit on the number of times it can be dome. The game also holds an instant replay feature that permits to look back at what has happened for the past 10 seconds.

The race types include open ones, GT races and another special one named ‘demolition derbies’. The game is definitely fast paced and offers enough to keep the racers stuck to their consoles. The simulation of real time racing is very successful and the sound effects adds much more originality. As said million times the damage being done to cars is very unrealistic in NFS racing series and you would find the straight opposite in Grid. Better concentrate on the road or you will be finding your ride is nothing but colorfully painted trash.

The multiplayer mode is superb and so are the visual and graphic standards. Special effort has been given to add a stylish touch to the game. The difficulty is realistic and need some substance to get through the challenges. Though it is attempted to simulate racing it has become some sort of arcade game. Yet it never fails to deliver the intended fun. The controls are way too sensitive compared to other racing games and can make or break the game. If you are looking for a realistic version of racing simulation ‘Grid’ is probably waiting for you at the stores.

Some times much hyped games fail badly and Godfather 2 is the perfect example. Godfather 2 published by Electronic Arts has wasted the license of the most inspiring movie of all times. The storyline wouldn’t come much as a surprise. Even a 5 year old can guess it- start as a stranger, form a gang, destroy rival families, lose your loved ones, run businesses and end as a don.

One positive portion of the game is some parts of the story line where you get to see the movie in a different angle. The game best suits you if you are bored and thirsty for blood. The game is nothing but violence and can be tagged as brutal. You play the role of Mr.Dominic, a prominent member of Corleone family. You are expected to earn a name for yourself and retain the pride of the family. The combat moves are quite interesting against injured enemies and can be finished with some cool looking killer blows.

The gameplay creates a feeling that the game has been released before fully developed and tested. The bugs are countless and irritating. Though the game world is open, the gameplay is very repetitive. Though the player can form a gang and attack the rivals, these gang mates aren’t cooperative and are very random. But that is not going to be a problem as the enemies are too easy to handle. The computer AI sucks totally and so does your gang mates. The visuals are as bad as it could be expected from EA. Adding fuel to the fire the maps are poorly designed and there isn’t a better place for trouble than multiplayer mode.

The attempts made to design a stylish graphics to describe the characters have failed miserably. The path finding in the game world is like solving a maze and tests the patience of the gamers. It is really disappointing to know that the game based on the best movie of all times have failed to revive its glory.

Team Fortress 2 is a multiplayer first person shooter game like Counter Strike published by Valve Corporation. The game was released for Windows, PS3 and Xbox 360. The game underwent a lot of modifications in both visuals and gameplay to make it look different from Counter Strike and Quake.

Just like Counter Strike, Team Fortress 2 concentrates on two opposing teams fighting against each other. Player can join either a RED or BLU team. Each team has nine different classes each of which is unique with its own strength and weakness.

The game is better suited for multiplayer mode where a maximum of 24 players can play in two teams.

The game offers a variety of game modes. In ‘capture-the-flag’ mode each team has to capture the briefcases from the other team’s base and should defend theirs briefcases. Some modes are based on the points captured throughout the game. In certain mode, one team starts with all the points and need to defend them from the rival during a fixed amount of time. In ‘Payload’ mode one team needs to escort a bomb contained rail cart to the enemy’s base within the fixed time and the other team needs to prevent the bomb from being detonated in their base.

Each class is provided with a primary weapon, a secondary weapon (usually pistol) and a unique melee weapon. Though the game employs cartoon graphics, it is really enjoyable and adds more fun. The characters are designed creatively and each class looks unique and funny. This makes the gameplay a light-hearted one. The only negative aspect is the absence of BOTS and the absence of grenades in the weapon pack. Otherwise the game is definitely worth trying and would prove to be a different version of thrill for network gamers.

Tiberium Wars is yet another real time strategy game by Electronic Arts and is the second installment in the sequel ‘Command and Conquer’. It is pretty interesting to know that the previous installment ‘Tiberium Sun’ was actually created by Westwood Studios which has ceased its operations but was later taken over by EA. Surprisingly the game was released only for PC and Xbox360 and not for play station.

The gameplay is all about constructing a base, gathering resources and using them to produce forces and finally take over the enemy’s base before he does the same to you. The game’s main resource is Tiberium which is harvested at specific locations and are brought to the industries where they are converted into usable form. The corresponding value is expressed as ‘credits’. The more credit a faction acquires the stronger can be the forces and quicker the attack can be initiated.

The units in Tiberium wars are similar to other strategy games. Every unit excels in defeating one distinct unit. So the use of right units against your opponents serves you well. The building structures and themes are different and unique for each faction though there is very little difference in their functioning. The game’s positive aspect lies in the strength of the defense. Unlike other strategy games where much preference is given only for attack and defense is supported only through age old towers or castle like buildings, Tiberium wars provide a completely powerful arena for defense. The defensive weapons are too strong in the game world that adds a sense of fear for the attackers. Extremely dangerous structures such as ‘Sonic Emitters’ can be used for the defense.

The campaign mode is exciting and features loads of cut scenes to make the story interesting. The gameplay is fast paced and highly addictive. Except for the poorly designed structure placement this game is definitely a noble attempt to retain the pride of the series.

Empire: Total war is an extremely addictive real time strategy game like Age of Empires. It is the fifth game in the Total War series and no one would have expected such a huge turn around in the series. The game was published by Sega and has been proved to suck us into it for hours.

A variety of things have been tried in this game and to everyone’s surprise almost all of them have become successful. The first thing would be the real time naval battle that is very engrossing and the visuals that aid the battles are simply charming to watch for history lovers. The ancient warfare, weapons, battles, technologies and techniques have been thoroughly studied before being put into the game.

The game features more than forty factions but only around 11 are playable at the beginning and the rest need to be unlocked as the game progresses. The game also includes factions in Indian subcontinent such as The Mughal Empire and the Marathas but the impact of religion is not much concentrated here.

The game also comes up with a campaign mode with three phases. In the first phase the player leadsBritainto captureAmerica. In the second phase the player finds himself in the Indian war and the French war againstFranceallied with American army. Things are quite different in the third round because the player leads the American army to fight against the British in the War of Independence.

There are quite a large number of bugs in the game and some performance issues. Though the controls aren’t excellent and naval battles are very difficult Empire: Total War can still be regarded as the best real time strategy game that has been released lately.

Rockstar’s GTA San Andreas satisfies all the expectations of a GTA fan. It is really surprising how rockstar comes up with such quality games under pressure. Sometimes over expectations can be a problem but it is a blessing I disguise here.

The game begins as Carl Johnson returns to San Andreas from jail and finds that his mom has been killed, his streets no more rocking the town, his sister dating a enemy gangsta and his brother trying to turn things normal. You play the game as Carl Johnson and represent theGroove streetgang. The mission starts with fighting against the rival gang Ballas and each mission is so unique that it never feels repetitive. The characters are so lively and representing a hood has never been so realistic.

The game offers loads of features. There is everything in GTA from car and bike racing to dating hot girls. The stunts in the game are equal to those inHollywoodand very well choreographed. The missions aren’t easy either. You need to sweat to get through them. However a mission can be accomplished in many ways which adds some sort of strategic meaning to the game.

The cities are well designed and Los Santos representsLos Angeles, San Fierro depictsSan Franciscoand finally Las Venturas is themed based onLas Vegaswhere you find so many casinos in the middle of a desert. The game includes heavily planned missions such as a casino heist as well as simpler ones such as stealing a car from a showroom. The ultimate ambition is to become the king of the cities and clear the rival gangs out of the town and everything becomes greenish ( Groove Street Color).

It is no doubt that every regular PC gamer would add San Andreas in his collection.

The only negative aspect is the brightness of the game world which is quite low compared toViceCity. Also the sound tracks and quality could have been better. It is difficult to classify this game under one genre so I would tag it as “an action adventure sandbox style of game”.