Archive for the ‘arcade games’ Category
June 19th, 2011 | 
Author: Does your dad like golf? With Father’s Day this weekend and the summer finally hitting its stride, heading out to the links is probably on a lot of dads’ minds. But why let your dad’s golfing be limited to the weekend or the warm months of summer when you can bring the links to him on his iOS device?
This week’s collection of apps is all about playing a quick game of golf during downtime. The first app lets you play through nine-hole courses in strange, multilevel fantasy 2D worlds. The second lets you join one of the best golfers around, in a more involved golf simulation, playing on real-world courses. The last, out this week, is the sequel to an excellent pick-up-and-play golf game, perfect for when you need a quick fix.
Play golf on strange worlds with interesting traps–you wouldn’t want to fall down that hole on the left.
(Credit:
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)
Super Stickman Golf (99 cents) is a 2D golf game that’s really easy to pick up and play, with tons of fantastical themed courses, interesting power-ups, and excellent physics-based gameplay. Though the game has a huge amount of arcadelike features, the goal is always the same: try to get the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible. The challenge is that it can be much harder than it looks.
Rather than your standard 3D layout as seen in many golf games, Super Stickman Golf offers up a 2D platformer experience. The courses often have multiple levels you’ll need to reach and obstacles you’ll need to avoid to finally get on the green.
The interface consists of arrows on the left to adjust the arc of your shot, a button in the middle for bringing in bonus items, and a “Go!” button you’ll need to hit twice for each shot: once to start the swing, and a second time to adjust shot power.
Beyond the many themed courses that keep the game interesting, you also have some extra arcade elements to add some flavor. As you play, you’ll unlock unique balls like the Sticky Ball, which sticks to surfaces after you hit the ball–great for courses where there are shafts you need to climb to get to the green. You also can unlock Super Clubs that make it so you can stop a ball in midair, or freeze water hazards, for example. Each of the arcade elements is well thought out and adds a unique twist to the game.
Overall, with over 260 holes to play across several themed courses, unique obstacles, arcade elements, and local and online multiplayer, Super Stickman Golf has plenty to offer any arcade golf fan.
Switch clubs by hitting the club icon at the lower left.
(Credit:
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 ($4.99) is the first golf simulation from the popular golf franchise on iOS since April 2009, and it’s easy to see that this latest game is leaps and bounds beyond the original. The graphics on the
iPhone 4 Retina Display are smooth, reminding us of console-level golf games. The controls have been fine-tuned as well, making it easy to adjust shot types and switch clubs depending on the situation.
You get the choice to play as Tiger Woods, alongside him, or as any one of several current pro male and female players. You can also create your own player and customize clothing, clothing color, and skin color. Later, when you earn some money for various challenges on the course, you’ll be able to upgrade your equipment for more powerful shots and better accuracy to help you improve your scores.
Rather than the standard three-touch hit method found in other golf games, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 uses a vertical swiping method for better precision–the down swipe determines shot power and on the up swipe you can slightly curve your swing for draw and fade shots. Even once the ball is in the air you can swipe repeatedly in any direction to put spin on the ball. All of these shot variables will come in handy in various situations, and we like that there are so many controls for shot precision.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 lets you play quick games, head-to-head matches against friends over Bluetooth or a local network, or Tiger challenges with unique requirements, or you can play through your own PGA Tour. You can also connect to Facebook and try to beat your friends’ best shots (which you can watch) on specific holes. Sadly, there is no online multiplayer at this time, but it seems like a no-brainer that EA would add that functionality in a future version–we’ll just have to wait and see.
Even without online multiplayer, with a streamlined control system, customizable players, and tons of challenging courses to play on, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 is the golf game to beat on iOS. Anyone looking for a golf game that’s closer to simulation than arcade will enjoy this title.
The graphics in this game are excellent as you shoot from atop high skyscrapers.
(Credit:
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)
Flick Golf Extreme ($2.99) is the sequel to Flick Golf (iPhone or iPad), a very well-made arcade golf game we’ve reviewed here in the past. But instead of the usual golfing experience of trying to work your way to the green in the smallest number of shots, in the Flick Golf games your goal is to get as close to the hole as possible in one shot–ideally with a hole in one. Flick Golf Extreme takes the game a step further by moving off the grassy links of traditional golf games into all sorts of strange environments.
The interface and controls in Flick Golf Extreme were made for the touch screen, and it shows. When you start a hole, check for wind speed before taking your shot (this is especially important in later levels). To send the ball toward the hole, simply flick your finger in a forward motion across the ball toward the pin. While the ball is in the air, flick the screen to guide the ball toward the hole. You’ll also be able to apply spin to the ball as long as it is still bouncing–great for small adjustments to get extra points. Each hole is surrounded by concentric circles, each with a point value that increases the closer you are to the hole.
Flick Golf and Flick Golf Extreme share the same precise controls, but where Flick Golf Extreme really shines is in the environments. With beautiful 3D graphics, you’ll be taking shots across deep canyons and, on another course, from rooftop to rooftop high atop skyscrapers. In one level, you’ll actually need to take shots from a hovering helicopter onto an aircraft carrier. All of the environments are meticulously detailed, with gorgeous animations and excellent sound design (in one level you can see and hear a huge waterfall as you take your shots, for example). It’s clear that the developers went to great lengths to make this game a striking visual experience to go along with the already great gameplay.
Flick Golf Extreme offers three game modes: Quickshot, in which you hit as many shots as possible within a time limit; World Tour, in which you’ll need to achieve high enough scores to unlock each course; and–new to Extreme–a 5 Ball Challenge, in which you get five balls that you can only replenish by hitting holes in one. Each of the game types requires a different strategy, adding to the replay value of the game.
Overall, Flick Golf Extreme is a fun and addictive pick-up-and-play arcade golf game with excellent controls, strange and beautifully made courses, and plenty of replay value. If you liked Flick Golf or want a quick golf fix, Flick Golf Extreme is a must-download.
Do you have another golf game you would like to share? Let us all know in the comments!
Posted in 
<!–/*
* The backup image section of this tag has been generated for use on a
* non-SSL page. If this tag is to be placed on an SSL page, change the
* 'http://ads.techweb.com/www/delivery/…'
* to
* 'https://ads.techweb.com/www/delivery/…'
*
* This noscript section of this tag only shows image banners. There
* is no width or height in these banners, so if you want these tags to
* allocate space for the ad before it shows, you will need to add this
* information to the tag.
*
* If you do not want to deal with the intricities of the noscript
* section, delete the tag (from … to ). On
* average, the noscript tag is called from less than 1% of internet
* users.
*/–>
[Gamasutra contributor Ryan Langley examines May 2011's Xbox Live Arcade debuts and continuing successes, with charts and Leaderboard data showing the performance of XBLA titles from Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury to Gatling Gears.]
The month of May brought us both sides of the Xbox Live Arcade market — games like Bangai-O HD and Gatling Gears getting great Metacritic scores, and Star Raiders and Dungeons Dragons: Daggerdale having very poor ratings.
We take a look at each of the latest titles from the Xbox Live Arcade in May, checking their Leaderboard statistics and placing on the weekly Top 20 lists, to help gamers and developers alike see how well the digital space is performing.
Missile Fury
The first two releases for June were Treasure’s Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury and Square Enix’s Moon Diver. We unfortunately could not follow Moon Diver due to the Leaderboard structure, but we could follow Bangai-O easily.
Bangai-O only hit 10th most purchased XBLA game of that week, which is a fairly poor performance. It did however have the best Metacritic score of the month, so critically it was a success. The game added only 8,190 players for the month.
Get To Gatling
The second week brought two more titles – Gatling Gears, developed by Vanguard Entertainment and published by EA, and Star Raiders, published by Atari.
Gatling Gears had less players on the Leaderboards than Bangai-O’s first week, but ultimately had a longer tail. The game was 6th place in the Top 20 for its first week and added 9,340 players for the month.
Star Raiders is an interesting title indeed. Originally set to be a retail game, Star Raiders was ultimately cancelled back in April, or so we thought. Out of nowhere, the game appeared on Xbox Live Arcade, stripped of its intended multiplayer component and looking like it was barely holding itself together.
The game ended up with the 6th worst Metacritic rating for an XBLA game, and couldn’t even muster 1,500 players on the Leaderboards.
Game Over Yeaaaah
The third week wielded a new game from Sega – Sega Rally Online Arcade, a port of Sega Rally 3 done by the very capable Sumo Digital. The game received decent reviews, citing the lack of content as the main complaint, but considering the games’ roots it’s understandable. Based on the Leaderboards, the game fared the best, but by best it only appeared to be 11,349 units. The game was the third most downloaded game of the week.
Put A Dagger To It
The final new release of the month was Dungeons Dragons: Daggerdale, another Atari release. We unfortunately could not follow the game as it only shows the Top 50 players, but the Metacritic score of 47 likely means it will not fare well. This makes it the third Atari published title in a matter of months which has been unable to hit 50 or above on Metacritic. You have to wonder what the heck they’re thinking.
The Top 20 Returns
It’s been some months since we’ve seen a consistent Top 20 list from the Major Nelson blog, but we were lucky this May – three of the four weeks are accounted for.
Many of the weekly deals were of games we could not follow including Castlevania, Age Of Booty and Deadliest Warrior. Those that did all seemed to do well for themselves, as they hit the Top 10 quite easily.
Last month’s Outland and Section 8: Prejudice have both continued to do well on the Xbox Live Arcade, which is good to see considering their great Metacritic scores. The old Dead Rising cases and Game Room continue to do well despite being available for such a long time.
Fantastic Pinball
Pinball FX 2 continues to do remarkably well for itself, selling at least 1,000 copies of each table per week, which when put together makes a good chunk of change for Zen Studios. They released one new table – the Fantastic Four table, which added 20,370 new players in two weeks, which is on par once again with their other tables.
Ninja Cave, Man
We also followed some other older titles from earlier in the year. Trouble Witches Neo and NIN2-Jump from May did not do very well in June, but Fancy Pants, Full House Poker and Torchlight have all continued to sell consistently throughout the past few months.
Looking at June
Looking forward June is going to be a fairly empty month – already there’s been two weeks with no new releases, but we do have some big titles on their way, including Half Minute Hero and Magic The Gathering 2012.
Review: Sega Rally Online Arcade
Sega seems to have caught the retro bug as of late. After finding some of their newer IPs and projects on the receiving end of some harsh criticism, the legendary publisher needed to get out of a tough spot. The decision has come to hop aboard the nostalgia train like so many of Sega’s peers had already done with the recent flurry of remakes and re-releases.
Sega looked squarely at their mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog in a strategy to remake their most notable franchises. After Sonic’s rough decade in the 2000’s, which was vastly overblown by its fanbase and the industry as a whole, Sega took the franchise back to its roots with Sonic the Hedgehog 4. The game failed miserably in the eyes of many and Sega was sent back to the drawing board with a game known as Sonic Generations.
Sega hopes to recapture some of the magic of their classic arcade racing franchise, Sega Rally with Sega Rally Online Arcade. They are somewhat successful in this particular attempt, but the game itself proves to be more underwhelming than it is good nostalgic fun.
One bright spot to note is that the game features smooth, responsive crontrols. Cornering is a much easier affair compared to the likes of Gran Turismo 5, but it’s not exactly like racing in Mario Kart. It’s a nice middle-ground where pin-point braking and acceleration aren’t required, and you’re not constantly slamming down on the gas pedal as well. With that said, the physics engine that Sega uses for this iteration provides a good kick for the franchise.
As you play through Sega Rally Online Arcade, one thing will consistently catch you off-guard: the graphical detail. Make no mistake, this is no Dirt 3, but for a downloadable title, Sega Rally Online Arcade provides vivid and spectacular eye-candy. This is perhaps best exemplified by the different track surfaces, which present diverse challenges throughout the game. As you drive through the different surfaces, such as mud or ice, you’ll notice that those surfaces begin appearing on your car as they would in real life.
The biggest issue with Sega Rally Online Arcade isn’t what’s present in this title, but rather what Sega omitted. Unfortunately, the solid graphics and controls cannot fully save this abbreviated arcade racer. The shamefully short list of five tracks and ten cars gives this game a terrible shelf-life. It’s understandable that this is a call-back to the early years of arcade-style racing, but players expect more bang for their buck from today’s game industry.
Along with the anemic content comes uninspired game modes and challenges. The predictable list of game modes is alarming. THe run-of-the-mill single player offerings consist of a few different modes: Championship, Quick Race, Time Attack and Classic Mode. The Championship mode pits players in the back of the pack, and they must work their way up to the front through a series of races. It’s certainly the most enjoyable mode, and it provides light replay value. However, races test more of the player’s patience than actual skill. Quick Race mode is a single race against multiple AI opponents. Time Attack is pretty self explanatory as racers compete against the clock in order to knock out the best times on a given track. Classic Mode is a 0ne-on-one race against an AI opponent. It’s easy to see that these modes are more of a reflection of racing games of yester-year than current generation offerings.
With a name like “Sega Online Rally Arcade,” it’s easy to assume that the focus of the game is on the online component. However, the feature list in that section of the game is even more lackluster than the single player offerings. In fact, the only option you have for online is to race head-to-head against other players. That’s it. There is no diversity in modes or mini-games, which would break up the straightforward racing action. Players looking for a little something more will be sorely left in the dark.
Unfortunately, the online component suffers even more from the same ailment that many other downloadable titles are hurt from these days: a weak online community. We saw this happen with THQ’s Red Faction: Battlegrounds and we see it happening in this title. Finding a game, let alone one that is full of players, can be a hassle and will often lead to players competing with the same individuals over and over again. Sega has enabled the option to fill the remaining spots with AI, characters if players are unable to fill a race, but you may as well just play single player at that point. While playing online against the same set of people over and over again is great for making “friends,” it’s an almost fatal blow to a game with such little content included.
Sega Rally Online Arcade is an undoubtedly fun experience. The controls are tight and accessible, and the graphics are great for a downloadable title. The real issue is with how long that fun can last given the content that Sega has provided. If you feel as though you could take the fun of a short-lived arcade racer such as this and make it last more than a few hours, maybe this game is for you; though, most people will be left wanting more and they will be able to find more in the form of older retail titles going for similar prices on Amazon. But at least you’ll have the pretty graphics.
Recommend on Facebook- Buzz it up
- Share on Linkedin
- Share via MySpace
- share via Reddit
- Share with Stumblers
- Tumblr it
- Tweet about it
- Buzz it up
- Tell a friend
Dug This? Read These:
About the Author
Brian Shea Obsessed with music and games, Brian has co-founded such sites as TheHeroFeed and UltimateRockGods and has contributed to the likes of Examiner and TheVideoGameDomain. He’s interviewed legends of rock and top names in the video game industry and remains a close contact for many of them.
Are you ready for another Summer of Arcade?
For the last three years, Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade promotion on the Xbox 360 has been a great way to draw attention to some of the best that the Xbox Live Arcade has had to offer. Titles like Braid, Castle Crashers, Trials HD, and Limbo (just to name a few) have received as much attention as most full-priced retail games, and with another Summer of Arcade on the way, the new school of summertime XBLA games is hoping to make an equally lasting impression. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is one of the Summer of Arcade games that might be able to stand out, and only partially because of its tongue-twisting title.
When I first saw Shadow Planet at Microsoft’s booth on the show floor, I took one glance at the shadowy background and said, “Oh, this game wants to be Limbo.” When I actually got my hands on the controller and watched the animated opening cinematic full of bright colors and explosions, it became immediately clear that Shadow Planet was actually nothing like Limbo. Instead, it combines shooting, exploration, and using different and upgradeable tools to create an experience that doesn’t quite fit neatly into any given genre.
Set on an alien planet, you control a tiny UFO with a few tools at its disposal. At first, you only have the scanner, which displays what you need to get past obstacles and defeat enemies, and the claw arm, with which you can pick up items or rib appendages from foes. These items are displayed in a tool wheel, and can also be assigned customizable hot keys, making it easier to whip out the scanner or any other tool you happen to use a lot.
There’s a lot of exploration in Shadow Planet, and it feels not unlike the more recent Castlevania games, meaning there’s some going back and forth as you acquire upgrades and better items that allow you to access new areas. After finding the laser, I was able to shoot projectiles, and there were a handful of other spots open on the tool wheel for items to come later in the game.
While Shadow Planet pretty effectively combines different elements to make a fun gameplay experience, it also stands out because of its distinct art style. I know I said it looked like Limbo at first, but other than the shadowy backdrop there’s really no comparison. It’s colorful, though the scenery is kind of-well, twisted and nightmarish are actually good adjectives in this case, making the title seem more and more perfect.
I can’t say how Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet will compare to the other games in this year’s Summer of Arcade promotion, but on its own it’s a fun, quirky title that appears to be able to hold its own. I can’t wait to see how complex the game actually gets with an entire arsenal of tools at my disposal when it becomes available later this summer.
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet will be available this summer for the Xbox Live Arcade.
See all our coverage directly from the show floor.
Incoming search terms:
If you’ve been staring at the 35 characters on Super Street Fighter IV’s roster and thinking it’s just not enough, then you might want to take a look at the Arcade Edition. It drops four more combatants into the fray, bringing the total to a staggering 39. It also tweaks the online replay channels and adds a host of game balance tweaks that no seriously competitive Street Fighter fan should miss. That being said, what’s here is by no means an essential purchase for the average player, and especially not the player that doesn’t own a fight stick. For all but the most hardcore fans, this downloadable add-on to Super Street Fighter IV is icing; delicious but unnecessary.
It is worth pointing out that, in addition to being sold as a downloadable add-on, the Arcade Edition is also being released eventually in stores. If you don’t already own Super Street Fighter IV, which is still one of the best fighting games money can buy, then by all means pick up the boxed copy of the Arcade Edition when it’s available. The focus of this review is the new content, which starts with Evil Ryu.
He’s one of the four added fighters, a mix of Ryu and Akuma wrapped up in some impressive visuals and animations. On-screen he’s wreathed in dark flame, capable of launching standard fireballs and shoryuken uppercuts as well as teleporting back and forth across stages like Akuma. He certainly feels like a formidable fighter, and though many of his moves are familiar and he’s missing some of Akuma’s more unique moves like an air fireball, he does get a lunging axe kick capable of stepping across a third of the screen to deliver a heel strike. With a few unique twists like a mid-air dive kick and chargeable Ultra fireball, you’re sure to see him in many an online match.
Perhaps the more impressive new fighter is Oni, who in appearance bears similarities to Gouken and in combat shares a few things with Akuma, but has enough moves to really set him apart. Like Evil Ryu, his on-screen appearance is intimidating as he bristles with ominous energy and sports a glowing mass of spiky hair. He can toss out two types of fireballs, one that hits multiple times and knocks down an opponent, and another that’s chargeable for added travel distance. Not only does he get a spinning hurricane kick special, but also a jumping ground pound that flattens an opponent and a cross-up charge move. Even in mid air Oni can be a danger, as he has a special to rapidly charge forward, back, or hop, and can perform a Raging Demon super mid-jump, though this version can only land on opponents also in the air. Add in some of the most powerful Ultras in the game – including a fireball that can be fired mid-air, straight up, or horizontally – and Oni’s move set becomes incredibly versatile, making him an immediate favorite out of the included new fighters and in the roster as a whole.
Yun and Yang are the less flashy additions here, previously appearing in Street Fighter III. They’re separate characters in the Arcade Edition, and though they may not feature the flickering glitz of Evil Ryu and Oni’s bevy of special moves, they are considered some of the top fighters in the game by hardcore players who’ve been clashing in the Japanese version already. Yun (the one with the hat) can swiftly travel across the screen with lunging punches and spinning shoulder charges, and can deliver a quick, multi-hit rising kick. Yang (the one with the hat-like hair) is also quick to cross the screen, capable of initiating an invulnerable dash and a forward roll that transitions into a rising kick, and is a character that will definitely require practice to unravel his more effective combos.
It’s important to keep in mind that a fighter’s effectiveness isn’t necessarily based on the number of specials, but minutiae like the hit boxes of normal strikes, unique moves, and more technical aspects like animation frames required for move start-up and recovery. If you’re the type of player whose eyes blur over at the mere mention of details like the extension of Ken’s standing light punch hit box or the slight damage reduction of Guile’s flash kick, then you’re not in the core market for the Arcade Edition content.
There are a few presentational improvements in this version, mostly related to the online Replay Channel. The Arcade Edition lets you check out the replays of elite players and integrates a Twitter-like follow function that lets you more easily add their replays to your channel. Capcom also considered that adding in the Arcade Edition might fracture the online player base, and so lets you filter to search for Arcade, vanilla Super Street Fighter IV or both when looking for a match against others. It’s a nice way of ensuring that purchasing Arcade Edition doesn’t lock you out of the entire Super Street Fighter IV community.