2K raised some eyebrows (mine included) when they announced a port of XCOM: Enemy Unknown for iOS. I love that game, but how the heck were they going to make it work on those devices? Well after the fact, I found out that it works pretty well.
strategy
Pocket Tanks Deluxe: The Battle For Subway Supremacy
(Download Pocket Tanks For iPhone)
My first encounter with Pocket Tanks occurred in 2001. I was in high school computer programming class and one of my friends asked me to come over to his computer and play against him. I don’t remember why we had enough time to get in a few matches instead of actually writing code, but that’s moot at this point. Years later, I picked up the free version on a whim because why not?
While it sat on my phone for years collecting cyber dust, the game became the focal point of my afternoon commute when my office moved downtown.
Project X Zone Review
With a cast of over 60 feature characters from dozens of different Namco, Sega and Capcom franchises, it’s no wonder that fan service is such an important aspect to the Project X Zone experience. There’s no shortage of neat moments for these characters to build cross-dimensional relationships with one another. There’s also more than enough tag-team action to show off everyone’s combat prowess. As great as it is to hit those marks, it clearly came at a cost, as there are other aspects of this strategy RPG that are sorely lacking.
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Top 10 Games Of This Generation – #9 – XCOM: Enemy Unknown
The turn-based strategy genre has been largely stagnant for ages. Sure, I greatly enjoy the semi-regular Fire Emblem entries, though there’s surely room in the market for more, right? 2K Games agrees, as they took a huge risk with XCOM: Enemy Unknown. I’m so glad that they did, as its earned a slot in my top 10 games of this generation.
Pikmin 3 Review
Under Pikmin 3‘s cuddly veneer is a game that is unapologetically hardcore. Standing between your crew and a return trip home is a few key parts to rebuild your ship, the treacherous inhabitants of PNF-404, and the inescapable hand of father time. At first, my poor play and the fear of the consequences that came with that poor play nearly drove me to dropping the game completely. However, after coming to grips with managing my troops and the limited time allotted per day, the stress of survival took a back seat to the joy of exploring this beautiful world with my cute little Pikmin along for the ride.
Valkyria Chronicles Impressions
War doesn’t always have to be presented in the style of Call of Duty. It doesn’t have to be about first person shooting. Or summer-blockbuster action. Or earning perks by playing endless amounts of team death match. It’s easy to hate on the military theme in video games because of ‘Call of Duty syndrome’, but there’s still room for military games to innovate. Valkyria Chronicles, released early in the PlayStation 3’s life-cycle, is easily the most unique military game of this generation.
Check Out My Fire Emblem: Awakening Review on Splitkick.com
Since its release, Fire Emblem: Awakening has been tough to track down in stores. Though I’ve heard reports of the game being under-shipped, there’s also the fact that it’s really good. I enjoyed it so much that I beat it twice before finalizing my review for Splitkick. If you can find it, the game is definitely worth tracking down!
XCOM: Enemy Unknown Review
My love affair with the turn-based strategy games began after the original XCOM faded into obscurity. Advance Wars and Fire Emblem were my introduction to the genre, and for the most part, the only games in the genre I play. Not for a lack of desire, but for a lack of options. Sure, there are a lot of indie strategy games on PC/iOS, but when the big-budget strategy game market shrunk to nothing, the only real standout to me was Nintendo. Even then, neither of their strategy titles have lit up the sales charts or help revive the genre.
I’m not sure what compelled 2K Games to push ahead with a new XCOM now, but I truly appreciate the fact that they did. XCOM: Enemy Unknown is not only a fantastic turn-based strategy game, but easily one of the best games I played that came out in 2012.
Check Out My Borderlands Legends Review on Splitkick.com!
As a fan of the Borderlands franchise, I jumped into this iOS spin-off with both feet. To my dismay, Legends falls well short of the standards set by its console and PC brethren. If that last sentence isn’t enough to ward you off from spending your hard-earned money on this mediocre action strategy title, check out my full review on Splitkick.
Dominion by Donald X. Vaccarino for iPhone/iPad Review
My love of video games has historically not translated well into other forms of gaming. When it comes to card games, I don’t play anything more complicated that Klondike Solitaire. As far as designer card games go, anything beyond Uno I either classify as too complicated, too boring or too nerdy for my tastes.
While I still hold that general sentiment around card games (designer card games in particular), I fell in love with Dominion not too long ago. My girlfriend invited me to a game night hosted by one of her coworkers, and we spent all night playing Dominion. What surprised me most about the game was how easy it was to learn while exhibiting a great level of depth. I told Steff multipe times as we were playing it that the mechanics that drive Dominion scratches an itch that I normally get out of Street Fighter.
Immediately after our first game, I searched the iTunes app store to find a Dominion equivalent. To my surprise, it’s available as a free download. While you won’t need to read my review to decide if it’s worth your money, you may want to see if Dominion on the iPhone is worth your time.
In Third Person 