World of Goo

World of Goo

Ipad / Iphone

World of Goo is a brilliant puzzle/construction game that was originally made for the iPad.  It is now available for the iPhone. The iPad was my personal preference to review this game because the larger screen made it so easy to play.  All you need to do is use your finger to drag the little goo balls around the screen to create several different bridges, strings, or other various escape routes. It's a game that's not really a touchy control game but I feel like it somehow creates an amazing connection between the player and the action.

World of Goo is an in-direct, clever puzzler. You're instantly a newcomer to the new world *you guessed it* 'World of Goo'.  It's a world of mystery and discovery. Hints not just about the gameplay, but also the potential troubles going-on throughout the circular World of Goo. In the World of Goo lucky for us they have left behind "Sign Painters". What they are there to do is tell you if there is a certain new goo or even tips on how to get to your final objective on the other side of the stage. World of Goo doesn't go crazy with written narrative. 2D Boy knows that you can create a story without the need of further instruction, or place. World of Goo is a fascinating and possibly strange place if you ever find your self wanting to explore more. Of course, if you ever want to explore it, you must complete a couple of missions that normally consist of getting the goo balls from one side to the other and help them "escape". To do this, one must drag good balls to the edge of the other goo balls to start linking them together and soon enough you will need to add more and more. The con side of this is once you use one goo ball that ball is removed from play so you must maintain a decent amount of goo particles left to complete the mission. If you are completely stumped and are about to throw your iPad/iPhone against the wall stop right there. Fortunately they give you three free "skips" per day if the same level is getting very repetitive so you can bounce around levels.

There are several different types of goo balls, each with special abilities, and every one more important than the last for planning escapes. The main black goo ball is just used for basic towers. While the white goo balls can create stringy, rope-like constructions. Green goos *my favorite* allow you to climb up stages and re-use previously placed orbs. The game gives you so many different obstacles. Nothing ever gets boring. The game producers went even as far as to have balloons to carry your goo over structures and over pits and spikes. Stages can range from windmills to the boules of monsters.  Everything has its own element and it fits perfectly. The ability to actually reach in and move goo with your fingers, and on an iPad none the less, makes you feel like a engineer more than a gamer. This is one of the few games I have never gotten frustrated with when I have failed because it's the amazing feeling of achievement you get when you accomplish the task. It keeps you playing for hours and hours.

Though there is not an online feature, what could be just as good in my book is you can go to what is called the "Corporation's Headquarters". There you will find players that you can complete with to erect the tallest tower of Goo, but be careful not to stack to many on one side or it will tip over. It's a very cool thing to do once the game is all finished. My current best is 1,987 ft. and I would welcome you to try to beat my tower. 

The video above shows a little bit of the basics of the game and it starts from the very beginning so you can have a good understanding of the game if you decide to get it for yourself.

The main screen doesn't really represent World of Goo at all because this is one of the most interactive, not to mention the most attractive game of it's style on the iPad and iPhone yet. I don't want to overdo the comparisons but World of Goo is just like Kingdom Rush. Both of these games are amazing and nothing else in the app store is just like it. The art is the main thing that stands out for me in this game, it's kinda like a dark 300 look because of the goo industry with the fun and creativeness of Dr. Seuss. The music is top notch.

CLOSING COMMENTS

World of Goo is a perfect app for the iPad. Using your fingers to create works of art has never been so rewarding. There is nothing mechanical about it, you are a caretaker and an architect interacting with the goo, not some passive gamer like Pocket League Story. The art and sound are incredible. At a current price of $4.99 for the iPad and $2.99 for the iPhone, some might be a little stunned by the price being a bit high but take my word for it you're getting what you pay for - and in this case, you get a very neat and fun puzzle game that will shine for a couple of years to come.

Still not sure if you want to spend your hard earned cash on this great game? On the website below you can try it for yourself by pressing "try free" on the right side of your screen. The game will give you a complete experience of the game and hopefully sway you into buying this game for your portable device.

http://www.wildtangent.com/Games/world-of-goo

GameSTATION REVIEW

RATINGS FOR 

WORLD OF GOO (IPAD/IPHONE)

Rating	Description
out of 10	Click here for ratings guide
9.5	Presentation The way they present you with the game is that they need help cleansing the land and they will provide you with short mini clips and "sign painters" if something is new.  It's very nice.
9.0	Graphics The childish look strikes again.  I'm in love with the graphics. It's like Dr. Seuss meets the 300's darkness. A very neat game with very well drawn backgrounds.
9.5	Sound The sound of tinkering is always in the air. It's by far one of the best soundtracks to try to solve problems with that's for sure.
9.5	Gameplay Great variety on the puzzles, they offer different challenges and 4 different worlds each having their own path if you choose to pick another mission. World of Goo will keep you busy for a long time.
9.0	Lasting Appeal The game is very fun, while it lasts. The game itself lives up to the price tag but once you're done all you can really do it replay missions you've skipped or just build an extremely large tower.
9.3 OVERALL	SPECTACULAR  (out of 10)

Kingdom Rush

Kingdom Rush is currently the #1 Strategy Game for the iPad on the iTunes store. The cost to play this tower defense genre game is $2.99 but it's currently going for $.99 - What a deal!!

Kingdom Rush is created by Armor Games. You might know them from various gaming websites, they are known for their games that involve strategy and cunning gameplay. Kingdom Rush is no exception, it's a defense game that combines much-needed wit and exceptional polish. The core experience is similar to games like balloon defense - waves of enemies follow a pre-set path and must be eliminated by structures purchased in the given area. The concept is that a player can place "Barracks" towers that send out three foot soldiers, they normally are able to slow down the enemy. If players were to put archers or mages next to the barracks, they would easily be able to turn the tide of war in their favor.

Although Kingdom Rush only contains four base tower types which seems a bit small, each tower can be upgraded into two separate categories. These towers can then to be customized even further by having special abilities. This not only gives players a suprising amount of special abilities, but it pays off for those that plan ahead and have a solid plan. For example, the archer tower upgrades are able to shoot very far away or able to deal massive amounts of damage. The "Ranger" or the high damage archer is very useful at the beginning of the enemy's path, but minuscule at the end.

Kingdom Rush is one of the best tower defense games on my chart, let alone on a mobile device. Each level or battleground has their perfect balance of gameplay. It's tough to complete levels but it's not so hard that it makes you feel stupid. If a giant Orc gets past you - use more soldiers. Fast enemies getting on your nerves - upgrade your archery tower to pick them off. It's a play and learn type of game, one level at a time. What in my opinion certainly helps the entire game is the looks and the sound. I'm a sucker for games that have a basic graphic look. If I were to describe the game, I would say it's a stylish, cartoon look that has a slight "fantasy" feel. The sound is on a whole different level, every tower says a one-line phrase when upgraded, the clashing of swords and the zap of lightning bolts through your headphones is pretty awesome. The music plays a heroic tune that just makes you want to kill some goblins and fight to save the kingdom. 

The Video above is from youtube, it shows the basic concept of the game. you are able to build towers on the areas with signs on them and the main goal is not to let the enemy fully deplete your hearts on the upper left corner of the screen.

Closing Opinion

Kingdom rush is a great game for those who have experience in tower defense and those who want to get into that genre. After clearing the 12-mission campaign, you are more than welcome to return back to your favorite battles and complete special challenges, adding hours upon hours of replay value. More importantly, Kingdom Rush is a game that keeps you on your toes with Bosses on certain missions, Easter Eggs, and over 50 achievements. This games seems to have it all in one package, while still having that "I want to play more" feeling. All in all it's high quality game play and nice clean polish will make it the #1 strategy game for a while, and an almost guarantee in my book to turn up on the 2012 "best of" list.

The Armor Games website below provides more detail about the game if you're unsure about purchasing it yet. The link takes you directly to Kingdom Rush so you can try it out to see if you really want to spend the money to have it on your portable device.
http://armorgames.com/play/12141/kingdom-rush

 GAMESTATION REVIEW 

 FOR

 KINGDOM RUSH (IPHONE)

Rating	Description
out of 10	Click here for ratings guide
9.5	Presentation Kingdom Rush has one of the best presentations I've ever seen. I was never good at tower defense games, but with this tutorial you'll get how to play within minutes.
9	Graphics The cartoon childish graphics doesn't lose its luster in this game.
9	Sound The sound of the battlefield never gets old. Swords shattering, the release of arrows, and shooting spells have kept me playing the game for about 4 hours over the weekend and I'm still in love with it.
9.5	Gameplay The first few missions can be nerve racking at first but you have a good understanding of what needs to be done. They have displays on the areas where enemies are coming so you know what to prepare for.
9	Lasting Appeal You can change your basic layout however you'd like. You can be archer based or wizard based, either way with +50 achievements this game won't be deleted anytime soon.
9.2 OVERALL	Amazing (out of 10)

Pocket League Story

The first game on my list to review is Pocket League Story. It's an iPhone/IPad game that's currently on the app store for $3.99.

This game is one of Kairosoft's many management sim games, this one so happens to involve soccer in it. The game allows the gamer full control of his or her own soccer club, and the necessary tools to make them a World Class team. Being the manager, it's up to you to make your team from the worst to the best in the eight year time span allowed. The way to a successful game is having well-trained players, how many sponsors you've signed, and how many wins you obtained. If you're able to beat the pre-recorded high score, you're able to get a golden trophy on the title screen.

 

During the games, you have very little power over the players themselves, you can tap a player to unleash their "Aura" at special times, but generally you're just passively sitting on the couch. Like all Kairosoft games, the fun doesn't really come from the action aspect, but more from being able to manage finances, search points, and other points used to create the best team possible. Research points come in four different styles: Tactical, Idea, Heart, Strength. The points are spread among the players helping them train, sign sponsors, and hold player events like autograph signing. The major flaw is, even if you're team only wins one game, if you have the money you can attract any superstar and any sponsor you'd like. I find it to be a little imaginary that a world class player would pick a team with only a couple hundred fans, this really unbalances the game, for me this happened around the third to fourth play through.

The second play through is the point where the game starts to lose it's shine. Each character you've obtained and trained keep their stats. With that being said, you can take all the cheap recruits that have retained everything from the previous season and add them to your roster. While I didn't notice that this happened halfway through the season, when I saw the opportunity I obviously wanted to win. So I added them and was guaranteed a win. With all my players from last season playing sub par teams, we would pummel other groups sometimes winning 14-0. Almost three different players would get hat-tricks but the one-sided match scores get very boring and tiresome. While I like the challenge of the late game content, Pocket League Story is very mindless after the first loop with constant training, building gyms, re-sodding your field, and all you really want to do is play the game.

Kairosoft boiled down the complex sports world into a workable management simulator. But by removing things like weather, penalties, injuries, or even how tired the players get, the game feels like a fantasy where nothing bad ever happens. The game itself doesn't feel complete without these factors included in the game but if they are able to add a couple factors it would be a complete simulation.

Closing Opinion

If you're looking for a portable fun soccer game, you're going to have a lot of fun playing this quick, easy game made by Kairosoft. While you think it's going to last you awhile, you'll be disappointed once you figure out that the challenge isn't quite there on the second play through. If you trained your players at all on the first play through, you'd easily win every game on your next year's season schedule.

GameStation review

 RATINGS FOR Pocket league story (Iphone)

Rating	Description
out of 10
7.5	Presentation I like the fact that it's a very simple game to play. You can sign players, get sponsors, and win leagues but there are a lot of menus and they just throw you into the action of the game too quickly without further instructions.
7.5	Graphics The graphics are resembled to a Gameboy kinda Pokemon look. It's very easy on the eyes but if the fields aren't sodded, all you see is brown. The games are very well drawn, having stands of fans, and the ball is very visible when watching.
6.5	Sound If you enjoy listening to the same repetitive music over and over, you'll enjoy this game. It's like sitting in an elevator and going up 70 floors. I'm giving it a higher score because you're able to play your own music. But if you don't have any, you best just turn the sound off.
7.0	Gameplay The gameplay is very fun. While you're not doing anything in match, you're constantly doing things after the match to create a better team. This process is very long and boring but it's very rewarding seeing your team win the first few games.
6.0	Lasting Appeal I hope you at least try the game out. But at the price of $3.99 and the second play through being very shallow, I wouldn't be in shock if you waited for the price to drop to $.99.
7.0 OVERALL	Good (out of 10)

About Gamestation Review.

What is Gamestation Review?

Gamestation Review is a game review blog that every week I'll be selecting a specific game and reviewing it in detail - with my likes and dislikes. Games from all systems ranging from iPhone to Xbox360 will be reviewed. What I hope that people gain from reading my reviews is to expand their game library, learn more about all the games out there and try different types of game styles.

I will rate games similiar to that of IGN using a 1-10 scale for the following categories - presentation, graphics, sound, gameplay, and last appeal. 

Presentation - How the game introduces you to the game and how the instructions are explained.

Graphics - How the game looks, good/bad.

Sound - Are things off key, do they fit the game genre. For example, you wouldn't want gunshots when playing Pokemon.

Gameplay - Is the game fun to play? How many levels are there and how difficult is it.

Last Appeal - Is the game worth buying, what happens after my first play through.

The Game Review itself will be very detailed because when I'm about to purchase a game, I enjoy knowing as much as I can about the game so I have a little background before I start. I believe that after you read my reviews you will have an idea if the game interests you and possibly if you want to buy the game for yourself.

Thank you for your interest in Gamestation Review. I hope you enjoy what I have to say and you take my advise into consideration when looking to buy your next game.