Welcome back to the Weekend Games Corner. We’ve got a few older games this week. You may have heard of some of these. Those of you who haven’t, consider this your chance to get on the bandwagon. These are great games that we would recommend to anyone with an Android phone, iOS device, or Flash-capable computer.
Mobile games get more polished every day. The games we’ve picked are great examples of how mobile gaming has advanced by leaps and bounds from its original state. We remember the bad old days of trying to game on a flip phone. It was not pretty. However, things are pretty now. Just look at these titles.
We reviewed Jetpack Joyride for iOS a while back in an earlier post when it was an Apple exclusive. However, it’s been a few months and Halfbrick has finally brought their famous title to Android with some improvements. There’s enough new stuff here to warrant a new look. Besides, it’s an excuse to play more Jetpack Joyride.
The first thing that stands out about the Android version is that it is noticeably similar to its iOS brother. We could not find any missing features or errors. Nothing was lost in translation to Android, which is nice considering the number of sloppy iOS ports out there.
Last time we played was on an iPad, which was a little different from playing on a small phone screen. Gameplay is basically the same, although the graphics look slightly more cramped.
The game is played by tapping the screen to fly upward. By flying up and down, you can dodge obstacles and missiles and collect coins to spend on persistent upgrades. It’s good zany fun, especially with the random vehicles. Nothing has changed with those. The Teleporter still sucks and the Profit Bird is still the best.
Where Jetpack Joyride breaks down is when you get to the upgrade system. During each run, you collect spin tokens. These tokens are spent on random end-of-level bonuses. These bonuses can be cool, but are often mistimed. A bomb to boost your score is great, but not when you get it after dying at 200m.
The persistent upgrade system, on the other hand, is all skill. By collecting coins you can upgrade clothing, jetpacks, and vehicles. Be sure to get the vehicle magnets as these get you a lot of coins.
The new addition to the Android version is the gadget system. You can buy add-ons like obstacle jumpers, missile jammers, x-ray specs, and a turbo boost. These simple additions completely rebalance the game. Fans, have fun.
Jetpack Joyride is a fantastic game which we could write about for a long time. It’s fun, and free. Go download it.
Download Jetpack Joyride
Kumo Lumo (iOS)
Kumo Lumo is an interesting game designed for children. It’s an adorable-looking title about a cloud that has to water forests and protect them from evil monsters.
The controls are simple enough. You can spin the ground beneath Kumo Lumo to reveal new forests and areas. Tap Kumo to make it rain. Rain grows forests. Simple concept, smooth execution.
One aspect which is decidedly not kid-friendly is its free-to-play nature. Parents should be aware of options to buy a higher water limit and lightning for real money before handing this game off to kids. The last thing kids need is a way to spend large amounts of money.
Parents with kids, check this one out. Everyone else should probably pass it by.
Download Kumo Lumo
Kingdom Rush (Flash)
Kingdom Rush came out last year for iOS. It was a popular tower defense game known for its polish. This is the free flash version. Playing by mouse isn’t that different from using touch, so it works as far as ports go. This version actually has better controls because it comes with quickslots for powers.
The theme of the day is defending a fantasy kingdom against invaders. The gameplay is your standard tower defense. You’ve got rapid-fire towers, towers that slow enemies down, and towers that do area damage, and other towers that deal heavy damage to single enemies.
The implementation manages to be simple to understand and simultaneously complex. Planning out the optimal mix of towers to defend against different enemy types is a lot of fun.
It’s not the most terribly creative game in the world, but as far as tower defense goes Kingdom Rush is a solid choice. We enjoyed it a lot (and spent way too much time playing it instead of reviewing the other games on this list).
Play Kingdom Rush
