The Walking Dead Xbox 360 Game Review

Telltale Games unveils the video game version of the highly-successful zombie-based comic series “The Walking Dead.” Unlike many video games that deal with monsters and zombies, “The Walking Dead” puts more weight on character drama over bloody violence, giving it a fresh take on this very gory genre.

The game is a combination of point-and-click adventure and button-prompt action. Conversations rule most of the story, where you (playing the role of convicted felon Lee Everett) get to pick one of four dialogue options that may affect the story and your relationship with other characters. In other times, you are searching for items and fighting off zombies.

Although the fight scenes appear sparingly, the possibilities that you can do in it are almost limitless from axing ghouls in the head to stabbing them through the eye.

The story runs parallel to the series from the beginning of the outbreak. You play as Everett who, after a car crash on his way to jail, meets an orphaned young girl named Clementine whom he had to protect from the horde. Everett and Clementine seek for shelter and team up with other characters along the way.

This game is first of a five-episode series. “The Walking Dead” is now available on Xbox Live for 400 Microsoft Points (US$5).

Withings iPhone Baby Monitor

Image Source: ThinkGeek

Parents would usually want to keep their eyes on their baby at all times if possible. That would ensure them that their baby is always safe if they can always have a quick look now and then. But unfortunately, it might not always be possible especially if there are other things to do at home in other rooms. In such cases, baby gadgets like the new Withings iPhone Baby Monitor would usually be a wonderful device to have around.

The Withings iPhone Baby Monitor allows parents to become more productive at home by making them able to do important work while also trying to keep tabs of the baby’s condition at all times. The unit comes with a video camera that can provide 3MP high definition video. The camera can also be panned, tilted, zoomed and be used even in the dark with its night vision features.

A built-in mic and speaker allows parents to listen as well as speak to a baby who may want to hear a familiar and soothing voice. The unit can also determine motion, sound, temperature, and humidity changes and provide the necessary alerts when required to. What makes it even better is that all these are possible with parents monitoring via their iPhone or iPad through the Internet. It is wireless convenience at its best when it comes to monitoring the baby. The Withings iPhone Baby Monitor is available at ThinkGeek for US$300.

Sony Introduces Melee Fighting Game

Sony has confirmed that they are working on a first-party fighting game for PlayStation 3 similar to Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros.

The title, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, sounds a bit plain. However, its gameplay is more complex than you think. The game features Sony-developed characters, as well as players from third-party PS3 games, who duke it out in crazy worlds that are mashed-up from different well-loved games. Characters that are confirmed to appear in the battle game include Sweet Tooth (Twisted Metal), Kratos (God of War), Sly Cooper, and Fat Princess. Each player uses a unique fighting style based on the video games they appear on.

The game is said to come in single and multiplayer modes, as well as online play and tournament mode. Players can either battle each other or play cooperatively. It is due to arrive on PS3 this holiday season.

Source: Kotaku

Aurora Feint 3 iPad Game App Review

You have played Bejeweled on your desktop and mobile device thinking any game that try to copy its gameplay are bound to fail. Not so much in this case.

Aurora Feint 3 is a tile-matching game infused with RPG, kinda like Puzzle Quest for Nintendo DS. Unlike Bejeweled, however, this game only slides jewels horizontally and you can even tilt your iPad to shift gravity, giving it a more challenging play.

The RPG part of the game comes with raising your character with more power and health as his level goes up, which you dearly need in battling mystical enemies.

Developed by Openfeint Inc, Aurora Feint 3 is available to download for free in the iPad.

GodFinger All-Stars iPad App Review

God games are arguably one of the easiest apps to play. You do nothing but play god and control your minions as you please. However, a lot of god games lose their charms in the long run. GodFinger All-Stars by plus+ tries to disprove that notion and then some.

The game enables you, the god, to interfere with your subjects in great detail. Stun your followers with awe and terror, send them leaping through the heavens, and collect Follower Stars to power up your people. Follower Stars are created as you wow your minions with your wonders.

Another great feature of this app is how you can transform your planet according to your liking, such as turning deserts into lush plains, planting flowers, and flooding gullies. Players can also add Awe Points in form of in-app purchases.

GodFinger All-Stars can be downloaded for free on iTunes for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Connection to the Internet is required to play.

Ninjump HD iPad App Review

Sometimes, the game with the simplest instructions give the best experience. Take it from Ninjump HD, which was developed by Backflip Studios.

Your protagonist ninja does nothing but climb a pair of walls as high as he can, with only a tap of your finger (most preferably the thumb) to make him switch from one wall to the other. But it’s not that easy, as he needs to avoid obstacles and enemies ranging from blue birds, quick squirrels, and enemy ninjas. You can defeat the animals and the weapons thrown by ninjas (like stars and bombs) by slashing them as you jump–which he does anyway. Collect three of the same enemies and the ninja receives mega-jump bonuses, as well as shields to protect him from one hit.

Despite the simplicity of gameplay, Ninjump HD introduces gorgeous graphics, immersive soundtrack, and an addictive quality. If there is something to complain about this app, it would be how the shield’s effect does not accumulate as you collect more of it.

Ninjump HD is available for free on iTunes.

Tiny Wings iPhone Game App Review

Image Source: Apple App Store

Games need not be that complicated in order to get people interested enough to play them. Sometimes, it is the simplest games that get people to play them for hours and hours. One of the fitting examples of such games is the Tiny Wings game app for the iPhone.

Tiny Wings is a simple game that tries to players to enjoy with only the simplest of controls. It involves a small bird dreaming to fly but has tiny wings. The best the bird can do is fly short distances. But with the help of rolling hills on the landscape, it may just make its dream to fly come true along with the help of the player. The objective of the game is simple- get the bird to fly by timing its flight taking off on a hill’s incline.

Tiny Wings may probably have the simplest game controls out of the many game apps out there. It all requires a touch on the screen as the sole control feature. But playing it may be far from simple. It requires timing on touching the screen in order for the bird to take off from an incline and reach long distance flight. There are coins and bonus items to retrieve along the way. But the primary objective is for the bird to travel from one island to another as far as possible before nighttime comes.

This game app is quite enjoyable in all its simplicity. The procedural graphics that the app uses allows for different landscape setting every time one plays the game. Tiny Wings is available for the iPhone at the Apple App Store for a $1 download.

Triple Town iPad App Review

Take a simple puzzle game and infuse it with complex city-building sensibilities. That is what Triple Town looks like in a nutshell.

Triple Town by Spry Fox allows players to turn their settlement into an empire in just a 6 x 6 grid. The map starts with a random design, wherein you need to place three or more of the same game pieces together to transform it into a single evolved piece. For instance, combine three grass patches to create a bush; match three bushes to make a tree; put three trees together to build a house and so on. It is not that easy, though, as bears roam around to block your squares.

The great thing about Triple Town is that it is played like chess: you need to think ahead before placing your game piece. Each piece you place is determined randomly (including the bears) with no way of knowing what you will get next. The game is over once you have filled your grid with tombstones (which you create by trapping bears), and other non-matching pieces.

The game give you a limited amount of moves. Once emptied and your game is not over, wait for several hours until it the move bar is completely replenished or buy moves with free coins that you earn in-game. You can also opt for a one-time purchase of $3.99 for unlimited moves for life.

Triple Town is available for free on iTunes.