The SimCity 5 launch reminded me of Diablo III all over again, with its always on server connection (EA is not calling it that, rather players are “sharing” the same game space) and to hear an EA exec mention that more people logged on than they have expected, playing in ways that weren’t expected (check it out), makes one wonder whether do these guys have any idea what are they talking about in the first place.

This problem however isn’t endemic to the Diablos and Simcities of the world as casual games, which are facing a boom period on iOS and Android devices are guilty of this too. Mainly created to tap into the freemium model, these games constantly are in touch with backend servers, in the likelihood to prevent cheating (especially those that support any form of multiplayer) and to manage in-game purchases.

The folks at at Big Blue Bubble has just launched a brand new MMO on the iPad, featuring pirates and the high seas. Titled Raft Pirates, players get to build their pirate ships by piecing together rafts, and putting some really crazy looking weapons on board. The crew look like something out from a Miyazaki film and having said that, everything in the game is in beautiful 2D line-art graphics.

Besides taking turns battling other fellow pirates (the multiplayer action doesn’t require the active participation of other players, it’s basically a play against power levels), and building your rafts, players get to participate in mini games, collecting salvage (which is earned through combat as well) by diving deep into the waters of Rift Pirates.

In  a perfect world, a reviewer like me would say, hey, this will be the next big thing, but then like SimCity and Diablo, Raft Pirates features always-on connectivity back to its servers. Yes the game is an MMO (and one can argue that SimCity 5 is one as well), but what happens if the servers do not scale up with the seemingly increasing numbers of players buoyed by positive initial reviews. You get nothing short of a disaster.

I’m now having trouble starting the game, it crashes upon start-up. Before that, combat resolution was really slow and there were more than one occasion where I was booted out after a hard-earned victory (reason being the game communicates with the server during and right after combat, and so happened it failed), denying me salvage. To rub salt to the wound, the damage to my ship still remains, with  nothing (in terms of salvage) to show.

You can imagine that it has been an incredibly frustrating experience reviewing Raft Pirates. It seems to be a very nicely  made game, only to be hampered by it’s back end. I would give the game a 4.5 out of 5 just for the gameplay and graphics alone, but connectivity issues and the fact that it is unplayable now makes it difficult for me to recommend the game at all. It’s available for free on the iTunes App Store, so you’re more than welcome to check it out: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/raft-pirates/id539098940?mt=8.

Turn-based strategy games are a boon to parents with small children. Take for instance Civilization V. You don’t need fast reaction times, neither do you need both hands to operate both keyboard and mouse and you spend most of your time watching the action unfurl on the screen. These are the reasons why I took advantage of the Steam daily deal the other day to get Civ 5: Gold Edition; it was just USD 12.99 for the game and all the extras.

I just finished my first game against A.I opponents, and since no one yelled at me for taking my own sweet time, it took a good 40 hours. That single play-session though, which was staggered across several days, netted me the single most amount of achievements in one play-through: 34! If you have the time and you’re on Raptr, check me out: http://raptr.com/jasonlwz. You’d probably notice that I love PC games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Torchlight 2 and Civ 5.

OK, back to Civ 5. I tried schooling my baby girl in the intricacies of diplomacy, our pastor may preach “Love thy neighbour”, but as long as the neighbour is an A.I opponent in Civ 5, it’s good to lob several nukes in his direction. This is especially true when that neighbour is Atilla the Hun. That barbarian is has a chip on his shoulder the size of North America and any peace attempt I made was rebuffed; I venture to say that he was downright rude and hypocritical. LOL.

I managed to achieve victory by launching a space ship heading to Alpha Centauri, but this was not before I had a whole bunch of end-game units in play, among which the Giant Death Robot. I didn’t manage to see it action though, having shown mercy to Atilla the Hun after decimating several cities of his and then launching the spaceship. Civ 5 has proven to be a time sink, but it’s easy on my schedule. If you haven’t gotten the game already, you probably should. Just be warned, that “just one more turn” kind of feel is definitely real.

When the folks from Czech-indie game developers Cinemax contacted me about their new iOS title 247 MISSILES, I was thinking to myself: “Hmmm… Another Missile Command clone?” Curiosity did get the better of me and I ended up using the promo code provided by the developers to grab a copy of the game from the iTunes App Store.

I’m happy to report that it was the right move and 247 MISSILES doesn’t disappoint. Like other Missile Command clones before it, the gameplay is action packed. You’ll be tapping all over the screen to intercept enemy missiles. As the commander, instead of the traditional missile silos, you control a Navy ship and submarine protecting a bunch of cities. Both units launch different types of missiles, the ones launched by the ship travel slower while sub-launched missiles move faster.

You’ll need to make full use of both missile types as there are different kinds of enemy missiles as well. Adding further to the player’s tactical considerations would be the fact that both units will need to reload and can be temporary knocked out of commission by enemy missiles! While not exactly being available all the time, players can trigger a laser whenever a satellite flies overhead, helping to destroy enemy missiles as well.

Destroying stuff nets you valuable coins which you can use to upgrade both your ship and submarine as well as additional protection for your cities. The level of difficulty gets progressively harder the longer you survive, just like Tetris . The game tabulates your high score and uploads it to Game Center so you can see how you fare against the rest of the world.

247 MISSILES greatly impresses with its fun, frantic gameplay and super smooth 2D graphics which would make any fan of Missile Command happy. Perfect for one of those days where you just want to blast things out from the sky. And don’t worry about the crazy loading screen when you see it in the game:

Nineoverten.com rates 247 MISSILES at a 4.5 out of 5. The game is available on the iTunes App Store for USD 0.99, check it out over here: https://itunes.apple.com/app/247-missiles/id598888111?mt=8

A review code was provided to Nineoverten.com for the purpose of this review.

I was just about to start Butterscotch Shenanigans’ latest iOS title Towelfight 2: The Monocle of Destiny to grab a bunch of screenshots when my baby girl Natalia decided that she needed some attention. It’s interesting being a new father and a gamer at the same time, having to schedule play time for her and myself, not to mention the time to write stuff like this. I’m 100% confident that a few years down the road she’ll be gaming along with her old man on whatever it is that Sony or Microsoft come up with.

OK, back to the review. You know how the App Store is saturated with 8-bit titles; so much so that as a reviewer, my eyes start to bleed at the mention of “retro graphics”. No offense to developers who think retro is cool, but you know too much of a good thing, like sugar, can be really bad for you (think diabetes). But what if developers took the design principles of retro titles such as The Legend of Zelda, putting key emphasis on exploration with a whole slew of bizarre characters, and top it up with the clean, crisp lines of 21st century 2D animation?

I would say that the team at BS (heh, that was smart) have a winner right here with Towelfight 2. Players take on the role of Hardik, an Indian guy with a stereotypical monocle reminiscent of all things British India. Anyways, the old chap gets swept away to a strange land and that monocle of his gets enchanted to shoot out animals in order to destroy enemies. The first animal that you can shoot out of your monocle is a…frog. Don’t let that wet towel dampen your spirits as you get to collect more animals that deliver even more devastating firepower, well, except for the sloth, he’s just too slow coming out of the monocle.

Towelfight 2 is pretty unique for a game, as the game world is procedurally generated with interconnected rooms. Clearing rooms of enemies and destructible objects will net you coins, rescue NPCs, keys, animal weapons and treasure chests. It’s good to note that Hardik jumps around like a kid discovering a candy store for the first time whenever he gets a new weapon or an item, it’s not that the game is acting up or something. Hardik also has a penchant of saying irrelevant things when it comes to destroying enemies, so be sure to watch the screen for all the shout outs.

There’s quite a lot of content in Towelfight 2, and you get plenty of bang for your buck as the amount of hours you can put in to exploring the game can number in the dozens. The interconnected rooms allow you to take a breather from time to time, but you’ll find that combat is so addictive you’ll go “hey, let’s explore the next room”. The NPCs that you discover along the way have some pretty colourful dialogue, which in context of the game is good, since it shows character.

Towelfight 2, with all its irrelevant, quirky dialogue, crazy combat and vast amount of levels and not to mention sweet 2D graphics, simply delivers and is a heavy favourite of mine to being one of the best games in 2013. Nineoverten.com rates Towelfight 2 at a 5 out of 5. SIMPLY OUTSTANDING. The game is available on the iTunes App Store at a price of USD 2.99. Check it out over here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/towelfight-2-monocle-destiny/id599207248?mt=8

A review code was provided to Nineoverten.com for the purpose of this review. Natalia was not harmed during the course of this review and she was promptly attended to throughout the entire time .

If you are still playing Tiny Tower, don’t you wish for a little bit of spice on your piece of real estate. Nothing ever happens except for visitors and VIPs, but don’t fret just yet, as a brand new game is set to allow you to build castles, complete with all things medieval!  Gamenauts, in conjunction with developer Artlogic Games, today announced their upcoming tower building / RPG hybrid, Castle Champions. The first in a series of games published under Gamenauts’ Asian indie mobile publishing initiative, Castle Champions combines castle-management simulation with RPG/battle party management. The game is set to hit the App Store for free on March 14, 2013.

The coveted honor of being the Castle Champion is up for grabs! Players must battle against fearsome enemies such as the Cerberus, Minotaur, and other medieval menaces in the Amateur and Pro Leagues to claim the prestigious title. Train an army with warriors of nine different character classes, including Mages, Crusaders and Paladins, as well as one of six Heroes serving as team captain to increase the army’s battle prowess!

The army, of course, would not exist without a formidable castle in which to train. Players must build a castle from the ground up to house not just their warriors but also civilians who will earn the player valuable gold and crystals for being employed in the castle’s businesses. Heroes must also be ready at all times to repel the horde of castle invaders!

Stay tuned to Nineoverten.com come March 14th for the launch announcement, and see you in Castle Champions.

Disney Mobile Games is on a roll today, first with the release of Toy Story: Smash It!, for both iOS and Android. This game takes the swipe and launch gameplay made famous by Angry Birds, and does it in 3D! Have a look at the screenshots, the game looks absolutely amazing. Players take on the role of Buzz Lightyear out to stop the evil Zurg and catch alien bandits through 60 levels of play.

Toy Story: Smash It! is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play for 99 cents. Fans of Where’s My Perry on the other hand will be glad to know that the game will be honoring National Platypus Day (March 2nd) with an update that brings  20 new levels for Agent P and 20 new levels for Dr. Doofenshmirtz. The festivities also include special Platypus Day theming and 50% discounts on all locksmith packs that will last until March 4.

Like Toy Story: Smash It!, Where’s My Perry is available on both iTunes App Store and Google Play for 99 cents if you haven’t purchase it already. Owners of the game get to download the update for free.

One of our favourite games of the year, Gunslugs, snagged a couple of distinctions along the way (game of the week AND game of the month, kudos to OrangePixel) has just received a whole slew of improvements along with new content and music. New character names Scarlett Sonya, checked, new world called Marine Dock, checked, new mini games, checked and with a slightly bizarre twist to things, a new weapon called Chicken Gun featuring…. chickens!

Colonel Sanders must be turning in his grave with that last bit, but what can be more fun then chickens right? Gunslugs obtained a 4.5 out of 5 the last time we reviewed the game and based on the ratings we see on the App Store, we’re right on the money. So what are you waiting for, current users can grab the update for free, and if you haven’t already bought the game, check out our review, and then go grab it: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gunslugs/id591368443

Normally when it comes to game developers, you would expect them to create virtual worlds out of virtual wireframes, texture files and digital lighting. Not so often you get developers who come up with photo-realistic but ultimately still artificial environments to play in, but the folks that create the iPad puzzle game Majaya have gone one step further by creating their levels out of plasticine!

Yes, the humble plasticine, the one that you nearly put in your mouth as a kid thinking that it was chewable, was used to construct stunning and colourful looking levels in this colour matching game which I dare say is one a kind on the iTunes App Store. The gameplay utilises the tilt controls and players are supposed to roll a ball of plasticine over globs of paint unlocking barriers to head to the exit on each level.

The game colourful environment is bound to entertain and amaze both the young and old. I know I had a hard time picking my jaw off the floor when I saw the game for the first time. It was like watching a smooth claymation movie running on the iPad and the director would be me, moving that ball of plasticine around. This is really an inspired and creative moment of game making and I would highly recommend gamers and developers alike to check Majaya out, as it’s not only a game, it’s a work of art.

Nineoverten.com rates Majaya at a 5 out of 5. Simply Amazing. The game is available on the iTunes App Store for USD 1.99, check it out over here: https://itunes.apple.com/app/majaya/id587768434?mt=8.

A review code was provided to Nineoverten.com for the purpose of this review.

I never would have thought a direct descendant of the Brothers Grimm will be giving voice in an upcoming interactive book adaption of a classic Brothers Grimm story, but in this day and age, perhaps anything seems possible. Check out the press release for details:

Ravensburger Digital and Daedalic Entertainment are celebrating the Brothers Grimm year with a unique interactive book app: “Living Stories: The Brave Little Tailor”. The Grimms’ fairy tale is being published in digital form for the iPad at the start of March.On the 200th anniversary of the publication of the first volume of Children’s and Household Tales by the Brothers Grimm, the app expands on the fairy-tale classic by making use of 21st century innovations.

The story of the astute tailor is brought to new life on the iPad through enchanting pictures, professional voice over narration and Ravensburger puzzles. For the German release, voice over is provided by Markus Grimm – a direct descendant of the Brothers Grimm.

Grimms’ fairy tale and Living Stories – a fabulous team

Although fairy-tale fans have known Grimms’ tales, such as Snow White and Rapunzel, for generations, the “Living Stories” series is a recent project. A lot of users and reviewers have nevertheless expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, in which Daedalic Entertainment is responsible for development and Ravensburger contributes its experience with children’s books. In November 2012, “Living Stories: The Lost Heart” was released as the first interactive iPad story. It was the winner of the German Developer Prize and “GIGA-Maus” 2012, among other awards.

The combination of Grimms’ fairy tales with the interactive “Living Stories” concept brings together the past and the present day of story-telling. The tale of the little tailor benefits from the technical possibilities of an interactive book app: animated graphics and the chance to guide the action through simple movements on the iPad allow “The Brave Little Tailor” to be enjoyed in a completely new way, using modern technology – and without a heavy set of books.

A real Grimm for a real fairy-tale classic

“Living Stories: The Brave Little Tailor” also provides a unique story-telling experience for fairy-tale fans both big and small. The app not only lets you read the interactive book yourself, but you can also have the story of the brave tailor read to you by professional voice over artists. For the German release, author and musician Markus Grimm lends his voice to the little tailor. The choice of speaker could not have been better, as Grimm is not only the author of three books for children, but he is also a descendant of the famous pair of brothers.

“We can look forward to a wonderful app that will enchant both young and old with its fantastic atmosphere and magical illustrations! You discover something new every time you browse through it”, says Thomas Bleyer, managing director of Ravensburger Digital.

“Living Stories: The Brave Little Tailor” for iPad is available from the start of March at 3.59 €/ $3.99/ £2.49 in the iTunes App Store.

Goodness. I’ve never had so much fun in a PC game in ages. Scribblenauts Unlimited for the PC (now available via Steam) further continues the adventures of Maxwell and his magical notepad which is capable of conjuring up items written on it. Yup, for those who are unfamiliar with the series or even the original game on the DS, basically, in order to complete objectives in the game, you’ll need to come up with items for either Maxwell or NPCs to use, just by typing the name of the items.

In addition to that, you can write adjectives to describe Maxwell, NPCs or even other objects. The game rewards both imagination and a really good vocabulary and players get to run riot in vast 2D levels (complete with an overworld) filled with NPCs who will need your help (and your magical notepad) in either simple “gimme-an-item” tasks or crazy scenarios such as tackling a zombie invasion on a fire station. It’s the latter that will be the draw to the game and I’m warning you, the game is chokeful with these.

The lack of any kind of inhibition on part of the game may be confusing to some at first (I took a parked car and drove it off a pier) but rest assured you’ll get the hand of things real soon. Crazy fun aside, completing tasks will earn you starites or at least shards of a starite, and starites unlock additional levels. Also, Maxwell has plenty of siblings (his parents may be Mormons, I don’t know, just guessing), all of which can be unlocked in game by completing tasks. Players can even choose to play as one of Maxwell’s siblings by switching avatars.

Offering up something different than the previous titles in the series, Scribblenauts Unlimited provides an “Object Editor”, which is the same tool used by the developer 5th Cell that will allow players to make, name, and then share their creations online.  These user-created objects can be created from scratch or by altering an existing in-game object.

Scribblenauts Unlimited provides awesome fun for both children and adults alike and one can liken it to a canvas with an unlimited palette, with someone else taking care of the drawing for you. Nineoverten.com rates Scribblenauts Unlimited at a 5 out of 5. The game is available for USD 29.99 on Steam for Windows PC. Check it out over here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/218680/

A review code was provided to Nineoverten.com for the purpose of this review.